Chapter 126: Officially a couple

After putting on the boots, Zephyr turned toward Lucien and took two steps forward before wrapping his arms around his waist. He leaned in, rubbing his forehead against Lucien’s shoulder, only to chuckle when the person in his arms stiffened like a board.

After a moment, Zephyr reluctantly let go and tilted his head toward Lucien.

"We are officially a couple now, right?"

Lucien finally managed to regain control of his racing heartbeat. However, as he processed Zephyr’s question, he rolled his eyes.

Everything that should not have happened had already happened between them! If they were not officially a couple now, then what the hell were they supposed to be?!

He had no intention of answering such an obvious question. However, when he caught the barely concealed anticipation in Zephyr’s expression, he could not bring himself to leave the man hanging. With a quiet, reluctant sound of acknowledgment, he gave Zephyr the answer he wanted.

Zephyr’s smile deepened.

Satisfied, he took Lucien’s hand, and the two of them left the room together. As they stepped into the corridor, Zephyr sensed the people nearby and fell quiet for a moment. Then, turning toward Lucien, he hesitated before speaking.

"Can you..."

He paused, seemingly reconsidering his words, but eventually decided to ask anyway.

"Can you use the ability that brought us here to send these people to our realm?"

Lucien froze.

He had almost forgotten how they had ended up in this place in the first place!

Clearing his throat, he glanced down at the dark symbol on his wrist. As useful as the ability was, it came with a rather inconvenient limitation: a cooldown period. In other words, he could only use it twice a week.

"I can."

Lucien replied.

"But if I use it to send these people away, we will have to wait several days before I can use it again. Are you sure you want me to use it on them instead of saving it?"

Zephyr nodded. He was now powerful enough to confidently say that he could protect both Lucien and himself, so it was fine to help these people reach a safer place first.

Lucien’s gaze flickered. This guy, although annoying, really was a good person. He could have easily insisted on saving the ability for their own use, especially when they had no idea what dangers awaited them in the Fallen Realm. Yet he had not hesitated to offer these people a way out.

After discussing the matter for a while, the two gathered everyone in the castle in the familiar grand hall, which was still riddled with cracks but had now been cleaned. They explained the situation, and when Lucien asked whether they were willing to go to his and Zephyr’s realm, the survivors hesitated at first but eventually agreed. Although their own world had been destroyed, another realm was still a much better place to live than the Fallen Realm.

Before activating the symbol, however, Lucien gave them one final instruction.

"Before I send you away, go through the castle and take whatever you can. Money, jewelry, anything that might help you settle down in a new world. Do not worry about taking too much. You will need something to support yourselves once you get there."

The group exchanged surprised glances.

Lucien understood their situation well enough. Starting over in an unfamiliar world would not be easy, particularly for those belonging to other races. Some of them would have to conceal their original forms to blend in among humans, and finding somewhere to live, securing an income, and building new lives would all require money. They could hardly be expected to accomplish any of that with nothing in their pockets.

The survivors soon understood his intentions and nodded before scattering throughout the castle. They collected a considerable number of valuable items before returning to the grand hall, where Lucien was waiting for them.

Once everyone was ready, Lucien activated the dark symbol on his wrist. Before doing so, however, he offered them one final piece of advice.

"I do not know exactly where you will end up, but you should arrive somewhere near the Association building, close to where Zephyr and I disappeared. So do not panic if the surroundings seem unfamiliar. Just stay calm and find your bearings."

With that, he activated the symbol.

A moment later, the group vanished, leaving the enormous castle behind.

Silence settled over the place.

Ultimately, only Zephyr and Lucien remained in the castle.

And Lucien, naturally, had no intention of wasting such a wonderful opportunity.

The moment the others were gone, he excitedly began exploring the castle, inspecting anything that caught his attention and collecting whatever valuables he could fit into his storage ring. His enthusiasm only grew when he and Zephyr discovered a massive treasure vault hidden underground.

Unfortunately, the entrance was locked.

Lucien turned toward Zephyr.

Zephyr promptly broke the gate for him. Even the traps and barrier surrounding the entrance were easily shattered by him.

The sight that greeted them inside nearly made Lucien’s eyes sparkle. The vault was filled with all kinds of treasures and valuable items, enough to make even a rich person lose their composure, let alone Lucien, who was so poor now. Lucien laughed and practically threw himself onto the treasures. They probably belonged to Hosy, but now they belonged to him! Hehe.

By the time Lucien was done, he had acquired a second storage ring, one that sparkled with a luminous hue in the dark.

Its storage space was so vast that it could fit the entire castle they were in. It was far better than the first ring Zephyr had given him, allowing him to collect every treasure he liked without holding back. However, he still did not remove the first ring.

