LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 352: Told You
Cassius stood in front of the console, his eyes narrowed, fingers racing across the glowing panel as the scan data poured in.
The interface flickered.
Numbers, internal schematics, material breakdowns—everything streamed onto the screen.
Then he stopped.
His hands froze.
His face darkened.
Sylvia stepped forward. "What's wrong?"
Cassius didn't look at her. "What the hell is this?"
He turned, voice rising. "And who the hell is this Luxoria Castle?"
Sylvia's eyes narrowed. "What did it show?"
Cassius pointed at the data. "You're telling me they made this? They built this system?!"
"Yes," Sylvia said firmly.
"That's what they claimed. The entire beast is their creation—top to bottom."
Cassius turned back to the screen, muttering under his breath.
"No. No way. This shouldn't even be possible."
He gripped the edge of the console.
"The inside of this beast… it's not just engineered. It's layered."
"Multiple cores, cross-linked command chains and reactive energy pulses."
"Even half of the structure doesn't even register on standard theory."
Sylvia blinked. "You're saying you don't understand it?"
Cassius's jaw clenched.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. I—Cassius Aurelius—don't understand this."
"You're the best," Sylvia said, shocked.
"You always understand even the most chaotic systems."
"Yeah," Cassius snapped, "but this one's deceptive."
"It looks simple. Basic. But when you try to go deeper, it folds in on itself."
"It's like a fake map hiding a labyrinth. You think you're at the core—but it redirects, scrambles, loops."
He pointed sharply at the interface.
"That's why it's hard. That's why Luxoria was confident."
Sylvia stared at the Vornis.
"So what now? You can't take it apart. If we disassemble it again, it'll self-destruct."
Cassius slowly turned, a smirk forming across his face.
"I'm better than you," he said, eyes glowing faintly with curiosity and pride.
"So it won't explode."
He reached for his precision tools—custom-built, finely calibrated for beast analysis.
Sylvia crossed her arms but didn't hide her skepticism.
"Are you sure about this?"
Cassius didn't look at her.
"You blew up a lab because you tried brute force. I'm using finesse."
"You said you didn't understand it," she reminded him.
"That's why I'm not trying to understand it," he replied coolly, lowering the probe.
"I'm going to feel it out."
He slowly approached the Vornis.
The war beast didn't move.
It stood still, eyes dim, in standby mode.
Cassius crouched near its side, lifting one panel with extreme care.
Micro-locks disengaged. Thin cables shimmered beneath layers of shifting steel.
He connected his scan wire to one of the minor output nodes—then paused.
"Interesting. These circuits reset every six seconds. They're rewriting data loops constantly."
"Meaning?" Sylvia asked.
"Meaning it's alive in its own way. It resists being mapped."
He tapped a few commands onto his wristpad and slid a slender tool between the outer plating.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Sylvia leaned closer. "So far, so good?"
Cassius didn't answer.
A sound pinged from his console.
Then red text flashed across the interface.
WARNING. ABSOLUTE BOND PROTOCOL VIOLATION. UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED. SELF-PROTECTION MODE ACTIVATED.
Cassius' smile dropped.
"…No."
The Vornis's eyes snapped open—bright red.
Sylvia took a step back. "Cassius—!"
Cassius yanked his arm away, scrambling backward.
"Shut down the signal! Cut the node—!"
But it was too late.
The Vornis released a piercing roar.
A bright pulse of red light exploded from its chest.
Then came the blast.
A white-hot explosion tore through the chamber.
Steel fragments launched outward.
The blast sent Cassius flying across the lab, crashing into the far wall.
Sylvia dove behind a support pillar, shielding herself from the burst of flame and shrapnel.
When the smoke cleared, the Vornis was gone.
It was reduced to scorched wreckage and melted plating.
Sparks rained down.
Cassius groaned from the floor, coughing, a thin stream of blood trailing from his mouth.
Sylvia slowly stood up, dusting ash off her coat.
She limped toward her brother, glaring down at him.
"Told you."
Cassius winced, half-laughing through pain.
"Okay… maybe Luxoria's not all smoke and flair."
Sylvia crossed her arms. "So what now, genius? You just blew up the second one."
Cassius tilted his head back, groaning. "There's still one left, right?"
Sylvia nodded toward the last containment box.
It was still sealed in the far corner of the room. "Untouched."
Cassius stared at it, eyes narrowing. "Then we bring it to him."
Sylvia blinked. "You mean… Father?"
Cassius shook his head firmly. "No. Not him. I mean the Elder."
Sylvia frowned. "But why not Father? He's still the head."
Cassius exhaled, brushing a smear of ash off his cheek.
"Vornis is only classified as an S-Rank beast. Father wouldn't care. He only moves for SS-Rank and above."
Sylvia nodded slowly.
"Right. If it's not some strong anomaly, he'll ignore it."
Cassius looked at her. "But the Elder? He'll be interested."
Sylvia folded her arms. "So we go to Theron, then."
Cassius gave a tired nod. "Yeah. He's the only one who might actually understand this thing without blowing himself up."
Sylvia looked back at the final sealed Vornis unit.
"I hope he can disassemble it. Or at least scan it."
Cassius smirked faintly. "I hope so too."
He walked past the wreckage, slower now, but focused.
"Because whatever Luxoria did to make this beast... it's not just good," he muttered.
"It's interesting. And I want to know why."
---
Cassius and Sylvia moved through the reinforced corridors of the inner hall.
Armed sentries stood watch on either side, but none dared speak as the siblings passed.
Beast roars echoed faintly from containment chambers deeper inside.
Finally, they arrived before the war room of Theron Aurelius.
Inside, Theron stood.
He was taller than either of them, arms bare, covered in scars and beast-tamer brands.
His eyes locked onto them immediately.
Theron's expression didn't shift, but his voice hit like a command.
"What are the two of you doing here?"
He stepped closer.
"And what the hell happened to your faces?"
Sylvia was still singed.
Cassius's side was wrapped with a bloodstained bandage.
Both of them looked like they'd come out of a live-beast testing gone wrong.
"We have a problem," Sylvia said first.
Cassius stepped up beside her.
"A beast that can't be researched and disassembled."
Theron's brows lifted slightly. "Even by you?"
Cassius gave a weak smirk. "Yeah. See what I've been reduced to?"
Theron stared for a beat, then stepped forward with a low grunt. "Show me."