Chapter 1055: There is Something Wrong with Your Logic

Chapter 1055 – There is Something Wrong with Your Logic

The entire tower groaned.

A deep, ancient sound rolled out from within the stone, so low it seemed to come from under their feet rather than above them. The silver grass bent outward in a circle. Vines snapped against the wall. Dust spilled from the narrow windows like the tower was exhaling after holding its breath for centuries.

Adrian stepped back.

Naomi did not.

Lux’s eyes sharpened. "Sovereign Absorb," he used his skill.

Naomi’s head snapped toward him. "You said you were going to investigate first?"

Lux smirked without looking away from the tower. "I am."

"That is not investigating."

"It is very aggressive investigating."

"Lux," she frowned.

"If it refuses me, she doesn’t want me," Lux said calmly. "If she accepts me, then the tower is gone and she is free."

Naomi stared at him.

Adrian’s expression looked like a man listening to someone explain surgery using gambling terminology. "There is something wrong with your logic," Adrian said sharply.

Lux’s fingers dug harder against the stone. "No."

The tower trembled again.

Harder.

This time, the ground shook with it.

Naomi staggered one step, and Lux’s tail almost manifested on instinct before he suppressed it. The grass around the tower flattened as a ripple of pressure burst outward. The sky dimmed for half a breath, not by cloud but by old magic rising from the earth like smoke.

Lux’s system flared violently in front of him.

[Warning: Target Entity Reacting]

[Emotional Core: Rage Escalation]

[Hostility Direction: Omnidirectional]

[Hostility Target: Anything / Everything / Unknown Trigger Memory]

[Clarification: She is not angry at you specifically.]

[Additional Clarification: This does not improve safety.]

The stone under Lux’s palm burned cold.

Then hot.

Then neither.

A sensation crawled up his arm like hundreds of old contracts being shredded at once.

Lux’s jaw tightened. "She’s mad," he murmured.

Naomi swallowed. "At you?"

"No." His eyes narrowed. "At anything. Everything."

Another tremor split through the field.

Adrian grabbed Naomi’s arm instinctively, trying to pull her back. "Naomi, move."

Naomi resisted. "Lux—"

The tower roared. This time, it was not stone.

It was a voice buried under stone. No words. Only rage.

The windows flashed white from inside, then red, then black. Carved lines along the tower wall lit one by one, revealing a web of demonic symbols layered beneath centuries of weathering. They were not decorative marks. They were bindings. Compression marks. Instructions carved into reality.

Lux’s eyes went cold.

"Calm down," he said, voice low but carrying through the tremor. "I’m not him."

The tower shook harder.

A crack split across the wall near his hand.

Lux did not move. "I’m a bastard, yes," he continued. "But I’m not him. I’m not whoever trapped you here."

The tremor paused.

Only for a breath.

Then the tower screamed again.

This time, the ground cracked.

Naomi rushed toward Lux. "Lux!"

Adrian caught her wrist. "No!"

Naomi struggled. "Let go!"

Lux glanced back once.

Naomi’s eyes met his.

Fear.

Not of him.

For him.

That small difference warmed something inside his chest even as ancient curse energy tried to chew through his arm.

He smiled.

And with his free hand, he snapped his fingers.

[Barrier]

A dark translucent dome erupted around Naomi and Adrian, throwing Adrian backward but cushioning the impact before he hit the grass. Naomi struck the barrier from inside with both hands.

"Lux!"

The barrier held. Gold and black veins ran through it, reinforced by Greed authority.

Adrian pushed himself up, stunned, then grabbed Naomi by the shoulders. "Stop! You can’t go out there!"

Naomi turned on him with bright furious eyes. "He’s out there!"

Lux looked over his shoulder. His smile was infuriatingly calm. "Don’t worry."

The tower cracked again behind him.

A chunk of stone fell from high above and smashed into the ground beside him, exploding into dust and razor fragments.

Lux did not flinch. "I got this."

Naomi looked like she wanted to kill him for saying that.

Adrian looked like he finally understood why his daughter’s life had become impossible.

Lux turned back to the tower. His palm pressed harder into the stone. "Initiate."

The system responded immediately.

[Sovereign Absorb: Active]

[Target: Demonic Structural Curse]

[Compatibility: High]

[Risk: Severe]

[Entity Consent: Partial / Rage-Driven Acceptance Detected]

[Warning: Absorbing Curse May Collapse Physical Vessel]

Lux’s eyes glowed crimson. "Turn them into my power."

The world broke.

Not all at once.

Piece by piece.

The first crack ran from Lux’s palm up the tower wall, glowing dark gold along the seam. Then another split sideways. Then another plunged downward into the foundation. The old demonic carvings ignited, each symbol burning as Sovereign Absorption devoured the curse holding them together.

The tower rumbled like a giant waking underground.

Stone plates shifted.

Mortar dissolved into black ash.

The vines shriveled instantly, then burst into sparks as absorbed curse energy flooded through them.

The air became heavy with pressure, old anger, and dust.

Inside the barrier, Naomi slammed her hand against the surface again. "Lux!"

He could barely hear her.

The curse fought. Violently.

It tore at his hand, tried to climb into his arm, tried to overwrite his bones with stone the way it had done to the one inside. His sleeve ripped apart first, then black-gold lines burned across his skin. For a second, gray crawled over his fingers.

Petrification.

Adrian saw it from inside the barrier.

His face went pale.

Naomi saw it too.

"No," she whispered.

Lux’s smile widened.

Not happy.

Not sane either.

"Cute."

His core flared.

Greed swallowed.

The gray stone creeping across his fingers shattered outward as gold light pulsed beneath his skin.

[Sovereign Absorb Output Increasing]

[Curse Resistance: Overwritten]

[Authority Conflict: Greed Dominant]

[Commentary: The curse attempted to classify you as building material. Rude.]

Lux’s laugh came low under his breath. "Bad investment."

Then he pulled.

The tower convulsed.

Massive cracks raced upward. The narrow windows burst outward in showers of black glass-like stone. A roar tore through the field, shaking trees at the edge of the estate. Birds exploded from the woods in panicked clouds.