The sun was slowly rising when Luka woke up. He yawned while stretching his arms, and checked his side to see a still-sleeping Alice. Well… Nothing had disturbed his night. Maybe all that panic about the date of the Birthday of Ilias had been a bit excessive. He slowly exhaled. In any case, a filling breakfast was in order. He took his time to dress up, and once ready, he hesitated between waking up Alice and enduring her wrath for pulling her out from her sleep, and going alone which would make her moody for the remainder of the day. He could still wait for her, but he had no idea when she would get up, and he was really hungry. After a few minutes, he started to stroll toward the kitchen, greetings all the various servants on his way. When he arrived, he saw a passably messy Tamamo already eating some thin fried tofu blocks with tea while reading documents.

"Good morning Luka." The kitsune didn't look up from her notes.

"Good morning Tamamo." The hero fetched himself fresh bread, butter and ham with some fruit juice on the buffet installed in front of him.

"Alice isn't awake yet?" She took a sip of tea.

"No, she's still sleeping."

"Aren't you afraid she will punish you when she wakes up alone?" She licked her lips while teasingly looking at him.

Luka just shrugged and started eating while observing the activity around him. Some servants were working around, but the activity was unusually calm. While the slower than usual need to refill the plates could be explained by Alice's absence, Erubetie and Granberia were also both away, which made for two less big eaters. The former had temporarily taken residence in Plansect Village to be closer to her Ancestor to keep an eye on her, and the latter was enforcing security in Grangold as minor conflicts between spiders to choose their new lords affected the city.

"And you, did you sleep well?"

Tamamo shook her head negatively. "I was so preoccupied I simply couldn't get to rest. I kept scanning the world the first half of the night afraid to see an explosion of magic that would signal that one of my dear sisters started moving, then I was so tired I couldn't channel anything and checked the report from last weeks." She sighed. "We have to deal with a rising cult of fanatics, monsters attacking under Kagetsumugi's orders, and angels respawning then disappearing left and right…"

Luka frowned. "Angels disappearing?"

"Don't worry about that… You remember Ariel?"

Luka nodded. "She reappeared right where I sealed her… It's happening all over the world?"

Tamamo nodded back. "Yes. Power Berryelle reappeared in the Forest of Spirits, but she disappeared without leaving a trace, and interrogating the locals didn't yield further information. She simply vanished. I tried to see if there were other reports like that, and as it happens, quite a few actually."

"I'm not sure if it's that much a bad new. At least, they didn't attack anyone compared to the other returning calamities." Alice slithered in and glared half-heartedly at Luka. "Try imagining my pain when I woke up to find out I was left alone by my soulmate in this cold morning."

"We're in Summer."

Alice sighed. "Whatever…" She started grabbing large platters of food that disappeared almost entirely in her gullet at an impressive speed. At the same time, a flapping noise warned everyone that Alma Elma was arriving.

"Is Luka-boy wishing that they would see reason and help him in his fight against the terrible Ancestors?" The Succubus Queen giggled.

"Wishing? Maybe. But I know better now… They would only be dead meat, and since they would attack monsters on sight it would destroy any chance at building a relation."

"Unfortunately you're right." Tamamo lifted her cup of tea. "Thankfully, we have Micaela supporting us, and most angels follow Mariel who's reasonable, if somewhat a bit moody. Then again, the demands of her fellows are worse than… Forget it."

Luka raised an eyebrow, and understood better why Tamamo stopped talking when he saw Alice glaring at her. He continued in hope of softening the ambiance.

"They're also worried about the Ancestors. I can't say I blame them, we did tell them that they would be targeted by Minagi after all."

"Yes. I made special preparations specifically for the Castle of San Ilia, since most angels reside there. If a single pleasure or brainwashing spell is cast, they'll be warned. Also a warning system keeps track of every succubi and ancient monsters that wander the castle."

"Isn't it discrimination?"

