Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 368: Feeling of death 2

As the inferno drew closer in that stretched fragment of slowed time, Lucas felt the horrifying truth settle deep into his bones, because the countless layers of defense qi he had erected were already beginning to tremble and thin, their surfaces rippling violently as though they were made of fragile glass rather than condensed will and power. He could feel it clearly now, not as fear but as certainty, that his barriers were useless against this level of destruction, that they were nothing more than a momentary delay before oblivion came crashing through.

Desperation clawed at his chest as he instinctively reached inward and tried to trigger his spatial teleportation, his mind locking onto Henrietta and the ice belle behind him, his intent sharp and urgent as he attempted to tear space apart and pull them all away from the path of annihilation. For the first time since his spatial powers had evolved so drastically, nothing happened the way he willed it to, and the resistance he felt was suffocating, as though the inferno itself was pinning space in place through sheer dominance and weight.

Lucas’s pupils shrank as realization struck him with brutal clarity.

The power of the dragon’s inferno was overwhelming his spatial authority.

It was not that his technique failed or that his control faltered, but that the sheer force and dominance of the shadow dragon’s attack had surpassed the threshold his spatial powers could override, and in that instant he truly understood how terrifying this creature was when it fought seriously within its own domain. His heart sank as another realization followed swiftly after, sharp and humbling, because he finally saw how deceptive the earlier exchange had been, how the ice belle’s earlier clash with the dragon had masked just how monstrous it truly was.

She had made it look manageable.

She had made it look survivable.

Standing here now with death roaring toward him, Lucas understood the truth with painful honesty, because against this dragon, one against one, without preparation, without leverage, without an opening, he would not survive. Not with his current strength, not with his refined talents, not even with the celestial essence flowing through his body, because this was not a battle of clever techniques or calculated exchanges, but a clash of overwhelming dominance where the weaker side was simply erased.

His mind raced as the inferno closed the remaining distance, heat biting into his skin even through the failing barriers, and he felt a strange mixture of awe and dread at the power before him, because this was what it truly meant to face a sovereign beast in its own territory. In that suspended moment, Lucas finally accepted that the ice belle had never been weak, that her defiance had never been foolish, and that her pride had been earned through pure power and strength.

And now, standing between her and a force that could erase him in seconds, Lucas realized with chilling clarity just how thin the line was between survival and annihilation.

For the first time since he arrived in this era, Lucas felt truly hopeless and helpless, not as a fleeting emotion but as a heavy certainty that pressed down on his soul and stilled his struggling thoughts. There was no anger in him, no panic, no frantic search for another solution, because all of that had already burned away in the face of something he could not overcome. He let out a slow breath, almost a sigh, and in that quiet instant he embraced death, accepting it not as an enemy but as an inevitable conclusion to a path that had been filled with struggle, resolve, and meaning.

So this is where it ends, he thought, not with bitterness or regret, but with a strange calm that settled over him like falling snow.

Memories flooded his mind in the span of mere milliseconds, yet each one felt vivid and whole, stretching far beyond the fraction of time they occupied. He saw the train again, the violent jolt, the screeching metal, and the moment he reached for his sister without ever being able to save her. He felt the crushing despair of that loss all over again, followed by the disbelief of awakening in another world, another body, carrying grief that never truly faded. Faces followed one after another, Selene’s quiet strength, Lira’s warmth and devotion, Nyx’s sharp wit and fierce pride, and Henrietta’s resolve, forged through hardship and sharpened by responsibility.

He remembered the empress as well, her hidden scars, her dignity, her ambition, and the overwhelming celestial presence that had changed him forever. He remembered Tom’s earnest loyalty, the ice belle’s infuriating arrogance and undeniable courage, and the countless nights spent cultivating, planning, and preparing for wars he knew would reshape the world. Each memory came with its own weight, its own emotion, yet none of them caused his heart to waver, because he realized that despite everything, he had lived fully since his rebirth.

If this is my end, Lucas thought quietly, then at least I did not waste this life.

There was sorrow in him, yes, but no regret, because he had protected others, loved deeply, and stood his ground even when faced with absolute destruction. As the inferno loomed closer and the last fragile layers of defense qi began to collapse, Lucas closed his eyes in acceptance, allowing the flood of memories to carry him into the stillness that followed.

His skin began to blister under the overwhelming heat, not all at once but in cruel waves, as if the inferno itself was savoring the moment, peeling away his defenses and flesh with deliberate intent. Lucas felt the pain, sharp and consuming, yet even that sensation felt distant, muted by the weight of what he saw when he forced himself to turn his head despite the agony screaming through his body.

Henrietta was behind him, her form bent forward as she shielded the ice belle with her own body, her arms wrapped tightly around the small spirit as though she could somehow block a dragon’s inferno with sheer will alone. Tears streamed freely down her face, cutting clean paths through the soot and sweat, and her lips trembled as she whispered words Lucas could not fully hear, though he knew what they were without needing to listen. They were apologies, promises, and farewells all tangled together, the words of someone who had accepted death but still wished desperately that things could have ended differently.

"I’m sorry," she murmured hoarsely, her voice cracking under the strain of both fear and resolve, her eyes fixed on Lucas even as the fire closed in. "I truly am sorry."

Lucas tried to speak, tried to tell her that she had done nothing wrong and that this was never her burden to carry alone, but his throat refused to obey him, scorched and tight, allowing only a shallow breath to escape. All he could do was look at her, commit that image to what little time he had left, the image of a woman who stood tall until the very end, protecting another even when hope had long since vanished.

The ice belle, cradled against Henrietta’s chest, remained strangely still. Her small face was calm, unnaturally calm for someone standing on the edge of annihilation, her lashes resting softly against her cheeks as her eyes stayed closed. There was no fear on her expression, no anger, no panic, only a deep and unreadable stillness, as though she were listening to something none of them could hear, or gathering something none of them could yet perceive.