Lux smirked and tilted his head slightly.

"Cause apparently…" he muttered lazily, "not being dangerous for a demon is a big problem."

Six faintly glowing fragments hovered where each assassin had fallen. Crystalline, pulsing softly with residual sovereign energy. Authority shards. Enforcement relics. Compressed combat attributes encoded into physical form.

Yue glanced at him sideways.

He extended both hands.

The fragments trembled.

Lux's lips curved.

"Consume."

The crystals snapped toward him simultaneously.

They didn't shatter on contact.

They dissolved.

Streams of dark-gold light flowed directly into his chest, into his core. Not violent this time. Not explosive.

Assimilative.

Lux inhaled slowly as the energy integrated, folding neatly into his internal structure.

[Additional Physical Attack +3%. Total +15%]

[Strength Modifier Increased.]

[Authority Tolerance Improved.]

Lux exhaled quietly.

The pain in his muscles eased slightly as the new energy redistributed, reinforcing rather than overloading. Sovereign residue no longer clawed at him. It settled.

He flexed his fingers once.

Better.

Behind him, Yue watched carefully.

He could feel it.

That look.

Not suspicious.

Not hostile.

Curious.

Like he was a puzzle she wasn't sure she wanted to solve yet.

Lux reached into his dimensional storage without looking.

Pulled out his jacket.

The one that had been ruined earlier.

Still wearable.

He stepped toward her.

Not dramatically.

Not flirtatiously.

Just calmly.

He draped it over her shoulders gently.

It hung slightly oversized on her frame, the dark fabric contrasting sharply against silver hair and pale skin.

"It's better than walking around naked," he said lightly.

Yue blinked once.

Slowly.

As if that small gesture was more confusing than the battle.

Her golden eyes lingered on him.

"You fought me without hesitation," she said quietly. "And now you offer me your coat."

Lux shrugged faintly.

"You were temporarily homicidal."

A pause.

"You're currently not."

The corner of her lips twitched.

"You are inconsistent."

"I prefer adaptable."

He turned away before the silence between them grew heavier than necessary.

"Take a rest," he added casually. "You've been chained for half a millennium. You're allowed to feel dizzy."

Her gaze followed him.

Still studying.

Still calculating.

Lux turned toward the others. And cringed internally.

Because every single one of them was staring.

Not battlefield-alert staring.

Not tactical staring.

They were watching.

Like this was prime-time entertainment.

Mira sat cross-legged on a rock.

With sunflower seeds.

Actually munching them.

Like a small, elegant hamster enjoying drama.

Lux blinked slowly.

"…What."

Rava leaned slightly toward Naomi.

"Done already?" she said loudly, pretending to whisper. "I'm shocked. I thought we were about to witness a lemon scene here."

Naomi elbowed her.

"Rava!"

"What?" Rava shrugged. "Five hundred year old dragon, handsome demon, intense eye contact. It was lining up."

Lux stared at them.

Blank.

Then slowly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm an incubus," he said flatly, "but I have common sense."

Mira popped another seed into her mouth.

"Shame," she mumbled between crunches. "The tension was building."

Yue blinked again.

She looked from Lux…

To the girls…

Then back to Lux.

"…Lemon scene?" she asked cautiously.

Lux refused to dignify that.

"We are in a sacred place," he continued firmly. "Not a honeymoon suite."

Naomi nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Exactly. Sacred place. Respectful. But you are Greed and Lust."

She paused.

Then looked at him.

"Wait. You said Greed."

Lux's smirk returned slowly.

"And Lust?" she pressed.

He spread his wings slightly, tail swaying lazily.

"Surprise, surprise."

Naomi's eyes lit up.

"That explains a lot."

Rava snorted. "It explains everything."

Mira tilted her head. "He is a double sin package. Buy 1 Get 1."

Lux glanced at her. "Please don't phrase it like that. It made me sound like I was on sale."

Yue's expression remained unreadable.

But there was something there.

Amusement.

Ely finally stepped forward, adjusting her staff against her shoulder.

"Anyway," she said calmly, "we should leave before someone else decides to test their mortality."

Lux nodded once.

"Right."

He extended his hand.

Space rippled.

The portal opened like silk being pulled apart, smooth and obedient to his will. Warm light spilled through first followed by the faint scent of polished wood, expensive liquor, and something unmistakably his.

Home.

They stepped through one by one, boots touching marble instead of ancient stone. The shift was immediate. No more suffocating pressure. No more blood and thunder.

Just luxury.

Just control.

Lux exhaled softly as the portal closed behind them.

His mansion stood quiet, elegant, almost indifferent to the chaos they had just walked out of. Sunlight filtered through massive glass windows, painting the floor in soft gold. Everything here felt… civilized.

Too civilized for what he currently looked like.

Mira glanced around, then back at him.

"I thought we were going to the dragon mansion first," she said. "My family's place."

Lux raised a brow.

"You want me to meet your family like this?"

He gestured to himself.

Wings still spread slightly behind him. Horns curved. Armor clinging to his body like a second skin. The faint glow of demonic power still pulsing beneath the surface.

And yeah… blood.

Still on his cheek.

Still very much not "polite family visit" material.

Mira stared at him for a second.

Then huffed.

"…Right."

Lux's smirk returned faintly, slow and knowing.

"Also," he added, glancing sideways, "don't forget—"

His gaze shifted to Yue.

The jacket still hung over her shoulders.

But it was just a jacket.

Nothing underneath.

"She's still naked."

Silence.

A very specific kind of silence.

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose.

"…Fine."

She turned immediately, grabbing Yue's wrist gently but firmly.

"You. With me."

Yue blinked once, looking down at herself as if only now realizing that yes… this was, in fact, a situation.

"I see."

Rava snorted.

Naomi coughed into her hand, failing to hide her grin.

Lux looked away.

Very deliberately.

'Focus,' he told himself. 'You are injured. You are tired. You are not thinking about—'

He absolutely was.

Mira glanced back once.

"You," she said, pointing at Lux, "bath. Now."

Lux raised both hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"And don't pass out halfway."

Lux smirked.

"I won't."

Lux watched them go for a second longer than necessary.

Yue didn't look back.

But he had a feeling she knew he was watching.

Of course she did.

He turned away finally, wings retracting slowly, demonic form beginning to settle, but not fully.

Not yet.

His body still hummed with residual power.

Still ached.

Still… alive in a way that was hard to describe.