The group was now silently making its way through the Lost Forest west of Iliasville. The place had a thick vegetation, with trees almost acting like walls and forcing people on a limited number of paths, while a few elves and fairies were wandering around. Luka was walking a bit ahead of everyone with a determined step, while the remainder of the party was still worried after he freaked out when they discussed with Promestein. The crossing to the other dimension had happened without further issue, and Luka did get a letter from his father to invite him to Enrika without showing additional signs of agitation. Nevertheless, everybody was a bit wary of the hero. Midway, they took a break in a small clearing. Freya snarled as she looked around.
"These forests reek of Dark Elves. This is because of them that our noble race has the reputation to be lewd and obscene, when we are pure and unwilling to experiment with pleasures."
Your skills would put most succubi to shame.
Luka was looking around, sitting on a rock, lost in his thoughts.
"Still not wanting to tell us what your freak out was about?"
"It's… complicated. I will explain you a bit later."
"I hope you are not hiding anything further from your goddess. It is difficult enough for me to show in Enrika, I do not want another surprise from you." Ilias sounded angry, but Luka could also feel concern in her tone. Whether it was because she was afraid that he was going to throw her to the wolves later, or actual concern for his person was another problem. He wanted to think that she was finally starting to sincerely care for others, but considering how she acted so far, it was extremely unlikely.
"It's nothing to be concerned about for now. It is a dilemma I hope we will never have to face. Anyway, let's get on the road back, I don't want to leave this adventure hanging."
"Hang on a second." The Grand Noah queen suddenly raised a hand to her head. "I'm listening. Yes." She nodded from time to time, approving what her invisible interlocutor was saying. "We'll be ready, reward her appropriately for this information." The queen sighed as the group was expectantly looking at her.
"I just received a message from Mephisto. It appears the other Morrigan may be going to attack us in Enrika Village."
Ilias jumped up in surprise. "What?! No way, how was she even able to track us there? There already was the threat of Micaela, now there's also one of those damnable succubi ?!"
Luka grimaced. "Micaela won't be there, she already left on the road."
"Of course, she wouldn't be there to defend me. She was one for lightning strike, but fled at the first sign of trouble in battle!"
"Well, hit and run tactics are a good strategy against a stronger opponent…"
Ilias glared at Freya, as the Elf queen came closer to the mark than the small goddess would have ever liked. The group started moving forward again, weapons drawn and ready for the upcoming fight. Secretly, Luka was quite thankful for the distraction, even if it meant facing one of the infamous Lilith Sisters. Soon enough, they reached the clearing where Enrika was located. The small hamlet seemed calm, with fallen angels and other members of different species going about their daily lives while an elf was standing guard at the entrance. She made her way to the group as she noticed them.
"Travellers here? I'm sorry, but we want to keep to ourselves and do not want any business with you."
"I am Luka, Lucifina's son and Micaela's nephew. I received a letter from my father that told me to come here."
The guard stepped back, surprised. "Micaela's nephew? Please, come to her house."
Luka grimaced awkwardly as he did want to warn the village about the trouble they brought without compromising themselves. Noticing the hero's nervous movements, the Grand Noah queen decided to step forward with her royal aura. "We also came here to warn you of an upcoming attack. Morrigan, the youngest of the Lilith Sisters, has decided to come destroy this village and its inhabitants for personal reasons."
The elven guard glared at the queen to try to intimidate her after her bad joke. When she realized her interlocutor was serious, she started panicking.
"What does this mean? We're only a small isolated hamlet! There would be no reason to attack us!"
The queen cleared her throat. "Unfortunately you are right. You are isolated and are unlikely to receive any support. Furthermore, she may see it as an opportunity now for another reason…"
"Micaela's departure… Oh no!"
"Don't worry, we will help you against this threat." Freya took out her bow and looked at the guard. "Let's warn everyone of the upcoming threat."
"Thank you, my queen." The elf bowed politely. "Micaela's house is just down there."
As the elves started to prepare against the upcoming invader, the remainder of the group made its way to Micaela's house. The hero took the opportunity to whisper to the Grand Noah queen.
"Thank you, your majesty."
The queen made a dismissive gesture. "Don't mention it. And please, forget the manners and the titles when we're alone. I am only an eccentric noble who is on the road to collect small medals."
I should consider travelling with queens more often. They're making my life quite easier.
"Still, you are not alone right now. And I do not think of any reason that could make one reject its titles when they bring weight and power to their word."
The hero nearly had forgotten about Ilias. The small goddess was still following closely behind the duo, and hadn't missed the opportunity to remind them of her presence.
The Grand Noah queen shrugged. "Given our current situation, I do not think my title does much besides painting me as a priority target."
Ilias nodded as she conceded the point. Another elf arrived to accompany them to the house of the first seraph. When he entered, Luka felt a sudden weight in his heart as he saw the elf nervously reading a pile of documents. She looked at the newcomers.
