MTLNOVEL Chapter 241: Cross The Line
Lux rose, closing the distance between them. His hands found her shoulders, his head dipping just enough to press his lips to the curve of her neck. Then lower, brushing her shoulder as his magic stirred—a low hum in his blood that rose into a steady, molten pull. The greed sigils flared against his skin and hers, their faint golden-red glow searing into the air for just a moment.
'Devil's Blessing.'
[Congratulations – Sira Shadowborn of Pride is now your Partner.]
[Bonus Attributes Applied to Both Parties: +12% Physical Attack, +10% Magical Attack, +15% Physical Defense, +12% Magical Defense.]
She inhaled slowly, the magic sinking into her bones. Then she tilted her head and kissed him in return, a slow, deliberate press of his lips. "So… breakfast? What do you want to eat?"
He smirked. "Coffee… or you."
Her smile curved like a blade. "Oh, nice… I don't have coffee, so… round thirty-eight?"
"Nice," he said again, and they closed the space between them in another kiss—this one slower, the kind that would have spiraled into something else entirely if the world hadn't chosen that exact moment to intrude.
The floor trembled.
His system flared a warning.
[Anomaly Detected – Pride Aura Surge]
Lux broke the kiss, his eyes narrowing. "What's that?"
Sira stepped back half a pace, her expression unreadable. "Oh… you just made me your partner, right? Well… my dad could feel it. I guess."
The shadows in front of them swirled, dense and choking, until they condensed into a dark vortex two meters ahead. The air pressure shifted, cold at the edges but burning at the core.
And then, from the spiral, Lucaris stepped through—radiant in that dangerous way a Pride lord could be, his aura heavy enough to press against the ribs.
His eyes landed on Lux instantly. "You!"
Magic gathered at his hand in a blink, and he hurled it without preamble.
'Barrier,' Lux used his skill.
The shield burst in front of Lux, a wall of molten gold and black veining that caught the attack mid-flight and shattered it into fragments of light and shadow. The air rippled from the impact, heat ghosting along Lux's skin.
In his embrace, Sira hadn't moved an inch—though her magic was there, cool and deep, her own Barrier forming like glass etched with faint violet sigils. She didn't even bother to cover herself; Pride didn't flinch under scrutiny, and her father seeing her naked in someone else's embrace only seemed to make her stand taller.
Lucaris' jaw tightened, his eyes flicking briefly to his daughter before snapping back to Lux with enough heat to melt steel. The magic in his palm flared brighter, coiling like a predator ready to strike.
The air between them buzzed—not just with raw power, but with the heavy, unspoken fact that Lux had just crossed a line most demons wouldn't even think about approaching.
The barrier shimmered between them for only a heartbeat longer before both it and Lucaris' spell shattered in the same breath—like two glass panes smashing against each other.
The shockwave rippled through the room, making the already-trashed furniture rattle and the hairline cracks in the marble groan wider.
Lux didn't flinch. Instead, he straightened just enough to look properly composed despite being very naked and very much standing between Pride's Lord and Pride's Princess. His voice came out smooth, polite, and maddeningly casual.
"Good morning, my Lord."
Lucaris' eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "WHAT," he said, each word coated in venom and disbelief, "ARE YOU DOING TO MY DAUGHTER?"
Before Lux could answer, Sira stepped in—not forward, but behind him, like she was staking her claim on him as much as he had on her. She rested her hands on his shoulders, fingers curling into his skin like talons, and purred, "Oh, relax, Dad. We were just having fun." A smirk on her lips.
Her lips ghosted over the curve of his neck, and then she bit down—not a playful nip, but a sharp, deliberate mark that made Lux hiss through his teeth.
He tilted his head just enough to glance at her, one brow raised. "Really?"
"Mmhm," she hummed against his skin.
Lux looked back at Lucaris.
"Apparently your daughter likes me," he said conversationally. "And she wants to play with me." His hand gestured vaguely to himself, showcasing the fresh scratches, bites, and lipstick stains like they were fine jewelry. "Also—she's a bit sadistic. I mean, look at me. I looked better after I fought Vyrak."
Lucaris' expression went from controlled fury to something far more primal. His horns began to push through, curling from his skull with a slow, almost ceremonial inevitability. The shadows in the room shifted, tightening toward him like they knew who owned the ground beneath their feet.
"Sadistic?" Lucaris' voice dripped with mockery, though his smile was all teeth. "You think you can stand there, in my house, after touching my daughter—"
Sira interrupted him without a hint of hesitation. "Not just touching, Dad." Her tone was sweet in the way poison could be sweet, her smirk smug enough to light a war. "I said I was having fun with him."
The silence after that was heavy enough to crush bone.
Lucaris' eyes burned brighter, but Lux stayed perfectly in place, posture loose but not careless—his internal instincts already sliding into his lobbying mode.
The part of him that was Lust wanted to push back harder, taunt, test.
The part of him that was Greed wanted to play this like a deal negotiation with the most temperamental client in Hell.
"I see," Lux said smoothly, ignoring the subtle spike in heat from Lucaris' aura. "So this is the part where you threaten me, yes? Maybe vaporize me in a righteous fit, make a speech about honor and boundaries?"
Lucaris tilted his head, his smile too wide. "You're very calm for someone who should be begging for mercy."
Lux shrugged faintly, as if they were talking over morning coffee instead of inches away from annihilation. "I find it's best not to beg before negotiations. It sets a bad precedent."