The Varkhaals were not idle.
A Stage 6 Ascendant cloaked in coiling shadows erged from a rift of darkness. His voice slithered through the air like a serpent’s hiss.
"Humans... insignificant and dood. Surrender everything you have."
Marie’s sensors flared red.
"Luc, be careful! That one’s—"
Before she could finish, Lucien’s world went dark.
The Varkhaal’s domain had expanded. It was a realm of shadow where ti faltered and space inverted.
Lucien’s body froze mid-step. No, he wasn’t bound by the domain... but the very air solidified around him like tar. His spatial sense was smothered in suffocating black.
Lucien smirked.
"Bad move."
He invoked Decay once more. It stripped the tar-like air around him. Then... with a flick of his aura, he sent the sa decay outward like a hailstorm of annihilation.
Holes tore through the domain and the Ascendant recoiled violently.
From one of those tears, a colossal tallic hand burst through. It shredded the shadow realm like mist.
Marie’s voice thundered from the comms.
"Not today."
The Stage 6 Ascendant reeled. Not only from the destruction of his domain but from the sheer disbelief of what he’d just witnessed.
Two Transcendent Realm humans had just shattered the domain of a higher-ranked Ascendant. It was unthinkable.
"No wonder the leader wanted these two so badly," hissed one of them. "Humans... they are pure vessels indeed. Capable of the impossible. This is proof enough."
But his awe turned to dread. Lucien was already upon him. He never imagined his end would co from humans. Two strangers who’d only just arrived in their world.
Lucien’s Morphis howled with draconic resonance as he channelled twenty percent of his divine energy into it. He then reshaped it into a flaming whip.
He cracked it through the air. The whip struck with a thunderous roar... slashing through the Stage 6 Ascendant and splitting its body in half in a single strike.
Without pause, Lucien rejoined Marie.
Marie didn’t waste a breath either. Her mobile suit blazed with golden light. The runes carved along its armor ignited in sequence.
She stomped down. The ground beneath her quivered. Then... it began to move like water beneath her.
Absolute Earth Governance.
Her voice echoed through the battlefield:
"I do not walk upon the earth. The earth moves beneath ."
With that proclamation, her aura flared.
Her awareness stretched for miles. Every rock, every root and every grain of soil answered her command. She had beco the terrain’s sovereign.
From the trembling ground, spikes of molten earth and tal surged upward. They impaled the shadows that dared approach. The shadows were utterly devoured by her rule of earth.
Lucien let out a low whistle. "Whew."
He appeared beside the writhing remnants of the Nephralis and Varkhaals and drove his hand through their chests.
One by one, their bodies collapsed.
Marie controlled the flowing earth and bind the other enemies.
She exhaled softly. "Last blow’s yours, hoboy."
Lucien glared up at her. "I don’t like that nickna."
Then his aura erupted and he finished the remaining enemies, slaughtering the disoriented survivors with ruthless precision.
Monts later... silence fell.
The sky cleared, revealing a wasteland of molten glass and shattered stone. Dozens of corpses lay scattered.
Lucien’s Auto-collect triggered. All the drops vanished into his storage. With his current strength, Auto-collect’s range spanned a kiloter and his unlimited storage ensured everything was collected.
Marie powered down the mobile suit, letting it kneel amid the ruins. Her breathing was steady though her eyes remained sharp.
The constructs she’d summoned crumbled back into earth. Even the stone titan gave a final echoing roar before sinking into the ground.
Lucien stood atop the mobile suit’s shoulder, surveying the destruction as though admiring a painting.
"Still think that was too easy?" he asked.
Marie smirked in her cockpit. "No... this was just the tip of the iceberg. You noticed it too?"
Lucien’s expression hardened.
He could feel it. Far beyond the horizon, two imnse auras trembled with fury.
Marie grinned.
"Oops... think they’ll break the soul contract and co after us?"
Lucien chuckled. "Nah. Those bastards are cowards. They got what they wanted... they won’t risk more. But let’s move fast. Help gather their storage rings. We don’t know what else they’ve got planned. This wasn’t even their full force."
Marie nodded and exited the mobile suit. Together they collected the fallen enemies’ storage rings, careful not to damage them.
Marie peeked into one and her eyes widened.
"Hey! Rember to split these later! Wahaha! I didn’t know robbing bad guys could make rich this fast!"
Lucien smirked. "First ti?" he teased.
"Shut up."
The wind carried their laughter across the burning ruins.
Monts later... Lucien stood again atop the mobile suit while Marie piloted it through the wilderness.
After a few hours, they finally reached the edge of the formation. At first glance, it was just empty space... but when they tried to move forward, they t solid resistance.
