Lilith woke up in her room in the Monster Lord's castle. The place was befitting of a succubus, with pillows everywhere laying on a thick carpet, luxurious furniture covered with various toys and potions, and a bed with a mattress so thick yet so soft that it threatened to engulf anyone foolish enough to try the comfort it appeared to offer, just like its owner. The air was thick with a mix of succubus pheromones and perfumes, and only the strongest willed of the visitor would have been able to not fall on his knee to beg to be taken by the succubus. She looked around her and pouted as she saw a half finished lingerie set made with the finest silk, provided by Spider Princess herself. The arachne had been pushed into isolation by Neris, and was considering providing the succubus with the needed material a low priority.
She grabbed a biscuit from a box and stepped outside of her room while putting on her usual sweater, she'd have a chance to eat a more appropriate meal later when she was in Grangold. She looked around in the castle, but her telepathic link informed her that Astaroth was already at her new post in Yamatai, while Morrigan was currently looking around for a new target for a soul transfer after the unexpected incident at Luddite Village. The transfer still happened, but the succubus was frustrated that those people's lives ended in suffering and not in pleasure as they should have.
She checked on the small nine tailed fox they displaced from Yamatai Village. The kitsune was sitting in her room in a meditative posture and briefly glared at Lilith when the latter checked on her, clearly suspecting that the succubus was hiding a few things from her. As an answer, Lilith contentedly smiled. Tamamo was unlikely to get in their way now. With nothing else to do, she closed her eyes and teleported to her post in Grangold.
She materialized in a place near the throne room. The castle had been redeveloped into a prison to keep in everyone that would have resisted Tamamo No Mae's aura and other possible troublemakers. Kitsunes were patrolling the castle. While they were officially acting as mercenaries, they were actually given their order directly by their Ancestor. Lilith sat on the throne and sighed. She was the figurehead should someone ask too many questions, but the kitsune was doing most of the work and regularly appeared to check back her weaved spell even if the succubi could accomplish this task themselves. She also held an uncomfortably tight leash on the actions of the Lilith Sisters, further grating the nerves of the one actually sitting on the throne. The fact that Tamamo's connection point was placed behind the seat didn't escape the succubus. The kitsune wanted to remind her that she was the real power behind the throne.
As if on cue, she could feel the Ancestor of all beasts materializing behind her. When the kitsune learned that another Morrigan was integrated into Luka's forces, she insisted that the sisters used their shared telepathic link to get at least weekly activity reports of what the hero was doing, and made sure she was always present when these conversations happened.
"Good morning Lilith, another beautiful day is coming, isn't it?" She could hear the kitsune snap her fan and vent herself in a sea of self satisfaction that nauseated her. Lilith herself prefered the privacy of a closed room than the formal courtyards where Tamamo enjoyed weaving her intrigues.
"Of course it does." Her tone was measured. It was still carrying the promises of unspeakable pleasures, but it was not as seductive as usual, as a hint of wariness showed up toward the kitsune ancestor. The latter had a boundless hunger for human essence that she shared with the succubus's mother, but while Minagi was all about bringing pleasure, Tamamo had a twisted mind and enjoyed just as well torturing her victims psychologically.
"Is there a matter at hand? You sound troubled."
"This is because I am. The latest developments are annoying. We did not expect this world's Micaela to join Luka, and she told Morriluka to not put a move on her dear nephew. She had directly earned enough popularity to be basically untouchable, so assassinating her is out of the question. Then she joined the hero's group after the Luddite Village incident and entered the third Tartarus with them. I am impatient to hear my sister's report. She felt a familiar contact in her head. "Speaking of which, greetings Morrigan, how are the news?"
"Pretty good!" The youngest of the Lilith Sister sounded sincerely happy. "Sonya, the apoptosis, is out of our way! She met her end thanks to the hero's father! And I'm pretty sure I'm no longer suspected by Mephisto or anyone else for that matter."
Lilith smiled. "Really? That's great news! You now have more leeway to make sure Luka is ready for Esta!"
