Ascension of the Dark Seraph - Chapter 314

Chapter 314: Fresh Air of Freedom
Sunlight filtered through the silk-draped curtains, slanting golden beams across the king-sized bed.

It was already morning, and its light touched Lucivar’s face like an intruder with gentle hands, warm but insistent, clearing the shadows that still clung to his sleep. Disturbed—his eyelids fluttered lightly, once, twice, and then stilled.

A tremble in his lashes.

Then, Lucivar slowly opened his eyes.

One could see a sinister glow surge to life within his eyes—emerald, bronze, and violet hues.

Each color swirled in a quiet storm of power, barely restrained.

But despite their chaotic natures, at this moment, these energies were in harmony.

“Ehmm…”

Lucivar inhaled deeply—the breath shuddered through his chest as if he’d been holding it for years.

He sat up with a slow, masculine grace, tousling his hair that fell over his brow.

His gaze unfocused as the remnants of dreams slipped away like fog dissolving in sunlight.

For a moment, he didn’t speak.

Then, he turned to the curtains with one eye still shut, realizing that it was time to wake up.

Rubbing his face harshly, he scanned the room and smiled.

He wasn’t in the cramp room like he had inside the Bastion of Blades—gone were the bleak stone walls, the rat-infested floor, and the dull sound of dirt and dust. Now, he was inside a room of polished obsidian columns, simplistic golden embroidery threading through the carmine canopy above, and soft sheets scented with rose and starlight.

It was spacious and silent, holding the hush of sanctity.

Lucivar smiled inwardly as he recounted happened after the purple dungeon incident.

Almost two months had passed since that day.

Due to the falling meteors from the purple dungeon, most parts of the city were decimated, needing immediate reparation before the citizen could return to their normal lives. All of the citizens and the Hybrids, including academy hunters like Lucivar, worked together to rebuild the city.

It was mandatory to work together at times like this.

Coupled with the workforce from dozens of slave cities outside of the dome, the reparation process was going faster than anticipated. Even now, though it had been barely two months since the incident, key places of the city had been restored.

Offices, power plants, and public infrastructures were already repaired.

Other than the additional workforce, there was also the supplied resources from neighbouring cities.

Being an independent city has its perks, and this was the one glaring truth—support.

Naturally, the Hybrid Association also launched a full-scale investigation.

To assess the city’s situation and find out exactly what happened.

A purple dungeon appearing out of nowhere is already weird enough, but having it suddenly disappear as if it were nothing was even weirder. Of course, all of them saw the beam that shattered the sky, which was what forcefully closed the purple dungeon.

Lucivar wasn’t worried, though, as there was nothing they could find that would link it to him.

An avatar is not publicly known.

He doubted they could even find out that the beam came from Caldaros’ death.

And with the scale of damage, Ciri’s death was also not a problem.

It was a flawless execution—nothing can be linked back to him.

More importantly, the South Hues tournament was continued when the staff realized that the participants, other than the ones who were already disqualified, were all fine. None of them were injured badly, so it resumed two days ago.

It started from the third stage, which was a battle royale.

Since there was no Caldaros, he only needed to watch out for Seth.

For the fourth stage, the remaining participants were pitted against a five-star Chrysalis rank monster.

Lucivar and Seth worked together to take it down, and the tournament ended.

Eventually, based on the polls, Lucivar got first place and Seth got second place.

Surprising? Yes.

But since his strength was elevated beyond with Tiamat’s awakening, he simply can’t lose.

And his kind bravado also worked wonders on the crowd.

Now, Lucivar was free from Professor Aeldric and became extremely famous in the academy.

It wasn’t ideal, but it’s not like he has a choice.

And today was the first time Lucivar breathed the air of freedom, nobody was pressuring him anymore.

He could do whatever he wanted.

Beside him, beneath the gentle rise and fall of the silk coverlet, two bodies lay still—Ravenna, her ink-black hair spilling like shadows over her shoulder, and Nerissa, serene and pale, her brow untroubled in deep slumber.

Though the blanket shielded them modestly, their presence was undeniable.

A tangible warmth against his skin.

Lucivar’s gaze landed on Nerissa for a moment longer, relieved that she was fine.

He was afraid that Tamtu would turn her into a monster, which would barely resemble the Nerissa he knew. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Nerissa was revived smoothly, but her status was changed. She was now his Vestal, the Vestal from Tiamat’s side.

Not a mere Vestal either, she is a Dominion Vestal.

One rank above the Ascendant rank.

Nerissa awakened a celestial constitution called the Covenant of the Primordial Sea.

Based on what Sirrush said, it was an incredibly powerful constitution.

Lucivar didn’t know precisely how strong since Nerissa was bedridden for more than a month, and was able to walk around and move a week ago. But he knew that the constitution would allow her to tap into the Primordial Sea.

Other than her constitution, her appearance also changed slightly.

Her skin was now tainted with a pale dark blue, and there were azure scales on her waist and arms.