A barrier. Impenetrable to anyone without authority.
Lucien retrieved the formation discs and activated their chanisms. Light rippled around them.
Together they stepped forward and this ti, the barrier parted like mist.
"Luc, where to now?" Marie asked.
Lucien hesitated. Even he doesn’t know the answer to that.
Lucien stayed quiet for a long while, thinking.
"Hmm... maybe the Celestial Race’s Domain? I heard from the two that they were protecting humans. We can take shelter there, train, and build strength until we can move freely again. The problem is... I don’t know how far or how long it’ll take to reach them."
Marie raised a brow. "And we don’t even know where they are? Don’t tell you know the direction?"
Lucien grinned faintly. "That shouldn’t be a problem."
He took out his Spatial Compass.
’Show the Celestial Race’s location.’
The compass’s hand spun... then it pointed due east.
"East it is," Lucien said. "But first, let’s find the nearest settlent. We need to understand this world’s current situation before moving blindly."
Marie tilted her head. "Alright, your call. But seriously... how do you keep pulling out all these powerful artifacts?"
Lucien smirked. "Let’s just say—"
"Forget I asked," she interrupted. "Continue your mysterious charade."
Lucien just sighed. He shook his head in defeat.
And so, the two followed the compass toward the nearest settlent.
As they traveled, Lucien’s thoughts grew heavy.
He needed to find a safe place. A foundation. If the Celestial Domain truly sheltered humans, he could bring his people there. But if it showed even a hint of deceit, he’d find another haven, even if it took years.
He would claim a ho of his own where his people could thrive freely.
Even though his divine sense could see through others, he refused to trust easily.
Good today doesn’t an good tomorrow.
And so, he never revealed the full extent of his powers... not even to the woman traveling beside him.
After all, humans were unpredictable.
•••
Days passed...
The Big World was vast beyond asure. They followed the compass endlessly, yet no settlent appeared.
To blend in, they used the Thousand Face Mask, disguising themselves as Varkhaals. Marie, ever playful, turned her face into that of a middle-aged man.
Lucien quipped, "Were you really a middle-aged man in your past life?"
She responded by punching him hard.
Lucien never seems to learn...
Monts later... they mounted the mobile suit again and continued their journey.
...
During these days... Lucien grew quieter. He was deep in thought.
He had realized sothing vital.
He couldn’t feel the Small World. His ho.
He couldn’t sense his pets. Even the connection with the Split Body he’d secretly left behind in his room before he left was cut off completely.
He tried everything to reconnect... but nothing worked. His holand... was unreachable.
Even the Spatial Compass couldn’t find its exact location. His only clue was the location where the Primordial Sli first brought him.
’Primo Sli... this isn’t what we agreed on. Damn it. How am I supposed to return?’
To make things worse, Marie’s boredom grated on his nerves.
Lucien could handle silence for days... but Marie? Never.
’Does this girl actually have ADHD?’ he thought as she began singing again.
"Hey, Luc! I ran out of songs to cover. Want to request sothing? What should I cover next?"
Lucien sighed.
"Yeah. Cover your mouth next and focus on the path."
Marie gasped. "Rude."
Lucien ignored her. His thoughts were elsewhere.
But as he breathed deeply, clarity returned.
His people were capable. Even without him, they’d grow.
’Maybe... I’ve been holding them back. Without soone to command them, they’ll learn to think and create on their own.’
He cald his heart. And in that serenity, Lucien slipped into enlightennt.
Marie noticed and miraculously... she shut up.
She stopped the mobile suit and parked it, not daring to disturb him.
...
When Lucien finally opened his eyes, Marie’s face was inches from his.
"What?!"
"Good thing you’re awake," she said. "I sense presences nearby."
Lucien instantly spread his Spatial Intuition.
She was right.
"Don’t remove your mask," he said calmly. "We’ll move on foot from here. If there are people nearby, that ans we’re close to the settlent."
Marie nodded. They advanced carefully through the forested terrain.
But before long, Marie got bored again.
"You know," she began, "I never liked Mary Jane. Total bitch. Ursula was better for Peter Parker. Peter was blind! And then—"
Lucien suddenly tensed. His eyes narrowed.
He raised a finger to his lips. "Shh."
They then moved silently. Marie whispered, "Enemy?"
"Maybe."
She extended her earth vision, scanning the surroundings... but found nothing.
Her eyes narrowed. "You just want to shut up, don’t you?"
Lucien froze for a mont then said slowly...
"...Maybe."
Marie snorted.
"Wow. n. No matter the world, you’re all the sa. n just never let a woman finish her sen
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