Tamamo frowned. "Unfortunately… You're not wrong, but it won't harm anyone. In any case, I also placed alarms on those spells to be sure that if someone attempts to alter them, people around will be warned." As she kept talking, she cheered up. "And, finally, we have a direct teleportation channel leading to a concealed room to send reinforcement! Not bad huh? And to make sure the angels are at ease with my stuff, I gave Mariel the tool to control all those spells!"

"…I admit, you thought of everything."

Tamamo bowed in front of Luka's compliment. "Thank you! I did my best to take into account every one of Minagi's skills to make a correct defense! It took time, but it works apparently. Otherwise, we all would have felt San Ilia collapse from here."

"Aren't you afraid that another Ancestor would try to sneak in or support her?"

"I don't imagine her wanting to share those angels with anyone! She can't seduce them, she can't brainwash them, I don't know how she would get the angels to let… her… in…"

Tamamo stared in the void as her sentence trailed off.

"…I'll be right back."

The kitsune dropped her empty cup of tea in a clinking noise and walked briskly away to the surprise of the three others. Alice stopped gorging herself for a minute and started fidgeting with her hands.

"I have a bad feeling about this. She realized that something escaped her."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but-"

At that precise moment, an incredibly shrill cry echoed through the castle, shaking everyone save Alice who looked more concerned than surprised.

"…Confirmed. Ready up. This is going to get ugly."

Right afterward, Luka saw Tamamo run frantically while panting heavily, her pupils visibly dilated and all dignity thrown out the window.

"LUKA! ALMA! GET TO THE GARUDA GIRL NOW!"

"Holy crap…"

As Alma Elma and Luka arrived in sight of San Ilia, they understood better why Tamamo was panicking. A large runic symbol that the hero recognized all too well was filling the sky.

The Great Barrier of Babylon.

The Succubus Queen told him that the spell was an altered, dormant version. Right now, everyone asleep in the city would be experiencing extremely pleasant vivid dreams that would bring them deeper. It wouldn't be dangerous… If they woke up before their bodies perished.

Luka doubted that Minagi would stick to that as the Garuda Girl descended on the plaza. A pleasant electric sensation ran through his body as he entered the area of effect of the spell. The duo got down from their mount, and checked the eerily empty holy city. There wasn't a single sign of life in the streets.

Alma Elma sighed. "That aura is scrambling everything. I can't tell where is Minagi, and I can't tell if people around are still alive."

"She's definitively waiting for us in the castle."

The duo started cautiously walking the steps leading up to the entrance of the structure when its doors opened, revealing a smiling Lilith. Luka pointed his sword at the succubus, while Alma Elma automatically assumed a martial artist stance, ready for a fight. Before anything could happen, Lilith raised her hands in a conciliatory manner.

"I wanted to greet you properly, but it seems you are already in the mood to fight. Now, now, before we get started, I have an offer in the name of my mother and lord Minagi. Will you at least hear me out?"

Luka nodded while Alma Elma checked around in case it was a trap.

"Here it is. I will fight Alma Elma on the plaza of the city for the title of Succubus Queen and dominion over our kin, while Luka will go fight Minagi who is currently waiting in the main chapel of the castle. Oh and of course, the winner willalso be free to do as they wish with the loser… Deal?"

Luka pondered the options before Lilith interrupted him again. "Oooh, sorry, I nearly forgot, but you might have notice already my lord's handcraft in the sky? It will activate once the sun reaches its zenith, turning every human women into succubi, killing those vulnerable angels in throes of pleasures and while human men won't die at first, I'm pretty sure they won't be able to keep up with the improved sex drive of their partners…"

Luka glared at the succubus who smiled back. "You better hurry to make your choice."

"Move."

Lilith stepped aside while Luka entered the castle. The door automatically closed behind him, and several complex seals appeared on top of it. Lilith focused her attention back on Alma Elma. She slowly started descending the stairs, and both succubi had locked their gazes into each other's.

