Succumania

Tamia

A world in which this man, the detective overcame numerous trials and managed to survive in an all-out war against demonkind.

What set him apart from the countless others who had tried and failed? Was it his experience in the modern world? His intellect? His ability to adapt?

Vinum pondered this. He was the first human who had truly stood up to her. Yes, it had been due to her carelessness, but even so, he had nearly won—by the slimmest of margins.

She had met countless heroes in the past, people with strong convictions willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. 

No matter their goodwill or how good of a person they were, they were all defeated, their dreams of peace or glory crushed alongside their pride.

She was a monster to mankind, she acknowledged it and acted accordingly. Eventually, she understood that humans were just food, entertainment, and playthings for her kind.

But now… she found herself growing bored. The games had lost their thrill. Her experiments had all failed. Even granting men a second chance after death—letting them try again, giving them the illusion of change—only led to more disappointment. Instead of evolving into something greater, they became even more pathetic. Salves to the pleasure her kind could give. 

Like all animals, they had grown predictable.

And yet, this one man… The more she was thinking about it, the more sense it made succubi like her were stuck in this world, at his side.

For the first time in centuries, the princess felt something stir within her. A familiar sensation of curiosity tainted with something new. 

Right, an angle she hadn't thought of before.

The young hero who once recruited her into his party had intrigued her, but in the end, he was still a hero—brimming with hope, preaching for a better future. He was admirable, but ultimately, nothing new.

Yes, he had saved the world during the multiversal crisis, but not out of a sense of justice. He had no grand ideals or noble aspirations. He did it because he had no other choice.

He was a reluctant hero. A man who survived not because he sought to change the world, but because he refused to be crushed by it. An everyday man who learned magic not to become a legend, but simply to survive. To carve out a path toward peace, one battle at a time.

This role of detective, this act of peacemaker—it was merely one of many facets of him. A reflection of his natural instinct to avoid conflict when possible, yet face it head-on when necessary.

This was why she knew he would come. 

She read the report thoroughly, making sure to steal the full contents of it right when that scientist was sleeping around. His feats were by no means something to toss aside, they were beyond what a normal human could do. 

So, with that in mind, it was only natural she wanted to wake that side of him up again.

The salty breeze of the sea swept through her hair as the sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows across the abandoned dock. The workers had long since left, leaving only silence and the rhythmic crashing of waves against the worn wooden planks.

The battlefield was set.

Now, she only had to wait.

"I guess this is the day…" Luka sighed as he put on his jacket, his eyes staring at his reflection in the mirror. 

The little earpiece in his ear crackled. " Do you have the 'briefcase' with you? " Nina's voice filtered through, casual as ever, punctuated by the unmistakable sound of her slurping a soda through a straw.

"Yeah," he looked down at his feet, where a bulky black briefcase was. Of course this was no ordinary briefcase but a gift from her, something that could turn the tides of the battle just in case. "But I want to use it only if necessary," he added, picking it up not without a grunt. "It's a fight between her and me, after all. It would feel like cheating if I used this."

" You know she is looking to kill you, right? "

"I know but…" 

Luka's fingers tightened around the handle of the briefcase as he let out a slow breath. There was something off about all this. He knew how fickle demons could be—especially powerful ones like her—but this felt different.

A duel? A personal challenge? Why go through all this trouble just for him?

Why not just kill him right here and then? She had so many opportunities to either corrupt him or destroy his life. 

"She had every chance to kill me before," he muttered. "And she didn't."

" Maybe she was waiting for the right moment, " Nina countered. " Or maybe she just likes watching you squirm. "

"Could be that," he chuckled. He slung the briefcase over his shoulder and headed for the door. The sky outside was painted in deep shades of orange and purple, the last remnants of daylight clinging to the horizon.

The harbor, she had said in her letter. There was only one nearby, a commercial harbor where containers and giant cargo boats stopped by.

" By the way, I am in the lab, " Kanami's voice came through the earpiece. " I'll be watching through Nina's familiar and if things get bad, I'll come, okay? "

"I would prefer if you didn't, but alright," Luka said. This was a promise of his own that he needed to fulfill, he would feel dirty to just come with a whole group of people.