Lucien slipped the second ring onto his hand, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. His smile stretched from ear to ear, and the satisfaction radiating from him was impossible to miss.

Onicus watched the entire spectacle with an increasingly complicated expression.

It was one thing for Zephyr to indulge Lucien and do whatever he asked. The man had always been accommodating when it came to his partner, and Onicus had more or less accepted that by now.

But who could have imagined that Zephyr would follow Lucien around with such a foolishly content expression, practically behaving like a pet eager to please its owner?

The sight was simply too much to bear.

Onicus could not watch any longer. It flew over and settled on Zephyr’s shoulder before promptly closing its eyes and falling asleep, deciding that ignorance was probably the best way to spare itself from such a blinding sight. Anyway, the two humans looked happy, and as long as they were happy, everything else did not matter.

Unfortunately, its peace did not last long.

A loud, annoyed voice suddenly echoed from outside the demon castle.

"Hosy! Come out for a moment!"

Both Zephyr and Lucien immediately went on alert.

The casual tone carried none of the caution one might expect from someone approaching a Demon General’s castle. Whoever had arrived seemed entirely comfortable calling for Hosy as though they were old acquaintances.

Zephyr extended his psychokinesis beyond the Rebound Dome surrounding the castle, carefully sensing the situation outside. A moment later, his expression turned serious.

"It’s a powerful demon."

Lucien’s entire body tensed.

A demon who could casually call out for a Demon General was unlikely to be an ordinary lackey. The newcomer was probably another Demon General, perhaps even someone stronger than Hosy.

Lucien’s mind immediately began scrambling to think of possible escape routes. If that powerful demon saw them and found out that Zephyr had killed Hosy, they could be in serious trouble! Even if Zephyr was strong enough to kill Hosy, that did not mean he could defeat every Demon General they encountered!

Before Lucien could voice his concerns, however, Zephyr spoke again.

"This one is weaker than Hosy. Wait here. I will take care of him."

Then, before Lucien could even react to those shocking words, Zephyr vanished from the castle at lightning speed.

Lucien stood frozen, staring at the spot where Zephyr had been moments earlier.

Still struggling to process what had just happened, Lucien hurried toward the highest floor of the castle. He found a window overlooking the area beyond the Rebound Dome and leaned closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the battle.

What he saw left him even more dumbfounded.

The two figures were moving so quickly that he could barely make out their movements. All he could discern were fleeting shadows darting through the air, accompanied by the thunderous sounds of their clashes. And it was not as though he was still a weak guide! He had consumed three Might Fruits, and now he even possessed mana and a skill!

Yet, despite the overwhelming speed of the fight, one thing soon became painfully obvious.

The demon who had arrived looking for Hosy was desperately trying to escape.

"Fuck! Wait! Stop, you human bastard!"

The demon’s furious curses rang across the area as he attempted to flee, but every effort proved futile. Zephyr had already created another Rebound Dome around the battlefield, sealing off the area and cutting off his escape route.

Lucien could only watch the spectacle with a numb expression.

Onicus, which had woken up and followed Zephyr, looked no better as it landed next to Lucien.

At first, the little dragon had been thrilled to discover another of its mortal enemies. After all, the demon who had appeared outside was one of the demons that had killed Onicus’s race, and watching him suffer should have been immensely satisfying.

But seeing Zephyr casually overpower enemies that Onicus itself had once been unable to defeat was doing terrible things to its self-esteem.

The little dragon remained silent, its emotions growing more complicated by the second.

Perhaps... Zephyr was powerful enough to conquer the entire Fallen Realm?

The thought sent a new thrill down its spine.

Meanwhile, the battle outside continued for a little longer before finally coming to an end.

To Lucien’s surprise, Zephyr did not kill the demon.

Instead, he thoroughly incapacitated him, breaking both his arms and legs before stripping him of every possession he carried. Only after relieving the unfortunate demon of all his belongings did Zephyr finally bring him back to the castle.

The demon, who had earlier been shouting with such confidence, was now in a miserable state, unable to do anything.

As Zephyr approached, he tossed the battered figure onto the ground in front of Lucien.

The demon let out a pained groan.

Then, with what little power he had left, he lowered his head and begged for mercy.

"I am Demon General Drak! Please, spare my life! I can offer you anything you want!"

Lucien stared down at the demon who had just been delivered to him like an unwanted package. The man was muscular and very tall, yet now he had been reduced to a state that was even worse than that of a beggar!

For a moment, he did not know what to say.

Zephyr, on the other hand, seemed perfectly satisfied with his work.