"You know… I heard a lot about you those last weeks… I will spare you the we're not so different speech since that much is obvious by that point. I kept hearing how exceptional you were, how your skills put most of our race to shame, and yet… I was surprised to hear that you were holding back and only sucking dry criminals instead of whoever you wanted. With all those martial art skills of yours, you could have gotten the Monster Lord's throne, and instead, you only act like a whimsical lapdog… Why?"

"Because I want to." Determination seeped through Alma Elma's voice. "Reigning is a bother, and I can already get every men I want when I want like that. I used to randomly kill them for my own enjoyment as well, but when I met Luka, I realized that I could get so, so much more by keeping them alive. The food they create, the entertainment they can give…"

Lilith scoffed. "You're now standing to protect humans? Why?"

"I already told you. I do it because I want to. It is my choice, and only my choice."

Lilith kept smiling as her tail straightened itself and her wings shivered. "Spoken like a true succubus… Very well then. Show me the weight you're ready to give to your words!"

Alma Elma's wings spread up threateningly. "You will get what you want. And before you got it all, you will ask me to stop."

She took to the sky and was soon followed by Lilith. Both succubi initiated the fight by throwing wind blades and storms at one another in hope of destabilizing their opponents. Alma Elma had the greatest difficulties dodging and putting up with most attacks thrown by Lilith, while the elder of the Lilith Sisters could afford to not even dodge all the incoming attacks, as the wind spells used by her junior weren't effective enough.

Noticing that her assaults were ineffective, Alma Elma soon changed of strategy and rushed Lilith head first with her fist at the ready. Her senior simply blasted her back with a wind gust point blank, and Alma Elma had to make the utmost effort to not crash into the ground as she spun uncontrollably. Lilith sarcastically clapped at her performance, and, as an answer, Alma Elma charged her from below. Lilith barely managed to dodge Alma Elma's punch by leaning back, and grabbed Alma Elma's ankles with her hands before stabilizing herself in an attempt to directly throw down the Succubus Queen.

However, Alma Elma's tail directly swallowed Lilith's head in a heartbeat and started pulling her up. Suddenly losing her cool, Lilith released her grip and focused on removing the tail that was trying to swallow her. As she focused on that, she could feel her arms and stomach being bombarded with punches and kicks. Eventually, she summoned a storm of fire in hope of forcing Alma Elma back, and cut the tail with a wind blade.

When Lilith removed the gooey, slimy appendage, her usual haughty smirk had left her face to make way for an angry frown.

"That wasn't very nice to try to eat your senior."

Alma Elma had the tip of her hair barely singed by her opponent's assault while her tail had already regenerated. "Neither it is to be fed your own energy."

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"

Alma Elma smirked. "Ask your sisters."

Lilith's tail completely stopped swinging behind her. The next second, she lunged at Alma Elma while screaming like a harpy. Alma Elma reflexively protected her ears, when she understood that Lilith had likely used a spell to give an offensive property to her voice.

The elder succubus managed to ram straight into Alma Elma, and this time the latter couldn't slow down her descent before hitting the ground in a violent impact. She managed to clear the crater before Lilith dived behind her in a kick, widening the crater she had already made.

Both succubi once again took to the sky in a heartbeat and started attacking each other in a flurry of flowing punches and kicks, evading and attacking one after another. After a short minute, Lilith used her tail in an attempt to choke Alma Elma, but the Succubus Queen managed to cut the offending limb with the edge of her hand in a swift motion. However, the tail was still alive and attempted to strangle her, and Lilith used the opportunity to kick her away before throwing another fire spell at her. While Alma Elma suffered several burns, the tail simply disappeared under the heat. The Succubus Queen recovered her breath.

Damn. I really have to do my best to simply hold up to her. I knew that she would be dangerous, but she's even more powerful than Astaroth.

If I'm desperate, I could always use That…

Alma Elma readied herself as Lilith dived at her once again.

In the meantime, Luka progressed extremely cautiously through the castle, expecting to be ambushed at every turn. He heard Salamander sigh in his mind.

"So much for all of Tamamo's preparation. They were really effective..."

