Chapter 22: Chapter 18 – Succubus (1)

Soft snoring is heard at the top of the massive neon building, at the top office only seen once before. Reclining back, brown hair was spread out against the back of the office chair she slept in. 

 

The entire room starts to tremble, rising smoke visible behind the windows shortly after. But for some reason, the woman remains slumbering heavily, unbothered by the shaking of the building. Decorations on the wall begin to sway as more quakes charge up and down the building until they finally come to a halt.

 

The brown-haired woman continues sleeping in the chair, as though nothing had happened only a few seconds ago. She was utterly clueless about the catastrophic battle happening down below. 

 

Her deep slumber is interrupted when the phone on her desk loudly blares out its chime. "Ugghhh!" The woman groans, bringing her chair back up. The woman reaches over and swipes the green button to the side, bringing the phone to her ear. "Talk." The woman demands, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. It's midnight and someone would dare call her personal phone number? That's reserved for emergencies only! 

 

There's a frantic voice on the other end, a young woman shouting with chaos running amok in her background. "They're destroying everything!" The woman screams into the phone. The brown-haired woman's eyes open a bit more, the call fully gaining her attention. "Miss Genevieve, those kids are destroying anything! There's a naked bitch destroying everything right with them! The city's on fire and anyone who can handle the situation is away! We need you!"

 

The brown-haired woman, Genevieve, spins her chair around and grasps the curtain behind her desk. Carelessly, she tears the curtain down from the rod, staring at the scene before her in disbelief.

 

An explosion goes off in the city, and off in the distance, small dots are speeding from place to place, leaving a trail of chaos behind them. 

 

"I'll handle it." Genevieve's hand trembles while she hangs up the phone. The temperature in the room begins to pick up as the woman's hair emits smoke, veins striking out of her head. A primordial rage boils within her, too much for the human body to contain. It seeps out of her, letting the paint on the walls slowly drip down to the floor.

 

"In my district? Under my watch? You think you can fuck with me?!" Incomparable to the shaking from before, the entire building begins to rumble and cracks rush down the walls. The very foundation questions if it can withstand the power of her rage. "Do you know who the fuck I am?!" From the power behind her voice alone, the wall in front of Genevieve explodes out, leaving an opening in front of her.

 

"Wait until I get my hands on those brats!"

 

---

 

"You sure this is going to work?!" Malison shouts from the building across from me. The two of us are sprinting and leaping from building to building, avoiding the massive spears raining down from the sky behind us as the naked woman continues her chase.

 

"You think we can beat her through conventional means?! I mean, we probably can, but this way is a lot easier!" I reassure her, turning around to raise my hand for what feels like the hundredth time together. A massive fireball is unleashed, crashing into the ground below the woman. Like usual, she moves her body out of the way of the explosion while it's happening. Her reaction speed is terrifying! 

 

"We just have to wait until one of the 'heads' come!" The woman begins closing the distance with me, throwing a spear in my direction. I've prepared myself though, and use [Intangibility] the moment that it gets close enough and let it pass through my body. The main issue with this skill right now is that the level is low, so I can only use it for a short amount of time. If I get my timing wrong, the skill can stop working and I'll just be hit by the spears. Intangibility shortens its time when it recognizes that it's being used for defensive purposes compared to when you're normally going through objects. Right now, I can't just keep the skill activated for as long as I want unless I'm not being attacked.

 

Then, I drop myself down into a nearby building. I've taken the time to judge my surroundings and I've clearly understood that people live here. Something has blocked off the empathy in my heart, though. These sacrifices are necessary, not that they'll die. Actually, throughout this entire chase, no matter how many explosions are set off I don't think a single person has died. For some reason, though, no one has gotten involved. I'm sure that there's someone among the normal residents who could do something to contribute.

 

It's like all they're machines that've stopped working.

 

They scream. They run. They grumble. They cower. Yet, they never directly interfere. 

 

I quickly throw myself out of the window of the building, landing on the sidewalk outside. "I hope this plan works..."

 

The plan was simple enough. They'd cause as much chaos to get the attention of one of Tachibana's wives who run the city. I've heard the workers at the brothel talking about how each one of Tachibana's wives is powerful. Even if we don't get one of Tachibana's wives, I feel that an Awakener on the level of Tabitha would be enough to handle this situation.

 

We'd probably be scolded and beaten for this chaos, but it's better than losing our own lives. I don't know what fuels this woman's ability or if she's even a person, to begin with, but the fight feels like it can go on for an eternity. That's only how it feels right now. Malison and I can fight for a good while but we can't fight forever. Something tells me we'll gas out before she ever does.

 

Right when I stand, a chill runs down my spine. Off in the distance somewhere, I can hear the sound of shouting. It might be from all of the fighting, but my body's also starting to heat up a lot more.

