As he is applauded and hailed by thousands of Mermaids and Nagas, Lucien feels that his efforts have been rewarded.
No matter if he was brought to the Blue Star through the manipulations of a person whose intentions he doesn't fully understand, in the end, he managed to gain the loyalty of two entire races.
Many things in his life may be lies, but not the feelings of those women around him.
The loyalty of all those Mermaids and a large portion of the female Nagas is truly genuine, a solid foundation for an even more promising future.
The battle against Tyrion was intense, so Lucien and his girls truly need some rest. However, before he can catch his breath, Lust reminds him of something crucial.
"It's not time to relax," she speaks loudly for everyone to hear. "Tyrion wasn't the only threat."
"Huh??" Just like Lucien, Nea also was completely focused on Tyrion and forgot about another important enemy, likely much more dangerous than the Naga King.
Nea and the other girls are momentarily confused, but Lucien quickly understands whom Lust is referring to.
He swiftly scans the horizons around them, his expression clearly concerned. "Is she nearby?"
"She?" Maya is also confused about who the woman he is mentioning could be.
"The Leviathan," Lust explains. "I'm certain the creature led Lucien to face Tyrion as quickly as possible."
Eve and Lucien's other sisters had already discussed the Leviathan with Nea and Maya, but it's not easy to believe in such a mysterious legendary creature without seeing it firsthand.
Well, it shouldn't be so hard to believe in the existence of a Leviathan when standing beside the last Phoenix, but Nea has traveled throughout the entire Blue Star, including its central regions, and never sensed the presence of such a creature. n//--)--..()(1(-n
"Why would such a creature manipulate Lucien to face Tyrion?" Nea asks.
"Also, why does Lucien refer to it as 'she'? Do Leviathans have gender?" Maya asks next.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"It's female, I'm sure of it," Lust responds. "But as for her manipulations, I'm not certain."
"It was a test..." While still gazing at the horizons, Lucien comments in a concerned tone. "But it was also part of her revenge."
Maya becomes confused once again. "Revenge for what? What could you have done wrong to her?"
"It wasn't him," Lust explains. "The creature holds a grudge against Lucien because Aylin killed her mother."
"But that happened hundreds of thousands of years ago, didn't it?" Naomi can't help but comment in an annoyed tone.
"Would you forget if it were your mother?" Saria doesn't want to be rude, but she can't resist asking such a question.
She definitely doesn't have good feelings for anyone who wants to hurt Lucien, but since Mermaids are such sensitive creatures, she can't help but empathize. And in case someone hurt Nea, she couldn't control her anger.
Naomi falls silent, but Claire voices her thoughts. "But that has nothing to do with Lucien. We don't even know how Lucien is really connected to Aylin."
Lucien doesn't fully agree with Naomi's words. Of course, that whole story is still very confusing because they only have a few pieces of the puzzle.
But Lucien is sure that all the visions he had of Aylin's life were true. He could literally feel what she felt, see things through her perspective.
Lucien and the Sins have no idea how he could be related to Aylen, especially when his mother is supposed to be a Demon, and his father is a Human.
However, he doesn't see such a connection as a bad thing; in fact, he already likes Aylin very much, even though she died so many years ago.
"This is all madness," Donna scoffs.
Everyone has many questions and few answers, but Nea can't resist asking one more question to Lucien. "Why do you think it was a test?"
"She wants to devour me," Lucien casually remarks as he looks around.
"What the fu-" Amelia almost curses, but she tries to calm herself upon seeing a reproachful expression from Saria.
"That makes sense," Gluttony comments. "Many creatures gain power by absorbing it from others; it's a natural phenomenon."
"And for creatures in the Cosmic Realm to have any chance of evolving, they need to devour creatures at the very top of the Immortal Realm, preferably with very special abilities," Sloth adds.
"So, the creature was testing you to see if it was worth devouring you?" Nea asks.
"Something like that," Lust responds. "She was trying to push Lucien's body beyond its limits, probably until he reached the Cosmic Realm."
Nea's expression becomes increasingly concerned. "So, is she still trying to do that?"
Everyone else is concerned as well, but Lucien can sense that Nea is growing closer to him. The battle with Tyrion brought them closer together in many ways, especially showing Nea that she already has very strong feelings for Lucien.
"Damn!" Donna exclaims once again. "I thought we could have some rest after this battle."
"Hold on!" Saria also starts looking around, concerned. "So, is the creature going to attack us now or something?"
"This shouldn't have anything to do with you," Lucien wants to keep everyone away from a threat that is totally aimed at him. "She has never attacked any of you before, so this is between me and her."
Almost all the women around Lucien shake their heads disapprovingly.
"Tyrion must have damaged your brain if you think we would abandon you in such a situation." Mira's words may sound harsh, but her tone is filled with love.
Nea nods. "Mira is right. No one here would stand aside if the creature were to attack you now, and I couldn't stop my people from following you into battle."
"Our people," Saria corrects, and Nea smiles in agreement.
No one plans to abandon Lucien, but Sloth reflects on his words. "Yet, Lucien has a point. The creature has been on the Blue Star for thousands of years but hasn't attacked the Nagas or Mermaids."
"I myself have been close to her many years ago..." Mira had already spoken about that day with Lucien, but she recalls it once again. "The creature didn't kill me nor attack my people."
No one doubts Mira's words, but Maya wears a curious expression. "What about the people of Valencia? From what I understood, the creature destroyed the entire island, killing thousands of people."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"You mean those filthy pirates?" Naomi sarcastically asks. "They attacked the peaceful people of the Rising Phoenix Clan, and as far as I know, they also killed and enslaved many Mermaids."
Claire also makes it clear her hatred for the former people of Valencia. "In that case, the Leviathan did us a favor by ridding the Blue Star of that trash."
"Perhaps the creature didn't care about them because they weren't native to the Blue Star?" Saria muses aloud.
"Regardless, don't expect it to have any morals or mercy," Lucien comments as he continues to search for any sign of the Leviathan on the horizon.
But no matter how far he looks with his vision ability, he sees nothing. The Sins also spread their sensory magic for hundreds of miles around, but there is no sign of the Leviathan.
"What are we going to do?" Nea asks.
Lucien turns his attention to Claire, Naomi, and especially Maya. "Now that Tyrion is dead..."
"Wait." But before he can suggest anything, Pride interrupts him. "We don't know what abilities the Leviathan has; the creature may be observing us from afar. We shouldn't discuss it further here."
"Let's go to my castle," Nea quickly suggests. "There are protective barriers there where we can have a private conversation."
Lucien fears that the creature might emerge at any moment and separate him from his girls again. He could keep most of his wives with him in the Purple World, but what about the thousands of Mermaids and Nagas he just saved?
His concerns are evident, and Nea quickly offers another solution. "I will order several scout groups to establish observation perimeters within a thousand-mile radius around Crystal City. If they sense anything different, we will know immediately."
Lucien looks to the Sins, seeking their opinion, and Lust and Sloth nod. "That will suffice. Yes, I think we can rest at least a little before deciding on our next move."
"Okay," Lucien agrees but keeps his senses alert.
"Let's go," Nea comments before flying towards the city.
But before following her, Lucien looks at Tyrion's severed head still in his hand. Then he looks at Daisy and Angela, who quickly understand his intention.
Lucien tosses Tyrion's head forward, and it is caught by a stone hand in the air. That is Daisy's magic, and she swiftly creates a large statue of Lucien made of magical rock.
The statue is holding Tyrion's head, and Angela creates a massive iceberg beneath it, causing the statue to float in the water in front of Crystal City—a reminder of the fierce battle that took place there.