"The spells are still here. They simply got deactivated."

"Tch. Damn kitsune."

It took Luka a minute to understand the underlying message.

"Do you actually think she's the one responsible?"

"Who else?" Luka heard Salamander scoff. "An angel? There's no way one of them would let a succubus in."

To the hero's surprise, Undine contradicted her before he could say anything.

"No. That does not make sense after everything she did. She readied all those alarms, warned us that there was an issue… All that for what?"

"To get Luka right in her dear sister's arms. I feel the set up from here. That wouldn't be the first time she pulled a trick like that."

"But why her sister's? She could have gotten him herself if she wanted!"

"Actually Sylph makes for an unusually good point."

"Because she would not have been framed! Then she would have gotten his hands on him by asking her for a favor."

"Aren't we facing them one after the other specifically because they're too selfish to cooperate?"

"Who told that besides Tamamo?"

"Everybody actually. Even you."

"Mmh… You are aaaaall so louuuud, it's actually annoying…"

Luka jumped in surprise when he recognized Minagi's voice intruding in his mind, and he could feel the Four Spirits have the same reaction.

"And I can assure you… The only thing Tamamo did wrong to protect those angels is underestimating my resourcefulness…"

The hero was frozen in utter shock. He summoned the power of the Four Spirits to steady himself, but only found the courage to make a few steps forward.

"Now now… I'm getting a bit peckish. I considered having Luka as my appetizer and those angels as a dessert, but considering how slow the service seems to be, I might just decide to switch order."

The hero started walking briskly once again toward the chapel. For the sake of the angels the succubus had captured, he couldn't afford to be indecisive. He once again summoned the power of the Four Spirits as he opened the door, and his senses were instantly assaulted by the promise of pleasure. His nose picked up a sweet but not sickening perfume, his skin tingled as he could almost feel that he was embraced by a lover, and otherworldly moans reached his ears. And sitting on the altar at the end of the room was Minagi herself. The succubus was wallowed in a sensual pose, and licked her lips maliciously while looking at Luka.

"Finally… The hero who tasted a dream has come to savor the pleasures I can offer him in the flesh."

She sat herself up and spread her legs, fully exposing herself. "Now come… I know you have been waiting for this."

Luka managed to retain his composure as he progressed toward Minagi. He could blood rushing at his face, but he didn't falter in the slightest.

"Do you really think I would want anything with you after what you did? The destruction you sowed?"

"Those were old times." She got up and slowly started walking. "Now… Without a war to wage, I only want everybody to enjoy an ecstasy that had been forgotten through time."

"Really? How many people did you already kill with this pleasure?"

"Mmmmh." Minagi raised a finger to her head. "I cannot honestly tell… It depends how you see the death of the San Ilia King…"

Luka tightened his grip on his sword. He had taken a liking to the old man, and knowing that he had been a victim to the succubus enraged him to no end.

"I see that his departure angers you greatly. You can rest knowing that it happened in the greatest pleasure a man can know in his life."

The hero answered by charging Minagi like a gust of wind with a piercing attack. The succubus nonchalantly side-stepped and imbued her hands with pleasure magic. In the blink of an eye, she caressed Luka, making him shiver before he counter-attacked with a series of lightning-fast strikes. She dodged back and ended at the opposite end of the temple, slightly hovering above the ground and still smiling.

"Are you one of those people that prefer it rough? Don't worry, I will make sure I act more according to your taste…"

Luka steadied himself. He couldn't feel a single hint of bloodlust from the Ancestor, mitigating the use Undine provided. Her own skills in wind were completely scrambling his own perception, he felt his assurance waver each time she looked at him, and, worst of all, the rage that kept his arm strong was gradually decreasing, swallowed by the supernatural soothing aura of the succubus. The latter noticed his hesitation and giggled.

"Oh, dear hero… Why do you keep fighting against your own very desires? I only ask for a little energy in exchange for the greatest of pleasures…"

Luka focused his thoughts toward Alice. Thinking about the Monster Lord, his wife, allowed him to calm himself if ever so slightly. He couldn't fall, neither for her nor for his future children. He focused himself and meditated.

