The torches flickered wildly as if the dungeon itself held its breath.
A tremor rolled through the ground, rattling loose stones from the ceiling.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each step hit Daichi's chest like a hammer. His body screamed to run, but his legs locked in place.
The shadows split apart, and the monster emerged.
An Ogre.
Its body loomed nearly three meters tall, its muscles bulging like coiled steel under green, pulsing skin. A jagged horn jutted from its brow, but it was the single crimson eye that froze Daichi. It gleamed with bloodlust, glowing like a furnace.
The beast raised its weapon—a massive club of wood and stone, crudely carved but deadly. Each swing would crush him flat.
The goblins didn't scatter. They bowed. Their shrieks became chants, worshipping their king.
The Ogre's gaze found Daichi. And it roared.
The sound shook the chamber, dust raining from above. Daichi clutched his ears, pain splitting through his skull.
---
[Target Identified: Dungeon Ogre Variant.]
[Estimated Rank: B+. Strength exceeds host capacity.]
[Host Survival Probability: 0.3%.]
Daichi's eyes widened. "0.3%?! That's not even one percent!"
[Correction. 0.28%. Rounded up for host's fragile psychology.]
He choked. "That's supposed to make me feel better?!"
[Affirmative.]
The Ogre charged. Its club smashed down. The floor split, stones cracking like glass. Daichi barely dove aside, but the shockwave slammed him into the wall. White-hot pain lanced through his ribs.
Blood filled his mouth. He coughed, tasting iron.
"I… can't fight that…"
---
Before the second strike came, crimson wings snapped open.
The club slammed against them, sparks erupting. The force cracked stone, but the wings held.
Lilith stood between Daichi and death. Her whip coiled lazily in her hand, her smile sharp as her fangs.
"Pathetic," she purred, voice like velvet soaked in poison. "Summon me, only to collapse trembling like a frightened child?"
"I-I'm not—!" Daichi winced, clutching his chest. "It's too strong—"
Her hand seized his chin, forcing his gaze to hers. Her crimson eyes glowed, lips curved in a dangerous, sultry smile.
"Then let me fix you."
---
The system chimed.
[Fusion Ritual Available.]
[Warning: Requires synchronization of soul and body.]
[Proceed? Y/N]
Daichi's breath caught. "Fusion…?"
Lilith leaned in, her lips grazing his ear.
"Don't resist. This will feel… intimate."
Before he could answer, her lips claimed his.
Heat erupted in his chest, searing his veins with violet fire. Shadows coiled across his skin, wrapping his arms, his back. His breath caught, his vision sharpened. Every crack in the Ogre's hide glowed like a target.
His heartbeat synced with hers. Their breaths merged.
The system's voice thundered.
[Fusion Complete: Soulbinder + Succubus Queen.]
[Temporary Form: Shadow Incubus.]
Wings of shadow burst from his back. A blade of condensed darkness manifested in his grip, pulsing with life.
Lilith's laughter echoed in his skull, rich and teasing.
"Mmm… so this is what it's like inside you. Delicious."
Daichi flushed scarlet. "S-shut up!"
---
The Ogre roared, swinging its club.
Daichi blurred. One step, then shadow enveloped him. He reappeared behind the beast, his blade slashing deep into its thigh. Black blood sprayed.
The monster howled, spinning with terrifying speed. Its clawed hand swiped, grazing Daichi's arm. Pain flared.
"[Shadow Dash]!"
He vanished, flickering between patches of darkness like a phantom.
[Analysis: Target balance disrupted. Weakness: Left leg joint. Probability of successful takedown increased to 12%.]
"Still terrible odds!" Daichi snapped.
[Correction. 12.4%.]
---
The Ogre slammed its club downward. Daichi dodged, wings snapping open, but the shockwave still rattled his bones.
Lilith's voice purred inside his skull.
"Faster, darling. Think less, kill more."
"Easy for you to say—you're not the one getting smashed!"
Her laughter rang, sultry.
"Oh, but I am inside you. Every cut you feel… I feel it too. Intimate, isn't it?"
Daichi's face burned crimson. "This is not the time—!"
He dove forward, shadows trailing his blade.
"[Shadow Execution]!"
The weapon pierced the Ogre's flank, sinking deep. The beast howled, clutching its wound, but its massive fist seized Daichi.
"Shit—!"
The Ogre hurled him like a ragdoll. His wings snapped open, halting his fall midair.
---
The Ogre roared and charged.
Daichi raised his hand. Shadows surged from the floor.
"[Shadow Grasp]!"
This time, the skeletal hands weren't just bindings. They became spears, piercing through the Ogre's legs, chest, and stomach.
The monster shrieked, thrashing, but the shadows pinned it to the ground.
[Analysis: Target immobilized. Recommended action: direct fatal strike.]
"On it!"
Daichi's wings flared wide. He leapt, blade blazing with violet fire.
He plunged it into the Ogre's single eye.
The beast convulsed, roared one last time, then exploded into gore as shadows tore it apart from within.
---
Daichi hit the ground hard. His blade dissolved into smoke. His wings flickered, then vanished. His body shook with exhaustion.
Lilith materialized beside him, crimson eyes gleaming. She crouched, brushing a bloody finger across his cheek… then licked it.
"Mmm… intoxicating. The taste of your first true kill."
Daichi's chest rose and fell. His lips twisted into a shaky grin.
"…Strong. Alive."
Her smirk deepened. "And aroused?"
His face flared crimson. "S-shut up!"
Her laughter, rich and sultry, echoed through the dungeon.
---
Daichi forced himself to his feet. His hand clenched into a fist. Shadows writhed around him, forming a jagged crown above his head.
He thought of the rival who had trapped him. The system's cold words: You are deceased in the original world.
If this was his reality now—then he would own it.
"…If this world wants me to be a monster…"
His violet eyes burned like fire.
"Then I'll be the monster king."
Lilith's voice purred, triumphant.
"Yes, Daichi. Yes… rise. Rise as the Soulbinder Sovereign."