"You go sit with Clara so that she can protect you. I will return once I finish everything here."

Lucien didn't care enough to answer Hugo; rather, he looked at Helena, who finally came to her senses and ordered.

From how he looked, even though the situation was dire, he never seemed to take this situation seriously.

"Lucien…do you…need my help?"

Only when Lucien said those words did Sera realize the current situation. So, she hurriedly asked him whether he needed her help.

She didn't even care about the so-called demon or the thick demonic energy surrounding her.

With her Phoenix fire, this kind of abomination, she could burn them down whenever she wanted.

Just that would expose her real identity, that's all.

"Don't worry, Clara is very strong."

Feeling that Lucien might not take her help seriously, she immediately mentioned Clara in a low whisper, indicating her strength.

Although she couldn't expose some things about Clara, if Lucien's life was at risk, she would absolutely ask her without a doubt.

Heck, Lucien was even sure that Sera would ask Clara to massacre everyone here if he gave the order.

'Sigh…what happened to my princess? Why is she…simping after this guy?'

Although Sera's (Helena's) voice was low, Clara, of course, heard it loud and clear as she was quite close, ready to defend her.

But hearing how her princess was simping after Lucien made her feel quite disappointed. She really couldn't tell what she saw in this guy.

He was a little mysterious, no doubt, but besides that…

"Haha…no need. Just take care of yourself while I am busy with things."

Lucien saw concern in Helena's eyes and laughed lightly, pinching her cheek playfully.

"Just take care of yourself while I am busy with things."

After saying that, Lucien left Helena despite her reluctance and finally looked at Hugo with a grin tugging at his lips.

"Yo…Hugo, I didn't expect to meet you like this. I have to say, I am quite surprised that you got so strong so fast."

By this time, the demonic energy in the entire venue was permeating like thick smoke.

Not one corner was left alone.

Not to mention, Lucien could feel that those Assassins and Mercenaries who were trying to leave before were all stuck inside as the portal leaving this place no longer worked.

It seemed to be temporarily unavailable.

"So you do recognize me…huh…All the more reason to take your life."

Although Hugo was surprised how Lucien could recognize him so easily, he didn't waste his time expressing his shock.

Rather, he suddenly waved his hand and took out an impressive scythe, its blade shimmering with a cold, sinister glow.

Surprisingly, this scythe was the same one Lucien just gave to Kurma. He didn't know when it appeared in Hugo's hand all of a sudden.

"Revenant's Call!"

As soon as he took the scythe in his hand, Hugo suddenly shouted, chanting a spell that resonated with every corner of the room.

"Boom!"

Then, suddenly, the pitch darkness in the entire chamber fluctuated gently, as if something stirred its flow, before an ear-piercing shriek tore through the air, echoing off the walls and rattling every bone in the room.

"Shrrriiiieeeekk!"

As soon as the scream tore through the chamber, everything changed drastically all of a sudden.

Although Lucien couldn't see everything properly, he could still feel the situation of those mercenaries and assassins begin to shift violently as skeletal warriors and wraiths emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing with unholy light.

"What..."

"No...ghost...are they ghosts?"

"Damn, they couldn't be killed. What is this?"

"Fuck...I am feeling sleepy. Be careful, they can attack your soul."

As the scream continued to echo, in a single moment, everyone was engaged in a fierce fight with countless skeletons that appeared out of nowhere.

Besides, due to the influence of the demonic energy, many were disoriented, their attacks missing or hitting each other by accident. Injuries piled up as confusion spread like wildfire.

Fortunately, all of them were quite powerful on their own, and nobody died, although that wouldn't remain the case for long…

"Lucien, look out."

While the thing on the periphery of the spell was that bad, it couldn't be good here after all.

"Boom!"

Just when Velmara shouted at Lucien and threw a feather off his wing in his direction, a massive skeleton arm carrying a sword smashed directly at his place, intending to reduce him into mincemeat.

The skeleton arm was as large as Balthor's hand, yet it moved with terrifying speed and precision, crushing everything in its path with a single, bone-shattering strike.

Fortunately, the feather thrown by Velmara changed into the shape of a shield, saving Lucien from injuries.

"Peak Weaver ranks Death Knight, no wonder I sense threat and death energy from you."

Velmara said with a solemn look, gazing at the tall figure wearing dark armor oozing black energy.

The Death Knight's armor was dark and jagged, with faintly glowing runes, and two crimson eyes burned from beneath its helm.