Huh. That was weird, he thought. He would have never thought that way before. 

Perhaps he had grown less attached to his life over time.

After using the train, he arrived at the station nearest to the sea. The city streets were quieter than usual, the evening air thick with the scent of salt and distant gasoline fumes. His boots echoed against the pavement as he made his way toward the harbor, the briefcase weighing heavily on his shoulder.

Luka's mind was a swirl of thoughts, his usual sharp focus a little clouded. The deeper he walked into the industrial area, the more the silence seemed to press in on him. The city lights were dimming, shadows growing longer, and the faint smell of seaweed and brine filled the air, mixing with the scent of rust and oil from the nearby warehouses.

It was a strange feeling—walking into a trap, knowing full well what was waiting for him, but still unwilling to take any backup. Was it pride? Or something else? He wasn't sure anymore.

As the towering docks came into view, he noticed the heavy silence. Not even the usual hum of distant boats or crew working late into the night. It felt… off.

He glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting someone—or something—to appear. Nothing. Just the dim glow of the distant streetlights and the soft roll of waves against the shore.

He was almost there.

A chill ran down his spine as his senses sharpened. He wasn't alone anymore. She was waiting.

Surrounded by towering containers, she stood in the center of the empty space. At first glance, she looked innocent enough—a schoolgirl in a white button-up blouse with puffed sleeves, her small red ribbons at the cuffs a playful touch. A purple pleated skirt that fell just above her knees and dainty white shoes completed the look, creating a contrast so sharp it was almost absurd. She could have easily blended in on any school ground if you could get past her hair.

But the illusion was shattered the moment her shadow stretched unnaturally, revealing the wings, horns, and a long tail that marked her true form.

Her long white high-ponytail fluttered in the cool breeze as her eyes locked onto Luka. Her face betrayed no emotion—just a neutral, almost bored expression. No, she looked hesitant, somewhat.

He set down the briefcase on the ground before approaching her, the wind picking up. After a full week of intense training, he was mostly back in shape, especially in his mindset. That little imp who defeated him last time wouldn't stand a chance as he was now.

He stood there, a few feet away from her. There was no hesitation in his eyes, but he still hated this. 

"Any way to just call this off?" he asked, his hands sliding into his pockets as he exhaled deeply. His voice was steady, but the frustration was evident. "Why are you so obsessed with this fight? Is it really worth it?"

He paused, his gaze steady on her. The words he had wanted to ask for so long finally escaped him, raw and unfiltered. "And more importantly... Why would you help me during the crisis, only to turn around and try to fight me later? Are you just that battle-crazy?"

The girl simply sighed, as if expecting he would say that. "What… Is that really the first thing you're asking me?" Her eyes darkened with annoyance. "I thought we already talked about this last time."

"I mean… I knew I was hopeful to talk you out of this last time, but you were too much of a crazy loli…"

"Still older than you, boy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…"

"I had hoped to rile you up last time myself," she added, her eyes closing in reminiscence. "But I only ended up revealing your cowardly self." She then opened them with a smirk. "I didn't know you were such a failure of a hero."

"Sorry, not happening," he shrugged with a scowl. "You won't hurt my ego with that."

With that, Luka's eyes narrowed. There was no more pretense of camaraderie between them, just the air of a long-standing rivalry coming to a head. She had tried to push him, break him, and drag him into a game that she would always control—but not anymore.

"Enough games," Luka said, his voice hard and resolute. "If you want this fight, then let's end it. No more talking. No more distractions. No more games."

She studied him for a moment, her gaze flicking over him as if considering something. Her lips curled into a small, knowing smile. "Kuku… You're right," she said, her voice dropping into something far more serious. "No more games."

The wind picked up again, carrying the scent of salt and the promise of a storm. The harbor, empty and silent, felt like a stage set for the final act. Luka squared his shoulders, bracing himself for whatever she would throw at him next.

The wind howled again as her form flickered. As if the shadow swallowed her, her clothes disappeared and she transformed into her demonic form, her wings unfurling behind her and her tail whipping out. She still had an eerie smile on her, but her demeanor had shifted to a battle stance. 

