Chapter 3: First impression matter
Patiently waiting for the fake hero to appear before her, Alma Elma, the Heavenly Knight of Wind stood in in the middle of her chosen room, the one she had picked by virtue of it being the nearest to the entrance. As per the agreement she and her fellow Heavenly Knights had this morning, the Succubus is to be the first one who would challenge Luka-boy~ upon his raid of the Monster Lord's Castle.
Looking back on Luka's progress throughout his entire journey to where he is now, she estimated that the human had a very real chance at beating her.
"But if I won~" Her eyes glow an ominous crimson.
Oh, the fun their going to have~!
'No foreplay, no safeword, all night, all day, from the kitchen floor to-'
Before her mind could wander off to more dangerously lewd territory, the succubus was alerted by the sounds of several footsteps coming towards her chosen room.
"Hmm~? Why, who could that be~" Playfully tilting her head at this, Alma Elma focuses on her with magic and scan the hallway before her to investigate.
...
...
...?
Her mock confusion soon became real as she felt the presence of several young monsters to be the one running towards her direction. Even ignoring the obvious questions about that sole fact, there's still another factor that leaves her, the ever witty and lackadaisical Alma Elma completely stumped.
Those children were that of her fellow Heavenly Knight...
Now... she could see her lonely coworker Erubetie deciding to have a child to keep herself company, what with her living in her cave all the time.
She could also understand if Tamamo one day decided to harbor her own cubs. It fits her mischievous nature to play a prank on her dear Alice with news of her new responsibility as an older sister to a bunch of Kitsune~
But Granberry~? Dear grumpy Granberia? Alma Elma could never picture her prideful friend ever deciding to have any offspring of her own unless she planned on setting them up to be worthwhile sparring partners. And even then, such long-term plans are unlike the Dragonkin.
Not to mention the fact said Heavenly Knight of Fire has this silly rule where she refuses to procreate with anyone weaker than her~
With that in mind, it's logically impossible for one of these kids to be the daughter of her battle hungry friend.
"A coincident? Or does Granberry has any relative she never mentions~"
Curious, curious~
As her mussing came to a close, the footsteps finally reach her and Alma Elma see several colorful children running pass her with panicked expression on their faces.
"Morning, aunty!"
"Stay away from my daddy you flying menace!"
"Moving through!"
"Don't mind me..."
"Alma~"
...
...
...
As their footsteps grew fainter in the background, the succubus stood still in her place, contemplating what she had just witness.
"Well damn... didn't expect those nerdy scientist folks to come up with time travel so quick~"
Let's see... Polite, funny, fluffy, cute, and curious...
That's quite the cast of troublemakers in their hands, huh?
"Oh well~ I'll let the others deal with this time paradox waiting to happen until it became my problem~" With that in mind, the succubus went back to her lewd thoughts about what she's going to do to a certain fake hero.
Luka woke up with a sneeze.
"Bwah!" Quickly getting up as he rubs his face with his forearm, the young man expected to see his usual campfire site and Alice nagging him for breakfast.
What he saw instead, was the amuse face of his son (It still feels unbelievable to him) looking down at him.
"Done with your nap, pops~?"
Ah, right. He passes out after... well, everything that's happen. Considering the sun is still rising in the horizon, he estimates it's only been a couple minutes since he passes out.
"What happen after I pass out?" He looks around, "Where's everyone else?"
Damian snorts a bit at that, "Well, long story short; Omu started telling everyone about temporal paradox and what not, so now they're all rushing as fast as they can to their ma~"
"They ran in the castle!? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Probably, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you~" He simply shrugs, "After all, those kids are all powerful enough to take care of themselves."
"...You might be right on that." Luka admit his point. "But still, I worry about them even despite how strong they may be."
"Hah! That's just like you, pops~" Chuckling to himself, Damian pointed out.
...
Luka stares at the boy who have the same last name as him. Even his facial structure and eyes resemble him too. "Damian..." The name should be foreign to him, yet it feels familiar nonetheless.
"Yeah, what is it pops...?" His lazy tone is gone now, replace by genuine concern and... fear?
"Is it true? Are you really my son...?"
"...It is true, Me being your son is as real as-!?" His joke was cut off by the purplette's next action.
Luka reaches out to him, his hands wrapping around the boy as he stood up from the ground. Damian was frozen in place for a bit, before he slowly started hugging him back.
