Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock-Chapter 268: Russell Paul (3)
Boom!
At that moment, a sphere of light shot up into the sky.
Veronia chuckled softly, effortlessly grasping the light with his darkness.
It was far too small to pose a threat—insignificant, trivial, almost laughable.
“Divine beast, just surrender quietly. I—”
Before Veronia could finish his sentence, more spheres of light began to appear, one after another, illuminating Nevast with a brilliance that turned night into day.
In an instant, Veronia tensed.
Sizzle.
His fingertips began to burn.
Boom!
Another sphere of light shot into the sky.
Countless beams of light streaked toward Veronia, like a breathtaking meteor shower converging in one place.
But amidst the dazzling radiance, Lucion could no longer hold on.
Cough!
Blood spattered onto the ground, staining both his clothes and the floor deep red.
Even though the three divine beasts and Heint had shielded him from most of the light, the residual energy was still overwhelming.
—Lu… Lucion. Are you in a lot of pain? Ratta…
“Don’t come out, Ratta. Absolutely not.”
Lucion’s voice was firm as he stopped her and immediately turned to Russell.
‘…?’
His mouth parted slightly in surprise.
Russell was watching him with concern, yet his expression remained strangely calm—even though Lucion, who possessed resistance to light, felt as though he was at death’s door.
[I told you, didn’t I? I won’t disappear.]
Russell’s eyes narrowed.
There was an unwavering confidence in his gaze.
A quiet, ominous determination.
Something about it unsettled Lucion.
Why?
His heart pounded at those cryptic words, but he forced himself to stand.
[Lucion.]
As he staggered, Russell called his name.
There was something unusual in his voice—anxiety?
Lucion wiped the blood from his lips and looked up.
The light continued to gather, binding Veronia’s hands and feet midair.
For the first time, he caught a glimpse of panic in Veronia’s eyes.
[You remember what I told you, right?]
Lucion didn’t want to answer, but after a sigh, he spoke.
Russell had told him—no matter what happened, it wouldn’t be his fault. And that he had to go to Russell’s hideout and unlock the door sealed with black magic.
“…I remember.”
[Good. No matter how many times I say it, it’s for my sake.]
Russell fidgeted slightly, as if restraining himself from saying more, anxiously awaiting something.
‘No… there’s nothing to be anxious about.’
Lucion glanced at Russell, who had gone silent, then turned his attention to the divine beasts, trying to suppress the nausea threatening to overturn his stomach.
They continued to cultivate a pure, radiant light.
Alongside that light, waves of piercing pain continued to wash over Lucion as more beams of light piled up to restrain Veronia, causing him to bite his lip tightly.
‘I don’t know what the divine beasts are planning, but if things get too bad, I can always escape.’
Heint shot him a brief glance, but he was too preoccupied deflecting the light to say anything.
Are you okay?
That was the question in Heint’s eyes.
Lucion gave a small nod before calling out to Ratta.
“Ratta.”
—…Y-Yeah?
Her voice trembled.
“Be ready to escape Nevast at any time.”
Lucion knew he had to get out so the divine beasts could act freely.
“…Hah.”
Veronia let out a breath of frustration.
He attempted to take a step forward, but the beams of light binding him only tightened.
“Did you really think you could restrain me with this? Is this… your grand plan?”
Veronia looked at Russell in disappointment.
Wasn’t he the warlock who had first realized this world had repeated itself?
No matter how many times the cycle repeated, could it truly turn out so differently?
“I’m disappointed.”
His gaze, filled with disdain, locked onto Russell.
[Shut up, you bastard.]
Russell’s voice was sharp, but Veronia merely stared at him.
There were only three divine beasts left now.
It wasn’t the number Ravid had mentioned, but it hardly mattered.
Originally, there had been far more.
An unpleasant aura surged from the divine beasts’ side.
‘At best, they’re just holy relics.’
Veronia smirked, shifting his gaze away.
For this very day, most of the holy relics had been corrupted.
There was no way to reverse that corruption, and those who followed the light had been prevented from interfering.
Finally, his gaze fell on Lucion.
The corners of Veronia’s lips twitched.
The others might not have noticed, but he did.
The faint yet undeniable presence of a king.
“…You. It’s you!”
Veronia’s eyes reddened.
“It was you all along!”
The true vessel.
The one who carried the soul he had searched for all this time.
He burst into laughter.
To think that the warlock who had first recognized him and the vessel would be together.
“…I see. So that’s how it is.”
