"Ah! Only a few more weeks before that stupid barrier finally break down once and for all! Soon, we will be free to spread our children across the world!" Barbarella brought one of her numerous hand to her mouth. "Mmmh, I wonder where we shall go first?"
"Any place other than here would be a good start."
"Somewhere where we can eat real food would be a good start." Media was awkwardly scratching her head.
The three large fly-like monsters were impatiently waiting in the cabin of Selene's ship. The beelzebubs, as they were also known as, were eager to get out of their prison: They still remembered the day the first Monster Lord sealed them in the Calamity Box, and forced them into an empty dimension for more than a thousand of years… However, one fortunate day, a pirate had found the box and had released them as her greed had pushed her to check its content. However, just before dying, she had placed a seal around the room that contained them, forcing them to wait yet again a hundred years for their freedom. But now, liberty was getting closer and closer, and the three monsters could almost feel the fresh air eagerly waiting for them.
"Please, be a little ambitious, show a little backbone! If those weak monsters on the ship are any indication, the Monster Lord has grown weak!"
"Or she already conquered the world and we're below notice." Media was still sulking.
Barbarella laughed. "As if something like that could happen! Even then, we will regret making her underestimate us!"
"Media has a point though." Striga stepped forward, her red shell covered in breasts filling Barbarella's field of vision. "It wouldn't cost us anything to wait a little before we start trying to proliferate again. First, we should gauge the Monster Lord's forces, then find us an appropriate nesting point, and only then start finding mates."
"Or we could rush them and take them by surprise."
"This didn't end well the first time, and-"
"Wait." Media raised a finger. "There's something happening outside."
The purple leader of the beelzebubs scoffed. "That's nothing. It's probably just a sea monster wandering by. Now, if only one of them would bring the key to open the door-."
She was interrupted by loud knocking on the walls. The cabin started rumbling slightly, before rocking periodically while the planks were creaking under the force of an unseen tension. While her two partners were getting more and more anxious by the second, Barbarella thought of it as an opportunity.
"It sounds like we'll be free earlier than we expected."
The next second, a large part of the wall exploded inwardly, broken by a living projectile who ended in the middle of the cabin. The beelzebubs looked at the green-clad blond woman, who got up in a swift jump, before stumbling a bit. She groaned as she noticed her forehead was bleeding.
"Okay, juggling explosive balls for the promiscuous entertainers. Classy, Kagetsumugi. Really classy."
The woman didn't even looked at the beelzebubs as she removed a ring from her hand, revealing two pure white wings while her form was now only covered by a green ribbon. She glowed for a spare second, and the beelzebubs could see her wounds closing instantly.
"Alma! Luka! Wait for me! Yao! Try silencing the Sixth!"
The angel rushed outside with her sword drawn. The three insect monsters looked at each other, their mouth agap in surprise.
"Was that the First Seraph herself?"
Still stupefied by this surprise, the beelzebubs carefully made their way through the new hole in the wall to see what was happening on the other side. They were greeted by the sight of utter devastation. A large part of the stern of the ship was now missing, reduced to a few splinters floating on the sea.
Explosions were regularly rocking the ship as a large lamia dressed in a strange dress was raining wind spells on a part of the ship where an orange kitsune was standing. The latter had raised a shield with talismans and was throwing her own brands of elemental spells to cancel the attacks of her opponent.
"Kitsunes attacking the Monster Lord? What madness is going on here? Is this a revolt?"
"She's just a puppet."
Right behind a crate, a weak looking imp was observing the fight while taking notes enthusiastically, unconcerned by the storm of projectiles happening around her. She was looking at the doll while chewing on her pen when a large fireball rushed at her. The projectile exploded harmlessly in front of the unconcerned imp who took a few more notes, blocked by a large zombie that appeared with a shield for a split second.
"No way… Even lowly imps have access to such advanced spells?"
Eventually, the imp put back her notes in a satchel and turned toward the kitsune.
"Ok, I'm ready now!"
"About time! Those information better be worth the effort!"
