We arrived at the castle two hours later. The day was still young. I hoped it wouldn't be a very short day. I laughed inwardly at my own love of food, thinking that I'd hate to die before one last lunch. Breakfast just seemed wrong for a last meal.
The castle didn't look foreboding close up as I expected it might. It was the grandest castle I'd seen on this world, probably grander than any on my world although I hadn't seen a castle in my world as far as I could remember. It even looked a little welcoming. It was built on one of the rare fertile areas of Hellgondo. It was surrounded by a peaceful looking forest. I'd expected lava pits given its reputation. I shared my thoughts with Alice.
"My surbordinates and I live here," Alice said. "Why would we build ourselves a scary-looking place to live in? The last place I'd ever want to live would be a place that looked like it might be haunted."
It was good to see that she could admit her fear of ghosts to me. I still found that endearing. That one comment bolstered my confidence, if only because I wanted to prove myself today and marry the woman of my dreams.
"This is where we part ways, Luka," she said. "I'm the Monster Lord. Since you're going into that castle as an invader, it wouldn't do for the Monster Lord to be accompanying you."
"I understand," I said. "I hope this isn't goodbye forever."
She looked sad. "No matter how difficult things get, make sure you do your duty as a hero," she said.
With that as her parting advice, she vanished. That seemed to have hidden meanings. I wasn't a hero in the technical sense of that term, at least as this world defined it. Therefore, I had no duties other than to do what I thought was right. That's what I was doing today. I was going to save my village by defeating the Heavenly Knights. I realized just then, way too late in the game, that I wasn't sure what defeating them meant. It occurred to me that sealing them wouldn't work. There were too many powerful monsters in the area. Presumably the Knights would just be unsealed, and then wouldn't I be back to square one? I had to hope that demonstrating my power would be enough to deter them. There was a sliver of hope in that regard. Alice had told me once before that civilized monsters respected strength. Duels of honor weren't just something Granberia engaged in. The whole Monster Lord succession was based on this concept. If I defeated them honorably, they would probably be persuaded to halt their hostile actions against humanity. If not, what did that leave? Killing them? I shuddered at the thought. I guessed I could do it if I had no other alternative. I had made it this far without killing anyone. I didn't want to start today.
Well, here we go, I thought. The front of the castle was unguarded. There were no moats and the entrance was open and welcoming. They knew I was coming. I made my way to the entrance and walked in. For some reason, the name Leroy Jenkins passed through my mind. It occurred to me that I never knew my last name. Was it Jenkins? Somehow that seemed appropriate.
The place seemed even bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. I had no idea where to go, but assumed that it really didn't matter. This wasn't a quest for an artifact. I was sure my opponents would come to me when they were ready. True to Alice's warning, there were powerful monsters here. What was strange to me was that they didn't appear to have expected me. There was no general alert of the castle's defenses. It seemed that the Knights were going to play this straight. I assumed they must be waiting for me somewhere and I'd just have to defeat whatever was between me and them before gaining the privilege of dueling them. One monster in particular, a succubus, tried to rape me with her belly button, which was new. The strategy was obviously flawed given that she lost. I also was set upon by a vampire, a fox, and a bee girl of all things. It appeared that all types were welcome in the castle, which I guess spoke well of the monster leadership. I was starting to wonder when the real challenges would come. You know what happens when I start to think that way, don't you? I must have said it aloud, because a voice from the shadows answered.
"Don't you worry about any of that," the voice said. "The Four Heavenly Knights are awaiting you in the deepest part of the castle."
"Who is that?" I asked. "Show yourself!"
Out of the shadows stepped a kitsune. I counted the tails. Eight! "I am called Yao," she said, introducing herself. "I am the right hand of Tamamo and the strongest soldier of the kitsune race. Aside from Tamamo of course. I've heard that you enjoy fluffy tails. Why not indulge in mine? I have no wish to harm you. But I cannot allow you to invade this castle. This is a sacred place for us kitsunes, as important as our temple in Yamatai. You are committing a grave crime by entering this place uninvited. If you surrender, I will give you all the pleasure you can stand from my tails or anything else you desire."
"First, I was invited," I said. "Two of the four Knights have been practically begging me to come here to challenge them."
"That is not an invitation," Yao countered. "That is a challenge. I'm sure you recognize the difference."
"Second, what happens to me after I surrender?"
"I will turn you over to Tamamo," she replied. "Believe me, you will be treated far more gently losing to the kitsunes than anyone else in this castle. Tamamo likes you. We may even send you home. Did you know that we kitsunes are the technological geniuses of the monster world? If anyone can find a way to return you to where you belong, it is us."
"I'm afraid that doesn't do anything for Ilias Village," I said. "Two of the Knights are attacking the humans. I have to put a stop to that."
"I didn't think you'd actually surrender," Yao said regretfully. "You've come too far to quit now. So I must force you to quit. I must warn you, Nanabi gave me a complete report on her battle with you. I will not make the same mistake she did. If you are to defeat me, you will have to get past my tails. There will be no instant victory this time."
