Chapter 1158: The Demon and The Sorcerer [Part 8]

Chapter 1158 – The Demon and The Sorcerer [Part 8]

The creature growled.

Its arms shook.

Then it started standing.

Lux stared.

"You are annoyingly strong."

[An observation supported by extensive evidence.]

"Demonic Orbs."

Fifty spheres appeared overhead.

The creature looked up.

Lux smiled. "Don’t worry."

He pointed both daggers.

"I know you’re not consenting to this fight."

The orbs descended.

"But I still need you to stay down."

Explosions consumed the creature.

-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Orbs ricocheted through warped space, returning from impossible angles. One struck from behind. Another bounced off empty air. Three converged simultaneously against the creature’s bindings.

Lux wasn’t aiming for the core.

He targeted the chains.

The brands.

The curse anchors.

Every piece of Kaelmor’s control he could identify.

A chain cracked.

The creature screamed.

Lux’s expression hardened. "There."

He teleported through the smoke.

His left dagger hooked beneath the damaged chain.

The creature’s hand shot toward his throat.

Lux caught its wrist with Telekinesis. "Sorry."

His right dagger came down.

The chain snapped.

Dark-red energy exploded from the wound.

The creature convulsed.

One crimson brand on its chest went dark.

Lux’s eyes widened. "Oh."

That worked.

The creature stared at him.

For one heartbeat, its right arm stopped trembling.

It was free.

Partially.

Lux smiled.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."

The other brands flared.

The creature’s left fist smashed into Lux’s chest.

Lux flew backward.

He twisted in midair, wings spreading, and landed on one knee.

Dark Healing immediately crawled across the bruising beneath his armor.

[You have successfully liberated approximately twelve percent of the target’s compulsory control.]

"And received a thank-you punch."

[Freedom is rarely inexpensive.]

Lux laughed.

The creature charged again.

This time, however, its right arm resisted.

It grabbed its own left wrist.

Its entire body shook.

"Go..." it growled.

Lux stood. "No."

The creature stared. "Go!"

"I can’t."

Lux pointed one dagger toward the remaining chains. "My woman is searching your prison."

The creature’s eye widened.

"And until she comes back, you’re stuck with me."

The curse burned brighter.

Lux’s wings spread.

Fifty more dark orbs began forming behind him.

His smile became positively villainous.

"So here’s the deal."

The Sovereign Event Horizon Ring pulsed.

Distance twisted.

Pressure climbed.

Lux lifted both daggers. "You keep trying to kill me." His red eyes glowed. "And I’ll keep breaking whatever Kaelmor put inside you until you can stop."

The creature roared.

Lux answered by driving his dagger into the black floor.

"Abyssal Grasp."

The dominion trembled.

Shadow tendrils erupted beneath the creature, wrapping around its ankles, thighs, and torso. Several pierced the dark aura surrounding its shoulders, seeking the remaining chains.

Lux tightened his fist.

The tendrils pulled.

One chain bent. "Come on..."

The creature’s crimson eye flashed.

Then something changed.

Dark-red symbols appeared beneath its feet, forming a circle that Lux hadn’t created.

[Warning: Target activating unidentified skill.]

The creature slammed its palm against the floor.

The formation detonated.

Every tendril attached to its body disintegrated.

Lux’s eyebrows rose.

The creature vanished through the explosion.

Lux barely raised his daggers in time.

The impact sent him sliding backward.

A second strike followed.

Then a third.

Lux teleported sideways, but the creature twisted midattack and followed him with frightening precision.

Their weapons collided again.

-CLANG! CLANG!

Lux ducked beneath a claw, slashed across the creature’s shoulder, and immediately retreated.

The creature stumbled.

Not because of the wound.

Its right arm suddenly grabbed its left wrist.

The two limbs fought each other.

The remaining brands flashed violently.

Lux saw its jaw trembling beneath the mask.

It was losing control.

Or rather, the curse was losing control of it.

And apparently, Kaelmor’s solution to a malfunctioning slave was to increase the suffering until obedience returned.

Charming management style.

The creature screamed and charged again.

Lux blocked.

Its fist struck his dagger.

The second arm tried to pull the first backward.

The creature’s entire body twisted unnaturally. "Stop... me..."

Lux’s smile vanished. "I’m trying."

He teleported behind it and struck the chain embedded through its shoulder.

-CLANG!

The chain held.

The creature spun.

Lux ducked.

A fist passed above his head.

He countered with both daggers, but the creature leaped backward before either blade reached the restraints.

Too fast.

Too unstable.

Every time Lux approached the chains, the curse forced the creature into another attack.

He needed it completely still.

Lux exhaled. "Fine." He straightened. "Let’s try a different kind of authority."

His Lust stirred. "Velvet Marionette Dominion."

Invisible threads spread from his fingers.

They crossed the distorted space without disturbing the air, delicate strands of Lust-infused energy reaching toward the creature.

One attached to its wrist.

Another to its shoulder.

Then its neck.

Spine.

Legs.

The creature lunged.

Lux raised two fingers.

Its right arm stopped.

The rest of its body continued forward.

-THUD!

It stumbled.

The creature tried to raise its left hand.

Lux curled another finger.

That arm froze too.

[Velvet Marionette Dominion: Connection Established.]

[Motor Control Interference: Active.]

[Target Resistance: Severe.]

Lux felt the struggle immediately.

The creature’s muscles fought his threads while Kaelmor’s curse fought from the opposite direction.

Two authorities pulling at one body.

Lux’s jaw tightened. "I’m not trying to own you, you stubborn bastard."

The creature trembled. "I’m trying to give you back to yourself."

He spread his fingers.

More threads attached.

The creature’s knees locked.

Its shoulders jerked backward.

For one precious moment, it stood completely still.

[Motor Control Override: Temporary.]

[Estimated Duration: Limited.]

Lux’s eyes flashed. "That’s all I need."

Teleportation.

He appeared directly in front of the creature.

His left dagger hooked beneath the first chain.

His right blade struck.

-CLANG!

Broken.

The creature screamed.

Lux moved.

Second chain.

Third.

Dark-red energy erupted from its chest.

The royal brands flared, attempting to force its body into motion.

Lux tightened the invisible threads. "Stay."

Its muscles convulsed.

The curse resisted.

Lux’s Lust pushed back. "Fucking. Stay."

He teleported behind it.

Both daggers crossed against the thickest chain embedded between its shoulders.

Lux pulled.

Then cut.

-KRAAANG!

The chain snapped.

The creature’s head fell forward.

Three brands went dark simultaneously.

[Compulsory Authority Layers Destabilizing.]

Lux didn’t stop.

He caught the final chain running down its spine.

His dagger slid beneath the metal.

The creature’s crimson eye widened. "Do... it..."

Lux bared his teeth. "With pleasure."

Both blades flashed.

-CRACK!

The final chain shattered.

A violent pulse of dark-red energy exploded outward, tearing through the invisible threads.

Lux was thrown backward.

He landed hard, rolled, and drove one dagger into the floor to stop himself.

Silence.

The creature remained standing.

Its shoulders trembled.

Broken chains slid from its body and struck the black floor one after another.

Lux slowly rose.

His daggers remained ready.

The creature lifted its head.

Its crimson eye met his.

Then, for the first time, its arms moved without the royal symbols flashing.

[External Motor Compulsion: Severed.]

Lux exhaled. "Well." He rotated one dagger. "Congratulations." His smile returned. "You’re officially unemployed."