Chapter 367: _You Get Used To It

Lucian’s POV

*****

He and a couple Lunarian soldiers had split up from the others, navigating hallway after hallway. Elian had sent possible coordinates to the Central Runic Core, as extracted from Corvus’s memories.

All they had to do was—

SHREIKKKKKK!

The Alpha King paused abruptly, placing a hand on his helmet as a deafening alarm blasted through the entirety of the Obsidian Tower.

“Your Majesty, what’s happening?” One of the soldiers asked, head spinning around.

Blue and white runes lit up across the walls, glowing upon them like celestial objects.

Lucian’s jaw clenched beneath his full-head helmet. “I don’t know.” He glanced at both soldiers. “But it’s definitely not good. Come on. We need to hurry.”

They quickened their pace, one of them already subconsciously gripping a weapon.

The Central Runic Core’s room was just around the corner.

“Halt.”

Just when they’d gotten to the exact hallway where the Core was, a voice behind them made them freeze. Lucian looked over his shoulder.

Two Arcadian soldiers and one Holy Mage approached them, the latter’s face scrunched with clear suspicion.

“Why are you all heading that way? Don’t you know what the alarm means?”

Shit.

Lucian cleared his throat, spinning around to face them. “Yes, of course we do.” He kept his voice level. “We just thought the Core room would need extra security.”

“Well, no.” The Holy Mage’s fingers tightened around her staff with annoyance. “All tower personnel should be focused on finding the intruders. The guards at the Core room should be able to protect it long enough.”

“Yes, bu—”

“Are you questioning the authority of a Holy Mage?” A soldier beside her snapped. “Follow us. We were just about to turn that corner and head for the next floor.”

Hesitation coiled tight in Lucian’s chest.

This was bad.

If the blaring alarm through the Tower meant there was an intruder… something definitely happened with Elian and that creepy old man.

‘Crap.’ He cursed when he realised the suit’s communication network, as well as his Lunarian communication rings, couldn’t connect. ‘These runes must be blocking magi-tech connections.’

“Understood.” One of the soldiers beside him answered right on time.

He moved first, staring briefly at Lucian.

Lucian’s instincts screamed at him to refuse. Instead, he forced himself forward beside his soldiers.

‘Lucian!’ Elian’s voice boomed in his head just then. ‘Oh, thank the moon. I just had to confirm if magic communication could work.’

Relief crashed through the Alpha King.

‘Elian. What the hell happened?’

‘No time.’ The Omega’s tone was sharper than he’d heard in a long while. ‘Listen carefully. Those runes lighting up throughout the Obsidian Tower… they’re linked to the Central Runic Core.’

Lucian’s brows knitted together beneath his helmet.

‘Kyren found identical runic formations buried beneath Heka. The system compared both signatures.’ Elian didn’t even pause. ‘They’re almost a perfect match. Which means the Tower and every Arcadian city we’ve attacked tonight are part of one gigantic formation.’

The words made Lucian’s pulse quicken.

‘Amara activated it the moment this invasion began. Right now it’s still synchronising. Once it reaches one hundred per cent… it’ll drain the mana of Evaros.’

Silence.

Even the soldiers walking beside him noticed the sudden stiffness in his posture.

‘Then…’ Lucian swallowed. ‘Do we stop the spell by destroying the Core?’

‘No.’ Elian answered immediately. ‘The system confirmed the Core isn’t the source. It’s just another part of the formation. The real anchor is Amara herself.’

Lucian’s eyes widened.

‘I’m heading to you now.’ Elian continued. ‘Stay close to the Core room. Whatever happens, we still can’t leave it in Arcadia’s hands.’

‘…Got it.’

The mind link disappeared.

Lucian slowly lowered his hand from his helmet.

Without uttering a single word, he glanced sideways at the two Lunarian soldiers, giving the faintest nod.

Both men understood instantly.

The Holy Mage had barely taken another step when silver energy exploded beneath Lucian’s boots.

BOOM!

He vanished.

The woman only had enough time to widen her eyes before Lucian’s palm slammed into her chest.

A concentrated burst of Alpha aura erupted from his hand, the invisible shockwave hurling her backwards into the obsidian wall hard enough to crack it.

She opened her mouth to scream, yet no sound came.

One Lunarian soldier had already appeared beside her, driving a blade clean through her throat.

The remaining Arcadian guards reacted far too slowly.

Steel flashed.

One lost his head before his weapon cleared its holster, while the last desperately raised his plasma rifle.

Lucian seized the barrel.

With one violent twist—

CRACK!

The soldier’s wrist bent at an impossible angle.

His scream lasted less than a second before Lucian’s silver blade pierced through his neck.

Silence reclaimed the corridor.

Only their breathing remained.

One soldier looked uneasily at the bodies littering the floor.

“Your Majesty.”

Lucian already knew what he was about to ask.

“…How exactly are we supposed to hide these?”

A familiar voice answered before he could. “I was wondering the same thing.”

Lucian turned.

Elian stepped around the corner, violet mana still faintly dancing around his fingertips.

Without even sparing the corpses a second glance, he raised one hand.

A single spell washed over the hallway, dissolving the bodies and then the blood.

Even the cracks left behind from the fight slowly knitted themselves back together until it looked as though nothing had happened.

One of the Lunarian soldiers blinked twice.

“Future Luna King… That was terrifying.”

A smug grin tugged at Lucian’s lips. “You get used to it.”

Elian rolled his eyes. “Come on. The Central Runic Core is just ahead.”

Together, the four of them broke into a sprint toward the chamber awaiting them.

They skidded to a stop before two enormous obsidian doors carved with countless intertwining runes. Blue-white mana pulsed through every line etched into them, each heartbeat from the Tower making the doors hum louder.

Elian barely spared them a glance.

“Move.”

Lucian stepped beside him, silver aura already crackling around his fist.

BOOM!

The Alpha King’s punch detonated against the centre of both doors, a violent burst of celestial energy blasting them clean off their hinges. Several-ton slabs of obsidian spun through the air before crashing into the chamber beyond with an earth-shaking roar.

“INTRUDERS!” One of the guards shouted as the dust settled. “Protect the Central Runic Core!”

Elian’s violet eyes swept across the chamber, a grin slowly tugging at his lips as dozens of Arcadian soldiers rushed to intercept them.

“Well…” He rolled his shoulders, violet mana dancing around his fingertips. “Shall we?”