Incubus Ascension

Liam forced his expression to remain steady.

Even as the words left his mouth, even as the weight of what he had just revealed lingered in the air, he didn’t allow a single crack to show.

Inside, however, his pulse was anything but calm.

Nyx stood before him, her beautiful face frozen in disbelief. Her dark eyes searched his, sharp and unyielding, as if trying to peel him apart layer by layer.

"How..." she murmured, almost to herself. "...how do you know about the continent’s destruction?"

The air between them tightened.

Liam met her gaze without flinching. "I have my ways," he said calmly. Then, after a brief pause, his tone shifted, firmer, demanding. "But I want to hear it from you."

’The system gave me fragments... but fragments aren’t enough,’ he thought. ’I need the full truth.’

Nyx studied him for a few seconds longer, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she exhaled.

"Very well."

She crossed her arms, the tight black dress she wore hugging her figure as she straightened slightly.

"The prophecy of the Chosen One..." she began, her voice steady, "...has two parts."

Liam stayed silent, listening.

"The first part," she continued, "is the one everyone knows."

Her lips curled faintly, almost amused.

"That the... actions you perform with women will strengthen them."

Liam didn’t react, though his jaw tightened slightly.

"And the second?" he asked.

Nyx’s expression lost all trace of humor.

"The second," she said flatly, "is that the Chosen One will save the continent from a great danger."

A faint chill ran down Liam’s spine.

"What danger?" he pressed.

Nyx didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she looked at the ground beneath their feet... then back at him.

"This," she said slowly, "isn’t a continent."

Liam blinked.

"It’s a creature."

Silence.

"A massive one," she continued. "What we’re standing on... is its back."

Liam’s breath caught.

"It went into slumber long ago," Nyx said. "And every five thousand years... it moves."

The words landed heavily.

"The prophecy," she added, her voice quieter now, "refers to that moment."

Liam felt something inside him drop.

"...One week from now."

For a moment, he couldn’t speak.

In his previous life... he had lived for twenty years.

Twenty years past this supposed "awakening."

’Then why...?’

"Why didn’t it move before?" Liam asked, his voice low but urgent. "In my past life, nothing happened."

Nyx raised her hand.

Dark energy gathered in her palm, swirling like smoke, dense, heavy, alive.

"It’s because of this."

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

"Our kind of energy," she said.

Then she looked directly at him.

"The moment you awakened your power... the clock started."

A cold realization settled in his chest.

"And sealing me," she added, almost casually, "accelerated it."

Liam’s heart skipped.

Nyx’s gaze softened slightly, just for a moment.

"Because of you," she said, "I regained my consciousness... and broke free from my seal."

She turned away, beginning to walk.

"I suppose," she added, "I owe you that much."

Liam frowned, watching her back.

"Nyx, "

"Do you know," she interrupted, not turning around, "why people like us are called Exiled?"

Liam stayed silent.

"I don’t mean monsters," she continued. "Not succubi. Not devils."

She glanced over her shoulder.

"I mean... awakened humans."

Her voice lowered.

"Or what I used to be."

Liam’s breath hitched slightly.

Nyx stopped walking.

"I am a Celestial," she said. "A human who ascended to godhood. I once ruled over a continent."

She paused.

"It’s far from here. The Main Continent."

Liam felt like the world was tilting.

Too much.

Too fast.

Information crashed into him one after another, leaving no space to breathe.

His chest tightened as he looked down at the ground beneath his feet.

’This... is a monster’s back...?’

His hands clenched.

’All this time... we were living like ants... no, less than that.’

"Wait," Liam said, his voice rough. "You said you used to be human... what are you now?"

Nyx didn’t answer.

Instead, she spoke coldly.

"Your time is up, boy."

Liam stepped forward instinctively.

"Wait!"

She paused.

"Tell me," he said, urgency cutting through his voice, "how do I stop it?"

A brief silence followed.

Nyx looked at him, her eyes measuring.

"...You did free me," she admitted. "So I suppose I can give you something in return."

Liam held his breath.

"It’s simple," she said.

"Feed it."

"...What?"

"Feed the creature enough dark energy," she said, "and it will return to sleep."

Liam’s brows furrowed.

"How much?"

Nyx’s lips curved slightly.