"A neat trick. But a boring one."

Once again, Minagi was hovering midair, diving with the intent to pin the hero with her legs. Before she reached him, Luka closed his eyes and started glowing slightly. The succubus instantly stopped her movement mid-air, surprising the hero who expected her to fall victim to her own inertia. The moment the protection of Daystar wore off, Minagi was once again rushing with him and managed to pin him in a straddling position. Luka summoned every bit of Gnome's power to break himself free, and managed to toss Minagi far over him. The Ancestor gracefully landed on her hands and jumped again to finish on her feet, seemingly unfazed.

"Mmmh… So close…" She cracked her neck and stretched herself. "But let's get serious. This session is so sluggish, I'm afraid I'm going to fall asleep. Now… Will you be able to keep up with me?"

"Can she cut it out with the innuendos?"

"Probably. I doubt she will though. Stay focused."

Once again, Minagi flew right on top of Luka in the blink of an eye. She attempted to caress the hero, who managed to parry him with his sword. However, instead of moving back, she continued her assault in a flowing movement and grabbed him by the ankle while using her free hand to caress his face. Luka could feel his energy leave his body, and for the first time since the beginning of his adventures, could only regret not having brought a helmet. Not losing time, the hero pushed back the succubus' face with his sword as she leaned in for a kiss. He thought that he actually hurt her when she plunged down, but instead, she wrapped her legs around his neck and positioned herself upside down. Keeping his cool, Luka slashed at his own head, surprising the succubus who released her leg's grip but tightened her hand on his ankle while she was slipping an arm below his crotch.

In an impressive display of flexibility, Minagi was bent backward with her head near Luka's loin while her feet were touching the ground. She then lifted Luka of the ground, surprising the hero, and her whole body moved like a sling to propel him headfirst into the ground between her legs. A stunned Luka barely managed to protect himself from her glowing eyes, and he could feel something wrap around his free ankle when an intoxicating smell reached his nose. He summoned the power of Gnome, but couldn't quite tear whatever was holding his legs. Luckily, with Angel Halo still in his hands he managed to slash rapidly at whatever was holding him. As a response, Minagi tightened her thighs around the hero's head and also trapped his arms between them and the ground in the process. The hero then dropped Angel Halo and twisted his arms to grab both of her thighs, and pushed away with all his might once again, feeling whatever was holding his ankle tear and bringing a cry of pain from the succubus in the process while inversing their position. He balled his fist and punched Minagi straight in her chest with the power of the Earth, knocking her across the room. This time, the succubus took a second to get up. Luka looked at his ankle, and finally understood what had happened. Some of Minagi's own hair had wrapped around his limb like so many conscious snakes. The succubus didn't seem particularly concerned at their loss, as they were already growing back as if nothing happened.

"Awww… All you had to do was to extend your tongue… Am I the only one trying to please their partner here? Your wife must not be happy… Which is a shame given your physical prowess."

Luka focused his mind and meditated to recover from this assault. Their exchange of blows hadn't lasted more than a few seconds, but he felt like it had been tougher than a whole fight against most monsters.

Minagi made a beckoning motion with her finger while licking her lips as she moved behind a bench. "Now… Are you going to come? I'm a bit tired of always having to take the lead…"

Luka slowly stepped toward Minagi, his sword raised. The tattoos covering the body of the succubus started glowing intensively, and Luka felt pleasant sensations assaulting his body, as if a whole harem of women caressed him simultaneously. Luka sped his step and started charging toward Minagi, but the succubus simply flew around while dodging him each time he attacked.

He attempted to cast a Daystar in hope of counter-attacking and stopping her assault, but the Ancestor's spell completely demolished his focus and prevented him to channel this spell or to meditate. He could feel his body becoming hotter as he came closer to the edge. Minagi chuckled at his visible torment as she kept flying a bit further back each time he attacked.

