"Everyone over there, stay calm! Don't move around recklessly!"
The security guard's voice echoed through the shopping mall basement the moment he saw the damaged escalator.
"Wait for rescue personnel! Don't try to jump!"
His tone was urgent, almost panicked.
Even though the outer metal casing of the escalator had already fallen apart, the main structure still hadn't completely collapsed. If someone lost their footing now, they could easily be dragged into the exposed machinery underneath.
To ordinary people, staying still was the safest choice.
But Lucien Blackwood clearly had no intention of waiting obediently.
Scarlett's face was pale as she clung to him tightly.
"Lucien… that just now… that was Death again…"
"Obviously," Lucien replied calmly.
Then his gaze swept across the trembling escalator beneath them.
"And it's not finished yet."
His voice lowered slightly.
"So hold on tight."
Before Scarlett could fully process his words, Lucien had already grabbed her securely around the waist.
The motion made her heart skip violently.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Wait—Lucien, you're not actually planning to—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because she already understood.
He was going to jump.
From this height.
Scarlett's scalp immediately went numb.
Yes, she knew Lucien possessed abilities beyond ordinary people. She had personally witnessed him manipulating wind, predicting danger, surviving situations that should have killed anyone else.
But supernatural abilities didn't mean invincibility.
This wasn't some movie scene with hidden wires and stunt cushions.
If they fell wrong—
They would die instantly.
Her breathing became chaotic.
But despite the fear flooding her body, Scarlett didn't dare struggle. She knew that interfering with Lucien at a moment like this would only make things worse.
So instead, she instinctively grabbed his collar tightly.
Lucien didn't waste time comforting her.
The escalator beneath them had already begun producing metallic groans. Bolts snapped one after another, and the shaking grew more violent with every second.
If they delayed any longer, the shattered metal pieces below would turn the entire area into a meat grinder.
Death wanted control of the rhythm.
Lucien refused to give it that luxury.
Without hesitation—
He stepped over the damaged handrail.
And jumped.
"Fucking lunatic!!"
The security guard nearly cursed out loud.
One person had already died in this mall earlier today. If two more people got themselves killed or crippled here, upper management would skin him alive afterward.
But the next moment—
Everyone froze.
Lucien landed steadily on the ground.
No stumbling.
No rolling.
No collapse from impact.
He simply bent his knees slightly to absorb the force, then immediately straightened and sprinted forward with Scarlett still in his arms.
The entire sequence looked absurdly effortless.
People nearby stared with blank expressions.
Some even forgot to breathe.
Because scenes like this only existed in action movies.
Yet now it was happening right in front of them.
But before anyone could recover from the shock—
The escalator behind them finally gave way.
CRASH!!
A deafening metallic roar exploded through the basement as the entire structure collapsed inward.
Steel supports smashed into the floor. Broken panels scattered everywhere. Sparks erupted from exposed wiring as the escalator twisted apart like a dying mechanical beast.
Scarlett, still being carried by Lucien, was completely stunned.
She had thought he would at least roll across the ground after landing to disperse the force.
Instead—
He had just casually jumped down like it was nothing.
As if gravity itself had become optional for him.
The crashing sounds echoed endlessly behind them.
Scarlett subconsciously turned her head, staring at the destroyed escalator with lingering fear.
Would an ordinary escalator ever collapse like that?
Obviously not.
This wasn't an accident.
This was another hunt.
Another chain prepared specifically for them.
"What… what is happening anymore…" she whispered weakly.
Lucien didn't answer.
Because even he hadn't expected the escalator itself to collapse completely.
If not for the increasingly sharp danger warnings from his foresight ability, he might actually have been caught by surprise this time.
Death clearly intended to bury both of them inside this shopping mall.
Which only made one thing more obvious.
That black mortician truly knew something important.
Otherwise Death wouldn't be reacting this aggressively.
Lucien's eyes darkened slightly.
The answer was close now.
Very close.
Without slowing down, he rushed deeper into the underground corridor.
The flickering overhead lights reflected across the polished floor tiles as his footsteps thundered through the passageway.
On both sides stood decorative sculpture platforms.
Sharp carving tools.
Metal supports.
Broken display pieces.
To normal people, they were harmless objects.
But to Death—
Everything was a weapon.
Lucien could practically see the intended sequence unfolding in his mind.