I would have been more intimidated if I didn't have the spirits. What I had been missing in the Nanabi fight was the speed to get past her tails and the strength to withstand their hitting power. I did wonder if this was a battle more suitable to Undine, however. With the flow, I felt that I should be able to dodge every tail, as well as find the weak spots in her defense in order to strike back. The problem with the power of water was that it was harder for me to hold on to due to the absolute serenity required. One solid hit would take me out of it, leaving me with little to fall back on for a short time. Sylph and Gnome were the safer bet, giving me the speed and power to perhaps win a lengthy battle. That was assuming Yao didn't have any tricks I hadn't seen yet. It seemed likely that she would.
I ended up going with Gnome and Sylph. The time for calculated gambles would be when I faced the Knights. Until then, I resolved to fight conservatively. In terms of the purely physical aspects of the matchup, it turned out to be the right decision. She opened as Nanabi had, using most of her tails to strike at me while two of the softest ones were used to pleasure me. Since I had to concentrate on not getting bludgeoned into submission, I generally had to ignore the caresses of the "special" tails as best I could. As before, if I hit one of the tails with my sword, it went limp for a short time. Unlike the battle with Nanabi, I was wading through the tails and getting close to Yao. Each dodge enabled me to position myself better for a counterattack. With the help of Gnome, I was able to take hits selectively without being hurt badly.
I noted during the fight that I was getting better tactically as well. It's often been said that you have to take a punch to deliver a punch. I would dodge most of her tail strikes, but when I saw advantage in it I would allow her to score hits. Even with Sylph it would have been impossible to dodge everything and still have time to counterattack. By taking "punches" i was able to deliver more powerful counters with Angel Halo. I was definitely winning the battle. If anything, I'd say that Yao was completely overmatched and she knew it. However, one does not have to be a Heavenly Knight to be creative. Not appreciating me hitting her almost at will, she tackled me, which was a move I hadn't expected. She had apparently learned some martial arts in Yamatai Village. As she took me down, she disarmed me. With a wicked smile she pinned me down. Despite the fact that she seemed to be light, my struggles were to no avail.
"Wondering why you can't push me off?" she said. "Tamamo told me that she taught you to use the power of the earth a little. She also taught me. I'm using it in a more creative way. I'm not making myself heavier. I'm making YOU heavier. Since you weigh more than I do, you're fighting your own weight, enhanced by Gnome's power. Which makes you heavier than if you hadn't used Gnome's power! Here, I'll show you!"
She released my arms and sat straight up. I attempted to take advantage, but found that even without her holding me down I could barely move my arms. Is it possible to de-summon a spirit? I used to lose my hold on them readily, but holding at least one or two in my mind had become second nature. I didn't know how to consciously dismiss them. I mentally asked Gnome if she could take back her power for a moment. As usual, she didn't respond verbally. Salamander explained. "Yao's got you in a bad position for the time being. Gnome can take her power back but she's not experienced at such a thing. I'll have to guide her through it. You're going to have to take some indignities for the time being. I'd advise you not to try to resist. Save your energy. Just remember: don't ejaculate!"
"I'm the most perverted of the kitsunes," Yao said. "I know you won't be helpless there forever, so I'm going to take advantage while I can. Hmm, how should I start? Oh, I know! I hear you like blowjobs. Of course, what man doesn't? Do you like the way the Monster Lord does it to you? I think I'll try to do it the way she does it."
Yao attempted to coil her long tongue around my penis. It wasn't even close to as long as Alice's but she still gamely tried to do it. The trying was almost as bad, or good, as succeeding. She had that rough fox tongue that made the stimulation even greater as her tongue moved all over my dick, trying to wrap it up.
"Oh well, that was fun, even though I didn't do it right," she said. "Hey, here's something I always wanted to try!"
She turned around and sat on my penis, forcing it into her ass. I realized suddenly that I'd never experienced this before. It was tight and intense. I feared I might come right there. But Alice's training paid off, even though my endurance in this respect was still my weak point. Somehow I fought back the urge to ejaculate.
"Luka, we're back in business!" Salamander yelled inside my head. Her back turned to me, I grabbed Yao and pulled her back, locking in a choke.
"No!" Salamander yelled. "You can't choke her now! Her sphincter will tighten!"
Salamander was full of good advice, but often a few seconds too late. I was already aware that her ass had tightened around my penis. I was in real trouble. I had to let go of her. I did, and she scrambled off of me.
"How could I make such a blunder?!" she shouted. "I was having so much fun I made the stupid mistake of having my back turned! Oh well, it looks like it took more out of you than it did me. Now to finish the job!"
I rushed to get my sword. I reached it with no problem, but I was too far away from Yao. I'd have to wade through the tail offensive again. However, she wasn't interested in doing that. I saw her focusing her magic. Was she doing what Nanabi had done with the seven tail technique? As close as I was to critical ecstasy, that would be dangerous! Given that she had eight tails and presumably more powerful magic, I couldn't rely on that magic cutting out before I came. Gnome was gone, pooped from her efforts of powering me and then de-powering me. Sylph was tired as well. I decided I needed Undine. Just as Yao finished focusing her sexual magic into her tails, I entered the flow. Even before she struck with her tails, I saw the trajectories of all of them. To my dismay, I found that even inside the flow they could not all be avoided. Since this was a pleasure attack, her ultimate pleasure attack, I mentally ranked all of the tails by danger level. This took place in a split second of real time, but within the flow, where time moved differently, I could almost have pulled out a pad and paper and written out a plan.
