Even after all the experiences the group had gone through, crossing the desert remained particularly harrowing. Luka felt that the sun was hitting even harder than usual, Ilias kept whining every occasion she had, and Sonya somehow managed to sit on a scorpion's nest when they took a break. Even monsters had a tendency to mindlessly rush in large groups at them to capture the group, when the wild monsters in the Natalia region were more careful. After all, word about the group's skills in monster dispatching was spreading far and wide through word of mouth. After too many long days, the team finally arrived in sight of Sabasa. The town itself was extremely large, exploiting the surface offered by the desert. Its buildings were looking functional and sober, with thick walls to stay at a regular temperature.

When he reached the entrance, Luka finally took time to notice how different the guards were looking compared to those from the other cities: They had lighter armor to bear the heat of the desert, longer spears to fight in the opened spaces, and they were not even bothering to wear their helmets. Both guards at the entrance were leaning against the walls with their pike dropped on the floor, while looking threateningly at every passerby, and were occasionally throwing salacious piques when they saw a girl. Luka's party instantly attracted their attention. The hero whispered something in Promestein's ear, who nodded. The guards started drawing their swords as they were getting closer, but found themselves instantly encased in ice block for their trouble.

"They'll survive."

During the whole operation, the whole party didn't even slow down. Sonya took a look around, but none of the local reacted to what just happened. Most of them had barely spared a glance before going back to their daily work. As they were making their way through the city, a realization suddenly hit Promestein.

"Since we already know that the Princess is a succubus that needs Sphinx's blood to recover her control, can't we directly ask our own to give some and give her directly?"

"Because we have to check in with the local Sphinx and Salaan at the Oasis of Blessings, and the city is at the crossroad, so… Actually let's take a break."

"Isn't Luddite Village going to be destroyed soon?" Sara looked at Luka, her eyes filled with concern.

"Mephisto told she'd keep an eye on the village. I'm certain she left a team behind to watch over the place."

Ilias frowned. "Knowing that wretched yoma, she probably has a whole army ready. Let us hope we won't need the support of too many companions ourselves."

Luka shrugged. He doubted that Mephisto would have taken more than half of his two hundred companions. Even if she had a reputation for being devious and wicked, she had been extremely diligent in her duty and knew how to manage ressources.

The hero lead his group to the bar. "Let's indeed take a small break and go at the Oasis of Blessing afterwards then. Better make sure we're fresh if anything goes wrong."

The group sat a table while lending an ear to any rumor in the air. The only thing they could hear about was Sara's repeated escapades with everything that moved. Ilias and Sonya were partly disgusted by the population's reaction: Even as the country was falling apart fast, there were way too many perverts who were willing to go get sucked dry by the brainwashed queen. The other rumors were about the Civil war happening in Witch Hunt Village and the rise of a pop star succubus in Grandeur. Both of these were minor issues compared to the situation at hand. Strangely, nobody spared a second glance for the group of newcomers.

Eventually, the party was back on the road, with the Oasis of Blessing as their destination. Luka heard the usual speech from Salaan about contacting Sphinx in the pyramid to find a solution. Ilias suggested that Luka could purify Sara herself, but her idea was shot down when she started detailing the most effective way to kill a succubus. The group had to take another break midway on the road to the pyramid, as night was starting to fall.

Luka shivered under the moonlight. The small campfire was barely able to heat the group up and all four members were closely sitting around it. Usually, Luka wandered a little to train or Promestein left to take some samples, but this time, none of them wanted to leave the salvating heat source.

"How does a place that can be so hot can also be so cold so fast?! Did Ilias forget to make it livable when she created that forsaken desert?"

The aforementioned small goddess glared at Luka while rising dramatically. The dramatic effect was broken by the fact that she also was shaking herself from the cold.

"Actually that's because…"

"Thank you Promestein, but we all know how the weather works."

"Then why did you ask it?"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

"Sorry. But considering that your first reaction in front of most situation is jumping in with your sword drawn, I was left wondering if there was more to you than fighting and cooking."

"Are you saying I'm an idiot hero?" Luka raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Promestein smirked ever so slightly. "Maybe."

The hero glared at the small scientist before remembering the numerous times Sonya, Alice or Mephisto scolded him after a particularly boneheaded move. "Fair enough. I deserve that one."

He sighed as he stirred the content of the pot. "I hope we won't get another bad surprise when the Lilith Sisters attack Luddite Village… So far, we didn't encounter an opponent that couldn't be beaten, but I'm getting wary about all the changes that seems to happen."

Ilias scoffed. "We know the Monster Lord don't have anything worse around than those skanks. What do you expect, one of the Six Ancestor to just show up? They're sealed forever."

Every other member of the group looked awkwardly at each other for several seconds. Luka eventually decided to break the silence.

"I thought Eden would have told you, but… You know Tamamo No Mae is the one behind Grangold's actions, right?"

Ilias had a knee jerk reaction and nearly kicked the pot as she fell backward.

"WHAT?!"

Promestein repositioned her glasses, cuing Luka that she was going to explain everything.

"Tamamo No Mae from the monster world managed to magically project herself and incarnate a body through judicious use of projection and soul magic. She did project herself into a willing host that would proceed to take on the traits of the kitsune, as her sheer power would override the consciousness of the participant. The good news is that she's the only of the Ancestor to do that thanks to her sheer mastery over magic as a whole. Now, as to why she was the one with the biggest magic potential in the first place…"

"Wait! Hang on, where did you learn that much about the ancestors in the first place?! I tried erasing every record about their existence!"

"Mephisto recommended me a book." She repositioned herself. "A complete and interesting one, although I wish it would be less extensive on their sexual prowess. Out of the forty pages dedicated to Minagi, around twenty six are used to thoroughly detail those skills of her and their effects. I also wished I never saw the extremely detailed illustrations of Hiruko." Promestein shivered. "Although I can see a few opportunities in the biology field…"

Ilias started whimpering again. Sonya empathetically started gently consoling her.

"There, there…"

"She's going to destroy everythiiiiing…"

"Don't worry, we will wreck the big bad fox soon enough…"

"That's not Tamamo I was talking about…"

The next morning, after a few more hours of walking under the burning sun of the desert, the group had finally managed to reach the pyramid. As usual, dealing with the various monsters was anecdotic: The group was all simply too powerful, and after the fourth group of wandering monsters got pushed back, they simply stopped attacking. Problems only started popping up when they reached the royal chamber, and it took the group the time to check the remainder of the pyramid to accept the issue at hand.

"Sphinx is missing."

The party was back in the royal chamber, checking every nook and cranny of the room, looking for clues about her disappearance.

Luka walked around, his mouth agap with disbelief. "How does one make a ancient yoma that big and that heavy disappear just like that?!"

Promestein checked around. "I cannot see any trace of fighting. Considering her raw power, she would at least have been able to cast a few spells or damage the pyramid by rampaging around. She either willingly left, or the ones who abducted her are that powerful."

Luka tapped his chin with a finger, lost in thought. "Save for the Monster Lord, only the Lilith Sisters, the seraphim, Kagetsumugi and those twins would have been able to do that. And why would they do it in the first place?"

Ilias looked at the ceiling, as if she hoped the answers were written there. "Okay, first, what did she do last time?"

Luka shrugged. "Not much, she gave us her blood to stabilize Sara's transformation, then she waited there until I challenged her and recruited her."

Ilias made a dismissive gesture. "Answer found. The case is closed. The Lilith Sisters are the ones responsible. Or it's the Monster Lord. It makes no difference."

Luka raised an eyebrow as he expected an explanation from Ilias, but the realization struck him beforehand. "Crap… You're entirely right. Sphinx's blood was the key to derailing their plan… Without her blood, we can't stabilize Sara." Luka exhaled in relief. "Or couldn't, if we hadn't recruited her in the past."

Sonya looked wide eyed. "Okay, so if Sphinx wasn't with us… Then Sara would have remained a succubus… and destroyed the whole kingdom from inside?!"

