Chapter 229: The Promise Beneath the Moon

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: The Promise Beneath the Moon

Location: Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France.

The ancient abbey rose from the sea like a fortress of God — its spires piercing the grey sky, its walls worn by centuries. A Holy ground of the Church of Dawn.

The Church of Dawn’s most sacred site in France.

A nun knelt before the altar. Her robes were white and gold — the colors of the Church of Dawn. Her face was hidden beneath her veil. Behind her, a figure sat in the pews. Silver hair with green eyes.

The nun rose and turned. "My lady. We have received word from our contacts in America."

Lena Grimaud looked up. "And?"

The nun bowed her head. "Lucian Grimaud was seen at the Knights of the Horizon base in New Miami three days ago. He is alive."

Lena’s hands unclenched. Her green eyes brightened. For the first time in months — a smile touched her lips.

"Where is he now?"

"France, my lady. We believe he is traveling with companions."

Lena stood. "Find out exactly where. I’m going to him."

"My lady, the Great Mother—"

"Can wait."

Nice, France. The beach.

Sunlight blazed across the Mediterranean. Waves lapped against the private shore. Splash. Splash. The villa’s beach stretched for two hundred meters — purchased permanently by Lucian. Every grain of sand. Every rock. Every wave.

Lucian stood on the sand with a short black pants and no shirt. His silver hair caught the sunlight. His crimson eyes blazed with competitive fire. His muscles gleamed with sweat.

Thirty meters away, Mickey and Ryan stood side by side.

Mickey wore loose black combat pants. His crimson eyes narrowed.

Ryan stood in his armor. The Vanguard Series-7 — Aegis-Type. A full-body suit of white and blue mana-infused alloy. Segmented plates covered his chest, arms, and legs. A visor concealed his face — glowing with blue mana circuits that pulsed like a heartbeat. Thrum. Thrum. The suit amplified his Ice Creation abilities tenfold. Mana thrusters were built into the boots and palms. Frost crystals formed along the gauntlets. Crackle.

Iris sat on the patio with Rose and Clara. Iris’s dark hair was tied in a ponytail. She held a tablet, analyzing data streams from Ryan’s suit. Iris had later joined them during the vacation.

Rose leaned back in her chair. "Go, Lucian!"

Iris looked at her. "Ryan’s going to win."

Clara crossed her arms. "Go, go, Ryan."

Rose gasped. "Traitor!"

Clara shrugged. "Come on, he’s my little brother."

Lucian moved first with light acceleration. FLICK. He became a blur — closing thirty meters in a heartbeat. His fist swung at Mickey. SWISH.

Mickey dodged. Flick. Wind carried him sideways. Lucian’s fist hit air. FWOOSH. The shockwave alone sent sand flying. Fshhhhh.

Mickey countered. Gravity-coated fist. FWOOM! Lucian parried with his forearm. CLANG! Lucian grabbed Mickey’s wrist and threw him. WHOOSH! Mickey tumbled through the air. Fwooooosh. He caught himself with wind mana, landing on the sand. Tap.

Ryan attacked. The Aegis-Type suit fired twin ice blasts from both palms. PEW! PEW! Concentrated beams of absolute cold screamed toward Lucian.

Lucian raised his hand. Blood Manipulation.

Thin, razor-sharp threads of hardened blood formed a web before him. Squelch. Squelch. The threads interlaced into a mesh shield. THRUUM. The ice blasts struck the blood web. CRASH! CRACK! The beams were split — deflected into the ocean. SPLASH!

Ryan charged. His thrusters fired. FWOOSH. He launched forward as his frost-coated gauntlet swung. SWISH. Lucian sidestepped and Ryan’s fist hit sand. CRASH! The ground froze solid on impact. Crackle. Crack.

Lucian grabbed Ryan’s shoulder and drove his knee into the suit’s chest plate. BAM!CLANG! Ryan skidded backward. Screeeech. His boots carved trenches in the sand.

Mickey attacked from behind. Wind blade. FWISH! Lucian ducked. Fwooooosh. The blade passed over his head. He swept Mickey’s legs. SWISH. Mickey jumped. Lucian appeared above him. FLICK. Ax kick. BAM! Mickey blocked with both arms. CLANG! The impact cratered the sand beneath them. BOOM. Mickey was driven into the ground. Thud.

Ryan fired another ice blast. PEW! Lucian deflected with a light shield. CLANG! The shield cracked under the impact.

Lucian closed the distance. He grabbed Ryan’s helmet and headbutted him. CLANG! The visor cracked and Ryan stumbled. Lucian elbowed Mickey in the chest as he charged. BAM! Mickey doubled over. Oof.

Both Ryan and Mickey created distance. Tap. Tap. Tap. They retreated ten meters, breathing hard.