"There's juuust a small new problem… The hero didn't take her death well at all and keeps himself busy by drinking until he passes out. That would be a nice opportunity if Mephisto didn't make sure that someone always keeping an eye on him."
Lilith frowned. "He's surrounded by eager monsters, and his first reflex is to jump instead on booze? This is almost insulting."
Tamamo intervened. "But it might be a good opportunity. Morrigan could spike his drinks with pheromones."
The purple haired succubus refrained from snarling at the interruption. Tamamo's intervention was unneeded, and was merely an occasion for the kitsune to remind the succubus who was the one leading. "Can you drug him Morriluka?"
"I already considered the idea, but I'm currently waiting for an opportunity. As I said, there's often someone trying to cheer him up, so if they see me slipping him something or have a doubt about his reaction, my ass is definitively out of the castle. Also please stop calling me like that." She sounded more annoyed than really irritated.
"Keep an eye out and stay sure you remain on the good side of the hero. We will at least need his cooperation to bring us back home and open this Alipheese forsaken door. Morrigan already tried with a strand of hair she acquired on the battlefield. That didn't work. It is likely linked to the soul."
"Yeah, about that, I had an idea when I saw Hild, that strange makina girl. She has a reproduction system integrated to her body, and we can probably create our own. So if we get Luka's semen, do you think we could raise a little Luka and get him to open the door?"
"We indeed have the technology here. Trying shouldn't be too difficult… Although I suggest you still focus on seducing him, there would be nothing sweeter than turning the daystar's son against Ilias… Fufufufufu…"
Lilith shivered as Tamamo laughed. The kitsune was terrifying her right now. She decided to move on another subject before the kitsune detailed her makina collection.
"What about Micaela? Even if her continued presence slow down chaosization, she's still going to be an obstacle for our plans. Can you do anything about it?"
She could feel her sister cringing through the mental link. "No. And there's always either Mephisto or one or two queens at her bedside, so trying to remove her is impossible. Maybe next time she's on the road..."
Lilith sighed. "We'll see about that later then. Just don't put yourself at odd with the hero's group. We need to be sure he's in a good disposition toward us when he reaches Esta."
"Agreed. I'll go check on him now. Who knows, it might just be the right time. See ya!"
The connection ended. A few minutes later, she could feel Morrigan and Astaroth contacting her. The youngest of the Lilith Sisters had found a small village that could make a good target for a soul transfer. It was located south of the Noah region, and formed itself after the Great disaster when some people wanted to enjoy a warmer climate. As such, this place didn't exist in the true history, and it could be destroyed with minimal risks. Tamamo reminded them that the village of Pornof was likely the same on the Ilias continent, but even the succubi were reluctant to go deal with the perverts living there. They agreed that said place would probably be their next target.
Astaroth also expressed a certain disdain at Yamatai's youth. In the succubus's eyes, being worshipped and regularly offered tributes had lost its novelty very fast, particularly given that she had to hold back and refrain from draining them to death. She enjoyed the opportunity offered by their next target, and nearly squealed in delight when she got reminded that Luka was more than likely to pass by Yamatai very soon.
As the village was close to Esta and the Tartarus leading to the Angel World, the sisters decided that a stealth attack at night was the best strategy. Then they could take their time feeding on the villagers while remaining unnoticed.
Another matter was trying to convince yet again the two remaining Heavenly Knights. Erubetie was still sulking into Undine's spring, so Lilith would be able to check on her a bit later, but Alma Elma was disappearing and reappearing punctually in seemingly random places. Wherever there was a rumor of a strong warrior, Alma Elma popped in, challenged him, drained him, and left in the blink of an eye. Luka had somehow managed to recruit another version of her, but she was strangely too loyal to him to act alone. The initial plan of using Luka to bait her in the colosseum had already been debated at great lengths. On the one hand, Luka knew what was going to happen, but on the other hand, he still seemed to follow this adventure because he also wanted to stay as close to true history as it could be. The plan was eventually kept in motion.
The last problem remaining was dealing with Kagetsumugi's unexpected assault on Luddite Village. The issue had barely been debated, and nobody had any ideas what to make of it. It didn't make a single ounce of sense in any way. Nothing could be decided for the moment, as assaulting her tower would waste resources that would be needed should angels decide to exploit the opening.