"My boy..." The arms around Damian started trembling, "My own flesh and blood..." he chokes.
"P-Pops? What's wrong!?"
"No... nothing's wrong..." Luka said before pulling back to face his son, the look he gave him surprises the boy.
Crying tears of joy, Luka Morningstar has the brightest smile on his face.
"I'm so happy..."
"Y-You are...?" The boy stutters out.
"Of course I am, Damian! You're my son!" And the fake hero laughs. He laughs the most he ever had in his life out loud as he places his hands on Damian's shoulders.
"I can't believe it! My son! I have a son!" With stars in his eyes, Luka excitedly enquire, "How old are you, Damian? Have you been eating well? Your skin is pale, how long have it been since you been outside? What about friends? Do you have any, Damian? I'd love to meet them!" Again and again, with boundless energy, he fires questions after questions at his son.
So joyful was he, that Luka didn't even registers the disbelieving looks Damian is giving him. It stays for a bit more, before it morphs into a teary, shaky smile, similar to his father.
"Honestly... how could I ever think that... I'm such an idiot..." He mutters under his breath.
"Hmm?" Luka tilts his head, "Did you say something, Damian?"
His son shook his head, dark purple bangs swaying left and right.
"Nothing pops, just talking to myself..."
The weak excuse wouldn't have work on most people, but considering Luka is Luka, he bought right into it.
"Oh! You mean you also have a contract with the Sprits?"
"The what?"
"Hah! Hold on, your pops want to show off for a bit!" Stepping back a bit, Luka brough his hands apart as he calls out to his girls.
"Sylph! Gnome! Undine! Salamander! Come on out and meet my son!"
Soon enough, four powerful spirits materialize from Luka's body, surrounding him in a circle as they all looks toward Damian with varying levels of intrigue. Sylph was excited to meet another person with a high affinity to her element, Gnome gave the boy a friendly thumbs up with a smile in her eyes, Undine examine her contractor's son closely, her half-lidded eyes almost manage to hide how sharp she is. And lastly, Salamander gave a meaty slap on his back as she laughs boisterously, causing the boy to stumble a little.
"Your pretty funny! Let's play sometime~!"
"Hm..."
"As I have with your father... I'll be watching over you too..."
"You stay by your father and made sure he's safe despite hearing what that odd slime girl said, Attaboy!"
Once again bombarded with positivity, all Damian could do is shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Oh boy..."
When Damian decided to risk it and use that shady sounding time spell, he wasn't expecting all of this to happen, to be completely honest.
Following the path of destruction left by his children inside the Monster Lord's Castle, Luka and Damian decided that the most responsible thing to do for now would be to look for the rest of the kids and to make sure they didn't cause too much trouble.
Though, seeing as some shaken servants is left slump against the wall and the dispirited guards sulking in the corners, the fake hero had a feeling they were a bit late in that...
"I hope they weren't too chaotic..."
He'll figures out a way to send them back to their respective future right after dealing with the raid on the castle first, it wasn't as ideal of a plan, but it was better than nothing. Not to mention, he couldn't just say 'Hold on, I need to find my kids first!' and expected every monster inside the castle to be understanding enough to just let him through.
"Do you know where they might be, son?" It still felt a bit surreal to say that, but he'll get used to it eventually.
"We don't have to worry about finding them, pops." Uncharacteristically serious, the boy elaborates on his words. "They're all going to find their ma as fast as possible, so we just have to stick to your original plan and find the Four Heavenly Knights."
Oh, is that right? Guess that'll make their job a lot easier then-
The realization hit him like one of Gnome's punch.
"Ah."
"Please don't pass out again..."
Before he could gather himself and retort, a monster appears and block their way forward.
"Ufufu, what delicious-looking boys..." The elder succubus smirk as she addresses the two before her. With shoulder length red hair, purple color skin and a revealing black outfit, she makes for a perfect example of a Succubus in their prime.
Having done this song and dance a bunch of times already, Luka drew his partner, Angel Halo, the sword that can seal any monster as long as they are sufficiently weakened and met her head on.
"Damian, stand back!"
Usually, he would have attempted to resolve the issue peacefully before engaging in combat. However, with the situation he is in currently, it would be wise of him to just end the encounter as fast as he could and continue on his search.
"Sylph!"
[Lightning Sword Flash!]
Caught off guard by his speed, the elder succubus barely had enough time to dodge as his sword manages to graze her by the side. Backing away from him, the monster prepares her magic for a devastating wave of spells.
