Chapter 141: Are You Lucy Montgrad?
Cain was on the verge of screaming and cursing at the top of his lungs.
He had warned Lucy, with absolute and uncompromising clarity, never to act on her own or without his direct orders. She herself had assured him confidently that she would limit her actions to erasing her remaining magical signature before immediately retreating.
Yet...
How had things escalated into such a catastrophic mess?!
She had acted without telling him a single word.
Suddenly, the entire planet shuddered as a devastating shockwave rattled the Earth to its core!
As if terrifying the entire world to that extent were not enough, Lucy had crossed every boundary of reason and forged a legendary purple spear from her magical essence, its colossal form stretching across the heavens as its razor-sharp tip pointed directly toward the billions of humans on Earth’s surface!
Cain knew just how volatile and easily provoked she could be, but he had never imagined, not even in his wildest nightmares, what had driven her into such a state of fury.
Even if he knew the reason behind her anger, there was no logical justification in all of creation for the madness she was unleashing upon the sky!
From his vantage point atop the building, Cain witnessed the sheer horror and panic spreading across everyone’s faces, soldiers, prisoners, and bystanders alike.
Some could not withstand the shock or bear the terror looming from the heavens.
Several collapsed instantly, losing control of their bodies and soiling themselves in sheer fright.
Others fell unconscious, completely paralyzed by fear.
Meanwhile, the remaining crowd dropped to their knees, screaming and reciting prayers and passages from their holy books as they desperately pleaded with the heavens in a frenzy of terror!
It was hardly surprising.
Any human being who looked upon such a horrifying spectacle in the heavens would firmly believe that the final hour had arrived and that the apocalypse was upon them!
Cain’s mind went completely blank as he found himself utterly unable to think of a solution while desperately waiting for an explanation from Lucy.
Finally, her voice echoed through their direct mental link.
[Do not worry, Cain... Everything is completely under control! This entire display was merely meant to terrify Old Man Darren and force him into complete submission... I will not fail you this time, I promise!]
The words caught in Cain’s throat, leaving him completely at a loss for how to respond.
He was no longer at the peak of his extraordinary power, nor did he possess the means to restrain her.
His specialized "Ascended" state, along with all the magical spells capable of containing a disaster of this magnitude, had been completely sealed and suppressed ever since Lucy destroyed the "Mikhail Jewel" (Michael Gem).
As Cain reviewed the events of his past with a cold mind, he realized that most of the disasters and crises that had plagued his life had originated from Lucy’s reckless and foolish decisions, followed by his own equally foolish reactions!
Truthfully, they were probably the two worst individuals in existence to possess power on such a terrifying cosmic scale!
Cain shouted through their telepathic link, his voice stern and filled with reprimand:
[Lucy!... End this absurd farce immediately! We have no need for any of these catastrophes! Why are you doing this?! Restrain your energy and stop this earthquake right now!]
The instant his words ended, the tremors and geological shocks spreading across every corner of the planet came to a complete halt.
The sudden stillness brought a slight measure of relief.
Yet the true disaster remained looming in the sky.
The enormous purple spear was still suspended high above the Earth, threatening the extinction of the entire world!
Cain yelled once more, his tone even harsher than before:
[Why is that spear still hanging in the middle of the sky?! Get rid of it right now. No arguments!]
Far out in outer space, not far from Earth’s atmosphere...
Lucy stood motionless in the vacuum behind Old Man Darren, listening to Cain’s sharp voice as the weight of his stern reprimand echoed through their mental link.
A bitter sense of injustice stirred within Lucy’s heart.
She had never actually intended to drop that spear onto Earth!
She genuinely believed that she was putting on this terrifying display for his sake and to further his goal.
Yet he had chosen to reprimand her so harshly over something she considered trivial.
Although she understood deep down that protecting lives was no simple matter to Cain, one indignant question continued to echo through her mind:
What was the real problem here?!
Cain was the Supreme Leader of the Transmigrators’ Organization, one of the greatest and most powerful sovereign entities in their magical realm!
Why was he panicking so hysterically over mere insects and mortals among these insignificant humans?!
He stood to gain nothing valuable from saving them.
So why these particular mortals?
Or more accurately...
How dare these weak creatures make Cain reprimand and insult her for their sake?!
In Lucy’s immense pride, that alone was a sin.
A grand, unforgivable sin.
Yet through sheer magical finesse, Lucy managed to suppress the dark thoughts beginning to veer toward slaughter, an impressive feat of self-control for someone like her.
She did not want to appear as some bloodthirsty monster spilling innocent blood over such petty reasons.
She was no monster.
But, in all honesty, she was desperately eager to meet that mysterious man who bore the exact same name as her husband, "Cain", the man this old prisoner claimed could crush her and shatter her portals.
She had believed that the fastest way to prove her absolute superiority would be to execute him right before Darren’s eyes, demonstrating that his so-called master was nothing more than a worthless insect before her power.
Nevertheless, in obedience to Cain’s command, Lucy dispelled the giant spear.
The enormous purple construct vanished from the sky in the blink of an eye, as though it had never existed at all.
At that exact moment, Old Man Darren felt absolute relief surge through his veins.
It was as though an entire planet’s worth of weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders after agonizing seconds that had felt like endless years of torment.
However...
Just as he drew a relieved breath, Lucy suddenly materialized before him, as though she had been summoned from the heart of nothingness.
Standing directly within Old Man Darren’s line of sight, she spoke in a cold, mocking tone:
"Very well, old man... Do not think for a single moment that I spared them out of mercy for your pathetic pleas. Just be grateful that fate has granted you another day to live and breathe..."
In that split second, Old Man Darren needed several crucial moments to process the sheer magnitude of the shock.
His jaw dropped in utter astonishment.
Then, from between his trembling lips came words that made Lucy freeze in her tracks, cutting off whatever she had been about to say:
"Lucy... Lucy... Lucy Montgrad..You... You match her description perfectly! It can’t be..."
"Are you really her?!"