The Hidden Monster of House Vale

Marson Mordric unsheathed his massive sword and strode toward Lucien.

The next moment, he vanished.

A blur flashed behind Lucien as the giant blade came crashing down.

BOOM!

The earth shattered beneath the impact.

At the same time, Celbeth immediately retreated from the battlefield and appeared beside Delian.

Lucien calmly intercepted the attack with his halberd.

A smile rested on his face.

Even while facing one of the strongest experts in the Ancient Breach, he looked completely relaxed.

“Lucien Vale,” Marson growled, pushing forward with overwhelming force. “You have gone too far. Today, I will punish you for your crimes. You dared to kill a young master of the Mordric Family.”

Lucien remained silent.

His expression didn't change.

He simply continued deflecting every strike.

Sword and halberd collided repeatedly.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Shockwaves exploded across the battlefield.

Cracks spread through the ground.

Entire sections of earth collapsed beneath their feet.

Lucien swung his free hand.

Roots erupted from the earth like serpents, accompanied by countless vines that rushed toward Marson.

Marson snorted.

His sword flashed.

Every root and vine was sliced apart instantly.

Then a massive fireball materialized above him, hanging in the sky like a miniature sun.

Hundreds of fiery projectiles rained down toward Lucien.

Explosions erupted one after another.

Soon the battlefield disappeared beneath a sea of smoke and dust.

Marson narrowed his eyes.

“Dead?”

Suddenly—

“Horizon Splitter.”

Lucien's calm voice echoed through the smoke.

A brilliant crescent slash burst forth.

The smoke was instantly parted as though heaven itself had been split open.

The attack raced toward Marson.

His eyes widened.

He twisted his body and barely dodged.

Even so, the slash cut across his shoulder before continuing into the distance, carving a canyon through the battlefield.

Blood spilled down his arm.

Marson immediately activated a healing technique.

After all, he was a Peak Spirit Forge Realm expert.

Wounds like that were not enough to threaten him.

Nearby, Hellyn stared at the battle with disbelief.

“Lady Delian... they're almost evenly matched. Could it be...?”

Delian's expression grew serious.

“I'm afraid you're right.”

She looked toward Lucien.

“He might have already reached the Peak Stage of the Spirit Forge Realm.”

Hellyn inhaled sharply.

Celbeth, however, smiled.

“Reaching the peak stage at his age only makes him more interesting.”

“I still don't understand why he left you alive,” Hellyn said.

After all, none of them had heard the conversation between Celbeth and Lucien.

To everyone else, Lucien appeared to have spared the surviving retainers simply out of mercy.

Several Mordric retainers still surrounded Delian and Hellyn.

None of them realized Celbeth had already switched sides.

After all, they had trained together for years.

Nearby, Keldan, Torwin, and Sarric watched the battle with ugly expressions.

The stronger Lucien appeared, the more jealous they became.

Delian noticed their faces and smirked.

“Don't worry, Hellyn. Maybe he left Celbeth alive because he found some use for her.”

She glanced toward Keldan.

“Not everyone is like your former fiancé, who abandoned one woman the moment he saw another.”

Keldan's face darkened.

She wasn't wrong.

Lucien had spared several Late Spirit Forge Realm experts because living retainers were far more useful than corpses.

Celbeth suddenly leaned closer.

“Or perhaps,” she purred, “he finds a tall, voluptuous woman interesting.”

Delian immediately frowned.

“Dream on.”

The dissatisfaction in her voice was obvious.

After all, she had already spent a night with Lucien.

Celbeth merely laughed.

Before anyone could continue, another explosion erupted overhead.

This time the smoke came from Marson.

Lucien shot into the sky.

Marson followed.

The battle moved into the heavens.

Weapons collided so quickly that ordinary cultivators couldn't even follow their movements.

All they could see were flashes of light and countless sparks.

The intensity of the fight rose dramatically.

Now both combatants were using spirit power and advanced techniques.

Marson extended his hand.

Lightning gathered above the clouds.

Thunder roared.

Beams of lightning descended from heaven itself, bombarding Lucien from every direction.

Lucien retaliated immediately.

“Black Sun Annihilation.”

Dark gravitational waves spread outward.

Space itself twisted.

The surrounding air groaned under the pressure.

A weaker cultivator would have exploded instantly.

Even Marson was forced to cough blood.

Still, neither man retreated.

Lucien actually enjoyed the battle.

This fight allowed him to test his newly acquired abilities while simultaneously showing the world his true strength.

He no longer intended to hide.

Sooner or later he would need to break through to the next realm.

When Heavenly Tribulation descended, everyone would know his cultivation anyway.

There was no point concealing it.

In fact, revealing it now was beneficial.

People would simply assume he had obtained some miraculous fortune inside the Ancient Breach.

