NOVPUB
Chapter 119 - Revenge
As Leon stepped out of the building where he'd just said goodbye to Angelica, a satisfied—almost smug—smile lit up his face. He didn't even try to hide it. On the contrary, he let himself bask in the moment. His mood was unusually cheerful.
"I see you're pleased, Master," came a familiar voice from behind.
Leon didn't turn around. He recognized the voice instantly—it was Luxion, his loyal, though often far too cheeky, assistant.
"Of course I'm pleased," he replied, not bothering to look back. "Isn't it obvious?"
Luxion fell silent for a moment. It felt like he was thinking, though knowing him, he was probably just crafting a sarcastic comeback.
"Ah, I wonder what your many male fans will think when they find out you do actually prefer women?" he said, his voice laced with clear mockery.
Leon stopped abruptly. The smile vanished from his face.
"By the way, Luxion..." he said slowly, still not turning around. "Thanks for the reminder. You do remember, don't you, what I said would happen if you kept mocking me?"
Luxion, hovering nearby, feigned surprise. His mechanical voice took on an exaggeratedly thoughtful tone.
"Did you really say that? Hmm... let me dig through my memory archives..."
A few seconds passed.
"Ah, yes. Seems you did say something along those lines. So? What now? Have you come up with some brilliant way to get revenge?"
With that, he floated a little closer to Leon, peering at him with his single optical sensor—something like an artificial eye.
"Oh, I've got something," Leon said, his voice turning mysterious—almost sinister.
"You tend to ignore my words, interpret orders however you see fit, as if I told you exactly what you wanted to hear..."
"I execute your commands with 100% accuracy," Luxion replied calmly, though there was a hint of hurt in his voice.
"Sure you do. Lying comes as naturally to you as breathing," Leon scoffed. "But that's not the point. There's one kind of command... you can't disobey."
A dramatic pause followed.
Leon suddenly spun around, a devilish grin stretching across his face.
---
"You can't disobey an order related to combat operations."
Luxion froze mid-air. His mechanical body hung still, as if his system was momentarily paused, desperately trying to find a loophole. But there was none. He couldn't override that type of command. The silence of the AI spoke louder than any protest.
Seeing this, Leon's grin widened—triumphant, almost predatory.
"So then," he said, deeply satisfied, "I order you: do not attack the technology of the New Humans. Do not, under any circumstances, harm them. Also... you're forbidden to attack Arcadia. No matter what."
Several seconds of absolute silence followed. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, listening. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
"Perhaps... you'd like to reconsider, oh great and wise Master?" Luxion finally said, his voice half-sarcastic, half-concerned.
"Hahaha! So this is what it feels like to have absolute power over you," Leon laughed. "Alright, I'll reconsider. But on one condition..."
He struck a theatrical pose, rubbing his chin as if pondering the fate of the world:
"You're going to do everything I say. No exceptions. For the rest of today. Whatever I order—you follow."
"Understood. Obeying without question," Luxion replied in his emotionless AI tone.
"Let's start small... fly up a bit."
Without resistance, Luxion began to rise.
"Higher."
He ascended further.
"Now down."
Luxion lowered himself.
"Left."
"Right."
"Left again."
"Right."
"And now... turn off your levitation."
Without hesitation, Luxion deactivated his anti-gravity system.
With a heavy thud, his metallic body crashed to the ground. A dull clang of steel against stone echoed out.
"Woof-woof," he added unexpectedly from the ground. "You do realize, Master, that once today is over, I'm going to make you regret every single one of these commands, right? The more you push me now—the harsher the payback."
Leon chuckled, gazing down at Luxion, and thought to himself:
He's got a point... I can't even imagine what he'll cook up later. But... sorry, future me. The temptation's just too great.
"I said bark!"
A pause.
"...Woof," Luxion said reluctantly.
Leon stepped closer, leaned down, and inspected Luxion's round body with a curious look.
"You know... in this form, you really remind me of a soccer ball. And it's been ages since I played... Honestly, I kinda missed it."
With that, he activated the "Body Enhancement" spell, enveloping himself in magical energy. His muscles swelled with strength, and his skin took on the resilience of invisible armor.
"Normally, kicking you would hurt me more than you... but with this magic, I can handle anything."
Without further delay, Leon lifted Luxion with his foot and started juggling him like a soccer ball. One... two... three... four... He kicked skillfully, gracefully, like a pro in training. Ten minutes passed.
"Nineteen... twenty... twenty-one..."
Then, with a surge of momentum, he flicked Luxion higher than usual—and with a shout straight from the heart, he struck him with all his might.
Luxion soared through the air, flew several meters, and slammed into a wall with a loud thud.
"GOOOOOOOAL!!!" Leon cheered, utterly delighted. "Man, that was awesome!"
"Nice job, Master. You taught Luxion a valuable lesson," a voice suddenly chimed in behind him.
It was Cleare—Leon's second artificial intelligence. Her voice was slightly more natural, and perhaps even teasing.
"I recorded everything. Just say the word, and I'll give you the footage. You can rewatch it whenever you're feeling down."
Leon turned around, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"That's nice, Cleare... but have you forgotten that you're not exactly innocent either? You've been awfully involved in my little schemes. And if I believe Luxion's reports... you're planning human experiments. Which I explicitly forbade."
With that, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Cleare as she tried to fly away.
"You're getting punished too."
"Mercy..." she muttered, and her voice definitely wavered.
And thus ended another day
