"If you wanna see me show off, then only a Titan's worthy of being the backdrop. No one else even qualifies."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the aura surrounding him changed as an indescribable wave of energy spread silently outward from him, rippling through the air like an invisible tide.
It grew denser with each passing moment until it began to take on substance, revealing a faint yet unmistakable crimson glow.
It was none other than Amphoreus's power of 'Trickery.'
Because 'Trickery' was, in fact, a simulation of the 'Path of Elation,' Lucian, as an Emanator of Elation, was naturally able to cause the Trickery Titan to come to him of their own accord, as though drawn by an unseen call.
As expected, in the very next second, the light within the study dimmed noticeably, the shadows along the walls deepened, while the air before Lucian twisted and churned like boiling black water, roiling and folding in on itself before slowly condensing into a vague, shadowy form.
Before long...
"Hey, this great one smells the presence of their own kind!"
Saying that, the shadow could barely be made out as humanoid, yet its outline was unstable and twisted, constantly warping as if struggling to maintain a fixed form, with shadows as tangible as substance coiling and writhing around its entire body like living tendrils.
Perhaps the most bizarre part was its face.
It was unmistakably a massive, distorted visage where crying and manic laughter were intertwined—one half was a sorrowful, weeping face streaked with viscous black tears that seemed to seep endlessly, while the other half was stretched into an exaggerated, eerie grin, its expression warped to the point of grotesque mockery.
Two completely opposing emotions had been forcibly fused, clashing yet coexisting in a single form, emanating an aura that inspired both dread and unease, as if the very sight of it could unsettle the mind.
Needless to say, this shadowy figure was none other than the Trickery Titan, Zagreus.
Just as Lucian had said, the Trickery Titan had truly manifested of their own accord, answering a call that should not have been so easily answered.
Realizing that, Aglaea and Cipher were both stunned, their bodies stiff and unmoving, their gazes locked onto the shadowy figure before them.
At this moment, only one thought remained in their minds: How could Lucian summon a Titan at will?
Zagreus was, after all, technically one of the gods of Amphoreus, an existence far beyond ordinary beings.
"Hmm... a human? How do you possess such powerful power of Trickery?"
Zagreus had indeed been drawn here by Lucian's power of Elation that closely resembled the power of Trickery.
Originally, they had thought it was some treasure of similar origin, an artifact or relic born from the same source, yet it turned out to be a mere human, which made it all the more strange.
How could a human possess the power of Trickery even denser than that of the Trickery Titan, an existence that should have embodied that very power itself?
Lucian sized up Zagreus from head to toe, his gaze lingering for a brief moment before he immediately concluded that this Titan looked somewhat like that rascal Aha.
As expected of the simulated Aeon of Elation, there was that same humanoid shadow-like outline, along with the same unsettling crying-and-laughing expression that seemed to shift at any moment.
Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he had seen Zagreus's true form. Before this, everything he had seen in the game had been Zagreus assuming the form of Spirithief Bartholos. Unlike that Spirithief form, Zagreus's current appearance bore a much closer resemblance to Aha's true form.
"You don't need to know that," Lucian said calmly, his tone steady and unhurried as he reached out his hand without the slightest hesitation. "Just hand over your Coreflame. I'm giving it to my cat."
Hearing that shameless and almost absurd request, Zagreus merely tilted their head slightly, as though mildly intrigued rather than offended.
"Sure, then give me the artifact of Trickery on you, and I'll give you my Coreflame."
"Artifact? I don't have any artifact."
"Hm, then I don't have any Coreflame either."
"You sure you won't give it to me?"
"I'm sure I will, but you have to give me the artifact first—only then can I have a Coreflame to give you."
Aglaea blinked her eyes repeatedly as she watched Lucian actually dare to bicker back and forth with the Trickery Titan, even raising a hand to rub her eyes hard as if trying to confirm that what she was seeing was real.
Evidently, what she saw was no illusion, nor was it a hallucination born from fear or pressure.
However, if that were the case, wasn't Lucian's attitude toward a Titan far too casual, almost bordering on disrespect?
