"Succubus… a succubus…"
Kurose Akira kept repeating the mission target under his breath, a thoughtful glint flickering in his eyes. He had a strong feeling that the appearance of a succubus wasn't merely connected to the demons emerging within the borders of the Star Kingdom—it was also tied, in some hidden way, to Idis.
On top of that, the reward for this special commission was unexpectedly generous: a blue-rarity recruitment scroll. That alone was enough to make his guard go up.
"No matter what," Akira muttered to himself, "anything involving the Abyss—asking Idis directly is always the safest bet."
He stood up and waved to the members gathered inside the guild.
"Everyone, get ready. We're heading out for a mission."
"Yes~ Guildmaster~"
At that very moment, in a remote and isolated village—
A succubus with dark-purple skin was indulging herself, greedily draining life energy.
Around her lay rows upon rows of shriveled male corpses. Their bodies had turned pale and bloodless from the complete loss of vitality. In stark contrast, the succubus—having absorbed an enormous amount of life force—had a grotesquely swollen abdomen, bloated and distended.
"Ahh~ this is simply exquisite~"
Sana licked the corner of her lips, her eyes shimmering with satisfaction and excitement.
"Sana, don't forget your mission."
A dark-purple bat fluttered down beside her, reminding her sharply.
"Alright, alright!"
Sana stood up from atop the corpses and sneered coldly.
"I know exactly what I need to do. This time, I'll make that bastard who betrayed our kind pay the price!"
"But ever since you escaped the Abyss, you've done nothing but devour human life energy. Do you really still remember what you're supposed to be doing?"
The bat questioned her sternly.
"Hahaha! I can't help it!"
Sana laughed savagely.
"Ever since that happened, I haven't tasted a man in decades! How could I possibly resist? If it were you, you wouldn't be able to either, Mary."
"Stop wasting time! We're here to find that traitor and take revenge! Betrayal of our race, slaughtering our own kin—this debt must be repaid in blood!"
"Wait—someone's coming!"
Suddenly—
Sana sensed the presence of approaching humans. Her smile froze for a split second.
Then, in the next moment, her fangs were bared in delight.
"Mary! I smell premium food! This aura—ahhh~ it's incredible~! Just what kind of man gives off such a delicious scent? I'm going to devour him completely!"
"Hey! Don't forget your mission!"
"Relax—after I finish eating this one, I'll go deal with that bastard Idis!"
"Mr. Akira… why is this village so quiet?"
Ivsha looked around uneasily, worry filling her eyes.
"I'm not sure either."
Akira shook his head. Ever since they'd arrived at the mission location, there hadn't been a single sign of living people. Doors and windows were shut tight, house after house—like a deserted ghost village.
"There's no trace of living humans left here,"Loserine explained calmly.
"Could it be that succubus… slaughtered everyone?"
Akira narrowed his eyes, murmuring softly.
Just as his thoughts were converging—
A strand of magic suddenly struck without warning, brushing against the Mind Pendant hanging from his chest and triggering a violent tremor!
"She's here!"
Akira immediately sounded the alert.
The next instant, a shrill, knife-like laugh tore through the air and drilled into their ears—mocking, wicked, as if it came straight from the Abyss itself.
"Ah~! Such a delicious aura~~ You… you're a true delicacy."
Along with the laughter, a dark-purple succubus suddenly appeared atop a rooftop. She lay there lazily on her side, lips curled into a teasing smile as she stared straight at Akira.
"Target confirmed!"
Loserine instantly drew the Oathbound Sword at her waist. The rest of the party shifted into combat stances without hesitation.
Akira locked eyes with the succubus on the roof, his expression sharp and guarded.
This succubus looked nothing like Ivsha.
If Ivsha—after reverting to her true form—still retained many humanlike features, then the one before them leaned far more heavily toward the demonic.
Her dark-purple skin bore strange folds, her twisted goat horns and cloven hooves exuding an instinctive sense of unease. Her figure, admittedly, was excellent—but her face…
Frankly, it was a bit appetite-killing.
Akira understood.
This was the true appearance of a succubus.
Succubi like Ivsha or Idis were the exception. Those who lived in the brutal Abyss could never possess the delicate, soft forms of gentle beauties. Their bodies were forged closer to demons—powerful, feral, and savage.
Of course… Akira's tastes were on the heavier side.Even goat hooves weren't necessarily a dealbreaker.
Cough.
"I really want to taste you right now~ my delicious little meal~"
Sana extended her long, pointed tongue and slowly licked her lips, her gaze brimming with interest as it fixed on Akira.
Then—
Her eyes shifted to Ivsha standing beside him.
"Hm?!"
Ivsha's holy aura was so intense that Sana hadn't noticed her at first. But the moment she truly saw her—
Her face twisted with rage.
"It's you! You traitor!"
"You know me?"
Ivsha frowned in confusion. She had never interacted with other succubi before—how could this one recognize her?
"Hahahaha! I never thought it'd be this easy to find you!"
Sana spread her wings wide.
"Die! Idis!"
She lunged straight toward Ivsha.
Facing the ferocious assault, Loserine charged forward without hesitation, sword flashing as she struck at the incoming succubus.
"Out of my way!"
Sana roared, her sharp claws igniting with pitch-black flames as she slashed back.
