Chapter 87: Chapter 87

In the Ancient Library, Lucien was waiting for the time to end when suddenly, he saw something.

"Anna?!" Lucien didn’t understand why he knew the girl’s name, but at this moment, he wasn’t dreaming.

A soul, like a transparent wisp of smoke, appeared, standing opposite him, pointing into the distance.

"What do you mean?" Lucien couldn’t see the face of that soul clearly, but he knew for certain it was Anna.

He didn’t know. Perhaps it was thanks to his instincts.

Anna’s soul vanished, leaving behind a giant question mark in his mind.

"What did she mean? Go that way?" Lucien frowned. He didn’t think Anna would harm him because he was the one who would help her take revenge.

Moreover, he trusted his instincts.

Lucien didn’t think further and quickly moved toward the direction Anna had pointed.

The surrounding walls also began to move, revealing a path stretching into the distance, exactly in the direction Anna had shown.

Lucien frowned, gripping the greatsword tightly in his hand, cautiously moving that way.

"Weird..." Lucien suddenly realized something, muttering: "It seems the time has ended, so why haven’t I been taken out of the Library?"

Lucien didn’t know the reason, but he still continued forward.

"Anna?!" Anna’s soul appeared again. This time, she was curled up next to a wall, her body trembling constantly. Beside her were also the souls of two other children, sitting silently with their heads bowed.

Lucien took a deep breath. In his heart, he seemed able to feel their grief and their hatred.

Lucien’s heart pounded like the sound of war drums. With each beat, the feeling of anger and hatred grew heavier, as if about to consume his mind.

In his eyes, blood threads gradually became more visible.

Lucien looked into the distance, continuing to follow the path Anna had shown.

"AH! It’s so hot! Save me!"

Suddenly, a scream rang out. Lucien realized that countless other souls had appeared around him, but they were all screaming in agony.

The desperate cries resounded endlessly, as if these souls were reenacting the scene of being burned alive.

Lucien trembled. He looked around, his gaze gradually turning red, as though he was feeling their pain, feeling their hatred.

A black mist suddenly appeared, filled with malice and countless negative emotions. It slowly seeped into Lucien’s body without him realizing it.

He clenched his jaw tightly. Tears suddenly flowed down, and his right arm, wrapped in white bandages, gripped the greatsword even harder.

"I will avenge you!" Lucien growled, his voice brimming with hatred and killing intent. "I will kill him, avenge everyone."

Lucien stepped through the mist. Immediately, those images vanished, replaced by a familiar figure—a figure he would never forget, even in death.

"LATHEL!!!" Lucien roared like a wild beast.

He no longer cared whether what he was doing was right or wrong. At this moment, his mind held only one thought—kill Lathel.

"GAH!!!" Lucien swung the greatsword toward Lathel.

The blade sliced through the air, producing a sharp, whistling sound as it cleaved straight toward Lathel’s head.

The blade struck something incredibly solid, as though an invisible wall was wrapped around Lathel.

"Ah!" Lathel looked at Lucien, smiling with utter disdain. "What wind has brought you here? Instinct? Or perhaps... some pitiful soul that wants you to avenge her?"

"GYA!!" Hearing Lathel’s words, Lucien grew even more enraged. He let out a wild roar and immediately stepped back.

Lucien spun, his blade once again whirling around, carrying with it a stream of green energy and streaks of black smoke that wrapped around the sword.

The blade was once again blocked with ease, as if it were nothing more than a child’s game.

Lathel frowned, staring at Lucien’s blade. A knowing smile crept across his face as he muttered, "It seems... things are even more interesting than I thought."

"Evelyn, fresh prey."

At that moment, the space behind Lathel rippled like countless waves.

Countless puppet hands stretched out, long and sinuous like snakes slithering forth.

Seeing this, Lucien was startled and tried to retreat, but...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Run? Too late..." Lathel sneered.

Those hands instantly grabbed hold of Lucien. Then, a massive puppet head emerged from within the rippling space.

That head was bald, with only eyes, nose, and mouth crudely carved as if hastily sculpted.

Suddenly, the puppet’s mouth cracked open and widened, revealing a chaotic void within.

A terrifying suction force burst forth, dragging the black and green smoke clinging to Lucien’s greatsword into its maw.

"Damn it!" Lucien gritted his teeth. "I will kill you!"

As he roared, the bandages on his left arm exploded, revealing a beastlike arm covered in black fur, fissures running along it as streams of green and black smoke spewed forth.

