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| Xylen, the Succubus Queen |
The
Dark Overlord’s throne...
Cristophe
can’t believe his eyes. He actually has gone this far behind enemy lines. And
now he catches sight of a gigantic hall, larger than any palace court he has
ever seen – even in Levides
Palace.
The hall of which has black walls full with faces –
humanlike, monsters or demonic – embossed on it. All are either frightened,
fierce or dead faces as though the actual creatures are pushed headlong from
the wall, inside to outside.
Six giant statues on top of six black pillars stand on
the right and left side of the room plus one on the far corner, behind the
horrific Throne of Bones.
The seven statues are carved lifelike, depicting the
seven original sins: A big devil for ‘pride’, an extremely fat abomy for ‘gluttony’,
an old miser with long nose and his eyes looking far left for ‘greed’, a
banshee for ‘envy’, a dracolich for ‘anger’, a zombie for ‘sloth’ and a
succubus for ‘lust’.
Suddenly, a shrill woman’s voice comes from nowhere, and
the startled Paladins ready their weapons at once.
And SWOOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!! Three flashes of light
sweep across the Paladins – red, green and blue. The blue light then transforms
into a devil-winged woman with blue skin and hair, landing slowly on the Throne
of Bones. The red and green lights also transform like the blue one, and the
three surround their three opponents.
There’s no mistake about it: They’re succubi, the
she-devils who feed from lust for power. Chris recognizes the blue succubus at
once, saying, ‘YOU again.’
The Succubus Queen, also known as the Archdemoness of
Desdemon puts up a wide grin and bares her fangs behind her azure lips. Her
black eyes with bright-blue pupils stare straight at her ‘favourite’ foe,
saying, ‘Hmm, so the runt-to-hero has come for another rematch.
Well, as you can see, this time I shall finish you all of
at once. No pesky bug may pass from here. You may come in, but none shall come
out.’
Startled, Iris speaks, ‘What? You mean, there is no exit
from here?’
The she-devil laughs evilly, saying, ‘Hahaha! Of course there
is an exit, and you won’t be able to find it unless you search for the switch
in this hall, and you won’t be able to search for it before you defeat the
three of us.
Speaking of which, let me introduce my two sisters.’
The red-skinned succubus with her crimson hair flailing
like fire flaps her enormous scarlet wings and moves her scantily armored body
like belly-dancing, saying, ‘I am Katarina the Red. I’ll send you all to the
place where you belong: In the infernal depths, with me!’
The green succubus moves forward. Her cute visage is
somewhat similar to Iris’, and her green, large blank eyes show that she’s a
sadist little girl who just found a toy to wreck. She wiggles side-to-side and
talks with a childish tone, ‘Hi, I’m Nepathya, and you’ll be my new, cuddly,
DEAD toys! Whee!!’
And lastly, the blue she-devil, the Succubus Queen gets
up from the Throne of Bones and flies closer to the Paladins and stops,
floating in mid-air.
‘Don’t any of you recognize me?’ she says suddenly, her
face dead serious. ‘ANSWER ME!’
Chris responds without a single glint of fear on his
face, ‘Yes, your face might look familiar when I fought you, but I never able
to figure out who you are, or who you were.’
‘Is that so? Well, no wonder your mundane minds can’t
identify the person behind this infernal physique. Too bad Robert isn’t here
with you, he won’t have trouble guessing my human name.’
‘Robert, you say?’ Chris blurts out with surprise. ‘Are
you saying you had something to do with the murder of Pope Xylen Felicitia? Or…
Good heavens…’ He gasps. ‘You are…’
‘Yes, I am she. My true name is Nelyx, the Archdemoness
of Desdemon, and my human name is…’
‘Xylen.’
No sooner the word comes out from Iris’ lips than her bow
and arrow aiming at the blue succubus. The latter only stands casually holding
the two-edged Glaive of Chaos on her back, saying, ‘Exactly. That’s easy to
guess. So, let me guess your next question… What was really happened back then
in Basilica Vadisium?’
Before the Paladins can say a word, Xylen talks on.
