Chapter 154 – Unrecorded
Two figures stood at the edge of the street now.
They weren’t wolves.
They weren’t foot soldiers.
They were... humanoid. But not human.
Demonic.
Definitely demonic.
And powerful.
He didn’t need the system to tell him that. It was in the way the space around them bent. The way reality tried to not look directly at them.
The male was tall—broad-shouldered, jet black hair slicked back with streaks of obsidian and ember coiling behind his ears like ridged horns. His eyes glowed a dim blue, like a dead star burning out slowly.
The woman was leaner. Elegant. Her skin shimred faintly like polished bone, her white hair cascading over one shoulder like silk on snow. Her horns were delicate but sharp, eyes a rich garnet that held no warmth. She looked like she belonged in a cathedral of ash.
They didn’t speak.
Just watched.
Strangely... Lux couldn’t feel their demonic aura. They were like... empty vessels. But Lux knew they had power.
Lux frowned.
The system finally pinged.
[Target Analysis Complete:]
[Na: UNKNOWN.]
[Race: Demon (Anomalous Bloodline: Variant)]
[Affinity: Chaos Unnad Subtype]
[Power Rating: Equivalent to Highlord-Class Demon]
[Known Contracts: None. Identity not recorded.]
[Threat Level: High (They could kill you)]
Lux slowly pulled off his helt with one hand, tossing it in a clean arc toward Corvus without breaking eye contact with the two.
Corvus caught it with a squawk and a flap of irritation. He dipped slightly under the weight and flapped harder to rebalance.
"Really?! I’m not your courier, you oversized lifestyle brand!"
"Could’ve fooled ," Lux said without looking.
"You have dinsional inventory! Use them like a civilized sociopath!"
Lux’s lip curled into a grin.
Then he stepped forward.
One boot on concrete. Another. Smooth, confident. Half a breath from amused.
Then he spoke.
"Good evening," he said with that razor-edged charm. "Can I help you? Or are we skipping straight to the part where I threaten to invoice you for showing up unannounced?"
The male demon didn’t move.
But the female tilted her head.
Her lips curved into a smile, slow and deliberate.
"I thought you’d be taller," she said.
Lux raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it’s an insult. But you’re the one who just watched slaughter twelve shadow mutts without flinching."
The male finally spoke. His voice was deeper than it should be—low, ragged, as if dragged across stone. "Those were just to test you."
Lux smiled wider. "Well. Test results ca in. You fail. But I’ll offer you tutoring at a steep cost."
Corvus flapped once and landed on a streetlamp, watching like a judgntal stage manager.
’Boss... they’re not bluffing. Their levels are dirty. I can’t even see how deep the bloodline anomaly goes. Sothing’s masking their signature. Like royalty encryption.’
He could catch Corvus’s worry from his tone.
Lux’s brain catalogued everything. Every twitch. Every mana ripple. Every flicker of eye movent.
Still, he kept smiling.
"I don’t believe we’ve t," he said smoothly. "And considering I’m quite popular in hellish and celestial social circles, that’s impressive."
"You’re arrogant," the woman said.
"You’re late," he countered.
The man stepped forward.
One step.
The shadows stretched toward him like lovers.
"We don’t want to fight," he said.
Lux raised both brows. "Could’ve fooled . That sneak attack felt pretty fight-y."
"Just wanted to confirm sothing," the man continued. "Whether you could block us."
"Oh please," Lux said, voice lowering, silk sharpening into steel, "I block empires for breakfast."
The woman’s smile faded just slightly.
Corvus clicked his beak. ’Boss. They’re here to read you.’
Lux shifted slightly. His weight slid to his back foot. Subtle.
"I don’t like being tested," he said. "You could’ve asked for tea. Or a duel. Or send a very nice email."
The man tilted his head. "Would you have co?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Silence.
Then Lux let the smile fall.
Just a little.
"You’re not from the factions I know," he said. "Not from Hell’s courts. Not from the Heavenly Balance. You’re unrecorded. You’re off the map."
The woman shrugged. "So of us live better in the margins."
Lux’s eyes narrowed. "What are you?"
They didn’t answer.
The silence stretched too long—too composed. Too practiced.
Lux tilted his head slightly, letting the city’s cool night air slide down his collar like a warning. The shadow do hadn’t vanished yet—it lingered at the edges of the street like a jealous ex, refusing to let go. The two figures still stood in that half-light, frad like unfinished sketches in soone’s fever dream.
He exhaled once, slow.
"Right..." Lux murmured. "Let’s change the question then."
His voice was sharp silk. The kind you didn’t realize could cut until it kissed your throat.
"What do you want?"
Again, nothing.
No blink. No twitch. Just that sa calm, unreadable stillness.
He let out a breath that wasn’t a sigh—more like disappointnt wrapped in apathy.
"Suddenly mute, huh?" he said. "That’s cute. Was it the arrogance? The horns? Or are you just bad at conversation unless it’s scripted?"
[WARNING: Signatures shifting.]
The system pinged with a flicker of blue across his retina—then twisted into red.
[ALERT. Entities present are not primary bodies.]
[Designation: SHADOW CARCASS.]
[Note: Real hosts remain hidden.]
[Origin point: Undetermined. Motion detected at—]
Lux moved before the notification even finished.
A ripple behind him. The pavent hissed as sothing tore through space like claws through silk.
He didn’t hesitate.
"Devorare. Amare."
In a burst of infernal heat and silver-gold mana, dual daggers snapped into existence in his hands—curved and elegant, forged from shadows and stolen moonlight. The air warped around them. Then cracked.
He turned just in ti to parry the first strike.
The man’s real body was fast—blindingly so. A blur of muscle and black smoke trailing along his limbs like cursed silk. His blade ca down at an angle, cleaving toward Lux’s clavicle with enough force to shear stone.
Lux brought the blade up in a sharp reverse grip.
-CLANG!
Steel t steel.
The sound—horrific. Like a scream underwater. Like reality flinched.
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