Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

*Krik*

The massive door of the island parted as the four of them stepped forward.

Island Beta, just like the previous one, was full of warehouses and cold storage.

The sky remained pitch-black—three hours past midnight, the world still half-asleep.

They had more than four hours to reach the Haven. But at their current pace, they would arrive in minutes.

Nana clung to William's neck, refusing to look anywhere else, her small face buried into the warmth of his shoulder. She wasn't just afraid of the world around her… she wanted to savor these last, fragile minutes with the only people who hadn't looked at her with disgust or dread.

William could feel her tremble. Her fear, her sadness—they sank into him like a cold blade. His chest tightened painfully.

Emma hadn't heard the conversation from earlier, but she understood. Their steps, the air, Nana's silence—even without words, the truth lingered heavy enough to crush her spirit.

Gloria was the one who broke the stillness.

"Somehow… silence is scaring me more than anything," she whispered, scanning the shadows with furrowed brows.

They had walked for minutes without a single interruption. It was too smooth—too clean. Every island until now had thrown monstrous, absurd challenges their way.

So why, when they were so close, was the world suddenly… calm?

No one answered.

And William—if it were up to him—would have slowed down even more. Maybe he would've stopped right there on the cold ground, just to buy Nana a little more time nestled in his arms. A few more breaths. A few more heartbeats.

But—

"Look! The Haven!" Gloria suddenly cried, her voice cracking with relief as she hopped on her feet like a child.

She had never felt this kind of joy—not once since they stepped foot in this nightmare. Seeing that radiant white circle at the center of the plaza felt like the heavens cracking open.

That was the place.

The final point.

The end of the mission.

They had suffered for nearly a day straight. Crawling through terror, expecting death around every corner. So yes—Gloria's unrestrained joy made sense. It was the sound of a human finally seeing land after drowning for hours.

Emma exhaled softly and tugged on the back of William's shirt.

He looked at her and nodded—a slow, heavy gesture.

This had to be done.

But he wasn't going to simply hand Nana over. The Great Hall… convincing them would be nearly impossible. They had judged corrupted humans long before he was born. To them, mercy was a weakness, and creatures like Nana were not worth saving.

Still, William would try.

He had to.

He couldn't just stand there and let them decide her fate.

"Let's go," he murmured.

Gloria, trembling with adrenaline and relief, dashed forward.

The moment she crossed that line, she would complete the mission—her name etched into the list of those who survived the impossible.

And behind her, William held Nana just a little tighter… as if those few remaining steps might tear her away from him forever.

Just then—

*SQUELCH*

Gloria's steps stuttered mid-stride. Her breath hitched. A sharp, searing heat exploded through her side as something tore into her abdomen. For a heartbeat, she didn't understand—her brain refused to register the agony blooming inside her.

William's and Emma's eyes widened, shock ripping the air apart.

A man—no footsteps, no warning, no presence—simply appeared before her and drove a dagger straight into her stomach.

Gloria's head trembled as she forced herself to look down.

There he was.

A man with messy green hair and curved, smiling eyes… as if delighted by the warmth of her blood. His hand gripped the dagger's hilt, its blade buried completely inside her as he remained crouched before her.

"Lucky you," he murmured, voice disturbingly calm. "You don't reek."

Then he twisted the knife.

"GAAH!" Gloria's scream tore through the empty plaza as her hands flew to his arm, desperately trying to pry him off. But he didn't budge—not an inch. His strength was unnatural, cruel.

"Hm?" The man's brows lifted slightly as his wrist suddenly resisted his own movement—his hand being pushed back against his will.

He tilted his head, eyes sliding past Gloria's collapsing figure…

…to William.

The blond's jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it might crack, veins bulging beneath his skin as he forced the man's arm away through sheer, trembling power.

'How is he this strong?!'

William's thoughts roared as he poured every ounce of strength into dragging that blade out of her flesh.

Bit by bit, the dagger slid free from Gloria's stomach, wet and slick.

Blood poured down her dress in a crimson waterfall, dripping off the hem and splattering across the ground in messy, vicious spurts.

Her knees buckled. Her breath quivered. Pain distorted every inch of her face.

Just then, the man abruptly yanked the dagger out himself—so fast and so violently that William's control shattered for an instant. In the same motion, he leapt backward and carved the air with a vicious cross-shaped slash.

*SPLASH*

Gloria's eyes flew open, pupils shaking as a deep crimson cross bloomed across her torso. A heartbeat later, blood erupted—pouring out of her like a burst pipe, splattering the ground in wild, uneven arcs.

The man's grin widened, sharp and savage. He drove his heel into her abdomen and kicked.

The force was monstrous.

Gloria's limp body hurtled backward—

—but William moved even through his shock. His hands shot forward, stopping her mid-air with perfect control. He lowered her gently, as if she were made of glass, not a bleeding mess moments from death.

Emma was already at her side, sliding to her knees.

Her lips moved rapidly—chanting the spell—her palms glowing as healing magic surged into Gloria's broken flesh.

William stepped past them, in utter silence, still holding Nana.

His gaze locked onto the green-haired monster who watched the chaos with a cheerful grin, as though none of this were remotely abhorrent.

The man stood tall—around six feet—with broad shoulders and thick, powerful arms built for brutality. A soldier's physique, a predator's posture.

But what struck William most was the absence of presence.

This man radiated almost no magic at all.

That was why he was invisible to their senses.

Why he could slip behind Gloria without so much as a whisper.

And on top of that—his mental fortitude was unnervingly solid, a mind like a sealed vault.

"I'll ask you nicely," the man said, brushing blood off his blade with a jerk. "Hand over that girl in your arms, and I'll let you all go."

William immediately pressed Nana's face into his chest, shielding her eyes from the carnage. His jaw tightened.

"So you're their main weapon," he muttered. "A last-minute wild card meant to ruin us right when we dared to breathe. To sabotage us the moment we started believing this whole mess was ending."

The man chuckled—soft, amused, fox-like eyes curving with delight.

"I could've attacked you the moment you left the island gate," he said. "But where's the thrill in that?"

He spread his arms wide, as if embracing the horror he'd created.

"Now this—this is fun. Just when you thought you were safe… just when you let your guard down… I appear."

William growled, "You think this is fun?"

The man shook his head, "No, not this…but yes, when I would slaughter that girl, chop her limbs and pluck her head…that would be the real fun."

At that moment, William's mind turned blank.

He slowly lowered Nana to the ground, the girl still trembling.

William removed his hand from her and told the man, "She is right here. Go ahead and try to even touch her."

His eyes contained not a single emotion when he added,

"I. Dare. You."

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. I would like to thank a certain one-eyed cat who was the inspiration for this whole arc.