Chapter 86: Chapter 86

Lathel stretched out his hand, and the surrounding space seemed to freeze, causing the Netherlotus to tremble violently.

Whoong! Whoong! Whoong!

At that moment, it released waves of heat like crashing tides, surging endlessly.

"Huh!" Lathel snorted disdainfully: "If you still wish to resist, then... Evelyn—"

Behind Lathel, a spatial vortex opened, and from it, two massive hands slowly extended outward.

The hands appeared to be made from some strange material, with visible joints like those of a puppet.

Across them were eerie runic characters, glowing in violet light, carved with incomprehensible patterns.

Sensing something terrifying, the Netherlotus immediately tried to flee.

But the two giant hands seized it firmly, then slammed it down against the ground.

The impact resounded as the Netherlotus was pinned into the earth, leaving a deep crater while cracks spread outward like a spider’s web.

Lathel slowly advanced, the sound of his footsteps echoing with each step, making the Netherlotus shudder in fear.

The two hands receded, but the Netherlotus still could not move, as though the very space around it had been frozen solid.

Lathel pressed one foot onto the Netherlotus, his voice cold: "I give you two choices: become part of my strength, or vanish."

The Netherlotus quivered, heat waves bursting outward as if struggling to resist.

"Ah! Resistance?" Lathel sneered: "A disobedient child must be disciplined."

Without hesitation, he stomped hard upon the Netherlotus.

The crash rang out as the Netherlotus was forced deeper into the ground, the crater growing larger.

Unyielding, the Netherlotus released yet another wave of scorching heat.

"Huh!" Lathel snorted again, his hand lifting casually.

The surrounding space quaked violently, making the Netherlotus writhe in unbearable agony, its light flickering like a broken lamp, growing weaker with each pulse.

"Don’t worry..." Lathel said with a cold smile, his foot still pressing down firmly on the Netherlotus. "After destroying you, I can let Evelyn absorb what remains."

"Though it won’t be much, at least... I won’t waste anything."

Hearing that, the Netherlotus trembled fiercely. Then... its light gradually dimmed until it vanished completely.

Lathel smirked, lifting his foot off the Netherlotus.

Instead of fleeing or resisting, it floated upward, hovering meekly before him.

"Very good..." Lathel nodded with a grin. "I like those who know how to be smart."

He extended his hand, and the Netherlotus descended, hovering upon his palm.

A sound like shattering glass rang out. Its petals scattered, swirling around Lathel.

The Netherlotus was now stripped bare, leaving only lotus seeds drifting in the air.

Lathel, having seen Lucien absorb such seeds before, was unsurprised.

He extended his hand, and upon his palm appeared a glowing magic seal, radiant with dazzling light.

Five seeds flew into it, merging with the seal before slowly vanishing.

The scattered petals suddenly expanded, encasing Lathel within, forming a massive lotus bud around him.

"Strange..." Lucien frowned, muttering: "Why does this feeling of losing something important keep growing stronger?"

"Could it be I just lost something?"

He stood still, racking his mind over what he might have overlooked.

"Could it be... among the items I rejected, there was truly something meant for me?"

"No! If that were the case, my instincts would have told me."

Lucien sighed, bewildered, and chose not to dwell on it further.

Suddenly, another glass sphere materialized before him.

This time, it appeared ordinary, nothing like the earlier one that held a dangerous flame.

Yet deep within, Lucien felt it clearly—what lay inside this sphere truly belonged to him.

"But Master Morlan said to take only one thing." Lucien murmured. "If I take more... will that be alright?"

He drew in a deep breath. Though anxiety gnawed at him, Lucien felt certain that if he didn’t take this item, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Slowly, he stepped toward the glass sphere before him—but suddenly, a voice rang in his head.

[Only 15 minutes remain. All participants inside the Ancient Library, prepare to return.]

"What?!" Lucien jolted, immediately lunging toward the sphere.

His hand shot out, seizing it. This update ıs available on novel★fire.net

Inside, he clearly saw a golden scroll. Though it looked unassuming, every fiber of his being told him it was anything but ordinary.

