"Tell me, Zen," Nyx said, her voice dropping to a terrifying purr. "What exactly were you hiding in the dark?"

Zen took a slow step backward into the penthouse living area, putting a fraction of space between them.

There was no Valeria here to cause any form of distraction. It was just him, a highly suspicious supercomputer Goddess, and an equation pointing directly at his chest. He couldn’t out-math Nyx.

If he tried to explain away a localized camera blackout with logic, she would dismantle his lie in milliseconds.

He had to out-emotion her.

Zen deliberately broke eye contact and looked away. He let his shoulders drop, releasing a heavy, bitter sigh as he shaped his face into an expression of deep, humiliating shame.

"I didn’t want you to watch," he said quietly.

Nyx stopped. The soft whirring of her digital eyes paused for a fraction of a second. "Watch what?"

"What she did to me." Zen kept his gaze fixed on the floor. "At around 04:12 AM, Valeria woke me up. She was furious about the train incident... furious that you had brought me into your domain. She wanted to prove a point."

"Be specific, Zen."

"She pinned me down," Zen muttered, keeping his gaze firmly on the floor. "And she forced her golden mana straight into my pathways. My core is only High E-Rank, Nyx. I couldn’t stop her."

The temperature inside the penthouse dropped drastically. The air grew cold enough that faint condensation began forming on the glass behind him.

"She poured her aura into your core?" Nyx whispered.

"She said it was so I wouldn’t forget who I belonged to while I was trapped in your territory. And that, way, she can always know where I am and how I’m doing," Zen lied smoothly, playing the part of the helpless victim. "I used the last drops of my ambient mana to jam your cameras. I was too humiliated to let you watch me be treated like a pet."

For three completely silent seconds, Nyx just stared at him. Her computational brain was running the variables.

Then Nyx crossed the distance between them in two swift strides.

She slammed both hands against the glass on either side of his head, completely caging him in. Her body pressed flush against his, and even through her tactical suit, he could feel the cold tension radiating from her.

"That brute," Nyx hissed, her purple eyes glowing with murderous intensity. "That crude, violent animal poured her filthy golden mana inside you?"

"It is still burning my pathways," Zen added softly, pressing his advantage. "She said it was so I wouldn’t forget who I belonged to while I was in your territory."

For several long seconds, Nyx simply stared at him. Her computational mind was clearly running through countless variables. Then the holographic globe in the center of the room flickered and died. The red threat-lights on her defensive drones shifted to a soft, pulsing blue.

Jealousy completely overrode her suspicion.

Nyx’s hands moved to his jacket, gripping the fabric tightly. "You do not belong to her," she whispered, her voice trembling with possessive rage. "Your core is infected. And I am going to purge every last trace of her from your system."

She stepped back just enough to reach the collar of her sleek tactical suit. With a sharp mental command, the biometric seals disengaged with a soft hiss. Nyx peeled the material down her shoulders and arms, letting it slide down her body until it pooled around her waist.

Underneath, she wasn’t wearing anything.

Zen’s breath hitched, and this time, he didn’t have to fake it.

Her upper body was completely bare. Her skin was unnaturally pale and flawless, appearing almost luminous under the neon glow filtering through the glass. Delicate purple circuitry lines pulsed gently beneath the surface, tracing elegant patterns along her ribs and around the full, heavy curves of her breasts.

Her nipples were already stiff and flushed with a soft violet hue, which contrasted beautifully against her pale skin.

"Nyx..." Zen started.

"Quiet," she commanded.

She grabbed him by the lapels and shoved him harder against the floor-to-ceiling window before crashing her lips against his.

The kiss was demanding and possessive. Her tongue pushed past his lips, tasting him deeply, aggressively wiping away any lingering memory of Valeria.

Her bare breasts pressed against his clothed chest, feeling soft and cool as they sent tiny sparks of digital mana into his skin.

Zen kissed her back, letting his hands slide up her narrow waist. Her skin was impossibly smooth, cool to the touch yet growing warmer with every second.

"Touch me," Nyx gasped against his lips. "Feel the difference."

Zen’s hands slid up her ribcage, his thumbs grazing the undersides of her breasts. He cupped the heavy weight, squeezing them gently. Nyx moaned into his mouth, pressing her hips desperately against his.

"Purge it," Nyx ordered, tilting his head down toward her chest. "Take what you want from me. Erase her from your body."

Zen broke the kiss and lowered his head, capturing one stiff nipple between his lips. He sucked slowly at first, savoring the way her body reacted.

Nyx gasped, her back arching as she pushed her chest harder into his face.

"Harder," she breathed, fingers threading into his hair. "Suck harder, Zen."

He obeyed, sucking deeper while his tongue swirled around the sensitive peak.

His other hand kneaded her free breast, thumb and forefinger rolling and pinching her nipple. Nyx’s moans grew louder and breathier. Her hips began rolling against him, grinding slowly against his thigh as she sought more friction.

Through their intimate contact, cool and refined Omni mana flowed into him. It felt like drinking pure liquid electricity... sharp, clean, and overwhelming. With every pull of his mouth on her breast, he drew even more of it into his core.

Nyx was trembling now.

Her usual cold composure was cracking. The purple circuitry beneath her skin pulsed faster and brighter with every lick and suck. She held his head against her chest, breathing heavily as he alternated between her breasts; sucking one hard while teasing the other with his fingers.

But even this wasn’t enough for her.

Nyx suddenly pulled back, eyes glowing with raw hunger.

She shoved the rest of her tactical suit down her legs and stepped out of it, standing completely naked before him.

The circuitry lines continued downward, tracing over her flat stomach and converging toward the smooth, glistening skin between her thighs.

She was soaked.

Nyx stepped forward again, pressing her naked body against him. She grabbed his jaw with one hand, forcing him to look into her glowing eyes while her other hand guided one of his down between her legs.

His fingers brushed against her slick, swollen folds.

"Feel that?" she whispered hotly against his lips. "That is what you do to me, Emperor. Not her. Never her."

She kissed him again, deeper this time, grinding her wet pussy against his fingers as she moaned into his mouth. Her breasts pressed heavily against his chest, nipples hard and sensitive from his earlier attention.

After a long, heated moment, Nyx pulled back slightly. She stared at him with terrifying, all-consuming devotion and jealousy.

"Zen," she whispered, voice trembling with raw possessiveness. "I want your mouth on me. I want you to drink every drop of me until there is nothing left of her inside you."