Ascension of the Dark Seraph-Chapter 245: Worth It

Lucivar stood motionless in the middle of the red desert.

His shoulders slumped down, arms and legs hung like a broken marionette.

For a moment, he stood there, face staring at the stone structure behind him while his mind desperately tried to deny what had just happened. Then, once the reality settled in—the fact that he died when he was a few steps away from the finish line, a bitter laugh bubbled from his throat.

"Perfect… Perfect! Exactly what I needed!" He sarcastically shouted. "What else would I want other than starting over when the finish line, Sha was right in front of my eyes. Why would I want to get out of this damn desert when I was stuck here for years?"

Then, the mummies started clawing their way out of the sand a few paces away.

Seeing these mummies, Lucivar instantly threw his arms and legs out dramatically.

"Starting over again! Nobody wanted to leave this heavenly and sacred desert, of course!"

Frustration boiled over, and he lashed out—kicking the sand, sending clouds of it flying, punching at it as if sheer force could make it understand his rage. Then, like a man possessed, he turned and swung his fist at the nearest solid thing—the stone wall behind him.

A sickening dull sound echoed through the desert.

Lucivar froze, his entire body stiffening as pain shot up his arm like wildfire.

His fingers twitched, and his knuckles screamed in agony.

"Ow—" He fell to his knees and cradled his throbbing fist, hissing between clenched teeth and hunched over. "Leandra, you stupid idiot. I'm not dead! How the fuck did you even have the ability to resurrect me? Do you think you're helping with this?"

On the other hand, the mummies, having fully emerged, merely tilted their heads in eerie silence.

All of them silently judged Lucivar's life choices.

A long moment later.

It was slow, painful, and mentally taxing, but Lucivar was finally able to make his last pull and reached Sha for the second time. At this point, he wasn't walking anymore. He was crawling like a lizard, every exhausted pull strained his muscles to the edge of tearing apart.

Looking at his pathetic form, Sha ate a grape and shook her head.

"You know, you could've summoned Zibbo to help you." She commented nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Lucivar raised his gaze in shock.

He wanted to curse Sha for not telling him—but he had no strength for anger, all he could do was bury his face back into the scorching sand and sigh. "I don't care at this point. I'm just glad this was going to be over. Take me back, please."

Lucivar can't stand being in this desert any longer.

All he wanted was a long shower, a deep slumber, and do nothing for months.

Perhaps, he'd ask Nerissa to take him to eat all kinds of cake and ice cream.

Something cold, something that doesn't resemble this crimson desert.

Sha smirked, taking pleasure in seeing Lucivar barely able to survive this foundation training.

The Anvil of Sutekh—a training to forge the body into steel.

Raising her paw, Sha channeled her power and enveloped Lucivar with it—healing him from all of his wounds and restoring his stamina. Once Lucivar stood back up again, she summoned the Stone Tablet of Physique to show him something.

"Look at the growth you gained from this," Sha said, nudging her chin at the tablet.

Lucivar turned to look at the tablet and saw a change in the physique assessment section.

'Physique Assessment: Sphinx-tier (Mid)'

"Now, your physique is as strong as a first-star Chrysalis rank Hybrid," Sha continued, giving Lucivar an approval nod as it was commendable for him to complete the Anvil of Sutekh in under five years in this dominion. "Raw strength without the enhancement from your ether."

As soon as Lucivar heard that, he traced his eyes down to look at his body.

Just as Sha stated, he had gotten stronger.

Lucivar flexed his muscles a couple of times and could feel the raging power within them.

It was akin to him being able to crush a mountain with his bare hands.

Glancing to the side, Lucivar took a couple of steps forward before he cocked his fist and threw a punch.

Swoosh!

A forceful gush of wind blew out—knocking a few mummies that were limping towards him, and also exploded the dune ahead. No ether was imbued in that punch, the forceful gush was nothing, but wind that his punch blew.

Realizing how much stronger, a devious smirk crept to his lips.

In an instant, Lucivar dashed forward.

His speed was incredibly fast, covering thirty meters in a flash before he attacked the mummies.

Bam!

Lucivar's pupils flickered with excitement as he watched his fist punching through the mummy's guts, shattering multiple bones before sending it crashing away. A delighted chuckle escaped his mouth, the sensation of having a strong physique was wonderful.

Strengthening his core, he swept the next mummy's legs and punched it while it was still mid-air.

Next, Lucivar spun his body like a tornado and kicked another mummy—blowing its head right off.

As he landed on his feet, both his eyes darted left and right before he moved again.

Like thunder, the impact from his punch was deafening and destructive.

