Eden System - Rise of the Villain Prince

Hurriclaw roared, its voice reverberating through the forest. A crushing pressure bore down on Irelia's back, but she felt no fear.

"Moonblade – Lunar Fang!"

Irelia shouted, her willow sword tracing a crescent arc like the moon, bursting with dazzling silver light.

"AGH!!!" With her sword shimmering with mystical radiance, Irelia charged at Hurriclaw.

Whoosh!

The sword tip thrust toward the monster, but it neither dodged nor resisted, letting the blade strike its body.

Keng!

The sound of metal clashing rang out.

Irelia's sword bent under her force, but the tip stopped dead as it struck Hurriclaw's chest, unable to pierce any deeper.

Irelia could clearly see that beneath Hurriclaw's fur was an incredibly tough hide, as if covered in metal.

Gru!

A low growl came from Hurriclaw's mouth, as if it were mocking her.

It swung its hand—those claws gleaming—as it swiped toward Irelia.

She saw the massive paw closing in, and despair filled her heart.

Irelia no longer had the strength to resist; she could only accept her fate.

"Irelia!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice snapped her out of it.

Whoosh!

A rush of wind—then a flash of light streaked out from behind Hurriclaw.

CLANG!

A greatsword appeared, its blade tearing through the darkness, striking down at Hurriclaw's head.

A harsh metallic clang split the air. Though the attack still failed to injure the monster, it at least caused the clawed hand to halt in midair.

"Lucien?!" Irelia stared in shock. "You… why are you here?"

"Of course, to help you." Lucien gritted his teeth, both hands gripping the greatsword, panting heavily, his clothes soaked in sweat.

"You…"

"Enough talking." Lucien snapped, cutting off Irelia: "We need to get away from this monster first."

GRAOO!!!

Hurriclaw's roar jolted Irelia back to her senses, and survival instinct forced her to retreat, keeping her distance from the beast.

However, its focus was no longer on Irelia—it had shifted entirely to Lucien.

He realized this and tried to back away, dragging the heavy greatsword with him.

But Lucien had run a long way, carrying a sword that weighed more than 30kg.

He was still just an ordinary person; his stamina was nearly gone.

Hurriclaw swung its claws, swiping at him.

It moved too fast—Lucien couldn't dodge in time and could only raise the greatsword as a shield.

KENG!

The clash of metal rang out again, pain shooting through Lucien's arms.

Hurriclaw's strength was so great that it sent the sword flying, and Lucien was knocked back more than five meters, crashing to the ground.

GRAO!!!

Lucien barely had time to steady himself before Hurriclaw lunged, jaws wide, revealing row upon row of fangs.

"Damn it!" Lucien started in alarm—but it was already too late.

Hurriclaw was a high-level monster; how could an ordinary person like Lucien possibly stand against it?

"No! Lucien!!!" From afar, Irelia could only scream helplessly as she watched the scene unfold.

Hearing Irelia's scream, Lucien's survival instinct flared.

He didn't want to die here!

He raised his arms to block.

CRACK!

"AAA!!!" Lucien screamed in agony as Hurriclaw's jaws instantly snapped one of his arms.

The beast bit down hard, then yanked savagely.

SMASH!

"AAA!!! AAAHH!!!"

As the monster ripped Lucien's arm off, blood and torn flesh spattered everywhere—his agonized screams echoed through the forest.

Pain.

So intense, Lucien felt like he was about to die.

Blood gushed from his shredded arm like a stream, pooling into a puddle on the ground.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Hurriclaw chewed on Lucien's arm as if savoring a meal.

Lucien's blood and flesh seemed to excite its savage, brutal instincts even more.

The monster's eyes glowed an eerie, terrifying green.

In the darkness, it was like Death incarnate, promising Lucien a fate of agony and brutality.

He gritted his teeth, clutching his wound with his remaining hand, cold sweat pouring down like rain.

"Damn it!" Lucien muttered.

Yet, faced with the monstrous beast before him, his fear gradually faded, replaced by anger and determination.

Lucien slowly stood up, body trembling from pain, but his gaze remained fixed on Hurriclaw.

"Irelia! Run!!!" Lucien suddenly shouted.

Hearing him, Irelia was stunned. In this moment facing death, she felt an overwhelming warmth.

So there really was someone in this world willing to die for her.

