Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

[In the surveillance room]

Utter silence.

None of them could process what had just happened.

Until a few moments ago, those seven were clearly struggling under the constant onslaught of the enemies. But then, suddenly, it all stopped.

"H-Hey…am I seeing things, or are they all really dead?" one of them asked, his eyes still stretched wide.

"Are we…supposed to go against someone like him?" The same person who had been afraid of the challenge until now suddenly felt a new kind of pressure—the crushing weight of a single individual's prowess.

Natalie and Gizel weren't spared from the astonishment either. They had seen what William could do, but even this was beyond their expectations.

Domella, standing a little farther away, wore a grim expression as she stared at the blond teenager who had completely ruined the lesson she wanted those students to learn.

'Delimore William… so you really are as strong as your father boasts.' She undoubtedly knew Count Delimore—a well-known figure in noble society and someone deeply respected by the Great Hall.

Domella had met the man in the past, and from what she'd heard, it was clear Count Delimore was excessively proud of his child.

Now she could finally see why. And he had every reason to be.

'He's ruining the balance.' His presence had created a psychological threat among the students who would likely face him in the third round.

Someone with enough strength to take down hundreds of beasts and trained soldiers in one go… truly, he wasn't meant to be here. Or at least, not to compete against school students.

'Did Arthur know about his capabilities? Is that why he asked us to add that monster into this test?' Domella frowned; the thought sounded far too plausible.

Arthur had requested that sudden addition out of nowhere. And now, Domella believed she had found the reason.

'Delimore William… if you succeed in saving that kid… you might be worthy of being regarded as the Eighth Pillar.'

A thin smirk touched her lips as she watched the challenge unfold.

….

The group of students advanced toward the exit of the compound.

Naturally, Kevin was disgruntled after Anna had been taken away.

He wanted to go after her… despite what had happened between them during the opening ceremony, they were still friends.

However, what Lextor said was true.

This was a test. No one was going to die here—except for that child in Emma's arms.

And when Kevin thought about it carefully, Anna's abduction was clearly a well-planned move to divert them from escaping the island.

"Are you feeling better now? Failed to protect her?" Warren scoffed as he walked beside Kevin with his arms crossed.

Kevin growled, "At least I tried. But you… you're nothing but a burden to us."

Warren snarled, "Oh yeah? Remind me who kept bothering Emma for healing? Was it me?"

Kevin glanced at Emma before lowering his head.

He knew the truth. He was the one who got injured the most.

If not for Emma constantly healing him, he might not have even survived long enough to move forward.

Warren smirked at his reaction before glancing at Gloria.

She was still wobbly, but she was the least injured—of course, after Emma and the child.

Yet she couldn't shake off the feeling of having her mind taken over by someone else.

Seeing her shake her head, William asked, "Still hurting?"

Gloria slowly shook her head in denial. "Just… trauma. It'll fade with time."

Emma couldn't help her with that—her healing mended wounds, not trauma.

After a brief pause, Gloria asked, "How did you even come up with such a spell?"

Lextor was curious too, though he didn't show it, continuing to walk with a straight face.

"Entering someone's head… it's the first thing I learned," William replied shortly.

As a telepath, his biggest weapon—and biggest enemy—was the mind of others.

Sometimes it helped. Many times, it became a source of disturbance.

Imagine fighting alongside allies and against several foes. Their thoughts, their upcoming movements, where they intended to strike… it all overlapped, a chaotic mess William had to suppress just to focus on his own enemy.

A double-edged sword, indeed.

Not long after, they finally reached the exit gate.

As expected, there were no guards to stop them.

How absurd that the very first rule they were taught upon entering the island—that they were forbidden to leave until the contest ended—was about to be broken, and they wouldn't even be disqualified for it.

The wide bridge came into view. The afternoon sun shone brightly above.

The calm waves of the water whispered around them. A soft breeze brushed past as they stood at the edge of the bridge and stared toward Island Beta.

"If there weren't any restrictions, I could've flown us there," William muttered, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Emma hummed, "But wouldn't that be boring for you?"

William glanced at her and found a teasing glint in her eyes.

Lextor sighed, pumping his fists. "We shouldn't stop. Anything might drop on us to stall our march."

William rolled his eyes before wordlessly starting forward. The others followed, stepping onto the long bridge.

Looking at the water, Gloria muttered, "We're forbidden from touching the water, right?"

Kevin nodded. "Yes. She clearly said anyone caught in the water would be eliminated by a council member."

Gloria shivered. "Somehow… this bridge looks way too long."

It wasn't, actually. At this pace, they would reach the other side in ten minutes.

But—

TREMBLE

The whole bridge shook, forcing them to grip the guardrails.

Lextor frowned and looked around.

THUMP

Something struck the underside of the bridge—and whatever it was… it was huge.

Without hesitation, he shouted, "Everyone, run to the other side!"

William lifted the child into his arms and nodded to Emma before the two of them bolted with the others.

Even Warren didn't act tough now—if they got stuck here, they'd all be disqualified without fail.

But they were being too hopeful if they thought they could reach the other side without trouble.

DOOOOM

A massive explosion erupted from Island Beta's side as something enormous burst out of the water.

Its slimy blue skin and yellow eyes caught William's attention as he stared at the gigantic eel glaring back at them.

Electricity wrapped around the being who stood between them and their destination like an immovable mountain.

Warren grabbed his head and cursed, "Shit! Why are they torturing us?!"

Kevin hurriedly took out his sword, his body glowing under the sun as he prepared for combat.

Gloria also wielded her daggers. While her skill was useless when the enemy was so humungous and wasn't even trying to hide, she could at least be useful as a body cover.

William instantly told them, "Gloria, hold the child. Emma create barriers for us to reach the other side."

Emma didn't question even once and once she ensured that the child was carefully handed to Gloria she marched forward.

The eel then suddenly attacked, its massive body coming down like a wave, directed at them.

William shot his hands forward and created a wall to block the monster.

*THUMP*

The monster collided with the wall, sending William sliding back.

He grunted, his focus wavering.

The eel shook its head but clearly incurred no damage.

Lextor pumped his fists and said, "Don't push yourself. I will distract it."

William was about to warn him—however, Lextor already charged forward.

William clicked his tongue and lowered his barrier or Lextor would have hit the invisible wall.

Emma, on the other hand, had began to construct barriers, flanking left to the eel to prevent herself from being seen.

Lextor's fist shot forward,

"Colossus Smash!!" He cried, his fist glowing, however before he could have reached the monster

*Crackle*

It's body radiated with yellow lightning

Lextor's eyes widened but mid-air he had no way of dodging.

"No!' Gloria cried as lightning struck him mid-air

Her loud cry brought Emma's attention towards him as she paused, thinking she should chant a barrier to save him before he is fried to death.

William raised his hand to pull Lextor back despite the throbbing pain in the back of his neck.

But then, something unexpected happened.

A golden streak phased through the air, followed by a loud thud as Lextor hit the stone pavement after being liberated by the thunder cage.

For a moment, no one said anything, no one dared to take a breath.

And following that,

*SQUELCH*

Blood gushed out of the eel's neck before its upper head slid off clearly, detaching from the rest of its body.

Gloria stared at the boy who had cleaved the monster with a clean strike.

Clad in golden glow, Kevin stood on the other side of the bridge, sheathing his sword calmly.

'Just…what kind of monsters have they nurtured in Ardentia?'

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. One candidate less we have now. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please let me know in the comments.