Slip.
Fall.
Head impact.
A carving blade drops.
Chest pierced.
Clean. Efficient. Final.
But Lucien had no intention of following the script.
Qi surged through his legs.
CRACK!!
Instead of stepping normally across the floor, he shattered straight through the tiles beneath his feet, planting each step directly into the deeper concrete layer below.
Each movement bypassed the unstable surfaces Death was trying to manipulate.
To outside observers, it looked monstrous.
Scarlett could feel the terrifying force transmitted through his body with every step. The ground literally cracked apart beneath him.
At that moment, she genuinely wondered if the man carrying her was even human anymore.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes lifted upward.
And her entire body went cold.
The ceiling above them was collapsing.
Concrete fragments and metal supports were falling directly toward Lucien's blind spot.
"Luci—!"
Before she could even finish shouting—
Lucien moved.
Still carrying her.
Still running at terrifying speed.
Yet somehow he sidestepped perfectly at the exact right moment.
BOOM!!
The debris crashed onto the ground beside them, erupting into dust and shattered fragments.
Scarlett's pupils trembled violently.
How?
How could he even react to things he couldn't see?
It was like he possessed some impossible three-dimensional awareness where nothing could escape his perception.
Blind spots simply didn't exist for him.
The deeper they went, the more violent the destruction became.
Metal pipes burst.
Light fixtures exploded.
Chunks of ceiling continued raining downward.
Yet Lucien never slowed.
Not once.
Finally—
Light appeared ahead.
A second later, Lucien burst out of the corridor and into a brighter underground parking area before finally setting Scarlett down.
She staggered slightly, trying to steady her breathing.
Her heartbeat felt completely out of control.
Meanwhile, Lucien calmly surveyed the surroundings.
Police.
Lots of them.
Only then did Scarlett realize they had arrived at the active investigation scene connected to the earlier death.
But the officers nearby weren't paying attention to the crime scene anymore.
They were staring at Lucien.
Every single one of them wore the same expression.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Confusion.
They had obviously heard the terrifying collapse inside the corridor moments earlier. Even though visibility had been poor, they had still caught brief glimpses of what happened.
And those few glimpses alone had shattered their common sense.
"Jesus Christ…"
"What the hell was that guy doing?"
"Did he just run through a collapsing structure carrying someone?"
"And why isn't he even breathing hard?!"
Lucien ignored all of them completely.
His gaze immediately swept across the area.
Searching.
Then—
He found him.
Near an open police vehicle, a black mortician stood organizing equipment.
As if sensing something, the man suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met.
And instantly—
The mortician froze.
His entire body trembled violently.
Then he turned and tried to run.
But compared to Lucien, his speed meant nothing.
Two steps.
That was all he managed before Lucien grabbed his shoulder firmly.
"You know what I want to ask."
Lucien's voice was low and steady, carrying immense pressure.
The mortician visibly shook.
"You… you violated Death's rules…"
His voice trembled badly.
"It won't let you go…"
Though the man was significantly taller than Lucien, he looked utterly terrified, like prey caught before a predator.
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
So he really did know something.
"What exactly is Death?"
The mortician's breathing became uneven.
"Death… is everywhere…"
"It sees through your eyes…"
"It knows everything…"
Then suddenly—
He laughed.
A strange, almost broken laugh.
"You can't escape it… whether you accept it or reject it… Death still arrives…"
"As promised…"
The moment those words ended—
His body collapsed backward.
Dead.
Lucien's expression changed slightly.
Heart stopped.
Instant death.
Silenced.
But Lucien reacted instantly.
Spiritual Sight activated.
A faint glow flickered across his dark eyes.
For a brief second, he saw the mortician's soul separating from the body—
Then suddenly—
Something swallowed it whole.
Gone.
Vanished completely.
"Lucien!"
Scarlett hurried over anxiously.
"Did… did the lead disappear?"
Lucien didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly turned to look at her.
That calm gaze suddenly carried an overwhelming pressure Scarlett had never fully noticed before.
Her voice weakened instinctively.
"W-what is it…?"
A few seconds later, Lucien looked away again.
"Nothing."
By then, however, the surrounding officers had already begun closing in around them.
Because no matter how strange the situation looked—
Lucien Blackwood was still the last person seen touching a man who had suddenly died.