The small demon whispered. "Oh they'll be, don't worry about it, kukukuku…"
She then drew a complicated symbol in the air, and, right afterward, an ethereal mage appeared and started casting a storm spell on the monster's target. In the meantime, the imp pulled a strange metallic contraption made of several tubes connected together. She then pointed it at the Monster Lord, and the device started spitting metal bits at an impressive rate in a cacophony of steel clashing. While the attacks were all blocked by a shield, the still silent, floating Monster Lord was throwing less spells, needing to focus more resources on defending herself.
Further away, they could see another fight. A purple-haired succubus, a young man and the First Seraph were flying around what looked like a sick assembly of two yomas fused midsection, with each head a wearing demonic mask. When she further examined her, Barbarella showed her shock once again.
"Is that… A mix of descendants from the Monster Lord?" She looked at the other flying monster, who was now getting periodically bombarded with talismans and strange projectiles. "How many of them are they?"
"And the First Seraph is cooperating with a succubus… This can't be real…" Media was dumbfounded.
"It must be a trick. Angels and succubi would certainly not ally to take down the Monster Lord, no matter how desperate the situation."
Striga carefully looked at the fight. She had difficulties following the lightning fast movements of the warriors, but her experience dealing with both species told her that they were the real deal. And if the sex demon's skills and speed were any indication, she could very well be a queen class monster.
The assembled Monster Lord looked like she was dancing as she dodged her opponent's assaults. Simultaneously, she was using her extra limbs to strike her enemies with limited success, or throwing strange explosive orbs at them. The man's assaults against her were extremely violent, to the point that even his allies were careful of his moves. Even from here, she could feel his bloodlust specifically.
The dance lasted for a few minutes before a thunderbolt struck the monster, blinding the beezlebubs. When the afterimage cleared, they could see a small army of sea monsters approaching and a few angels as well. While the Monster Lord in a dress disappeared, the other found herself stuck into a magic cage created by the song of several angels. The hero, the first seraph, and several angels and monsters regrouped their power in a cataclysmic holy attack that exploded, reducing the monster to ash except for a few extremities that fell into the ocean.
The beelzebubs were simply terrified.
"Is this what's waiting for us in the outside world?"
"I want to get back in the box!"
Barbarella herself didn't react. They had been frozen in place by the spectacle for the duration of the whole fight. They could have escaped but they didn't, hypnotized by the play that unwound in front of them. Even know, even if the opportunity to flee and start anew was in her grasp, she didn't want to grab it. She just wanted her own little corner of peace and tranquility. She didn't even notice the small pink angel that was waving in from of them or snapping her fingers.
"They're broken harder than a guy after a night with Trinity!"
"Well, that's one problem solved then."
Micaela grimaced as she took a look at the floating limbs, which were slowly disintegrating apart as the magic was no longer holding the decay back. With much disgust, she grabbed the foot floating at the surface.
"Tamamo's going to kill me…"
Once the remainder of the wrecked ship had been looted and then sunk by the destruction, the team got back to Selene's ghost ship to see her absolutely stupefied by the destruction that just had happened. She didn't have time to ponder anything about it, however, as the beelzebubs almost assaulted her to make her take responsibility from bringing them out of their comfort zone, which she accepted out of guilt.
When she put back her limiter ring on her finger, Micaela felt both relieved and concerned. Relieved by the fact that the threat of the beelzebubs had been removed so easily. Concerned about the Monster Lords dolls "randomly" showing up. If Luka told her everything, it was the third time they faced them. And yet, rather than sending an actually threatening, appropriately sized group, they sent them sparingly. One managed to escape them, but the other… not so much.
She turned to see Luka cleaning his sword. Her nephew wasn't showing much signs of improvement in his mood. She ground her teeth, as she wasn't one for psychology, and while Yao and Alma Elma were helpful to calm him down, Tamamo had been the only one to ever manage to re-humanize him ever so slightly. And right now, the kitsune was dealing with her own demons and a whole lot of other issues related to the throne.
