A short while after Lucian left the bathhouse, the four women sprawled across the floor gradually regained consciousness, one by one.
Baiheng was the first to recover, flopping over like a fish thrown onto dry land before slowly rolling onto her back. After taking a few deep breaths, she turned her head toward the equally limp Himeko lying beside her, and the corners of her lips gradually curled into a teasing smile.
"So, Himeko, you're not that tough after all, huh? I thought you'd at least make it until dawn."
Hearing Baiheng's words, Fu Xuan, whose face was still flushed a vivid shade of red, struggled to prop herself up slightly with trembling arms before immediately joining in.
"Exactly. I thought reinforcements had arrived... but in the end... this is all you've got?"
Remembering how utterly miserable she had been just moments ago, Fu Xuan felt she absolutely had to drag someone else down with her. If she was going to die from embarrassment, she certainly wasn't going to suffer alone.
Himeko had still been immersed in the lingering afterglow and embarrassment, her thoughts drifting aimlessly, but the instant she heard their merciless teasing, the competitive spirit buried deep within her and her refusal to admit defeat were instantly reignited.
In the next moment, she slowly raised her upper body, her arms still weak and trembling from exhaustion, yet her golden eyes had already locked onto Fu Xuan with an unyielding glare.
"Master Diviner Fu Xuan, that's not fair to say. I wonder who was the first to beg for mercy just now... And you too, Baiheng. You surrendered even earlier."
Fu Xuan's face immediately turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
"Y-You're talking nonsense! I was making a strategic adjustment! Yes, an adjustment! It wasn't begging for mercy! Besides... Besides, only you had the advantage..."
Unfortunately, the more she tried to defend herself, the less convincing she sounded. By the end, her voice had become so quiet that it was barely audible, making it painfully obvious that even she knew her explanation lacked any real credibility.
Baiheng knew perfectly well that she hadn't held up much better herself, so she had no confidence whatsoever in arguing back. After opening her mouth for a brief moment, she quietly closed it again and simply remained silent.
"Hahh... enough."
An equally weary sigh escaped Jingliu as she gently rubbed her own sore, weakened waist, every slight movement reminding her of the intense ordeal they had just experienced. Her cool, composed voice, though noticeably tinged with exhaustion, temporarily brought the sudden internal squabble to an end.
"None of us did much better than the others, so let's stop pointing fingers... We should all reflect together."
Jingliu's calm words immediately silenced the group.
Indeed.
Faced with such an overwhelming gap in strength, even with all four of them joining forces and fighting side by side, they had merely managed to make the battle more intense and drag it out longer, while the final outcome had never truly changed from beginning to end.
Just like that, the four women quietly exchanged glances, and within each other's eyes, they saw the very same helplessness reflected back at them, along with an indescribable sense of shared misery born from the same humiliating experience, creating a silent understanding that none of them had the courage or desire to acknowledge aloud.
===
Meanwhile, Lucian already stood in the cool, quiet open corridor outside, side by side with Evernight.
Moonlight spilled across Evernight's black coat dress and porcelain-pale skin, outlining her graceful figure with a faint silvery glow. Her black umbrella rested lightly against her shoulder as though it were merely an extension of herself, while beneath the tranquil night sky, her crimson eyes appeared deeper and more enigmatic than ever as they stared directly at Lucian without the slightest hint of wavering.
"So... that dream was real?"
Evernight got straight to the point, her calm voice carrying no discernible emotion, as though she were merely confirming a fact rather than questioning an impossible phenomenon.
"You possess some kind of power... one that can interfere with reality and memories, and even create a 'past.'"
Hearing her deduction, Lucian narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
Honestly, he hadn't expected this version of Evernight to be so perceptive. From just a few clues, she had already pieced together almost the entire truth.
"You could put it that way. For both of us, all that stuff really happened."
Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Lucian calmly met her gaze without the slightest intention of denying it.
"So, what now? You wanna test me again and let me beat you into submission, or are we gonna keep going with the friendly arrangement we had in that dream?"
Evernight remained silent for a brief moment, seemingly digesting and accepting this unbelievable truth. Rather than questioning whether it was possible, she appeared more interested in how such an absurd power could even exist.
"Tsk, what a convenient ability..."
Tilting her head ever so slightly, Evernight revealed a faint, teasing smile that carried both amusement and resignation.
"One dream, and suddenly you've given me such... colorful memories."
"Possessing such a terrifying power, yet you use it merely to indulge your lust. What a complete waste..."
