CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 191 : LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR (5)

Alex stepped out of the academy gates, the air outside cool against his skin. His mind still lingered on Evelyn—the golden-haired goddess who froze time itself to speak with him.

[ That was intense, you know. But what she said was something worth looking into. ]

Alex’s lips curved into a faint smirk as his hands slid into his pockets.

’Yeah, the Age of Gods... why did I see her there? And the fact she saw the same vision that day—it’s not a coincidence.’

[ Maybe we should talk to her again, find the perfect opportunity. She seems to know more than she’s revealing. ]

’You’re right. But... whenever I’m near her, I feel this strange familiarity. Like I’ve known her for years, but I can’t place it. Worse, she makes me feel... at ease. So much so that I want to run away from her.’

[ ...That’s really odd. ]

’Yeah. But let’s shelve that for now. We’ve got bigger things to handle.’

[ If you say so. ]

The parking lot soon came into view, and Alex immediately noticed the crowd. Dozens of people—students, civilians, even a few paparazzi—were gathered around something, flashes going off like fireflies. He didn’t need to guess what they were surrounding. A smile tugged at his lips.

[ Well, don’t you feel smug? ]

’I do. After all... that’s my hard work.’

He walked straight into the crowd, ignoring the curious stares and whispered speculation.

"Whoa... is that really it?" someone gasped.

"No way... that’s the Phantom Seraph X-9!" another shouted.

"That’s the only model in the empire! Costs more than a floating fortress!"

At the center of the mob sat his pride and joy—a monster on wheels. The Phantom Seraph X-9, the most expensive and advanced sports car in the world. Its body was forged with obsidian-laced alloy, sleek and aerodynamic, glowing faintly with violet runes along the edges. Unlike the hover-cars that dominated the streets, Alex had specifically ordered it with wheels—jet-black mana-forged titanium rims that gripped the road like claws.

The hood bore faint engravings of shifting constellations that shimmered under the sunlight. Its engines roared like a beast when awakened, capable of breaking the sound barrier within seconds. Inside, the cockpit was wrapped in mana-reactive leather that adjusted to the driver’s physique, complete with a runic dashboard that synced with Alex’s mana signature alone. It was his dream from Earth, reborn in this world.

Girls clung to the sides of the car, snapping pictures, laughing, whispering among themselves. Some even leaned against it, giggling as if the Phantom Seraph itself were a celebrity.

Alex’s smile sharpened.

"Alright, the time for admiring my hard work is up. Go home."

The crowd blinked, turning to see the young man approaching. His tailored black coat, violet accents, and calm arrogance immediately drew whispers.

"Tch, look at him. Some spoiled brat who probably got rich off his family."

"No, wait—that’s his car? The Phantom Seraph X-9?!"

"You’ve gotta be kidding me... how old is he, sixteen?!"

Their mocking tone dimmed as Alex pressed a button on his key rune. The car’s locks disengaged with a low, beast-like growl, and the runes flared as if greeting their master.

The crowd parted, some grumbling, others stunned into silence, as Alex slid smoothly into the driver’s seat. The car purred alive, the engine rumbling with restrained power.

[ I’m still amazed this world gives driving licenses to sixteen-year-olds. ]

Alex smirked as he revved the engine, the sound echoing like thunder through the lot.

’Well, this world has mana. Awakened people can handle themselves far better than any driver’s test. That’s why it’s easy to get one.’

With that, he pulled out, the Phantom Seraph roaring down the street, leaving the stunned crowd behind.

–––

Meanwhile, outside the great museum of Imperius where the S-ranked rift had torn reality open, tension was at its peak. Tyrion and the others of Shadow Legion were already present, waiting.

And then it came—a presence, heavy and suffocating, pressing down on everyone like an unseen storm. Heads turned. Conversations stopped.

A sleek bike tore through the street, a blur of black and silver mana streaks. It was the Aetherion Dragoon V-Prime, the most expensive and advanced mana-bike in existence. Unlike anything seen before, its frame shimmered with adaptive runes, the exhaust breathing pure violet flames.

Atop it sat a man whose very aura silenced the crowd.

The rider dismounted.

Carter Brown.

The No. 1 rising star of Radiant Blades—the strongest guild in Avaloria. The man every hunter knew. The man the world was watching.

His jacket swayed with the wind, black with crimson trims, marked with the insignia of Radiant Blades. His short dark blond hair caught the light faintly, framing his sharp face. His black eyes glimmered with quiet intensity.

Every step he took radiated authority. His aura pressed down so heavily that lesser hunters had to grit their teeth to stay upright.

Seeing him, Danny’s body stiffened.