Luka's heart beat in time with the storm's fury as he braced for what was coming. The harbor no longer felt like a forgotten place. It was a battleground. The air crackled with magical energy, Vinum making her presence known through every one of his five senses.

This time, she was taking him seriously. This wasn't the same who played with him in the Dreamworld.

Her eyes locked with his as her transformation was finished, glowing with intensity. The smirk she had worn was gone, replaced by a chilling focus. "Let's see if you can keep up."

Without warning, she moved. A burst of wind followed in her wake, an invisible force that nearly pushed Luka off balance. He barely had time to react as she closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye.

Her fist was raised high, cloaked in swirling dark magic, an energy so dense it seemed to distort the very air around it. Like a black hole, swallowing everything in its pace.

The young man reacted in time, ducking right below her and stepping forward into her guard. In the same motion, he reached for his jacket and pulled out a talisman, picking it in his left hand.

But before he could fully take advantage of the opening, her tail lashed out like a whip, its spade-tipped end a deadly blur as it aimed to constrict around his neck.

In the span of a heartbeat, Luka's right hand shot out, catching the tail mid-strike. The force behind the strike was staggering, as if her entire form had put its weight behind the attack. For a split second, he felt his grip slip, his fingers strained against the sheer power of her tail. But Luka wasn't about to let go.

With a swift, calculated motion, he loosened his hold just enough to release it, letting the tail slip through his fingers as he staggered backward. He gained a few precious steps, his breath coming heavy as he assessed her movements.

Mid-air, the little succubus followed by launching several black orbs, raw and dense magical energy destroying everything in its path, toward him.

As if he predicted it, he threw the talisman in the air right in front of him. It created an invisible barrier just in time before the black orbs hit him. 

The black orbs collided with the barrier, each one detonating in an explosive burst of energy. The shockwave that followed sent vibrations through the ground, lifting bits of bitumen and debris into the air as a thick cloud of smoke erupted from the impact. Luka was pushed back slightly, his footing shifting as the force of the explosions rattled his body.

The barrier shattered like glass from the impact, his talisman gone, but he was alive. His heart wasn't racing anymore as he used some magic to calm himself down, and he narrowed his eyes. 

Not being able to see through the smoke was problematic against such a little and fast opponent. He knelt on the ground with a talisman in hand, and another talisman shone brightly beneath his clothes. He stuck the talisman to the ground, and a soft blue light coursed through the harbor in waves, expanding his senses across the area. It was subtle, but enough to allow him to feel everything around him in a wider radius. 

There, to his left, he felt it. She wasn't making any sound, but she was about to—

"Shit—!" Luka cursed, his instincts kicking in as a massive shipping container came flying at him, hurtling toward him like a missile. His eyes widened, but there was no time to think. He dove to the side just in time, the container rushing past him with mere inches to spare.

The impact against another container was deafening. The metal cracked on impact, sending shards of debris scattering in every direction. One of the pieces grazed Luka's skin, but he ignored it, already focusing on her.

"Where is your device to throw your papers, boy?" she asked with a grin, her fists coated in the same magic as earlier. 

Just in time, he reinforced his fists with two more talismans stuck to his skin and answered head-on. It was a risky gamble, but he had no time to think of another plan. 

No time to weave through it, so he had no choice but to collide his fist with hers. Her dark magic tore through his skin, his hand twisting but he held it firm. She stopped mid-air, the blow sending ripples through both of their arms. 

She then followed with a spin kick, her teeth flashing with a joyful smile. The detective ducked again and felt the wind of the kick ruffle his black hair. Then, he yanked quickly on her tail, bringing her to the ground with a thud.

She let out a surprised grunt, momentarily dazed as she hit the ground. 

"Football kick!" Luka shouted. His foot swung back, then snapped forward with brutal precision, as if he were launching a ball into the net. The kick connected squarely with her midsection, the force of it lifting her off the ground and sending her hurtling backward.

She flew through the air, her body twisting as she struggled to regain control. But Luka had already anticipated her trajectory. His eyes flicked to the ground where he'd carefully placed a talisman earlier. The paper seal glowed faintly, its intricate symbols pulsing with energy.

