Ascension of the Dark Seraph
Chapter 357: Purity of Intentions

Chapter 357: Purity of Intentions

Lucivar emerged from the darkness, hands in his pocket.

He had been walking toward the source of light, surrounded by darkness from all sides.

It was the last, lone beacon that exists within this realm.

A lighthouse of good that was shrouded in the ever-growing darkness and evil.

Once he stepped into the radius of the light, his form emerged from the veil of shadow.

Darkness clung to him like a second skin, refusing to peel away until he willed it—with a subtle shift of thought, the inky shroud began to recede, dripping from his limbs in long, reluctant tendrils. As it went away, the coldness didn’t want.

Even the light was not but a faint, fragile heat, barely enough to chase the chill from his bones.

Lucivar strode forward in silence—eyes locked on the source of light.

She hung in the center of the world of darkness like a dying star—suspended, fragile, and dimming with each breath. From the waist down, her form had already been consumed by the creeping dark, the edges of her figure blurred and dissolving into black mist.

Her arms were drawn upward—wrists bound in the air by writhing tendrils of darkness.

Each one pulsed and tightened, tethering her not to the world, but to the abyss that wanted her gone.

Her light still flickered, still going against the encroaching darkness.

But it was weakening.

Compared to the last time Lucivar saw her, she was nothing like what she used to be.

It was quite sad to see.

Although she was fading, she hadn’t given in—at least not yet.

Lucivar cleared his throat when Seraphiel hadn’t even realized that he was standing before her.

Seems like the darkness also dulled her senses.

Hearing this, Seraphiel lifted her head a little, then raised her gaze all the way until her face faced Lucivar.

As soon as her face came to view, Lucivar smirked, finding that her eyes had lost their light, drowning her in darkness. She was blind now—it was quite clear to see since she still couldn’t find his gaze, still looking left and right obliviously.

“Is it you…?” Her voice echoed within this realm. “Or is it another illusion?”

Lucivar shook his head.

It seemed the Gods had done numbers on her, broken her so completely until she’s like this.

“Is this because of me?” Lucivar curiously asked.

Despite not knowing whether it was the real Lucivar or not, Seraphiel still entertained the question.

She offered a faint, weak smile and lowered her gaze.

“You’ve gotten stronger rapidly. You used the dark to grow. This… This is the natural progression.”

“I see.”

Since he had diverted a lot from the path of the Angels and cultivated the darkness, it wasn’t a surprise to find Seraphiel losing power rapidly. All of the Gods were probably suppressing her harder and harder as they grew stronger.

Back then, Seraphiel still had the power to battle the Gods and even talk to him directly.

Now, the gap between them was too much.

She couldn’t retaliate once again, and now she was bound in the darkness like this.

“Do you hate me?” Lucivar stepped closer. “Are you angry at me for not choosing your path?”

“No, I don’t hate you, and I’m not angry at you,” Seraphiel answered, and Lucivar could tell that she was telling the truth. “The circumstances had been harsh on you. The world had been harsh on you. It’s not entirely your fault.”

She raised her gaze and offered a strong smile.

“You’re stronger now. Even if it’s through evil, I’m happy for you.” She added with her angelic voice.

It was soothing, pleasant, but Lucivar’s heart was too cold to be affected by its warmth.

He had already gone too far.

Silence enveloped the two of them as Lucivar watched Seraphiel for one last time.

And in that silence, Seraphiel realized that he wasn’t only visiting.

It was a farewell.

Oddly enough, she didn’t panic or feel fear—she accepted the situation as it is without downplaying it.

“Did my presence bother your progression?”

“Yes.”

“Your ascension required you to be pure, and I’m the only impurity left.”

Lucivar approached closer with steady steps, surprised that Seraphiel was taking this so well.

It felt like she had already accepted defeat long ago.

He slid his hand out from the depths of his pocket, fingers curling as if grasping something unseen.

Then, as if summoned from the very shadows around him, a dagger of pure darkness coalesced within his grip. It didn’t gleam or reflect light; instead, it seemed to drink it in, a blade forged from the silence and malice of his heart.

Upon standing before her, Lucivar looked up and stared at her for a good moment.

Swish!

His hand moved swiftly as he pressed the dagger of darkness against Seraphiel’s neck.

She could feel the chilling air of death pressing against her neck.

But even then, she remained steadfast, staring at him with her cloudy eyes and a smile on her lips.

“Why are you smiling? Do you think I don’t have the resolve to end you right now?”

“I’ve never doubted your resolve. I know you’d do what you have to do.”

“Then why…?”

Lucivar’s eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t understand what was going on in Seraphiel’s mind for her to smile like this when death was so near to her. If anything, she should be afraid or perhaps even angry. At least if she reacted with those emotions, Lucivar would be able to understand her.