Once all was said and done, Lilith left the throne room to enter the city of Grangold. As soon as she reached the streets, she grabbed a young man that wandered by and fed on him until he ended up dry. Right afterwards, an ant girl arrived and removed the man's dessicated body while everybody was still wandering mechanically, muttering about loving their queen. Satifisfied with her small snack, the succubus then started flying toward Undine's spring.
A few minutes later, Lilith had already reached the small clearing that made for the spirit's abode. She stepped inside the spring and was greeted by the sight of a cavern filled with slime monsters. She reassuringly smiled at them, but most of them slightly recoiled in fear, while the younger ones were pulled back by their elders. Nobody wanted to check if the ravenous sexual appetites of the succubus could target them. After a small minute, Lilith arrived in sight of Undine. The water spirit looked like a mermaid made of blue slime, and was currently leaning over a spot of water that seemed bluer than the rest. She gradually felt a mix of fear and confusion in her brethren, and turned to see Lilith nonchalantly stepping toward her. "Greetings Undine, how is Erubetie?"
The water spirit frowned. "She's still unwell. Those grave matters you talked about concern the survival of her race, and she refuses to take any rash decision. I think she needs more time alone."
"But time is passing by, and the less she acts, the less likely the slime race is to be saved." She proceeded to raise her hands defensively and her tone softened. "This is not an implicit threat, the world is at stake and we need the support of all the Heavenly Knights of the Monster Lord to be able to stand against the upcoming threats."
Undine sighed. "Erubetie swore loyalty to the Sixteenth who is now missing. She holds no grudge against her mother, but also sees no reason to follow her. And the very first request being an order to attack the military of Grand Noah only worsened her doubt. Of all the Knights, only Granberia follows the actual Monster Lord out of a misplaced sense of honor."
"Misplaced? I consider the survival of Monsterkind a noble cause."
"Please if you want to debate this again go look for Tamamo. We only want to be left alone. We will not tolerate further intrusion for the moment."
"Fine, have it your way then, but I should tell you that the small fox came back to us begging." The succubus started stepping away before turning back. "Before I leave, can I get some of your slime for-"
A small slime wave splashed the succubus, covering her from head to toes in a blue, viscous liquid. "You're lucky I am not Morrigan." She was still smiling gently. A gust of wind cleaned her and clumped the goop in a ball that she proceeded to put in a small jar that had magically appeared. "But it's not the dirtiest I got, so big sis forgives you."
She finally left the spring under Undine's glare. Erubetie's head slightly raised from the puddle near Undine. "What should we do? The Monster Lord's orders make no sense. But if Tamamo joined them back, it means that maybe she discerned something good from her actions?."
"I suggest we stay here to keep the slime race safe. This situation is unlikely to blow over soon, but we cannot afford to go on an all out war against humankind. Also I can tell that Lilith lied. Tamamo may have left Yamatai, but I know the damn kitsune well enough to know she would never have begged."
Lilith went back to Grangold to laze out for a few more hours. As important as their mission where, the Sisters could not afford to rush their job. Killing the wrong people or too many of them too fast would increase the chaosization rate to a dangerous level, while acting too openly was bound to attract the attention of the Angel World. The lack of movement from their end after Gnosis got her ass ended to her was almost worrying. Lilith chuckled ever so briefly at the image of the seraph coming down with the plan to dispense justice to sinners, and ending up meeting heavy makina ordinance.
Eventually, dusk settled before the night. The Lilith Sisters met up near the small village to check the place beforehand. There were a few monsters here and there, but they could easily be displaced and recruited. The humans living there were mostly villagers, with a few adventurers passing by. They noticed a few magi, but apparently none of them judged necessary to place wards of any sort around their dwellings. When the night had fully fallen and it was confirmed everybody was inside the buildings, the Lilith Sisters started their work. First, they weaved an aura in the village. The affected victims would end up making slightly more "enjoyable" dreams, easing ever so slightly the work of the succubi. It would also help in transforming all the women into more of their own kin, having a few more troops around wouldn't hurt for a future attack. The spell in itself was not extremely powerful, but it was good enough to help the succubi, and, most of all, it was too subtle to detect from afar.
