Became a Demon with Pregnancy System-Chapter 127: You can rest now

Lenora cast him a fleeting, apologetic glance. This was the plan: they had to "detain" potential onlookers, keep them from interfering or alerting the suspects.

Luke, playing along, allowed himself to be herded into a corner, ropes biting into his forearms.

One of the men in black rummaged in a small kit, producing a strip of cloth to gag him. "Just do as we say," he snarled. "We’ll let you go once the mission is complete."

Luke nodded cooperatively, deciding to watch how the fiasco unfolded. If he had to, he could break free in an instant, but something about the scenario intrigued him.

"All right," he thought, "I’ll humor you...for a while."

Lenora stepped back into the hallway. She pulled out her phone, checking messages, then slipped it away. In a minute, she was outside again, resuming her role against the red wall—feigning her vibrant, flirtatious persona.

Luke tested the ropes. They were well-tied, but not nearly strong enough to contain his sub-monarch-level power, especially if he invoked the Poison synergy or Curse spells.

Meanwhile, the men in black, presumably from the Judgment Society, stood guard near him with stern expressions, ready to pounce if he tried to flee or sabotage the operation.

He heard faint footsteps echo from the hallway. A muffled voice drifted in from outside:

"Sister, we’re all here tonight. Are you alone? Our group’s pretty large..."

"Heh," Lenora’s voice replied, bright and inviting.

"Don’t worry. The rest of my girls are inside the club, finishing up with some special guests. Soon, they’ll be free to join you. The question is...can you handle them?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Luke’s ears perked. The conversation sounded lively but laced with suspicion. These must be the real targets, he deduced. She’s luring them into the trap.

Sure enough, a rough voice responded with a sneer, "Don’t worry about us. We can handle anyone. Where’s our room, sweet thing? Let’s see if you’re as good as you boast."

Lenora gave a tinkling laugh. "Right this way, big guy." Her footsteps led them down the corridor toward a different private suite—one presumably rigged for a takedown.

Luke smirked. So that’s how the Judgment Society cleans up scum. Not bad.

Inside Luke’s room, one of the men in black who guarded him raised a quizzical brow, perhaps noticing Luke’s calmness.

"Who are you, anyway?" the man demanded in a low tone. "Why do you know Lenora Quinn’s real name?"

Luke only shrugged. "Old friend. You guys might want to hurry. Something’s off with that group she’s reeling in."

The man stiffened. "Explain."

"That group is bigger and nastier than you realize. Lenora Quinn might need help."

The guard’s eyes narrowed. "How could you possibly— Enough. You don’t give the orders here."

In response, Luke let out a bored exhale. "Alright, I tried," he muttered. Then he allowed a swirl of violet to ripple through his skin. In seconds, his entire body dissolved into a poison-laced fog, ropes slumping uselessly to the floor.

The men in black gaped, momentarily paralyzed.

One tried to reach for a weapon, but Luke’s vaporous form slipped through the doorway, coiling down the hall.

He reappeared in a swirl of mist at the threshold of the second suite—just in time to witness the tail end of a scuffle.

Within the suite, the plan had apparently gone awry. Lenora Quinn lay half-collapsed near a plush sofa, eyes fluttering as if drugged.

The group of men—perhaps half a dozen—clustered around, brandishing short blades or crude firearms.

"Ha! She thought she could trick us," said one with a jagged scar across his brow. "We recognized her from old wanted posters, that Judgment Society operative. She’s more formidable than she looks, but we had sedatives ready."

Lenora tried to lift her head, but her limbs shook. She managed a faint glare. "You bastards..." she spat, chest heaving. The toxin they’d used must have incapacitated her quickly—maybe she took down a couple of them first, but it wasn’t enough.

One of the men sneered, yanking a length of rope from his belt. "Tie her up. She’ll fetch a decent price."

That was the final straw. Luke stepped forward, voice resonating with suppressed power: "All of you, back off."

They spun around, startled by his sudden arrival. The scar-faced man lunged at him with a knife, but Luke simply raised a palm.

A shimmering purple haze spread from his fingertips, congealing midair. "Disappear." With that single word, he unleashed a wave of corrosive poison that hammered the group, devouring their illusions of easy victory.

They coughed violently, eyes bulging. Some dropped to their knees. A few tried firing their guns, but Luke’s poison-laced aura deflected bullets with an eerie swirl, turning them off-course. Within seconds, all but one collapsed, moaning in agony.

Luke strode past them, knelt by Lenora, and carefully lifted her into his arms. "You okay?" he murmured, a note of concern coloring his voice. She looked up at him, half-dazed. He could tell she was fighting the sedation with iron will.

She managed a faint nod, though her breath was ragged. "Th...thanks," she rasped.

The single conscious goon staggered forward, aiming a trembling pistol. "S-stay back or I’ll—!"

Luke fixed him with a baleful stare. "I said: back off." A flicker of malevolent energy radiated from his eyes. The man’s pistol quivered, then clattered from numb fingers. He slumped to the floor in despair.

Lenora’s body trembled in Luke’s arms. She tried to speak, but the sedation held her voice prisoner. Her earpiece crackled faintly, the frantic calls of her fellow Judgment Society members no doubt echoing.

"You can rest now," Luke said quietly. "We’ll finish these scum. You’re safe."

He turned toward the corridor, where the men in black from earlier arrived in a fluster, having finally realized the mission had gone sideways.

They stared at Luke’s protective stance over Lenora Quinn, along with the half-conscious criminals sprawled about.

One man in black recognized the unconscious suspects and wore a look of relief.

Another spied the haze of poison still swirling around Luke and felt a jolt of fear. "You—did you do this?"