"Greetings, Can I help you?"
"I'm Luka, Lucifina's son. I came here after reading a letter."
"Luka? Oh no…"
The elf started crying. She explained that Micaela told them that she would be dead when Luka arrives. The hero knew that the seraph was still alive and that he would personally see her die later, killed by Gnosis, but it didn't make the pain any easier to bear. If anything, it made it worse.
Eventually they started discussing the situation. Luka was reminded how chaotic the current crisis was: Three monsters were vying for the throne now that Alipheese the 16th was missing. Alipheese the 8th, the 15th, and the 17th were currently trying to grab the seat. Currently, the 15th was keeping things under control thanks to the support of the Lilith Sisters that came from another world, Alipheese the 8th had been revived and was gathering support, and the 17th herself also came from a different universe, and was apparently acting alone. While Luka knew she had mostly good intentions, Her reckless actions had created their own lot of problems.
In the meantime, angels are "saving" entire villages by removing them from this plan of existence and there are apoptosis waiting to come in at the drop of a hat if chaosization spreads too much. I just wish people would leave this universe alone.
Suddenly, screams erupted outside, followed by a psychotic laugh.
"What's happening outside?!"
"A disaster has arrived." Luka slowly exhaled as he unsheathed his sword. He was filled with a mix of annoyance and anger. The remainder of the group also grabbed their weapons.
"Ilias, stay there."
The small Goddess's cheeks puffed in anger. "I will not flee against the goons of the Monster Lord!"
"You're not fleeing, you're just not needlessly exposing yourself. This is what your heroes are for."
Ilias stopped herself midway. "Fine. But be quick and merciless. She must not be allowed to live."
When they opened the door, they saw a few elves shaking on the ground in bliss. Arrows were flying toward a certain blue haired succubus that was hovering a few meters above the village.
"Hey! This is no way to welcome a fellow member!" Morrigan smiled as she saw the hero. "Tell them I am part of your team!"
Luka raised his sword toward the succubus. "CUT THE CRAP! WE KNOW YOU'RE THE ONE OBEYING THE MONSTER LORD! YOU'RE ONLY HERE TO KILL EVERYONE FOR YOUR OWN ENJOYMENT!"
His target was shocked for a second before she started smirking again. "Huh. Looks like you're smarter than I expected." Her whole body started glowing. "I wanted to gauge you, but if you're so willing to go, I guess I won't hold back!"
He could see Freya trying to keep a barrier up to prevent the succubus from using pleasure spells. Considering how devastating those would have been against the local elves and angels, it probably was the best choice.
The succubus looked clearly frustrated with the lack of results with her aura. She sneered as an arrow passed by her head and generated her sword. She dive bombed toward Freya with her weapon ready to strike, but her assault was parried by Luka. She could feel the wind howling around him.
"Gnome!"
"Oooh, you're a spirit user? This is going to make breaking you all the more fun!"
Luka and Morrigan's swords soon started clashing against each other. However, even with his grown skills, Luka had the utmost difficulties not getting overwhelmed by the succubus. He suddenly lost his step, but before the succubus could press her advantage, a loud snap exploded right on her horn, destabilizing her. She turned to see the Grand Noah queen who was attacking her with a whip. Luka got back and attacked her again with a powerful vertical slash, which got parried at the last moment. The succubus tried moving away to attack one of the other, more vulnerable target, but Luka managed to intercept her each time thanks to Sylph. Only her own mastery over the wind coupled with her skills with the sword prevented her to get wounded each time. Eventually, she focused on defending against Luka. Nobody was trying to shot in the melee in fear of wounding the wrong target, as their fight was a fast paced mortal dance where a misstep could cost one's life.
As she dodged, parried and blocked everyone of his attacks, she could feel that his assaults were slowing for the smallest moment. She exploited the occasion to quickly launch a small orb of energy toward the elf queen, who recoiled slightly on impact. The barrier weakened slightly, but Freya soon focused again on her work and strengthened it back. As she started exchanging blows with Luka once again, she noticed that the hero always tried to keep himself between her and the elf queen, which forced him on the defensive. The Grand Noah queen was attacking her from behind with her whip, but the natural instinct of the succubus helped her in dodging any of her attacker's blows.
Suddenly, she emitted an explosion with her aura, throwing back Luka toward the queen. He managed to not disturb Freya in the process, but ended up being unable to react when Morrigan rushed her with her sword. The elf managed to position her bow to block the attack, but the sheer power used by Morrigan in her assault sent her flying into a tree. The succubus then rose up into the sky, out of the reach of any attacks.
"And now, for the fun part!" She dematerialized her sword. Her hands started glowing as she started charging up her aura. "Enjoy!"
A fist suddenly hit her in her temple, sending her spinning uncontrollably. Before she could recover, another attack hit her straight in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She took another uppercut straight in the face before she made her aura explode once more, pushing back her opponent. She rematerialized her sword and took a good look at her opponent, who was hovering in a martial artist pose. Her purple hair was flowing in the wind, while her hands were covered by two richly adorned fist weapons. Her expression was extremely serious for a succubus.