At her words, Lucian remained expressionless and offered no explanation.
To outsiders, it certainly appeared as though he simply added another woman to his side every time he rewrote someone's past through a dream. What they didn't know was that the women themselves were merely an unexpected bonus.
Conceptual abilities had always been Lucian's true objective from the very beginning. Every dream, every altered past, and every choice he made ultimately revolved around obtaining greater power to protect himself and the people he cared about in this insane world.
As for winning the hearts of beautiful women along the way, that alone couldn't simply be dismissed as mere lust. Besides, Lucian genuinely loved every one of his women from the bottom of his heart, and his feelings for them had never been driven solely by desire.
"Evernight, you only gotta answer one thing. Are we doing this the usual way, or are you gonna submit it directly?"
Hearing Lucian repeat the same question, though now in an indifferent and unmistakably authoritative tone, Evernight paused for a moment.
A sharp glint flashed across her crimson eyes before the corners of her lips slowly curved into a playful smile.
"But unlike in that dream, I'm not an independent person right now. Shouldn't I receive some benefits first? If I'm happy, maybe I'll continue honoring our agreement?"
As soon as those words left her lips, Evernight merely blinked once, and in the next instant, her pupils contracted slightly as Lucian had already appeared directly before her without any warning, his hand firmly wrapped around her slender neck and effortlessly pinning her in place before she could even react.
"Get your priorities straight. I'm not the one who's gotta please you. You listen to me first, and only then do you get the chance to become independent, along with my promise to protect March 7th."
Lucian's voice remained calm and indifferent, yet it carried an unquestionable authority that left no room for negotiation.
Evernight once again felt the familiar sense of oppression she had experienced within the dream, along with the same overwhelming pressure that threatened to crush everything around her.
No.
It was even stronger than before.
Needless to say, with the power of an Emanator from three different Paths gathered within Lucian, Evernight had no confidence that she could resist him without suffering any injuries.
In fact, let alone being injured, she probably wouldn't even have the chance to escape.
Even so, her expression never changed, showing neither fear nor hesitation as she continued to wear the same calm, composed smile, as though the terrifying pressure surrounding her had no effect whatsoever.
It was only natural.
Because this had been a deliberate test from the very beginning—a test to determine whether Lucian truly possessed enough absolute strength to overwhelm her through sheer power alone, just as he had done within the dream.
Now, there was no longer any doubt: Lucian truly was that powerful in reality, and it had never been because of the dream.
Clearly, with strength like his, protecting March would naturally be effortless.
Evernight herself had never feared death, but whenever it involved March, even the slightest possibility of harm was enough to fill her heart with fear and unease. If Lucian were the one protecting March, then she would finally be able to live free from fear and worry.
For March's sake, lowering herself and making concessions was nothing shameful to Evernight. If that was what it took to ensure March's safety, she would not hesitate to cast aside her pride and dignity without a second thought.
As long as she achieved her goal, nothing else mattered to her.
"Alright, the same agreement as before? Don't hurt March, and promise to take good care of her. I'll repay you in ways other than lust."
"Good."
Lucian accepted Evernight's proposal with a simple nod, agreeing without the slightest hesitation, because that was precisely the outcome he had wanted from the start.
He knew perfectly well that Evernight had deliberately provoked him. Rather than exposing her intentions, he had simply taken the opportunity to demonstrate overwhelming strength that left no room for resistance, ensuring this dangerously yandere woman would remain under control from now on.
And so, with an agreement finally reached, Lucian loosened his grip and released Evernight's throat before taking another step toward her.
Almost instinctively, Evernight took a step back in response.
"Quit dodging. Do you wanna make this work or not?"
Lucian's single sentence immediately stopped Evernight in her tracks, making her remain exactly where she was, no longer attempting to retreat.
Seeing that Evernight had genuinely chosen to cooperate, a faint smile slowly curved Lucian's lips.
In the next moment, he raised one hand and made a grasping motion through empty air, activating Omnisteal.
Unlike the previous attempts, fortune was finally on his side this time. It took only three tries before the glowing sphere that materialized in his hand displayed the label, 'Evernight's Personality.'
Ten seconds later, Omnisteal finished processing the item.
At almost the exact same moment, Evernight's eyes gently closed as consciousness rapidly faded from her body, and she collapsed forward, no longer possessing the strength to keep herself standing.
Lucian reacted immediately, effortlessly catching her with one arm before she could fall to the ground.
Now that her persona had been successfully extracted, Evernight no longer existed within March's body.