His gaze turned cold as he shifted his attention toward the lurking darkness.
“You lot.”
The air trembled.
“Betrayed me.”
Even the beams of light binding Veronia’s hands and feet began to waver and quiver.
“And now you tighten the noose around my neck.”
Crackle!
As Veronia’s rage surged, the streaks of light were devoured by the darkness.
‘Wasn’t he incomplete? Unstable?’
Lucion couldn’t shut his mouth.
How was this unstable in any way?
“…Ah.”
Veronia’s fury paused, and a long, thin smile crept across his lips.
“This wasn’t the first time.”
By the time Lucion blinked, Veronia was already standing right before him.
“It’s been a while…”
Veronia whispered as he gently pulled Lucion into an embrace.
A shiver ran down Lucion’s spine. Instinctively, he summoned darkness, responding to the overwhelming fear and discomfort rising within him.
“I should have killed you sooner.”
But Veronia was faster.
With a flick of his fingers, countless shards of darkness sharpened into deadly points, slicing through the air toward Lucion’s back.
“You crazy bastard!”
Heint lunged, slashing through the darkness with the bare minimum of light, then rolled forward.
As the light vanished, the opposing forces of darkness clashed, sending thick, black smoke swirling into the air.
[Don’t you dare lay a hand on my disciple, you bastard!]
Russell’s voice thundered, veins bulging in his neck.
“My, my.”
Veronia looked at Russell with genuine disappointment.
“If he was so precious to you, you should have protected him.”
His finger lifted, pointing straight at Lucion.
―Lu, Lucion!
Ratta’s frantic cry made Russell’s head snap toward Lucion.
He was on the ground, bleeding.
[Lu… cion.]
Russell’s face contorted with indescribable fear.
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.”
Lucion forced a smirk, but blood continued to pour from his shoulder.
He wasn’t sure if it had been pierced or broken.
“Looks like you can’t hear me.”
Lucion’s lips curled into a smirk.
-That’s enough now. Step back for a moment.
At Troy’s words, Lucion moved, utilizing black magic to retreat.
‘Darkness. Grab his leg.’
Crunch!
His violet darkness coiled around Veronia’s legs, leaving behind star-like marks.
Veronia let out a low groan and shuddered.
‘As expected. It’s not ineffective.’
Clutching his wounded shoulder, Lucion turned and sprinted toward the door.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold Veronia for long.
Even a few seconds would have to be enough.
-Veronia. I know what you’re after next.
Following Troy’s voice, relics began to circle Veronia’s head, glowing with the divine light of the two remaining beasts.
“…Keugh.”
Black blood spilled from Veronia’s lips as he pressed his hands to the ground.
“Divine beasts… you can’t kill me.”
The relics formed intricate threads of light, intertwining and wrapping tightly around him.
“That vessel isn’t complete. If I die, the world collapses, doesn’t it? You care only about maintaining balance and would throw anything away to achieve it, wouldn’t you?”
He let out a chuckle, even as more black blood poured from his mouth.
-Lucion, listen well. If we’re going to keep Veronia, the usurper, here, we can’t escape.
Troy’s voice carried heavy regret.
-He’s right. We…we can’t handle Veronia right now.
The wolf-shaped divine beast turned to Lucion, its gaze filled with shame.
-Little one, you must become a complete vessel. Only then can we truly put an end to him. I’m sorry for placing this burden upon you.
“Sounds like you’re whispering something interesting.”
Veronia laughed.
He could feel the darkness emanating from the wolf-shaped divine beast—the darkness left behind by Ravid Bahal.
That was enough.
“…But what should we do?”
Veronia’s smile faded.
“It seems you’ve all forgotten… who I am.”
With those words, an uncontrollable surge of light erupted from the wolf-shaped divine beast’s body.
“I am—”
-Stop! No!
Troy’s desperate cry rang out.
“The King of Darkness.”
Veronia grinned as he looked at Lucion.
“Goodbye.”
The divine beast’s radiant light, powerful enough to melt any warlock or death knight, surged forward.
The vessel wouldn’t be safe either.
“Lucion!”
Heint dashed forward, arm outstretched—
But the light had already consumed him.
His fingertips barely brushed the air before Lucion was swallowed whole by the blinding radiance.
Who would have thought something so brilliant could be so cruel?
—Ra… Ratta…
Before Ratta could finish speaking, darkness stretched outward like twisted branches, shielding Lucion from the divine beast’s overwhelming glow.
The gentle power behind that darkness—
It was Russell.