A tattered cloak hung from its shoulders, and a black mist drifted from its joints, giving it an ominous, almost alive presence.

Velmara could see him actively absorbing, or rather, breathing the demonic energy from its surroundings, literally.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed Hugo detonated that seed to make the environment favourable for this Death Knight.

"Hahaha…Lucien, weren't you jumping around before?"

Just when Lucien was taking a look at the massive figure of a Death Knight, Hugo laughed loudly, almost eerily, for his own good.

He looked extremely satisfied to see his sorry self.

"Do you have the guts to fight with me again?"

After laughing a bit, he then looked at Lucien with equally crimson eyes filled with bloodlust.

Just from his shift of aura alone, it was clear that Hugo wasn't in his usual self.

He seemed completely affected by the demonic energy, more so than before after summoning the Death Knight.

It was almost as if his body couldn't bear such summoning.

"Velmara, stop him for a while. As soon as this demonic essence runs out, you should be able to kill that guy."

But Lucien, of course, wasn't stupid enough to heed his challenge.

Although he felt that he could somehow take on Hugo, who raised his realm artificially to the Weaver rank, that Death Knight was a bona fide powerhouse.

Just his aura alone made Lucien feel his dread, causing him to almost activate his Dragon King's Physique reflexively.

Fortunately, he stopped himself in time as his target wasn't this guy Hugo in the first place.

"Okay, be careful and don't go too far from my location."

Velmara also nodded at Lucien after seeing the situation. He wasn't afraid of this Death Knight or Hugo, but quite cautious about that death energy oozing out of its body.

If Lucien was somehow affected, he didn't know what would happen. Although he had the draconic essence with him, he didn't want to risk it after all.

"Umm!"

Lucien also saw his concern, nodded lightly, and slowly backed out.

Fortunately, after taking a shot at him, the Death Knight didn't pursue him further but stood right in front of Hugo, awaiting his order.

It was clear that they were also trying to stop Velmara, or make him busy, so that he couldn't take care of him in the meantime.

'Who is giving him these orders?'

Lucien could clearly see the reluctance in those crimson eyes of Hugo as he watched him getting farther and farther away.

They looked as if they wanted to kill him, but were unable to do so due to some unseen restriction.

Seeing such strange behavior, Lucien suddenly grew wary.

Whoever could raise Hugo's realm to this level and even bestow him with a Death Knight at Peak Weaver rank was not someone to take lightly.

Not to mention that person seemed to be a demon or at least related to it.

'Trouble!'

Lucien shook his head bitterly while distancing himself from Hugo and Velmara.

He absolutely didn't believe that Hugo's transformation had anything to do with Viscount Aldren.

Rather, he didn't know why, but he suddenly remembered the assassination attempt of Glen inside the Genesis Rift Dungeon.

Moreover, he came to this world precisely because the previous owner of this body died in his assassination.

Although he did kill Glen in the dungeon, he still didn't know who was trying to kill him.

His grandpa did assure him to find that person, but this new fiasco distracted him all of a sudden.

'If it is just as I thought, then…the situation can be dangerous.'

Lucien thought, scanning every direction with the new pets he got from Viscount Aldren, raising his guard to the maximum.

He didn't fear the known enemy like Viscount Aldren or Hugo, but this unknown enemy gave him the creeps.

After all, before it was just Glen who was sent to assassinate him, but all of a sudden, this time, the enemy was someone at the Weaver rank.

And that, too, was a Necromancer and a Death Knight, something that was related to demons.

Lucien really didn't know when he offended such an impressive figure.

After all, before he came, wasn't he a dandy with no talent?

'It seems only they are here, and no one else is around.'

As Lucien looked through the eyes of every Crimson Ant and scanned the entire room, he found no one particularly noteworthy.

Besides Viscount Aldren, who was slowly creeping in his direction with his pet Brood Queen, and Balthor, who was busy fighting with the headless corpse of Kurma, there was nothing interesting in the entire chamber.

Of course, Lucien also considered the possibility of that figure hiding, but then shook his head in denial.

After all, someone who could change Hugo so much and even give a Death Knight like this must be a strong person.

Moreover, he hadn't forgotten the existence of Clara yet.

He didn't believe that if someone stronger than Weaver rank was here, she wouldn't react.

Heck, he knew this girl already sensed those Crimson Ants lurking around him.

She just acted oblivious the whole time, not even bothering to warn him.

'So much for being a help.'

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