Tap… tap… tap…
With the echo of high heels striking stone, Idis stepped into a hidden cavern.
At the deepest point of the cave lived a small succubus with pink twin-tails.
Upon sensing Idis's arrival, the little succubus felt conflicted—fearful, yet unable to suppress a faint sense of anticipation.
"Now…"
Idis stopped in front of her, gently pinching the small succubus's delicate, pointed chin between slender fingers as she spoke softly.
"You are the only surviving bloodline of the Succubus Empress in this world, Elum. Do you understand?"
"I-Idis… my lady…"The little succubus named Elum asked timidly, her voice barely above a whisper."Is there… something you want me to do?"
Hearing this, the corner of Idis's lips curled upward into a faint smile.
"Come. Put this on."
She then took out the Succubus Collar.
"This is…?"Elum's eyes filled with confusion, but she obediently put the collar on nonetheless.
Idis glanced at Elum after she had donned the collar. In her dark-red pupils, a peculiar glimmer flashed briefly before vanishing.
"Are you hungry?" Idis asked.
"…Mm."
Elum nodded lightly, a trace of yearning flickering in her eyes.
"Here~"
Idis smiled as she slowly extended her hand. A single drop of milky-white liquid hovered at her fingertip before being gently placed near Elum's lips.
The rich aura of life-attribute magic instantly drew Elum's attention.
"What is this? It smells so good!" she asked curiously.
Idis flicked her finger lightly, and the milky drop drifted into Elum's mouth.
The moment Elum swallowed it, a sweet, intoxicating flavor spread across her tongue.The sensation was almost magical—so overwhelming that her deep-red eyes suddenly sparkled, the pupils transforming into heart shapes.
"So good!"
Idis smiled seductively."Do you want more?"
At those words, longing flashed through Elum's eyes. She nodded eagerly.
"I want more!"
Idis gently stroked Elum's soft pink hair, her voice tender and coaxing.
"Then you must be a good girl and listen to everything I say. Do you understand?"
Elum nodded obediently.
"Yes! Elum will listen to everything Lady Idis says!"
Hearing this, Idis's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
She murmured softly to herself,"Although this is food Ivsha stored… there's still plenty left. If I only take a little, it shouldn't be noticed."
…
Elsewhere, Kurose Akira was still troubled by the ghost girl's sudden appearance.
"Where is this place?"
"This Abyss feels different from the one I lived in~"
"So strange!"
Wrapped tightly in white cloth, the ghost girl drifted around like a lost chick, floating aimlessly.
"Come back. We're leaving the Abyss," Akira called out to her.
"Coming~!"
Upon hearing that they were leaving, the ghost girl immediately floated back toward Akira.
At that moment, however, the sound of galloping hooves caught his attention.
He turned—and saw an undead knight charging straight toward him on a warhorse.
[Undead Knight (Epic)]Level: 70 (1,111 / 56,000)Race: UndeadStrength: ? / Agility: ? / Magic: ? / Constitution: ?Growth: 10 (All attributes increase by 10 per level)Skills: (Expand)Status: [Headless]
"A level-70 undead knight…?"
Akira's gaze sharpened.
Why would an undead knight appear in the Abyss of Lust?
It didn't belong here at all.
And… why was it headless?
"Let's go. There's no need to get entangled with it."
Lucia grabbed Akira's hand and swiftly led him through Mary's teleportation gate, leaving the Abyss behind.
"Hmm? That feeling feels so familiar…"
The ghost girl poked her head out from Akira's body, staring curiously at the undead knight charging toward them.
She felt as if its presence was strangely familiar—yet she couldn't remember why.
The next instant, the teleportation gate flared with brilliant red light, and they vanished from the Abyss.
After missing its target, the headless knight erupted with fury.
Staring at the closed gate, it let out a low, furious growl.
"Was it that despicable, filthy human who took the lady away? Just you wait… no matter where you flee, I will hunt you down and bring the lady back!"
Buzz—!
A flash of red light.
Akira returned to the lord's residence of Black Rose Ancient City.
"Are you alright?"
The succubus Mary looked at Akira with concern, her voice tense.
"Lady Idis… didn't she come back with you?"
"She said she had matters to attend to, so she didn't return," Akira replied calmly.
Hearing this, Mary lowered her gaze slightly. Her eyes flickered as though she were deep in thought.
After a moment, she looked up again.
"Then… did you succeed? Did you obtain the Succubus Collar?"
"Yes."
Akira nodded."The Succubus Collar is with Idis."