"This is—" Vinum gritted her teeth as she recognized the spell that gave her such a hard time. Luka appeared right behind her flying body while she tried to regain control of her trajectory. "—Teleportation!"

A flame ignited in his palm, the fire swirling and condensing into a concentrated sphere of heat. His fist clenched around it, the glow illuminating his determined expression as he mustered every ounce of his strength.

"Gotcha," he muttered, his voice low and steady.

With a grunt of effort, Luka drove his flaming fist into her back. The explosion of fire and force sent her crashing into the ground, the impact carving a shallow crater into the earth. Smoke and embers filled the air, the acrid scent of burnt magic lingering as Luka landed gracefully a few feet away, his chest heaving from the exertion.

His hand was burnt and a little cut from her punch, but he was fine, and she wasn't.

Vinum groaned, pushing herself up with little effort. Her purple arm guard was slightly seared from the heat, her skin darkened by the sudden explosion, but she was fine. In fact, so fine that she smirked as she stood up.

"Kuku… Not bad, boy. Not bad."

She brushed herself off with a lazy flick of her wrist, completely unfazed. 

His brows furrowed as he clenched his aching hand. That had been a direct hit—one that should have done a hell of a lot more than just scratch her. His flames weren't normal, and yet…

She was completely fine. 

"You're a bit stronger than last time," she mused. "More confident too. But where is your spell that increases your strength exponentially? Too costly?"

Luka felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. She was toying with him. In fact, he wasn't even sure if that hit did any kind of damage anymore. 

How durable was she? Was a direct blow from his strongest of spells sufficient? But with her speed and strength, there was no way he could set it up without dying.

It was like fighting the Demon King of Tamia all over again. The overwhelming difference in power. The unshakable presence of an opponent who barely needed to try.

But unlike the Demon King, Vinum wasn't slow.

She didn't need massive spells to move at blinding speeds—she just did.

And to top it all off, she wasn't wearing any armor to make herself durable, her skin was just that resistant.

Luka exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus. His mind raced through possibilities, counters, ways to turn this around. But he found none.

They were just living in two separate dimensions of power, one that he could only bridge by calling for help. 

Vinum tilted her head, watching him carefully. "What's wrong? Finally realizing it?" Her voice was almost teasing, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes. Expectation for something.

Luka's fingers twitched. Was this what she wanted? For him to admit defeat? To force him into desperation?

"Realizing that you're a pain in my ass? Yes," he chuckled while swiping the sweat from his face. "Seriously, from a biological standpoint, you're just cheating."

"Is that so?" her lips curled into a devilish grin. "Or perhaps you are just too shortsighted."

Luka's eyes narrowed. Too shortsighted? What did she mean by this?

She let out an exaggerated sigh, disappointment lacing her tone. "How boring. From everything I've heard, you're supposed to be the kind of man who wins against impossible odds. Didn't you defeat a Demon King whose armor was said to be unbreakable?"

Luka's jaw clenched. "That was different!" His frustration flared as his voice rose. "The Demon King's armor had a weakness, and I exploited it! You're—" He gestured at her with a sharp flick of his wrist. "—practically bare naked!"

"Well, now you're all angry… Truly disappointing."

Luka barely had time to react before she was already moving.

A blur.

She was in front of him in an instant, no teasing, no drawn-out taunts—just raw, unrestrained speed. His instincts screamed at him. He threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding her first strike—a palm aimed right at his chest.

Shit—!

She wasn't playing anymore.

Luka's feet barely touched the ground before she was already there again, closing the distance like it was nothing. He threw up a reinforced arm just in time to block a follow-up kick aimed at his ribs. The impact rattled his bones, sending him skidding across the pavement.

Vinum didn't relent.

She flickered out of view again, appearing above him, her silhouette outlined against the now moonlit sky.

"If you can't figure it out…" her voice was ice. "Then there's no point in wasting my time with this little game."

"Luka, look out! " Nina's voice crackled through the earpiece.

She descended like a falling star, her foot aimed straight at his skull.

At that moment, using thought acceleration, something clicked.

Yes, she was durable—absurdly so. But why?