Clang!
Metal rang sharply through the air.
Loserine and Sana collided in a violent clash, their figures darting like lightning amid flashing blades and tearing shadows. Black flames roared across the battlefield, fierce enough to seem as though the entire village might be consumed.
"Level 35…?"
Akira's expression darkened as he read Sana's status panel. Her combat power exceeded his expectations.
Sana (Epic)Level: 35 (0 / 14,000)Race: SuccubusStrength: 650Agility: 550Magic: 550Constitution: 600Growth: 10 (All attributes +10 per level)Skills: (Expand)Status: Mana Overflow
Her stats far surpassed Loserine's. Worse still, after feeding, she entered a special state—Mana Overflow.
Even Loserine couldn't guarantee a flawless victory against her.
"Senior Loserine! We'll support you!"
Fuli and Fulu immediately began chanting, unleashing fire and water elemental spells at Sana. The attacks did deal damage—but the effect was limited.
"Don't move!"
Ailis instantly summoned ice-silk snow threads, tightly binding Sana's wings.
But in the next moment—
Black flames surged violently from Sana's body, instantly burning through the ice threads.
"How is that possible!?"
Ailis frowned deeply. She had never seen such strange flames before.
"What a nuisance! I'll kill you first!"
Sana shifted targets and flew straight toward Ailis and the others.
Her speed was terrifying—within the blink of an eye, she was already in front of Ailis.
"Die!"
Her claws slashed down violently.
"Not happening!"
At the critical moment, Ivsha completed her high-tier spell—
Fallen Radiance.
A nun-shaped phantom woven from holy light erupted forth, instantly swallowing Sana's figure.
"Damn it! Holy magic?!"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the area.
Sana vanished completely within the burst of light.
"Did we get her?"
Everyone stared toward the epicenter of the holy radiance, hope rising that Ivsha's spell had dealt decisive damage.
"Watch out!"
Loserine sensed movement within the light and immediately rushed forward, shoving Ailis aside.
The next instant—
A torrent of black flame burst out of the holy glow, hurtling toward Loserine.
Fortunately—
Loserine was immune to fire.
She didn't even bother dodging.
BOOM!
The flames slammed into the ground, blasting out a massive crater.
Then, a claw shot out from the fading light and smashed into Loserine's armor.
She staggered backward several steps before regaining her footing. A shocking dent had formed in her armor—but her body itself suffered little damage. After all, a crystalline construct was far harder than steel.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Sana burst out of the light, blood covering her body. Holy power had cracked her dark-purple skin in multiple places.
"How do you have holy power?! You're not Idis!"
"Who is Idis?"
Ivsha looked utterly confused. She had never heard the name before.
"You just wait!"
Realizing her enemies were far more dangerous than expected, Sana spread her wings, preparing to flee.
"Not so fast!"
Loserine unfurled her soul-forged wings of light. The Oathbound Sword in her hand bloomed with white moonlight as she cleaved toward Sana's back.
"AAH!"
With a scream, Sana crashed to the ground.
She struggled to rise—only to see the white moonlight descending once more.
"Damn it!"
Gritting her teeth, Sana retreated desperately. She knew it clearly—
In her current state, she stood no chance against them.
I need another plan…
Then—
Her gaze locked onto Akira.
This man was the weakest in combat among the party… yet clearly held the highest authority.
More importantly—
He would make perfect fuel to replenish her magic.
"I'll grab you first—eat you first!"
With a feral grin, Sana unleashed everything she had left and lunged straight at Akira!
"Guildmaster! Watch out!"
Loserine and the others rushed desperately toward him, trying to intercept her.
But Akira merely said calmly—
"It's fine."
He pulled out the three high-tier magic scrolls obtained from the Sage's Soul, thinking that they were finally about to earn their keep.
"Soul Shatter!"
The moment the scroll unfurled, a beam of blue light shot straight toward Sana.
She was shocked and tried to dodge—but the distance was too close, and her contempt for Akira had dulled her instincts.
She couldn't escape.
"AAH!"
With a shriek, Sana was struck head-on and collapsed to the ground.
"Damn it… a high-tier magic scroll…"
She trembled, trying to stand, but the damage from Soul Shatter left her completely unable to move—her soul felt fractured, her body no longer under her control.
"Pretty effective, huh?"
Akira was slightly surprised. The power rivaled Ivsha's high-tier magic—yet required no chanting at all.
That said, remembering that each scroll was worth one gold coin, his heart still ached when using it.
"Now then…"
He looked down at the fallen Sana.
Your turn is over.Now, it's mine.
Akira walked up to her and drew his sword.
There was no need to question her. Anything worth knowing could be asked directly of Idis.
For Sana—
There was only one road left.
Seeing Akira about to kill her, Sana panicked completely.
"No! Don't kill me! I can be your slave! I can do anything! I'm a succubus—you know what that means! If you have me, you'll enjoy pleasures beyond imagination!"
"..."
Akira's sword paused for just a fraction of a second.
That tiny hesitation lit a spark of hope in Sana's eyes.
In a sultry voice, she whispered—
"Master~ please spare me~"
Slash.
"AAH—!"
Before her words even finished, Akira's blade fell, severing her head cleanly.
His hesitation hadn't come from temptation—
It was because he had sensed other monsters nearby.