Chapter 41. Lucy Capture Route (4)
Thump.
I pushed the sight of Lucy shaking her hips in a flipped-over frog position out of my view.
Thump.
My heart was pounding. A sign that [Combat Sense] was activating.
"…Was this your plan from the start? You damn demon bastard."
"The real demon bastard here is you, you filthy piece of shit."
Felix's crotch still had that disgusting thing dangling around.
"Interfering with the greatest moment of my life… I'll make sure you die in the most painful way possible!"
- You might want to run. He has two horns, and both are fully grown. You won't be able to handle him.
Demons' number of horns corresponds to their mana reserves. Two large horns mean he's at the level of an active B-rank Hunter.
The difference in power was something a cadet logically couldn't overcome.
"That's something I'll have to see for myself."
My combat strength isn't determined by mana reserves alone.
[Combat Sense], [Clairvoyance], [Mana Sensitivity]
These three abilities, though not flashy, drastically boost my combat capabilities.
And right now, with my [Clairvoyance], I could see Felix's mana was severely depleted.
He must have used a lot to set up the barrier and another large chunk to put Lucy into that aroused state.
This much seemed doable.
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『A sub-quest has been transmitted.』
[Lucy Rescue Operation!]
You are facing the demon who kidnapped Lucy.
Defeat Felix and rescue Lucy!
- Reward: All attributes +1, a significant increase in Lucy's favorability, full recovery of health and mana.
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A system window appeared before my eyes.
Looking at the rewards, my motivation skyrocketed.
Crack! Crackle!
Felix's face twisted in anger.
With a chilling sound, the delicate blonde boy's body began to expand.
- Shit, his mana just doubled!
"…It's fine."
"Grurrrr… I'll tear you apart. Don't think you'll die easily."
Felix's once-handsome face twisted into a grotesque mixture of orc and goblin features.
His previously small frame swelled until he was twice my height.
Fully unleashing his strength, Felix had completely transformed into a demon, drooling as he locked onto me.
Thump.
My [Combat Sense] sharpened further. I wasn't nervous. I judged this to be manageable.
Though Felix's mana had more than doubled, that kind of power boost was temporary.
"Grurrr…!"
Felix was burning his own life force.
Was he really that furious about me interrupting his time with Lucy? He was going all out from the start.
Felix radiated killing intent as if he was ready to rip me apart any second.
"Five minutes. No, four minutes should be enough."
- …He's definitely in an abnormal berserk state. I'd like to help, but… would I even be useful?
"Just stay put."
Honestly, my mana reserves were below average. My combat power relied entirely on my unique traits and abilities.
So if I, with my low mana, could fight, I had no idea how weak Liliana really was.
She probably wouldn't be much help in battle.
Well, expecting combat prowess from a money-printing succubus was unrealistic in the first place.
"I'll… finish this… quickly."
Felix, unable to fully control his power, stuttered as he projected his killing intent toward me.
I activated my mana, preparing for battle.
Crack!
Felix squeezed his mana out, stomped the ground, and charged at me.
In an instant, he closed the distance and swung his mana-infused fist at me.
Boom!
Bang!
Reacting to his speed, I swiftly deployed Cotton Guard, which enclosed me in a spherical shield and sent me flying into the wall upon impact.
"Shit… That fucking hurt."
My shield, Cotton Guard, was solid as expected from a unique skill.
Felix's left fist was bent in an unnatural direction after hitting it, proving its toughness.
However, I hadn't accounted for the sheer physical force behind his attack.
"Kuh…"
My chest hurt like hell. I probably broke a rib. The metallic taste in my mouth suggested internal injuries.
"Gaaaah!"
Felix screamed as he forcibly twisted his 90-degree bent fist back into place.
He was holding his completely shattered bones and tissues together with mana, rapidly depleting his reserves.
Struggling to maintain consciousness, he drooled from bloodshot eyes as he charged at me again.