The first tail wrapped around my penis. The second rubbed my balls. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh all missed cleanly. The eighth was also supposed to miss, but due to the intense sensations of the first two latching onto me, I'd been abruptly taken out of the serene state by the time the eighth tail arrived. All of this had happened in less than a half second. I felt the orgasm rising almost immediately. I didn't think I'd be able to hold this one back. I wouldn't have to. While in the serene state, I'd made note of the weak spot in her defense. With three of her tails latched on to me and pulling, I didn't even have to advance on her. She was doing the work for me. I simply went with it, my sword embedding itself deep into her chest. Yao had essentially brought me to her, sealing herself.
I had a very unsatisfying orgasm as I saw her change into a cute little fox. Yao paused, noting that my semen was leaking onto the floor. I sat down in the hallway, praying I wouldn't be attacked. I could feel that I was in critical ecstasy, at least partly. I could probably fight if I had to, but not against a strong opponent. Not for some time. I would have to rest here. Fortunately, Yao decided that trying to fight me even in critical ecstasy as a twenty pound fox was a bad idea. She quickly scampered off.
Either I was lucky, or the Knights judged it unfair to send an attacker after me in my current state. No monsters came. I tried to replenish myself with liquids and a quick lunch. I felt better after about half an hour and decided to try to press on, knowing that just because I felt fine didn't mean I was fine. On the bright side, having that orgasm had reset me. Otherwise I would still have had to wait, except I'd have been more uncomfortable while doing so.
Before I could even rise, the ceiling fell in. Maybe they weren't trying to give me a break after all! Dropping into the room was a giant creature. It looked even more freakish than the chimera I'd fought in Remina. What's more, Tamamo was riding on its back!
"Heehee, it's going berserk!" Tamamo shouted exultantly. "Oh, hello, Luka. Sorry for the delay. It took some time to pull this thing out of storage. I guess you needed the rest anyway, even though it wasn't really our intent to give it to you. This Giganto Weapon is a biological weapon created a thousand years ago during the Great Monster Wars. It was too powerful, so it's been deactivated all this time. Anyway, have fun with it!"
She vanished. The thing was absolutely bonkers. At least they designed it to be more aesthetically pleasing than the chimera beast. The parts were disparate, but there was a certain artistry to the creature that hadn't been present with the chimeras. It's human part was lovely. It had vicious-looking spikes on its back. At the end of its tail was the most insane semen sucking device I'd ever seen. It looked like an octopus made to spin, suck, and stroke all at the same time. Fluids dripped from it. It had pincers in the front for combat, as well as a horn on the human portion of its head. Other parts were made of metal, mainly the parts easiest to reach with a weapon. The saving grace was that the human portion appeared to be a vulnerable spot. The problem was that it was too high to reach with any leverage. I'd have to jump and swing my sword at the same time.
"Target obtained," it said mechanically. "Destroy."
I was a bit hurt that Tamamo would unleash this thing on me. Wasn't she supposed to be the nicest of the Heavenly Knights? She had warned me, though. I summoned Gnome due to the thing's sheer size.
"Target locked. Deploy tentacles."
As if the creature didn't have enough weapons, tentacles exploded out of every part of its body, aimed directly at me! They hit me with a great deal of force, knocking me back. Without Gnome, that would have pulverized me! I resolved to pay Tamamo back for that when I found her. I'd assumed that our duel would at least be friendly and not too horrifying, but apparently she was playing for keeps. I'd have to show some of these monsters that I could "chastise" as well as they could.
To my surprise, the tentacles had disappeared after hitting me. I realized that they must be made of energy, not actually built into the creature. I retaliated with Earth Rumbling Decapitation, fully backed by the power of the earth. That hurt it. It also confused it. It began rampaging around, knocking down columns, damaging walls, and me as well. But the attack was random. I got several more good hits in on various parts of its body as it rumbled around the large room.
Then it roared. The whole room seemed to shake even more. I was getting as disoriented as it was. I staggered around the room, holding my ears, trying to get my bearings again. Apparently it had recovered its own bearings, as I felt more than heard the rumbling sound behind me. Adding Sylph to the mix, I dodged out of its way, causing it to crash into another wall. It was doing itself more damage than I was!
I heard it say something, but my ears were still ringing so I never did make it out. Whatever it said, it must have been activating another one of its weapons: that semen extractor on its tail. As disgusting as it looked, it also looked exciting. It went for my groin. I dodged it and struck at it with my sword. It flailed around for a few seconds before returning to its resting position. This thing was strong! Normally a strike on the tail that hard would have paralyzed it!
By then my hearing was starting to return because the next thing I heard it say was, "Incinerate." I dove back as it breathed a stream of fire at me. I wondered why it was telegraphing its attacks like that. I speculated that perhaps that was what its settings were the last time it was used. Tamamo wouldn't have had time to change them before deploying it, assuming she even knew how to operate it aside from turning it on.
