[Third Person's PoV]
Hecate raised an eyebrow as she noticed Lucian's face grow unexpectedly serious. She smiled and asked, "Why so serious all of a sudden?"
"Because it's me I'm up against." That was all Lucian said, causing Hecate to roll her eyes.
"Go get him, BlackHeart," Hecate commanded, her tone laced with amusement.
BlackHeart turned into a wisp of shadow just as Lucian extended his wing, blocking a scythe made of pure, condensed darkness that just appeared above him.
Light and darkness clashed for an instant—just long enough for an explosion to erupt between them.
Both Lucians fell through the air, landing with effortless grace on the mist-covered ground.
BlackHeart dashed forward, kicking up the mist as he moved. Lucian raised a hand and blocked his punch, absorbing the impact.
The sheer force of BlackHeart's strike pushed him back, his feet sliding against the ground. He came to an abrupt stop and flicked his wrist, though his face remained impassive.
Lucian raised two fingers, and an array of radiant light-crosses manifested around him. They shot forward at the speed of light, cutting clean paths through the mist.
BlackHeart's eyes gleamed a faint red as he swayed, weaving his body from side to side, narrowly dodging the attack. Behind him, explosions rang out as the crosses struck their targets.
In a sudden burst of brilliance, Lucian's body flashed. In less than a second, he materialized above BlackHeart, knee aimed straight for his face.
BlackHeart's eyes widened—he barely had time to react before Lucian's knee smashed into him. His figure was sent hurtling through the air, past Hecate, who watched with growing interest.
"Tell me, how does it feel to be hit at the speed of light?" Lucian smirked.
His eyes widened as he quickly moved to evade—BlackHeart's body had reappeared, flying up from beneath his shadow, a long blade poised to pierce him.
Lucian twisted away, but not fast enough. The black blade slashed across his side.
BlackHeart took a few steps forward, flicking the blood from his blade before resting it on his shoulder. He gave Lucian a smug look, his nose still bleeding from the earlier attack.
"I don't know. You tell me—how does it feel to be betrayed by your own shadow?"
Lucian sighed, unfazed. "So it can talk…" He ran a hand over his wound, and light particles shimmered around it, instantly sealing the cut.
BlackHeart grinned savagely. "I can do more than that. Come out, boys~."
Lucian's shadow rippled unnaturally before erupting. From its depths, monstrous forms crawled forth—his own shadow soldiers.
Three shadow drakons burst out, slithering through the mist at unnatural speeds before lunging toward Lucian.
"How barbaric." Lucian muttered, summoning three radiant orbs—each a concentrated fusion of yellow and pure white light.
The orbs streaked through the air, allowing themselves to be swallowed whole by the drakons' gaping maws.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then—light flared from within the drakons' cores. Their bodies ruptured into shadowy fragments, floating aimlessly before dissolving in a blinding flash.
Before the light fully dissipated, Lucian and BlackHeart had already moved, meeting in the middle with their weapons drawn.
Lucian thrust his shimmering spear forward, the spearhead slicing cleanly through the air.
BlackHeart swung his black katana in response, the lusterless blade trailing darkness.
The clash sent out a powerful shockwave, pushing back the mist and revealing the solid ground beneath them.
As the force subsided, so did they—vanishing and reappearing in bursts of movement, their weapons colliding in a blur of flashing light and darkness.
Each clash sent out another shockwave, their forms indistinguishable as they moved with relentless speed.
Hecate watched with detached interest, her eyes tracking their movements effortlessly. Not that she needed her eyes—her divine senses were more than enough to follow their battle.
If a casual observer had seen just a glimpse of their fight, they might have assumed both Lucians were equally matched in power and technique.
However, to Hecate…
'BlackHeart has the upper hand. He was born from the Lucian who spent years mastering darkness and shadows, refining his combat style around them.
Meanwhile, BrightHeart is struggling. He's only just gained access to light magic—not even twenty-four hours ago.
But what he lacks in finesse and control, he makes up for with sheer explosive power.
Not to mention… he's a fast learner.'
Lucian clicked his tongue as BlackHeart's scythe sliced through his spear shaft, splitting it in two. Before the spearhead could fully dissipate into particles of light, Lucian lunged forward and threw it straight at BlackHeart.
BlackHeart attempted to block with his scythe, but the spearhead shattered the blade like glass, continuing past his waist and slicing into his skin. A nasty wound appeared, yet he didn't flinch. No blood flowed—the cut was seared shut by the lingering light.
Their eyes flashed—Lucian's glowing gold, BlackHeart's burning red—as both activated their foresight. But BlackHeart moved first.
He raised a hand, and before Lucian could react, the shadows beneath his feet surged up, forming bandage-like tendrils that wrapped tightly around his body. The dark restraints coiled around him like a mummy, leaving only his arms outstretched.
BlackHeart clenched his fist slightly, causing the bindings to tighten. "Look, handsome, I'd hate to ruin such a pretty face, so why don't you call it quits~?"
"Mmph hmm shmmp I" Lucian's muffled voice remained calm.
BlackHeart leaned in, placing a hand to his ear mockingly. "What was that, buddy? You need to speak up—I can't quite hear you." He scoffed and tightened his grip further.
Hecate, controlling the surrounding mist, was the first to notice something was off. The mist reacted strangely, retreating from Lucian as if giving him space.
BlackHeart was next to realize it—he felt it first. An unbearable wave of heat slammed into him, the air around Lucian growing dangerously hot. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, forcing BlackHeart to send out more darkness, attempting to reinforce the restraints and siphon away the heat. But it wasn't enough.
Sweat gathered on his forehead. "Tch—bastard's gonna melt the mist right out of me…"
Hecate, observing, raised an eyebrow in admiration. "Seriously… how is any other demigod supposed to contend with him?" She sighed, secretly pitying any of her children foolish enough to make him their enemy.
BlackHeart grimaced as Lucian's bindings ignited, engulfed in golden-white flames. The shadows burned away to nothing—not even a trace remained for BlackHeart to use for teleportation.
As the restraints vanished, another wave of heat pulsed outward. BlackHeart clenched his jaw as his skin burned, sweat evaporating into steam. Even Hecate shifted uncomfortably.
Lucian now stood bathed in a radiant golden aura, white-hot flames swirling around him. His silver-white hair rose slightly, swaying as if caught in an unseen breeze.
Taking a single step forward, steam hissed from beneath his feet. "You told me to call it quit?" Lucian said, his voice steady, unyielding. "Let me ask you this then—why should I?"
His golden eyes locked onto BlackHeart. "You want to bind and hold me in place? If so, I ask you
—can the sun be bound? Can it be contained?"
He took another step, and the ground beneath him cracked from the heat.
"No? Then neither can I."
His gaze sharpened. "Apologies."
BlackHeart tilted his head, amused. "What?" He glanced toward Hecate with a look that said, 'Are you seeing this?'
Hecate simply covered her face and looked away.
BlackHeart turned back to Lucian, ignoring the burning pain crawling across his skin. "Oh yeah? And why should I apologize?"
Lucian stopped a few steps away, flames roaring around him. "Because you've committed an unforgivable Sin. You've done something foolish while wearing my face." His eyes gleamed with a fiery intensity.
"So apologize—on behalf of your creator—for your foolish existence."
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