Chapter 350: I’m not that stupid, you know?

"You, Lucian Cross, are a perfect vessel.

A vessel that will enable me to return, a vessel that will accept all of me, without any limitations whatsoever.

Your body will become mine, your powers will be mine, everything you have, everything you achieved, everything you ever wanted—

It will all be mine!"

Neroth became more and more excited as he continued speaking.

"And you know the best part?

You were the one who made it happen!

HAHAHAHA!"

He laughed again, this time, even louder than before.

"How could you be so foolish!?"

He kept laughing.

"It was supposed to be imperfect. I was supposed to get an imperfect body, my reincarnation was supposed to be weak, I was never supposed to have the strength I previously had.

But then you appeared, you showed me a body that could allow all of me to return, a body I absolutely cannot miss and all I needed to do was talk to you in your dreams and you came running!

You ate my Heart!

You ate an Archdemon’s Heart!

How could you be so foolish!? What did you think you were doing!? Did you truly believe eating my Heart would stop my reincarnation!? Did you, not even once, think that this was what I wanted all along!?

Did you not think that I, an Archdemon who had been manipulating events for the last eight centuries, was manipulating you as well!?

How could someone be so naively foolish?

HAHAHAHA!!"

Neroth’s laughter echoed throughout the chamber. Lucian’s body trembled as his bones, organs, muscles, tissues, his very blood began to change.

It was agonising.

It felt like millions of ants were crawling inside his body, biting him apart bit by bit and his pain receptors were heightened by a few hundredfold.

It was far more agonising than anything Vivienne put him through.

But even then—

The agony that came with it wasn’t what mattered the most.

It was Neroth’s words, how he played Lucian, how he made him do exactly what he wanted and Neroth knew that, he knew what hurt Lucian the most.

"HAHAHAHA!!"

So he kept laughing.

"Foolish! Absolutely foolish!

It’s on you, Lucian Cross!

I will take your body and make millions of beings suffer through constant, painful agony as I devour power from them and I will continue doing this to them for decades!

They will beg me to kill them, to end this misery and I won’t!

I will relish every moment of it, I will grow from it, get stronger and do it to more!

And I will do it all with your body!

It will all be on you!

HAHAHAHA!!"

His laugh echoed again. Lucian’s body kept trembling as Neroth’s blood mixed with his own and began altering everything.

Lucian felt his body change, he could feel that what was happening couldn’t be reversed no matter what, he lowered his head in a way that his hair covered his eyes.

That made Neroth even more gleeful.

"HAHAHAHA!

There’s no point in lowering your head in shame now! You’ve done something even I can’t reverse now!

HAHAHAHA!"

He laughed again as he thought about looking at Lucian’s face, to see his despair, to enjoy every moment of it and just as he saw it—

Neroth’s laughter paused.

Because Lucian was smiling.

"...have you lost your mind?"

The Archdemon asked in a ridiculous tone.

That was the only explanation he could think of.

How could one laugh when everything he held dear was being taken away from him?

That was when Neroth noticed something else—

All this while, as he laughed and celebrated, while Lucian trembled in agony, he never once received... the power he should have received from Lucian’s suffering.

Lucian was in pain and in despair, he was helpless, he was on the verge of breaking down, it was an ideal moment where one suffers the most.

Then...

Why couldn’t Neroth sense... Lucian’s suffering...?

Was he... not suffering...?

The moment Neroth thought of that, Lucian slowly raised his face and his violet eyes glowed with a strong light that moved past the darkness forming around his body.

"You know..."

The demonic human breathed out.

"I am not the only fool here."

He grinned.

This time, Neroth did not answer, he just listened and Lucian’s smile widened.

"I knew it was you the second Aurelia told me your name."

"...what?"

Neroth asked, only this time, there was no amusement in his voice. Lucian, however, was different.

"A dead Archdemon, a missing Heart, a voice that suddenly appeared after I entered Arcelis territory, it couldn’t be more obvious."

Lucian chuckled.

"I’m not that stupid, you know?"

"Then..."

"Why did I follow your leads?"

Lucian predicted his question as his grin widened even further. He looked down at his own hands, the burns from touching the Heart were already healing.

"Because... you wanted something from me."

He took a small pause as he flexed his fingers.

"...and I wanted something from you."

Neroth waited for an answer. Lucian looked up and his grin looked almost... demonic, much more demonic than anything an Archdemon like Neroth had ever seen.

"Your blood."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

Neroth laughed again, not as loudly as before, it was... more of a laugh trying to hide his disbelief.

He failed.

"My... Blood?"

"Mhm."

Lucian nodded politely.

"Aurelia told me what Crimson Crucible did, how Demonic blood changed Varek, how his body became stronger every time it adapted—

That made me realise something.

The Arcelis have the Heart, that means they still have your blood.

Your fresh blood, blood that I could get my hands on if I followed your clues and you led me right to it.

It was honestly amusing how you fell for it and never doubted me for a second."

Lucian laughed.

"But as they say, make them believe they are in control and they will never question you."

Lucian repeated what Neroth said to him before.

Neroth remained silent.

Lucian could practically imagine the ugly look on his face. Archdemons did not like being played, not that he cared.

He laughed.

"Honestly, I was only looking for some blood.

The Heart was a pleasant surprise."