Hey, turning it on! Maybe it has an off switch? I thought. I had to guess it probably did not. A weapon like this was probably activated in such a way that the user had to either use magic or a special code. Otherwise an opponent could just flip its switch. Still, maybe it was worth looking for some way to shut it down. I summoned Undine and entered the flow.
The first thing I saw was that it was going to breathe fire at me again. I didn't have to worry about that. The flow would push me away with little effort. I only had to go with it. What was interesting was that the flow was directing my sword to a point on its body. It didn't look like the weakest point. It was heavily armored. I'd been expecting the flow to direct me towards its human torso. I had no other choice. This was one of those times when I had to take a calculated risk. I would not be able to summon Sylph or Gnome for a few minutes after this. Without them I wouldn't have a few minutes. This hit would either win the fight for me or I would die here.
The Giganto Weapon fired its flame at me again. The flow directed me out of the flames' path. I struck back with lightning speed at the point the flow directed me. It penetrated the armor, my sword wedged in solidly. The instant my sword penetrated, the thing's eyes flashed.
I regained consciousness seconds later, lying on my back. Had I…? Yes, I had. The Giganto Weapon hadn't been budged, but it was smoking from several areas of its body. It teetered, uttering indecipherable commands, then fell over onto its side.
So that's what the flow had directed me towards! There was no on/off switch I could reach, but I could trigger its eye weapon! Which in turn triggered my weird power and busted Tamamo's machine! How many more types of attacks did this thing have that I never even saw?
Retrieving my sword with some difficulty from where it had been wedged, I began to walk away from the creature. Then I heard it. It was rising again. What's more, it had stopped smoking. It wasn't over yet! I readied myself to continue the fight.
"Luka!" Salamander said in my head. "That thing is capable of regeneration! You can't use Vaporizing Rebellion Sword, but you need to come as close as you can if you want to finish that thing off! Infuse your sword with my fire and then try to do a Death Sword Chaos Star! Only faster! As fast as you can! As hard as you can! Don't worry about control! Speed and power!"
I did as Salamander directed. My sword blazed to life. Stopping in front of the Giganto Weapon, I unleashed my best approximation of Granberia's ultimate move. If she was watching somehow, she probably would have grimaced at the lack of grace in my execution. But it got the job done. Now billowing even more smoke from its innards, it collapsed.
Nothing else challenged me as I roamed through the castle looking for the Four Heavenly Knights. I found myself getting lost, backtracking, even going in circles at one point, but eventually I made my way into a great hall. Waiting for me in that great hall were the Four Heavenly Knights. I'd never seen all four together before. It was quite a moment. I decided to take it all in. Four of the most powerful beings in this world were arrayed in front of me. And they were here for me. That should have intimidated me but instead I felt honored. It was as if this was the culmination not just of a quest, but my entire life.
"Welcome, Luka boy!" Alma Elma said cheerily. "I didn't think you'd make it!"
"You defeated the Giganto Weapon," Tamamo said. "I'm surprised."
"So you wasted all your time coming here just to be disposed of by us," Erubetie said. "You're a strange one, indeed."
Granberia just stared at me intently.
"I didn't come here just to fight you," I declared. "I came to get you to stop harassing humans. I'm sure you all know that I want to see humans and monsters get along. All through my journey, positive steps have been taken in that direction. But none of that matters if Ilias Continent is being economically strangled, or if you go rampaging around there destroying Ilias churches and temples! Even if I lose here today, I implore you to stop. Lift the blockade! Find another way!"
"Sorry, Luka-boy, no can do," Alma Elma replied. "If we don't threaten humans with our power every so often, they'll eventually start to go around killing weaker monsters everywhere."
"Humans look upon us with nothing but hostility in most places," Tamamo agreed. "As long as that hatred is there, we'll be forced to use our power."
"After all the torment humans have put us through, how can you say that now?" said Erubetie.
"You wasted your time if that's all you came here to say," said Granberia.
"I've heard that monsters respect power," I said. "I had to prove my power to the four spirits in order to get them to join me. If I have to demonstrate my power to get you to change your behavior, then that's what I'll do."
"You're right," Alma Elma said. "Defeating us is one way to persuade us. If you can really defeat me, I'll think about lifting the blockade."
Alma Elma stepped in front of me. Was she going to be my first opponent? I wonder why they all didn't attack?
"Why just you, Alma Elma? How come the others aren't joining in? Is this a matter of honor for you four?"
"There's that," Alma Elma admitted. "But three of us want you as our plaything. Erubetie just wants you executed. Since we couldn't agree on what to do with you, Luka-boy, whoever defeats you, their will prevails. Do you know what I'm going to do with you when I beat you?"
"I assume violate me until my mind cracks?" I said.
"Oh silly boy, that was so last month!" she replied. "I've got a whole new point of view when it comes to you. Now I want to make you love me!"
"Do you even know what love is, Alma Elma?"
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "Luka-boy still doesn't like me very much! Maybe it wouldn't be real love, but I no longer want to kill you or break you. I want to make you addicted to me. To crave nothing but my body. To serve my every whim just so that I'll give you the hellish pleasures that only the greatest of the succubi can give. You'd never go home because you'd never want to. You'll be mine forever."