’The last time I saw him... he was on the verge of breaking through to Grandmaster rank. But now... this power, this presence... did he...?’

He didn’t dare finish the thought.

Because once a Master awakened to Grandmaster, they transcended. Their body evolved, their core advanced, their very existence changed.

They tempered the laws themselves, molded concepts into weapons, even carved dimensions of their own.

Reaching Grandmaster Peak was to step onto the throne of monsters.

Danny’s jaw clenched.

He himself had been stuck at Master Peak for years. No matter how many times he tried, his core refused to evolve—even though everyone told him he had the potential.

Yet Carter Brown, the most famous hunter of Avaloria, had broken through.

Jealousy gnawed at Danny’s chest, mixing with anger.

’What does this guy have that I don’t? Am I really going to live in his shadow for the rest of my life?’

His thoughts spiraled until a voice snapped him back.

"You there, Danny? Or did you fall asleep on the job?"

Danny blinked and snapped out of his daze.

Carter Brown now stood right before him.

Up close, he looked even sharper. Short dark blond hair, piercing black eyes, his expensive tailored clothes fitting him perfectly. A luxurious black coat trimmed with subtle gold hung from his shoulders, swaying slightly as his aura crackled in the air around him.

Danny swallowed.

The difference between them was a canyon he could no longer hope to cross.

The atmosphere outside the museum thickened like storm clouds ready to burst.

Carter stood there, posture relaxed, aura casually leaking out like a predator stretching after a nap. It was as if he wasn’t here to handle an S-rank rift but to stroll through the capital on a leisurely date.

Danny forced a smile, though the veins on his forehead pulsed.

"Oh, so you finally decided to crawl out of your vacation, huh? Must be nice, leaving all the work to everyone else while you do whatever you want."

Carter tilted his head, a grin spreading across his face. His black eyes glimmered with amusement.

"I know you don’t like me, Danny. But you do realize I’m more famous than you, right? And the truth stings—I work half as much as you, yet the guild profits twice as much from me than it ever has from you."

Danny’s fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened. His jaw trembled with restrained fury.

"The guild master favors you too much!" he spat.

Carter shrugged, smirk never leaving his lips.

"Of course he does. After all, I’m one of the few he knows wouldn’t jump ship at the first opportunity and stab him in the back."

Danny’s face twisted with rage, his aura beginning to flare violently.

"Watch your mouth! You think just because you’re a Grandmaster now you can look down on me?"

Carter chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"Yes. I can. And I will. What are you going to do about it?"

That final line set Danny off. His aura surged, a tempest of blue energy roaring around him, cracking the ground beneath his boots.

But Carter only laughed louder, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

"Oh... what’s the word I’m looking for? Cute. Yeah, it’s really cute that you’re trying so hard right now."

And then Carter released his own aura.

The world seemed to buckle. The suffocating pressure slammed down on everyone like an invisible mountain.

Windows on nearby buildings shattered, dust swirled in the air, and weaker hunters dropped to their knees, unable to breathe.

The ground cracked further as Carter’s void-tinged energy distorted space itself, pulling and crushing the atmosphere in unnatural ways.

Tommen and Natly stiffened, their eyes widening at the sheer weight of it. Both of them had been Masters for years, veterans of countless battles, but compared to this presence, they felt like children standing before a natural disaster.

Still, they weren’t shocked that Carter had reached Grandmaster—it was expected of him, especially with his void affinity, one of the rarest and most dangerous in existence.

They were just reminded, with brutal clarity, of how wide the gulf between them had grown.

Danny, however, was another story. His pride refused to bow. Fury burned away his reason. His aura clashed against Carter’s, a violent storm against an abyss. But it was useless—Carter’s void aura swallowed it whole, leaving Danny panting and pale.

Before Danny could do something reckless, Tommen stepped forward, his massive axe resting on his shoulder. His voice boomed, calm but edged.

"It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Carter?"

Carter’s attention shifted, and for a brief moment his suffocating aura eased. His grin returned.

"It sure has, Tommen. You haven’t changed much."

Tommen’s lips curled into a grim smile.

"You really are a monster, breaking through to Grandmaster rank already. We’ve been stuck here for years, unable to break past the wall... but you? You make it look easy."

Natly approached next, her bow in hand, her sultry golden eyes glinting with mischief. She leaned in closer than necessary, her voice smooth like honey.

"I heard you broke up with that little girlfriend of yours. What do you say, Carter? After we finish this job... dinner tonight? And afterward..."

She leaned in, whispering directly into his ear, her lips almost brushing his skin.

"...we can do whatever you want."

A ripple of laughter escaped Carter’s throat, deep and genuine. He patted her shoulder casually as though she were a child.

