Chapter 168: Chapter 168: A Rat in Dawn City? Apologies, Senior Sister, My Mistake! Divine Fate - Frost Calamity!

A flash of golden light disappeared as quickly as it came. By the time Luca regained his senses, he found himself back at the altar.

The sky was dim, with dawn just breaking, and Lucia and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Rubbing his temples, Luca realized time had passed far more quickly than expected—morning was almost here.

"Luca, you're finally back!" a delighted voice suddenly rang out.

Turning his head, Luca saw Lucia and Sophia ascending the stone steps toward him.

Lucia, her face beaming with joy, rushed forward and gave him a fierce hug. "You idiot, we thought you'd died in the Divine Ruins!"

Both women looked haggard, as though they hadn't rested properly.

Luca chuckled wryly. "It's only been half a day since we parted, and you're already mourning me? If I were gone for a few days, would you have prepared a coffin for me?"

"...Half a day?" The two women froze in confusion.

Lucia placed a hand on his forehead, her tone incredulous. "You don't seem feverish, so why are you talking nonsense?"

"Huh?" Luca was puzzled.

Sophia frowned and said, "You've been in the Divine Ruins for a full five days. Do you not remember?"

Luca froze, then couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

What? He had been in the Divine Ruins for five days? By his own perception, it had felt like no more than half a day.

"You spent a lot of time absorbing divine essence," the Solar Divine Spear reminded him.

Understanding dawned on Luca. He quickly reassured the two women, "During the trial, I didn't notice the passage of time. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Lucia smacked his chest lightly, half-annoyed and half-relieved. "You're lucky nothing happened this time. Don't you dare go into such a dangerous Secret Realm again."

Sophia, however, studied Luca carefully, her beautiful eyes flashing with curiosity. "It looks like you've gained quite a lot in the Divine Ruins over the past few days."

Lucia, noticing the same, exclaimed, "No wonder I felt like something about you had changed! I thought I was imagining it."

Luca's appearance hadn't changed significantly, but his physique had grown leaner and more refined. His skin seemed as smooth and flawless as jade, and his eyes had become deeper, with faint streaks of golden light flowing through them—an almost divine aura.

"I did manage to gain some opportunities," Luca said with a smile, choosing not to elaborate. The secrets of the Lord of the Sun and the Divine Ruins weren't meant to be widely shared.

Shifting the topic, he asked, "Where's Fratis? I haven't seen her."

At the mention of Fratis, Lucia slapped her forehead. "The Sixth Princess thought you were dead. She cried her eyes out! You'd better go see her quickly."

Sophia added, "You should. Tomorrow is her wedding day. If you don't go today, it might be very difficult to meet her again in the future."

Luca's expression shifted sharply as he asked urgently, "Fratis' wedding is tomorrow?"

Sophia nodded. "That's right. Many nobles have already arrived, and both the Phillips family and the royal court have everything prepared. They're just waiting for the ceremony tomorrow."

Luca's face darkened immediately.

He had been planning ways to get Fratis out of this situation, but he hadn't expected to spend so much time inside the Divine Ruins.

With the wedding happening tomorrow, Fratis was surely under heavy guard. Taking her away now would be as difficult as storming the royal palace—nearly impossible.

"We're going to her," Luca decided without much hesitation.

After everything that had happened between them, there was no way he could leave her alone. If it came to it, he would use the power of the Heaven's Blessing Divine Body to forcefully take her away.

He refused to believe that there was a god-level powerhouse left in Dawn City.

"There's a carriage waiting outside the academy," Lucia said, though she couldn't quite understand why Luca seemed so anxious.

Sophia, on the other hand, gave Luca a knowing look.

She had suspected something unusual about the relationship between Luca and Fratis. Otherwise, why would the princess have cried herself unconscious just days ago?

Now, it seemed she had been right all along.

Flirting with the Sixth Princess just before her wedding... this junior of hers really had no sense of fear.

Sophia let out a cold snort, her eyes gleaming with a frosty chill.

Luca, too preoccupied with his restless thoughts, failed to notice Sophia's mood.

He strode quickly down the altar steps and headed straight for the exit of Starry Academy.

...

Meanwhile, outside Starry Academy...

"That brat didn't die in the Divine Ruins Secret Realm? Why are we still standing guard here?" A blond young man in the robes of the Dawn God Sect asked irritably. His eyes were bloodshot, his earlier composure long gone.

After five or six days of constant vigilance, even this Superclass expert was beginning to feel the strain. The others fared no better—some looked ready to fall asleep standing.

A rugged man beside him, stroking his unshaven beard, sighed. "Orders are orders. The Holy Maiden insisted that the boy wouldn't die so easily. She told us to keep watch a little longer before leaving."

The blond youth raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "What's the point of guarding anymore? That's the Divine Ruins we're talking about! The place is crawling with high-level monsters. No one's ever survived a single day in there. It's been five days—he's probably long since been digested into monster crap!"

The rugged man opened his mouth, about to offer more consolation.

Just then, a Dawn God Sect acolyte rushed over, shouting urgently, "Cleric Karle! He's out! He's come out!"