Was he really not afraid that Zagreus would make a move at any moment?
"Fine, then I'll just steal the Coreflame myself."
Lucian had no interest in continuing this pointless back-and-forth with the amusement-seeking maniac before him, his patience already worn thin by Zagreus's theatrics. Anyone unaware might have thought this Titan was a clone of Aha, given the same erratic cadence and unsettling delight in chaos.
He couldn't help but feel that if Zagreus ever got mixed up with Aha in the future, they might even end up becoming an Emanator of Elation.
"Steal it yourself? Ahahahaha! Human, that's the funniest joke I've ever heard!"
Zagreus burst into loud, unrestrained laughter, their voice echoing as they openly mocked Lucian's arrogance to his face.
"No one can steal anything from me, Zagreus! I've stolen countless things—I even stole Janus's gate!"
"If you can steal anything from me, I'll call you Dad on the spot today!"
"But if you can't, you have to give me the artifact—the power of Trickery on you is absolutely addictive~"
Clearly, Zagreus assumed the power of Elation Lucian emitted was some kind of artifact related to Trickery. Unfortunately, little did they know that he had no such thing, nor did he need it, since that power was entirely his own.
"Alright, your words."
Lucian moved without hesitation, casually extending his hand forward, then slowly making a light grasping motion in the air toward the center of Zagreus's crying-laughing face while activating Omnisteal.
Simple and direct, without any earth-shattering light or destructive energy fluctuations, a faint sphere of light quietly appeared in Lucian's palm the very next second, as if it had always been there.
Seeing the label 'Coreflame of Trickery' on the sphere, Lucian smiled faintly, a trace of satisfaction surfacing on his face as he inwardly felt relieved that he had obtained the Coreflame of Trickery in a single, effortless attempt.
"Ohoho, you even made a grabbing motion—what did you grab? Let me see. Oh? Nothing at all!"
Zagreus sneered in a mocking tone, deliberately pulling a wide, exaggerated grin that, in Lucian's eyes, was particularly punchable.
Cipher clung close to Lucian's side and carefully took his hand, examining his palm from every angle with focused attention, yet there was nothing there—no trace of anything unusual.
Aglaea, meanwhile, couldn't help but think to herself that what Lucian had said had indeed been mere boasting.
In the face of a Titan, a godlike existence that stood far beyond mortal reach, people like them were ultimately too feeble. Even someone like Lucian, who could be considered top-tier among mortals, still could not rival a Titan, nor could he perform such an absurd feat.
However, ten seconds later, just as the last threads of expectation faded and everyone had firmly begun doubting Lucian's claim, something suddenly flickered into existence in his palm.
It was a floating, flame-like object condensed from the pure divine authority of Trickery, its form wavering as though alive, symbolizing that very power.
It was none other than the Coreflame of Trickery.
Needless to say, it had been stolen exactly as Lucian had claimed.
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, as if even time itself had paused in disbelief.
Zagreus appeared to have completely crashed, standing motionless and silent as though their thoughts had blanked out, and only after several long seconds did they slowly raise a hand to touch their chest, before shifting their gaze toward the Coreflame in Lucian's palm—the very source that had belonged to them all along.
"Eh?"
A single utterance, filled with extreme confusion, shock, and disbelief, slipped from Zagreus's mouth.
"Fera, here—this Coreflame's yours."
Lucian casually tossed the Coreflame of Trickery over to the still-dazed Cipher, as if what he had just done were nothing more than a trivial act.
"Meow?!"
Cipher hurriedly caught the Coreflame midair, her hands snapping shut around it, then let out a breath of relief only after confirming it was secured safely.
Aglaea, who witnessed the entire scene unfold before her eyes, was completely dumbfounded, the last traces of doubt she held toward Lucian instantly vanishing without a trace.
In the blink of an eye, the Coreflame of Trickery had actually been obtained?
What made this even more absurd was that he had so blatantly and effortlessly stolen the Coreflame of Trickery from the Trickery Titan right in front of them, a being essentially regarded as the very god of stealing itself.