 

Brushing that aside, I start to account for all of the peculiarities in this fight so far. This woman's luck is incredible. I've repeatedly used [Misfortune] on her, and only after using it on her 10 times, the maximum number of times I can use it in a day, were we able to actually apply pressure to her. Since then, the skill has already worn off. Her luck isn't just good by any means, it's divine. She possesses Divine Luck.

 

Something fiery is approaching me. I look up into the sky and see a red ball descending from the sky. Squinting my eyes, I look closer to get a good look and my blood runs cold. 

 

Malison comes slamming into the ground beside me, blood dripping from her chest, an apparent slash wound having been inflicted by the naked woman. "How the hell did she catch you?!" This didn't make sense in the slightest. Malison, who has the ability to manipulate space, was caught in such a short amount of time. She was a bit exhausted after using her ability to repeatedly teleport us away from that woman, sure, but she also had a bit of time to recover.

 

"She got faster. No clue what happened, but as soon as I tried to escape into the sky to make some ground between us, she closed the distance faster than I could track." Malison explains through her heavy breaths. "We might be done for here, Clover." She might be right. In the sky, the blue-haired woman has grown a set of black wings that flap at her sides. Black horns have sprouted from her head and a thin black tail, with a heart-shaped end, coils around her leg.

 

"She's always looked like that?" I question. I must be out of my mind, there's no way she has a transformation skill too. 

 

"Nope." Malison puts it bluntly. "She's just like you, I guess." Malison has seen my Beastkin Transformation in the dungeon. This ability must be similar. Judging by her current appearance, she's very clearly a succubus. "I feel a bit slow, only now figuring out that she's a sex demon," I comment, watching as she raises her hand over her head. "She's been fighting us with juices." Malison's words leave me cringing. She knows exactly what to say to make me uncomfortable.

 

"It's fair game, I don't think we're going to make it until help arrives." Malison tries to stand but fails, falling down onto a knee. The wound on her chest has run deeper than normal. "I can't go any further, I need time to recover." I can hear the regret in her voice, she really can't fight now, can she? That means that it's my turn to step in.

 

"We'll switch." With these final words, I activate [Beastkin Transformation]. No, I need something more than that. It won't be enough to fight this woman now that she's in that state. On top of Beastkin Transformation, I activate [Werewolf Transformation]. Stacking skills on top of each other. [Claw Generation], [Minor Minion Summoning], [Poisonous Blood], [Luck], and [Paralyzing Howl]. 

 

As my body increases in size, my former humanoid self becoming completely unrecognizable, I become a canine-like abomination. Fur sprouts from my body and my bones twist and contort to accommodate the transformation and changes. A howl is released for the second time today, stopping the woman in her tracks completely. The hand over her head was most likely being used to prepare some sort of powerful attack. I won't allow that, though.

 

Honestly, I could've done this from the start. I could've used all of these skills and fought alongside Malison. But I had a good reason for not stepping in yet. No matter how much Malison and I work together, I cannot forget that she is still a Red Witch. I took advantage of the situation. The succubus always targets Malison whenever I'm out of range, seeing her as more of a threat than myself. 

 

I used the succubus to get a good idea of where Malison's limits lie. "I'll take you on now." The succubus is resisting the paralysis from the howl. This is the second time I've used it against her, it's even more effective than the first time I used it. It's probably because of my transformation. 

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"You were always that strong...?" Malison looks pretty annoyed by my burst in strength. She's not an idiot, she's definitely caught on that I was purposely holding back. "You're a hold son of a bitch, Clover." Although she'd been deceived, Malison still chuckled at the discovery. This was like a game to her, after all. We could trust each other during battles, but that didn't mean we wouldn't go at each other's throats when the opportunity arises. Like how Malison doesn't simply teleport to me whenever there's a gap between us. She can easily get me from place to place without much effort if she actually uses her brain.

 

I leap from the ground, letting the pressure create a crater beneath where I once was. Using [Flight] and [Levitation] I shouldn't have much difficulty fighting this woman in the air. Her wings won't give her an advantage, that much I'm certain of!

 

- But this assumption of mine was horribly wrong. Even though I could fly, I did not account for her wings having an ability.

 

She flaps her wings one time. I'd thought that she was preparing to move. I should've used [Minor Future Sight] before I charged in to fight. I couldn't see the attack coming. When her wings flapped through the air, an invisible set of blades was unleashed in my direction. Only because of my instincts was I able to move out of the way at the last second, but that wasn't enough time to stop what happened next.

 

My right arm fell to the ground, leaving a string of blood attached to where it once connected. "Ag-!" How did this happen...?! Was I mistaken?! Was I too eager?! "Agghhhh!" I scream in pain, watching as blood drips out of the wound where my arm once was. 

 

Unconsciously, [Pain Resistance] activated to keep me from going into shock from my arm being detached from my body. With quick thinking, I swing my hand through the air and unleash another Fireball in the direction of the woman. She's avoided them up until now, but she might have a hard time now that we're both in the air.

 

A hand catches my wrist, however. In a short frame of time that felt like an instant, the succubus appeared in front of me. Then, two things hit me.

