Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation-Chapter 113: Tainted

Chapter 113 – Tainted

The object hovered for a second, then floated into his palm.

It was small. Orb-shaped. Half-cracked. A mix of black glass and softly glowing veins of gold—like a heart made of molten circuitry. It pulsed faintly in his grip.

[Artifact Obtained: Holy-Infused Fragment – Mid-Tier Variant]

[Description: Leftover essence from a divine-class summon forcibly unraveled by Sin Energy. Contains corrupted divinity.]

[Use: Consume to gain 1 Random Passive or Active Skill – Quality: Medium]

[Warning: Effects may vary. Risk of Affinity Conflict. Use with caution.]

Lux went quiet.

Like—really quiet.

His smirk didn’t return right away. His eyes didn’t sparkle with the usual mischief. He just stood there, one hand holding the cracked orb, the other still faintly glowing with residual summoning mana.

Selena turned to him, brow furrowing. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Depends," Lux said, voice lower now. Calculating. "If you think it’s a skill-granting divine carcass, then yes."

His mind kicked into overdrive.

One divine artifact? Okay. One was luck. Or chaos. Or just the System messing with probabilities for dramatic pacing.

But two?

No.

He glanced sideways at Selena.

She was still watching the orb.

And her silence? It said everything.

This wasn’t normal for her either.

He tilted his head. "You ever seen something like this? Like... showing up after the fight?"

"No," she answered slowly. "Holy fragments don’t linger after summoned echoes die. Not unless..."

"Unless what?"

"...unless the realm thinks it owes you something."

Lux let out a long, quiet breath.

Or, more likely...

Unless something inside him was pulling these things in.

The Seraph Limitbreaker Core.

He remembered the feeling when he consumed it. That divine pulse. The way the light bent toward him like it recognized him. That wasn’t just a buff—it was a beacon.

Lux slipped the orb into his inventory. It pulsed once before fading from view.

[Item Stored: Holy-Infused Fragment]

[Potential Trigger: Use at Safe Point Only]

"Okay," he muttered. "Now I’m a magnet for divine leftovers. Neat."

Selena was still staring at him. Not judgmentally. Not hostile. Just... curious.

"I noticed," she said, eyeing him up and down. "You’ve also attracted a lot of trouble." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"I also attracted you," he teased, voice velvet smooth.

She rolled her eyes, but a hint of pink hit her cheeks again.

They turned back toward the glowing path.

The wind had calmed.

The snowfall was thin now, almost delicate—like the dimension itself was pausing. Taking a breath.

Down below, the staircase pulsed faintly, each step lined with scripture written in a language Lux almost understood.

The air was still thick with residual energy. Lust. Judgement. Madness.

But ahead?

Was mystery.

And probably more trauma.

And Lux?

Lux just smiled.

He stepped forward first. His wings folded. Hands in his pockets. Heart still echoing with quiet calculations.

Selena followed. Sword at her side. Eyes sharp.

Her heels clicked softly against the runes etched into the descending path. The stone beneath them felt ancient—older than the Underworld, maybe even older than the first wars between the realms.

Whatever came next—

They were already too deep in to back out.

The staircase twisted. Narrowed.

Then widened again into a new chamber.

Cold mist clung low across the floor. The runes gave way to bare, untouched marble, cracked in places, but still humming with sealed power.

The air felt heavier. Not like snow this time. More like... weight. Divine pressure that rolled over the skin and whispered quietly against the bones.

And then—

The voice came.

It wasn’t loud.

Not at first.

Just a slow hiss.

Like a wind that had forgotten how to be wind.

Then—

"You shouldn’t be here."

Selena froze mid-step.

"You’re the one who invited me." Lux didn’t stop. He kept walking, boots silent.

"Filthy demon. Spawn of vice. You stink of Lust and Greed. You carry poison in your blood and corruption in your breath."

The chamber didn’t echo normally.

Instead, it absorbed sound. Like every insult was fed back into the walls and scraped across their souls on the way out.

"The Underworld should stay buried."

Lux tilted his head a little. Still calm. Still quiet.

His face unreadable. A faint smile still on his lips. But his eyes?

They flicked once. Focused.

"You don’t belong here, Vaelthorn."

The voice twisted now. It wasn’t one voice anymore.

It was many. Layered. Male. Female. Echoing and overlapping like a choir fed through broken mirrors.

"The heavens made a mistake. The angels who honored you were tricked. Fooled by your manipulations. By your pheromones. Your lies."

Selena’s eyes burned.

She stepped in front of Lux this time.

"No," she snapped. "He earned their respect. He earned their recognition. I was there. I watched him fight. I watched him suffer. He works hard. I watched him negotiate to care about—"

"You were seduced." The voice bit down. "Like all the others. Weak-willed. Tainted by your own envy."

Selena’s knuckles turned white around the hilt of her sword.

"Say that again," she growled.

Lux, behind her, was silent.

But he wasn’t idle.

He used the distraction.

He glanced around the chamber—the patterns, the resonance, the slight vibration in the soles of his boots. Something was here. Something stronger than that centaur abomination.

He could feel it.

It wasn’t making itself obvious.

Which meant it was either ancient—or smart.

Or both.

He ducked behind a broken column.

"System," he whispered, "Search. Focus on hidden divine signatures. Active or dormant."

[Searching...]

[Calibrating against Seraph Core Interference...]

[Estimated Time: 9 seconds]

Selena hadn’t moved. She was still facing the phantom voices. Her cloak fluttered slightly in the cold air, but her posture didn’t waver.

"He didn’t manipulate anyone," she said. "They saw what he could do. What he was willing to risk. You don’t get offered a celestial pardon for being charming. You get it for bleeding on the battlefield until the realm has to notice."

"Demons don’t change."

"Demonkind is rot."

"You defend filth because your soul is already stained."

Selena flinched. Just barely. But Lux saw it from the corner of his eye.

That one got under her skin.

And still—he didn’t speak.

He crouched lower, his fingers brushing the floor. There—subtle scratch marks in the marble. Circular. Ritualistic. Something had been summoned here. Or maybe... anchored.

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