I drew my sword and took a fighting stance. This wasn't the coliseum. I was not going to be fooled into wrestling her. The last thing I needed was her touching me, especially since she was not going to be keeping me from coming just for fun. I knew that she would be going all out to defeat me as quickly as possible.
Using her own unparalleled speed, she pantsed me, then disappeared. I heard her giggling. Was she invisible, or just moving too fast for me? I gave myself to the flow. Matching her with Sylph would just result in us chasing each other all over the room, wearing me and Sylph out. With Undine's power I could see where she was going to be coming from. As if in slow motion despite her great speed, I saw her reappearing, her hand reaching for my penis. I gave myself to the flow, expecting to be pushed away. Instead, I was brought out of the flow with her hand on my penis and her other arm pressing me close to her. She kissed me as she stroked me. I pulled away and slashed at her, but she was already gone again.
"It looks like my wind is faster than your water, Luka-boy," she mocked, still invisible to me. "It doesn't matter If you know exactly how I'm attacking if it comes too fast for the flow to carry you away from me."
She reappeared suddenly on her knees and sucked my penis into her mouth, pumping furiously. I slashed at her body, but she was already gone again.
"You're a lot better with the wind than you used to be," she said. "But you still don't really listen to it enough. That's why you're still not as fast as me even when you summon Sylph."
I wasn't listening to the wind? I was sure I was. Sylph piped up in my head. "Luka, I think I understand what she's saying! It hasn't been you, it's been me! I hadn't been serious about keeping up my skills over the last 500 years. I'd been having too much fun! I am the spirit of the wind! No mere mortal should be faster than me! The fact that Alma Elma is besting me is an affront that cannot stand! Summon me again and I'll lend you my true power!"
I did as Sylph directed. The difference was immense. Instead of a wind, it felt like there was a hurricane inside me! "There you go, Luka-boy!" Alma Elma shouted. "Now let's see who is faster!"
This wasn't the fight I'd wanted to have with her. It was on her terms, not mine. But I had to go with it now. We raced around the room faster than the eye could follow, me trying to hit her with my sword, her trying to use pleasure attacks. Neither of us got anything but air.
"Hehe," she said. "It looks like we're about even now."
If she thought that, she wasn't paying close enough attention. Sylph was indeed the wind spirit. Expecting a succubus to use the element of wind better than the wind spirit would be like expecting a slug girl to be better at the sexual arts than a succubus. All that Sylph had needed to unleash her full potential was the right motivation. As if spurred on by Alma Elma's taunts, Sylph increased her power even further. I was driving, but Sylph was controlling the nitro button. I managed to hit Alma Elma. It was a direct hit, too. "Ouch!" she said. "You hit me!"
She stopped. I did as well. "Oh well, there's three more after me so I'll give this victory to you."
Was it really going to be that easy? "Alma Elma, does this mean you agree to lift the blockade?"
"Of course not, Luka-boy!" she said. "Why would I do that? Just because you won a little meaningless victory over me?"
"That's what I'm fighting for though!" I shouted. "I'm not here to have a contest with you! This isn't the coliseum! If I have to seal you to get the blockade lifted, I will! Is that what it's going to take?!"
"Oh, you've turned into quite the hero, Luka-boy," she said. "So you want a real fight, then? All right. Let's do this for real."
She started slowly disrobing. What was she doing? Was she going to fight me naked?
"I'm not wrestling you," I said.
"As you said, this isn't the coliseum," Alma Elma said. "We're playing for keeps here. I'm afraid that means I might have to break you after all. I've never fought you as the Queen succubus. You've never fought me as a hero. The first time you were just a scared kid. The second time it was a game. Now it's real. Are you ready for the real, Luka-boy? I'm going to show you the full power of the Queen Succubus."
I readied myself. She made a few moves which I read as feints, before getting behind me with her wind-driven speed and stroking me while her breasts pressed against my back, her breath in my ear. She tripped me, falling on top of me, my penis sandwiched between her breasts. I tried to push her off me, but she was already up, her foot rubbing my dick. I tried to rise and she kicked me down again, which she followed by bringing her leg down around my penis, tucking it into the crook of her knee. Before I could try something else, her entire body was on top of me, my penis now between her thighs. I knew what was probably coming next. I rolled, then showed some agility of my own, shifting to side control. I realized that I was still fighting her fight. I hadn't wanted to wrestle a naked succubus but I was in that position regardless. I had to figure out a way to dictate the tempo. But for the moment I needed time to think, which meant holding onto her, as dangerous as that was. Even in side control she wouldn't let me rest. Her hand reached out for my penis. She couldn't grasp it, but she could caress it, which is all a succubus needed. I let her go and tried to compose myself. I retrieved my sword. Alma Elma was still on the ground, lying there naked.
"Why don't we just make this easy, Luka-boy?" she said fetchingly. "Come back down here and just thrust your cock into me. You've experienced so much on your journey, but nothing, not even the Monster Lord, compares to a succubus' pussy. Can you really go your whole life without ever finding out?"
"You know I'm beyond those temptations now," I said.
"I knew you wouldn't do it, but I know it's on your mind now," she said, rising. "I'll bet you can't stop imagining what it must be like. It's the only part of me you haven't experienced yet. I just wanted you to have that on your mind so that you can't concentrate."
