Chapter 245:

Chapter 245:

[The conditions to start the Awakening quest for the Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ have been met.]

[If Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ wins a personal battle, the final Awakening is complete.]

[On failure, the Awakening quest disappears. Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ is unable to fight.]

An unexpected Awakening quest popped up. Flustered, Cadel blinked, forgetting his excuse.

Winning a ‘personal battle’ meant sending Lumen to the top floor of the tower. It also meant not letting him remain on this floor, fighting the traps.

If he won the fight with Elvie and finished the quest, it would be the final awakening. Lumen would finally become an S-grade. But if he failed.

“Leader is thinking of going to the next floor. You plan to deal with the demon alone, right?”

“Wait, Lumen.......”

Cadel, confused by the sudden appearance of the Awakening Quest, rushed to Lumen’s side.

“Are you going to make that damn sacrifice again? Or is it just because I’m not trustworthy?”

“Don’t be mistaken. I’m just—”

“You always try to do the dangerous stuff yourself, and don’t tell me it’s for your subordinates. Because every time you do, I feel like I’m losing your trust.”

Countless what-ifs and what-ifs filled Cadel’s mind. Countless rings of thought spun, narrowing his vision. He wished a trap would pop up and shut Lumen’s mouth, but it hadn’t been triggered since he’d stood in the doorway.

“If that’s what Leader wants, I’ll stay here until the end. If that’s the order, I’ll obey.”

“.......”

“If that’s the best you can come up with, I’ll bend to your will. But if you’re willing to lay down your life for the safety of others.”

A cold, sunken gaze met Cadel’s. He squeezed Cadel’s shoulder and spoke in a threatening voice he’d never used before.

“I will never forgive you.”

With that short word, the thought circuit that had been running like crazy was suddenly cut off. The gray eyes that reflected Lumen trembled slightly.

His awakening was not guaranteed to succeed. If he failed, not only would Lumen die, but so would everyone else in this tower. There was no way Lumen didn’t know that.

Yes. This was far-fetched.

In hindsight, Cadel realized that he knew the strategy for this tower. He’d deployed his subordinates accordingly, and he’d gotten to the top floor without much trouble, but then he’d come to the end and tried to ignore it.

Quite naturally, at the cost of a damned sacrifice.

“Answer me, Leader. Tell me what to do. Give me orders.”

He feared for the safety of his subordinates, but as much as he worried, he trusted them. He knew they would survive. His subordinates would also believe in him.

That their commander would lead them right, not by sacrificing his life to save them all, but by making the best choices.

‘When have I ever enjoyed sacrifice so much?’

As a transmigrator, he had information that only he could know, and faith in his allies. Those were the two things he needed to make a choice. He had learned the hard way that he couldn’t do it all alone. He couldn’t do anything alone.

Cadel lowered his eyes and took a calming breath. He had to make a decision he wouldn’t regret.

Even if he had conserved his power, it wasn’t enough to leave a scratch. What was that shockwave from earlier? A counterattack? Or a phenomenon that repeated itself at regular intervals? Whatever it was, it was a disadvantage.

As if he had read Lumen’s thoughts, Elvie said, twisting his body in a passive gesture.

“My heart bounces, bounces back all your stupid, weak attacks. No matter how hard you struggle...... the only one who gets hurt is you......!”

A sullen gaze searched Lumen’s reaction, hoping to draw out his despair, but there was no change in his expression.

‘Is he saying it can reflect attacks, then.......’

If he didn’t have a technique that could shatter the heart at once, the damage would be returned. The shockwave of a controlled attack was enough to cause this much pain. Lumen wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

‘I must bring out the most powerful technique I can.’

If he couldn’t do it all at once, he wouldn’t win. Pulling himself together, Lumen calmed his breathing.

The most powerful technique he could muster. It was an unfinished technique he hadn’t used since the Forest of Enchantment. But it was only the unevenness of the cut that was a problem, the destructive power itself was as complete as it could be.

‘I don’t need to cut it in two, I just need to break it.’

It was the best he could do. Calming his mind, Lumen prepared his technique.

He wouldn’t count on luck to reach its peak just when he needed it. In the heat of battle, the one thing he never lost was a handful of coolness. That cool sensation always helped him to draw a more perfect isle.

‘Not twice. It must be done once.’

A muffled resonance emanated from his gripped sword. The sword energy had been thoroughly condensed, the power of an explosion contained within a thin membrane. All of it poured into a single blow.

Moonlight Swift Sword.

A flash, sharper than ever, cut through the heart. An unparalleled amount of energy pulsed through the afterimage, quieter than the darkness.

And the next moment.

Crack.

A thin crack appeared in the ice covering the heart.

“Stu, stupid.”

A shockwave, massive enough to shake a tower, swept through the interior.

“Keuheuk......!”

As if struck from head to toe by a giant hammer, Lumen’s body was sent flying out the other side by the shockwave, his bullet-like body slamming into the cold icy wall. A handful of blood poured out from beneath his head as he was thrown back by the recoil.

“I told you to just...... give up.”

Elvie chuckled softly, glancing back at Lumen, who had flown off into the distance.

Deep inside the wall, Lumen lay motionless, as if dead. Blood dripped from his severed head, and shards of shattered armor fell from his body.

The wall that had swallowed Lumen slowly regenerated, covering his body in ice. A lifeless chill coursed through his crushed flesh, and his lips, now damp with blood, curled into a small smile. Beneath the slowly lifting eyelids, unfocused blue eyes revealed themselves.

Failure. That was all he could think of.

The last of Cadel’s warnings rang in his ears.