"Speak... Why were you so determined to see me?"
Evernight questioned Lucian, her crimson eyes remaining as cold and sharp as ever despite the hand gripping her throat.
It was obvious from her calm and composed reaction, even in such a disadvantageous situation, that she belonged to someone who had long since walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"You froze me with your ice... shouldn't you come out and apologize?"
Lucian answered calmly, his expression remaining completely indifferent.
"...?"
Evernight froze for a moment.
'Huh, that's it? He went through all that trouble just to get an apology?'
Originally, she had assumed he was like those people from the Garden of Recollection, the type who were always obsessed with uncovering secrets and digging into the truth behind everything.
"Who told you to touch my body? You deserved it."
"Your body? Hahaha..." Lucian let out a teasing laugh. "Don't be delusional. It belongs to March 7th—the only girl I recognize."
At that claim, Evernight let out a cold sneer, her eyes filled with disdain.
"Heh, what's hers is mine too. If you've got the ability, separate us then."
In response, Lucian sneered, his lips curling into a mocking smile filled with undisguised confidence.
"Fine. You said it yourself, so don't come begging me to send you back later."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lucian had already made up his mind.
He intended to use Omnisteal to steal Evernight's personality away from March completely, leaving the two separated once and for all. Even without the authority of Remembrance, he still possessed methods capable of dealing with abstract conceptual entities like Evernight.
Upon hearing Lucian's confident response, a trace of uncertainty flickered across Evernight's crimson eyes, but it was quickly buried beneath defiance and anger because she simply refused to believe that he possessed the ability to separate her from March, unless the Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli, personally intervened.
Did he really think she was some insignificant nobody who could be manipulated however he pleased?
"I'm warning you. Don't let her get hurt. Otherwise, even if we end up destroying each other, I'll make you pay."
Evernight narrowed her eyes, her crimson gaze turning even colder as she issued her warning in a frigid voice. Every single word she spoke carried unmistakable determination, leaving no doubt that she would carry out her threat if March were harmed in the slightest.
"Not a single hair on her head's gonna be harmed. But you won't get another chance to stay inside her."
Lucian replied calmly, his expression remaining unchanged from beginning to end, and his tone stayed as steady as ever, as though he were merely stating an undeniable fact rather than making a promise.
"Why don't you try it then? Stop talking and show me."
A disdainful smile slowly appeared on Evernight's lips, her eyes filled with unconcealed mockery.
If her strength had recovered, and if she did not have to worry about March suffering as a consequence, would she still be wasting time arguing with him?
If not for that, she would have already blasted this shameless pervert into oblivion with her strongest attack, reducing him to nothing before he even had the chance to finish speaking.
And yet, he actually claimed that he could separate her from March.
Did he even know who she was?
Back when she slaughtered her way through the Garden of Recollection, this pervert probably had not even been born yet.
"As you wish."
Lucian released his grip on Evernight's throat and casually reached into the empty space before him while activating Omnisteal at the same time.
In an instant, the surrounding space rippled almost imperceptibly before a faint sphere of light was instantly 'stolen' from somewhere unseen. It drifted quietly above his open palm, emitting a soft glow, with a label on it that read 'March 7th's Personality'.
Lucian stared at the glowing sphere for a second, thoughtfully examining the label attached to it before slowly shaking his head.
'Nope. Wrong.'
He had stolen the wrong thing.
As always, the randomness of Omnisteal was as ridiculous and unpredictable as ever.
Lucian immediately returned the sphere without the slightest hesitation and activated Omnisteal once more.
Another faint sphere of light soon appeared above his palm, and this time, the label read 'March 7th's Uterus'.
'A uterus? Are you fucking serious?'
Lucian rolled his eyes, feeling completely speechless, then promptly returned the sphere before activating Omnisteal once again.
A new sphere materialized almost instantly.
'March 7th's Intelligence?'
Reading the label on the newly stolen sphere, Lucian could not help smiling faintly.
Needless to say, that one definitely had to be returned.
March was already silly enough as it was. If he stole her intelligence too, she might become even dumber than before, and then there would probably be no saving her.
Just like that, one sphere after another appeared in his hand, only to be returned moments later after a brief glance at the labels attached to them. Every attempt ended in disappointment as Omnisteal continued demonstrating just how absurdly random its selection process truly was.
"What? Can't do it? I thought you could actually threaten me at my core. Turns out you're all talk."
