Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 118 – I Came in Peace

Lux exhaled, chest rising and falling beneath the faint armor glow. His hands—slick with ichor and melted holy residue—slid his daggers back into their dimensional sheaths. The energy hissed, like even his weapons were satisfied.

Then—

Something shimmered.

Again.

He didn’t even flinch this time.

Just turned, slowly.

There it was. Floating among the ashes of Azion. A faint, half-broken glow. Another fragment. Another prize.

Lux held out his hand.

It drifted to him like it wanted to be owned.

[System Notification: Divine Relic Acquired – ”Fractured Eye of Azion”]

[Tier: Mid-High – Contains Unknown Passive Skill]

[Description: A cracked remnant of Azion’s divine core. Still pulses faintly with judgment. Said to retain the last thought of a dying Arbiter.]

[Stored in Inventory]

[Trigger Available at Safe Point Only]

”Thought so,” Lux muttered. ”You were holding out on me.”

He stared at the artifact a second longer before letting it fade into his inventory. His fingers flexed once. His lips parted like he wanted to say something... but didn’t. Not yet.

Then—

The chamber shook.

Hard.

[System Alert: Dimensional Layer Integrity Cracked]

[Source: High-Level Energy Conflict Breach Detected]

[Stability Rating: 4%]

[Auto-Ejection Sequence Initiated – 3... 2... 1...]

Lux’s smile twitched. ”Of course.”

The marble under him split in patterns, divine veins rupturing. Light peeled the walls back.

And then—

He was gone.

Reality rushed in like a slap.

Lux stumbled back into the park.

The same one.

Blue sky. Whispering trees. The sound of birds and distant laughter. The gentle hum of sanctified wind weaving through translucent leaves. All of it—

Completely at odds with the monster now standing in the center.

Him.

Obsidian armor still glowing faintly. Veins of sin still thrumming under skin. Horns still curling, wings unfurled, tail flicking behind him with lazy arrogance. Eyes still lit like twin red moons that had forgotten mercy.

The battle form.

Still on.

He blinked.

Looked around.

And slowly— dozens of pure souls and angels turned to look at him.

Some froze.

Some dropped whatever they were doing.

Some ran.

Like, sprinted.

A little kid spilled his cloud-berry ice cream and let out a startled ”Eep!” before vanishing into the bushes with his glowing dog-fox pet.

A priestess gasped. Another flung her harp.

One poor angel slipped into a birdbath and just... stayed there, like hiding in holy water would help.

Lux raised his hands slowly. ”Uh.”

He cleared his throat.

”I come in peace?”

No one answered.

The silence screamed louder than Azion ever did.

Lux sighed.

The blades on his back evaporated into black mist. His wings pulled in. The horns curled and retracted. His armor shimmered—melted—shifted. Gone in seconds.

And in its place...

A dark, sleek suit.

Single-breasted. Subtle embroidery along the cuffs. A tie that looked like it cost someone their dignity. No dust. No blood. No weapon. Just... a suspiciously handsome man standing in a holy park like he’d just come back from a board meeting.

His hair was still wild.

Eyes still gleamed a little too brightly.

But he looked—almost—civilized.

Lux straightened his tie and looked around again.

Birds chirped. Someone’s harp music cautiously resumed somewhere off to the left, the strings trembling like the hands that played them.

A child peeked out from behind a magically growing hedge, eyes wide.

A few angels kept their distance, watching him from behind pillars or under floating benches, like if they stared long enough he’d disappear back into Hell.

”See?” Lux said to no one in particular, arms spreading with that lazy half-smile. ”I came in peace. Like... real peace. Not a girl named Peace, although I want to date one. Probably.”

Silence.

Not a laugh. Not a breath.

Just those looks.

Those awful, quiet, razor-edged looks.

Disgust.

Like he was something corrupted. Like the wind had changed and they could smell what he was made of. A flicker of divine recognition, followed by silent judgment. No one screamed anymore, but they didn’t move either.

They just watched. Like he was a loaded curse in a tailored suit.

And Lux... felt it.

All of it.

That same chill. That same weight in the back of his throat.

It was the same look he got the first time he tried lobbying the Celestial Realm.

He’d dressed better back then. Polished his words. Reined in his scent. He even wore glasses—glasses, for Hell’s sake. He’d sat at that impossibly bright negotiation table across from robed officials, radiant saints, and virtue-bound secretaries with expressions like they’d rather clean sin-stained floor tiles than listen to him speak.

Did it hurt?

Not really.

At least not anymore.

Not when you already knew what you were.

He wasn’t born of virtue.

Wasn’t raised by purity.

He came from the pit. From decadence and dirt and sin, sharp smiles and colder hands.

He came from sinners.

And the moment they looked at him like that—like some stain they were too afraid to scrub because it might burn them—he remembered exactly why he stopped caring.

He turned slightly—movement subtle, hands still up—and caught a flicker of gold in the corner of his eye.

There.

The dog.

The golden retriever.

Still there. Still on that same patch of shimmering grass. But this time? It wasn’t resting like royalty. It was standing. Tense. Hackles raised. Ears pinned back. Teeth exposed in a slow, low growl that vibrated the air like a violin string.

Lux tilted his head.

”Hey,” he said softly. No charm. No velvet in his voice. Just... him. Honest, tired, casual. ”Calm down. Not here to mess up your lawn.”

He extended his hand. Palm out. No magic. No aura. Just a man trying to pet a dog.

The retriever’s growl deepened. Its tail stopped wagging. Lips curled farther.

Then—teeth. Fully bared.

Lux pulled back immediately. Didn’t flinch. Just slowly undid the gesture.

”Right,” he muttered, voice lower. ”Guess you aren’t a fan of devils, huh?”

The dog didn’t move. Just stared, eyes burning with instinct.

Lux nodded once. Quietly.

”I’ll go now,” he said, turning a little. ”Just... resume whatever happy park day thing you were doing.”

He adjusted his tie again like it mattered, then pivoted on his heel.

And ran right into—

”Lux!”