Lysandra landed just before Lilith, frost immediately coating the grass beneath her feet. Her cool eyes scanned the sky, where a barely visible purple afterimage still lingered.
"Lilith... did you see who made that mark in the sky?" she asked, her voice heavy with gravity. "The entire forest went still when that hit the clouds."
Lilith smiled to herself, feeling the quiet, ironic murmur of Minerva in her head.
"Is that why you two set out from the castle?" she countered.
Kala nodded, adjusting her talons. "We wanted to see what happened."
"Nothing serious happened," Lilith replied, waving a hand dismissively. "It's just... a small side effect of my recent progress. We shouldn't worry about it."
Gorgoth, who had been standing at a safe distance until then, finally gathered his courage and approached the group, looking at the newly arrived succubi with a mix of fascination and dread.
"Mistress... who are these noble ladies?" he asked, bowing low.
"These are my friends and commanders," Lilith introduced them, gesturing with her hand. "This is Lysandra, and this is Kala. Girls, this is Gorgoth. The chief of this goblin tribe."
Lysandra nodded with icy distance, barely glancing at the goblin. Kala, on the other hand, snorted, eyeing the massive column of beings behind his back.
"Not bad, Lilith. You said you were going to look for tribes, but I didn't expect you to find so many in one place. Where did you get them all?"
Lilith gave a crooked smile and summarized the hero slaughter, the fall of the Chimera, and the sudden surrender of the entire tribe in a few sentences. The succubi listened in silence, though Kala bared her fangs every few moments.
"Next time I'm coming with you!" Kala cried with a maniacal glint in her eye. "It seems trips with you always end in a solid bloodbath. I won't forgive myself if I miss another beast like that!"
Lilith laughed softly, then turned to Lysandra. Her voice became sweet, almost coaxing.
"Lysandra, dear... could you help these goblins reach our lands safely? I need to head to the altar as soon as possible to offer all these souls I've collected. It's a huge power jump for us."
Lysandra's eyes narrowed slightly. She clearly wasn't thrilled about babysitting three thousand smelly goblins for the rest of the way. She was about to protest, but seeing Lilith's pleading look, she sighed heavily and nodded.
"Fine. I'll take care of them."
Lilith immediately hugged her, nearly choking the ice succubus with gratitude. "Thank you! You're the best!"
After those words, she quickly turned to Gorgoth. "From now on, Lysandra will handle your escort. She is incredibly strong, so you have nothing to worry about."
Before anyone could protest, Lilith spread her wings and shot upward with a powerful gust, heading straight for the Valley of Darkness. Lysandra watched her go with resignation, opening her mouth to say something to Kala, but the latter only winked at her.
"I'm off too! I have to make sure Mina doesn't cause too much trouble at the Castle!" Kala shouted and flew away in a split second, chasing after the Monarch.
A small, purple vein pulsed on Lysandra's forehead. She was left alone with three thousand goblins staring at her.
A long, awkward silence fell between her and Gorgoth. The goblin shifted from foot to foot, feeling the chill radiating from her.
"Eeee... Mistress?" he began uncertainly.
Lysandra looked at him with a gaze that could freeze an ocean.
"We move in thirty minutes," she said in a cold voice that cut off any discussion. "If anyone falls behind, I'll turn them into an ice sculpture and leave them for the wolves. Understood?"
Gorgoth nodded so vigorously he nearly snapped his neck and hurriedly ran off. He knew there was no joking with their new Mistress's "friend."
Lilith crossed the castle threshold, feeling the cool, soothing air of her chambers on her face.
As soon as they entered, Kala - unable to stay still - tossed out a quick "I'm going to check if Mina and that bunny are bothering the maids again" and vanished into the side corridors.
Lilith, not wasting a second, headed straight for the altar room.
On her way, she passed the rabbit maids, who immediately stopped their work upon seeing her, bowing low with immense respect. Lilith merely gave a curt nod; her thoughts were revolving around the souls pulsing in her inventory.
As she stood before the monumental altar, she felt the raw power radiating from it. She reached out her hands, and the orbs of ethereal light began to leave her inventory, dropping onto the stone slab one by one.