Chrome left them with the body parts once they were back in the Gold Port. She said she was going to fully focus on studying them, and Yao sternly reminded her that her only goal should be to find a way to counter them. Chrome showed herself to be a little too dismissive to the team's taste, but she none the less promised to be serious.
The remaining quarter only made a quick stop at the Lava Mines to gather some orichalcum for Papi before heading straight at the Succubus Village.
Luka didn't know what to expect, as the last time he went there, the place was under attack by women transformed into succubi from Luddite Village. Seeing the village under attack was a possibility, but an unlikely one.
Somehow, the reality was worse as the place was completely devoid from life. The only succubus present was Alma Elma who was accompanying him, and the queen-class monster made it clear that she didn't feel any other member of her kin around. They methodically checked every building and every spot in hope of finding a hint as to what had happened. The place had been properly emptied, and there was no sign of plundering, making it clear that the inhabitants left of their own accord. The only traces of fighting were extremely localized, with the roof of a building and a small area near it being torn apart. And that area had been magically cleansed afterward. It was impossible for anyone to say what had happened here. They eventually ended in the ceremonial chamber, which was still as empty as ever.
"It reminds me of Rubiana and Esta. Except we're now tracking moves from the rift and we didn't see any seraph coming here… And the inhabitants of this place are some of the last that they would save anyway…" Luka took a look at the papers scattered on the desk, hoping to find a clue. "So it's certainly nothing like those places."
His companions nodded.
"Where could they have gone?"
Something tilted in Micaela's help. "Does someone have a map?"
Luka pulled out a large representation of the world from the mayor's desk. Micaela took a pen.
"Remember when we were on the ship, that moment where we felt Alma's scent was becoming unbearable?"
The succubus answered falsely outraged with her arms crossed. "Just say I stink." She then became actually serious. "But I know what you mean. The flock passed by here."
"Considering that the ghost ship was here, and that our little incident happened around the mid way of our trip, that'd be roughly here…" She marked a spot with a small cross, then she drew a straight line from the Succubus Village all the way to the border of the map while going through said cross. Only one point of interest was present on the whole line: A place marked as a castle on a large island, not far from the eastern coast of Hellgondo.
"Vampire Castle." Yao's ears fluttered slightly. "The Vampire Queen consider succubi only as slightly above trash, and I don't know why the succubi would leave this village to go there."
Luka came to the only conclusion available. "Probably for the same reasons the vampires would accept them. The Lilith Sisters."
"The Vampire queen respects strength. If the Lilith Sisters came there, it would only take them a few minutes to get the queen and her followers on their knees."
"And if they have both those damn vampires and the succubi from the village under them, then it means they have an army again… I need to warn Tamamo."
-A few days earlier-
Astaroth was nervously waiting near the castle of the vampire queen. After getting kicked out of the Monster Lord's castle, she telepathically called her sisters to notify them of their new predicament, which they both took badly. Lilith had sounded legitimately angry, but her sister reminded her that she had a large part of the responsibility in this disaster. Morrigan was also unhappy, but she had accepted to carry through without kicking up a fuss.
All three succubi agreed that the first priority was to find themselves new headquarters. Initially, Succubus Village had been considered, but the place was one on the next on the path of the hero's army, and, after seeing what had happened into Esta, the succubi definitively wanted to avoid a direct confrontation. Then the Vampire Castle appeared onto the map as a perfect spot: Close to Hellgondo but far enough to be left by the Monster Lord, managed by the Vampire Queen who barely answered to the Monster Lord's order, and last, they were slightly cousins with succubi. A good show of force would fix any disagreement.
A few minutes later, Lilith and Morrigan finally landed close to her to her relief.
"About time!" She crossed her arms under her chest, further calling attention to her revealed forms.
"Sorry, the mayor was a bit harder to convince to move from that village than expected…"
"And those last guys in Yamatai were annoying…" Morrigan shook her fingers, slightly disgusted. "I'm surprised you needed so much time to snap!"
"Anyway, shall we start visiting our future dwellings?"
"Let's get started." Astaroth was already opening the door.
"Remember! No killing!"
A vampire stepped forward to stop the intruders. Before she could do anything, however, she instantly crumpled to the ground while Astaroth was holding her fist high.
