CHAPTER 520: PARASITE

Chapter 520 – Parasite

He took another sip. "Back then, I thought I was cursed. I thought maybe I was unworthy. That Greed itself was rejecting me. But now? I realize it wasn’t Greed. It was a parasite. One that had lived in the system before me. One that never left."

Corvus’s voice dropped. "You think he accessed the old Greed System?"

Lux didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

Corvus swore under his breath. "That explains the fingerprints. The old code that shouldn’t exist. The ancient directives that pop up in audits like ghosts."

Lux set the bottle down. "He’s still using it. Somewhere. Some version of it. Or he built a mimic. Either way, he’s not just hiding. He’s operating."

"And the goddesses?"

"They needed to hear it. Even if they don’t believe me, even if they act polite and keep smiling, they’ll dig. They’ll check." Lux leaned back. "Either way, they need to know that I’m clean."

Corvus exhaled. "You’re playing a dangerous game."

"I always do."

He stared at the ceiling again. His mind spun with buried contracts, corrupted seals, and that damned ruby circlet he still couldn’t forget.

Corvus watched him in silence.

After a while, the raven demon spoke again, quieter now. "You ever think about stopping?"

Lux opened one eye. "What, the investigation?"

"No. Everything. The systems. The balance sheets. The plotting. Just... burning it all down and starting over."

Lux gave a bitter smile. "Every day. But I’m a demon of Greed. I don’t stop. I scale."

He stood slowly, walking toward the windows.

"Let him move," Lux said. "Let Zoltarin show his hand. I’ll be ready. I’ve survived worse."

Corvus nodded slowly, a rare seriousness in his eye. "That’s what I’m afraid of."

The room quieted again. The kind of silence that feels like it was holding its breath.

Corvus leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hair shadowing half his face. "I mean... you can’t just... let him keep doing it."

Lux didn’t move. Just stared out at the dark sky like it owed him answers.

"You need to kill him."

That got a response. A bitter, hollow laugh as Lux ran a hand through his hair. "I tried, Corvus."

His voice wasn’t loud. But it was sharp. Quiet anger wrapped in exhaustion.

"What I did at those seals? That wasn’t for show. It wasn’t just drama or intimidation. I meant it. I tried to kill him. Rip his soul out. Burn the echo. Shatter the name."

Corvus straightened. "And?"

"And Grandpa’s barrier is too damn strong," Lux said. "Not to mention... The King’s legacy defenses. The Lord of Sins’ sealwork. They treated me like I was the threat. Like I was trying to free Zoltarin instead of erase him."

He turned away from the window now, eyes glowing faintly crimson in the dim lamplight. "I even think he’s the one who started the bounty."

Corvus blinked. "Wait. You mean... the bounty?"

Lux nodded once. Slow. Cold. "Who else benefits most from my fall? My exile. My erasure. The contracts broken. The systems crippled. Who had the knowledge, the connections, the hate, and the patience?"

Corvus opened his mouth, but Lux beat him to it. "He must’ve found a way. Seduced or corrupted someone from the Celestial side. Not a Seraphim maybe—but someone high enough to pull strings and frame it like divine justice. Maybe more than one. Layered, subtle, whispered."

He paused.

"I have no proof. Nothing admissible. Just smoke and blood and too many coincidences."

Corvus growled under his breath. "That’s so shit."

Lux’s mouth twitched. "So fucking shit."

He rubbed his temples. "It’s like I’m staring at a dead end. Like all the moves I made only lead me to his shadow."

The two of them sat there for a moment. No more words. Just the distant ticking of one of the wall clocks and the hum of the artifact light above.

Then Corvus shifted again. "Okay. What about the Lamia? The queen bitch with the ruby circlet? She’s clearly tied to him."

"Oh, I’ll use her. She is her descendant. I’m sure of it," Lux muttered. "But she’s not smart enough to be the mastermind. Just a pawn with cleavage and too much pride. Still..." He trailed off.

Corvus tilted his head. "Still what?"

Lux smirked faintly, eyes half-lidded. "Just because I can’t kill her doesn’t mean I can’t make her suffer. Just because she is half mortal doesn’t mean I can’t touch her."

Corvus leaned back, hands behind his head. "Classic Lux."

"I’m the Prince of Greed. Not the Angel of Mercy."

"Yeah, yeah. I got that on a t-shirt."

They fell into silence again, the heavy kind that came with unresolved fury and plans too big to voice yet.

Then Corvus asked, "You want me to investigate more? Maybe dig into the ruby? How it works? Maybe I could try hacking into the old Greed system—see if it left fingerprints."

Lux shook his head. "I already terminated it. The old greed system."

"You what?"

"I had to," he said. "Once I saw the old pathways, the echoes, the gaps in logic—there was no saving it. I nuked the entire base and built mine from scratch. Clean architecture. New encryption. Personal layers. A system that’s mine."

Corvus whistled. "Damn. No wonder it runs like a damn vault."

"Exactly. But that also means we can’t trace him using it. Whatever he’s using now... It’s not part of my framework. It’s his own monster."

There was a knock on the door. Gentle. Rhythmic. It opened before Lux could answer.

Lyra stepped in. The tray in her hands held a bottle of citrus plum wine chilled in enchanted frost, two crystal glasses, and a small plate of soft pastries and salted almond slices.

"Refreshments, My Lord."

Lux inclined his head. "Thank you."

Corvus lifted his hand. "Where’s mine?"

Lyra didn’t miss a beat. "You snatched a whole bowl of peanuts from the kitchen, Sir."

Corvus pouted. "I’m a growing demon. I need more."

Lyra’s expression remained the same. Polite. But one corner of her mouth twitched upward. "I will prepare more coffee for you. Please head to the kitchen after your conversation with Lord Lux is over."

"Deal."