Watching Lucian repeatedly grab and release invisible things in the air without accomplishing anything, Evernight could not help feeling a little disdainful. In her eyes, he now looked like some eccentric diviner performing meaningless rituals, or perhaps a man with severe autism making incomprehensible gestures.
As expected, he only possessed overwhelming power and did not possess the authority of Remembrance.
As long as she found an opportunity to escape, March would remain safe, and everything would return to normal.
Before long, on the seventh attempt, the label on the seventh sphere Lucian stole finally displayed the words 'Evernight's Personality'.
In that instant, a faint grin slowly spread across his face.
'Let's see if you're still smiling afterward.'
Ten seconds later, when the sphere finally completed its settlement, Evernight suddenly felt an invisible force seize hold of the very essence of her existence.
Before she could even react, that incomprehensible force violently tore her out of March's body, causing the crimson glow within March's eyes to instantly fade away as the tension left her body. Right afterward, she gently collapsed back into a peaceful sleeping state as though nothing had ever happened.
Meanwhile, the sphere containing Evernight's personality trembled violently in Lucian's hand, shaking more and more intensely as if overwhelmed by disbelief, confusion, and fury toward a method that completely exceeded everything she knew or understood.
Lucian naturally did not stop there.
Raising his free hand toward the violently trembling sphere, he activated another conceptual ability, Existence Anchor.
Based on the appearance and personality traits he had already observed, maintaining Evernight's existence independently from March was not difficult for him.
*Buzz!*
An invisible wave of power rapidly spread outward in every direction as the sphere in Lucian's hand suddenly flashed with blinding brilliance.
Its radiance grew brighter and brighter until it resembled a miniature star, maintaining its dazzling glow for several moments before gradually calming and stabilizing under the effects of Existence Anchor.
A few seconds later, amidst a gentle, dreamlike glow, the sphere was forcibly manifested into reality and solidified into an independently existing consciousness.
And the figure that emerged was none other than Evernight, who froze in place, looking completely stunned.
How could she not?
To casually separate her from her host, then forcibly manifest her into an independent form capable of existing, thinking, and communicating on its own... was this man truly not some incarnation of Fuli?
Evernight lowered her head in disbelief and instinctively examined her own translucent body. She could clearly sense that she was no longer attached to March's consciousness, yet she still existed as an individual.
Needless to say, what she had believed to be impossible had become reality right before her eyes.
In the next instant, a single conclusion immediately formed in her mind: Lucian absolutely possessed the ability to truly threaten her life.
Meanwhile, as Lucian looked at Evernight's manifested translucent form, the grin on his face widened slightly.
"Do you believe me now?"
Hearing his question, Evernight remained silent for a long time, though the violent and oppressive aura surrounding her gradually weakened until it almost completely disappeared.
Even though she was unwilling to admit defeat, reality left her little choice.
"I believe you..." Evernight said slowly, looking directly into Lucian's eyes. "As long as you don't mean her any harm, I... can talk to you properly..."
"I've already separated you, so if you wanna keep existing in this world and keep protecting her, you're gonna have to rely on me from now on."
Lucian spoke calmly, the grin on his face disappearing as it was replaced by a look of complete composure.
"Listen to me, and I can help you become a real person. But if you keep insisting on treating me like an enemy..."
He paused briefly, amusement flickering in his eyes as the corner of his lips curled upward once more.
"Then I guess you better pray you get lucky enough to be reborn someday."
Evernight fell silent again.
No matter how she thought about it, the situation made it painfully obvious that this man had seized her greatest weakness. If he could pull her out, then he undoubtedly possessed methods capable of erasing her as well.
Needless to say, this was her second defeat.
In the end, the last traces of hostility in Evernight's eyes quietly disappeared as she completely withdrew her hostility.
"...Alright, that's a very convincing threat. As long as you don't go too far, lowering myself a little isn't impossible..." Evernight said calmly, though her voice carried a trace of resignation. "But Evernight, huh... It's a good name, so I'll take it. Consider it my gift to myself."
In fact, she had never possessed a name of her own.
However, because Lucian had called her Evernight from the very beginning, and because she genuinely liked the sound of the name, she simply accepted it without objection.
After a brief pause, Evernight asked the question that had been lingering in her mind ever since Lucian had said it.
"So what exactly are you going to do to make me become a 'real person'?"
At the question, Lucian pointed toward her without changing his expression, then activated Godly Bandage.
In the next second, countless white bandages emerged from his hand and wrapped themselves around Evernight's consciousness as though they possessed lives of their own. They moved gently and carefully, weaving layer after layer around her translucent form until not a single trace of light remained visible beneath the pristine white wrappings.
