Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

Chapter 322: Inviting friends

Steel rang out as Natalie pressed forward, blade arcing low then snapping high in the same breath.

"Hupp!"

Loid pivoted, boots scraping dust, his sword catching the strike a hair from his collar.

"You’re not holding back today," he said, voice steady despite the force behind her swing.

It was apparent he has grown better at this. And it was all thanks to the girl he was fighting currently.

"Why should I?" Natalie’s grin flashed sharp. She drove in again, three quick strikes stacked on top of each other, wrist twisting to vary the angles.

Each one rang off his guard like a hammer testing a wall.

Loid gave ground, one step, then another, reading the rhythm. She was faster than last duel, hungrier too.

With every battle coming to a draw had her frustrated.

He let her close the distance, baiting her into a fourth strike she didn’t need to throw.

She threw it anyway.

He slid sideways instead of blocking, let her blade hiss past his ribs, and used the opening to hook his hilt against hers. Metal locked. For a moment they stood chest to chest, straining.

"Growing predictable these days," he said.

"Watch." Natalie broke the lock by dropping low, sweeping her blade up from the ground in a rising cut aimed at his forearm. Loid barely cleared it, hopping back, and felt the wind of the strike brush his sleeve.

That earned her a real laugh from him, short and surprised. "Fine. No more testing."

He came in now, controlled but faster, forcing her to answer instead of dictate.

Natalie matched him stride for stride, sweat beading at her temple, eyes locked on his blade rather than his face, the way she’d been taught and the way she always forgot until a fight reminded her.

Dust billowed around their boots as they rushed forward. Neither of them showed any intention of slowing down.

Until...

"Huh?"

Something slipped into the corner of Natalie’s vision, and she instantly changed direction, her blade cutting toward the unexpected intruder.

The strike passed cleanly through the figure.

Only after her swing was complete did the person’s face fully materialize.

"W...William?"

Shock and immediate regret washed over her. She hurriedly stepped back, lowering her weapon as she stammered, "What are you doing here?"

It had been so long since they last saw each other. Ever since he escaped the academy with Emma, this was the first time they had met again.

Loid was no less stunned.

"William?" His expression brightened with disbelief. "You’re really here?"

Both of them could clearly see him standing before them. Yet only moments ago, Natalie’s blade had passed straight through his body.

Surely, it was impossible for both of them to be sharing the same hallucination.

"I am here, just not physically," William replied calmly. "Right now, I exist inside your minds."

Natalie’s brows shot up.

"You can even do something like this..."

It had been quite some time since they last interacted. Considering everything that had happened since then, it was only natural that he had grown far stronger.

"How have you been, William? And how’s Miss Emma?" Loid asked enthusiastically, his face glowing with joy.

"I’ve been doing well...and Emma is fine too." William hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Actually, since the two of you might need some time to prepare gifts, I should probably tell you now."

Loid and Natalie exchanged puzzled glances.

Neither of them knew William well enough to claim they understood him completely, but this was perhaps the first time they had ever seen him so visibly flustered.

"What is it? Just spit it out," Natalie urged impatiently, never one to tolerate suspense.

William let out a groan before finally saying, "We’re getting married. And...soon, we’ll be welcoming another member into the family."

The words felt strangely difficult to say aloud, but Emma had insisted that he be the one to share the news with the guests.

Natalie and Loid fell completely silent, too stunned to respond.

William awkwardly rubbed the back of his head before asking, "So...are you two coming?"

"Heck yeah!" Natalie answered without a second’s hesitation, her eyes blazing with conviction. "Don’t even think about stealing my friend away without me being there."

Loid smiled warmly, his cheeks tinged with emotion.

"Congratulations, William. I’d hug you if I could, but...just know that I’m truly happy for you."

William smiled in response. He had been right to trust these two with the news.

Loid had always been that person in his life who never expected anything from him beyond friendship. He never complained, never doubted him, and that trust was evident from how he lowered his sword the moment he recognized William.

And Natalie...well, it was obvious how deeply she cared about the people she considered friends.

Emma had mentioned more than once that, among everyone on the team, Natalie was the one she got along with the best, largely because of her straightforward personality.

That was why William had come.

He wanted them to be part of one of the most important moments of his and Emma’s lives.

"I’ll transfer the location directly into your minds. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. And I’d appreciate it if you made sure no one follows you."

Natalie nodded calmly. "We know how much the two of you treasure your quiet life together. Don’t worry. We won’t ruin that for you."

William let out a satisfied breath, pleased with how the meeting had gone.

"Alright then. See you in two days."

With those final words, his figure gradually faded from existence.

Loid turned toward Natalie, a smile spreading across his face.

"I’m actually pretty excited. Should we start preparing some gifts?"

Natalie remained rooted to the spot, her expression frozen.

"Loid..." she muttered in a low voice. "I just realized something very important..."

The pink-haired prince tilted his head in confusion.

Suddenly, Natalie’s blade flashed as she spun toward him. A cold, dangerously sweet smile curved her lips.

"So..." she said softly. "When are you planning to propose to me?"

Loid froze on the spot.

Holding hands?

Done.

Kissing?

Done.

Shameless flirting?

More times than he could count.

But an actual confession...

Uh...

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- The wedding would be it for the story, maybe five more Chapters away.