I struck at her with my sword. She didn't move out of the way. Was her wind power exhausted for the moment? Sylph was, so I was tapped out as well for now. Gnome was still fresh, however, so I summoned her power. I wasn't sure how much I'd need it with the light and not terribly strong succubus, but it couldn't hurt to break out of holds faster. That proved to be a wise decision, because she had taken the hit so that she could wrap herself around me. She planted a passionate kiss on me. Her magic was strong. If not for my devotion to Alice, I probably would have surrendered to her. As it was, it became even harder to think. I threw her off of me and tried to get my bearings again. She still hadn't brought her tail into play, but this was the time for it. It sucked in my penis and started draining my energy, as well as bringing me closer to the edge. She committed to it, because I struck at it with my sword and she kept it latched on even as I hit it. Once, twice, three times. The tail stayed latched on. She was determined to finish me with it. I went for her body instead. She blocked my sword between her two hands.
"Time to come, my little toy," she said playfully, giving my penis an extra tight squeeze with her tail.
Dropping my sword, I grabbed the base of my penis with one hand and her tail with the other and pried it off. With an audible pop it released me. It had nearly defeated me. As it was, I was weakened by its energy draining properties. I could see her powering up her wind again. It was looking hopeless. With nothing better to try, I picked up my sword, resummoned Sylph, and we resumed our merry chase around the great hall.
I didn't win that fight, Sylph did. All the time she'd been with me, she'd been flighty and unserious, much like Alma Elma herself. Now she was determined. She was the spirit of wind. No one was going to blow harder or faster than her, not even a Heavenly Knight. She practically took control of me as I chased Alma Elma around. It was almost like going with the flow. Now she was driving more than I was. I struck Alma Elma again and again, my wind now much faster than her own.
Salamander decided to join the party. "Luka, I know we're going fast but you can't beat her with normal attacks before Sylph runs out of energy! Use that wind-driven sword skill you were taught! Lightning Sword Flash! When you hit her with that, it should stun her! Then finish her with Death Sword Chaos Star!"
I did as Salamander instructed. Alma Elma cried out as my wind-powered sword technique struck her. Her wind power dissipated. I stopped as well. She stood before me, staggering and naked, her face no longer mocking me. I began to perform Death Sword Chaos Star to finish the fight. But I got too woozy to perform the move. Too much energy had been drained from me and Sylph was no longer driving my carcass around. The wind spirit wasn't done, but she was resting for the moment.
"Normally I'd want to give up, Luka," Alma Elma said. "But I guess we're being serious right now, aren't we? We're both at our limit. Your sword drains energy too, as you know. I've lost even more than you have. Rather than do one more runaround with our wind, what do you say to a little contest? A contest fit for a succubus?"
"What did you have in mind?" I asked. Sylph had been determined, but she was clearly exhausted. I knew she'd do her best if it came down to another merry chase around the hall, but I had relied on her enough for the time being, and I would need her again. There were still three more opponents.
"I bet I can make you come in 30 seconds," she said. "you get to choose what I use to do it. If you can last 30 seconds, I'll give up. No more blockade. If you lose, well…. You'll be unable to resist anymore anyway."
I thought about it. "Choose quickly, Luka!" she said. "Not fair stalling so you can recover! I know you're close to coming right now. I'll give you no more than a minute to choose. Then I go with my wind again."
"All right," I said. "I choose your feet."
Of all the things I could imagine, feet probably appealed to me the least. I'd enjoyed the foot job of the Priestess in Plansect forest, but it hadn't been that intense, just pleasant. I knew better than to let the succubus use her mouth or hand on me, or any penetrative opening like her tail or heaven forbid her vagina. I assumed that being a smartass and suggesting an armpit might not be appropriate, or even worse that she might have a special technique for that. No, go with feet. That seemed the safest bet. If any bet was safe where a succubus was concerned.
"Oh, a footjob, eh?" she said. "I'm assuming you DON'T have a foot fetish if you chose that. Or maybe you do and have decided to accept your defeat? Oh well, it doesn't matter. Assume a position, any position."
I decided to just lay down on the ground. I would need to be relaxed to hold out. It was only 30 seconds. Surely I could handle thirty seconds of those soft, lovely..... I shook my head to clear it of such thoughts. She laid down opposite me and put her feet in the air, making sure I also got a good look at her dripping pussy. Then she said, "We start… now!"
Her feet came together and began to rub me. There was no skill this woman couldn't perform with expertise. Her feet worked on me as well as most womens' hands would have, her toes stimulating me just under the head while the flat of her other foot rubbed comfortably on the backside. I kept count in my head, hoping the counting would distract me from the pleasure. 5 seconds… 10 seconds… 15 seconds…. I thought she would pick up the pace to try to pull out the win, but she seemed confident in her technique. She was not getting impatient. 20 seconds… I felt the orgasm coming. I clenched my pelvic floor muscles, trying to stop it. The feeling subsided. 25 seconds…. 30! She was still rubbing. Why was she still rubbing!? The orgasm was getting close to being unstoppable.
Then she stopped. "It looks like you won, Luka-boy," she said. "you looked surprised there at the end. Were you counting too fast? You must have been. I saw the sweat on your forehead."
