Chapter 220: Luke Thought He Lost Her Forever

Earlier...

The instant the blinding explosion erupted—

Luke’s instincts roared.

For a fleeting moment. The entire world seemed to slow down.

Even the expanding wall of radiant energy appeared sluggish in his vision.

Although Luke wasn’t transformed into a Titan. His instincts had recently become far sharper than before.

They could now sense even the slightest hint of fatal danger.

Normally.

He would receive a warning long before an attack reached him.

Yet this time. They had completely failed.

Because Aurielle’s Shadow affinity naturally possessed concealment properties.

Perhaps, that very element had hidden the danger until the final instant.

Meanwhile, every instinct in his body screamed only one thing.

Protect yourself!

So without hesitation. Luke reached out with his will.

He didn’t try to choose a specific Titan.

Nor did he attempt a full transformation.

There simply wasn’t enough time.

Instead. He issued the fastest command possible.

Armor.

Any Titan Armor.

Just come!

The very next instant. Valzareth answered his call.

Dark-blue Void Armor instantly manifested around Luke’s body, covering him from head to toe in a fraction of a second.

At the same time.

Two other energies briefly flickered around him.

One was pure white.

The other radiated a faint cosmic glow.

Nullex.

Elythos.

Both Titan Armaments had responded as well. But they were not fast as Valzareth.

So, the moment Valzareth finished materializing. The other two quietly dispersed.

Only one Titan Armor could exist at a time.

Although everything seemed to unfold over several moments.

In reality. It all happened within a tiny fraction of a second.

That’s why, just before the explosion reached him. Luke was already completely encased within Valzareth.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The deafening blast finally arrived.

The explosion was so violent that, without Valzareth’s protection, the sound alone would have ruptured Luke’s eardrums.

Yet...

The next scene that followed completely defied reason.

The boundless pillar of radiant light engulfed Luke.

But, it never struck or burned him.

It didn’t even attempted to push him away.

Instead.

The dazzling light gently flowed around the Void Armor.

Like a loving breeze.

Like warm sunlight embracing someone precious.

It softly brushed against Valzareth’s armored surface.

Almost...

As though it was afraid of hurting him.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of hostility within the light.

Only warmth and affection.

It was as though, Harming Luke...

Was the very last thing this radiant power would ever choose to do.

Luke, however didn’t notice any of it.

As his survival instincts subsided and his thoughts caught up with reality—

His face turned deathly pale. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heartbeat pounded wildly against his chest, as though it wanted to burst free.

An overwhelming sense of dread swallowed him whole.

’Aurielle!’

Her name echoed through his mind like a desperate scream.

Only then did he remember.

Aurielle had been inside the cultivation room.

The explosion had come from there.

His mind went completely blank.

He didn’t question what had caused it. He didn’t even wonder why it had happened.

Nothing else mattered. Only one thought remained.

’Aurielle...’

’Where are you?!’

Luke’s head snapped from side to side.

His eyes desperately searched through the blinding light and scattered debris.

The cultivation room, The walls , The house. Everything had vanished.

Every passing second. The dread inside Luke’s heart grew heavier.

A terrifying premonition slowly crept into his mind.

One he refused to acknowledge.

’No...’

’Nothing could have happened to her.’

’She’s fine.’

’She has to be fine.’

Clinging to that belief, Luke acted without hesitation.

’Nyx Ascension.’

Next instant, darkness erupted around him. His body rapidly expanded as black-blue armor spread across every inch of his figure.

Within moments.

A fourteen-foot-tall Luke-Nyx Titan stood amidst the shattered remains of the house.

Above his head, the Void Halo slowly rotated, pulsing with dense Void energy.

Without wasting a single heartbeat. Luke activated Crown of the Void.

Void perception instantly swept across everything within a fifty-meter radius.

Nothing could be found, No heartbeat, no aura , no sign of Aurielle.

His breathing became ragged.

"AURIELLE!!"

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

His desperate roar echoed throughout the Time Chamber.

The only thing his senses detected, was the boundless radiant energy surrounding him.

It felt alive. Almost as if it possessed a will of its own.

Yet Luke ignored it completely.

His entire mind was consumed by a single objective.

Find Aurielle.

Then—

The system’s voice exploded inside his mind.

[Luke! CALM DOWN!]

The sudden shout struck him like a hammer.

Luke froze. His frantic movements also came to an abrupt halt.

But not the panic on his face.

His breathing was still uneven. And his eyes still desperately searched the ruins, refusing to give up.

Seeing his condition, the system spoke again.

[Focus on the Golden Chain.]

That was all it said.

Yet those four words struck Luke like a bolt of lightning.

"..."

’The Golden Chain, how could I forget?’

Without another thought, Luke immediately focused inward.

Toward his heart.

The next instant. Five radiant golden chains materialized before him.

Invisible to everyone else. Only Luke could see them.

Four of the chains stretched far into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon.

His other wives.

Then—

His gaze locked onto the final chain.

It didn’t extend anywhere. It remained perfectly still.

Connected to the very place where he was standing.

Luke’s eyes widened.

"What?" He looked around in disbelief.

"But! there’s nothing here!" His frustrated shout echoed through the shattered surroundings.

The chain pointed directly toward the center of the radiant light.

The same place engulfed by that mysterious hundred-meter-wide field of daylight energy.

Yet...

There was nothing.

Nothing his eyes could recognize.

Just as confusion overwhelmed him—

The radiant field suddenly trembled.

A heartbeat later—

SHHHHIIIIIING—!!

A blinding surge of daylight exploded outward.

The brilliant radiance swept across the entire Time Chamber in an instant.

Everyone present instinctively shut their eyes.

The light was simply too dazzling to look at directly.

Except Luke.

Whether it was because of Valzareth or because the mysterious radiance refused to harm him. The blinding light had no effect on his vision.

He continued staring at its center. The panic consuming him slowly gave way to confusion.

’What is this light?’ But before he could think any further—

OHHHHHMMMMMM—!

A deep, resonance echoed throughout the entire Time Chamber.

The sound seemed to come from everywhere at once.

The next instant. The boundless sea of daylight began shrinking.

Streams of radiant energy converged from every direction.

They gathered, Condensed, Compressed.

Until all of it was concentrated at a single point directly before Luke.

Then—

A silhouette slowly emerged from within the light.

Luke’s eyes widened.

The shape gradually became clearer.

Which returned Life to his eyes.

"Aurielle." The whisper escaped his lips before he even realized it.

The radiant cocoon completely dissolved.

Aurielle stood there quietly.

Her long hair no longer shimmered with shades of black.

Instead it glowed with a soft daylight radiance. Her eyes had transformed as well.

Which now shown with Brilliant golden-white light.

The earlier explosion had reduced her clothes to nothing.

Her entire body was wrapped only in flowing strands of radiant light that naturally concealed her privite parts.

For a brief moment. Luke simply stood there.

Unable to believe she was truly alive.

Then—

"AURIELLE!"

Every ounce of panic vanished, replaced by overwhelming relief.