Chapter 424: The Assassin’s Warning

“Until next time… lord Luke,” Anne whispered, soft as ever.

“I’ll see you both someday,” he replied. “Maybe I’ll even drop by your kingdom for a visit.”

The maids flanking Erza and Anne bowed in perfect sync, a carefully practiced motion. There was something in their posture, rigid and disciplined, that made it clear serving that clan wasn’t just a job but a cog in a much larger, harsher structure.

Erza, however, wasn’t done. She took a few steps toward him, her gaze steady, as if preparing to deliver the last important warning of the night.

“And don’t fool yourself, Luke,” she said. “Just because you saw a God or a Guide doesn’t mean those were their true selves. They were projections. You couldn’t stand near a real God without suffering consequences. Our bodies can’t endure the weight of their souls.”

That was an important piece of information. The higher someone rose in rank, the worse it became for a weak person to get close to them.

“The gods can’t kill us,” Erza continued, glancing upward before focusing on him again. “At least not here. They belong to another universe, and we, from this newly integrated one, have a special protection while we remain within our own. They can’t invade this place or cast some power from their universe to harm us here. Here we’re shielded, just like during the tutorial.”

She moved closer, slow but resolute, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, as if she wanted the weight of her words to be felt physically.

“So the only truly dangerous and powerful beings in this world, the ones who could come after you, who could actually hurt you, are this world’s kings and those who obey them. Draw the wrong kind of attention, annoy the wrong person, and they might come for you. And not even a God could save you. Here, we’re on our own.”

She stepped back, releasing his shoulder. The absence of her touch made the air feel briefly colder.

“Like venomous insects trapped in a box,” Luke muttered to himself.

“Exactly,” Erza answered, watching him with an expression more serious than usual. “And in the end, the winner will be the one with the deadliest poison.”

***

Luke remained inside the house that had become their temporary base, an improvised shelter that still smelled of damp wood and dust clinging to the corners. Sunlight slipped through uneven cracks in the window frames, catching the suspended particles in thin golden lines, but even that warmth couldn’t soften the tension lingering in the air.

A few Haven members had wandered by earlier, driven by curiosity or some clumsy attempt at reconnecting. They never made it past the threshold. Luke had sent them away before any of them managed to speak. He wasn’t in the mood for patience, not today.

Erza Grimhart had left about an hour ago. First she would head to the city, then continue toward her homeland. Her family wasn’t the kind to send elegant carriages to retrieve her. Returning on her own, with Anne in tow, was simply expected.

On a worn out couch, Evangeline sprawled as if she were claiming a throne.

“I’m seriously considering changing my name,” she announced, reclining in the most dramatic way possible. “Or maybe hiring a full time butler.”

Beside her sat a messy pile of gold coins, glittering even in the dim light. She had thrown herself onto it a few minutes earlier, laughing like she had rediscovered her true calling. She was clearly itching to return to the modern world and spend every coin without hesitation.

“Don’t go bankrupt,” Luke replied, his voice carrying only mild warning. “You may have become a millionaire, but you don’t know advanced math. You need to study so you’ll actually know how to invest and manage it.”

“I can count to a thousand. That’s enough,” Evangeline shot back, perfectly confident in her own logic.

Luke exhaled through his nose, already making a mental note that he’d eventually have to sit her down and explain finances, otherwise she would burn through half her fortune on impulse buys. He had discovered, to mild horror, that her command of mathematics barely covered the basics… the extremely basic.

“What’s seven million minus three million?” he asked.

Her smile vanished.

“Look, I’m rich now. You throwing difficult equations at me doesn’t matter. I don’t need to study ever again.”

“What’s the answer?” Luke pressed.

“I don’t know, it’s too many zeros,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Good grief…” he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead. “You desperately need to go back to school.”

“I’m rich, Cinderella. I can hire someone to do the math for me.”

Luke decided that sooner or later he would force her to study, even if he had to drag her to a desk himself.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He took a deep breath and opened Charlie’s system interface, but the screen wouldn’t stay open, it kept closing itself. She was still regenerating inside his soul. He wanted to tell her that they had finally returned to Earth. Another notification had been on his screen ever since he killed the archangel.

[Warning: Your item Demonic Twin Kukris has been completely destroyed and is reconstructing inside your inventory. If this happens again, it will be permanently lost.]

Both kukris were gone — truly gone. The first shattered by the archangel, the second obliterated when Luke tied it to the arrow and used its magnetic pull to force the shot toward the archangel.

And now, if either weapon broke again, that would be it. Permanent loss. No more resurrections. No more second chances.

They were on their last “lives.”

Luke opened his interface.

Name: Luke
Level: 50
Race: Half-Demon
Rank: E
Class: [Demonic Predator (Lvl 60)]
2nd Class: [Witch (Lvl 0)]
Profession: [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 60)]
Titles: [Dark Lord]
Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]
Health Points (HP): 4780/4780
Mana Points (MP): 5630/(5630)
Stamina: 3030/(3030)
Soul Fragments: 303/1000

Stats:
Strength: 421
Lethality: 760
Agility: 550 (560)
Dexterity: 324
Endurance: 303
Vitality: 478
Toughness: 167
Perception: 504 (514)
Wisdom: 558 (563)
Intelligence: 266
Willpower: 600
Free Points: 2

Class Skills: [Advanced Blade Handling (Uncommon)], [Profane Knife Throwing (Uncommon)], [Twin Blade (Common)], [Basic Dark Dash (Rare)], [Basic Blood Regeneration (Rare)], [Predator’s Mark (Rare)], [Demonic Blade Dance (Rare)], [Wraith Form (Ultra-Rare)], [Force Infusion (Rare)], [Advanced Stealth (Rare)], [Assassin’s Tracking (Rare)], [Mana Infusion (Rare)], [Basic Archery (Common)], [Demonic Predator Hands (Epic)]

Second Class Skills: [Basic Magic Conjuration (Common)], [Teleportation Pentagram (Legendary)]