Incubus Ascension

The air between them crackled, heavy with the scent of ozone and the metallic tang of blood.

Beatrix stood frozen, her eyes darting between the man she had sworn her loyalty to and the woman who had birthed her.

The older version of her mother, Ast, hung in the air, her wings casting a long, jagged shadow over the battlefield.

"Mother, why? Why did you join them?"

Beatrix’s voice cracked, raw with a mix of betrayal and lingering love.

Ast hovered, her expression tight with internal conflict.

She looked at her daughter, then shifted her gaze to Liam, her eyes hardening into slivers of ice.

"We are succubi, Beatrix. No matter how much we deny our nature, we need to return to our origin."

She gestured toward Liam, her finger trembling with agitation.

"And you, human. It is your fault for brainwashing my daughter."

Liam stood his ground, gripping his sword until his knuckles turned white.

He felt a surge of frustration.

She just appeared out of thin air, and now she’s blaming me for her own choices?

"They betrayed us, Mother!"

Beatrix shouted, stepping closer to the front line.

"They took your wings! They tried to kill me because I was a ’bastard daughter’ to them!"

Ast’s gaze softened for a fleeting second, caught in a complicated web of maternal instinct and duty.

She looked past Beatrix to Liam.

"Don’t worry, daughter. I spoke with Sil herself. She promised to accept us back into the fold... if we ended that boy."

Beatrix glanced at Liam, then back at her mother.

The internal struggle was etched into the lines of her face.

Finally, she made her choice.

She stepped decisively in front of Liam, her posture shifting from defensive to protective.

"It’s too late, Mother," Beatrix said, her voice steady.

"This man is my world. If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first."

Ast looked at her daughter, stunned by the ferocity in her tone.

Then, her eyes drifted to Liam with a mixture of pity and resolve.

"So, you have already claimed her, have you?"

Liam didn’t lower his guard.

"I never wanted to meet you under these circumstances, Ast."

"This is certainly not the best of situations," Ast admitted, nodding slowly.

"But for my sake, and my daughter’s... I’m sorry, boy. I have to kill you."

The killing intent radiating from her was suffocating.

Liam felt his heart hammering against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that matched the rising danger.

He tightened his grip on his sword, his palms slick with sweat.

Beside him, Beatrix readied her fire, her face solemn.

"Very well," Beatrix whispered.

They clashed.

Unlike V, who fought with reckless abandon and left openings wide enough to drive a wagon through, Ast was calculated.

She moved with a lethal grace, rarely making mistakes, never giving Liam a chance to pin her wings.

Liam wiped the sweat from his eyes, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

He realized with a sinking feeling that they were slowly being crushed.

He needed an opening, something unexpected.

The Draining Thread.

He just needed a single, steady shot.

He caught Beatrix’s eye and gave a subtle, sharp nod.

The signal was understood.

Beatrix dropped her fire, walking toward her mother with a deceptive vulnerability.

She reached out and carefully unclasped the necklace from her own neck.

"Mother, do you remember when I was young? When things were still simple?"

Ast was drawn in by the warmth in her daughter’s voice, her lethal focus slipping.

She flew closer, her wings slowing.

"Daughter..." she murmured, her voice laced with a sudden, painful intimacy.

It was the opening he needed.

Liam didn’t hesitate, though a wave of self-loathing washed over him.

I’m an absolute asshole for using their history like this, he thought, even as he acted.

He fired the invisible thread.

It struck home, latching onto Ast just as she reached out to caress Beatrix’s cheek.

The connection was immediate.

He began to drain her energy, the power flowing into him as the two women continued their conversation, unaware of the theft occurring right under their noses.

Soon, the toll of the drain became visible.

Ast’s steady flight faltered.

Her strength vanished, and she tumbled to the ground with a heavy, humiliating thud.

She glared up at Liam, her breathing shallow.

"Boy... what did you do to me?"

Liam twisted his hand, locking the thread in place.

He stood over her, his sword pointed downward.

"Surrender. I don’t want to kill my woman’s mother."

Ast stared at him for a long, silent moment, then shifted her gaze to Beatrix.

