Beast Hack: Customizing Beasts and Capturing Beauties

Lucius had typed the post himself.

On Loreia's phone, no less. He passed it to her with a smirk.

Loreia read it aloud with a grin, then turned to him.

"You sure about this?"

Lucius leaned back. "Of course."

Luna, still recovering on the bed, raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize this'll blow up the entire beast scene, right?"

Lucius smiled wider. "Good."

Loreia snorted and hit post. "Okay then… let's see how they react."

---

Official Statement from Luxoria Castle

To Beast Castle and whoever's left pretending to lead it—

We've been very patient.

You challenged Luxoria Castle. You wanted a beast-only battle.

We accepted without hesitation.

Now it's time to stop hiding behind auctions, excuses, or whatever's left of your pride.

The battle takes place TOMORROW.

Location: S-Rank Forbidden Area, just outside our main territory.

You know where it is. You've scouted it before. Don't pretend you're lost.

We'll be waiting from sunrise. Don't be late.

This isn't about accepting the challenge. That part's done.

This is about showing up and proving you're not all bark and bankrupt cores.

Bring your strongest beast.

If you're lucky, it might survive long enough to entertain us.

If not?

Well… I hope you brought a leash and a first-aid kit.

#LuxoriaDominance #BeastCastleBreakdown #SSRankOnly

---

@VornisFangirl

"WHAT THE HELL—LUXORIA JUST WENT FOR THE THROAT."

@BeastCastleFaithful

"Tch. Arrogant trash. Beast Castle's gonna shut them up."

@CoreCollectorZ

"Bro they said BRING A LEASH 😭😭😭"

@SovereignSniper

"Someone tag the Beast Castle manager, I want a LIVE STREAM."

@RuthlessRealm

"This is either suicide or a declaration of war… I'm here for it."

@HiddenTamer92

"Luxoria's getting too bold. Either they're insane or they've got something no one's seen yet."

---

Luna smirked as the feed scrolled nonstop.

"Looks like the crowd's awake now."

Loreia grinned. "Some of them are foaming. I love it."

Lucius glanced over at them, calm as ever. "Let them talk."

He turned his eyes toward the sunrise out the window.

"Tomorrow… we make them understand why we don't need to talk at all."

---

Inside Beast Castle, the atmosphere was anything but calm.

Varen Aldren stood in front of the grand monitor, arms crossed, jaw tight.

The Luxoria Castle post was still displayed in full.

His eyes narrowed at the final lines:

"Bring a leash and a first-aid kit."

"Damn it…" Varen muttered, voice low and seething.

"They dared to mock me—us—openly."

Across from him, seated comfortably on a velvet couch, Sylvia Aurelius sipped her tea without a care in the world.

She smiled, watching his rage simmer.

"To think Luxoria Castle is this brave…" she mused.

"Or perhaps just suicidal."

Varen turned his glare toward her.

"You're awfully calm about this."

Sylvia looked up at him, swirling her cup slowly.

"Of course. The louder someone shouts, the more desperate they usually are."

He scowled. "So you're saying I should ignore it?"

She set her cup down gently.

"I advise you not to reply. Let them think you're shaken. Let them believe you're unprepared."

She smiled again—sharper this time.

"So that when the battle starts, you can surprise them."

Varen grunted, pacing away from the screen.

"I already planned to strike without warning… but now I want to know something else."

He turned back to face her.

"What are you even doing here, Miss Sylvia? You don't exactly have a habit of social visits."

Sylvia smirked, folding one leg over the other.

"Observation."

Varen raised an eyebrow.

She continued.

"Luxoria made a move. I'm here to see how Beast Castle responds."

"Your reaction determines whether you're still a relevant name in this war."

Varen's frown deepened. "So you came to measure me?"

Sylvia's smile didn't waver. "Exactly."

He stepped closer. "And if I fail your little 'test'?"

She leaned forward slightly, her voice like a knife wrapped in silk.

"Then maybe it's Luxoria I should invest in next."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Varen clenched his fists, then turned back toward the war table.

"Your threat doesn't work on me, Miss Sylvia," he said, voice low and controlled.

"I'm still the CEO of Beast Castle—the largest beast facility on the continent."

He turned his head slightly, casting her a sidelong glare.

"So instead of circling me with your tea and smiles, just tell me what you want."

Sylvia didn't flinch. In fact, her smirk grew.

"As expected of you, Mr. CEO," she said sweetly.

"Always composed. Always pretending you're three steps ahead."

She leaned back into her seat, one leg crossing over the other with poise.

"But before I get to what I want, I have a question."

Varen didn't answer.

Sylvia went on, slowly. "Have you… already selected your beast for the battle?"

Varen lifted his chin. "Of course we have. I don't leave matters like this to chance."

"I see," Sylvia nodded, her voice almost too casual.

"Because if you hadn't… I was thinking about helping you."

Varen turned fully now, face darkening. "Pardon?"

Sylvia met his glare with a calm, amused smile.

"As I said—if you were still scrambling for a worthy contender."

"The Aurelius family would've been willing to lend you something from our Vault."

Varen's frown deepened. "You mean to say… Aurelius beasts under my banner?"

Sylvia's fingers traced the edge of her teacup.

"Temporarily. One battle. Publicly, of course, it'd remain a Beast Castle win."

Varen frowned, arms crossed tightly.

"There's no way the Aurelius family is doing this out of goodwill."

He stepped closer, eyes sharp.

"What do you really want, Sylvia? And what does your family want?"

Sylvia's smirk widened ever so slightly.

"Simple. We want to crush Luxoria Castle."

The name hung in the air like a blade.

Varen's gaze hardened. "So that's it."

Sylvia set her cup down with a soft clink.

"You see," she said calmly.

"Luxoria Castle was… brave enough to play a game with us."

"Openly mocking our research and our reputation."

She looked directly at him now.

"And because of that, we intend to give them our answer. Loud. Violent. Permanent."

She leaned forward, resting her chin lightly on her hand.

"But the best delivery method, I thought… would be you, Mr. Varen."

"You're currently in an argument with them. You've been publicly insulted. Who better to carry our wrath into the arena?"

Varen stared at her for a long, silent moment.

Then finally spoke.

"I see."

He turned, facing the large projection of the battlefield once again.

"So I carry your message… and I get my revenge at the same time."

Sylvia's voice softened, but the edge was still there.

"Exactly. And in return… we test what kind of monster Luxoria Castle has really become."

Varen nodded slowly.

"Fine. Bring me your beast."

Sylvia smiled again—this time, razor-thin.

"I already have. It's waiting downstairs."