"That’s a tempting offer, Natly. Truly. But first, I’ve got some work to do."

He turned, making his way toward the museum entrance, Danny still seething behind him. Tommen and Natly fell into step as if it were natural—but Carter stopped suddenly, his head tilting back slightly.

"Who said you two were coming along?" His voice was casual, but the weight behind it froze the air.

Tommen frowned, tightening his grip on his axe.

"Come on, man. Let us have a piece of this. You know if you try to monopolize it all, our guild masters won’t let your guild off so easily."

Natly chimed in smoothly, her tone carrying just the right amount of warning.

"He’s right. And you know my Madam has a short fuse. She’s still furious you rejected her offer to join her guild. If she hears you took this dungeon-rift for yourself, she might start a war with your guild master."

Carter paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His grin widened.

"You’re right about that. She’s insane. And my guild master has already warned me not to create too many enemies."

He turned his black gaze on them, sharp and commanding.

"Fine. I’ll compromise. But I’m taking the bigger slice of the pie. No objections."

Both Natly and Tommen clicked their tongues in unison but nodded, unwilling to push further.

Danny, however, bristled. His pride screamed at the way Carter made decisions for their guild as if he owned it. He opened his mouth to protest, but Carter shut him down with a single line.

"It’s fine. The guild master gave me full freedom to handle this. He trusts I’ll make the right calls. Besides..." Carter’s grin sharpened, his voice dripping with amusement.

"He’s more focused on his disciple these days—the hero who’s about to join us. He wouldn’t care about something this small."

Danny’s teeth ground so hard it sounded like stone cracking, but he said nothing.

Inside, though, his thoughts burned.

’Always Carter. Always the talented and admired one. One day... I’ll crush you under my heel. Or if I can’t, I hope someone else does.’

The tension outside the museum was already thick with Carter’s aura lingering in the air, but when his sharp gaze swept across the gathered guilds, he suddenly paused.

His brows furrowed as he noticed another small group—five figures standing proudly, unflinching beneath the pressure that made many others quake.

His head tilted slightly, his tone both curious and dismissive.

"Who are these guys? Did something happen while I was gone? Don’t tell me another guild managed to claw its way into the top five. They all look... decently trained."

Tyrion smirked, taking a step forward.

"We’re also here to clear this rift."

Carter’s brow furrowed further, his aura flexing like a predator measuring prey. He wasn’t used to unknown guilds standing tall in front of him. Before he could say more, Natly folded her arms and chuckled.

"You’ve been away too long, Carter. This is the guild that’s been tearing through the ranks at an unnatural pace. They just booted the Red Scorpions from the tenth spot."

Carter’s black eyes glimmered with surprise, then amusement. He gave a slow nod.

"Well, well... looks like we have some talented lads here after all."

But his grin turned sharp, his words dripping with condescension.

"Too bad. Two partners are already too much. You lot can piss off. Otherwise..." his void-tinged aura flickered ominously, "...it won’t be good for you.

Low-rank guilds crawling out of nowhere should tread carefully. You’ll realize soon enough that in this ocean, there are sharks... and whales."

Tyrion only smiled wider at the threat, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"Like it or not, mister... we’re coming in with you. And besides—" he paused, tilting his head— "he’s also coming for you."

The sudden shift in his tone made Carter’s grin falter. His brows knitted, his voice dropping low, edged with warning.

"Who?"

The air thickened as Tyrion’s smirk widened, but before he could say anything, Jaime stepped forward.

His aura sparked faintly as his gaze locked with Carter’s, unwavering. His voice carried like a hammer strike across the crowd.

"The Devil himself."

The world seemed to still for half a heartbeat—until the deafening screech of tires ripped through the silence.

Everyone’s heads whipped toward the sound, eyes widening as a sleek beast of a car tore down the avenue toward them.

The engine roared like thunder, the polished black frame gleaming under the city lights as if it belonged to another world entirely.

The car approached at breakneck speed, the crowd instinctively stumbling back in alarm—

Until, with a flawless, stylish drift, it swung sideways, kicking up smoke and dust before halting in a perfect stop right at the edge of the gathered hunters.

The tires hissed, the scent of burnt rubber filling the air as silence swallowed the scene once more.

All eyes were glued to the car, its presence just as commanding as they wondered who was inside.

Tyrion’s grin widened as he clenched his fist—then swung it, landing a punch on Jaime’s face.

"You bastard! You stole the best line!"

Jaime only smirked back, rubbing his face.

The crowd buzzed with whispers, anticipation surging as every hunter present turned toward the black car, waiting for its door to open.

-----

A/N:

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