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 hero soul. You gain 2 skill points!]
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 hero soul. You gain 4 skill points!]
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 hero soul. You gain 3 skill points!]
[...]
[Total sacrificed: 15 souls. Gain: 48 skill points.]
Lilith smiled radiantly. With her previous reserve of 68 points, she now had a staggering 116 skill points at her disposal. It was a fortune that opened the doors to new, dark powers.
She immediately summoned the development panel and began reviewing the available options:
[Succubus Charisma] (Inactive)
[Succubus Devour] (Inactive)
[Succubus Hellfire] (Inactive)
[Medium Anti-Magic] (Inactive)
"Hmmm, which fruit to pluck this time?" she muttered, rubbing her chin.
[According to strategic analysis, the optimal choice at this stage of development is the skill [Succubus Devour] ]
Minerva's cold, mechanical voice suddenly spoke in her head.
Lilith focused her gaze on the description. It mentioned the ability to absorb "various types of bodily fluids" to permanently strengthen stats and regenerate mana. The Monarch's face immediately twisted in a grimace of disgust.
"Minerva, listen to me carefully," Lilith hissed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You might have been with me for a short time, but you need to know one thing: I prefer women over men. Just imagining myself playing... well, you know what, and sucking some guys dry makes me sick. It sounds like the most primitive succubus method. I'd rather burn everything with Hellfire or invest in better magic resistance."
[ You are correct ]
Minerva replied without a hint of emotion.
[Your preferences are logical from a psychological standpoint. However... who said we intend to use the skill Succubus Devour?]
Lilith furrowed her brow, her face showing pure disbelief. "Heh?" she blurted out. "You literally just said it was the best option. Are you starting to have logic errors, or am I losing my mind?"
Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes. It occurred to her that since the skill evolved, she had been addressing the voice in her head as if to another woman.
"Wait, Minerva... before we move on to your plans," she began, raising an eyebrow. "Are you even a woman or a man? Or just an assistant without an identity?"
[You may call me whatever you wish]
Minerva replied, careful with every mechanical tone.
[ As an Ancient Skill, I do not possess a gender in the biological sense of the word.]
"Ohhh... I see. Not very helpful, but fine," Lilith muttered, returning to the panel. "Now back to the point. Why are you pushing this disgusting sucking on me if you just agreed with me?"
[Strictly speaking, we do not want the skill Succubus Devour itself, but its specifics ]
Minerva explained.
Lilith frowned. "Specifics? What are you babbling about?"
"Sigh..." The voice in her head sounded genuinely annoyed now. "Read the skill description again. Focus on the code structure, not your prejudices."
The system scroll unfolded before Lilith again:
[Skill: Succubus Devour]
Description: Allows for the direct absorption and assimilation of life energy and mana through the target's bodily fluids.
Lilith read word for word, analyzing every comma, but she still only saw the image of a succubus preying on humans.
"And?" she asked blankly. "I still just see sucking poor guys dry."
[Your perception is limited by simple associations ]
Minerva stated in a dry tone.
[ We need the "Absorption" attribute, which is the core of this power. If we combine this attribute with the specifics of your Desire Core, I will be able to manipulate the assimilation process. We will use their common parameters to force the evolution of Succubus Devour into something far more powerful.]
Lilith stood for a moment in complete bewilderment. Her jaw dropped slightly lower than the standards of royal etiquette dictated.
"You..." she finally stammered. "Are you telling me you can evolve and combine my skills on your own? Without scrolls? Just... by hacking the system?"
Minerva replied with a voice in which Lilith detected, for the first time, something akin to pride and intellectual superiority.
[I am the ALL-SEEING ARCHIVIST'S EYE. The system of this world is merely a set of rules to be correctly interpreted. My goal is to optimize your power to a level that exceeds the bounds of common sense. Now, will you deign to accept my suggestion, or do you intend to continue questioning my efficiency?]
Lilith gave a crooked smile, feeling that with such support, the game had just ceased to be fair.
"Alright, 'brain.' Let's do it. Show me how this evolves."