The Demon King's castle used to be defended like an iron fortress. But recently, that idiot was misled by other Demon Kings and reduced to nothing more than a pawn of the Abyss. As a result, there are only a handful of demonkin still stationed there now."
Idis explained the situation to Kurose Akira in detail.
"However… she may still be inside the castle."
Akira frowned slightly."Who is this 'she' you're talking about?"
"The previous Succubus Empress," Idis replied as she set down the fruit juice in her hand. "She's not an easy problem to deal with. If Mary knew her former empress was still alive, she would never have dared to commission you to go to the Demon King's castle."
"The Succubus Empress…"Akira murmured under his breath.
Even though the succubus race had long since declined, an empress's strength was still not something to be underestimated.
"Looks like I'll have to accompany you personally," Idis decided calmly. "Coincidentally, there are a few things I'd like to say to her as well."
Before her words had even fully settled, a crimson magic circle silently bloomed beside her.
"Let's go."
Idis stepped into the flickering red magic circle first.
Akira and Lucia followed close behind. After a brief distortion of space, the three of them reappeared inside the lord's manor of Black Rose Ancient City.
Idis's arrival caused every servant in the manor to drop to one knee in reverent salute—including the city lord himself.
It was as though she were the only true sovereign here.
That sight made Akira feel faintly uneasy.
Without lingering, Idis led Akira and Lucia straight into a hidden underground chamber.
Inside the sealed room, Mary was kneeling on the floor, her body trembling violently in terror.
"L–Lady Idis…"Her voice was filled with deep reverence and fear.
Idis's gaze was icy."Open the passage to the Abyss."
"Yes—yes, at once!"Mary replied shakily as she slowly stood.
Only then did Akira get a clear look at her.
This short-haired succubus with pale yellow hair looked quite different from Sana, whom he had encountered before. Mary's features leaned more toward the human side. While she could be considered passably attractive, the gap between her and Idis's peerless beauty was vast.
Mary didn't dare delay for even a second. She immediately activated the demonic power within her body.
A teleportation gate shrouded in blood-red mist gradually took shape. If one listened closely, strange murmurs could be heard echoing from within, accompanied by a dense, nauseating stench of blood.
Just before stepping into the gate, Akira subconsciously glanced at Lucia.
As the Holy Maiden of the Church of Light, how did she truly feel about personally entering the Abyss?
Yet Lucia wasn't looking at the gate at all.
Her gaze was locked onto Idis's back, and within her eyes lurked a faint trace of hostility.
"Before entering the Abyss, there's something the two of you need to remember."
Idis's voice suddenly rang out, pulling both of their attention back to her.
"There are no rules in the Abyss. Power is everything. If you encounter demonkin that displeases you…"She paused briefly."…just kill them."
The moment her words ended, Idis stepped into the blood-red gate without hesitation.
Lucia followed immediately after her, not even the slightest flicker of doubt in her movements.
Just as Akira was about to step in as well, Mary suddenly spoke up behind him.
"I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Lady Idis… but if you want to stay alive…"She swallowed hard."…you'd better never disobey any of her orders."
"..."
Akira paused for a moment but didn't respond. He silently etched the warning into his mind.
He truly didn't know enough about Idis yet.
She was like a rose covered in thorns—beautiful, dangerous, and impossible to fully grasp.
Taking a deep breath, Akira stepped into the portal.
The instant he arrived in the Abyss, a suffocating stench of blood flooded his nostrils.
A blood-red sky loomed overhead, sharply contrasting with the pitch-black ground beneath his feet. The murky, corrupted air made Akira's expression turn grim almost immediately.
Thankfully, Lucia reacted quickly and cast a Light-based spell on him, neutralizing the adverse effects of the Abyssal environment.
In stark contrast, Idis appeared completely unfazed, as though everything around her was utterly familiar.
That was hardly surprising—after all, she had been born here.
"So this is the Abyss…"Akira surveyed the surroundings.
The land was torn apart, volcanoes erupted in the distance, and dense demonic particles saturated the air.
The environment was several times harsher than even the demon dens he had encountered before. A normal person would likely suffer mental collapse within seconds of exposure.
Directly ahead of them stood a towering, ominous black castle.
Demonic figures patrolled its surroundings, and the defenses were tight.
"Stay close to me," Lucia said as she stepped beside Akira and tightly clasped his hand. "Don't move even one step away."