‘Well, I really died that day, stabbed myself to death
with the sword of the one I framed. But then, the Dark Forces’ agents took my
body out from the crypt. And, thanks to necromancy, my body was transformed
back into my original elf, the Succubus Queen, and now here I am, stronger,
faster than ever.’
‘So, the case of ‘Robert Murder the Pope’ was nothing but
a set-up, and you, my dear, has connected the missing link,’ Hernan comments
with a mock smile. ‘But, the outcome is always the same. You are a lost soul
who knows no happiness, always seeking false satisfaction by destroying
everybody.’
‘Huh, you’re not so good yourself,’ says Xylen to hernan.
‘Just don’t’ pretend that you care for me, I don’t need it.’
The flirty Don shrugs, ‘Maybe I am and maybe I’m not. I
was trying to help you see the light, but you’re really a lost case, rotten to
the bone. As for me, I’ll go home and make amends with my family after I
destroy you, once and for all. The one who sold one’s soul for lust is really
lost and doomed, that’s for sure. I just hope that I haven’t sunk into that
level yet.’
Lust, the abyss of
no return.
‘Well,
save your preachings for yourself,’ says the Succubus Queen. ‘Too bad Robert
isn’t here with us. I just loove to see his face when I tell him the truth.’
Nepathya the Green says, ‘Talk time is over, now it’s
PLAY time! Come on, let’s do round one, and then I’ll play with my new dolls –
your corpses!’
The calmer and more serious Katarina the Red says, ‘Not
if I kill them first. That man with a mustache, he’s mine.’
Xylen spins the Glaive of Chaos and swings it aside in
mid-air, speaking thunderously, ‘And I have a score to settle with this
red-haired runt. Let the rumble begin!’
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!!
The she-devils sweep down towards their targets: Nepathya
versus Iris, Katarina versus Hernan, and Xylen versus Cristophe.
As the glaive darts like lightning, the red-haired
Paladin casts one of the few spells he knows, ‘An Acavela Aschi!’
KUAAAKK!!
The griffin champion Acavela comes out from the summoning circle, moving in
high speed and coming between Chris and the she-devil. The Prince quickly
evades the glaive thrust by climbing onto the griffin’s back. THUD, and ZOOMM!!
Up he goes. Just as he’s right above Xylen, he launches
multiple random slashes and thrusts downwards. CRAS, CRAS, CRASH! The sword
skill, Rocky Road of Righteousness hits
Xylen in several places: shoulder, arms, back, wings, only leaving scratches on
her thick layer of dark aura.
Xylen recovers quickly in that state and kicks rapidly
upwards with her skill Irresistible
Desire. BASH, BASH, BASH! This time the rain of pain is pouring at Acavela
and Chris, the latter then pulls away from range.
Both combatants seem evenly matched on the first impact.
Xylen also pulls away, leaning on the succubus statue on the corner.
‘Good, you fight much, much better than before,’ says the
she-devil, massaging her limbs and shaking her head. ‘However, man and beast
will never beat winged creatures, that’s the rock-solid fact.’
‘Well, not if the man and beast act as one, becoming one
body and one mind. And it’s high time we show it to you, right now! HHEEAAHH!!’
With that shout, Chris and Acavela dart away like arrow shot towards their
opponent.
To their surprise, Xylen flies away instead, saying, ‘Catch
me if you caaan!!’
ZWISH! ZWISH!
She slaloms past the three large pillar statues and Chris follows suit. And
then the blue succubus turns near the entrance and slaloms again past the other
three statues of Seven Original Sins, nearly knocking over the green succubus
shooting green lightblasts from her pointing fingers like a gunslinger at her
opponent, Iris.
‘Hey, watch
where you’re going!’ Nepathya scolds, closing into her opponent while evading
Iris’ arrows altogether.
On the other hand,
Chris chooses to stay in the middle of the hall, thinking that Xylen is trying
to tire him and Acavela out. And then, Xylen goes out of sight.
With the Sword
of Justice and the Shield of Faith in hand, Chris readies himself from a sneak
attack from any direction. His eyes catch sight of Katarina and Hernan
dogfighting, with the latter mounting the cornus*) he just summoned.
