Chapter 847 – Fake Rumors [Part 3]

He turned his gaze back toward the chamber, toward the absence of Yue Xianlong.

Toward the lingering residue.

Toward the possibility.

"The one who killed her already devoured her..."

Kaelmor repeated the line quietly.

Then his eyes shifted.

Not physically.

But mentally.

Back toward the mortal realm.

Toward music.

Toward lights.

Toward a certain demon standing in a nightclub, laughing, drinking, surrounded by noise and distraction.

Lux Vaelthorn.

Kaelmor’s lips curved faintly again.

"Now the question is..." he said softly,

"...was that you?"

Because it could be.

The precision.

The efficiency.

The timing.

All of it aligned.

And yet...

The Abyss Lords had appeared.

Not rumors.

Not whispers.

Actual presence.

Mocking.

Accusing.

Reacting.

Which meant... Either Lux had orchestrated something far more elaborate than expected...

Or.

Kaelmor’s eyes darkened slightly.

"...there’s something else moving."

He stepped back toward the portal, the tear in space still waiting obediently.

He stepped through.

Sound hit him first.

Loud.

Chaotic.

Alive.

Music pounded through the air in rhythmic waves, bass vibrating through the floor, through the walls, through the very bones of the building. Lights flashed in rapid bursts, neon, gold, crimson, painting everything in shifting color and illusion.

The mortal realm.

A nightclub.

Kaelmor emerged just outside the entrance, the portal sealing behind him without a trace. For a moment, he simply stood there, hands resting casually behind his back, posture relaxed as if he belonged in no place and every place at once.

Then he felt it.

Greed.

Not subtle.

Not hidden.

Thick.

Heavy.

Like perfume spilled too generously across a room.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"There you are."

He stepped forward.

The bouncer moved immediately, a large man with a rigid stance and trained instinct.

"Hey— hold on, you can’t just—"

Kaelmor stopped in front of him.

Didn’t raise his voice.

Didn’t shift his posture.

He simply looked at him.

Eyes meeting eyes.

A second passed.

Then another.

The bouncer’s expression... softened.

Blanked.

His shoulders dropped slightly, tension dissolving like it had never existed.

"VIP entrance," the man muttered quietly, stepping aside.

Kaelmor inclined his head just a fraction.

"Thank you."

And walked in.

Inside was worse.

Or better.

Depending on one’s perspective.

Bodies pressed together. Laughter spilling between strangers. Hands moving without permission or consequence. Money exchanging faster than thought. Desire, indulgence, distraction, all wrapped in a single, overwhelming atmosphere.

Kaelmor moved through it untouched.

No one stopped him.

No one questioned him.

Not because they saw authority, but because their minds quietly decided he belonged.

His gaze swept the room once.

Then found him.

Lux Vaelthorn.

Kaelmor slowed.

Just slightly.

Because what he saw...

Didn’t match.

Lux sat sprawled across a low lounge seat, posture loose, almost careless. His shirt was half-open, wrinkled beyond recovery. The zipper of his pants hung undone, his overall appearance teetering on the edge of completely disheveled.

Around him...

Chaos.

Wine spilled across the table. Bottles scattered, some empty, some tipped over. Money, actual stacks of it, littered the floor like confetti.

Three women pressed close to him, laughing, clinging, feeding into the atmosphere he created.

And Lux?

He looked...

Wasted.

Head tilted back slightly, eyes half-lidded, grin loose and unfocused.

"C’mon," he slurred, waving a hand lazily as another handful of bills scattered into the air. "Give me something worth watching..."

The crowd around him cheered.

Encouraged.

Fed the moment.

"I’ll give you another million!" Lux added loudly, voice cutting through the noise just enough to draw even more attention.

Cheers erupted.

The energy spiked.

Kaelmor watched.

Silently.

Still.

Analyzing.

Because this...

This was too much.

Too loud.

Too obvious.

Too indulgent.

At least for Lux’s standard. Not for lust demon standard. But Lux... although he was also a lust, he acted more like a greed.

"...A mask?" he murmured under his breath.

His gaze sharpened.

He felt it.

That was the problem.

This wasn’t an illusion.

This wasn’t a construct.

The presence, Greed, raw and unmistakable, was real.

That was Lux.

Not a copy.

Not a projection.

The real Lux Vaelthorn.

And yet...

"...This?" Kaelmor whispered faintly.

Lux laughed again, louder this time, throwing his arm around one of the women as if the world itself existed only for his entertainment.

The crowd leaned in.

Closer.

Hungrier.

One of the dancers climbed onto the table, movements slow, deliberate, designed to capture every eye in the room. The crowd roared in approval, feeding into the spectacle.

Kaelmor didn’t blink.

Didn’t react.

He simply watched.

And thought.

Because if this was real.

If Lux was truly here.

Then...

"...The mountain," Kaelmor murmured softly.

Yue’s absence.

Varus’s death.

The Abyss Lords.

All of it...

Unaccounted for.

His eyes darkened just slightly.

"So it wasn’t you..."

The conclusion formed.

Not fully accepted.

But... possible.

Lux raised his voice again, laughing, reckless.

"Yeah! That’s it! C’mon, give me a show worth the money! Show me some boobs and p*ssies!"

The crowd chanted.

Louder.

Faster.

The entire room pulsed with it.

Kaelmor’s fingers twitched once.

Then...

He snapped.

Silence.

Absolute.

The music stopped mid-beat.

Lights froze mid-flash.

Bodies locked in place, expressions suspended, movements cut cleanly as if time itself had been severed.

The entire nightclub...

Paused. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Only one thing moved.

Lux.

He blinked.

Slowly.

Confusion flickering across his features as his gaze shifted around him, trying to process the sudden stillness.

"...Huh?" he muttered, voice no longer slurred in quite the same way.

Kaelmor stepped forward.

Unhurried.

Untouched by the frozen world around him.

He moved through the crowd like a ghost, passing between suspended figures, over spilled drinks that hung mid-air, past laughter that would never finish.

Until he reached Lux.

And sat.

Right beside him.

Close enough.

Casual enough.

As if they were simply two men sharing a quiet moment in the middle of chaos.

Kaelmor crossed one leg over the other, resting his elbow lightly against the back of the seat.

Then he smiled.

Warm.

Pleasant.

Dangerous.

"Well," he said lightly, voice smooth and conversational, "this is... disappointing."

Lux turned his head slowly.

Eyes focusing.

Clarity returning in fragments.