Inhuman Warlock

Lucifer had received a challenge from one of the youngsters who wanted to use him as a stepping stone to climb up the hierarchy. 

No one who actually knew Lucifer believed that this person had even the slightest chance of victory. Even Lexton, who had only heard about Lucifer's fighting skills, was sure that this wasn't going to work. 

If Lucifer was an ordinary warrior, why would the Star Alliance pay so much attention to him? Why would his son lose to him? Why would Lucifer stand at the top of the Promotion Trials despite starting from the bottom? It was clear that amongst the younger generation, Lucifer's strength could be said to be at the peak. 

"Do you want to give it a try?" General Nimel asked Lucifer, leaving the choice to him. 

"Just a waste of time," Lucifer just waved his hand and continued walking back. Fighting random battles that weren't needed was useless for him. 

"Y-you!" The youngster was stunned. Lucifer even refused to face him? 

"Could it be that you're scared?" he asked, slightly taunting Lucifer while being careful to not offend the Generals. 

"Huh?" the man had just finished taunting Lucifer, but just as his words finished, he felt something around his neck... It felt as if something sharp, as if a sword was kept on his throat. With just a single movement, his head would've rolled on the ground. 

He touched his throat, feeling a small cut. The cut was very small and didn't hurt or affect the health of the youngster. It looked more like a warning instead. 

The young man was shocked. Just what was this skill? Invisible blades? He couldn't help but wonder if General Nimel was helping Lucifer. Or was it truly his strength?

"It's good to be excited for a battle, but it's just as important to know your opponent's strength and when they are being merciful. It helps a person live longer," Lucifer stated without even looking back. 

He went back to the room that was assigned to him, leaving stunned spectators behind. Everyone was sure that this young man was not ordinary...

From the next day, the Two Generals finally began Lucifer's training. In the Morning, General Ostrin taught him the secret art of Heavenly Thunder that Lucifer was truly after. And in the afternoon, he was taught by General Nimel. 

Lucifer had gathered a skill related to cold as well, but that skill wasn't something he relied on. He had just received that when he killed someone. He was already planning to sacrifice that skill along with a few useless skills to evolve another of his skills into a higher tier. 

Many people dreamed of learning from General Nimel, and Lucifer finally understood why. The absolute freeze was a Royal Art of the Nimel Clan and wasn't taught to outsiders, but the strength of that skill was really quite good. 

General Nimel didn't teach the absolute freeze, but he did teach Lucifer a weaker version of the skill that was similar to that, so his body got adjusted to this. 

Throughout the days, Lucifer's training kept progressing smoothly. On most of the days, he was busy training. However, there were also a few days off where he was allowed to leave the Palace and roam the city or the sights of this world with Ron and Raayi. 

While Lucifer was safely spending his time in the Domain of the Ostrin Clan, the Patriarch of the Rasin clan was finding it hard to spend each day. His grandson was killed, and the killer was still roaming free.

 He had already assigned some spies to give him every information about the whereabouts of Lucifer to find an opportunity to kill him, but Lucifer wasn't even leaving the Domain of the Ostrin Clan, giving him no opportunity at all to strike. 

"I'll see how long you can hide there!" General Rasin stated, clenching his fist. "Sooner or later, I'll find you alone! And then I'll send you to beg for forgiveness from my son!"

****

Back on earth, the list of names that Lucifer had given to the Star Alliance was informed about his decision. The Star Alliance members personally went to escort Lucifer's crew back so they could be trained about the technicalities of the ship. 

Initially, the group was suspicious, wondering if they were actually telling the truth but eventually, they decided to trust Lucifer's letter and go with the Star Alliance. Only a few from his trusted group were left behind to handle the things back on earth. 

Amongst the ones who were left behind were also his parents since Lucifer didn't want to drag them into something that could be dangerous for everyone. 

The Star Alliance members were brought back to the headquarters and were handed over to the department that was responsible for training them. 

While Lucifer was training to strengthen himself, his friends were training themselves as well, learning everything they could about the ship. 

It was the first time most of them had seen a ship like that. For them, it was a marvel of technology. Earth was still a few decades or maybe even centuries behind before it could achieve something similar to the Star Alliance through a ship this powerful.

During their training, they asked the others about Lucifer, getting to learn stories about them. Most ordinary people didn't know that Lucifer was allowed to train under all Generals if he pleased. They were only told that Lucifer was training in the Realm of the Ostrin Clan. That's all these people could tell Lucifer's friends as well. 

They did also tell them about the achievement of Lucifer in the Trials for promotion and how much he had achieved in such a short time. 

Lucifer was already somewhat famous in the headquarters, and quite a few people already knew his name by now. Usually, new Captain Rank members weren't paid as much attention since every year there were just too many who got promoted one way or another. However, Lucifer was different. 

****

In the Domain of the Ostrin Clan, time kept passing, and before long, one month had already passed. 

Throughout the month, Lucifer learned his Heavenly Thunder, even more, improving his strength by leaps and bounds. He also gained a lot of understanding about Absolute Freeze. Even though his knowledge wasn't perfect, but he believed with time, he could cover the distance between where he was now and perfection. 

Lucifer clenched his fist. "May I ask what is happening here?"

After a month had passed, it was finally the time for Lucifer to leave the Domain of the Ostrin Clan. As per the promise between the two clans, after one month, it was for the Ostrin Clan to go to the Domain of the Nimel Clan as a guest, where Lucifer's training was going to continue. 

Having learned most of these things, Lucifer already wanted to run away and leave on some mission as an excuse, but eventually, he also had to go with General Nimel. 

'Only one more month. After that, their turns will be over. I should find a way to leave then...'

Leaving under two Generals was a feat that was harder to achieve than breaking inside the Star Alliance headquarters, especially since these people never left his side. It was partially for his protection, but for Lucifer, this was no less than restricting his freedom. 

In his head, there were often times when he was cursing the Star Alliance for this. Even though it was a good thing, it came with a lot of baggage that he was uncomfortable with. 

It had been a month, and he had all the stone fragments. He was so eager to use them. 

Lucifer was taken back to the ship after the month was over. It was their turn to leave for the home of General Nimel. It was also General Ostrin's turn to be grumpy like General Nume was when he was here. 

"Greetings, Captain." As soon as Lucifer entered the ship, he was greeted by a young man. Initially, Lucifer was so distracted that he didn't even pay attention to the person before him, not when bothering to look at them. However, it was only after hearing that person's voice that he raised his head. 

"Kellian?" 

As soon as he looked up, he was convinced! The person before him was Kellian. He was so busy in training that he had already forgotten that he had sent for his friends to be trained as a crew. 

"It's good to see that you're doing good. When the Alliance took you, we were all so worried. Finally, we can see that you're safe. You also look stronger than before."

"Is everyone else here as well?' Lucifer asked. He had invited many people after all. 

"That's right. The old crew left already. We are in control of the ship to help you in any way we can. The others are already in the main cabin, preparing for takeoff."