"Don't worry." The red haired succubus disappeared from their sight. Morrigan turned toward Lilith.
"Is it me, or she's beyond pissed?"
"Well, she got bound to a contract for an agreement that ended being nulled, then made a fool of by the First Seraph, and then got threatened by the Monster Lord. I can understand her mood swings."
All the while, the red haired succubus' punches echoed through the castle, occasionally preceded or followed by a scream. The two other succubi made their way to the stairs that lead to the upper floors of the castle where the vampire queen's throne room was located. Their progress was briefly interrupted by a looping spell that collapsed in front of the sheer power emanating from the three sisters. Soon after, they were in the throne room, facing the vampire queen and her two trusted aides.
The blond vampire queen was wallowed on a large stone throne, her head leaning on a closed fist. If it wasn't for her large red and black cloak, most of her skin would be exposed to everybody, as her attire only consisted of a black bikini set with long gloves and boots to match. All in all, her attire was not that different from Astaroth.
On her right, a flat white haired vampire with a monocle was cackling evilly, while a better endowed pink haired vampire wearing a fully black cloak that revealed her breast was smiling, fully revealing her fangs.
"Oh oh! If it is not the infamous Lilith Sisters. What do you sniveling semen suckers came here for?"
Lilith giggled. "I would have expected a noble of the night to be slightly more respectful of the direct descendants of her Great Ancestor. But I don't come here to drink tea, wine, blood or whatever you sate your thirst upon, I'm here instead to ask you to join us and let us have access to all the resources at your disposition."
"Are you serious?" The vampire castle exploded into laughter. "Why would I even consider that? You're a bunch of female dogs repudiated by the Monster Lord, I have no reason to even consider joining you filth."
Astaroth took an aggressive martial artist stance, bending on her back leg as if she prepared to lunge at the insolent vampire.
"No killing them, sister, no killing them, they will be useful to us…" Lilith then turned toward the Vampire Queen. "Then we challenge you for it. Three one-on-one. Me against you. Astaroth against your right hand. Morrigan against your left one. One of you win, we surrender to you and you will be able to feed on us as you please. We all win, you and every one of your subordinate will serve us. Deal?"
The vampire queen scoffed. "It's a deal! Let us fight here!"
The throne room apparently expanded for a while to reach the proportions of a large arena. It took a moment for the vampires to agree as to whom was going to fight who, as both considered themselves the right hand of their queen. Eventually, Elizabeth, the white haired one, was going to face Astaroth while Carmilla, the pink haired one, was going to face Morrigan. A vampire on the side was acting as a referee.
"Following the ancestral dueling rules, it is forbidden to interfere into other fights. The winners shall do as they please with the losers. Ready? Start!"
Carmilla's sword instantly started clashing with Morrigan's at lightning speed. The vampire was pushing the succubus back slightly while each opponent tried to impose their will on each other. Carmilla was holding Morrigan in respect when she suddenly felt a draining surge of energy coming from her more sensitive zones. She could see the succubus's hand being surrounded by a blue aura. She tried striking back, but the succubus's superiors skills with the weakening effect of the aura made short work of the vampire. Ultimately, a holy imbued blade slashed her side to side. While the attack didn't kill her, it was enough to incapacitate her.
Elizabeth instantly started casting spells after spells at the red haired succubus who dodged them gracefully. She summoned a towering zombie who guarded her with her shield. The summoning collapsed in front of a flurry of fire-infused punch that also knocked her back slightly. She casted a wave of pure terror from her eyes, but Astaroth barely slowed down her assault. The next second, Elizabeth took a knee in the stomach, a punch into the temple, a kick in her stomach again, and a final punch on her back that knocked her out for a long time.
Fatima transformed at first into a swarm of bats with the intent to overwhelm her opponent. She was soon forced back into her real form when a wave of pleasure destabilized her and destroyed her focus. She brought out a sword from under her cape, and tried to strike at Lilith, who was dancing around her blows while smiling. The Vampire queen imbued her blade with the holy element, and a single hit managed to connect to her target, creating a small gash into Lilith's side, tearing her sweater in the process. Fatima moved back when the succubus struck with a pleasure imbued hand, and invoked the energy of the night to cast a venomous blast on the succubus who tanked it full face and stumbled a bit, apparently dazed.
