Chapter 176: The Blacks
The palace quarter bled smoke into the sky. Kaelis still roared overhead, his flames gnawing at the towers, while the Nova Sanctum’s cannons punched holes through the walls. Yet deeper inside the city, away from Karl’s rampage, the air shifted again.
Lucian felt it first. Space bent faint around his skin, like the world was holding its breath. He slowed, his hand rising slightly. Lucy stopped beside him, blade dripping faint black flame, her eyes narrowing.
The street ahead wasn’t empty anymore.
Four figures stood across the flagstones. They weren’t guards. They weren’t soldiers. They were heavier, sharper, the kind of presences that bent the ground just by standing still.
Dukes.
Each was peak Beta rank, and each bore the shape of something older than the kingdom itself.
The first was a white tiger, his striped armor glowing faint silver, claws tipped with steel longer than knives. His breath came out in low growls, steady and sharp, his eyes fixed on Lucian like prey.
The second, a vermilion bird, feathers red as molten ore. Wings spread wide, sparks falling with every beat. Her gaze burned, her voice like crackling embers as she hissed, "Intruders."
The third was a black tortoise, shell broad as a wall, etched with runes that glowed faint green. His movements were slow, deliberate, but his aura pressed hardest of all, heavy as mountains.
The last was a dragon—not Kaelis, not Karl, but a coiled azure serpent with horns. His scales shimmered blue, his fangs gleamed wet. Lightning whispered faint along his body, each spark cracking the air.
Lucian exhaled once, his eyes scanning them all. "So the Dukes finally show."
Lucy tilted her blade, the edge whispering black fire. "Peak Betas." Her voice was calm, but her shoulders squared. "Together."
The vermilion bird tilted her head, fire dripping from her wings. "The king is not yours to reach. Turn back, and die quicker."
Lucian’s cloak stirred, space rippling around his steps. His voice stayed steady. "No. We’ll go through you."
The four Dukes moved as one.
The white tiger lunged first, claws ripping through the street in sparks. Lucian folded space, vanishing from the strike. He reappeared behind, hand slicing through the air—space cracked, collapsing around the tiger’s ribs. The beast snarled, twisting out, but not without blood staining his stripes.
At the same time, the vermilion bird screeched, wings beating flames across the street. The fire surged high, swallowing the sky in a furnace. Lucy stepped forward. Her blade cut once, black flame carving through the fire, splitting it apart. She leapt, twisting through the air, and slashed again. The black flame cleaved into the bird’s wing, burning feather into ash.
The tortoise lumbered forward. Slow, but each step cracked the stone, his shell glowing brighter with runes. He slammed his palm down, green walls of force rising around Lucian, trying to cage him.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. He pressed his palm out, space folding sharp. The walls cracked, bent, then shattered under his will. The tortoise staggered back, his massive shell rattling with the impact.
The azure dragon hissed, lightning snapping across his body. He surged forward, coils smashing through rubble. His tail lashed at Lucy, faster than a whip. She blocked with her blade, sparks flying, the ground shaking under the force. She slid back, boots digging trenches, but her eyes never wavered.
"Brother." Her voice was sharp.
"I see it." Lucian raised his hand. Space twisted, chains of raw distortion snapping around the dragon’s coils. The beast thrashed, lightning sparking, but the chains bent space itself, binding him tighter.
Lucy darted forward, blade flashing black flame. She slashed across the dragon’s chest, scales splitting, blood hissing against the fire. The dragon roared, the sound shaking buildings apart.
The four Dukes regrouped, circling, their auras flaring higher. The street trembled under them, the very capital bending beneath their ranks.
Lucian’s breath steadied. Lucy’s grip tightened. Together, they stood as one.
The vermilion bird screeched again, flames surging. The white tiger lunged low, claws dripping silver light. The tortoise pressed forward, shell glowing runes brighter, his force heavier. The azure dragon twisted, lightning spearing through the air.
Lucian closed his eyes for half a breath. When he opened them, his voice carried.
"Black Name."
The space around him bent hard, shadows curling at his feet, fire licking around Lucy’s blade. The air itself seemed to recognize the words, heavy and sharp.
Lucy’s gaze flicked toward him, her lips pressing into a faint smile. She whispered it too, her voice steady. "Black Name."
The power surged.
Lucian’s aura bent space wider, warping streets, collapsing reality in folds that crushed rubble into dust. Lucy’s black fire sharpened, not just flame but absence—burning that erased instead of consumed. Together, the siblings stood wreathed in an aura unlike the Dukes had ever faced.
The vermilion bird faltered mid-wingbeat, her fire shrinking under the black flame’s pressure. The white tiger’s eyes widened, his growl breaking. Even the tortoise leaned back, his runes flickering. The azure dragon coiled tighter, lightning sparking nervous.
Lucian’s voice was quiet, but it cut the silence. "We are not Kael. We are not father’s pawns. We are the Black Name."
They moved together.
Lucian folded space wide, dragging the tiger into collapse. The beast roared, claws slashing, but Lucy was already there. Her blade cut across his chest, black fire burning stripes into ash. The tiger fell, his roar fading into silence.
The vermilion bird shrieked, flames bursting again. She dove, wings like comets. Lucian snapped space above her, folding the sky itself. She struck into the collapse, her body twisting in pain as her wings shattered. Lucy leapt, slashing downward. The black flame split her chest. She fell, her fire gone.
The tortoise bellowed, his runes glowing desperate, walls of force slamming around them both. The ground shook, pressure crushing. Lucian pressed his palms together. Space cracked, shattering the green walls like glass. Lucy dashed forward, black fire tracing her steps. She stabbed into the tortoise’s shell, her blade sinking deep. Cracks raced across the runes, bursting in green light. The tortoise roared once more before collapsing onto his side, still.
The azure dragon thrashed, lightning spearing wild. He roared, his coils slamming buildings apart, his body sparking. Lucian’s chains bent tighter, space twisting until the beast’s body cracked under its own lightning. Lucy raised her blade high, her eyes sharp.
"Black Name," she whispered once more.
The blade fell. The black fire cut through scales, bone, and lightning alike. The dragon’s roar broke into silence. His body fell heavy, crashing into the ruins.
The street went still.
Four Dukes lay silent—beasts of legend, brought low by two. Smoke curled. Flames licked faint along the broken stone.
Lucian exhaled, his aura dimming, space folding back into stillness. Lucy wiped her blade, the black fire vanishing into the steel once more.
They stood side by side, eyes meeting for a brief moment. No words. Just a shared weight, a shared understanding.
The Black Name lived.
And nothing in the capital could stand before it.