The black thread connecting them revealed itself.
Ting.
A taut, fragile sound echoed in the air.
Lucion barely pried his eyes open, his body wracked with pain, his consciousness wavering.
It felt as though dozens of blades had pierced him at once.
Yet, through sheer will, he reached out to Russell.
‘You can’t.’
But as more blood spilled from his wounds, his head drooped forward.
His body threatened to collapse, yet he still raised his trembling hand—bloodied, desperate—toward Russell.
‘No.’
Russell’s darkness, once vast and protective like an umbrella shielding him from the rain, began to disintegrate.
Ashes.
Slowly, it scattered into nothingness.
‘This can’t be happening.’
Lucion tried to grasp him—
But Russell slipped through his fingers.
With a smile that told him to be at ease, Russell started to fade, dissolving from his fingertips first.
“…Ah.”
A shaky breath escaped Lucion’s lips as his body collapsed once more.
Raindrops mixed with the blood pooling beneath him.
His palms—slick with hot blood—slid against the wet ground as he tried to push himself up.
But he slipped.
There was no pain.
His mind was blank, painted in nothing but stark, suffocating white.
—Lucion. Lucion…!
Ratta’s sorrowful voice barely reached him.
His ears failed to register anything beyond the one thing that mattered.
Russell.
He was disappearing.
Forgetting the pain and the black magic, Lucion’s hands pressed against the ground, trembling.
Blood dripped freely from his shoulder.
Still, he forced himself to stand.
He lifted his head—
And froze.
His breath.
His gaze.
His movements.
Everything halted.
Slowly at first, then violently, his body began to tremble.
“…Ugh… Ughh.”
A low, strangled sound escaped him.
This wasn’t a dream.
It wasn’t an illusion.
Right before his eyes—
Russell was disappearing.
As he staggered forward, reaching out one last time—
Russell was gone.
His teacher.
Gone.
Lucion felt all the strength leave his body, and he sank to his knees.
In that spot, nothing remained except for the blood he had spilled.
“You promised… didn’t you?”
Lucion muttered, looking vacantly at the ground.
Even the contract he had made with Russell was disappearing.
“You promised… to stay with me.”
His fingers clawed at the dirt, searching for something—anything—
But there was nothing left.
Nothing to hold onto.
Nothing Russell had left behind.
It was as if he had never existed at all.
“Stay with me…”
His face twisted in anguish, blood and tears mingling as they dripped onto the ground.
“…Liar.”
No matter how hard he tried to reject it—
Russell, who had sworn never to disappear—
Was gone.
From this world.
Completely.
“What a pity.”
Lucion felt an uncontrollable rage surge through him at Veronia’s mocking laughter that pierced his ears.
“I…!”
Hatred erupted from him, consuming his entire being.
He staggered to his feet, no longer suppressing his aggression—his killing intent.
No more holding back.
Violet darkness bloomed around him.
Ratta emerged from the shadows, clinging desperately to his leg.
—No, Lucion! You can’t! Please, listen to Ratta!
“You…!”
His teeth clenched.
“I will definitely kill you!”
His voice trembled with unbridled wrath.
The clock engraved on the back of his hand began to turn.
-Lucion. No. This is exactly what Veronia wants!
Ratta.
Troy.
Their voices didn’t reach him.
Only one voice did.
An unfamiliar one.
A foreign, unsettling whisper—
3 o’clock.
Don’t you want to kill him?
Don’t you want to tear him apart?
6 o’clock.
The needle shifted slightly, carving an unrelenting path.
And Lucion—
Overwhelmed by seething hatred—
Welcomed it.
‘Yeah.’
A twisted chuckle slipped from his lips.
‘Let’s kill him.’
9 o’clock.
“Pfft.”
Veronia laughed, eyes gleaming with amusement.
“All this over one measly ghost? Honestly, I’ve never understood you.”
“Shut up, you son of a—”
“Lucion?”
Heint, who had been glaring at Veronia in rage, suddenly faltered.
His gaze snapped to Lucion, wide with shock.
Lucion’s violet darkness, which was always warm, slowly began to become viscous.
His white clothes, stained red with blood, the sorrow and the deep unbearable sadness emanating from him, sent a chill down Heint’s spine.
‘That… is…’
The black veins creeping along Lucion’s eyes—
A sign of corruption.
No.
It couldn’t be.
“Lucion…?”
Heint’s fingers twitched.
The reality before him—
Was one he desperately wanted to deny.
.
!
Chapter 268: Russell Paul (3)
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