(* Cornus =
Unicorn-pegasus, a horse with a cone horn on his head like a unicorn and wings
like a pegasus. Never a superior being to both, cornus is a very rare species,
a breed between a unicorn and a pegasus.
ZWWOOOSHHH!! Chris sways aside, avoiding a sudden attack
from behind. Then comes the glaive sweeping, grazing the tip of Chris’ Helmet
of Truth, K-CHIINGG!!
With reflexes, Chris aims and shoots a Guiding Light of Faith from his sword.
The beam misses its target and DASSH!! Chipping a rough dent on the ‘Gluttony’
statue.
The attacks come again! This time, they’re like arrows
that have been shot from all directions, altogether in split seconds! ZWISH!
ZWISH! ZWISH!
‘Just like we’ve practiced, Acavela! NOW!!’
ZWISH!! The man and beast move together as one,
maneuvering back-and-forth, side-by-side, avoiding each and every strike.
Actually, they have done this before in a dogfight spar with their teacher,
Avariel the Archangel.
But no, this is
different than our training. This hall is not spacious enough for flyers. I
must be extra careful!
DASSH!
A hit on the armor confirms Chris’ thought. And yet, that hit didn’t disrupt
his momentum at all. Another hit lands, DASSH! Chris swivels like a windmill, a
fast swipe with his sword and CRAATTSH!! Wounds his target slightly.
The she-devil skids to stop in mid-air, and staring at
her opponent she shouts, ‘Nice hit. You predicted my movement and wrapped it
with a swift finish. If not because of that blasted armor, I should’ve yielded
a better result… NOT!’ Putting a hand on the wound on her shoulder, Xylen makes
the bleeding stop, and the wound closes like it never happened before.
That doesn’t
surprise me, Chris thinks. This is
the third time I battle that she-devil, and I still can’t overcome her. No,
this is not the end. I won’t crack under pressure. This is my last fight with
her and I’ll come out the victor, the survivor.
‘Lo,
are you stunned or anything? Because…’
Before the she-devil can finish her words, ZZZOOOMM!! A
streak of white light comes straight towards her. Xylen somersaults, trying to
evade Chris’ Singular Voice of Truth. The
singular thrust of concentrated power darts through and grazes a deep cut on
Xylen’s right foot!
‘GYAA!!’ The Archdemoness reacts by touching the wounded
foot to heal it, but then comes a simple yet powerful slash of Power Bash. THANGGG!! She blocks it
barely with the glaive on her right hand, and the impact slams her into the
floor! BRUGG!
Before Xylen gets up, again Chris comes with yet another
basic move: Three-Point Chain Slash. His
sword slashes towards three possible weak points: throat, heart and foot.
‘Huh, trying to find my weak points out with that lame
move? You must be kidding me.’ Saying that, Xylen springs and kicks vertically,
repeatedly with both her hands as anchor. BAG, BAG, BAG, BAG, BAMMM!!
Chris blocks the kicks with his shield and uses the
attack force to push himself and his griffin into the air. Using this momentum
to replenish his energy, Chris is about to attack again and a blast of Dark Disintegration ray comes from his
right!
BYAAARSCHH!! Once again, the Shield of Faith protects the
rider and steed, saving their lives. Acavela flies haphazardly off-balance and
gets back in control a moment later.
No attack from everywhere. Acavela flies around the room
with Chris looking at all directions warily. Suddenly, GRABB!! The succubus
grapples Chris on his back!
‘Ooh, nice, such a beautiful body. Care for a tighter
hug?’
CRAAACK!!! ‘GAAAHH!!!’
Xylen puts more pressure on his opponent, electrifying
him with dark energy. And then, she literally unsaddle the White Paladin and
takes him up, up, near the ceiling.
CRAACKKK!!! Chris hits headlong on the ceiling!
‘How do you find my new move: Shackles of Intimacy? Tantalizing, isn’t it? Want to taste some
more? Relax, that was just the first part, and this is the more exciting part!
GHEEAGHH!!’
‘AAGGGHHHH!!!’
Chris screams in pain inside his helmet.
The scream add up in terror as Xylen dives! SZOOOMM!!