Someone who truly cared about her.

"So it turns out… my path isn't as lonely as I thought," Irelia murmured.

Her eyes glistened, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She stood up, declaring resolutely, "I won't run! If we die, we die together!"

"You…" Lucien thought Irelia had lost her mind.

With one arm gone, he was completely finished. Even if he survived, he'd never get his revenge.

So… at the very least, he wanted his death to mean something. He wanted to use his life to give Irelia a chance to escape.

At that moment, high in the branches, stood a figure in a white cloak, decorated with black and gold patterns like drifting mist.

He wore a mask that covered only the upper half of his face.

Yes, it was Vladivaric.

He gazed at Lucien, smiling, and murmured in a voice that soared like the climax of a story,

"Lilith, it's time for you to make your entrance."

GRAO!!

Just then, Hurriclaw let out a piercing roar, then charged at Lucien.

Its speed was terrifying—each stride made the earth quake.

Seeing Hurriclaw barreling toward him, Lucien took a deep breath, a thought flashing through his mind: Damn it! I still haven't gotten my revenge, and now I have to die here.

'I don't want to die!'

'I want to live! I want to live so I can have my revenge!'

'I want to keep living!!!'

"You want to live?" Suddenly, a strange voice echoed.

That voice sounded like several people speaking at once—impossible to tell if it was male or female, old or young.

In that instant, time seemed to stop.

Lucien saw clearly that the drifting motes of light in the air had frozen.

Even the falling leaves hung motionless in midair.

Hurriclaw, too—Lucien could see it vividly. Its body was leaning forward, jaws gaping wide, exposing countless fangs.

In the distance, Irelia's eyes were wide, her mouth open as she stared at him—her face full of pain and despair, but in her gaze was a peculiar trace of warmth.

Lucien didn't understand what was happening, but he still answered the voice he'd just heard, "Yes, but… who are you?"

"You need not search," the mysterious voice replied. "I am within the pendant you're wearing."

"In my pendant?" Lucien looked down, lifting the strange medallion around his neck.

The pendant was circular, with cracks dividing it into three parts—when fitted together, they formed a perfect whole.

Each piece was a different color: red, green, and gold.

The red shard bore the symbol of a flame, the green had a gust of wind, and the gold displayed a beam of light.

"You… who exactly are you?" Lucien asked, frowning.

"You need only know… that I am Lilith. That is enough. The rest, you don't need to know." Lilith answered, her voice still eerily strange.

"You'll help me become stronger?" Lucien pressed on.

"Hahahaha…" Lilith laughed loudly. "That is exceedingly simple. However, right now, I am only a soul—I can't help you much."

"But with my knowledge and experience, I… can help you become a terrifying existence."

"Even if you cannot become the most powerful on this continent, becoming the king of an empire would be child's play."

Hearing this, Lucien was stunned, finding it hard to believe.

He swallowed, then asked, "How… how can I trust you?"

"You have no other choice," Lilith replied. "Death or life."

"Weakness or strength."

"Exist as you are, or become a powerhouse—take revenge, kill every last one of those who ever scorned you."

"The choice is yours."

At these words, Lucien frowned, but in that moment of hesitation, memories of his mother's death flashed vividly through his mind.

He remembered seeing his mother lying in a woodshed in the dead of winter, groaning in pain for two days before she died.

When she passed, he was just a five-year-old child, forced to drag her corpse through the streets. There was nothing to cover her with.

All he could recall… was that it was snowing heavily then, and that was when he met the girl he loved most—Selvia.

She was like a ray of sunlight piercing the gloomy sky, warming him in the bitter cold of winter.

She helped him bury his mother, helped him find his wretched father.

But… now she belonged to someone else—she was Lathel's woman.

Lucien clenched the pendant tightly, his eyes blazing red as if they could spit fire.

His body trembled violently, but then he gradually regained his composure.

"Lilith… right?" Lucien said, his voice no longer trembling or fearful, but instead filled with a chilling, terrifying resolve.

"As long as you can help me grow stronger, no matter what the price, I'll pay it."

"Hahahahaha…" Lilith laughed wildly, her laughter echoing through his mind. "Excellent! One day, you'll realize just how right your decision today was."

Lucien gritted his teeth and muttered, "I… I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to grow stronger."

"I want revenge!"