Was he really that dumb? Even with his hand broken?
Maybe he thought the attack worked since I took damage. But that was just due to my inexperience.
I had mistakenly thought completely encasing myself in the sphere would be safe.
But now that I realized he only attacked in one direction, countering would be easier.
I concentrated my mana in the direction Felix was coming from and reinforced Cotton Guard into a solid wall.
Boom!
As expected, the result was obvious.
Felix's fist shattered entirely as it bent backward, while I remained unharmed.
"Kraaaah!"
Felix instantly vanished from my sight.
Whoosh!
I heard the sound of wind. He was circling around me rapidly.
He was trying psychological warfare, but my eyesight was sharp.
His speed kept increasing. He was putting everything into this next attack, draining his remaining mana at a rapid pace.
Even near death, a two-horned demon was still formidable. The speed boost from burning almost all his life force was nearly beyond my reaction limit.
Higher speed naturally meant greater power.
Even though Cotton Guard was sturdy, I had already used a significant amount of mana.
I couldn't guarantee I'd block the next hit completely.
I abandoned my shield and relaxed my body.
I focused more mana into [Clairvoyance] to track Felix's movements.
Slowly, I accelerated my mana circulation through my body's circuits.
Thanks to [Combat Sense], I could accelerate far more efficiently than in training.
Wummm—
My rapidly flowing mana extended into the surrounding space.
Realizing I was up to something, Felix stopped spinning and charged straight at me.
Boom!
A sonic boom erupted, creating a shockwave that collapsed the ground beneath him.
Like a bullet, Felix closed the gap. By the time I registered his movement, he was already in front of me.
I saw his hand reaching to grab my throat.
But the space was already under my control.
Redirecting my mana's acceleration to the surrounding space, I smoothly deflected Felix's attack.
Felix, bewildered by my sudden disappearance, frantically scanned the area.
Boom!
Using [Acceleration], I instantly positioned myself behind him and cast a spell.
"Kraaaah!"
I poured almost all my remaining mana into the attack.
Intense flames engulfed Felix's body as he burned.
"Huff. Huff. Huff."
Strength drained from my body. I slowly stepped back and watched Felix burn.
I did it.
It was my first real battle, but I had calculated my chances and taken the fight because I believed I could win. And I did.
- D-Did we defeat him?
"Hey, you shouldn't say— Gah…!"
From within the flames, Felix lunged at me with burning eyes and grabbed my neck.
"Guh…!"
He should have been on the brink of death, but somehow, he refused to let go, gripping my throat as if to drag me down with him.
Shit. I let my guard down.
I should've finished him properly, but I lacked the experience of taking a life.
"Guhhkk."
Heat surged through Felix's mangled, barely intact hands, scorching me.
Felix slowly opened his mouth.
Drool dripped down, and the stench of decay filled my nostrils as his gaping maw neared me.
No hands, so he was going to bite my head off instead.
My mind raced for a solution, but nothing came to me.
I had spent too much mana finishing him earlier.
Just as Felix's mouth brushed against my hair—
Bang!
A sound erupted, and Felix's grip on my throat weakened.
"I can only stop him for three seconds! Kill him!"
Liliana, having reverted to her normal form, shouted while collapsing to the ground.
It took me less than a second to assess the situation.
I had only a few moments to finish Felix off.
I scraped together every last bit of my remaining mana.
There was barely a handful left inside me.
Not enough for a proper spell.
But there was no time to hesitate. Even now, Felix was struggling to break free from the charm magic.
In my desperation, I saw Felix's gaping mouth and thought of a plan.
Of course—the inside of the body is weaker than the outside.
I concentrated the last of my mana into my middle finger.
The same feeling of mana exhaustion I had experienced when I first met Lucy overtook me.
But [Combat Sense] and [Steadfast Willpower] forced me to stay conscious.
I materialized my mana, shaping a sharp drill using my finger as a conduit.
