SWNOVELXO Chapter 16: Too Late
The demon's eyes darted wildly, its body stiff as a suffocating dread wrapped around it.
Something was wrong.
It could feel it—an invisible force pressing down on its soul, gripping it like a predator about to tear it apart.
Where?
What is it?!
It frantically scanned its surroundings, its monstrous pupils dilating as it searched for the source of this unnatural fear.
And then—
A whisper.
Low, haunting.
"It was all because of you."
The demon's breath hitched.
It was Lucien.
The low, trembling words seeped into the air like a cursed whisper, carrying a depth of rage so profound it felt like the very world trembled beneath it.
The demon snapped its gaze toward Lucien—
And what it saw—
Froze it to its core.
Lucien stared back.
Golden draconic pupils.
Eyes that glowed with untamed fury—filled with raw, unrelenting hatred.
His entire body trembled, his breath uneven—but his aura surged.
Something had snapped.
And then—
"IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!!"
Lucien's rage exploded.
The air cracked around him, the sheer force of his bloodlust shattering the ground beneath his feet.
And then—
He disappeared.
The demon's instincts barely had time to scream before—
CRACK!
Lucien appeared directly in front of it.
A blur of golden fury.
His hand clamped around the demon's throat—
And lifted.
The demon choked, its entire massive body hoisted into the air with unnatural ease.
A monstrous force surged from Lucien's grip—one that made the demon's very soul tremble.
It struggled, clawing at Lucien's hand, but—
It couldn't move.
It couldn't even breathe.
Lucien's golden pupils glowed, burning with something primal—something inhuman.
The air around them distorted, swirling into an unnatural vortex.
And then—
Lucien spoke.
His voice was calm.
Cold.
"Essence Absorption."
A sudden, horrifying suction force erupted from Lucien's palm.
The demon screamed.
It wasn't pain.
It was something far, far worse.
It was as if its very existence was being ripped apart.
Its flesh began to shrivel.
Its mana was being torn from its core.
Its soul was being devoured.
"STOP! STOP!!!"
The demon thrashed violently, its monstrous body convulsing as it howled in agony.
"PLEASE! PLEASE!!!"
Lucien's grip tightened.
His own body was shaking, veins bulging, as blood leaked from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
He was breaking.
But he didn't stop.
His voice was hoarse, but unwavering.
"Too late."
The demon's screams became inhuman wails.
Its body collapsed inward, shrinking, disintegrating.
Its limbs cracked.
Its flesh peeled away.
Its soul shattered.
And then—
It was gone.
Nothing remained.
No corpse.
No trace.
Only Lucien stood, his entire body dripping in blood, his eyes dull, as if the very life in them had begun to fade.
Then, a voice.
Weak. Desperate.
"Lucien!"
Valeria's voice trembled.
Lucien slowly turned his head toward her, his vision blurring.
His lips curled into a soft, tired smile.
"I protected you."
And then—
He collapsed.
His body fell, limp, bloodied, drained.
Selene's heart stopped.
Eris' golden eyes widened in horror.
Valeria screamed.
"LUCIEN!!!"
The world shook with their voices.
And darkness swallowed him whole.