Her skin wasn't armored like a dragon's scales. There were no visible enchantments, no divine protection, nothing that screamed invulnerability . From the outside, she looked… normal.

Which meant one of two things.

Either she was constantly reinforcing herself with magic—an unconscious barrier woven so seamlessly into her being that she didn't even have to think about it.

Or her form was just a deception, hiding something far worse. Some kind of differentiation in what he could see and what she truly was.

Luka's mind raced even as she plummeted toward him, her kick seconds from turning his skull into pavement dust.

If that was the case either way… then she had a limit. 

If going by the book, a succubus was supposedly weak to physical attacks, and weak to violence in general. However, she seemed to have taken a liking to it, using martial arts enhanced by her spells instead of her charms. Of course, he was immune to them for some reason.

This meant that she purposefully trained herself to fight heroes, people like him who could stand up to her when not hurt.

That was it, his ticket of exit—

Luka's instincts kicked in and instead of dodging, he moved forward. Vinum's foot came down like a guillotine, the sheer force of it breaking the ground beneath. But the instant her attack missed, he twisted his body and—

"Huh?" Vinum let out a surprised gasp as she felt his arms wrapping around her in a hug. "What the hell are you doing?" Vinum growled, her body tensing at the sudden, unexpected embrace.

Luka held on tightly, pressing his forehead against her shoulder as if clinging to dear life. "You told me to figure it out, right?" he muttered, ignoring the confused look she shot him.

"Oh?" Her voice was laced with both curiosity and irritation. "And here I thought you were surrendering to me."

Before Vinum could react, he focused his magic—not into a direct attack, but into the spell he was the most used to utilize.

"Control!" he gritted his teeth as he prepared to invade her body with his own magical energy. 

It was a risky gamble, as no human could tread on the territory of the mind against a succubus. However, what he was looking for was not to control her, no. It was to simply disrupt her flow of magical energy.

The result wasn't immediate. It wasn't like cracking a barrier or shattering a spell. It was like putting you into a bad day, one where something like breathing wasn't autonomous anymore and you needed to consciously do it.

In other terms… She won't be able to protect herself while attacking anymore.

Her quickly separated himself from her, avoiding any further dangerous contact with her before following with a vicious kick. The force of the kick sent her stumbling back, a breathless gasp escaping her as she struggled to maintain her balance, her body just a touch slower than usual.

She skidded across the ground for several feet before coming to a halt, her hand clutching her chest as she fought to regain her composure. The pain from his attack was sharp, but it didn't last long. As she steadied herself, a flicker of realization crossed her face, and her signature smirk returned.

"That's an interesting way to fight, boy." she chuckled despite the pain coursing through her. "Instead of passing through it with brute force, you disrupt my defense."

Luka didn't relax, though. Her words were laced with the same old confidence that had made this fight so maddening. But the way she winced as she pressed a hand to her chest told him he had done something right.

Now, she needed focus to return to her normal state. Which meant he had at least a minute to inflict some damage. 

His hand dipped into his jacket pocket, and with a fluid motion, he pulled out a cluster of talismans. Each one ignited with arcane energy, the paper glowing faintly as he spread them out across the air in front of him. 

Vinum quietly observed him, her stance casual yet careful. 

I see, she won't go on the offensive recklessly anymore.

Like a conductor, he held his hand toward her, his talismans suddenly exploding. 

Which means I have time to set up now.

"Copy and paste," he muttered, a low command to trigger the first spell. 

One talisman to create paper. One talisman to inscribe the same symbols on each one. On talisman to imbue them with the mana in the air.

Within seconds, the air around him crackled with the power of a dozen new talismans. They spun and twirled in the air, forming concentric circles that slowly revolved with a quiet hum.

Vinum watched, intrigued.

"Magic reactor: activate!" he added, each circle of talismans creating a facsimile furnace linked directly to him. 

Now, he had a proper flow of mana and could use magic without his talismans.

She looked somewhat surprised and intrigued as her eyes never left the circling talismans. Then, after a second of thinking, she came to a conclusion. Her finger pointed at one of the circles, a dark orb appearing at the tip of her index finger.

She feinted throwing it on the circle and instead redirected it to the incoming detective, jumping toward her to stop her.