But this? He couldn’t understand why she seemed to be relieved.

Gritting his teeth, he pressed the dagger against her skin harder.

“Back then, when I was still weak, you had the option to leave. You’re still free, still have enough power to escape from this cursed body of mine.” Lucivar looked through her eyes, wanting to know what was inside her mind. “Why didn’t you leave? Why did you stay behind and let yourself be trapped like this?”

Upon hearing this, Seraphiel chuckled lightly.

Her sweet smile never waned from her beautiful, angelic face.

“My presence… My power is the only thing hiding the Gods’ scent from being detected by the Forces of Light. They are using me to hide themselves, going undetected inside you.” Seraphiel explained, her voice was resigned. “If I leave you and inform the light, they will corrupt you completely and turn you into their doll. So that when the light came, there would be no other choice but to kill you too. I can’t allow that to happen now, can I?”

She smiled sheepishly, “I can’t have you, an innocent person, be a victim of their wicked plan.”

Lucivar gritted his teeth harder.

His eyes flared with theatrical rage, glaring at Seraphiel, who was acting good for no reason.

“A victim? Do you know how many innocent people—I’ve killed?!” Lucivar roared, his voice shaking the entire realm like the shriek of a God. “Don’t act righteous, you piece of shit! Are you intentionally trying to make me feel like shit?! Prioritize yourself! Do you not hear what I realized?! Karma favored the evil! Your stupid righteousness is the exact thing that made you end up like this!”

Lucivar grabbed Seraphiel’s collar and pulled on her hard, boring his glare into her eyes.

He wanted her to know how stupid she was being.

Even though she knew the truth, she wasted her knowledge by not acting on it.

She should’ve left when she had the chance.

Being good was only asking to be struck down by karma.

Lucivar had already seen the proof multiple times, and he was certain about this.

“Even if karma really was reversed, I’m still the Archangel of Purity.” Seraphiel smiled helplessly—as if she didn’t have a choice in this matter when she clearly does. “I can’t abandon what I am for the sake of self-preservation. I can’t abandon you.”

Hearing this, Lucivar’s expression contorted into something hideous.

He looked at Seraphiel with such coldness that it could seep into the bones.

“In that case,” He drew his dagger again; his voice icy. “You’re nothing but prey in this world.”

Just as he was about to push the tip of the dagger into Seraphiel’s throat, plunging it deep and ending her existence within him for good and opening up the path for him to ascend further as the true champion of darkness—a gentle hand closed around his wrist.

Soft, yet unwavering, it halted the killing blow with a quiet defiance that echoed louder than any cry.

Lucivar’s eyes widened for a second.

He glanced to the side and saw a woman stopping him from killing Seraphiel.

“Lucivar…”

“Lucivar…”

“Lucivar!”

Out of nowhere, the clear blue sky was opened once again.

It appeared along with the rush of wind that grazed against his body and made his hair flutter.

Lucivar blinked his eyes, and he realized that he was back in reality again.

He was attempting to end Seraphiel for good in preparation to battle the other avatars and also deal with the matter that was looming over the family, but he failed to do so. Delilah intervened, and he couldn’t quite deal the finishing blow to Seraphiel.

‘Damn it… What am I doing? I need to do it soon.’

Just as he was daydreaming, Nerissa tugged on him again.

“Hey, we’re near the city. I think we should get down.”

“Hmm?”

Lucivar gazed ahead and found that the dome of the Sunhold City was already ahead.

Both of them now rode atop the emerald phoenix, its radiant plumage far too conspicuous for a quiet passage through the city skies. Soaring on such a creature would not only draw every eye below, but it would also invite a storm of questions.

Questions Lucivar had neither the time nor the answers for.

Due to that, both of them landed on the road ten miles away from Sunhold City’s gate.

Lucivar put the phoenix away before he looked around.

“Now what?” Nerissa raised a brow, finding nobody on the road other than them.

“We find someone who’d give us a lift,” Lucivar shrugged, reached out his hand, and waited.

Fortunately, there was a couple who were heading to the city and gave them a ride.

Lucivar and Nerissa dropped by the nearest bus station and headed straight to the academy.

Even without knowing the full extent of the problem—thanks to Leandra’s rushed explanation and her inability to keep the portal open—they could sense the urgency. Leandra had never looked so shaken before, and that alone was reason enough to return.

Other than that, there’s also Ravenna getting hurt, which was also a rare occurrence.

Along the way, Lucivar and Nerissa sat beside each other in silence.

But there was the same thing inside their mind right now.

One hope lingered in their minds.

Above everything, they hoped that this was a problem with the avatars—not Master Tobias.

It could be anything but Master Tobias.