She’s about to smash Cristophe’s cranium on the floor! Chris tries to explode
his aura, but no! He’s like powerless, unable to set free from his impending
doom…
CCRASSSH!!!
Stone and dust fly, chipped from the already broken floor
in the hall that’s also used as an arena to gain supremacy among the Dark
Forces. The cloud of dust quickly disperses, and the result soon comes into
view:
Xylen stands in triumph and Chris lays immobile beneath
her feet. The sword Excalibur also
stands straight with its tip in the floor.
‘HAHAHAHA!! At last! The Heir of Vadis, the strongest
among the Forces of Light, succumbs under my absolute power! I am invincible, I
am the strongest, the most beautiful! And no one, I say no one can stop me now!
With Arachus gone, I am the second in command, and as
soon as I wipe out these critters, the whole world will be my playground!’
‘Not so fast, demoness.’
‘What?’ Startled, Xylen looks down and sees the Heir of
Vadis struggling, getting up on his knees, putting his left hand on the sword.
His entire body is glowing like a firefly, and the blade of Excalibur also glows, making his whole
appearance divine-like.
Lifting the
visor of his helmet up, his visage becomes radiant with rejuvenated energy, and
his voice becomes clearer as he says, ‘The
Heir of Vadis is stronger than you thought. You, who fight only to satisfy your
ego and bloodlust will never prevail against the one who fights with his heart,
with love, with all the willpower of the people he wants to protect.
The only place
for a traitor like you, Xylen, is in the deepest bowels of hell, tortured and
burned for eternity!’
Gritting her
teeth, Xylen bends backwards and shrieks at the top of her voice, ‘SKKHRIEEEE!!!
JUST SHUT UP! Save your worthless speech! My soul is already lost since the
Dark Overlord converted me, gave me this name Nelyx and treated me as his
mistress, his mate, his pet. So now I live for him, to worship his greatness
and to repay him for bringing me back to life, more powerful than ever!’
And yes, I have
done many things to please my lord:
Setting up the
trap mission in Enia’s Sanctum to cover and to open the path for Paliades, that
faulty heir. Good thing we’ve found his ‘replacement’.
Framing Robert
into the crime he didn’t commit.
Going into
battles, missions, fighting you, even consented to wait in this place for you,
all for the True Heir of Darkness.
I am the most
loyal, most devoted servant of the Dark Overlord, and nothing pleases me more
than to eliminate each and every one of you who stands in my way, and no word
can ever change that!!’
Xylen then leaps
and floats in mid-air, shouting, ‘Nepathya! Katarina! Trinity Eternal Banishment!’
‘All right! Time
for total annihilation!’
Saying that,
Nepathya the Green breaks up from her fight with Iris and Eshmyria. Katarina
the Red also leaves Hernan and joins her two sisters above the Throne of Bones.
Flapping their
wings constantly, the three succubi form a triangle and outstretch their hands.
FWOOM, FWOOM,
FWOOM! Legions of lost souls then come out from the seven gigantic statues,
each carrying a mass of dark energy generated fromt heir sins in life: the
seven original sins that combine into the strongest, the most evil, the terrible
force of all: the antithesis of Chris’ holy power of faith, truth,
righteousness, diligence, justice, kindness and love.
Chris, Hernan
and Eshmyria charge forward to interrupt the spellcasting process and BAF!
BAGG! THOOK! A massive, concentrated black force field deflects their attack,
throwing the three heroes away.
‘GUH!’ Chris
steers Acavela with effort, and man and griffin land roughly on the floor.
BHLAGG!!
Chris
immediately dismounts from Acavela, his shivering hand lifts the Shield of
Faith, facing his opponents, saying, ‘Get behind me! Unsummon your steeds and
guardian spirits! Support me!’ He unsummons Acavela, and Hernan and Iris do
what they’re told at once. But, Eshmyria won’t withdraw.
‘Eshmyria told
me that she wants to help. We better honor her wishes, then,’ says Iris,
putting her palms on Chris’ back.
Navigation:
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Tentative Illustration Image Source:
(Top) Succubus Queen by GooDHopE (kekse0719.deviantart.com)
(Bottom) Daughter of the Devil by kekse0719.deviantart.com
Note: Script check: pg 340/487