His eyes widened and he twisted his body to the right, the orb crashing against a container right behind him. He followed with a punch aimed at her head, but she grabbed his fist just in time. 

"Now this is what I wanted to see," she smirked, her grip tightening on his fist. She approached her face from his, taunting him as she grabbed his ankle with her tail. "Give me everything, boy!" she twisted his wrist, making him wince in pain before yanking on his ankle, destabilizing him.

"Fuck off with your oversized tail!" Luka cursed as he aimed for a knee strike that she easily avoided. Her dark fist squarely found his gut, tearing through his shirt in a swirl of darkness.

Luka gasped, his breath stolen by the blow. The darkness around her fist seemed to tear through him, but he refused to back down. With his free hand, he gave her the same, his fist colliding with her gut. 

Her smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, her eyes widening in surprise as she staggered back. The dark aura surrounding her flickered, and Luka saw the briefest glimpse of vulnerability. It was all he needed.

Seizing the opening, Luka used all his remaining strength to launch himself backward in a backflip, gaining some precious distance between them. In retaliation, she summoned blades of wind with a flap of her wings, hurtling toward him.

"I can do that too!" he gritted his teeth as he used wind blade magic in return, putting them at a stalemate, none of them finding their mark.

In the earpiece, he could hear the murmurs of Kanami and Nina speaking, not knowing if they should intervene or not. 

"Perhaps I should go, " Kanami said with urgency. 

However, besides the distraction, he saw Vinum lift an oversized container before throwing it at him. With blazing eyes of determination, he punched right through it, the metal case splitting in half from his sheer force.

"Or perhaps not," he heard through the earpiece after they witnessed the flying scraps of metal missing by an inch from the bird camera posted somewhere in the harbor.

Luka saw another container being launched in his direction, this time accompanied by a barrage of dark orbs trailing closely behind.

He ran, sliding right below the container as it bounced on the ground before throwing a barrier talisman to block the dark orbs. 

The little devil appeared right through the smoke, a crazed smile as her punch weaved through the air. They exchanged multiple blows of equal strength, although the detective grunted with effort while she barely even broke a sweat. 

They both took a brief step back, assessing each other, both aware of the other's power. The harbor around them had become a battlefield—scattered metal pieces, torn from the containers, littered the ground. Smoke and dust billowed into the air from each explosion, and the earth beneath their feet cracked and shattered from their sheer strength. The sounds of clashing metal and crackling energy filled the tense silence between them.

Vinum, however, seemed unfazed by the carnage around them, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she looked at Luka. This was a fight she'd wanted for a long time. But as the silence stretched on, something in her expression shifted. A flicker of boredom crossed her face, and she clicked her tongue in distaste.

Luka hesitated. Her sudden calm was disconcerting. She had been so relentless, so driven, and yet now... it was as if he'd lost her attention.

She relaxed her stance, almost carelessly, making Luka's pulse quicken. He couldn't quite read her, but it didn't feel right. It was like something had changed. The edge in her demeanor faded, and her gaze turned into one of pure evaluation, assessing him with the coolness of someone inspecting an insignificant object.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you're bored now!" Luka lashed out at her. "We're on the same level!"

Her smirk returned, but there was no joy behind it. It was a look of mild annoyance, as though she were dealing with something beneath her. Luka's heart dropped.

Even after pushing him to his limits, she wasn't impressed. She was waiting for something else. Something more.

"You're still not him," she said flatly, a sigh escaping her lips.

Even if they were still fighting, there was no way he would come out now.

"Also, boy…" she continued, glancing at him with a sidelong look. "Don't think we walk on even ground, you and I. I am merely playing with you."

"Huh?" 

Luka's confusion grew as she stretched her arms, the air around them vibrating with the shifting energy in her body. Her smirk returned, one filled with wicked anticipation.

"Let's just say I got quite the meal this past weak," she explained while licking her lips, the ground beneath her feet cracking as her power surged.

Luka recoiled slightly, his face scrunching with unease. "Don't do that Freeza pose, it's scaring me."

A dark chuckle escaped her lips. "Hohoho…" She mockingly repeated, her voice dripping with amusement. "Is that how this Freeza laughs? I've been reading some of your stupid books, you know."

