Since the warm-up was over, it was time to officially begin.
Lucien lifted off the ground, hovering, his gaze fixed on the white flames flickering across Roswaal's body. He was going all out.
"Weight restriction lifted," Lucien muttered under his breath. In the next instant, his body felt unnaturally light, as if every shackling force had vanished.
He clenched his fists and let out a roar. Veins bulged across his face, storms circled around him, ascending to the clouds and pushing aside the white clouds above. The earth beneath him groaned under the pressure, warping and rising into barren mountains, which shattered as the storm struck.
Lucien continued roaring, his body beginning to transform. Orange spiky hair swayed in the flames, his pupils reverted to sparkling purple diamond eyes, and steam rose from his body. Under full power, he could maintain only his original form.
"This aura," Roswaal's eyes narrowed to pinpricks, and his figure retreated in the sky.
Far below, Natsuki Subaru, Emilia, and the others in the mansion watched with terror.
Buzzing energy filled the air and ground alike. How could anyone be this strong? Subaru squinted at the figure within the white flames, sure that it was the culprit behind the devastation.
Lucien felt explosive power surge through him, stronger than ever before. He placed his hands in a calyx formation at his waist. A blue orb of light expanded and swirled, casting destructive rays across the sky.
"Kamehameha," he roared.
An eternal blue meteor streaked across the heavens, arriving before Roswaal in an instant.
Roswaal's hair stood on end, his clown makeup distorted, and every ounce of magic surged into his hands. Six layers of protection formed around him.
Crack…
Impossible. In the blink of an eye, the fire, water, wind, and earth protections shattered. The fifth Yin layer cracked, leaving only the final Yang barrier intact.
"Die!"
The blue light pillar expanded, sweeping downward with unstoppable force, illuminating the world with pure, destructive energy.
Crack…
The last layer of protection vanished. Disbelief filled Roswaal's eyes. His defense had been breached. Blood spurted from him as the light blast pushed him back, smashing through the barren mountains that had risen from the ground and disappearing into the distance.
The world fell silent. A vast mushroom cloud, encircled by twin halos, expanded upwards and downwards. A monstrous storm surged across the land like an avalanche, obliterating everything in its path.
"Quick, into the Forbidden Library," someone shouted.
In the mansion, everyone scrambled, wide-eyed, as the tsunami of destruction bore down. Betty pressed her hands to the ground, activating a complex magical array that immediately enveloped the Forbidden Library in protection.
Minutes passed.
"Why is there no sound at all?" Subaru's voice trembled. The scale of the destruction, like a nuclear explosion, left him paralyzed with fear. How could human power withstand such force?
"I wonder how Roswaal is doing," Emilia murmured, concern in her eyes.
"That man is incredibly strong," Puck said, his tone uneasy. The aura Lucien had unleashed was unlike anything they had sensed before.
After a few more minutes, the magical array shrank and vanished. Betty was drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted from maintaining the defense.
"The storm has passed," she said.
The Forbidden Library doors opened, and as light flooded in, everyone gazed downward in disbelief. Suspended above the world, the library overlooked a vast, scorched wasteland.
Beneath it was a sinkhole, at least a thousand meters wide. High‑temperature energy still radiated from the area. Cracked earth stretched endlessly, barren mountains surrounded the basin, and valleys formed jagged depressions.
Within the rolling white flames stood a single figure, purple diamond eyes burning with intensity.
"Liya."
Puck and Betty shielded everyone behind them, chills running down their spines.
"Who… who are you?" Subaru trembled, his voice failing him.
"I deeply love you all!"
Blue energy crackled in Lucien's hands. He looked at Emilia, Ram, and Rem, a gentle, warm smile softening his otherwise stern expression.
Emilia, Ram, and Rem were left in stunned silence.
Blue meteors rained down, engulfing everything. Puck and Betty unleashed their strongest defenses, but the destructive force eradicated nearly all in its path.
Confusion and horror filled Emilia and the girls' faces. This man loved them deeply, yet he had brought devastation upon them.
Cough… cough…
The blue meteors vanished. Lucien coughed, his face pale as the white flames around him died down. Two Kamehamehas had nearly drained all his energy.
Even he was impressed by his own strength. Solving everything in two consecutive waves had exceeded expectations.
If there had been no Return by Death, Lucien might have wasted precious time negotiating with Roswaal. But since everything could reset, there was no need.
In a daze, Lucien once again saw the familiar ceiling.
"The eleventh time," he muttered, lighting a cigar. He had already made Natsuki Subaru endure Return by Death eleven times.
"Master," Elsa blinked, her purple diamond eyes wide.
Lucien put down the cigar, bent over, and as Elsa stirred, the little bird finally returned to its nest.
At Roswaal's Mansion, the barren mountains, valleys, and basins vanished. Subaru woke with a start.
Elsewhere, Roswaal stared at the Gospel in disbelief. He had actually died once.
At the lunch table, both Roswaal and Subaru looked unusually strained.
"Subaru… Subaru!" Emilia called.
"Ah… what is it?" Subaru responded, still dazed.
"Did you not sleep well? You look exhausted."
"No… nothing! Maybe…" Subaru lowered his head, despair in his eyes.
Suddenly, Roswaal, Puck, and Betty all sensed a powerful aura rising above.
The sky blazed with blue light. A meteor streaked across the horizon, falling toward the mansion.
"Damn it."
Roswaal and Subaru's faces went pale.
Boom… rumble…
A massive mushroom cloud erupted. The mansion vanished, leaving only a vast basin behind.
High above, Lucien hovered. His face was pale, much of his aura dissipated, and he once again saw the familiar ceiling.
Whether others survived, he could not know, but Subaru had definitely perished.
With a single wave of full power, he could sweep everything away. The nightmare would begin.
The silk sheets slid as Lucien rose by the window, his purple diamond eyes cold and unyielding.
He was growing tired of killing.
If he had known that one wave could solve everything, he should have started this from the very beginning.
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Milestones
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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