<h4>Chapter 17: Viin Simtor, Ch 17</h4>


    [Your "dear friend," the Lion of Light, Arundolyn, directly announced your judgment: you would be publicly beheaded by Rostam''s former disciple, Rnd. As Rnd raised his blood-stained ck sword, and as the crowd''s curses and insults filled the air, your choice is...]


    [1. ept death]


    [2. Resist death]


    Even the normally mild-mannered Lucas couldn''t help but feel a surge of anger.


    Was he truly evil?


    After all, all he had done was experiment on corpses that were already dead. Aside from the mad doctor who destroyed his hometown, Lucas had never killed anyone.


    And those "evil" medical experiments hadn''t brought him any personal gain; they had only cursed him with a future devoid of descendants.


    Now, the very people he had protected were more eager to take his life than the monsters he had fought.


    "I choose... the second option," a hint of bloodlust flickered in Lucas''s eyes. "Also, I want to enter immersive mode."


    Some things were better handled personally.


    [Very well]


    Lucas''s reaction seemed to please the simtor.


    [Entering immersive mode]


    As he opened his eyes, Lucas was hit by an overwhelming stench. His vision was blurred by filth, and his ears were filled with a cacophony of insults.


    "Master Rostam..." Rnd, holding the ck sword, looked at you with hatred and shouted, "I will avenge you!"


    But just as the sharp de was about to sever Lucas''s head, he coldlymanded, "Execute order: Extermination mode. Target... all visible beings."


    As soon as the words left his mouth, the chained corpse of Rostam below the tform suddenly lifted its head. Its eyes, forever open due to the loss of eyelids, began to glow with a crimson light.


    With a sudden burst of strength, Rostam''s muscles swelled, and with a sharp snap, he broke free from the chains. The nearby Knights of Favonius, who were guarding him, had no time to react before Rostam snatched their swords from their waists.


    They didn''t stand a chance. In an instant, Rostam beheaded them. After all, the very "Favonius Swordsmanship" they prided themselves on had been created by the horrifying corpse warrior standing before them.


    Now, this former hero of Mondstadt, Wolf Pup Rostam, had be Lucas''s most loyal knight.


    With a powerful leap, Rostam jumped onto the execution tform, intercepting Rnd''s sword with his own.


    Even though Rostam''s face was now unrecognizable, the familiar swordsmanship left Rnd stunned.


    "Master..." Rnd''s voice trembled as he looked at the familiar yet foreign figure before him. "I''m Rnd, your most loyal disciple..."


    But Rostam no longer recognized anyone. His only purpose was to protect his master behind him and carry out the orders given to him.


    Without a word, Rostam swung his sword, aiming to sever Rnd''s head. Just as it was about tond, a massive figure stepped in front of him, blocking the blow with a greatsword.


    The man wore armor adorned with a silver lion, his hand holding both a greatsword and a longsword—the current captain of the Knights of Favonius, Arundolyn.


    "He''s no longer the Rostam you once knew."


    Arundolyn pushed Rostam back with a forceful swing, causing the undead knight to retreat a few steps, positioning himself between Lucas and his enemies. Then, with a swift sh, he severed the chains binding Lucas.


    "Do you still n to resist?" Arundolyn''s piercing gaze fell upon Lucas, as sharp as a sword. "If you surrender now, I can promise you... a dignified death."


    "I return your words to you, unchanged." Lucas pressed his fingers into his face, slowly tearing open a gash, ripping off the decaying skin he had worn for years. "Let me leave with Rosalyne, or I will turn Mondstadt into a true hell."


    "Stop dreaming!" Arundolyn snarled, teeth clenched. "Do you think Rosalyne would follow a monster like you? Today, I, Arundolyn the Lion of Light, will avenge my fallen friend."


    "It seems... negotiations have failed."


    As Lucas''s words fell, he ripped off the "mask" he had worn for years.


    The pain was excruciating, but in a twisted way, it was also liberating.


    Starting today, I no longer need to live under someone else''s name...


    Seeing this eerie and grotesque sight, even Arundolyn, who had seen much in his life, couldn''t help but mutter in shock, "What... are you?"


    "My name is Lucas," he smiled, his expression stretching unnaturally. "The greatest doctor in the world, the first person on Teyvat to conquer death."


    "You''re nothing but a madman!" Arundolyn roared, charging forward with both swords swinging. Though he didn''t wield a Vision, his natural talent and effort had ced him at the pinnacle of strength.


    Yet, once again, Rostam blocked his strike.


    If there was anyone in Mondstadt who could match Arundolyn, it would be the "Wolf Pup" Rostam.


    "Yes, I''m a madman. But before that, all I wanted was to be a doctor, saving lives. All I wanted was to protect more people, to defeat death..." Lucas''s shoulders shook as heughed like a wild beast. "But there was no ce for me in this world. So today, I will embrace my madness... Arise, my servants!"


    "It''s useless!" Arundolyn growled coldly. "All those abominations you created have been destroyed."


    "Oh?" Lucas chuckled. "Are you sure about that?"


    As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud crack echoed across the square. A hand emerged from the ground, followed by more cracks as undead warriors began crawling out of the earth.


    "Wha... what is this?" Arundolyn''s face filled with disbelief.


    "This is a defensive mechanism I established in secret, to be used as Mondstadt''sst line of defense in case monsters breached the gates. I call it ''Premature Burial,''" Lucas said calmly. "Captain, you don''t want to see Mondstadt turn into a hellscape, do you?"


    Sure enough, the undead army began obeying Lucas''smand,unching an indiscriminate massacre on the people of Mondstadt.


    The ordinary citizens stood no chance against the powerful undead. They screamed, begged for mercy, ran in terror, and died.


    "How could you do this..." Arundolyn''s body trembled with rage. "These people are innocent!"


    "No one is innocent," Lucas sneered. "They brought this upon themselves."


    "You irredeemable viin!"


    Unable to contain his fury any longer, Rnd raised his ck sword and charged at Lucas again. "As long as I kill you, this will all end!"


    But Lucas made no move to dodge. He merely watched the young knight with cold indifference as he rushed forward.


    If it weren''t for Rnd, perhaps his "crimes" wouldn''t have been exposed so soon.


    Yet, Lucas bore no hatred toward him.


    "Rnd! Look out!" Arundolyn''s warning came toote. Just before Rnd reached Lucas, a sharp de pierced his back, thrusting through his chest.


    Turning slowly, Rnd''s eyes widened in shock.


    The one who had run him through... was none other than his revered master, Rostam.


    "M-Master..." Dark blood spilled from the young knight''s mouth, and his body copsed like a broken puppet.


    But momentster, Rnd''s "corpse" began to rise, contorting unnaturally as it stood up.


    His now pale, expressionless face showed no emotion. He knelt before Lucas like the most loyal of knights.


    Not only that, but the Mondstadt citizens in by the undead began to rise as well, joining the ever-growing undead army.


    "Wh... what is this?" For the first time, Arundolyn, the fearless Lion of Light, showed a glimmer of despair. "What have you done?"


    "I merely removed a few restrictions," Lucas said as he patted Rnd''s shoulder. "Once you realize your own strength... you are invincible."


    Indeed, Lucas had underestimated his own power for too long.


    While he knew nothing of swordsmanship andcked a Vision, his mastery over resurrection and modifying corpses gave him the power tomand an army that could never be defeated.


    The ughter continued.


    The already depleted Knights of Favonius stood no chance against the formidable undead army. Even the mighty Arundolyn, facing thebined forces of Rostam and Rnd, began to falter.


    Everything Lucas had once cherished and protected was now being destroyed by hismand.


    Yet, as he watched the hellish scene before him, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace, as though this was what he was meant to do.


    "What... what are you doing?"


    A familiar voice behind him made Lucas turn. There stood his wife, Rosalyne, gazing at him with aplex mixture of emotions.


    Even after all that had happened, Rosalyne remained the most important person in Lucas''s life.


    "Rosalyne... my Rosalyne..."


    Now, only in front of Rosalyne did Lucas''s face show a final trace of warmth. Hesitantly, he said, "Let me exin, actually, I..."


