Chapter 834 – Demonic Curse Residue

Lux’s smile widened, sharp and fearless. "Don’t worry. I also will free you from the curse."

He stepped forward slowly, extending his hand toward the ancient dragon. The air between them shimmered with residual demonic energy, thick and volatile, like a storm waiting for permission to explode.

Lux could feel the weight of her presence pressing against his chest, not just physically but emotionally, a suffocating mix of rage, pain, and centuries of forced submission. It made his stomach twist in a way he didn’t outwardly acknowledge.

’Yeah... this is definitely above my usual corporate negotiations,’ he mused internally, the corner of his mouth twitching despite the tension. ’No contracts. No loopholes. Just a giant cursed dragon who might eat me. Fantastic.’

[Absorb Activated]

[Target: Demonic Curse Residue]

[Energy Transfer: Initiated]

Dark tendrils of corrupted power began to flow from the dragon’s cracked scales into Lux’s palm. The sensation was intense, like swallowing liquid fire laced with grief. His muscles tensed subtly, but his posture remained composed, almost casual, as if he were merely accepting a handshake rather than siphoning centuries of demonic corruption.

[System Notice: Demonic Energy Successfully Absorbed]

[Corruption Level: Stabilized]

The dragon roared.

Not in relief.

In agony.

Her eyes, once luminous and ancient, began to blacken, consumed by writhing shadows. The demonic curse resisted violently, reacting to Lux’s attempt to claim it. The ground trembled beneath them as her massive body convulsed.

[Critical Warning: Dragon Consciousness Destabilizing]

[Status: Madness and Rage Overriding Host Mind]

[Conclusion: Current Aggression Not Native to Dragon]

Lux’s eyes widened slightly. ’That rage... it isn’t hers.’

The dragon surged upward, roaring again, this time with a feral, mindless fury. Her gaze snapped away from Lux and locked onto Naomi, Rava, Ely, and Mira.

Lux’s stomach dropped.

"Oh no..."

He cancelled Absorb instantly and teleported.

Lux reappeared directly in front of the girls just as the dragon inhaled, her chest expanding with catastrophic power.

"ELY!" he shouted.

Flames erupted.

A torrent of draconic fire slammed into Ely’s hastily recast barrier. Lux reinforced it simultaneously, layering his own protective field over hers.

[Barrier Deployed]

[Structural integrity declining.]

Heat engulfed them. The world became a storm of fire and pressure. Lux stood firm, wings of demonic energy beginning to flicker faintly at his back as he pushed more power into the barrier.

Behind him, Rava’s eyes glowed with oceanic intensity. She thrust her arms forward.

"Tidal Wrath."

Massive vortexes of crashing water materialized, colliding with the dragon’s flames in explosive bursts of steam and force. The impact shook the chamber, buying them precious seconds.

Naomi, gripping her Greed Rapier, glanced at Mira. "I thought eastern dragons were about water!"

Mira, flames dancing along her arms, didn’t look away from the raging beast. "My ancestor could wield all five elements," she replied. "I can too."

Naomi blinked. "You should’ve told us earlier!"

The combined assault forced the dragon’s attack to subside, leaving the battlefield shrouded in mist and drifting embers.

Lux exhaled slowly, lowering his barrier. His mind raced, calculating. The curse had fully overridden her consciousness. Negotiation was no longer an option.

’Alright,’ he thought, resolve hardening. ’Then we do this the hard way.’

He muttered under his breath, voice low and decisive.

"Twin Sins Incarnate..."

[Transformation Initiated: Twin Sins Incarnate]

[All Skills Enhanced by 150%]

[Pressure Level: Demonic Lord]

Dark energy exploded outward from Lux as his body transformed. His torn shirt reshaped into sleek infernal armor that clung to his form like living metal. Black wings unfurled from his back, vast and imposing. Curved horns emerged from his temples, and a sinuous tail flicked behind him. His eyes glowed with predatory intensity, and his aura deepened into something ancient and terrifying.

When the dust settled, the girls finally saw him.

The real him.

Not the composed CFO.

Not the charming strategist.

But the demon sovereign in his full glory.

Lux glanced over his shoulder, voice calm yet commanding. "Hide. She’s already lost herself. I’ll take care of her."

There was no hesitation in his tone, only quiet confidence. The kind that made resistance feel unnecessary.

Internally, however, his emotions were a tangled mess.

’Let’s make this quick,’ he thought. ’And preferably without dying. That would be inconvenient.’

With a powerful beat of his wings, Lux lunged toward the dragon once more, demonic energy trailing behind him like a comet of shadow and flame.

The dragon met him head-on.

For something so colossal, she was terrifyingly agile. Her serpentine body twisted through the air with fluid grace, scales shimmering like fractured pearls under the dim light. Lux slashed with his twin daggers, but she coiled away at the last second, her tail whipping toward him with devastating force.

He teleported, reappearing above her head, and drove both blades downward. The strike grazed her scales, sparks of demonic energy scattering, but she rolled mid-air, snapping her jaws where he had been a heartbeat earlier.

"Fast," Lux muttered, irritation flickering across his features. ’Annoyingly fast.’

[Demonic Orbs]

Dark spheres materialized around him, humming with volatile energy. With a sharp gesture, Lux sent them hurtling toward the dragon in a chaotic barrage. The orbs bounced and ricocheted, detonating in mid-air to corner her from multiple angles.

The dragon twisted gracefully between them.

She dodged every single one.

Lux clicked his tongue. "Tch."

The last orb exploded harmlessly against the cavern wall, showering the battlefield in fading sparks. The dragon roared in defiance, eyes still consumed by cursed madness as she surged forward again.

’Alright,’ Lux thought, grin sharpening. ’Let’s make this messy.’

He spread his wings and thrust his hand downward.

"Abyssal Grasp."

The ground beneath the dragon ruptured as shadow tendrils erupted from the lower void, thick and writhing like living serpents. They shot upward with lethal precision, attempting to ensnare her massive form.

The dragon reacted instantly, spiraling upward to evade the first wave. But Lux anticipated the movement. With a flick of his wrist, the tendrils redirected mid-air, intercepting her path. Several wrapped around her midsection and tail, tightening with crushing force.

She roared, thrashing violently as the abyssal tendrils constricted, their presence inflicting waves of Terror through the curse-corrupted mind.

Lux didn’t hesitate.

He teleported directly onto her bound form.