Lightning struck him repeatedly.

Yet his draconic armor absorbed most of the damage.

Lucien raised his halberd.

“Thousand Petal Burial.”

One swing.

Thousands of crimson petals exploded outward.

Each petal carried terrifying destructive power.

Marson hardened his body.

Even so, dozens of cuts appeared across his skin.

Blood sprayed into the air.

The spectators below stared upward.

It felt as though two gods were waging war above mortal lands.

Their pressure alone was overwhelming.

Even the battle between the two great families had completely stopped.

Everyone was watching.

Even the Thornveil Family observed from a safe distance.

Lucien suddenly accelerated.

In a flash, he appeared directly before Marson.

The halberd pierced forward.

SHK!

The blade entered Marson's chest.

Before Marson could react, Lucien kicked him.

BOOM!

The impact launched Marson toward the ground while simultaneously pulling the halberd free.

Gasps erupted across the battlefield.

“Is that really Lucien Vale?”

“How can he be this strong?”

“Did he win?”

People could hardly believe their eyes.

Marson crashed into the earth.

Dust rose everywhere.

Then—

A terrifying wave of astral energy erupted from his body.

“You brat!”

Marson slowly rose.

“Today I'll show you why they call me the Guardian of the Mordric Family!”

Astral sigils appeared beneath his feet.

The ground trembled.

An enormous transparent figure emerged behind him.

It resembled an ancient warrior.

The spirit possessed a muscular body, a flowing beard, and a majestic aura.

This was the spirit of Jasdan Mordric.

The legendary ancestor of the Mordric Family.

Only Marson could summon it.

Fear appeared in countless eyes.

Very few people had ever witnessed this spirit.

None of them had survived long enough to spread the tale.

“See that?” Sarric shouted excitedly.

“That is the true power of the Mordric Family!”

Torwin laughed.

“Lucien is finished now.”

Keldan clenched his fists.

“My revenge is finally here. Once he's dead, I'll take Delian for myself.”

Delian looked at him as if he were filth.

Hellyn and Celbeth wore identical expressions.

“Lady Delian,” Celbeth sighed dramatically, “how did you ever gather such idiotic retainers?”

Delian chuckled.

“The same way you chose Sarric as your master.”

“Ah.”

Celbeth nodded.

“Now everything makes sense.”

Then she leaned toward Delian's ear.

“But my new master isn't an idiot.”

Delian blinked.

“Could it be...?”

“Yes.”

The smile on Celbeth's face answered everything.

Meanwhile, Marson's spirit towered over the battlefield.

It was nearly five meters tall.

Gigantic spectral hands descended toward Lucien.

“What can Lucien even do against that?” Delian asked.

Celbeth bit her nail.

“The only reliable way to defeat a spirit body is with another spirit body.”

For the first time, genuine concern appeared in her eyes.

Everyone thought the battle might finally be over.

Then Lucien smiled.

Astral energy exploded from his body.

The sky darkened.

Windstorms erupted across the battlefield.

His body slowly rose higher into the air.

Astral energy flowed through every inch of him.

His eyes became radiant.

Then he spoke.

“Celestial Monarch.”

The world fell silent.

A divine figure emerged behind him.

Astral energy condensed into form.

This time the manifestation was far more complete.

Her body stretched from head to knees.

Golden wings unfurled from her back.

A white dress flowed around her divine form.

Her bare thighs gleamed beneath the fabric.

Her large chest rose and fell with silent majesty.

Her face remained emotionless.

Her eyes shone pure white.

She was beautiful.

Terrifying.

Divine.

Her height exceeded fifty meters.

Everyone could see her.

Every person present froze.

Their minds simply stopped working.

“Divine spirit...”

“An angel?”

“What kind of existence is that?”

“How is this possible?”

Many cultivators laughed nervously.

Others trembled.

Some nearly fell to their knees.

They didn't know how they were supposed to react.

“So beautiful...” Celbeth whispered.

A smile spread across her lips.

“He was right. Life will never be boring with him around.”

Delian stared at the colossal angel.

Her heart pounded.

Pride.

Excitement.

Happiness.

Admiration.

She felt all of them simultaneously.

“Lucien has become a force the world cannot ignore.”

A smile appeared on her face.

“I'm glad he's on my side.”

Then another thought surfaced.

He makes me so excited.

I can't wait to wrestle with him all night again.

Hellyn could only stare upward.

“To think he's nearly our age.”

Her voice trembled.

“Yet his power feels unstoppable.”

“He's a special case,” Delian said.

“You're already extraordinary. Don't compare yourself to him.”

She shook her head.

“No one reaches Peak Spirit Forge Realm at eighteen.”

Above them, the Celestial Monarch moved.