    At this moment, Lucas wouldn''t blink even if he had to destroy the entire city of Mondstadt.


    Yet, in front of Rosalyne, the "lord" of the undead army appeared like a child who had done something wrong.


    His gaze instinctively shifted to the shattered ss window not far away. Reflected in it was a face that was beyond recognition.


    It was neither the resolute face of Rostam nor the handsome visage of Lucas.


    It was a hideous, indescribable chaos, something no one dared to look at directly.


    Would Rosalyne still ept him like this?


    If she knew the truth, she would surely hate him with all her heart, right?


    After all, in everyone''s eyes, he was the "viin" who had betrayed Rostam and stolen his identity.


    This viin not only caused Rostam''s death but also took his ce, bing Rosalyne''s husband and marrying her.


    To Lucas''s surprise, a bitter smile suddenly appeared on Rosalyne''s face. She softly said, "You don''t need to exin—I know that you are not Rostam, you are Lucas... I''ve known this for a long time."


    "W-What?" Lucas was momentarily stunned by her words. He stammered, "H-How did you know?"


    Hadn''t his disguise fooled everyone?


    Arundolyn, Rnd, the Knights of Favonius, the citizens of Mondstadt—none of them had noticed any ws. How could Rosalyne have known?


    "Rostam once gave me an hourss to measure the time until I returned from Sumeru," Rosalyne sighed softly. "That hourss had a special magic, reflecting Rostam''s condition... One day, it suddenly shattered, and I knew that something terrible had happened to him."


    Lucas realized she wasn''t lying. This type of magic—able to reflect the condition of its owner—was one of the innovations he had created back when he was a doctor.


    It was simr to the "Vivre Cards" from One Piece: if the enchanted object was damaged, it meant its owner had suffered harm.


    Lucas had never imagined that, after all his meticulous nning, it would be one of his own creations that exposed him.


    He thought Rosalyne would now unleash her hatred on him. But instead, she said calmly, "So, I rushed back to Mondstadt. To my surprise, you appeared unharmed on the podium during the award ceremony. When you proposed to me, I was even more certain you weren''t Rostam because Rostam... never looked at me with such deep affection."


    "I''m sorry... I..."


    Throughout everything he had done, Lucas had never once apologized. He had always believed that his actions were justified—that the world simply couldn''t understand him.


    He never felt the need to apologize, nor did he think he owed one.


    But in front of Rosalyne, for the first time, Lucas felt a sense of guilt.


    "You don''t need to apologize. Everything that''s happened... was my own choice. I knew the real Rostam was gone, but I didn''t want to ept it. So, I chose to ept you instead."


    Tears began to well in Rosalyne''s eyes as she continued, "I lied to myself, telling myself that you were Rostam. I knew it was all fake, but the lie was so beautiful. You yed the lyre for me while I sang, you held me every night... And then one day, I realized something. It didn''t matter if you were Rostam or not... because I had already fallen in love with you."


    When you fall in love with someone, does it really matter who they are?


    With those words, Rosalyne walked up to Lucas, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle embrace.


    "Thank you, Rosalyne..." Lucas''s voice was choked with emotion. "Don''t worry, no one can separate us now. I''ll create a new world—one where it''s just you and me."


    This wasn''t a fantasy. With his undead army, Lucas could tten Mondstadt in three days, and conquering all of Teyvat wasn''t out of the question.


    "Let''s stop here," Rosalyne whispered softly in his ear. "You''ve already made too many mistakes... But don''t worry, I''ll stay with you... forever."


    What?


    Lucas hadn''t yet processed the meaning behind her words when he suddenly felt an overwhelming heat spreading through his body.


    Rosalyne... was burning!


    No, rather than burning, it was as if Rosalyne had be the me itself.


    And as she held him in her embrace, Lucas too was consumed by the fire.


    So... this is how it ends?


    -------


    Author''s Note: Wow I didnt expect this to turn so dark xD...


    GIVE POWAHSTONES CUZ THE PLOT HAS JUST STARTED THICKENING!!!