I gasped in relief. "Was that really only 30 seconds?"
"Sure was, Luka," Tamamo chirped. "I was counting too. Exactly 30 by my count."
Alma Elma reached down and helped me up. "I'd finish you, but, umm… well, you've got three more opponents. But you beat me, so I guess I have to do what you say even if you lose. The blockade is lifted. You can be certain of that even if you lose to one of the others. I'm not against coexistence. I just don't think it's possible. Since you won, I'll try to do it your way for awhile. I won't go back to what I was doing before until humans make it clear through their actions that coexistence is indeed impossible."
"Thank you," I said. I put my hands on my knees. I had three more opponents to go. But I took heart knowing that Alma Elma was the toughest matchup for me. The other three were probably going to be uninterested in pleasure attacks. I was unhurt physically, if a little winded. Then I remembered that the Knights were nothing if not adaptive. Even if pleasure attacks weren't the preference of the other three, it would be hard to resist such an easy target as I was at the moment. Especially Tamamo with her tails.
As if sensing my weakness, Tamamo came forward. "You're quite something, to defeat Alma Elma."
One of her tails shot out, aiming for my penis. She was going for the finish right away! I desperately moved to the side. Without even halting the momentum of her tail, it whipped against my butt painfully. "Ow!" I said.
Tamamo giggled. "It wasn't what I was going for, but it was still fun! I guess you've figured out that I don't care about playing fair today. C'mon, Luka, you know you want to lose to me! Erubetie is next. If you lose to her it's curtains for you. All you gotta do is let my tail please you. The blockade is already lifted. That's most of what you wanted. Ilias Continent can trade again."
She was right. Granberia would still be doing things, but what she was doing was not damaging to anything but the Ilias faith. Why should I risk death for them? If I had been there just to accomplish the liberation of Ilias continent from economic strangulation, then I probably would have surrendered to Tamamo. But I was here for another reason: to prove my strength to Alice so that she would marry me. That was why she trained me. That was why she suggested I get the spirits. That was why she had escorted me to her castle. That was why she was presumably awaiting me in her throne room.
"No, Tamamo," I said. "I need to beat all of you."
Tamamo's smile disappeared. "Why, Luka?!" she yelled. "This is insane! I'm not doing anything! Erubetie is just secluding herself away from humanity! Granberia's only pestering the Ilias followers! You don't need to fight anymore! What possible reason could you have for doing this? Pride? Maybe you just want another crack at Granberia? Nothing good can come of this!"
"I think a lot of good can come of this," I shot back. "I have my reasons. I'm not giving up yet."
"Luka, please!" she pleaded. "I can't tell you why, but if you keep this up something terrible is going to happen! You have to stop!"
That gave me pause. Tamamo was very old and wise despite her childlike appearance. She was spooked about something. But she'd also said she wasn't playing fair. Maybe she was trying to trick me?
"Tell me why you're so upset about me continuing," I said. "If you tell me, and I agree with your reasoning, I'll stop. I'll surrender myself to you."
She seemed to briefly consider, then hung her head. "I can't," she said sorrowfully. "It would betray a trust. If you won't just believe me, then I guess we have no choice but to fight."
"I guess that's how it has to be, then," I said.
Now committed to battle, her sunny disposition returned. "The moon is the source of kitsunes' power," she said. "And today is a full moon. Don't you believe in destiny now, Luka? Maybe it's your destiny to be mine forever. Otherwise why would you be facing me when my power is at its peak?"
I'd already considered the possibility that my fate might not be what I thought it was. Tamamo was a sweet lady. If it was my destiny to be the lover of the most powerful kitsune in the world, that didn't sound so bad.
She breathed in the power of the earth. "My tiny body is full of earthpower now," she said. "Do you think you can possibly damage me?"
I summoned my own earth power as well. I was tired and so was Sylph. The best I could hope for was to endure whatever Tamamo had planned until I could get my second wind. Tamamo leaped forward and punched me in the chest. It nearly broke my sternum. I was thrown back, landing with a thud on the floor.
"Sylph," I thought in my head. "I know we're both tired, but I can't win without you."
"I won't fail you, Luka," she assured me. "Do it, I'm ready!"
I summoned Sylph. I was still only playing with two elements at once when I needed to be able to use all four, but at least now I could dodge Tamamo's hammer blows. She tried another punch, but I avoided it. I counterattacked, hitting her several times with lightning fast sword strikes. No cuts appeared on her body. It was like striking a rock.
"Toldja you couldn't hurt me!" she laughed, then swung a tail at me with her entire body behind it. I ducked. The column behind me was obliterated. I was getting the feeling she would settle for pulverizing me if necessary.
I went with the most devastating attack I knew that could be pulled off quickly. I infused my sword with fire and performed Death Sword Chaos Star. She just laughed and took the blows. The blows did more damage to me than to her as my arms vibrated painfully. She tucked herself into a ball and rolled towards me. I leaped over her, as she crashed into the wall, bringing the wall down.
"Excuse, me Tamamo?" Alma Elma said. "Would you please stop destroying the castle?"
"Just who do you think is going to fix this?" Erubetie agreed.