Ilias nodded positively. "Yes. Their damnable plan would have been successful. This leads us to another issue." She looked at Luka. "You said that last time, Sphinx was always waiting here, right?"

"Yes. She only left the pyramid when I recruited her."

"This means the reason she left only happened in this current timeline. So the Lilith Sisters -or the Monster Lord- made her leave as a reaction to something happening. So there's either something scarier than usual out there that would justify recalling her to the Monster Lord Castle…"

"…Or someone told them our plan and they acted accordingly." Luka came to the conclusion.

Ilias sighed before giving Luka a sidelong glance. "I don't want to show myself as presumptuous, but there are quite a few people in your entourage that would still communicate with the enemy. Particularly those that have family."

Luka dismissively threw an arm backward. "You can say her name, Morrigan is a prime suspect. We'll have a talk with her later. First, let's get some of our Sphinx's blood to Sara."

I really hope it's just a coincidence or someone else. Having to deal with traitors in the Pocket Castle is the last thing I want.

Once back in the Pocket Castle, Sphinx easily accepted to give some of her blood after Luka explained the situation at hand. She also told that she was surprised that her alternate self left the pyramid, since she considered it both her house and a sacred place to be defended, as it was the burial place of her departed husband. After all, she only joined Luka's party when she realized that the whole world was threatened and that he was the best, single hope to see this place protected.

Freeing Sara from the influence was barely a footnote. The biggest difficulty the group had was holding back an all too enthusiastic Ilias back from "accidentally" killing the succubized princess of Sabasa. As if on cue, a messenger arrived to inform them of the fate of Luddite Village right after she changed back.

The village had been razed to the ground.

When the group arrived there, there were only a few buildings still standing, and most of them were on fire. The only people standing were monsters dispatched from the Pocket Castle to heal any wounded ones. As Luka walked around, he could see a lot of human bodies. Most of them were burned or grisly torn apart. The more his party searched, the clearer it became that only the team dispatched by Mephisto to keep an eye out on the village had made it. The fallen hamlet would forever remain in Luka's memory as a place of death and suffering, and once again he failed into doing anything for it. Once it was clear the group could do nothing more, they made their way back at the Pocket Castle.

Luka sat silently on a chair in the boardroom. His gaze was empty, as his mind was catching up on what happened and what it did mean: Facing any of the invader wasn't difficult, but if they struck elsewhere and started removing some of the resources he theoretically needed to accomplish his quests, there was a risk to find himself stuck without a solution at the wrong moment. He didn't even notice that Micaela was part of the attendee. The seraph initially remained behind and was talking a lot with Eden, Alicetromeria and the Grand Noah Queen to get filled on what was currently happening. He could see the third seraph glaring from time to time to his elder. The group was soon joined by Sonya, the pope and a wobbly Sara.

"Sorry about my poor state." The princess was still grinding her teeth while holding her head with a hand. "Fusing with yourself is not a great, enjoyable experience."

The Grand Noah queen looked at her junior and comprehensively nodded. "Let's make it short then." Her look encompassed the assembly. "Mephisto is still managing the relief effort, while Promestein and the San Ilia king are investigating the village itself for possible clues. While the teams we deployed failed in their mission, I am relieved to announce all of them should be available again within a week."

She cleared her throat before continuing. "Last time, Sara and Luka arrived when the Lilith Sisters were finishing their tasks of draining the villagers to death before Astaroth engaged the group in fight. After exchanging a few blows, the second born of the Lilith Sister said she expected great things from Luka and left the battlefield."

The angels present breathed more loudly than usual, while staring at the hero who started sweating under their gaze. "This time, however, the village got razed before we arrived, and there were no sign of the assailants. The Lilith Sisters remain suspect, but the village's destruction does not match any of their modus operandi. So far, there were no signs of villagers being drained or magically, and some of the wounds seen are too severe to be inflicted by a brainwashed human."

"And by the monsters placed there by Mephisto?" Ilias looked a little too smug for Luka's taste.