"Let’s hope this isn’t useless." Lucien muttered, then stood still, waiting for the countdown to end.

He had no desire to continue searching—time was too short.

Besides, his instincts told him there was nothing else here meant for him.

The unsettling sense of loss had also vanished, leaving only a hollow void in his mind.

Outside, atop a tower where no one thought to look, a black-robed man stood, half his face hidden behind a white mask.

Before him, a scroll floated in the air, strange characters etching themselves across it in pale golden light.

Yes—it was Vladirovic.

"Hm... a new script, is it?" he murmured, his tone laced with both excitement and anticipation. "I wonder if this one will be interesting... hahaha..."

"Truly worth looking forward to..."

"Lucien, you must become a wolf. But you must kill your first prey... to prove you are a wolf of value."

Outside the Ancient Library, the waiting crowd grew uneasy. Especially Morlan, who scowled deeply. He could not understand why the allotted time had ended yet Lathel and Lucien had not emerged.

"Could something have gone wrong inside?" Morlan muttered under his breath.

"Master... why haven’t Lucien and Lathel appeared yet?" Aris asked.

Though she loathed mentioning Lucien’s name, she had no choice—doing otherwise would risk revealing her true thoughts.

Morlan shook his head: "I... I don’t know. Perhaps they encountered some difficulty, or... perhaps they stumbled upon a great opportunity."

Aris gave a small nod: "Let’s hope it’s an opportunity, not trouble."

Believing she spoke of Lucien, Morlan chuckled proudly: "Hahaha... don’t worry. Lucien will surely return safe and sound."

Aris smiled outwardly, but inside she sneered: ’Better that he dies in there. The last thing I want is him clinging around my master any longer.’

Meanwhile, Selvia’s expression was clouded with worry as she gazed at the gate of the Ancient Library.

"Are you worried for him?" Velithra asked with a smile.

Selvia pressed her lips together and nodded: "Yes. He is my husband, of course I must worry for him."

"Hm?!" Velithra seemed to realize something, frowning as she asked: "You weren’t forced?"

Selvia quickly shook her head, explaining: "No! Professor, Lathel never forced me. I am the one who feels grateful that my love was accepted by him."

Velithra frowned, staring intently at Selvia, sensing no falsehood in her words.

’Strange...’ Velithra thought inwardly. ’She isn’t lying, nor are there signs of hypnosis or mind-control magic.’

’Could it be this girl truly loves Lathel?’

Velithra herself had never experienced what one might call true love, but she knew men all too well.

Filthy, deceitful, greedy.

And Lathel’s behavior when he left only reinforced her belief that he was not what he seemed on the surface.

Which was why Velithra could not bring herself to trust him. Naturally, as Lathel already suspected, her approach was nothing more than a way to provoke Lyra.

"Do you not think he might be deceiving you?" Velithra suddenly asked.

Selvia was startled by the question, but soon shook her head, quickly replying: "No, he would not deceive me. Besides, I have nothing for him to deceive me of, other than this body."

"But among the nobility, there are many far more beautiful and of higher status than I. Yet he still chose me."

Velithra found her reasoning both plausible and puzzling.

’So then, for what purpose did Lathel marry this girl?’ she wondered inwardly.

In her eyes, all men were equally vile, filthy, and deceitful. Naturally, she did not believe Lathel was any different.

Yet Selvia’s words were logical, leaving her unable to find any flaw—except that perhaps Lathel truly did like Selvia.

"Professor, why haven’t they come out yet?" Selvia asked anxiously.

Velithra smiled: "Perhaps... they encountered some great opportunity, or perhaps... they ran into danger."

"What?!" Selvia exclaimed, her eyes welling with tears as if she might cry.

Seeing this, Velithra quickly reached out, gently wiping away her tears with a fingertip: "Don’t worry, silly girl. He will be fine, I promise."

"Ah! Thank you... Professor." Selvia pressed her lips together, bowing her head, though her gaze remained fixed on the gate of the Ancient Library, her eyes filled with deep worry.