"Mm."Akira nodded softly in response.
Yet his heart stirred slightly.
Lucia's grip was far tighter than necessary—so tight it felt as though she were trying to fuse their hands together.
Idis glanced back at the subtle interaction between the two, her eyes flicking over them with faint amusement before she looked away again.
Holding Lucia's hand, Akira asked,"How are we supposed to get into the Demon King's castle?"
"How do we get in?"
Idis smiled calmly.
She lightly tapped the ground with her blazing red high heels.
In the next instant, the three of them were already inside the Demon King's castle.
"We're… already in?"
Akira looked around in disbelief.
They were standing inside a vast, ancient study.
Bright magic crystal lamps were embedded in the walls. Bookshelves lined every side of the room, packed densely with countless tomes.
His gaze was quickly drawn to a book resting atop the desk.
"One Hundred Ways to Be a Proper Person"
"..."
Akira frowned.
That Demon King named Lankai… was he some kind of culinary enthusiast too?
"If I remember correctly, the Demon King's treasury should be here."
Idis's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
She walked over to an abstract painting that looked distinctly odd. With a flick of her finger, a thread of red light shot out and sank into the canvas.
The wall began to tremble.
Moments later, a pitch-black staircase emerged, descending into darkness.
"Let's go."
Idis stepped onto the stairs first. Her heels struck the stone steps with crisp, echoing sounds.
Akira and Lucia followed closely behind.
After an unknown length of descent, they finally reached the end.
As the treasury doors slowly opened, Akira was left utterly stunned.
The chamber was piled high with treasures of every imaginable kind. A single glance was enough to reveal an entire heap of epic-grade items.
Among the countless treasures, Akira suddenly spotted a familiar painting.
His pupils shrank sharply.
"The Vampire Progenitor's portrait!"
He never expected to see it again—here of all places.
After a brief pause, his gaze shifted away, sweeping across the rest of the treasury.
He noticed that every item was enveloped in a faint layer of magic. The moment anyone touched them, the embedded magical restrictions would activate.
And once those were triggered, escape would be impossible.
"None of these can be touched yet," Idis reminded him softly. "But~"
Leaving the rest of her sentence unfinished, she walked toward the deepest part of the treasury.
There, two special items were displayed.
One was a mass of blue flames, burning silently while radiating intense heat. Akira attempted to inspect it using his Player Authority—only to find his vision filled with question marks.
[Strange Blue Flame (?):???]
The other item was a collar inlaid with three heart-shaped gems.
Under the dim candlelight, it reflected a faint pink glow—beautiful, mysterious, and oddly alluring.
[Succubus Collar (Legendary): A tool used by succubi to reproduce life. It can also help解除 their second seal.]
When Akira read the item description, his heart stirred.
"解除 the second seal…?"
No wonder Ivsha's second seal had shown no reaction all this time.
So this was the crucial missing item.
As his thoughts churned, Idis spoke again.
"Once everything is over, everything here will belong to us. If there's anything you like, remember it. I can give you a few items then."
"Really?"Akira's eyes lit up.
"Of course," she replied with a sly glint in her eyes, clearly pleased by his reaction. "But only if you help me with a few things first."
"..."
Akira fell silent.
As expected—Idis's gifts were never free.
He looked up at her, frowning slightly."If all the items here are protected by restrictions, how are we supposed to take the Succubus Collar?"
Idis chuckled softly.
"Very simple. There's someone who can解除 its restriction."Her lips curled upward."And she should have arrived by now…"
Before her words could fade, an enraged roar erupted from behind them.
"IDIS!"
Akira turned around.
A pregnant succubus had suddenly appeared.
However, unlike other succubi, she possessed none of that seductive grace.
Her body was grotesquely bloated, more like a wild boar than a woman. Most of her features leaned toward the crude brutality of demons rather than anything resembling human femininity.
By human aesthetic standards—
She was hideous beyond measure.
Upon seeing her, a cold smile spread across Idis's face.
She spoke mockingly:
"Mesli… you finally came. How did you end up looking like this?"Her tone dripped with scorn."Didn't you swear to me back then that as long as you became the mother of Satan's child, you'd be qualified to rule the Abyss of Lust?"
Her eyes swept over Mesli's bloated form.
"But look at you now…"She sneered."You look like nothing more than a nauseating, stinking pig."