"She's currently checking them, but nobody noticed anything akin to brainwashing magic. And before you say anything on the matter, I want to remind you that one of the investigation team is lead by Trinity. So no, she will not try to hide the evidence to protect her kin."

Ilias started sulking, but soon took back a prestance more befitting a goddess under Micaela's gaze.

Before the investigation could be analyzed further, someone knocked and the door. Right afterwards, Mephisto's head could be seen through the doorway.

"Minamo is already awake, and she said she wanted to tell Luka what happened as soon as possible."

The group stepped up, lead by a scoffing Ilias. "Of course. I'm pretty sure a cowardly kitsune would have bailed out unscathed. I'm sure she fled at the first sign of trouble, we can't expect a fox to be as courageous as an angel after all."

Micaela sternly declared. "Ernalea would say otherwise."

Ilias gulped loudly. Luka looked inquisitively at Micaela, who answered by pretending to scratch her face repeatedly, then proceeded to make a few chomping motions while pointing at her leg, her arm, and then her throat. Luka shuddered.

The red kitsune kunoichi was lying in a bed in the inn part of the castle that had been turned into an emergency infirmary. Only two healers were wandering about, and none of the wounded looked too seriously hurt thanks to the skills of their healer. Alrauna and Laura had done a great job in helping their fellow. Minamo herself had a few vine like bandages around one of her arm and her leg. She instantly noticed the group and tried getting up, but only managed to wince in pain.

Mephisto smirked. "I'm impressed that you managed to keep your mask amidst the chaos! Clearly, the most important was saved!"

The kitsune glared. "That was in poor taste. Weren't you the one who kept saying what we do is part of our identity? Well, wearing that mask is part of mine. Also, I am still bitter over my failure, so if you would be so kind as to not hammer that nail further down..."

"Right, sorry." Mephisto awkwardly cleared her throat while Luka stepped forward, worried. "Could you tell us what happened to Luddite Village? We couldn't find any clues, we have no idea what went on."

The kitsune exhaled. "Insanity happened. I'm not sure I've managed to see everything myself."

Minamo was carefully moving from building to building in the village. The red kitsune was careful to not get noticed in her movements. While facing those villagers would not be a problem, she had orders to follow, and certainly didn't want to disappoint her superiors by acting recklessly.

There was something grim and detestable about them, as they were taking the suffering from their self imposed penance on the world around them. From time to time, she could hear screaming sounds as villagers were insulting each other or even harming their own children, under the pretense of correcting deviations. Several time, one of those villager "accidentally" tripped or had to rush outside because a bird was attacking their cultures. When she saw the mayor going back to his home with his wife and his mistress, followed by a mix of lewd noises, she decided to step away from the place and regroup in a small clearing with her fellow party members.

Claudia, an elven archer, was already waiting for the group there, hand feeding and whispering to birds. They were soon joined by Kasumi, an elven kunoichi, and Shadow, a strange monster made of the material that had her namesake.

"Everything is clear for now. No sign of assailants."

"I received a message from Mephisto. Apparently, the attack will happen soon. Everything's ready on our end."

The group had set up several alarms around the village which would resound as soon as an intruder would try entering, even from above. The spell was supposedly subtle enough to not be detectable. As soon as it would happen, they were to ambush the succubi with debilitating abilities to help the villagers flee. Meanwhile, reinforcement was going to pour in from the Pocket Castle and support the group in their fight. With a little luck, some of the villagers would reasonnably appreciate the support. The spies took the opportunity to eat a last small meal before the fight to be fully ready. Afterwards, they walked through the tree and kept an eye on the area around the entrance of the village. If Mephisto was right, the Lilith Sisters would suddenly arrive there.

Before they could see anyone, the group felt an ominous aura as a spell was cast. They realized that the village and its surroundings were magically isolated, preventing the use of harpy feathers by possible reinforcement. Then, a mysterious figure arrived. It was a small person, covered from head to toe in a strange brown, ornate outfit. She also was surrounded by strange, large shadows. She was surrounded by a supernatural aura that identified her as a powerful monster.

