DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based
FICTION
Bishoujo Sailor Moon + Other series in this story are not owned by me.
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Chapter 42: Shingo's Will, Lilim's Heart (1 of 2)
P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c
Lilim looked at the servants meant to escort her to the throne room as her father had been moved to another chair to allow to claim his throne.
All had been handpicked among the most loyal but also the strongest. And it was a constant reminder that something was to happen during the event. She thought that it was all in her mind, but then she recalled her aunt's unease, the amount of money invested in security between guards and traps was nothing to scoff at.
In a rare instance of 'financial awkwardness', she couldn't help but almost slam this all as unneeded and pricey but... it was also true that there was a good reason for that to be needed. What should have been an unifying day was to become a bloodbath. And the succubus was unsure on how this would resolve with how many odds were staked to equally-match the sides involved.
She missed Shingo. He would know what to do. He would tell her how to do things, and things would go right. If only her auntie had found him already! She refused to believe he was gone - she knew he was around and... and she needed him.
She wanted him to hug her, to tell her that it was going to be fine and that tomorrow she would be back to school as if nothing had happened. It wasn't a thing, but that hopeless childish sense of want didn't want to let go about that beautiful and mundane status quo that she had learned to love and look forward to.
That being said, Lilim was not a dumbass anymore, but still- why couldn't she be left alone?! Why was she losing her mind between worrying over Shingo as she didn't know where she was and trying to not die in a potential coup attempt? Why couldn't her daddy do enough to keep her away from trouble like he promised?! WHY WOULDN'T HE WAKE UP ALREADY!? She knew that this wasn't his fault. That him giving his power to her had weakened him so that his age was felt even more than usual. Could a Succubus even get old? Lilim thought about it and...
The more Lilim thought about it, the more unnerved she was. And, to make things worse, she was notified that his auntie wanted to talk to her last minute before the coronation. Fixing her posture and expecting another verbal shower about 'she could do it' and 'everything was going to be fine'.
She just didn't need it. That saccharine injection that just made her heart hurt so much. It wasn't going to be fine, it wasn't. She wasn't fine, and- and she didn't need any further encouragement. Yet, she could tell something else was going on as she saw her auntie had a sad look on her face.
"Lilim... we found something."
The somber tone caught her off-guard, even more as Ishtar showed her what appeared to be a piece of white cloth, some blond hair, and... blood. Lots of blood. Lilim knew what it was all about, she knew but she couldn't instantly say it.
Why would she? Maybe it was just a trick? Maybe Shingo got kidnapped too! She had to rescue him! She already imagined his face when she won the day as the new Queen of Incubi and Succubi and he would have to recognize her as-
"We found a body."
And Lilim's mind went blank, her chest tightened, and she felt her eyes growing wet. "W-What?"
Her voice wobbled with some immediate shock and fear. "T-That can't be. Shingo is-"
"We are sure it is your friend and- and the culprit left behind a letter. For you."
A trick, a ploy- everything under the sun to say that this was not true. That Shingo was alive, that he will soon be to her and- and- and she read the document. As she readied it, she thought of her friends, of Shingo's family - how would they react to- to knowing he died trying to save her? No, that wasn't true. He had to be alive, he had to-
To my beloved little sister and usurper.
The greeting was familiar, it matched with someone's style of speaking. The smugness, the disgust towards her, the absolute ambition for power that had split their family for so long.
It was Kuroi. It was him. He had done it, and he described how it happened, how it unfolded- it was all in fine details.
Normally Lilim would shy away from this sort of reading, feeling aghast at the thought that the text would describe the mutilation, destruction and utter removal of her... her Shingo. She sobbed loud and pained, Ishtar hugging her tenderly as she lost herself in a horrible crying session where her pain made way to a guttural hatred and anger.
All aimed at Kuroi. The bastard had done it. He made her lose it as she felt her teeth gnaw and grit in pure pain-driven agony. And Lilim knew, as Ishtar whispered to her what to do, that there was one way to show these bastards how wrong they were.
They wanted blood? Then Lilim was going to give them what they wanted and deserved!
What Lilim didn't see, however, was the growing malicious grin on her auntie's face, with 'Ishtar' most pleased with how malleable her niece truly was as the sorrow drove her deeper in the role she had to claim - one of a Queen of Blood and War.
I have this growing feeling that something is not right.
It is not something about my situation - I mean, I wasn't sold out to the idea that the Succubus friend Sinmara trusted me to was someone reliable, but I could tell that my 'surprise gift' situation had not been discovered just yet.
In fact, I was kind of surprised it wasn't despite Mireille's assurance that 'these boxes hid more surprises against our common foes' or something similar. I wasn't sure what that 'smug' tone was all about, but I patiently waited for something to happen. Anything, really. Maybe I was getting betrayed, but if I was, then I doubt I would have been taken to the proper party room where the rest of the gifts were evenly split around.