 

First is the realization that I hadn't seen what she was capable of in this form. Malison was overwhelmed, so I'd figured that it was only because she'd gotten tired. I was wrong. This woman genuinely overwhelmed Malison with her pure abilities alone. I'd thought that she fueled herself with sex. I might've been right, but I was wrong to assume that she fueled herself with only two people. What kind of monster like this would be this strong after only being fueled twice?!

 

Second is the fist that strikes through my stomach, drawing blood out of my mouth in a ferocious cough. 

 

And then, for the first time since this all started, the woman speaks, "You kids are so cute, fighting your heart out." Her voice echoes through my mind, clawing at my mental defenses. "It's a good thing I found you now, otherwise you'd be a problem later... I think I'll take you both to be my pets!" The succubus is leering down at me with predator-like eyes, and I can't stand it! But, I can't gather the strength to resist either.

 

Artemis and Apollo... I should summon them. If I summon them, I might be able to damage this woman. I just need to figure out a way to move. Ah! [Regeneration]!

 

Just when I'm prepared to use the skill, an explosion sounds off somewhere in the distance. I must've been more disoriented than I'd first thought because when I hear the sound, I'm pretty sure the succubus looked in a completely different direction. I look to my right, and there I witness a blinding light glimmering in the sky.

 

To my left where the succubus looked, there was an identical scene, though. The succubus unceremoniously tears her arm out of my stomach, leaving me to fall down to the ground. 

 

"Ta... Tabitha?" Black flames begin to rise around us, perfectly avoiding the surrounding buildings. I can't feel the heat, but my mind is telling me that these flames should not be touched. They're unlike any flame I've seen Tabitha use. Whereas hers are hot, these flames do not release any sort of heat. 

 

And then I see the source of them in the sky. The heat from the flames seems to have gone to a single point, in one place. Steam expels into the air as a woman with glowing hair stands in the sky, powerful eye sockets glaring down upon us. Not just us, but the succubus as well.

 

Malison catches me in her arms as my regeneration starts to kick in, working to keep me from dying from my injuries. "Miss Genevieve..." A wave of heat strikes the two of us as soon as Malison says that name. A loud voice weighs down on us. "Don't say my name, brat." A power almost as equal to Madam Tachibana's compulsion. The power behind her words is enough to leave my bones rattling, and Malison might be feeling the worst of it.

 

When the pressure subsides, I ask Malison for confirmation of a theory I have. "Malison, who is that?" 

 

"Genevieve Law, one of Miss Tachibana's wives. She's an [A-Rank], and the person who trained Miss Tabitha. As of right now, she's the strongest person in this city." With this confirmation, I can feel tears swelling in my eyes. My plan worked! Sure, we might get the everlasting hell beaten out of us for this, but I drew the attention of a real monster! One who's on our side at that! It's always been this way! If there's something I can't handle, someone else will show up to handle it for me!

 

✦ Congratulations, you've achieved [Corruption 4]! ✦
✦ You're quite the sinister one! ✦

 

Disregarding that notification, I watch what's about to play out carefully. I don't want to miss this battle. 

 

- For some reason, the intense battle I was expecting never came.

 

In a flash, the succubus was crashing into the ground, faster than the steam and smoke could travel. Before the debris could even reach the air, her body crashed into the ground in front of us, creating an explosion that blew everything but us away. Those red sockets glare down as a foot dug itself deeper into the body of the succubus. An intense heatwave washes over the area, Malison pulling me closer as her hand raises in front of us.

 

She tries to create a barrier powerful enough to withstand the heat, but this fails tremendously. The barrier shatters right before our eyes. What's weird, is that despite the fact that Malison and I aren't exactly on amazing terms, she pulls me closer and turns her body, shielding me from the heatwave. What's her deal? 

 

I feel a tinge of guilt... then it disappears shortly after. Am I becoming unhinged?

 

---

 

Standing on top of a tower, off in the distance, a person in a white mask and black coat watches the fight from afar. Neat blonde hair, slicked back, is visible thanks to the bright beacon of light firing into the sky, challenging the heavens to shove it down.

 

"I guess that's the limit of what this new class can do, for now." The man behind the mask speaks, letting out a sigh. Behind the opening in the mask, where the eyes should be, there are thin white dots that are presumably the pupils. The sclera of the person wearing the mask is completely black!

 

"It'll be troublesome if they catch us, so I should step in now too." The man's mask is revealed by the light after taking a step forward. There were decorations on the mask that show a frowning face with flower petals around the cheek. 

 

Carelessly, the masked man takes a step off of the building, letting himself fall down, but never reaching the ground. 

 

"This is a good opportunity to see what the [Flame of Eryland] is really like." A chuckle comes from behind the man's mask, revealing himself to be standing on top of a massive pink flower petal, navigating itself in the direction of the beacon in the sky.

 

That succubus was only the beginning of this city's problems...

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