Eventually, he managed to devise a strategy to reach the succubus. He charged at her again as she positioned herself in a corner of the room, and this time she moved to the center. This time the hero charged behind the succubus, and the latter still reflexively moved back to end just at sword's range.

"The jaws of the Rakshasa come to make the wicked pay! Ninefold Rakshasa!"

This time, Minagi took most of the hits and only managed to parry a few of his strikes thanks to her ribbon. Her body stopped glowing, and Luka fell the magical assault on his body stop. However, she recovered extremely fast and managed to send him flying with a strategically placed kick.

Minagi then flew backward and disappeared, and Luka appreciated the opportunity to finally meditate to recover. It's only at that moment that he noticed how thick the magic fog had become. He could barely see a few meters away from him. Even Sylph's powers barely managed to push it back, and were only enough to keep the aphrodisiac mist from his system. An otherworldly giggle echoed through the room.

"Are you afraid of what is in the dark, poor hero? Afraid of being hurt? All you have to do is let down your sword and offer yourself to me, and I will make all your fear disappear with the power of raw pleasure."

Unable to localize the source of the voice, Luka kept looking around him desperately, expecting to be attacked at any time by the Ancestor of succubi.

Both Alma Elma and Lilith were panting while glaring at each other, their respective outfits partially shredded and their bodies bruised, cut and burned in multiple places. The roofs of the city were showing signs of damage from the battle between both succubi. While Lilith's power and magic skills allowed her to have an advantage at range, Alma Elma's speed and mastery in Martial Arts both metaphorically and literally closed any gap between the two. As a result, the fight was still a fragile stalemate half an hour after it started.

"After seeing all those weakling around… I thought the Succubus Queen had been quite undeserving of her reputation of a powerful monster… I won't ever make that mistake again."

She flew at high speed toward Alma Elma while shouting another sonic cry. This time Alma Elma held her own and countered with a direct punch that Lilith only narrowly dodged. The latter once again tried to wrap her tail around Alma Elma's head, but the Succubus Queen moved back and backhanded the tip.

Lilith's eyes narrowed. It was time to end this. Her eyes glowed, and, the next instant, two valkyries flew from a building, their eyes red. Alma Elma groaned.

"I thought that would be a one on one?"

Lilith giggled. "A succubus should use every tool at their disposal. I convinced them to help me a few days ago. Now… Are you still willing to fight?"

Alma Elma didn't hesitate and directly punched the first valkyrie straight in the stomach. The second sliced one of her wings with her sword, pulling a cry of pain from the Succubus Queen. As she attempted to counter-attack, Lilith struck her directly with a sweeping kick. However, Alma Elma had grabbed the angel with her tail and tossed her in a building, resulting in two succubi being alone in the sky once again. Alma Elma coughed up a small clot of blood.

"Awww… Already done with my partners? If you surren-"

Lilith got suddenly interrupted by a talisman landing on her mouth. The next instant, she felt the pressure of a mountain preventing the words from coming out, before a rain of rock shards pierced her apart. Alma Elma joined both hands and punched her down, before descending to ground level with a talisman in hand. Lilith was half-buried in dirt when the Succubus Queen descended.

"So succubi should use every tool at their disposal you said? These ones are a gift from a very close friend that you probably also know." Alma Elma waved another talisman as she stared at Lilith. "Apparently, this one is a last recourse, but I wonder what it does?"

Upon seeing the mountain with a skull on it adorning the small paper, Lilith went wide-eyed. This one would utterly crush her, body, soul and mind alike. She shook her head desperately, unable to still produce a sound even as the first talisman slipped from her face, and mimicked a surrender by raising her hands.

Alma Elma threw the talisman straight at Lilith's face, and the latter closed her eyes as she waited for her death to come. As nothing happened, the elder succubus slowly opened her eyes to see her junior smirking just in front of her.

"Got you. It was a fake."

Alma Elma then decked Lilith in the face, knocking the latter unconscious.