She changed, but fortunately, it wasn’t that bad, and she’s still the same Nerissa.

Considering that Tamtu was attracted to her from the start, this situation crossed his mind.

Explaining to the others about this would be a hassle, and the suspense is still bearing heavy—on his shoulders. Ever since the day of the incident, the others had been walking on eggshells around him. None of them talked to him the same way.

Mainly, they avoided meeting him or even talking altogether.

Knowing that he has Gods inside of him was something hard to stomach, so this was natural.

Only Ravenna and Nerissa seemed normal, the others weren’t.

Naturally, the troubling talk is still due in the future.

As for the reason Nerissa was sleeping beside him, it stemmed from the overwhelming sense of loss she felt whenever Lucivar was too far away. It was worse during her weak days; now, she has gotten a lot better, but the habit of sleeping near him had quietly taken root.

“I’m jealous.”

Lucivar turned to the other side and saw that Ravenna was already awake.

She looked at him, and then at Nerissa.

“It’s still morning, and you’re already ogling her. Am I not attractive anymore?”

Hearing this, Lucivar merely shook his head and shifted, turning onto his side.

One hand propped up his head while the other slipped beneath the blanket with unhurried intent.

As soon as it reached its destination, Ravenna’s eyes widened.

She let out a startled, breathy moan as his fingers found their mark, “Luciv—mmh~ W-Where exactly do you think you’re touching?” She asked, breath hitching. “We are in the middle of a conversation. You can’t suddenly do this.”

“I’m teaching you the difference between ogling out of concern… and with lust.”

For a second there, his eyes lingered on hers.

Then, it slowly dropped to her flushed cheek, parted lips, before trailing lower to where the blanket rose and fell over her curvy mounds. A soft, sultry chuckle escaped Ravenna’s lips as she leaned in, placing a teasing finger under his chin.

“Oh? And this… is your lustful ogle?”

“What do you think?”

Lucivar leaned closer, edging on devouring Ravenna’s lips for breakfast.

But as their lips were barely an inch away, they paused.

A frown crept on both of their faces when they heard the sound of flowing water.

Instinctively, they glanced over to Nerissa and found that she was sleeping soundly—it wasn’t her.

Sitting back up, Lucivar and Ravenna scanned the room.

And their eyes immediately landed on the bathroom door—water was flowing out from the gap.

Upon seeing this, Ravenna immediately understood what was happening, but instead of fretting about it, she reached for Sha, who had been napping atop the headboard. Ignoring the small creature’s protests, she lifted her up and began to play with her despite her complaint.

Even now, Sha was still too arrogant to have anything to do with Ravenna.

To someone who has the bloodline of a bitch.

On the other hand, Lucivar grabbed a pillow and slammed it against the bed in frustration.

“Motherfucker, how many times did I have to tell him not to play with the fucking bathtub?!”

“It’s early in the morning, Lucivar, don’t shout.”

“Fuck this! I’m strangling him!”

Lucivar got off the bed with a heavy huff and instantly went to the bathroom.

He opened the bathroom door wide, and his anger immediately peaked.

Sirrush paddled gleefully in the bathtub, splashing water in every direction, and soaked the entire place, all while the shower head continued to spray unchecked, causing a mini flood. Despite the sharp glare Lucivar shot his way, the little dragon swam on, blissfully unaware, or simply didn’t care.

Unbothered by the chaos he caused.

On the sink was Gandr, coiled in a circle, already knowing that this was going to be a problem.

“I tried telling him, but he wouldn’t listen. I’m not lying.” He hissed.

But seeing Lucivar’s glare, he only sighed and slithered out of the bathroom, not taking part in this.

Once Gandr got out, Lucivar closed the door gently and locked it.

Sirrush was still oblivious to what was happening beyond the surface, still enjoying himself in water, at least until he saw a dark figure emerging, blotting out the sunlight from the window. And when he came out, he realized who it was.

Lucivar was already standing towering beside the bathtub, cracking both of his knuckles menacingly.

“I already told you to shut the water off once it’s full…”

“Oh… right.”

Bam!

From outside, Ravenna shook her head faintly at the sound coming from the bathroom.

Sirrush was in for a beating again today.

Seems like they were going to call someone to repair the bathroom for the fourth time this month.

Just then, the telephone rang.

Ravenna let go of Sha and got off the bed, still covering her naked body with the blanket.

She answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Right, tell her to wait in the lobby, and tell her to wait a bit.”

“Yes, Lucivar has something important to do, but it shouldn’t take longer than an hour.”

Once the line was disconnected, Ravenna put the telephone down and sat back down on the bed.

As she waited for Lucivar to come out, she combed her lustrous black hair back into soft, cascading waves. Her eyes then drifted to the dressing table, where Lucivar’s phone lay, unmistakable—with its delicate rose sticker.

Seeing this, Ravenna bit her lower lip, contemplating the voice from back then.

But she caged her intention and lay down on the bed again, sighing heavily.