The angel raised her sword.

One strike.

The blade descended.

Marson's ancestral spirit was cut cleanly in half.

Astral energy exploded.

The surrounding land became barren within moments.

The pressure was simply too overwhelming.

When Marson opened his eyes again, his spirit was gone.

Completely destroyed.

For the first time in his life—

He felt fear.

Looking at Lucien felt like looking into the eyes of an ancient monster lurking in darkness.

A predator beyond comprehension.

Lucien attacked again.

The angel's sword descended toward him.

Marson's face twisted.

He knew he couldn't win.

So he made a final decision.

If he was going to die—

Then he would drag Lucien down with him.

Marson ignited everything.

His cultivation.

His life force.

His soul.

The terrifying energy began swelling violently.

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

The Celestial Monarch was already beginning to disperse.

Marson had chosen the perfect moment.

Roots erupted from underground.

Countless vines wrapped around him.

Yet Marson continued gathering power.

His body expanded.

Cracks spread across his skin.

Lucien immediately unleashed another technique.

“World Cleaver.”

The upgraded technique activated.

Space fractured.

Everything caught within its range was shredded apart.

The world became white.

Then smoke consumed everything.

No one could see what happened.

The battlefield fell silent.

A few seconds later, the smoke slowly parted.

Footsteps echoed.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Lucien emerged from the haze.

His eyes glowed brilliantly.

His dull golden hair flowed behind him.

His handsome face looked almost demonic in its beauty.

One hand rested casually inside his pocket.

In the other—

He carried a severed head.

Marson Mordric's head.

The rest of Marson's body had been reduced to countless fragments.

Lucien had intentionally preserved the head.

He wanted everyone to see.

Especially Sarric.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Nobody could breathe.

Nobody could speak.

A Peak Spirit Forge Realm Guardian had died.

Lucien casually walked toward Delian.

Then he tossed the head.

It rolled across the ground before stopping at her feet.

Hellyn and Celbeth stared in shock.

Neither had expected him to actually kill Marson.

Defeating him was one thing.

Killing him was another.

Lucien smiled faintly.

“Lady Delian.”

He glanced at the head.

“He was the one who hurt you, right?”

Then he looked back at her.

“Well.”

“He won't be doing that anymore.”

The words sounded simple.

Yet Delian felt her heart skip a beat.

Nearby, Keldan, Torwin, and Sarric looked completely broken.

It felt as though the ground beneath them had vanished.

Their strongest protector was dead.

Killed.

By Lucien.

Lucien's gaze shifted toward them.

The smile on his face disappeared.

“It's time to clean up the remaining trash.”

Far away, the Thornveil Family silently watched.

Among them stood Seraphina Thornveil.

Red hair.

Sharp eyes.

Crimson lips.

An expression so cold that it often seemed she didn't regard others as human.

She wore black from head to toe.

As the leader of the Thornveil Family's younger generation, she had already reached the Mid Spirit Forge Realm.

Yet at this moment—

She was stunned.

She had watched everything.

Every exchange.

Every technique.

Every miracle.

Most importantly—

She had seen the Celestial Monarch.

Her heart trembled.

Seraphina had never supported either side.

After Sarric's humiliating defeat at Lucien's hands, he had lost the courage to pursue her.

But now none of that mattered.

All she could think about was Lucien.

The truth she buried deep inside her heart resurfaced once more.

She loved him.

She truly did.

But love had never been enough.

The Thornveil Family needed strength.

They needed stability.

They needed a husband capable of securing their future.

As the only heir, she had sacrificed her feelings for her family.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, it felt like tearing out a piece of her own heart.

Now she wondered whether it had all been meaningless.

She knew Lucien hadn't humiliated Sarric out of jealousy.

She knew Sarric had manipulated events.

She knew Lucien had once genuinely cared.

Yet when he arrived at the arena earlier—

He hadn't even looked at her.

Not once.

The realization hurt more than any blade.

She had spent so much time worrying about him.

Thinking about him.

Missing him.

And now...

It felt as though she no longer existed in his world.

If Lucien had hated her, perhaps things would have been easier.

At least hatred acknowledged her existence.

At least it would have given her a reason to approach him.

A reason to speak.

A reason to fight for what they once had.

But there was nothing.

Only indifference.

Cold.

Absolute indifference.

She watched Lucien standing in the distance, carrying Marson's severed head moments earlier as though it were insignificant.

The gentle boy she once knew seemed gone.

Replaced by someone powerful enough to shake the entire World.

Someone beyond her reach.

Her chest tightened painfully.

A question echoed through her mind.

A question she feared knowing the answer to.

As she stared at Lucien's cold expression, Seraphina wondered:

Did I kill the love that once existed in his heart?

Author Note:

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