Chapter 17 – Not An Apocalypse Shifts
The blow sent the angel hurtling back into the clouds like a divine cannonball.
The crunch it made as it vanished into the fog?
Deeply satisfying.
"I don't do apocalypse shifts, you feathered morons!" Lux shouted after it. "I'm on vacation!"
The other two moved—synchronized, precise.
Their formation closed in instantly. One swept wide. The other came up from above, spear pulled back for a thrust aimed straight at Lux's throat.
"Of course you're going full crusade on me," Lux muttered. "Typical."
He flicked his hand.
Twin weapons materialized in a burst of black-gold sparks and rippling crimson mist.
[Weapon Manifestation – Twin Blades of Sin]
[Greed Blade (Devorare) – Lust Blade (Amare)]
Lux spun them once in his hands, letting the weight settle, letting the energy flare. He bared his teeth in a grin—wild, unhinged, excited.
"Alright then."
"I'm clocked in."
Above, the sky cracked open—light bleeding through the seams like something ancient had decided to wake up.
[Skill Activated: Agility]
[Effect: Movement Speed +140%, Attack Speed +80%]
[Speed Multiplier: x2.4]
The space around Lux blurred.
He vanished in a blink.
Reappeared behind the second angel mid-lunge, blades already swinging. Devorare scraped across the edge of the angel's armor with a shriek of metal-on-hate.
The angel reacted fast—but not fast enough.
Lux teleported again.
-Blink!
Above.
He dropped feet-first onto the angel's shoulder, used it like a launchpad, and spun into a downward slice that the third angel barely blocked in time.
"Little tip," Lux said, landing hard on a summoned rune platform midair. "Next time you want to erase someone, maybe ask why they're here first?"
The angel didn't respond.
"Fine," Lux muttered. "Silent treatment it is."
The air sang as he flicked both blades outward and dove in.
They clashed again—violent, brutal.
He weaved through their attacks like smoke, blades flashing in arcs of gold and red.
One angel tried to intercept him mid-spin, but Lux ducked low and flicked Amare upward, dragging it along the inside of the angel's arm and sending divine sparks across the false sky.
They backed off. Recalibrated.
Lux hovered, breathing steady. His wings fanned wide again, shadow breaking across the glowing barrier like water meeting crystal.
He might've spent most of his life buried in infernal spreadsheets and balancing soul ledgers, but hell—he was still a spawn of Greed.
And in Hell, negotiation wasn't always about smirks and loopholes. Sometimes, it was about dueling in blood-soaked circles where each signature was carved with blades, not ink. Sometimes, the only way to make a deal work was to break a few bones first.
If you couldn't fight, you couldn't lead.
If you lost, your leverage died with you.
So Lux learned.
Not in academies. Not in war colleges.
But in boardrooms where contracts were rigged to explode.
In alleys between departments where rival syndicates fought to erase evidence.
In private dueling rings under volcanic skylights where demons wagered kingdoms for one more clause.
He didn't fight like a soldier.
He fought like a negotiator with something to prove.
Fast. Precise. Brutal when needed.
Because for someone like him—losing was never an option.
"In Hell, a contract doesn't mean shit unless you've proven you're the bigger bastard at the table."
[Your swagger is peaking. Please don't start monologuing.]
Lux smirked to himself. Too late.
He vanished again, this time reappearing just behind the third angel, dragging both blades across the back of its leg plates. The angel stumbled, and Lux kicked off its shoulder and flipped backward midair.
The angel whipped around, thrusting— Lux teleported through the blow.
Flash. Left side. Flash. Above. Flash. Directly in front.
Devorare struck dead center against the spear's haft—then Amare hooked underneath, wrenching it sideways. He moved in, elbowed the angel in the helm, and kicked it into the second one just as it tried to flank.
They slammed together and tumbled midair.
Lux twirled once, mid-hover, then cracked his neck.
"Feels good to stretch."
Suddenly—WHUMMMM.
The sound of charging power hit his senses.
The third angel—recovered and rising—was holding its spear up, light gathering along its edges.
Lux's eyes narrowed. "Oh. That's a divine charge. Nice."
[System Notification: Divine Impact Incoming – Estimated 3 Seconds]
[Recommended Response: Teleportation or Shield Skill Activation]
"I'll take door number three," Lux muttered.
He darted forward, blades flashing. The angel launched its attack— but Lux teleported above the arc.
The blast tore through empty space, ripping open a white-hot wound in the sky below.
Lux came down like a meteor.
He didn't swing to kill. Not yet. Just enough to slam the flat of the greed blade into the angel's chest and send him crashing into the barrier's edge.
Crack. Web-like fractures bloomed across the golden walls of the realm.
Lux hovered again, breathing deep.
"Last warning," he said, voice colder now. "I'm not here to start a war. I'm here to enjoy overpriced wine and maybe get a tan."
The angels paused.
No one moved.
Their helms tilted—an unspoken shift in energy, like something had clicked behind the blank masks. Recognition? Confusion? Or just hesitation?
Then one of them finally spoke.
"You're the Spawn of Greed," it said. The voice was distorted, but male. Measured.
"Yeah," Lux replied. "Vacation mode. Mostly harmless unless provoked. Which—" he gestured to the cratered angel still climbing out of the sky, "—you did."
"This realm is under observation," the angel said.
Lux rolled his eyes. "You don't say."
"You are flagged for irregular celestial descent. Hell-registered magic signature. Recent divine-demonic resonance."
Lux blinked. "Translation: You detected me using incubus magic and assumed I was doing crime."
"Yes."
He threw up both hands. "I was having sex, not opening a rift!"
A pause.
A long, awkward, holy pause.
"…We detected a powerful bond signature—"
"Oh, for hell's sake." Lux dragged a hand down his face. "You guys seriously need to recalibrate your filters."
"Then… you deny intent to dominate the mortal plane?"
Lux's face went deadpan. "I literally bought a house. That's it. I bought a house and drank champagne."
"…and a bank, accidentally," he muttered under his breath.