A succubus. Among the races that make up the demon race, the succubi are quite well-known even on the side of humanity. And for good reason—first off, their appearance is extraordinary. Since demons in general tend to be highly individualistic, their appearances are also rather unique. To put it kindly, they’re full of character; but from another perspective, they often appear monstrous and grotesque to humans.
However, succubi are different. As everyone knows, succubi are a race that enslaves people by seduction or absorbs their life force. Due to their instincts and nature, all succubi possess stunning beauty.
And the woman standing before me right now is none other than one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the queen of all succubi—the Succubus Queen, Lilith.
“Well, this is quite the situation… I went through so much trouble to hide this hideout from those pesky stalkers that keep coming after me, and now it’s been discovered. Since my location has been fully exposed, I suppose I’ll have to find a new place.”
Truly, from birth, she embodies the essence of a species designed to enchant others. Whether intentional or purely instinctual, while she walked toward me, she swayed her hips with every step.
“But before that, I must claim some compensation from the young lady who forced me to abandon my precious nest, don’t you think?”
Even though the enemy was approaching, I immediately closed my eyes. Just as succubi don’t possess their beauty for no reason, sight plays an enormous role in their enchantments. If I were to glance at her unknowingly, I might fall under her spell without realizing.
Of course, someone might ask, “Why don’t you just avoid looking at her face?” But as her graceful hip sway from earlier revealed, even her simplest movements are an act of seduction. Simply watching her steps or hand motions could lead to one being charmed without notice.
Hence, even though relinquishing sight is quite detrimental, it was unavoidable.
While fidgeting with the fingers on my hand gripping the Holy Sword, I stayed vigilant. At this point, I wondered if I should take the initiative and strike, but I was already caught in her trap and entered her territory. In a situation where other traps could still be lurking, rushing in recklessly isn’t wise.
“Hmph… Closing your eyes? Foolish.”
Swoosh!
A piercing sound reverberated throughout the room. Though I couldn’t see it, I knew the sound was from her whip. She likely thought I’d sit defenseless while she attacked from a distance.
Swish, swish!
The whip, hissing through the air, hurtled toward me. But as I mentioned earlier, Lilith’s combat prowess as one of the Four Heavenly Kings wasn’t all that impressive.
Before the whip could reach me, my heightened senses predicted the attack’s trajectory based solely on the subtle shift in airflow.
“Hmm…?”
She looked surprised, as if she couldn’t believe I avoided her whip with my eyes closed. However, her confusion only lasted a moment. Believing my dodge was just a fluke, she began wildly whipping the air around me.
Yet, escaping one whip attack doesn’t mean dodging the next is impossible. Her whip only lashed the floor and empty space around me repeatedly.
And then, as her whip was returning from another futile attack, I reached out and grabbed it firmly.
The whip, coiling tightly around my arm, caused some pain, but that discomfort was worth the opportunity I’d gained.
“Huh…?”
Her bewilderment grew as she realized her whip was now useless in her hold. When I yanked the whip, she was dragged toward me like fish on a line.
She could’ve let go of her whip to avoid the pull, yet she stubbornly held on and was dragged closer to me. I couldn’t complain, though—it gave me a chance to attack.
The moment I judged the distance was right, I swung my Holy Sword.
Swish!
“Oh, ohhh!”
Realizing my intention at the last moment, Lilith released her whip just as I swung my sword.
Then, I could hear her scrambling on the floor, trying desperately to get away.
…Does she even know how to fight at all?
“Hmm…”
Realizing how embarrassing this was, Lilith coughed awkwardly to cover her retreat.
“Hehehe… Not bad, huh? To be able to dodge my attacks with your eyes closed…”
With that pretentiousness, I swung the whip, which I had taken from her, in the direction where her voice came from.
Snap!
“Yeeek!”
Unlike her own ineffective whip attacks earlier, mine made contact with a solid thud, eliciting her scream.
“Give it back, you brute!”
It seemed like she’d scampered away further after taking a hit, her voice sounding farther away than before.
“Come and get it if you want it.”
Snap!
“Yeeek!”
When I threatened her with another swing of the whip after she demanded it back, she let out a startled shriek, seemingly remembering the pain she’d just experienced.
“You wretch…”
Muttering under her breath with what sounded almost like tears of frustration, Lilith appeared unable to control her anger.
…Hey, the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings calling a hero “wretch”? If you had any sense of righteousness, you wouldn’t call someone else that.
However, unlike my confusion, Lilith’s frustration seemed to persist as she huffed and puffed alone for quite some time. Eventually, she managed to compose herself, taking deep breaths before speaking again.
“Hehe… You can keep dodging now, but that won’t last forever, you know? Closing your eyes isn’t a bad choice, but there’s more to my powers than just sight.”
Her voice brimmed with newfound confidence.
“Even if you manage to hold out for a while, how long can you last in this enclosed room? You may not be able to see it, but my seductive pheromones fill the entire room, and as the Succubus Queen, I can perceive them clearly…”
Oh no. This wasn’t something I had anticipated. The lack of any visible traps in the room earlier must have been due to her use of magic—this very enclosed room was the trap.
“Wait… This isn’t mine…”
Perhaps no other traps existed. Maybe opening my eyes, getting enchanted, and cutting off her head would have been the better choice.
“Who else… Could it be…? Eek!”
Having made a quick decision, I opened my closed eyes without hesitation. Thanks to her continuous muttering, there was no need for me to look around to find her.
For some reason, Lilith was sitting far away and simply staring at me. But we couldn’t linger like this—there was no telling when I might fall under the influence of her pheromones. Especially since I was now staring directly at her, we couldn’t afford any more time.
I sprinted toward where she was sitting. The distance quickly closed.
Lifting my Holy Sword, I was ready to strike her down. But weaponless, Lilith could only flail her arms helplessly against me.
Snap!
Right as I was about to swing my sword,
“Wait a moment, sister!”
I froze.
The unexpected honorific made me halt my swing instinctively. However, the momentum I had built up caused me to unintentionally chop off the tip of one of the two horns on her head.
The tip of the horn tumbled to the floor, rolling around, but I had no time to worry about such trivialities.
“Sister?”
I asked her, unsure if I’d heard correctly. But seeing her equally baffled expression confirmed that I hadn’t imagined it.
“No, no… That’s not it… In other words… Stop right there, intruder!”
Lilith, clearly flustered, avoided meeting my gaze, her eyes darting everywhere. She tried to correct herself but managed only a shaky command. Any trace of her original authority as one of the Four Heavenly Kings was entirely gone. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.
Normally, I should strike her down before falling under her spell. But my instincts told me that I didn’t need to worry about being charmed. According to Lilith, we had been exposed to her pheromones in the enclosed space for quite some time yet, nothing had happened. Furthermore, even now, staring directly at her, I could only purely admire her beauty.
It was clear that I didn’t need to worry about being ensnared by her charms. Her power had no effect on me, and her combat skills were no match for me either.
But it still felt odd to cut her down like this while she was bumbling and muttering to herself. Her current behavior hardly seemed like that of the demon I had long considered my archenemy.
It was quite deflating. But standing still wasn’t an option.
I eventually raised my weapon again, but not the Holy Sword—this time, it was the whip I had taken from her.
I figured, since she’s one of the Four Heavenly Kings, she must know a lot of things. Maybe a few lashes would make her spill the beans easily.
“Uh… Hey, sister? Just a moment…”
Snap!
“Yaaah!”
And then who calls whom “sister”? Clearly, she looks older than me.