Next, Lucian immediately activated Existence Anchor, using its power to stabilize Evernight's existence in reality.
Moments later, Evernight's fading consciousness gradually manifested before him in a completely separate form, no longer bound to March's body. Her existence had finally become independent, allowing her to stand apart from March as an individual once again.
"I'll admit it. Below the Aeons, you're the most extraordinary being I've ever seen. You've already captured my interest."
Evernight spoke with a faint, amused smile as she slowly opened her crimson eyes, quietly studying Lucian as though she were trying to see through him completely.
Lucian merely shrugged without offering a reply before, with a simple thought, activating Godly Bandage, causing several pristine white bandages to materialize out of thin air and gently wrap themselves around Evernight's ethereal body.
In an instant, her shattered consciousness began reconstructing itself at an astonishing speed.
Just as it had been written in Himeko's script, Evernight had originally been born from within March's body, so she conceptually shared the same physical existence as March.
As the bandages slowly unraveled, the entire reconstruction process lasted only a second or two. Even so, during that brief moment, Evernight's flawless body was completely exposed before Lucian's eyes.
Her soft pink hair framed her graceful neck, while her delicate collarbones further accentuated her elegant beauty. As the pale moonlight streamed down from above, it traced the graceful curves of her slender yet powerful figure, lending her an almost ethereal appearance.
Unlike March's youthful vitality and cheerful charm, Evernight possessed a beauty that was cold, dangerous, and irresistibly alluring, carrying the oppressive elegance of someone who had existed for countless ages.
Only Lucian remained completely unfazed throughout the entire process, his expression never changing in the slightest, while even his heartbeat remained perfectly steady.
"Again... stop looking. Aren't those women enough for you already?"
Realizing that she was unclothed once again, Evernight shot Lucian an embarrassed glare and complained in an annoyed tone before casually waving her hand. A brand-new outfit instantly materialized around her body, concealing every inch of her exposed skin.
"Tsk, you're not much to look at, but you've sure got an attitude. Who said I was interested in looking at you?"
Lucian replied with a teasing smile before gently placing the still-unconscious March into Evernight's care.
"Explain where you came from to March yourself. Don't come bothering me tonight."
Right after saying those words, Lucian turned around without the slightest hesitation and walked back toward the bathhouse, intending to spend the rest of the night with his wives.
Honestly, there was not much worth discussing with Evernight anyway.
No matter what secrets he asked about, she refused to answer every single time. Since that was the case, he saw little reason to continue wasting either his own time or hers on such a meaningless conversation.
===
Immediately after Lucian left, Evernight hurried through the corridors with practiced familiarity, her footsteps light and almost completely silent, before finally returning to March's room.
As she arrived at the bedside, Evernight gently lowered the sleeping girl back onto the soft mattress with the utmost care, making sure not to disturb her rest, then remained standing silently beside the bed for a long moment, quietly watching over her.
As her gaze lingered on March's peaceful sleeping face, the cold indifference that usually filled Evernight's crimson eyes gradually melted away.
"March... sleep peacefully. I've already found someone reliable to protect you. He can shield you from the Memokeepers of the Garden of Recollection. It's just that he's far too lustful, so don't let him trick you into giving yourself to him..."
Evernight muttered softly under her breath before reaching out to awkwardly tuck the blanket more securely around March. Her movements were somewhat clumsy, clearly lacking experience in caring for others, yet every careful gesture carried an unmistakable gentleness that she herself never seemed to notice.
Only after confirming that March was sleeping soundly and completely safe did Evernight quietly slip out of the room, gently closing the door behind her with the utmost care to avoid making even the slightest sound.
'Getting familiar with Lucian's living environment is necessary...'
Having nothing else to occupy her time for the moment, Evernight decided to stroll around and familiarize herself with the surroundings while quietly observing the area.
===
Late into the night, a gloomy yet beautiful young woman clad entirely in black wandered through the darkness of the Fyxestroll Garden, a black umbrella resting lightly in her hand as she walked at an unhurried pace.
Her graceful figure drifted through the dimly lit pathways like a silent phantom, blending seamlessly into the tranquil night.
Coincidentally, tonight happened to be the turn of the timid foxian judge-in-training from the Ten-Lords Commission, Huohuo, to patrol the Fyxestroll Garden alone.
Floating beside the timid foxian girl was an energy lifeform in the form of a green fireball that resembled the head of a canine, complete with a tail but lacking any limbs—the heliobus known as Tail.
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]