Ryan raised his hand. A green glow pulsed from his storage ring. Lumina materialized — the symbiotic plant beast. Now at the Mid B-Rank. After two years of feeding the plant and growing it, it has now became formidable. Its vines spread across the sand rapidly. Rustle. Rustle. Roots erupted from beneath Lucian’s feet. RUMBLE. Thorned vines coiled toward his legs. Ssssss.

Lucian cut through them with light blades. SLASH! SLASH! But more grew. Rustle. Rustle.

Mickey activated his copied Blood Manipulation. Squelch. Blood formed around his hands as he fired blood spears. PEW! PEW! PEW!

Ryan charged his suit to maximum. THRUUM. His visor glowed bright blue. Critical Mind activated as he started using a spell — the spell that boosted his brain processing to inhuman levels. The world slowed. Hum. He could see Lucian’s muscle contractions before they became movements. He could predict trajectories, analyze patterns and calculate angles.

He fired. PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! Four ice blasts — each aimed at where Lucian would be, not where he was. Predictive targeting.

Lucian dodged the first. Flick. The second. Flick. The third grazed his shoulder. SLASH! Blood sprayed. Splatter. The fourth — Ryan had predicted his dodge pattern. It struck his ribs. BAM! Frost spread across his side. Crackle.

Grrr. Lucian grinned. "That’s good one. Why don’t you try it again."

He created ten Blood Clones. Squelch. Squelch. Squelch. They immediately charged forward.

Mickey fired gravity orbs. FWIP. FWIP. Ryan fired ice blasts between the orbs with precise cordination. PEW! PEW! Critical Mind calculating every angle. Lumina’s vines wrapped clones. Rustle. Sssss.

CRASH! BOOM! SLASH!

One by one, the clones fell. Sizzle. Sizzle. Mickey’s gravity orbs crushed three. Ryan’s ice blasts shattered four. Lumina’s vines drained two. The last one was destroyed by a combined assault — Mickey’s gravity and Ryan’s ice. BOOM!

Mickey and Ryan stood panting. Pant. Pant. Sweat poured down Ryan’s face inside his cracked visor. Mickey’s hands trembled.

Lucian stood thirty meters away unscratched. His ribs had already healed. His shoulder wound was gone. He grinned.

"Come on, boys. Is that all you’ve got?"

Rose pumped her fist. "Yeah! Get them, Lucian!"

Iris scoffed. "Ryan’s just warming up."

Clara laughed. "Keep telling yourself that."

Iris snorted, "I thought you were supporting your little brother."

Clara rolled her eyes, "Lucian is also my boyfriend."

Mickey and Ryan looked at each other.

They charged forward.

Lucian raised his hand. The air behind him darkened. A massive shadow descended. SCREEEECH! The Dark Wyvern materialized — fully healed and now at the Peak B-Rank. Its wingspan blotted out the sun. Its crimson eyes surveyed the battlefield. Thrum. Its scales gleamed. Dark Flame Breath charged in its throat. Glow. Hiss.

The beach went silent.

Clara jumped out of her chair. "Hey! That’s not fair!"

Mickey and Ryan immediately stopped. They stared at the wyvern. A Peak B-Rank beast. The same tier as the Zephyr Eagle that had nearly destroyed New Geneva. A beast capable of defeating any Peak Grand Core master on its own.

Mickey lowered his fists. "Nope."

Ryan powered down his suit. Fizzle. "I’m done."

Both men walked away.

Lucian laughed. He dismissed the wyvern. Fshhhh. The beast dissolved into the Beast Domain.

Evening. The sun set over the Mediterranean. The villa’s patio lights flickered on. Click.

Ryan, Mickey, and Iris had gone inside. The kitchen clattered with sounds of cooking. Clatter. Bang. Arthur was on a video call in the living room. Beep. Beep.

Lucian sat on the beach. The tide lapped at his feet. Splash. Splash. Both of his women leaned against him. Their bodies warm against his.

Clara’s fingers tightened around his. "You have to promise to always come back to us here because I know this peace can only be for a moment."

"I did not to leave you guys.", Lucian says with a soft smile.

"Promise again.", Clara says with a serious expression.

Lucian turned to her. His crimson eyes softened. "I’ll come back, Clara."

She kissed him. Mwah.

Rose watched them. Her green eyes held a complexity that most people missed beneath her cheerful exterior. She had joined this world later than Clara and Ryan. She hadn’t known Lucian as long. But she felt her bond with Lucian was real. And so was her fear of losing him.

"Lucian."

He turned to her.

"Promise me too."

He cupped her face. Hold. His thumb traced her cheekbone. "I’ll come back, Rose."

She kissed his palm. Mwah. "And we’ll stay by your side. No matter what."

Clara nodded. "No matter what."

The waves crashed. Fwooooosh. The stars appeared. The three sat together.

Lucian stared at the horizon. His enemies were gathering. The Dark King was awake. The apostles were rising. Louisa was out there. Lena was still missing.

But tonight — just tonight — he held the two women he loved and let the war wait.