Chapter 10: Descent into the Lustcore – Trial of a Thousand Kisses
Volume 2: The Origin Lustcore – Harem of the End Arc 1: The Lustcore Descent Begins
> [Sin Tiers Cleared: 7/7 – But Something Awakened]
[Location: Inner Lustcore Realm – Desire Immaterial]
[System Warning: Welcome to the realm where love and lust are indistinguishable.]
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1. Velvet Spiral of Dreams
We descended on steps made of red light.
Behind us, the Tower of Sins collapsed into nothing.
Ahead of us? The impossible.
A galaxy of twisting roses floated midair, spinning into oblivion.
And at the heart of it stood a woman: tall, radiant, and naked beneath a robe of writhing silk.
"Welcome to me," she whispered. "Welcome to the Lustcore."
Elyria stepped beside me. "That's Valtheria. The one who started it all."
System Message:
> [New Trial: The Thousandfold Temptation] [Objective: Pass through the Garden of Kisses without succumbing to false love.]
Lilix scoffed. "False love? Kairo barely survives true love."
I muttered, "Thanks for the support."
Valtheria smiled. "Let's begin."
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2. Garden of Flesh and Memory
We entered a world where trees bled perfume.
Each path led to an illusion.
Each kiss... triggered a memory.
The first was mine.
I kissed the ghost of my first crush—someone I forgot years ago.
She became smoke in my mouth.
"Every desire you left behind," Valtheria said, "waits for you here."
Seraphina's trial appeared next. A vision of her old lover—a man who left her at the altar.
He tried to pull her into a wedding that never happened.
She incinerated him with a smile. "I have better now."
Rhyssara kissed a shadow version of me—one cruel, violent, indifferent.
She cried.
Then stabbed it.
"I'll never love a version of you again."
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3. Kiss #999 – Mirror of Lust
Valtheria guided me toward a throne of lips.
"Only one more," she said. "The last temptation. Me."
I hesitated. Her scent was like every perfect night I never had.
The girls circled us.
"She's testing your boundaries," Elyria warned.
Valtheria leaned close. "Kiss me, Kairo. Not as a test. As a man."
I did.
Fire.
Memories of every harem moment surged—but twisted. I saw myself choosing only her.
The rest... erased.
"Is that what you want?" she whispered.
"No," I gasped. "I want all of them."
The illusion shattered.
System Ping:
> [Trial Passed – Lustcore Layer One Cleared]
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4. Ariel, the First Fallen
Lightning struck the rose galaxy.
A woman fell with it—black wings, torn dress, sword made of hymns.
"Ariel," Valtheria said. "My first lover. My first betrayer."
Ariel's eyes locked onto mine.
"So you're the new obsession."
She attacked.
We fought midair.
Every blade she swung sang with heartbreak.
Lilix leapt to catch her.
Seraphina shielded me.
Rhyssara shadow-choked her.
Elyria—kissed her.
It stunned her.
Elyria whispered, "Pain needs love. Not just fury."
Ariel dropped her sword.
She cried.
"I... loved her. And she left."
I held her hand. "We don't erase pain. We live through it."
System Update:
> [Ariel has joined your Harem] [Title Gained: Healer of the Fallen]
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5. Valtheria's Whisper
As we moved toward the next Lustcore gate, Valtheria lingered in my mind.
"Each girl you love takes a piece of you," she whispered. "What happens when there's nothing left?"
I didn't answer.
Because I wasn't sure.
But I knew this: I'd give all of me, piece by piece... if it meant I wasn't alone.
And I wasn't.
Not anymore.
> [End of Chapter 10]
[Next: Chapter 11 – Nyxira's Lament: The Queen Who Let Me Die]