The Lilith Sisters split the village into three sections of roughly the same size and started their handiwork. Lilith entered the first house silently and saw a man sleeping happily right by his wife. She delicately removed the sheet, and licked her lips as she took a good look at him. For someone living in the campaign, he was extremely clean and had a great build. Without further ado, she straddled his waist and started feeding on him. Unfortunately, he woke up in the middle of her meal, and found himself almost instantly gagged by her tail. Lilith took the time to savor the change in his expression, from incomprehension to fear before ending in total bliss, and drew out her draining session, seemingly comforting the man in his final moment. Several minutes later, she removed herself from the now dried out husk and moved to the still sleeping wife. She directly injected some of her own dark energy in the woman to turn her into a succubus. The woman's body did react, but she was sleeping so heavily she didn't even wake up in the process. Lilith got up and smiled happily as she looked at her handiwork. She effortlessly lifted the still sleeping newly turned succubus and brought her out of the house. She also tossed out the dried body of the man.
When she was outside, she could see that Morrigan was waiting, likely already done with her share. Lilith shook her head disapprovingly. Even after all those years, she still couldn't understand why her youngest sister didn't take time to properly pleasure her victims before sending them to heaven. She entered another house, and started her handiwork all over again.
An hour later, she was finally done, happy with her order-sanctioned feast. It was still the middle of the night when she rejoined with her sisters in the central place of the village. Morrigan looked impatient, walking around with her arms crossed and tapping with her fingers. In the meantime, Astaroth was looking awkwardly at something lying behind her.
"Finally done... Took you long enough."
"Morrigan." Lilith took a motherly tone, making her sister sigh at the upcoming moral. "As a succubus, I shall remind you that our only duty is to bring as much pleasure to someone before he dies. And yet, I couldn't help but notice that you rushed through without a single care for your partners."
The blue haired succubus shrugged. "Sorry, but I didn't feel like spending more time than needed when I saw a child sleeping. As a mood killer, I'd place that on the same level as someone emptying their bowels in bed."
"Children?" Lilith raised an eyebrow and looked behind Morrigan. She finally noticed the five or six young children, no older than ten, happily sleeping on the grass and still ignorant of their parent's demise. "Ow. I didn't get any."
"Lucker."
"What should we do with them? They're too young for anything."
Lilith looked at them with cold, calculating eyes. They were starting to spoil the mood. She found a solution fast.
"Astaroth, get them to Yamatai. They could make for human servants in the shrines."
"Huh. I expected you to want to get rid of them right now."
The oldest of the Lilith Sisters glared at Morrigan, making her recoil in fear. The youngest of succubi knew that behind the big sister persona that Lilith was carrying around, there was one of the sharpest predatory minds on the continent in a body with skills that defied explanation, and a bottomless craving for life force. She remained the most dangerous of the Lilith Sisters after all.
"There is a limit to what we shall do. Leave the child killing to the angels or Tamamo No Mae's goons. I refuse to have a human die by our hand without having him taste anything less than a superlative pleasure."
"Of course sis! You're right!" Morrigan awkwardly chuckled.
"Good." Lilith reassumed her persona. "In that case, since Astaroth will be busy and I have to make the report, you're the one in charge of clearing the bodies and cleaning up traces of our passage. And make sure to remove any traces of magic as well. We don't want the hero to see us in a bad light right now…"
Morrigan groaned but started working diligently by putting everything on fire while Lilith was moving back to the Monster Lord castle. When she landed, the purple haired succubus went straight to her room. The reporting could wait and a little nap was definitively in order after such a feast. She looked back at the unchanged lingerie set, as if staring at it hard enough would make the material needed magically appear. She wanted to go check on the Spider Princess, but had to see Mephisto tomorrow morning. Well, maybe if she rushed the meeting, she could find the time for a small business trip on Solitary Island afterwards…