The Ice Succubus pressed her cold body against Akira. Her touch was not only freezing but also draining. The frost flowers on her skin seemed to pull the warmth right out of him, and the burning feeling where she touched him quickly turned into a numbing chill.
"Release it, boy," she purred. "Give your warmth to me, and I will give you blissful pleasure. You will feel nothing but ecstasy as you fade."
He felt the freezing press of her stiff nipple against his chest, and his body gave an instinctive shudder of arousal and terror.
Akira fought the sensation, the cold creeping into his core.
[WARNING: ESSENCE DRAIN CRITICAL. 5% PER SECOND]
He didn't even need the system notification; he could feel his Essence, the very life force granted by the System, leaking out in a steady flow straight into the demon. This was faster and more terrifying than the Mantis fight.
"Akira!" Ayaka screamed. She lunged forward, channelling all her demonic power into a single, scorching bolt of energy.
The Succubus turned her head just a bit, creating a shimmering icy shield that absorbed Ayaka's attack. The energy faded away, leaving Ayaka feeling dazed.
"Get away from him!" Ayaka blasted another bolt of crimson energy.
This time, the Ice Succubus flicked her wrist, and the blast shattered against a wall of frost.
"Shh, little sister. Adults are talking," She then whistled, and from nowhere, Ice Imps rushed out, attacking Ayaka.
The Ice Succubus shifted her full attention back to Akira, her fingers gently caressing his rapidly cooling cheek. "Your little protector is weak," she murmured. "Submit to your desires, essence bearer. I know what you truly want. I can grant you all the power you crave."
Akira was losing the battle. His limbs felt heavy and his mind foggy.
But as his consciousness slipped, Ai's voice in his head roared him back to life. "You're more powerful than this, darling… fight it. I chose you for a reason… now, show me."
Akira closed his eyes, reaching deep into himself, trying to feel the rush of warmth he felt whenever he defeated a monster or demon… trying to feel the essence he was bearing.
"I am the one who should be dominating," he thought fiercely. "Not her."
"Yes, darling. That's the spirit!"
Akira opened his eyes and strained slightly to look the succubus in her eyes, a weak grin forming on his lips. "You've been trying to seduce me, haven't you?" he wheezed, channelling the last of his energy into his voice. "Grant me the desire and power you think I crave?"
The Succubus barely flinched, but Akira went on.
"Nice one. But you're cold, and I like my girls hot, obedient, messy, and screaming my name. You're not worthy of my Essence."
The insult hit the Succubus like a hard hit. Her ice-blue eyes suddenly flashed with real anger, replacing the seductive smile.
"Insolent worm!" she hissed.
Akira ignored her. "All I want coming here is to close this gate… that is the power I crave. But you… I can tell you crave something different, don't you?"
That slight moment of hesitation was what Akira was hoping for.
He channelled every reserve of his power and his will into his left arm. He didn't try to pull away; instead, he drove his elbow sharply into the Succubus's exposed ribs.
The demon gasped in surprise, and the draining stopped for a moment. The ice around Akira's legs began to crack.
"You dare resist?" she hissed, her beautiful face contorted with shock and fury.
"I dare," Akira gasped, pulling his dagger free and slashing horizontally. The blade scraped against her pale blue skin, drawing a thin line of glowing, cold ichor.
The Succubus let out a scream of pure anger. She pulled away from him and jumped back, sending sharp ice tendrils flying from her fingers like needles.
Akira barely ducked under the attack, the ice tearing harmlessly through the air where his head had been.
Ayaka, done with the Imps, moved in, engaging the Succubus with continuous bursts of energy, forcing the Guardian to rely on ranged attacks.
Just then, the system pinged, and the screen appeared before Akira.
[CHOICE AVAILABLE]
[A: FIGHT AND KILL THE GUARDIAN. Implication: Straightforward combat. Essence drain makes it risky. Rewards: +350PP, Essence Core]
[B: DOMINATE AND SUBDUE THE GUARDIAN. Implication: Requires 150 PP activation cost and high risk/skill. Permanently enslaves the Guardian. Rewards: +750PP, Essence Core, Ice Succubus Route Unlocked]
Akira looked at the gorgeous, powerful, and utterly deadly Ice Succubus. He remembered the feeling of her cold skin pressing against him, the way his body had reacted to her dominance.
Killing her would be safe, but capturing and taming a demon of this level would really strengthen his power and give him an unparalleled resource.
When had playing it safe ever gotten me anywhere?
"Ai," he thought fiercely. "Option B. Subdue."
[OPTION CONFIRMED: DOMINATE AND SUBDUE]
[PURCHASING REQUIRED SKILL: AURA OF DOMINANCE LV 1 → LV 2]
[PP COST: 150 PP. PP: 620 → 470]
[ATTEMPTING SUBMISSION: THE ICE SUCCUBUS]
[AURA OF DOMINANCE UPGRADE INITIATED]
A strong wave of power filled Akira, bringing an intense heat that melted the ice around his ankles and wrists. He felt all his tiredness fade away, replaced by an exciting feeling of control, almost like a god.