"Don't go rummaging through my stash like that, you loli!" Luka snapped, a bead of sweat trickling down his face as he tried to suppress his nervousness.

"Oh, don't worry," she teased, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I still take care of books, even ridiculous ones."

"Then what are you trying to say?" Luka snapped, the air becoming more tense as a large surge of mana swirled around her.

She smirked, her tail swishing behind her, her voice suddenly serious. "I am a monster who has killed so many humans, I can't even count," she said, as though recalling some distant, unemotional memory. "However I've never committed genocide. It is wasteful, after all."

"Killing humans is second nature to us succubi," she continued, her voice casual as though lecturing him. "This is what we are, what we do. You humans will always be powerless against it."

Her expression shifted, darkening. "But lately... I've started wondering," she said, her voice taking on a more contemplative tone. "No, I started wondering after I read this report of yours. What would be a monster for demonkind?"

Ah… Now I get it.

"You see," she said, her voice turning almost sensual in its darkness, "I want to see it. To taste it. Not some hero, not some pure human with a head full of sunshine and rainbows—those I already know. I want to see what a true monster is. Something capable of matching us. To make us tremble in fear."

"Luka!" Nina's voice crackled through the earpiece. " What… What is this? This magical energy is off the charts! "

"No shit, I can sense it," he muttered, his voice bitter.

Her body began to glow with a dark, unnatural energy. Her eyes gleamed with a predatory hunger, pinning him in place.

"Kuku…" she chuckled darkly, her aura intensifying with every passing moment. "So tell me, Luka… No, show me. After all, this is what you must do. Otherwise, I might just gorge myself on all the humans in this world. All of them."

"We both know you're too classy for that," he sighed, his voice steady despite the unease building in his chest.

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"You're just trying to get to me, that's all there is to it. Even though you're a succubus, there is no way you're as barbaric as killing millions just to satisfy yourself. You prefer the chase, the thrill of dealing with only one prey at a time."

He then smirked definitely. "Otherwise you wouldn't bother with me." His hand waved in mock gesture. "Besides… You? A monster? Don't make me laugh. You're strong, yes. You're a succubus, yes. You're incompatible with humanity, also yes…" 

"A monster," Luka said with deliberate slowness, his voice colder now, "is something you can't understand. Something you can't reason with."

"And right now, I already can count many things we can agree on and talk about."

"Hm…" Vinum's voice deepened, and the hum of energy around her became almost unbearable for Luka, pressing in from every angle. Her presence was a physical force now, making it difficult for him to breathe. She might agree with some of his words, but there were parts that clearly didn't sit right with her. "Are you telling me you're not a monster?" she smirked, a malicious gleam dancing in her eyes. "Isn't that just a little too convenient?"

The incident was reported as the Sominium Vale incident. In Tamia, a subspecies of succubi thrived in a small valley, away from every human settlement. 

However, in a single day, the totality of its residents died. 

The perpetrator? The young man in front of her. 

A careful and prepared genocide, all instigated by him. The reason? No one truly knew even to this day. 

The worst part was that he didn't stop there. In the end, in Tamia, no demons survived the war. They were completely wiped out thanks to his talents in magic. 

An unwilling, born assassin, who could go to any length to kill.

She wasn't here for revenge, no. She couldn't care less about this so-called subspecies dying. What intrigued her was the way it was done and the fact that someone capable of doing this existed. 

To taste the man who was a monster to demonkind.

A flash as bright as a star enveloped the harbor. The light blinded Luka instantly, forcing him to shield his eyes. His heart pounded in his chest as the overwhelming radiance consumed everything. 

For a moment, there was only silence—broken only by the rush of wind and some crackling arcs of electricity. 

There, she stood. Not as a little devil, but as a grown succubus, her form radiating much more power than ever. Her wings were wider, her tail longer, and all of her assets became curvier and bigger. 

The succubus flicked a strand of her white hair as she stepped forward, her overwhelming presence almost making Luka fall to his knees. 

"Fight me or die. Become the monster I want. After all…" she smirked wider. "No heroes could ever hope to kill me."