Moments later, as the soft radiance gradually faded and the bandages slowly unraveled one after another, a slender girl appeared before Lucian.
Like March, the girl was completely naked and looked almost identical to her, with the only noticeable differences being her eye color, her hairstyle, and the vastly different atmosphere that surrounded her.
Lucian silently observed her.
'Hmm... she really did look like March...'
While pondering, his gaze slowly swept from head to toe, carefully examining the newly formed body to confirm that the transformation had been completed perfectly.
At the same time, not noticing Lucian's gaze, Evernight delightedly experienced the sensation of possessing a physical form of her own.
At this moment, she flexed her fingers, slowly clenching and unclenching her hands before stretching her arms and moving her slender legs, all while quietly feeling the flow of existence surrounding her and savoring every unfamiliar yet fascinating sensation that came with possessing a real body.
Honestly, the more she experienced it, the more curious she became about Lucian.
Just what kind of existence was he?
How could he possess such absurdly heaven-defying abilities?
Even someone as prideful as Evernight could not help feeling genuine admiration.
However, only after noticing Lucian's unwavering gaze did she suddenly realize something extremely important: at this moment, she was completely naked, without a single piece of clothing covering her newly created body.
Even though she now admired him, there was no way she was going to let this shameless pervert enjoy the view for free.
Using her powers, Evernight instantly changed her appearance and dressed herself in a brand-new outfit.
It was none other than the black outfit she had worn in the game.
Right afterward, as though suddenly remembering something, caution quietly returned to Evernight's expression as she looked at Lucian once more.
"Even so, I won't easily reveal my secrets to you. I'll find some other way... to repay you."
Evernight assumed Lucian had gone through all this effort because, like those people from the Garden of Recollection, he coveted the secrets she carried.
"Who wants to know your secrets? I don't give a damn," Lucian said with a snort, his tone completely dismissive, before looking at her with a calm, indifferent expression. "I'm just kinda curious about you—that's all."
Yes, helping Evernight was not because he wanted to learn her secrets, nor was it because of her appearance, but simply because he was curious about her very existence.
"..."
Evernight immediately fell silent as she suddenly realized that she seemed to have misunderstood him.
Was this ridiculously powerful man, whose methods completely defied logic, really going through all that trouble just to have a normal conversation with her?
Rather than reassuring her, that realization only left Evernight even more confused.
Seeing her remain silent, Lucian spoke again, a meaningful look appearing on his face.
"So, what exactly does this other way of paying me back include?"
Hearing his question and seeing the meaningful look in his eyes, Evernight immediately understood exactly what Lucian was implying.
"Anything except satisfying your damn lust, and anything except exposing my secrets!" Evernight said while rolling her eyes. "Murder, arson, robbery... something like that."
Lucian was speechless.
Clearly, Evernight truly was an extremist.
March was cute, kind, and optimistic, but her shadow was practically a demon, making the contrast between the two so absurd that it almost seemed impossible to believe.
"Anyway, just call me Lucian. As for paying me back, just clean my room every 5 to 8 days, and don't cause me any trouble. I don't really have any other demands. Also, take good care of March 7th—that's her name. You're her big sis from now on."
Right after saying that, Lucian turned around and walked toward the door without waiting for Evernight's response.
Evernight quietly watched his departing figure, her crimson eyes silently following his back, and for a long moment, she genuinely did not know what to think.
He had used practically divine-like methods to grant her an independent existence, allowing her to separate from March completely, and all he wanted in return was for her to clean his room?
Why did that somehow feel insulting?
Right after Lucian left the room, Evernight slowly sat down beside the bed and gazed at March's peaceful sleeping face.
As she quietly watched her, countless thoughts drifted through her mind one after another.
Honestly, she had never expected that someone would forcibly separate her from March and grant her an independent existence.
From her perspective, Lucian was truly unfathomable.
No matter how she observed him, there was simply no way to determine what he was really thinking or what he truly wanted.
Still, at least for now, she could not sense any malice from him, aside from him being a little perverted, considering he had practically touched every part of March's body earlier just to force her to come out.
Recalling that embarrassing moment, a faint smile slowly appeared on Evernight's lips, and at the same time, she secretly vowed that she would definitely get even with him someday.
"Lucian, if you weren't lying to me, then I think... we could become very good partners..."
Looking down at the peacefully sleeping March, Evernight softly muttered those words to herself, her quiet voice barely audible within the silent room.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]