Five more mummies were destroyed, turning back into red sand and being blown away by the wind.

All of that happened at a time it took for someone to blink.

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Once the mummies were all killed, Lucivar straightened his back.

Then, his shoulders rose and dropped as he began to laugh—a perverted excitement for his growth.

"I'm already this strong physically when I'm not even using my ether?" He mused humorously.

Even though he had spent countless moments cursing the brutal training, calling it absurdly harsh as it also tested his mind, he now realized it had all been worth it. There were times—far too many, when he wanted to quit, yet he pushed forward, stubbornly enduring every grueling year in the red desert.

And now, his perseverance was repaid.

It was all worth it.

"Just how strong will my attack be with God strands involved…?" Lucivar wondered.

In any case—he was sure that even Caldaros wouldn't be able to be unscathed if he were to be punched by Lucivar right now. Glancing over his shoulders, Lucivar smiled, "Picking Sutekh's divine merit was the right choice, I can make use of this. Are you fine with this? I would be helping Loki with this power."

"Don't talk about that, I don't want to hear it." Sha averted her gaze.

She knew that defeating Caldaros would benefit Loki the most, but it seemed she could tolerate it.

"Off you go, then."

Sha tapped the ground with her paw, and in the next instant, Lucivar was teleported away.

…

'I'm sure of it, this must be Caldaros' doings. What did he do…?' Ravenna's expression soured.

Despite being a Vampire Hybrid, Caldaros was known to have a peculiar golden glow to his ether rather than the normal crimson color. So these yellow cracks along Lucivar's body, it must have something to do with him.

But still, regardless of that, Ravenna was still dubious.

Lucivar would not die silently like this.

Had he really been in great danger, he wouldn't have hesitated to scream for the others.

Surely, there was something more about this situation.

"Let's hide his body for the time being and wait for the others to finish their battles," Ravenna instructed as she looked around, worried that there was more than one Chrysalis-rank Hybrid among the thugs. It would be troublesome if there really was more.

Defending Lucivar's body while going against a Hybrid that strong would be too difficult.

So it's best for them to go to a more secluded place.

Despite her heartbreak, Leandra wiped her tears and nodded.

Moments later.

Leandra placed Lucivar's body behind a stall, the two hid there while waiting for the others to finish.

Instead of lingering, Ravenna went to check on the others.

She maintained her composure despite the circumstance, but Leandra could tell Lucivar's condition was having an effect on her. She was leaving to check on the others, not out of indifference, but because she couldn't bear to see him like this—so weak, so unlike the strong and wicked he had always been.

For the next five minutes, Leandra stayed there, hunched down with her head against Lucivar's chest.

And for each agonizing second, she wanted to hear a heartbeat.

Hoping that Lucivar could somehow come to life, but each second that passed always disappointed her.

Until one second, she suddenly sensed movement.

Leandra raised her head and looked down at Lucivar's corpse—both her eyebrows were arched into a frown. She felt something move against her arms, it felt real, but she was uncertain whether it was real or only her imagination.

Hesitantly, she reached her hand and placed it over Lucivar's chest.

It was then that she gasped.

"I-I'm not dreaming?!" She mused in shock as she felt a weak but steady heartbeat.

Just then, as if a miracle had descended, Leandra watched in shock as color returned to Lucivar's skin, life surging back into him rapidly. His heartbeat grew strong and steady once more, and within moments, his eyelids fluttered slightly.

Seeing him waking up, Leandra covered her mouth.

She didn't know how Lucivar got into this state and how he returned to life, but she didn't care.

All she cared about was that he was now coming back.

Lucivar opened his eyes slowly and blinked several times, adjusting his eyes to the surroundings.

Then, he came to realize that he had returned—the bitter taste of death still lingering in his mind.

But the moment Lucivar's eyes opened and the first thing he saw was Leandra's tear-streaked face, something in him snapped. Without thinking, he sprang up, seizing her by the neck with a burning fury that burned deep.

In a blur of motion, he slammed her against the wall, pinning her there as the memories flooded back.

She was the reason he was stuck for a couple more months in the red desert.

All because she tried to revive him somehow.

Rage twisted in his expression as he tightened his grip, his patience long since worn thin.

"Who told you to revive me? I have it under control." Lucivar whispered hauntingly.

He didn't care that Leandra was shocked—and confused by his reaction, all he cared about was venting and letting out some steam onto her. Although it was all worth it, the additional couple of months of torture were not warranted.

Just then, instead of being angry back, Leandra put on a relieved smile.

She reached out her arms and pulled Lucivar close, hugging him.

"I'm so glad…" Leandra muttered through a tight throat. "I'm so happy that you're alive…"