Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation-Chapter 496: Zoltarin Vaelthorn

Chapter 496 – Zoltarin Vaelthorn

Zavros didn’t answer.

They stepped into what must’ve once been the central command chamber.

The ceiling was half-collapsed. A massive ring of molten gold circled the floor. And in the center?

A black throne.

Still standing.

Still intact.

Lux walked toward it, slow. Careful.

[Warning: Artifact Detected – Origin Unknown. Probability of Residual Signature: 87%]

Zavros tensed. "Don’t sit on it."

"I wasn’t going to."

"Your aura spikes when you want something."

Lux glanced back. "It’s a throne, Dad. I always want it. Greed always want it."

He stopped a meter from it. Studied the way the floor still shimmered faintly around the base.

Not active.

But not dead either.

Something had once lived here.

Zoltarin’s essence.

Lux turned to his father. "You said he was sealed."

Zavros nodded. "We sealed him in the vault beneath this room."

"And you think it’s still holding?"

Zavros hesitated.

And Lux caught it again.

That flicker.

"Dad," he said, voice sharp. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Zavros looked at him. "I don’t know."

Silence.

Then Lux said, "Then we’re already too late."

From somewhere in the stone beneath them, something pulsed.

Faint.

Low.

But unmistakable.

A heartbeat.

[System Alert: External resonance detected. Signature match: 42%. Source: Unknown. Recommended action: retreat or reinforce.]

Lux clenched his fists. "We need to move."

Zavros nodded.

And behind them, the throne cracked.

Not from weight.

From awakening.

The sound was low—like a heartbeat beneath stone. The floor vibrated beneath Lux’s boots, dust falling from broken arches above. The gold ring surrounding the throne glowed with old, blood-tinted light, spreading outward in pulses that made the air hum.

Lux’s instincts kicked in instantly. His aura flared, cold and precise, as his battle form unfolded—horns sliding out, black wings unfurling behind him like blades of shadow. His tailored infernal suit dissolved into combat armor, glowing faintly with crimson circuits that pulsed in rhythm with his heart.

Beside him, Zavros transformed almost at the same instant. His wings were broader, his horns curved upward like a crown, his armor heavier, etched in layered infernal script that shifted with light. Around his right arm, something golden began to move—a chain, liquid and alive, coiling and uncoiling like a serpent of molten contracts.

Lux winced. "Oh, not that thing again."

Zavros smirked. "Ledgerfang. Still remember it?"

"How could I forget?" Lux muttered, stepping out of his father’s range. "That chain is the reason I learned to teleport and have obsession with speed and agility."

Zavros chuckled low. "A son should respect the weapon that trained him."

"A son should file for emotional damages," Lux shot back, his twin daggers flashing into his hands.

The ground beneath them split. From the throne’s base, a long crack spread outward, seeping dark mana. Something hissed—slow, wet, alive.

Then came the voice.

"You shouldn’t have come here."

The words rolled through the air like smoke.

From the base of the throne, the floor erupted. Black chains, thick as pillars, burst outward, carrying with them a shape—humanoid, but wrong. His skin was gray marble split with veins of gold, eyes molten red. Horns longer than Zavros’s. Power like burning glass radiated from him.

Zoltarin Vaelthorn.

Still bound. Still furious.

Lux felt it immediately—the pulse of greed in his aura. It was ancient, raw, older than anything recorded in Infernal ledgers. It made his own greed feel... young. Almost naive.

Zavros took a step forward. "Zoltarin."

The chained figure snapped his gaze upward. "Zavros." The word was venom. "You came crawling back."

"Not crawling," Zavros said evenly. "Checking. There’s been... movement."

"Movement?" Zoltarin’s grin widened, sharp and cruel. "Oh, little brother. There’s always movement. Even stone shifts, given time."

Lux raised one dagger, staying behind his father’s flank. "He’s aware of us. Good start."

Zoltarin’s eyes flicked toward Lux. For a heartbeat, something like recognition flashed across his face. "You."

Lux tilted his head. "Yeah. Me."

"You smell like him."

Lux’s grip tightened. "I am him."

Zoltarin laughed—low and bitter. "Another spawn of sin and arrogance. Tell me, boy, did he raise you to follow orders or just balance his books?"

Lux smirked. "Mostly to avoid turning into you." He glanced to Zavros. "And him."

That earned a growl. The air thickened. The chains binding Zoltarin rattled, glowing faintly. Sparks danced across their surface as if trying to decide whether they wanted to hold or shatter.

Zavros flicked his wrist. The golden chain around his arm uncoiled with a metallic hiss, expanding outward in a spiral of light. The weapon changed shape as it moved, turning from a chain to a spear to a scythe, and finally to a coiling whip that glowed with infernal clauses.

"Ledgerfang," Lux muttered. "Still pretentious as hell."

Zavros ignored him, stepping closer. "Zoltarin. The circlet. We need to know where it is."

Zoltarin stopped moving. His expression froze. "What?"

"The circlet," Zavros repeated. "The blood-forged ruby. It’s active again."

Something changed in Zoltarin’s eyes. The molten glow darkened, veins of crimson crawling across his face. His claws scraped the air, and the chains binding him groaned.

"What circlet?" he hissed. "You took it from me!"

Lux frowned. "What?"

Zoltarin’s voice deepened, vibrating through the walls. "You stole it! You took everything—the throne, the vaults, the inheritance! You even took her! And now you dare slander me for it?"

Zavros’s expression tightened. "You lost that right the day you tried to burn the lower circles. You said that yourself!"

"I tried to liberate them!" Zoltarin roared. "From Kaelmor’s tyranny! From the false balance you all worship!"

Lux muttered, "Oh great, he’s got the revolution script memorized."

Zoltarin snapped his gaze toward him again. "You mock me, kid?"

"Little bit," Lux said. "You seem the type that gets off on speeches."

The chains rattled harder. A gust of pressure slammed through the hall. Cracks spidered across the ceiling as Zoltarin strained, muscles bulging, the ground itself shaking under his rage.

Lux’s system hissed in his ear.

[Warning: Seal degradation detected. Binding stability at 68%. Recommend immediate countermeasures.]

Zavros flicked his wrist, and Ledgerfang shot forward like a golden serpent, wrapping around the glowing chains that bound his brother. The weapon hissed as the runes flared to life, countering the seal’s vibrations.