Chapter 728 - 728
"The effects start as soon as it goes to your throat. It's already too late. I suppose I should really thank you, Cassius. You made things so easy for me. Thank you so much."
"You lied to me!" Cassius yelled; however, he couldn't stand up either. He couldn't even move his finger.
"Lucifer, you called me here. I accepted your invitation. I thought I'd be met with a fierce warrior, but you're already on your knees? Such a disappointment." Xaen stepped closer to Lucifer.
"Then again, I can't blame you. This friendship and trust is something that can defeat anyone. Even the strongest of beings fall before family, friends, and emotions. So don't blame yourself."
"Where is Eve?" Lucifer asked, glaring at Xaen.
"Fascinating. Even in such a condition, you're more concerned about us. I knew you cared for her, but it seems like your relationship isn't that simple. You love her, don't you?"
"Where is she? I'll ask one last time!"
"You're still trying to threaten me? Even when you're like this? Did you even know what you just drank? That wine is something which can turn a Variant into an ordinary human."
"Now, you're nothing more than an ordinary human. You think you can threaten me?"
"In any case, you're nothing now. Don't you think it would've been amazing if everyone had allowed me to remove your abilities the nice way? You wouldn't have to die now, would you?"
"But now I have no choice. You threatened me in public. I need to kill you to calm the chaotic atmosphere in the city. Hope you don't blame me for it."
Xaen reached out his hand towards the neck of Lucifer.
Just as his hand was about to touch Lucifer's throat, Lucifer raised his head. He looked deep into the eyes of Xaen.
"I asked you where she is?" Lucifer asked as he grabbed the wrist of Xaen.
"Hmm?" Xaen was momentarily stunned. How did Lucifer have so much strength even now? The wine was supposed to eradicate his power.
"It didn't affect you?" Xaen asked, frowning. He disappeared immediately and appeared ten steps behind Lucifer.
"So it was a trick of yours. You pretended to drink it!"
"Trying to run?" Lucifer asked, standing up. "Let me borrow a line from you. It's too late now. I've covered this whole place in Energy Negation. You can't call your portals."
"Without portals, you can't do long-range teleportation to places which you can't see. So you can only Teleport inside this room. How's my preparation?" Lucifer asked.
"How do you know so much about my abilities?' Xaen asked, frustrated.
He was sure no one knew about the limitation of his ordinary Teleportation that didn't need a portal. How did Lucifer know?
"A special person told me everything about you. I knew what kind of person you were after she told me. You won't hesitate to fall to any length to take out your enemies."
"Also, you were right about something. Trust can make even the greatest of Warriors fall. Unfortunately for you, I've seen that happen first hand, how even the closest of your friends can push you to death." He glanced back at Cassius.
"If even after knowing what happened to my father, I drank something unknown and risked my life just because a friend said so, there won't be a bigger idiot than me in this world."
He showed his thumb, which was bare. There were no gloves over his thing and a couple of his fingers.
When his fingers were sliced by Franci, the finger part of the gloves was sliced as well. He used the same to decay the wine while pouring it into his mouth.
At the same time, he slowed down the time of the wine to make sure not even a single droplet fell into his mouth.
"As I said, I'm disappointed in you. You already accepted that Xaen lied to you, but that doesn't make it alright. You betrayed me because a stranger said something to you. You're no different than Varant and Raia were to my father."
Cassius lowered his head in shame. "I won't say sorry because it won't matter at this point. It was my fault."
"You already received your punishment by losing your abilities. I won't go as far as killing you."
Lucifer walked closer to Xaen and grabbed him by his right hand, which had intact gloves.
He tightened his grip and raised Xaen in the air.
"You said trust and friends can make even the strongest fall. You know what else can do that?" he asked Xaen, who teleported once again, appearing in another corner of the room.
He couldn't Teleport outside the room. He was like a rat trapped in a cage. However, he could teleport inside to keep himself safe.
"What?" he asked.
"Pure strength. Pure strength can destroy anything that stands in its path. With strength, you don't need to scheme. I suppose I had forgotten that momentarily. I was corrupted by the knowledge I received and started thinking otherwise. I should thank you for making me remember my mistakes!"
Lucifer waved his hand. A wind blade sliced the cheeks of Xaen, leaving a bleeding mark behind.
"I'm going to enjoy it more than I should." Lucifer smiled as he waved his hand again.
Xaen Teleported as soon as he saw the gesture of Lucifer, knowing another Wind Blade was coming.
Fortunately, he disappeared at the right time. He noticed a scratch on his left wrist. If he were a little late, his left hand would've been cut.
"If you kill me, you'll never find where the girl and your Grandfather are!" Xaen told Lucifer, feeling a bit scared.
He kept his eyes on Lucifer, following his every gesture to know when to Teleport to survive.
"Do I really need you to know that? They're still on this island. After I kill you, I will have all the time in the world to find them. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you?"
"You can never find them without my help! I kept them in such a place that you can't find even if you searched for a hundred years! Moreover, I also know the whereabouts of your stones! You think you can find them on this vast island after you kill me?!"
Lucifer rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head. "You're right. I can't kill you. You're too important to be killed. But who says I can't get my entertainment without killing you?"
He snapped his fingers. Xaen noticed the movement of Lucifer and Teleported to a different spot in the room.
Albeit, he was late. He Teleported to another part of the room, but his finger was left behind. It was cut before he could Teleport.
"Argh~"
He felt the pain that made him grunt.