"I am among the highest-ranking succubus... I'll show you my full power."
Perhaps due to her ego being bruised by underestimating him, the elder succubus forgoes any fancy pattern of attack and launches everything she had at him from restricting spells, to elemental attacks and pleasure spells in a violent burst of magic.
Knowing his son is behind him, rather than dodging to the side or jumping over the barrage of spells, Luka shouted out to the Spirit of Earth, imbuing his body with the strength of a mountain and let out his own destructive technique.
"Gnome!"
[Death Sword : Chaos Star!]
The chaotic struggle between his might and her magic continues for the next couple seconds before he would eventually begin to overpowered the Succubus. At every opportunity he was presented, Luka would slide one of his slashes right into her guard, making the monster flinched in pain as her strength started to gradually leave her.
As more and more gashes appear on her body, Luka unleashes another devastating technique to finish the fight. Jumping high into the air, he swung his partner down towards the monster as she went for a dodge.
Except she couldn't, her eyes went from shock to panic as she saw her legs were bound by several shadowy hands that has emerge from the ground beneath her.
"Where did-!?"
[Earth Rumbling Decapitation!]
Like a meteor crashing down on his enemy, the fake hero landed a powerful attack on the elder succubus right on her head, knocking her unconscious as her body were sealed into a small bat for the time being.
Looking back to Damian, he saw the boy staring at him as he inspects him further. There's no injury on him at all, that's a relief!
"We can't waste any time, let's move on from here, Damian!"
"Right behind you, pops~" Leisurely waving his hand, his son follows him further into the hallway where they witness even more signs of destruction cause by his other kids.
'I hope Alice doesn't get too mad at them for this...' He thought in sympathy to those who has to clean up all the mess after this.
"There's a strong one up ahead."
At his son's warning, Luka drew his weapon once more and cautiously enters the next corridor. Sure enough, it's an eight-tailed Kitsune who seems to be contemplating something.
"Stay here while I deal with her, Damian. This one is much stronger than the Succubus I fought with before." Luka saw him nod before he walks up to the Kitsune.
"Hmm... could she really be...?" With light red fur covering most of her tall humanoid body, a face resembling a 'Noh mask' he remembers seeing back in Yamatai Village, an expensive looking kimono similar to Tamamo, and a powerful set of hands, the monster seems to be in the middle of deep thinking before her gaze were fixed on him.
"Oh my, your here already?" She admonishes herself, "How unbecoming of me, to be so distracted to the point of almost forgetting Lady Tamamo's order..."
That caught his attention, "By any chance, did you happen to see a group of children walking pass here?"
Her closed eyes open slightly, inspecting him closely.
"..."
"..."
After almost a minute of uncomfortable silence, the Kitsune slam her big fist into her palm. "That would make the most sense, as peculiar as she could be sometimes, I never would have thought Lady Tamamo would come up with something like this..."
"...Do you mind elaborating?" It's kind of rude not to share any info she might have on the situation considering his involvement in it.
"Kukuku~ Very well, my name is Yao, I'm considered to be Lady Tamamo's right-hand woman."
Alright, he's following everything so far.
"And as the man she had chosen to be her husband, you would do well to overcome this challenge and met her up ahead!"
Never mind, now she's lost him.
"You have earned my respect... I can see why she choose you... please, hero, keep my Lady happy..."
"...I'll do my best."
The ensuing fight was... very passionate...
Sure, all of his other fights have also been 'passionate' in a way. But this one was weirdly more passionate compare to the rest.
Even with the flow activated, the fake hero was kept on his toes as she would fills the entire corridor with her magical traps. All the while, the powerful Kitsune would engage him with close combat as soon as he's ever in range. Not only are her traps dangerous, but he quickly learns her arms aren't just for show.
Combined all of that with her eight tail also joining in to assault him at every opportunity? Yeah, there's no doubt that the only reason he managed to won the fight with only minimal amount of injury had been for the mistake she had made, her misfired attack gave him the time to unleash the unrelenting fire of Salamander, igniting his partner as he hack and slash pass all of her defenses.
Now that Yao has been turn into a harmless fox before him, he quickly uses the moment of rest to meditate, the injury and tiredness he had accumulated throughout the fight gradually leaving him.
"Fuhh... That took longer than I thought..." What with the monster telling him to proves his worth and how into it she was when he redoubles his efforts.