Defeated, she sighed.

"Very well."

Liam moved quickly, binding her, keeping Ast and V together.

As he did, his thoughts drifted to Sylvia and Emilia.

I hope they’re holding their own.

Meanwhile, on the far side of the city, the battle was a chaotic blur.

Sylvia and Emilia were moving in perfect sync, dancing around three succubus generals.

Vanessa held the line, managing the waves of lesser demons with a calm, tactical efficiency.

Emilia ducked under a lethal swing, her eyes meeting Sylvia’s.

"How about we wrap this up, Sylvia? I know you’ve been holding back."

Sylvia shook her head, her focus never wavering.

"You know exactly why I’m holding back."

"It’s the Queen," Emilia said, landing a devastating strike on a general.

"She still hasn’t shown herself."

With a silent understanding, both women unleashed their full power.

The three generals fell in quick succession, leaving the area momentarily clear.

Sylvia vaulted to the top of the city barrier, scanning the horizon for the one presence they all feared.

Where is she? Where is Sil?

She felt it before she saw it, a surge of energy so potent it made her teeth ache.

A red dot on her radar, massive and terrifying, with mana reserves that dwarfed the transformed Simon.

This isn’t good. She’s heading straight for Liam.

Sylvia reached for her crystal to send a warning, but a sudden, searing pain bloomed in her shoulder.

She staggered, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked at her attacker.

"Emilia? What, ?"

Emilia stood there, her weapon glowing, her expression devoid of the warmth Sylvia had known for twenty years.

"I’m sorry, Sylvia. The recent attacks... they showed me how weak we humans truly are. The only chance we have to survive is to join their side."

"Emilia, get a hold of yourself!" Sylvia screamed, hurt cutting deeper than the blade.

"You were the one with the most faith in humanity back at the academy!"

"That was then," Emilia replied, her gaze cold and distant.

"These are different times. Let’s cut the talk. Fighting will only make this more complicated."

They readied their spells, and in that heartbeat, a two-decade-long friendship shattered into dust.

Back on the supply route, Liam and the girls were finally catching their breath.

Then, the air pressure spiked.

The sky seemed to dim as if a second, angry sun had descended upon them.

It was her.

The Succubus Queen, Sil, drifted toward them.

Her bright yellow hair shimmered with raw, volatile energy, and her dress seemed crafted from blood and shadow.

She was breathtaking and horrific all at once.

The moment she locked eyes with Liam, a wave of pressure slammed into them, a force that made the transformed Simon look like a novice.

She looked down at him, her gaze lingering on the dark threads still dancing in his hands.

"Oh?" A wicked smile played on her lips.

"You have that woman’s power? Change of plans, little insect. I’ll take you alive and drain you until that power is mine."

She tilted her head, her expression sickeningly sweet.

"Apologies for my manners. My name is Sil."

Liam braced himself, resisting the crushing weight of her presence.

"What do you mean, that woman?"

"You’re too weak to even know her name," Sil purred, her eyes filled with a predatory hunger that sent a chill down his spine.

"She just appeared on this continent one day. But one thing is clear..."

She looked at him, her intent purely murderous.

"Her power is the real deal. And I will take it, even if I have to carve it out of your corpse."

Liam checked her level, his heart stuttering in his chest.

177.

He glanced toward where he hoped Sylvia and Emilia were, praying for a signal, but before he could even blink, the world blurred.

Sil vanished.

She reappeared directly in front of him, faster than thought.

A sickening crack echoed through the air.

Before he could scream, his arm was torn from his shoulder.

He fell to his knees, his vision graying at the edges, fighting to keep the shock from knocking him unconscious.

Sil laughed, a melodic, chilling sound.

"Did you really think that when I said I’d keep you alive, I wouldn’t hurt you? I only need your reproductive organs to keep working, boy. Everything else? I’m happy to crush it."

Liam glared up at her, blood dripping from his shoulder, his teeth gritted in agony.

He looked back at his group, his voice a raspy, desperate command.

"Everyone! To your positions! Like we practiced!"