Supergiant was expelled from Lucien's consciousness, her telepathic form thrown back into her own mind with such force that she staggered physically on the battlefield.

For the first time in her long existence, she felt something she had never experienced before—true, bone-deep terror.

She thought the only being who could give her chills was the Mad Titan himself... but this human had proved her wrong.

The shivering started in her core and spread outward, an uncontrollable tremor that had nothing to do with cold and everything to do with what she had just witnessed.

Those massive purple eyes, staring at her from the void of his mind, had looked at her the way she might look at an ant.

She turned her gaze toward the human who had just humiliated her, the same human who was currently carving through her Outriders like they were made of tissue paper. Her hands shook as she watched him move, each kill smooth and effortless.

How was this possible? She had just defeated one of Earth's strongest telepaths, had broken through Emma Frost's defenses, and left her unconscious and bleeding.

But this human—this single, unremarkable-looking human—had consciousness that felt like staring into the abyss itself.

The eyes she had seen in that void weren't human. They belonged to something far older, far more powerful, something that made her feel like prey for the first time in centuries.

Lucien continued his slaughter of the Outriders. He had lost count of how many he'd killed—the battlefield was littered with black ichor and severed limbs, but more creatures kept coming.

That's when the notification appeared in his vision.

[An entity is trying to invade Host's mind...]

[Ashborn's Blessing has nullified the effect.]

Lucien paused mid-strike, his enhanced perception immediately scanning the battlefield for the source of the telepathic attack. His eyes quickly found the tall, pale figure standing among a protective circle of Outriders on the far side of the grounds.

The other Black Order member. And based on the timing of the notification, she was the one who had just tried to mess with his mind.

"Bad choice," he muttered, adjusting his grip on his daggers.

He began cutting a direct path toward Supergiant. Every Outrider between him and the telepathic alien died within seconds of entering his path.

Black ichor painted the mansion grounds as he carved through their ranks. Arms were severed, heads rolled across the stone walkways, and torsos split open in sprays of dark blood. The creatures tried to overwhelm him with numbers, but it was like trying to stop a hurricane with tissue paper.

Supergiant watched his approach with growing panic. She had faced telepathic battles against powerful minds before, had broken the will of beings who commanded fleets and destroyed planets. But she could not do anything to this human.

She frantically pressed a button on her arm device, her fingers trembling as she activated the emergency extraction protocol. A massive spaceship shimmered into visibility in the sky above them, its cloaking field dropping to reveal dark metal plating and alien architecture.

A blue tractor beam shot down from the ship, enveloping Supergiant in its glow. She felt her feet leave the ground as the beam began pulling her upward, away from the battlefield and the terrifying human who was still cutting through her forces.

She called out through her telepathic link to the remaining Outriders. "All units focus on the target! Buy time for extraction!"

Every remaining Outrider on the battlefield turned toward Lucien, abandoning their attacks on the mansion and the other defenders. They swarmed toward him in a massive wave of claws and chittering sounds.

Lucien watched the spaceship carry Supergiant away and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Running away after trying to invade my mind? How rude."

But her escape didn't matter. He would eventually get to her.

The Outriders crashed into him like a living wave, their four arms all reaching for his body simultaneously. But their numbers meant nothing when none of them could actually harm him. His daggers moved in continuous arcs, carving through alien flesh and bone without slowing.

Still, even with his speed and strength, the sheer volume of enemies was slowing him down. There had to be close to five hundred Outriders left, and while each one died easily enough, killing them individually would take time they didn't have.

Lucien stepped back and began charging mana into his daggers again. This time, he poured more energy into the weapons than he had before, feeling the power build to dangerous levels. The blades glowed so brightly that they hurt to look at directly, and the air around them began to crack and warp.

"Let's thin the herd," he said, crossing his daggers and releasing the energy in a massive X-shaped wave.

The attack carved through the Outrider ranks like a scythe through wheat. Hundreds of the creatures were bisected instantly, their bodies falling in perfect halves as black blood pooled across the mansion grounds.

When the energy dissipated, only a few dozen Outriders remained standing.

"That should be enough of a distraction," Lucien murmured, grabbing one of the surviving Outriders by its elongated head.

He spun in a wide circle, using the creature's body to kick up dust and debris from the damaged ground. The motion created a thick cloud of dirt and stone fragments that obscured the entire area around him, blocking the view from the mansion where the other heroes were still fighting.

Under the cover of the swirling dust cloud, Lucien spoke a single word.

"Arise."

Dark energy erupted from his shadow as his army materialized around him. Sukuna emerged first, his four arms and imposing presence immediately dominating the battlefield. The shadow knights followed, their black armor gleaming with ethereal light, weapons ready for combat.

The shadow mages appeared last, their robed forms crackling with dark magic as they prepared their spells.

"Clean up," Lucien ordered simply.

What followed was not a battle but an execution. The remaining Outriders, already weakened and disoriented from the massive energy attack, stood no chance against the shadow army.

Sukuna moved through them like death itself, his invisible slashes carving through multiple enemies at once. The shadow knights worked with brutal efficiency, their swords finding vital points with each strike. The mages cast spells that froze, burned, and shattered anything that tried to escape.

Within sixty seconds, every remaining Outrider on Lucien's side of the battlefield was dead.

"Back," Lucien commanded, and his shadow army dissolved into darkness, returning to his shadow as if they had never existed at all.

He walked across the now-silent battlefield toward where Corvus Glaive was still pinned to the ground. The alien warrior had watched the entire massacre through pain-filled eyes, his hands still impaled by Lucien's daggers.

A few Outriders remained on the mansion side of the grounds, but the other heroes were handling them easily enough now that the main force had been eliminated. Lucien could hear the sounds of combat growing distant as the last of the invaders were put down.

"Ready to die?" Lucien asked casually as he approached Corvus.

The Black Order member let out a bitter laugh, blood trickling from his mouth. "Death is the only thing I have desired throughout my life. You cannot threaten me with what I want."

"Well," Lucien said, placing his boot on Corvus's face, "death won't be what you think it will be for you."

He pressed down slowly, feeling the alien's skull begin to crack under the pressure. Corvus's eyes went wide with sudden understanding, but it was too late to struggle or resist.

The sound of breaking bone echoed across the empty battlefield.

"Arise," Lucien said, looking down at the corpse.

Dark energy swirled around Corvus's body as his shadow began to take shape. The shadow that rose to its feet was of a normal grade.

[Normal Grade Shadow Successfully Extracted]

Corvus's shadow immediately dropped to one knee, its head bowed in submission. The arrogance and warrior's pride that had defined the living being were gone, replaced by absolute loyalty to its new master.

Lucien looked around at the scattered Outrider corpses and decided to make use of them as well.

He had gained many levels tonight's slaughter, which also gave him more slots for the shadows, and it would be wasteful to leave potential soldiers behind. He can just let them go once he finds more powerful soldiers.

"Arise," he said, targeting eight Outrider bodies.

Eight new shadows joined his army, their four-armed forms raised as they awaited orders. They were also of normal grade, but they would serve as useful scouts and shock troops.

[Normal Grade Shadows Successfully Extracted x8]

The dust cloud had completely settled now, revealing the aftermath of the battle. The mansion grounds looked like a war zone, covered in alien blood and scattered body parts. But the building itself remained intact, and more importantly, the defenders had survived.

Lucien stored his shadows and went towards the mansion, where he could see several figures gathering near the main entrance. The invasion of this location was over, but he knew this was not over.

Thanos was still out there. Who knew when he would attack another location again?

But for now, it was time to regroup and figure out what came next.

....

POWER STONE GOAL: 700 ( 1 Extra Chapter)

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