The kiss was brief.
Soft. Deliberate.
And the moment the succubus' lips left Valx's cheek, his body stiffened like a marionette whose strings had been pulled tight.
"Bind them," she purred.
Valx turned without resistance. Crimson pupils dulled, his expression hollow as he raised a hand toward Minami and the Gorgon triplets.
Kai stared for half a second—then scoffed.
"…That's it?" he said. "That's how he goes down? One measly kiss?"
Nei snorted. "That's because he's a bloody pervert, bro."
Fei's eyes narrowed, already gathering mana. "Guys. This is our chance."
Kai cracked his knuckles. "Hell yeah."
Nei grinned. "Say less."
The ground trembled as the Gorgon triplets moved in unison, serpentine sigils flaring beneath their feet.
Their voices overlapped, weaving into a single chant—fast, rhythmic.
"Side to side—
Slider on slider—
Whisk from whisk—
Clutch it up—"
"MARIGAN DORX!!"
The earth beneath Valx and the succubus liquefied, stone screaming as it dissolved into seething poison. At the same time, poisoned wind blades screamed from every direction—spiraling, converging, inescapable.
Minami clenched her fists.
"I'm… sorry," she whispered.
Life Essence surged violently through her veins, compressed beyond safety, beyond reason.
Life Essence Compression — Advanced Technique.
Hegan Burster.
She fired.
A concentrated lance of condensed essence tore through the air, warping space as it aimed straight for Valx and the succubus.
"Protect me, my lovelies!" the succubus shrieked.
Blood surged upward.
A vampire slammed his palms together, forming a dense crimson barrier just as the attack struck. The impact rattled the battlefield, poison freezing mid-melt as frost suddenly spread across it—
A presence descended.
Cold. Ancient.
A vampire appeared above the succubus, his cloak fluttering like wings as he spoke with reverent devotion.
"My queen."
Ice sealed the poisoned ground instantly.
The succubus laughed breathlessly, flying up to him and pressing herself against his chest. She kissed him deeply.
"My dear Dracula," she murmured. "I've missed you so much."
She turned back toward the battlefield, eyes glowing.
"Now," she declared sweetly, "father and son are reunited. End them, my lovelies."
Valx flinched.
"My queen," he said, voice strained, "my powers… my father sealed them."
The succubus clicked her tongue. "Ah. That's true."
She looked up lazily. "Dracula, dear. Unseal him."
"Yes, my queen."
With a simple gesture, the restraints shattered.
Power flooded back into Valx.
He stepped forward beside his father.
Together, they clasped hands.
Their voices echoed as one.
"The crimson moon rises.
The night falls silent.
Blood in—
Blood out."
"Blood Arts: Royal Bloodline Series—"
The sky darkened.
The moon bled red.
"Blood Work."
Minami gasped as invisible pressure wrapped around her body. Her limbs refused to move. The Gorgon triplets froze mid-motion, eyes wide as something within them was seized.
Kai staggered. "What the hell…?"
The succubus floated forward, delighted.
"It's a spell that controls the blood—no, the fluids—of any living creature beneath the crimson moon's light," she explained casually. "Now…"
Her smile sharpened.
"You will all become my slaves."
Minami forced her head up, meeting the succubus' gaze.
"Who sent you?" she demanded. "Who created you?"
The succubus paused.
"…None of your business," she said lightly. Then she chuckled. "But since I was ordered to kill you, I'll give you a treat."
Her voice lowered.
"One of your fellow gods."
Minami's breath hitched.
"I don't know why," the succubus continued, frowning slightly, "but $¥¢¢¥$^√¥¥ really doesn't like you."
She hissed in frustration. "Seems I can't say more."
A bow formed in her hands—twisted, rotting, dripping with blight.
"Succubus Blight Technique," she announced.
"Dead Madden Shot."
The arrow flew.
She smirked, already laughing.
Just when she thought she had won, a smug smirk spread across her face. She laughed, tilting her head back slightly.
"I beat those four bastards to the price," she sneered. "Now I'm going to collect my reward from #&£&&#$$$¢."
SCHLK.
Blood stakes erupted from the ground, impaling her body in multiple places.
"H–how?!" she screamed in disbelief. "I thought I had you under my control!"
"Kai.Fei. Nei. Let's do the honors."
"As you wish, Uncle Valx," they replied in unison.
"Dracula—help me, my darling!" the
succubus cried desperately.
Too late.
Dracula lay unconscious, collapsed beside the other vampire, his body motionless.
Minami stood quietly over a mound of fallen vampire bodies, her expression cold.
"Thanks for the information, bitch," she said flatly.
The shadows shifted.
Shadow Arts — Gorgon Trio Technique.
Obsidian.
The Gorgon triplets closed in, attacking at close range with relentless slashes, blades flashing like shards of night.
Gerton.
Thousands of lingering cuts suspended in space detonated at once, bursting outward and piercing her body from every direction.
Valx hovered above what remained.
"Never mess with my father," he said coldly. "Or my people."
Blood Arts: Crimson Explosion.
He let a single drop of his blood fall.
It touched her remains—
—and she exploded.
Nothing was left. Not even ash.
Minami approached Valx afterward, folding her arms slightly.
"Told you," she said. "My plan was foolproof."
"Yeah, yeah," Valx replied, clicking his tongue. "Whatever. I never thought it would work this well."
Two weeks earlier.
"I have a plan, guys," Minami said. "But I'm not sure Valx is going to like it."
She continued calmly.
"Given the loose patrols and the lack of proper defense, it's obvious the succubus is baiting us into attacking her."
"That would lead straight into an ambush,"
she added.
She paused.
"But what if… we take the bait?"
Silence followed.
"We let ourselves get ambushed," Minami said. "But we set up a few dummies using my Nexus Authority."
She turned to Valx.
"Valx, you're going to trick the succubus into thinking you're under her control."
Fei raised a hand slightly.
"I'll cast a mental fortification on him."
Minami nodded. "Don't be scared. It's an A-rank spell."
"When she thinks you're controlled," Minami continued, "I'm sure she'll call your dad for help. We'll make sure of it."
Valx frowned. "And then?"
"When she orders you to attack us," Minami said, "tell her your powers are sealed. That will force her to ask your father to unseal them."
She looked at the Gorgon triplets.
"And at the moment she thinks she's achieved total victory, Valx binds her with his blood."
"The triplets finish her off."
Present time.
Kai let out a low laugh.
"I'm not gonna lie…"
"That was a badass plan," Nei finished.
At the same time, far away in the Great Forest of Arstem, within the Elven Dominium, the blight stationed there convulsed.
The connection snapped.
It raised its head.
"Calling all blights," it announced.
"As you all know, the spider blight has fallen.
And just now… the succubus blight has followed."
A brief pause.
"We move to the next phase of the plan."
Its voice hardened.
"Fortify your strongholds."
"Prepare to be attacked."