[AURA OF DOMINANCE (LVL 1) → AURA OF DOMINANCE (LVL 2)]
[EFFECT: MENTAL RESISTANCE BREAKDOWN, INCREASED EROTIC COMMAND]
The Succubus stumbled back as the wave of Akira's new Aura hit her.
The intense energy was so strong and filled with desire and control that it was more powerful than any blast from a demon.
It slipped past her defences and struck her in the most vulnerable spots: her pride as a demon and her secret fantasies of submission.
Akira, now free, advanced on her. His eyes were no longer clouded with fear or desire, but with pure, controlling intent.
"Ayaka, cover me!" Akira commanded. "I'm not going to kill her. I'm going to break her."
Ayaka looked confused, but she maintained her relentless assault, driving the Succubus back toward the ice throne.
She laughed, but it sounded less confident. "Bold little human. I like that."
Akira lunged.
She threw a spear of ice; he ducked, slammed into her, and pinned her against her own throne. One hand grabbed a heavy, frost-covered tit, squeezing hard. The cold burned his palm, but he didn't care.
The succubus' eyes widened in shock at his bold move and released a wave of energy that sent Akira flying in the air and landing on his back.
He got up almost immediately, using the back of his hand to wipe away the bead of sweat on his forehead. The place was freezing, but he was warm on the inside.
"You've got her confused, darling. Just… don't hold back. Tease her till she submits."
"You call yourself a succubus?" Akira started, releasing a fresh wave of his Aura of Dominance. "But your tricks don't work on me anymore. You use cold to drain power; I use desire to claim it."
The Succubus hesitated, her blue eyes growing wide with confusion and something close to panic. The raw authority in his voice was overwhelming her demonic arrogance.
"What are you doing, boy?" she stammered, raising her guard. "Is this a new trick?"
"No trick," Akira said, closing the distance. "This is a statement."
He reached out and grabbed her chin forcefully, tilting her head to meet his gaze. She tried to resist, but the Aura held her frozen. "I own you now, demon. You just don't know it yet."
"You insolent, filthy human!" she shrieked.
"Insolent?" Akira countered, grabbing her long, white hair with one hand and yanking her face close. "You think you're powerful? You think those frozen tits are enough to bring me to my knees? I've had better from a cock-obssessed human."
Akira leaned in, letting his hand slide down her neck, tracing the edge of her flimsy, frost-covered robe.
His thumb brushed the curve of her exposed breast, and he intentionally pressed hard on the stiff, dark blue nipple beneath the thin fabric.
"You think a little frost makes you untouchable?" Akira growled, twisting his fingers lightly. "You're nothing but a sex lady dressed in ice. You want to drain Essence? Fine. I'll give it to you the way I want. And you're going to beg me for it."
He didn't even need to read her thoughts to sense that he was hitting the core of her deepest desires. Her anger was instantly mixed with a surprising, intense arousal.
The Succubus gasped, and a sound torn between shock and pleasure escaped her.
"Stop... stop talking like that," she whimpered, her ice-blue eyes glazed over with a mixture of confusion, rage, and feverish submission. "I will freeze you solid! I will tear you apart!"
Akira responded by shoving his hand roughly inside her robe, cupping her full, freezing breast, and dragging his thumb across her already rock-hard nipple.
"Don't talk back when I'm talking to you!" Akira snarled, forcing her gaze back to his. "You will beg me to take your power, not the other way around. Now tell me: Who is the Master here?"
The burning cold she usually projected was faltering. Her pale skin flushed with a deep blue blush that spread from her chest up to her ears. The frost flowers on her body began melting into cold sweat.
Ayaka, watching from the sidelines, was stunned, witnessing a demonic power struggle unlike anything she had ever seen. Akira was fighting a succubus, higher in rank than her, by attacking her submission centres directly.
Akira gave her exposed breast another sharp squeeze, then turned her around violently, landing a sharp, stinging slap on her soft, pale blue buttock.
The Ice Succubus trembled violently.
The shame, the humiliation, the dominance… it was shattering her defence mechanisms, overwhelming her pride, and unlocking the deepest, most primal need for submission.
Her ice-blue eyes were no longer hungry, but pleading. Tears rolled down her cheeks, freezing into tiny ice crystals as they fell. The great Guardian of the Grade Beta Gate was no longer the powerful figure she once was; she seemed broken.
"P-please," she stammered, sinking to her knees on the ice floor, the fragile frost robe parting completely. She reached out, grasping for the waistband of the trousers he wore
She looked up at him, her body completely open, surrendered, and trembling. "Please... fvck me!"