Luka honestly has no idea how to feel about the smile she gave him as she was sealed...
'Not the strangest fight I've been in... but still.'
"You done here, pops?" His son asks behind him.
He let out a breath. "Right. Come on, Damian."
The meditation had done its job, replenishing his health and curing him of any sluggishness. With another difficult fight settled with, they proceed to the next room while the sealed version of Yao watches them leave the corridor in contend, knowing that the young man would keep his words.
Hopefully, the next fight wouldn't take as much time.
"..."
"..."
The father and son duo stare on in confusion at the cowering imp before them.
"Ah! Not again?!" With pale blond hair, a short and slender figure, and a disproportionately huge pair of breasts, the weak imp had immediately surrendered the moment they had enter the room. "I'm sorry! Please stop bullying me!"
Luka bend down and gently patted the imp's head. "What made you think we were going to do that?" His newly awaken paternal instinct must have endeared him to the sobbing monster seeing as he softly spoke, trying to calm her down.
She sniffs, her voice straining as she recounts the event that probably leave her with some trauma.
"T-They came in here in groups, I thought that since I've been here longer than them then it's my job as their senior to show them around the castle... b-but then... then they- Waaahhh!" The sobbing return as the fake hero encourages her to let it out.
"It's alright... they're not here anymore, you can tell us what happen..."
"T-The kids... they all call me aunty Rami and they started asking me for candy and stuff!"
"Now, now, that's not so bad..."
"But I'm still young!" She in complain petulance. "They should have call me 'Big sis' at least!"
"Is that why you were crying all this time...?" Damian had to ask.
"W-Well... mostly yeah..."
"... Did they hurt you or anything?"
"No..."
They stare at her.
"B-But they still bullied me afterward because I don't know where their mother is! That justify my crying doesn't it!?"
"I guess that-" Luka was interrupted by his son.
"How old are you, actually?"
"Ah..."
The purplette can't defend her now, no matter how kind he is, getting bully by a bunch of children as an adult is pretty pathetic. No wonder she's crying.
So instead, he did the mature thing and apologies.
"I'm sorry my kids brought you into this state."
The imp did a double take. "E-Ehhhhh!? They're your children!?"
The ensuing fight (if you can even call it that) ends with Damian putting her to sleep with one of his spells.
"That's pretty handy!" He complemented.
The boy looks away, preserving his image as the laid-back magician.
"That's just a minor spell..."
"Well, now that she's asleep, let's continu-!?"
TREMBLE!
The resounding tremor cuts him off as the entire room started shaking. Luka immediately pulls Damian close to him as he looks around, determined to find the cause for the tremor as a powerful monster crashes into the room.
CRASH!
"What the!?" Greatly surprised by the arrival of such a big and powerful looking monster crashing through the walls, Luka places himself in front of Damian as he draws Angel Halo forward.
It's movement itself is enough to cause this place to tremble, there would be almost no guaranteed that his son could find a safe place where the monster wouldn't destroy, he just has to do his best in making sure the attention is all on him.
"Son, I don't think I can fight this one and keep you completely safe at the same time. Can you defend yourself until I beat her?"
"Don't worry about me, pops. I have a few tricks up my sleeves~"
Luka would have love to have more information about that, but seeing as the big 15-foot-tall monster is currently rumbling with energy and preparing what's most likely a devastating attack towards him, he unfortunately doesn't have enough time for reassurance.
Just then, something odd fell from the monster's four-legged body. Landing in front of him, Luka saw that it's a small note written in a neat handwriting addressing the fake hero. Feeling compelled to read it, he was looks down and-
[Hey Luka, if you're reading this, then the Giganto Weapon is must've engaged in combat with you already. What do you think? It's pretty cool huh? She's a chimera type monster design for war and destruction made during the Great Monster Wars. She also contains the superior aspects of many different monsters combine together and she's very eager for another chance to let lose again after so long! I'm sure it'll be a good enough challenge for you so have fun!
-Tamamo no mae]
"..." Luka's eye twitched.
"Pops, watch out! It's coming towards you!"
This is going to be painful, isn't it?
END OF CHAPTER
Author's note: Here's another one. At this point I'm pretty sure the story is gonna end at about 10 or so chapter. Take that estimation with a grain of salt because even I have no idea how many chapters are left.
We're focusing on Tamamo and the kids next chapter, so stay tune for that!