Cerydra would have had to exert immense effort to subjugate a Titan, suffering countless casualties along the way, and might not even have succeeded in obtaining a Coreflame in the end.
Yet Lucian had merely made a simple grabbing motion, and just like that, the Coreflame of Trickery was already in his possession.
Clearly, his famous reputation was not just for show.
Now, Aglaea truly felt a deep, awe-filled reverence for Lucian rise from the bottom of her heart.
Meanwhile, right before Lucian, Zagreus's shadow suddenly trembled violently, the distortion rippling outward.
It was not out of anger, but unmistakable excitement.
In the next instant, Zagreus floated directly in front of Lucian—they were extremely close, the massive crying-laughing face looming forward, nearly pressing against his own face at point-blank range.
"You… how did you do that?!"
A frenzied aura surged forward like a tide as Zagreus questioned Lucian like a madman, their voice carrying a barely restrained exhilaration.
"I didn't even feel a thing!"
"Tell me—what kind of technique was that?!"
"Human, that was true art! True art!"
To ordinary people, what Lucian did might have merely seemed impressive, but to an expert like Zagreus, it was nothing short of astonishing, even bordering on incomprehensible.
One should know that, as the Trickery Titan, Zagreus was naturally the greatest thief in the world, a being who stood at the absolute pinnacle of deception and larceny, yet they had been completely unable to perceive Lucian stealing their Coreflame.
What made it even more absurd was that it had been done right in front of them, within their direct line of sight. Yet even while fully focused and alert, Zagreus had no idea how or when Lucian had taken it.
Clearly, this level of theft far surpassed their own, reaching a realm they could neither comprehend nor replicate.
In the end, illusory black tears slowly flowed from Zagreus's crying face, each drop dissolving into nothingness, while the smiling face stretched into an even wider, almost grotesque grin.
"Dad, teach me!"
In the most manic and unrestrained tone, Zagreus voiced the humblest and most earnest plea they could muster.
"..."
Seeing this absurd and almost unbelievable scene, where a Titan—regarded as a god of Amphoreus—was actually calling Lucian 'Dad,' Aglaea's mouth hung open in complete shock, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
Where was their self-esteem?
Their dignity?
Their pride?
Had all of it simply vanished without a trace?
Still, from this situation, it was evident that Lucian truly possessed real and unquestionable ability.
Even the Trickery Titan, the greatest master of illusion and theft in the world, had their Coreflame stolen right before their very eyes, yet they had been able to do absolutely nothing to prevent it.
In fact, let alone preventing it, Zagreus not only didn't know how Lucian had done it, but they couldn't grasp even the slightest hint of the method, which only proved that the legends surrounding Lucian were not exaggerated in the slightest.
With that firm thought in mind, Aglaea immediately decided to report this matter to Cerydra as soon as possible, especially the part where Zagreus had actually called Lucian 'Dad,' as that detail alone was shocking enough to warrant immediate attention.
Meanwhile, unlike the frantic Titan and the awestruck seamstress, Lucian acted as though he had merely done something trivial, casually turning his gaze toward Aglaea, who had already been frozen in place, with that familiar, almost teasing smile curving at the corner of his lips.
"Agy, my flex just now wasn't bad, right? Being my vice city lord isn't such a bad deal, is it?"
Aglaea stared at the Coreflame flickering steadily in Cipher's palm, its glow faintly reflected in her eyes as she completely ignored the sudden nickname Lucian had used for her before slowly turning to glance at Zagreus beside them, whose posture had already sunk into utter humility, their crying face weeping pitifully while their smiling face pleaded in silent desperation.
Finally, her gaze returned to Lucian's face, lingering there for a brief moment.
"More than satisfied... You pulled that off perfectly..." Aglaea replied seriously, giving a firm nod as if to reinforce her own words. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to be this... impressive..."
Being Lucian's vice city lord was far from a loss—in fact, it was practically a tremendous gain, something far more worthwhile than she had initially anticipated.
At this moment, Aglaea felt that working for someone like him, someone so overwhelmingly capable, did not seem entirely unacceptable.
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[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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