"What do you mean, 'he's out'?" The blond youth, Karle, froze in confusion, following the acolyte's pointed direction.

When he saw Luca and his companions walking out of Starry Academy.

His eyes widened as though he'd seen a ghost. "What the—?! Goddess of Dawn, have mercy! That kid actually survived?!"

This was the Divine Ruins Secret Realm, after all. Even someone like him wouldn't have lasted so long inside. How in the world had that boy managed it?

The rugged man beside him broke into a grin, his face lighting up. "Looks like the Holy Maiden was right. That kid really doesn't die easily. We can finally complete our mission!"

By now, Luca and Sophia had boarded their carriage.

Cleric Karle quickly waved his hand. "Move, move, move! We've been stuck here for days; there's no way we're letting that boy get away now!"

A group of Dawn God Sect acolytes scrambled to find their own carriage.

...

Elsewhere, in another alley...

"Everyone else, stay put. Only kill the target." The leader, a masked figure in a crimson robe, issued the cold command.

"Understood!" the other masked figures replied in unison.

"Move!" With a wave of the leader's hand.

Several streaks of crimson light flashed. All the masked figures vanished into the shadows of the alley, heading in the direction of Luca's carriage.

On the broad streets of Dawn City...

The luxurious carriage sped along, heading directly toward the royal palace.

"What are you looking at?" Lucia asked curiously.

Luca withdrew his gaze and smiled calmly. "It's nothing. Just a few rats."

"Rats? Where would rats come from in Dawn City?" Lucia asked, surprised.

Sophia's beautiful eyes turned toward Luca. "Need my help?" she offered coolly.

Luca shook his head. "I'll handle it myself. Besides, I have a few questions I'd like to ask them."

Just as he prepared to leave the carriage, a thought crossed his mind.

"Apologies, Senior Sister, for the offense," he said with a sheepish smile, glancing at Sophia. Then he reached out toward her jade-like hand resting on her lap.

Sophia instinctively started to pull back but stopped herself after hearing his words. She frowned slightly, resisting the urge to move.

As their hands touched, a sudden burst of silvery light flashed.

Fate Duplication!

[Ding! You have used the Fate-Swapping Master skill "Fate Duplication" on Sophia Howard!]

[You have obtained the Divine Fate "Frost Calamity"!]

[Frost Calamity: Divine level. The possessor cannot use any non-ice elemental powers. Ice elemental affinity is increased by 1000%, ice damage is amplified by 1000%, and all ice-based abilities are enhanced by 1000%...]

"What the—?!" Luca exclaimed, despite having anticipated a strong result. Seeing the skill notification still left him stunned by the sheer power of Sophia's Fate.

A Divine Fate? That meant Sophia must possess at least one Divine Body or Divine Rank!

Incredible. Luca had thought he was already strong enough, but it turned out that Sophia was even more ridiculous!

"Have you touched enough?" Sophia's delicate face was tinged with a faint blush, but her cold glare could have frozen him on the spot.

"Sorry!" Luca snapped back to reality and quickly withdrew his hand.

"Seriously? I'm still sitting right here. Can you two keep it together?" Lucia glared at them both, clearly annoyed. Watching this unfold right in front of her felt like they were openly ignoring her presence.

Sophia let out a cold huff.

She suspected Luca had used a newly acquired skill just now, but she didn't press him further.

Without wasting any time, silver light flickered beneath Luca's feet, and his figure vanished in an instant.

"When did that little brat get so powerful?" Lucia gawked, her mouth agape. "Why does it feel like he's even stronger than me now?"

Sophia glanced at her, but refrained from pointing out the obvious—that Lucia's perpetual laziness had left her strength stagnating.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city...

The Dawn God Sect's carriage followed closely behind Luca's group.

Cleric Karle and several sect deacons were preparing to strike when an opportunity presented itself.

But Karle's expression suddenly changed. His voice rang out urgently, "Move! Get out of the way!!"

"What?" The rugged man and several deacons hadn't even grasped what was happening when a brilliant azure glow began to expand in their vision.

Boom!!!

A massive ice spear, radiating chilling frost, crashed into their carriage like a giant cannonball!

The explosion of frost erupted into a colossal ice flower, freezing everything in its radius. The six deacons, including the rugged man, were instantly encased in ice.

The six deacons dead on the spot.

High-tier Ice Skill—Frost Blossom!

A streak of golden light shot into the sky. Staring at the six frozen corpses, Karle's face turned grim.

"How dare you attack someone in Dawn City?! Do you even know what you're doing?!" Karle bellowed, his face livid but his heart trembling with shock. Damn it! Wasn't this kid supposed to be Advanced Rank? Even a Superclass fighter shouldn't be this powerful!

"You know perfectly well why I'm attacking you," Luca said coldly, hovering mid-air. He gripped a jagged, oversized Ice Lance, silver-white magic runes glowing across his hands. Frigid air spiraled around him, resembling the coiling movements of a dragon.

His gaze locked onto Karle, as sharp and cold as a blade, radiating a murderous intent that was impossible to ignore.

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