"I see…"Mary's brows knitted slightly, disappointment flickering across her face—yet she could do nothing about it.
Akira noticed her reaction immediately.Perhaps… he could learn more about the succubi and the Abyss from Mary.
"Mary, we encountered Mesli in the Demon King's castle," he said, testing her reaction.
"Mesli?"Mary froze in shock."You mean… Lady Mesli? She's still alive?"
She murmured in disbelief.
"She hasn't appeared for over a decade. We all thought Lord Lankai had already eaten her…"
"She was your race's Succubus Empress, wasn't she?" Akira asked.
"Yes."Mary nodded, then added quickly,"But she was only a temporary empress! The previous Succubus Empress died due to certain events, so one of her daughters was hastily chosen to succeed her."
"So that's how it is…"
Now Akira finally understood why the Succubus Empress was only level 75—it was a provisional appointment.
"Then… where is Lady Mesli now?" Mary asked anxiously."Is she still in the Demon King's castle?"
"She was killed by Idis."
"…What?"
Mary froze completely.
"Lady Mesli… was killed by Lady Idis?"
Her emotions visibly collapsed. A faint shimmer of sorrowful tears appeared in her eyes.
"For hundreds of years after the fall of the Lust Demon King, our succubus race has remained weak… Internal discord has pushed us to the brink of extinction."
She clenched her fists.
"And now, the only remaining bloodline of the Succubus Empress has been cut off by Lady Idis… what are we supposed to do now…"
A spark of hope flickered through her mind.
"Perhaps… Lady Idis could lead us out of this predicament…"
But she shook her head almost immediately.
"No… Lady Idis does not possess empress blood. She cannot activate the Throne of Lust…"
"…"
Akira silently observed Mary's emotional turmoil.
She genuinely cared about the future of her race.
Unfortunately—
She was simply too weak.
In a world ruled by absolute strength, she had no voice.
After all, her level was only around 30—she was a weakling anywhere.
"By the way," Akira suddenly asked,"what position does Lankai hold in the Abyss of Lust?"
"Lord Lankai?"
Mary answered without hesitation.
"He is the nephew of the Lust Demon King. After the Demon King's death, he took charge of managing the Abyss of Lust until a new Demon King is chosen."
"Then why doesn't he simply become the Lust Demon King?" Akira pressed.
"Because he does not possess pure Lust bloodline," Mary explained."Only an inheritor of Lust blood can sit upon the Lust Demon King's throne. Without the Throne of Lust, a Demon King cannot stand against the other Demon Kings."
Hearing this, Akira nodded thoughtfully.
The structure of the Abyss was gradually taking shape in his mind.
After that, he asked Mary several more questions about the Abyss—but due to her young age, her knowledge was limited, many details vague.
After gathering what information they could, Akira and Lucia left the lord's residence.
"This trip to the Abyss was quite fruitful," Lucia said with a bright smile as they stepped outside.
She had gained a deeper understanding of the Abyss—and its current instability.
"Lucia, have you ever participated in a large-scale war against the demon race?" Akira asked.
Demonkin often escaped the Abyss, threatening the Magic Continent and even triggering massive wars—such as the recent battle of the Demon Cave.
"No," Lucia shook her head gently."The last war between the demon race and the Sun Theocracy was a hundred years ago. I wasn't even born then."
"I see."
Akira replied softly.
He had momentarily forgotten—Lucia was only in her early twenties.
"It's getting late. Let's retrieve that letter," Lucia suggested.
"Alright."
Akira nodded and followed her to the letter's hiding place.
However, when they arrived, he suddenly stopped.
Because Lucia had brought him to an abandoned church.
The church had long been deserted—collapsed walls, a statue of the God of Light overgrown with vines, as if it had been forsaken for decades.
He was puzzled.
Why would a letter related to Lucia be hidden in such a place?
"The letter should be inside this church. Let's search," Lucia said.
"Okay."
Akira nodded and entered the church to begin searching.
Due to some kind of concealment magic, they couldn't locate the letter through magical detection and had to search the old-fashioned way.
Akira carefully examined the church.
"Hm?"
A slightly loose floor tile caught his attention.
He reached out to move it—but found it immovable, as if a magical restriction was canceling out his strength.
"Lucia, there's something wrong with this tile," Akira said.
Lucia immediately looked over.
She waved her hand gently, and a streak of golden light landed on the tile.
The next second, the tile slid aside on its own—revealing a hidden envelope.
On the envelope was an illustration of a golden female dragon and a little girl wearing a flower crown.
Written across it were several words:
To my favorite bed-wetting girl…