A few villagers made their way to her, aggressively calling her out. They stopped midway, and started attacking each other. It was not an all out brawl, and their movements were extremely stiff and mechanical, as if someone was guiding every one of their move. More villagers arrived, and ended up in the same predicament. The small figure started chuckling darkly, a small, crazed cackling that went stronger and stronger before blowing into an echoing laughter.

Suddenly, two strangers appeared from a building. One was wearing a dark robe and was wielding a scythe, while the other was a succubus with a sword. Minamo recognized them as those helpful twins. Before they had reached Kagetsumugi, the two shadows revealed themselves. One was a strange monster that looked like a mix between an insect and a lamia with a broken wing and a prosthetic arm, and the other looked like two bodies stitched together at waist level. They engaged the new enemies as Kagetsumugi started supporting them with spells.

Minamo felt ashamed to have never noticed them during her stay in the village. The villagers then attacked the twins, forcing them to fight defensively as the latter tried to avoid killing the former. Eventually, the small party decided to step in, and Shadow cast sleeping spells after sleeping spells on the villagers that were present. Luckily, all the other inhabitants were now hiding in their home, and none of them joined the fray. Kagetsumugi pointed at the group, and the insect like doll started moving toward them. The two ninjas readied their weapons as the creature rushed at them while Claudia started shooting elemental arrows with her bow.

The puppet struck at them with her armored limbs at a blinding speed, but the ninjas parried its attacks again and again. Each slash, strike, or piercing attack was parried or dodged by one of the two ninjas. Claudia kept shooting salvos upon salvos at it, while Shadow kept using freezing spells with the intent to freeze the creature solid.

The group was holding its ground against the puppet, regularly inflicting wounds on it. Although she had plant traits and abilities to recover faster, she was gradually taking in more damages than she could heal.

However, after a while, the atmosphere became twisted, and the party members were teleported in different places through the village. When they finally came back, the puppets and Kagetsumugi herself were directly slaughtering the villagers, lighting buildings on fire, or were tearing them apart directly. The party members arrived one by one, and got incapacitated. There were no signs of the twins in the area.

Fortunately, reinforcement finally arrived as Lucretia and several of her followers dashed in, followed closely by succubi. In front of those odds, Kagetsumugi fled and her dolls also disappeared. Minamo heard a noise on the side, and could see Astaroth, one of the infamous Lilith Sister, looking at the scene.

The last thing Minamo saw before passing out was the succubus's somber expression as she looked at the village.

"That's all I remember happening. Next thing was the Mermaid queen healing me."

Luka started massaging his forehead. "This… This never happened before."

Mephisto sighed. "Good grief, so Kagetsumugi stepped up prematurely. According to your descriptions, those are past Monster Lords, I recognized the Ninth. On the bright side, considering how her puppets got damaged, I don't think she'll send another anytime soon."

Micaela closed her eyes as she analyzed the situation. "I wish I could be so optimistic. She could still have eight more Monster Lord puppets at the ready."

"And now she's now more visible to other factions. Those twins are more likely to go out after her, while the Monster Lord herself will probably also start focusing on taking her down."

Ilias snarled. "Considering what I know about the Lilith Sisters, I doubt it. They will only fight Kagetsumugi's goons if she starts actively screwing their plans and kill other monsters. They're probably going to keep doing whatever they like to do, which is defiling my creations, while that damn puppeteer will continue unopposed."

"Well, in that case…" Micaela started walking toward the exit. "We have to focus on destroying the Puppeteer tower ourselves right now."

"Good grief!" Mephisto stepped in front of the Seraph, but regretted her decision in front of the glare from the Blade of Heaven. "We already tried, and we cannot afford to lose more times in trying to take down the tower. Furthermore, we already told you, we still have to follow the true history! There also are several side quests, and I don't think Luka will want to leave those possible liabilities behind."

Luka nodded meekly. He didn't want to anger his aunt nor the yoma, but as the de facto leader, the decision fell on his shoulders.

Micaela relented. "Fine, I accept." She then sternly pointed at Luka. "But I will accompany you from now on. This one is not negotiable."

Ilias whimpered again. "Why does this keep happening to me…"