The darkness kept me sheltered for many hours, and I was glad I packed a snack for the ordeal. Like hell I was starving for such a big situation, even more as a quest did originate the moment I got slipped inside the Incubus Palace. I just could smell I was in the right place from the sheer amount of sexual scent in the air and... yeah, it stank a lot.
- Save Lilim 2: Crash the Party! -
Difficulty:
Conditions:
-Defeat the members of the Hard Faction of the Incubus/Succubus Group (0/25);
-Defeat Kuroi Ryuuji and Ereshkigal
Time Limit:
-None;
Reward:
-4000 EXP;Failure:
-?;
The mission itself looked similar enough to what I got while helping the Frost Demons, if not for the fact that there was a rare '?' for the Failure bit. Quite unusual, but maybe it was because I didn't want to know what the potential failure could be? Well, I didn't let this get to my head.
Today was important, I had to save Lilim, force my way out of this place, this region and the entire Dark World and make it back home with her as quickly as possible. It was a simple plan, ignoring the fact I was going to brawl with some high-tier demons. As far as I was familiar with the situation, Kamadeva should not be active to be a legitimate hurdle... but if I was to face Ishtar, and her sister too, then I was going to lose very fast.
I couldn't stop and fight them all, and thus I had a plan in mind. I just needed to kill Kuroi, same for Ereshkigal (without getting boxed by the two of them) and then snatch Lilim and leave. It was going to have massive repercussions in the long run, but at least we would survive for long enough for me to properly train and fight them in a fair field such as proper Earth.
My patient waiting time, which was really making me lose my mind with how long it was taking, ultimately culminated with the noise of a large blast happening nearby, the ground shaking at its intensity.
There was a huge scramble between the guests, and the combat started.
With a smile creeping in my face I finally was ready to do the one thing that I had been waiting to do: dash out of the box, ignore the fighting around and sprint the heck away from the room as I tried to make my way to the throne room. My first attempt was by jumping out of a nearby window and swing my way to it before slamming through the closest window to it. That was before I noticed a large pink spheric barrier surrounding the entire throne room area. As I tried to smack through it, I got a notification.
Lilim made the barrier...? Why? I was confused, and now even more worried as 1) she shouldn't be able to make this sort of barriers and 2) the fact she made it around the throne room to limit the situation within felt unnerving. Was she trying to hold out someone, or was she trying to keep those inside?
I hoped she wasn't planning to fight Kuroi and Ereshkigal on her own, but I still rushed back inside to try and find a way around the barrier from within. Maybe someone could use Primordial Energy and get me inside but, as things would turn to be, my luck decided it was a fine day to get angry at someone I didn't want to deal with right now. Especially since he was tied to the main cause behind this whole situation. If it wasn't for Nomad, I wouldn't have to go on such a wild adventure and...
"My Kni-"
"YOU AND I HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT, KUROTO!" I snapped angrily, sword ready as the fellow boy appeared a bit surprised at the outburst. "Like how your group decided to snitch on my best friend and have her taken away against her will!"
"...Wait, the new Queen is your best friend?" He sounded confused, and annoyed.
I growled, "How about I kick your ass to prove for good you are not my friend, you shadowy midget!"
Before we could get into some proper hand-throwing, however, we were interrupted by a loud laughter coming from the staircase leading to the throne room.
"My, oh my- two children bickering over such an important day. What a dreadful sight," A woman mirthfully remarked, and I gritted my teeth as I recognized her. She looked older than Ishtar, wilder even. There was a deep sense of sick pleasure in seeing conflict and expanding it, one that made her unpleasant even to the common Succubus/Incubus. "Still, I have to say that your presence here, little Moon, makes things very convenient for us. Why, I am sure your good friend and our Queen Lilim will be glad to know her boy toy lived... after I told her that you died and that it was my foolish puppet's fault."
...
"I don't follow- my- I mean, Moon Knight is here," Kuroto remarked, and Ereshkigal grinned. "Unless you-"
"I wanted her to lose it! And my, the sheer rage and pain she has in her heart freed the power of my foolish brother and hails a new age of blood upon this Dark World!" Ereshkigal beamed widely then turned to me as I glared at her. "But who knows, maybe it will get better. After all, I wonder if the prophecy is true- a new Moon beckons the End of the Regency upon this Dark World, one wielding a Knightly Mask and an Old Sword Anew."
"Sounds like a fortune cookie situation to me," I quietly rebuked. "How about I burn that disgusting smile out of your face, you hag?"
Her eyes widened and so did her smile. "Oh... to know that I would have to correct two brats today. I wonder how you taste~."
Okay, that's it. I am murdering the hag and... save Lilim. Before she destroy most of the region, that is.
AN
First part of this 'half-arc finale'. The second arc is not done yet, but this Lilim arc is nearing its end. Shingo faces Ereshkigal in a begrudged team-up with Kuroto, while Lilim... well, Kuroi was lied upon over being strong enough to take her. Hell hath no fury like a Scorned Succu-loli.