"Even if I told you," she said, "at your current level, it would be impossible."

"Just tell me."

For a moment, she didn’t move.

Then,

She stepped closer.

Her finger touched his forehead.

Liam froze.

A surge of information flooded his mind.

Sharp. Overwhelming.

Precise.

His eyes widened.

He saw it.

The amount.

The requirement.

The scale.

"...That much?" he whispered.

It was equal to the full capacity of the Dark Mountain.

A massive reservoir.

A battery.

And he...

He was meant to fill it.

Liam looked up at her, stunned.

"The mountain..." he said slowly. "It’s a battery?"

Nyx nodded.

"G1 model," she said casually. "First generation. Old."

She turned slightly.

"There are bigger ones now. But that doesn’t concern you."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"I’ve done my part."

Her body began to fade into shadows.

Liam stepped forward instinctively.

"Wait, !"

She paused mid-vanish.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Nyx glanced back.

"To settle a score."

Her voice turned cold.

"With the one who sealed me."

And then,

She was gone.

The shadows swallowed her completely.

Silence returned.

Liam let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping.

Only now did he realize how tense he had been.

"...Damn."

He looked around.

The mist was gone.

The strange space had vanished.

Grass. Sky. Reality.

Everything felt normal again.

Too normal.

Liam stepped out of the cave,

, and saw them.

The girls were waiting just outside, hidden among the bushes.

Relief flickered in their eyes when they saw him.

But Liam barely noticed.

His gaze drifted behind him.

The Dark Mountain loomed, towering over everything, massive, silent, suffocating.

’I have to charge this...?’

His shoulders sank slightly.

"...Yeah," he muttered under his breath. "No problem at all."

Then he sighed.

His current energy reserves were... laughable.

He needed a solution.

Fast.

Liam opened the system shop.

His eyes scanned rapidly.

Skills.

Items.

Options.

’I need regeneration... output... sustainability...’

He didn’t hesitate.

He purchased:

, Dark Energy Regeneration (Lesser Lv.1)

, 200 energy recovery pills

The moment the purchases completed, he exhaled slowly.

"This should work..."

Turning to the girls, Liam gathered them and explained everything.

The prophecy.

The monster.

The one-week deadline.

The mountain.

Their reactions mirrored his own earlier shock, wide eyes, stiff silence, disbelief.

But only for a moment.

Reality crushed hesitation quickly.

"...So we don’t have time," one of them said quietly.

Liam nodded.

They moved immediately.

The girls began preparing a camp near the mountain.

Meanwhile, Liam started climbing.

The ascent was long.

Steep.

Exhausting.

But... quiet.

Peaceful.

When he reached the top, the world stretched endlessly around him.

Wind brushed against his face.

For a brief moment,

He felt calm.

Then he stepped forward and placed both hands on the mountain’s surface.

Instantly,

He felt it.

Veins.

Massive, flowing, alive.

Dark energy surged beneath the surface, connecting to him.

Like a circuit.

Like a charger linking to a device.

"...So that’s how it works."

Liam closed his eyes.

He focused.

Pulled energy from his core.

And slowly,

Pushed it forward.

Into the mountain.

A faint pulse spread through the surface.

Barely noticeable.

But real.

A notification flickered.

0.1%

Liam smiled faintly.

"...Progress."

And he kept going.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Time blurred.

Energy drained.

Pills consumed.

His breathing grew heavier, but he didn’t stop.

The percentage climbed.

1%...

3%...

5%...

7%.

Liam finally opened his eyes.

The sky had darkened.

"...That long?"

His body ached.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

He climbed down slowly and made his way back to camp.

A warm smell reached him before he even arrived.

Food.

Real food.

"...Vanessa," he muttered, recognizing it instantly.

When he reached the camp, the girls were gathered around the fire.

For a moment,

It felt normal.

Peaceful.

He sat down.

Ate.

Listened.

Even smiled slightly.

But only slightly.

Because as he ate,

He opened the system panel.

The quest timer glowed in front of him.

Ticking down.

Relentless.

Unforgiving.

Liam’s grip tightened around the bowl.

The warmth in his chest faded.

’This won’t last...’

His eyes hardened.

’Not unless I make it.’

His resolve sharpened.

And this time,

He didn’t look away.