Feeling victory approach, the vampire queen lunged at Lilith's throat with her fangs ready. In the blink of an eye, the succubus had dashed behind the vampire and pulled violently on her cloak, stopping the vampire who landed on her back and tearing the cloth away. The next instant, Lilith was straddling the vampire like a lover, and her body started to glow as she started to drain the energy of the vampire queen. She only stopped herself when the smallest hint of unlife was remaining in her opponent.
All three fights had lasted less than a minute. The throne room started becoming smaller, finding back its original size. Lilith turned the queen toward the throne before dropping her, and sat on the furniture with the same pose the vampire queen had taken when she welcomed them.
"Tell me, Fatima. I cannot tell if you are courageous, foolish, or just unconscious. I didn't feel fear in you for a single moment. Even as you faced legendary monsters that are known in history to have killed thousand without batting an eye, you stood your ground and accepted the challenge we offered." She leaned forward. "And while I can respect that, it makes me question your leadership: I can't afford to let you command anyone if you will just send them to the grinder, xan I? And before you ask, yes, I know you would have done that if the Monster Lord asked."
The vampire queen groaned in a daze.
Lilith leaned back. "Now, let us discuss our terms of agreements… First we're going to need to welcome a few more inhabitants in this castle…" She then looked up to her victorious sisters. "Oh, right. Morrigan, go fetch the inhabitants of Succubus Village and bring them here. Astaroth, contact Morriluka and tell her to go there too."
"Already on the road! See ya!"
"Right…" Astaroth smiled and stepped away, getting into a side room to not be disturbed.
"Morrigan?"
"Oh thanks the Dark Goddess, you're FINALLY contacting me!" Her sister sounded extremely relieved. "I was wondering what the fuck was going on! I left the castle in a hurry with a flimsy motive, I was starting to think my life was on the line!"
"It actually is. Did the hero or anyone else fill you in on what happened at Grangold?"
"No."
"Well…" Astaroth explained her everything that happened this fateful night.
"Oooh, shit. That wasn't as planned."
"No it wasn't. Anyway, we're moving our headquarters while the hero's still busy and the Monster Lord's forces are in disarray. Can you get to Succubus Village?"
"It'll take me a bit of time, I'll have to wait for the next night and I'm currently a bit far away. Don't think I want to remain where I am longer than I have to."
"You're hiding in Pornof aren't you?"
She heard the mental sigh. "Unfortunately yes, if there's one place nobody is going to willingly check for me, it's this one."
"Feel free to destroy it."
"…Hueurgh, no, sorry, I'll get out of here as soon as I can. I'll join you at Succubus Village. See you soon."
"Take care. We'll gladly welcome you back."
Astaroth frowned in rage. It had only been a few days, and yet… It felt like an eternity. Maybe it was the shock of feeling one of her sweet little sister dying, assassinated by two psychotic little seraphim that had ran her through. She only mentally assisted to the very last moment, when her sister was spending her last breath calling out to them in desperation. Her death shouldn't have happened, and certainly not alone, like that, with the feeling of being abandoned and expended. Even they made sure their victims met a better fate. This was just a cold blooded, humiliating murder.
Even if Morriluka had been travelling with the hero for a while and had been influenced by him, she was still one of the Lilith Sisters, born to melt the mind of every sentient being with pleasure, monsters whose name were feared so much through history that Ilias had deployed every effort to strike their name from every record possible from the fear of seeing a fool attempting to bring them back to this world. That was not a end befitting of a succubus, even less one of them!
For now, she had a new goal in sight: A lot of these succubi had to be trained, and, even if she wasn't the most comfortable in this new role, she was acting as their instructor. She was doing that with a purpose: Those succubi would be the arm that would avenge her sister's death.
They only had to bring in Luka, after all. None of his companions were needed alive.