My target: piercing through Felix's mouth and into his brain.
The sharpest attack I could manage with what little mana remained.
Just as Felix broke free from the charm magic and widened his eyes to assess the situation—
Crack!
A grotesque sound rang out as the sharp drill burst through the back of Felix's skull.
At the same time, I lost all strength and collapsed backward.
"Huff, huff, huff…"
I couldn't even move a finger.
As I fell, my hand slipped free from Felix's skull, but the hole in his head was already gaping.
Felix remained standing, frozen in place, as if still caught in the charm.
If he moved now, both Liliana and Lucy—along with me—would die.
But suddenly, all the fatigue in my body vanished, and my labored breaths evened out.
That meant only one thing.
『Quest Complete!』
"Huh?!"
"Kyaah!"
Energy surged through my body.
Liliana, who had been sitting in shock, screamed as I sprang up from what seemed like the dead.
"Thanks to you, I did it. Liliana, I appreciate your help."
"J-Just so you know, I was only waiting for the right opportunity! Don't misunderstand! Got it?!"
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."
Felix died standing.
It was my first time killing someone.
Of course, calling that grotesque demon a person was a stretch, but I had seen his human form once.
It was a strange feeling, but I wasn't particularly sad.
"Ah, wait. This isn't the time for this."
I rushed over to Lucy, who had been left unattended all this time.
Lucy no longer had the strength to move her hips; instead, she trembled every few seconds, releasing fluids.
A puddle had formed around her crotch, and each tremor produced a wet, splashing sound.
"Hnnngh, eeek…"
Chlap, chlap.
This… might be a serious problem.
"Hmm, if we leave her like this, she's going to go insane."
"What?"
"I can tell just by looking. She's under an intense arousal spell, but since she's tied up and unable to relieve it, she's at her limit."
As Liliana said, Lucy was trembling with her eyes rolled back.
Now that my health and mana had recovered, I dispelled the mana restraints.
But Lucy was too weak to even pleasure herself. She only twitched her body while sticking out her tongue.
"Can you reverse the arousal magic? With your magic skills, it should be possible, right? Just like when you dispelled the barrier."
"Wait a second."
Just as I prepared to analyze the magic, a status window appeared before me.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
- [ Affection: 35 ]
- [ Lust: 97 ]
- [ Hunger: 35 ]
- [ Fatigue: 75 ]
Current Status: Status Ailment (Arousal) The progression of the status ailment is already too advanced. If the magic is reversed now, it may leave lasting aftereffects. The best method to resolve this is to inject male semen into her womb. The first man to do so will receive significant affection from her.
"What the hell."
Normally, I had to consciously call up the status window, but this time it appeared on its own.
There was never a [Current Status] section before, but whatever it was, it wasn't harmful to me.
"No. If you try to reverse the magic now, it'll cause lasting damage to her body."
I calmly explained the situation to Liliana.
"What? How do you know that?"
"I just do."
We had defeated Felix, but Lucy was still in danger.
There was no time to hesitate. Every second counted. Without even bothering to remove my shirt, I pulled down my pants.
"Hey, hey! I said reverse the magic! Why are you taking off your pants?!"
"I told you, I can't reverse it!"
"Why not?! You undid the barrier in ten seconds, you could do the same for this!"
"Because it would leave aftereffects!"
"You perverted freak…!"
What the hell was she saying? Damn it.
I couldn't explain the status window. This was frustrating.
There was no other way. Lucy needed semen in her womb immediately.
That was the only solution.
"Lucy, I'm sorry. This is for your sake, so just bear with it."
"Someone help! There's a pervert pretending to be a pure-hearted man here!"
Liliana ruined the mood by shouting.
"Shut up, you crazy succubus!"
"Hnnngh. Hahh. Ahh. Hiiingh."
Chlap, chlap.
The only sound in the basement was the splashing of Lucy's fluids.