"Weeell, if it isn't the succubus queen! That was rude of you, you know, most people announce themselves before starting a fight. So anyway, what are you doing with that lo-"
She parried at the last moment an attack from Alma Elma that was aimed straight at her head. Another attack aimed straight at her leg connected, dulling the senses of the blue haired succubus. Morrigan launched another wave of energy to knock Alma Elma back. She then used her aura to recover from the assault.
"Okay, I got it, you're not in the mood for talking. In that case DIE!"
The succubi threw themselves at each other at lightning speed. From the ground, they looked like two dots hitting each other and circling back to hit each other again. Each time they connected, a few sparks could be seen flying.
Eventually, Morrigan was starting to push the succubus queen back. Her experience and her raw power were starting to make a difference in their fight. She kept slashing repeatedly at Alma Elma and forced the succubus queen on the defensive. Eventually, a vertical slash forced Alma Elma to use both hand to block the attack. Morrigan exploited the opportunity and punched the succubus queen in the stomach with her imbued free hand. She pushed her assault by aiming straight at the neck of her target with her sword, but Alma parried the attack with her hand. However, Morrigan reinforced her assault with the earth element, throwing Alma Elma off.
"Pfwahahaha! Look at you! Did you really think you could take on me one on one and win?"
Alma Elma cleaned a trail of blood pouring from her mouth with her glove. "Actually..." She smirked. "No." She flew backward, surprising the blue haired succubus who remained immobile for a second too long.
"FIRE!"
Morrigan looked under her and saw several monsters, mechanical chimeras and humans wielding bows and makinas pointed at her. Without Alma blocking her, she could feel several spell casters and magical locks on her.
"Oh, shit…"
As she prepared a spell, an eruption of projectiles hit her from below. She was blown up again and again, higher and higher, sometimes by a magical bolt, sometimes by an arrow, sometimes by a makina shot. Eventually, a final fiery focused forceful explosion projected her westward, towards the sea.
On the ground, Luka looked around him at the small army that was now filling Enrika. Around twenty of his allies had come from the Monster Lord's castle to assist them in pushing back the succubus. He could see Mephisto giving instructions to take care of the wounded and congratulating the other ones. As soon as she saw him, she bowed respectfully.
"I apologize for not coming up earlier, but setting up a plan to get rid of her without losses required more times than we originally anticipated."
Luka nodded. He couldn't exactly complain, considering they pulverized her before anyone could get seriously wounded. However, Freya looked extremely tired, and was kneeling on the floor, panting. The hero offered her a hand to get up, which she graciously accepted.
"Thank you. I think I forgot how humans were different from one another on even a greater scale than the monster race." She smiled warmly. Luka realized it was the first time she looked genuinely benign and happy. The queen winced in pain. "Right now, I could probably go for a rest. Still, I thank you once again for bringing me on your adventures." She started limping back toward the rest of the group who was going back to the Pocket Castle.
"Please don't forget to bring me when we go to Grand Noah!"
The queen of the aforementioned town was standing right behind him, still holding her head. "That was painful. Still, the elf queen at least feels a little better about humanity in no small part thanks to you. I will continue to accompany you for the time standing, I still have to search for a few of those small medals, after all."
Suddenly, a childish voice reverberated through the hamlet. "Is the whore dead?"
A robotic one answered. "Negative, Hild detects traces of teleportation. Estimation: target Morrigan teleported back at the Monster Lord Castle for recovery."
"Good." Mephisto put away her wand under a fold of her robe.
Ilias scoffed. "What do you mean good? She will drain men to death to recover! She's still a threat at large!"
"Killing her would have had an even worse effect. We would already be facing her sisters if that happened." She glanced sideway at Ilias. "And I am pretty sure they would have enjoyed bringing a toy back home."
Ilias gulped loudly. Several uncomfortable images crossed her mind as she imagined what the Lilith Sisters would do to her if they captured her. "I'll be in the chapel if anyone's looking for me."
After the goddess left, Luka kept looking around, checking his team members. Eventually, he realized what issue was gnawing at the back of his mind. He turned back toward Mephisto.
"Morrigan didn't come?"
"Fortunately no. We managed to convince her that her presence would only have made the situation more confusing, which she accepted." Mephisto cringed. "I think our succubus would like personal thanks for that, as well as a little something to help her heal her pride after having been insulted. Do you think you'd be able to do something to better her mind? Rewarding her could encourage this type of positive behavior."
"Like a dog."
"Just never tell her that."
Luka shrugged. "Well, since she apparently decided to behave herself… I can as well do something myself." He frowned. "She better not give me any crap though. I'm really not in the mood."
Unfortunately for him, Morrigan released her pent up frustration that night. Even then, he still remembered it as his best experience with her so far.