"Ah! Relax, I only want to take a little for an experiment." Lathel said with a cold smile.

The puppet head continued to devour the black and green smoke into its mouth.

Strangely, the more smoke it siphoned from Lucien, the calmer Lucien’s eyes became, the red fading away. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet

After a while, Lucien could no longer endure. He shut his eyes, his body going limp as if unconscious.

"Master, will you kill him?" Evelyn finally spoke.

Lathel smiled, a cold, icy grin. "No need. He still has value to me. Besides, if he dies, too many things will change, and that would place me at a disadvantage."

"Keeping him alive... will make it easier to control everything in my hands."

"Yes..." Evelyn replied, then tossed Lucien aside like garbage.

Lucien’s body hit the ground with a heavy crash. The puppet’s hands and head slowly withdrew back into the swirling vortex of space before vanishing completely.

Lathel glanced at Lucien, his expression shifting slightly, and silently commanded the System: "Use disguise card."

[Ding! You have successfully used a Disguise Card. Remaining Disguise Cards: -1.]

Outside, Morlan noticed that nearly thirty minutes had passed beyond the expected time, and unease rose in his heart.

"Vice Dean, Lucien, he..." Irelia spoke anxiously, her eyes reddened as if she were about to cry.

Morlan gritted his teeth and said, "Don’t worry, he... he’s fine. Perhaps he encountered some kind of opportunity, which is why he hasn’t been able to come out yet."

Suddenly, the door radiated a dazzling light, and immediately after, a figure slowly emerged.

"Lucien!" Irelia cried out in joy. She quickly rushed toward the gate, but suddenly froze, her eyes filled with disbelief at the one stepping out.

"Lathel! You... bastard!" Irelia saw Lathel limping out, carrying Lucien on his shoulder, and instantly lost control.

She drew her sword and charged at Lathel.

But just then, a shadow abruptly appeared, startling her.

"This umbrella..." Irelia couldn’t stop herself, and her body collided with the crimson umbrella that had just manifested.

Her body was hurled backward, rolling across the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.

Irelia struggled to sit up, but could only grit her teeth as her consciousness slowly sank into darkness.

"A bothersome fly..." Velithra, together with Selvia, slowly approached the gate.

Morlan wanted to act, but when he saw Velithra, he could only clench his fists until his knuckles turned white, forcing himself to remain calm.

Lathel stepped out of the gate, laid Lucien down on the ground, and collapsed beside him, gasping for breath.

Selvia, seeing Lathel’s body covered in countless wounds, his white robe soaked in blood, making him look utterly pitiful, cried out:

"Lathel!" Selvia rushed to his side, tears streaming like a river. "You... what happened to you? Why are you so badly hurt?"

Lathel panted, his face pale, lips trembling as he whispered, "Lucien, he..."

Morlan frowned and immediately rushed to Lucien, placing his hand on the boy’s head. A stream of magical energy surged out, enveloping his entire body.

A moment later, Morlan let out a relieved sigh. Lucien wasn’t injured at all—his energy was merely somewhat chaotic.

But Morlan glared at Lathel with hostility, frowning as he said, "I need an explanation. Otherwise..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, but his eyes burned with rage, as if he would kill Lathel if the answer didn’t satisfy him.

Selvia suddenly stepped in front of Lathel as if shielding him, her brows furrowed, her gaze filled with determination. Though her small, fragile body trembled, she did not back away.

On the contrary, she stood face-to-face with Morlan, the Vice Dean of the Magic Academy.

"Vice Dean..." Selvia spoke softly. "You can see Lathel is gravely injured, while Lucien is merely unconscious. Why are you placing all the blame on Lathel?"

"You dare question me?" Morlan gritted his teeth, his voice growing increasingly unstable.

"I’m not questioning you. I’m only seeking fairness." Selvia’s voice shook as she spoke.

"Hahaha..." Morlan suddenly burst into mad laughter, then said, "A tiny ant dares to raise her head at me? Bow down!"

Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on Selvia, forcing her to her knees. Her legs struck the ground with such force that her skin tore open, blood spilling out.

"Selvia..." Lathel cried out in alarm. "Vice Dean, what are you doing?!"

"Huh!" Morlan snorted coldly, his voice brimming with icy contempt. "You dared harm my disciple. Lucky for you he’s unharmed. I’ll break your legs as a warning..."

Morlan extended his hand. Countless sparks of lightning gathered in his palm, the destructive energy making everyone tremble in fear.

"Hehehe... Vice Dean, why don’t you give it a try..."