"Why, Luka of course," Tamamo replied. "After I defeat him, he'll be my slave. I'll make him repair it."
She'd have to teach me how, first. I had no aptitude with tools. I don't know if she knew that or not, but she did seem to decide that perhaps she should stop wrecking the place and grabbed me with her tails. "Caught you. Now that you're caught you have no chance of victory. My earth power and my natural strength are greater than yours. There's no way you can break out. You can still surrender. If you don't, I'll just keep on tightening until you pass out."
Gnome withdrew her power. Although she didn't speak, I could sense her urging me to summon her again. Sylph helpfully explained. "Like me, Gnomey let her skills lapse a bit in the last few hundred years. She never thought she'd give her power to a human again. She just wanted to play with her dolls and be left alone. But now she's angry. Someone else is using her power better than she can. Let her drive, like you did me! She'll beat that kitsune, I guarantee it!"
I resummoned Gnome. Strength flooded my body. I felt like the Hulk. Powering out of the kitsune's tail hold, I ripped a huge chunk of fluffy hair out.
"Ahhh!" Tamamo cried. "My fluffy tails!"
With but a thought, her tail was restored to its former fluffy glory. Enraged, she swung at me. She connected solidly with my jaw. My jaw didn't even move. It felt like I'd been punched by a toddler.
"Argh!!" she cried, frustrated. "That Gnome is so moody! I know she's the one doing this! Well if I can't hurt you with physical attacks, I guess I have to resort to pleasure attacks again."
She reached out with her hand to grab my penis. I jumped back and then jumped forward again to deliver a fast thrust. Backed up by Gnome and Sylph, it actually did a little damage.
"Ouch!" Tamamo said. "I'd forgotten what it was like to actually be hurt!"
She ran at me and leaped. Instead of avoiding her little body, I instinctively caught it, failing to brace myself. That was a mistake, as her earthpower enhanced weight bore me down to the ground. Pinning me down, I felt at least two tails start to wind around my penis. But Gnome was determined to win. I lifted her off of me as easily as a child.
For the first time she retreated, putting some distance between us so that she could rely on a more typical kitsune offense. She struck at me with her tails, while at the same time using some for pleasure attacks. I was winning now, forcing her to change tactics because nothing she was doing was working anymore. This would be no different. I'd seen this style of attack twice before. Even with the additional tail and her power of the earth, she couldn't hold me at bay. My earth power was now stronger than hers, just as my wind power had been stronger than Alma Elma's. No matter how skilled one got in learning the elements, it was impossible to match the very spirit of that element if that spirit was determined to win.
I expected a version of the attack that had been used on me before, a nine tail pleasure attack. But I never saw her focus any magic. Instead, she used an earth powered tail to crack open the ceiling. Moonlight streamed into the room. "This is my secret skill!" she said, spreading out her nine tails. Was this a variation on the ultimate attack I'd seen from Nanabi and Yao? Each of her tails began to shine as the moonlight infused them. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it was dangerous.
When her tails became almost blinding in their brightness, she pointed them at me. Sylph, don't let me down, I thought. The tails fired a beam of light right at me. Tamamo's a living laser cannon?! Sylph didn't let me down. I dodged as the focused light blew another hole in yet another wall. Tamamo looked quite disappointed. And then she fell over, face first.
I stood ready, waiting for her to rise. She didn't budge. Was she unconscious? I rushed over to her and turned her over, foolishly not remembering that she had said she wasn't playing fair. But she wasn't playing possum. She stared up at me with bleary eyes.
"I give up, Luka," she said. "I can't fight anymore. That was all I had left. I failed. I'll ally myself with you to make a better world. I always hoped for that myself, anyway. I just couldn't let you hurt Alice."
"I'm not going to hurt Alice," I said, cradling Tamamo's head. "I'm only here to make the Heavenly Knights stop harassing humans."
She started to cry. "I know, Luka, I know. Whatever happens, do your best to fulfill that dream. I'll try to help you any way I can."
I released Tamamo, allowing her to lie as comfortably as possible on the ground. She was clearly unhurt, but spent. Erubetie stepped forward.
"I must apologize to both you and Granberia," Erubetie said. "I know that you both long to cross swords with one another a final time. I'm afraid that won't happen. Your dreams are foolish. I will take up the mantle Alma Elma has discarded. I will destroy the humans one by one, starting with you."
I rose to face Erubetie. "Then we are enemies," I said. "The only way for me to stop you is to defeat you, perhaps even seal you."
"Perhaps." she said. "I have no interest in conversing further with you. It is time for you to die!"
The battle was joined. I summoned Gnome, expecting an immediate wave attack. That's exactly what came. Even with Gnome, it hit me with a great deal of force. When it passed, I leaped in and struck at Erubetie as I had the first slime I ever faced, striking her again and again. She vainly attempted other tactics. She tried to throw herself at me to absorb me or smother me. She shot out pieces of herself to attempt to restrain me. I had expected this to be difficult. Slimes were troublesome, after all. Perhaps my knowledge that she sought my death made me fear her more than was justified. The primary strength of a slime was her near invincibility. But Angel Halo could not only hit her, but weaken her until she was sealed. A slime was not used to evading attacks. