Chapter 422 One Swift Strike
Of course, Zara could not make her move openly while they were still here.
Lucian deserved to die for a noble cause, after all. She would even have a proper headstone made for him afterward.
First, however, Zara needed to prepare.
She let out a long sigh. "Lucian has half my power now, so taking him down will probably be a serious fight. To settle this as peacefully as possible, I'll need to use a gentler approach."
She paused.
"Like catching him off guard."
Even without his memories, Lucian was unlikely to stand there willingly while Zara killed him.
He would resist, and a fight between them would inevitably shake the heavens and the earth. If she could quietly eliminate him instead, that would naturally be preferable.
Zara decided to act that night.
Under the cover of darkness, one swift strike, one flash of steel, and Lucian would be gone.
Aurelion fell silent. "...Whatever makes you happy."
"I'd rather not witness something so brutal with my own eyes," Pyrelion said.
"Then look away," Aurelion suggested. "I don't mind watching."
Pyrelion had no response.
Noctilion had truly been blind not to recruit Aurelion when he was looking for someone to terrorize society.
Zara did not go anywhere that day. She first hid the notarized agreement somewhere safe so that the moment her plan succeeded, she could return directly to Earth.
She even wiped away an imaginary tear of sympathy.
"I'll bring Lucian's body back with me too. He was born on Earth, so that's where he should be laid to rest. Once we get back, I'll find him the best cemetery money can buy."
"How are you going to explain this to the Martin family?" Aurelion asked.
"Why would I need to explain anything?" Zara clicked her tongue. "If anyone asks, he died in the Divine World. Valerius is the perfect person to blame."
She added, "Besides, the people who don't know the truth already think Lucian has always been physically weak. Would his sudden death really seem that strange?"
Then another thought occurred to her. "No... This was never my fault in the first place. None of this would have happened if they hadn't brought Lucian back to the Divine World."
"I'm not the one who wants to kill him. They forced me into it. Boo-hoo..." She added, "Even after Lucian dies, no one can blame me. The Divine World killed him!"
Aurelion shuddered. "Did you hear that? She already has the entire cover story planned. She's terrifying."
Pyrelion fell silent.
He could only shed a tear of sympathy for Lucian.
That evening, Lucian finally reappeared after being gone all day.
Zara had learned her lesson. To prevent him from reading her thoughts, she had tied a layer of black gauze over her eyes.
Lucian found the sight mildly amusing. "What are you thinking that I'm not allowed to know?"
"What kind of stupid question is that?" Zara shot back. "Forget me for a second. Would you be able to tolerate someone knowing every thought in your head whenever they wanted?"
Lucian fell silent.
She had a point. He would not have tolerated it either.
He walked over and removed his outer robe. "All you want is to kill me anyway."
He hung the robe on a custom-made stand and continued calmly, "I know you don't want to see me. We can discuss everything else another time. I'll sleep in another room tonight. Get some rest. Good night."
Zara stared at him in disbelief. "You're not sleeping here?"
How was she supposed to kill him if he did not stay?
The reason behind her question was perfectly straightforward to her, so she failed to realize how suggestive it sounded.
Lucian's smile immediately took on an ambiguous edge. "Have you changed your mind?"
Zara fell silent.
Changed her mind about what?
Judging by Zara's expression, Lucian knew she had an ulterior motive.
He said nothing, however. He merely wished her good night again and went to sleep in another room.
Aurelion immediately praised him. "Now that's impressive. Damn, he's good."
"You should've made your move last night," Pyrelion said.
Aurelion stared at him in disbelief.
Spending time with Noctilion really had corrupted him. What a menace.
Zara lay alone in bed. After a long while, she murmured, "Do I really have to attack him head-on?"
"Every great conquest requires sacrifice," Aurelion advised. "Why don't you make one yourself and seduce him?"
"Get lost! I haven't sunk that low yet!"
Aurelion fell silent.
How the hell would she be the one making a sacrifice? She would clearly be getting the better end of that deal!
Unfortunately, Lucian had been clever enough to insist on sleeping alone. If Zara went to his room now, he would notice her immediately.
Any attempt on his life would be far too obvious.
And so Lucian escaped her clutches for another night.
But the longer this dragged on, the worse it became. Zara could not afford to wait indefinitely.
She still had no idea when they planned to invade Earth. On top of that, the new year was approaching back home.
Lucian was causing her nothing but trouble!
Zara, the supposed victim in all this, deeply regretted everything.
If she had known Lucian would become such a headache, she should have forced him to draw up a will and gotten rid of him the moment she accepted the assignment.
Then none of this would have happened.
The entire night passed while Zara's thoughts ran wild.
She had already wasted the previous day hiding in her room, so she decided to go out and look around today.
Everyone she passed in the Upper Realm addressed her as the Holy Consort, briefly making Zara feel as though she had been dropped into some ancient feudal court.
A system like this would have been abolished long ago on Earth.
Wherever she looked, clouds surrounded her. The Upper Realm was a city in the sky, and from above, she could see the human cities far below.
They were prosperous and lively.
Far more advanced than anything on Earth.
There was no denying that the Divine World's technology was superior. Its involvement might even help Earth develop more quickly.
Even so, Zara could not accept Earth being reduced to a colony.
Besides, she was perfectly capable of helping the two worlds coexist peacefully.
The only troublesome obstacle standing in the way was Lucian.
How had she never realized before just how much trouble that man could cause?
"Zara... Zara..."
A strange voice suddenly called her name.
She turned toward the sound and saw Dino scampering toward her on his tiny hooves, practically bouncing with excitement.
But...
"Why do you still look like a piglet?"
As soon as Dino reached her, Zara crouched down and scooped him into her arms.
"Shouldn't you have returned to your original form by now?"
Dino was clearly delighted to see her. "It's okay. The High Priest said I spent too long on Earth. I need to go to the mystic beast territories and undergo a divine cleansing before the suppression on my power can be removed."
"Then I'll be able to return to my real form. I haven't gone yet, but I don't mind looking like this."
Being small was convenient. Unlike before, he could go almost anywhere without causing trouble.
Sometimes, he could even visit the Lower Realm.
"Oh." Zara looked at him. "Then why did you come looking for me?"
Dino suddenly jerked his chin toward a certain direction. "Someone wants to see you."
Zara paused. "Who?"