Lucian didn’t speak.
But his eyes opened—barely. Black and dim. Still calm.
Still looking at Garrick like he was... insignificant.
That made it worse.
Garrick’s expression twisted.
"Don’t look at me like that."
Lucian opened his mouth, a whisper escaping between bloodstained lips.
"...still weak..."
Garrick froze.
Lucian chuckled weakly, his voice like gravel. "You poisoned me. Ganged up on me. Watched your whole squad die... and you’re still shaking."
Garrick’s hands trembled. Not from fear—from fury.
"SHUT UP!"
He roared, pulling out the same blade he had used when he first tried to strike Lucian. It crackled with blue lightning, the edge glowing bright from charged venom. He raised it high, two hands gripping the hilt like he was about to slay a god.
Lucian didn’t move.
His body couldn’t.
But his eyes—still defiant.
No fear.
No plea.
Only silence.
"I am going to erase you," Garrick growled. "And when I do, I’ll be the strongest. No more shadows. No more second place. I’ll finally—"
"You’ll still be nothing."
Lucian’s words hit like a hammer. Quiet, but sharp.
Garrick didn’t wait.
With a primal scream, he plunged the blade down—
Right into Lucian’s chest.
It pierced through skin, bone, and heart. Blood sprayed from the wound, hot and dark, soaking Garrick’s arms and face. The impact echoed across the ruined arena, the storm above going deathly still for a second.
Lucian gasped.
And then, silence.
Garrick let go of the blade and staggered back, breathing hard, chest heaving.
Lucian’s body jerked once... then stopped moving.
His head tilted to the side.
Eyes open. Lifeless.
A black pool spread beneath him, mixing with ash and broken stone.
Garrick stared.
Then laughed.
Low at first, then louder. Hysterical. Cracked.
"I did it."
He looked up at the storming sky, laughing harder. "I killed Lucian Black! Do you hear me!? I killed the untouchable!"
He fell to his knees, laughing until tears leaked down his bloodstained face.
Lightning flashed above.
But there was no celebration.
Only ash. Silence. A god, murdered in the dirt.
Lucian Black—slain by the one who hated him most.
And the world shifted.
Because even though Lucian’s heart had stopped, something deeper stirred.
The poison had done its job.
But so had Lucian’s final smile.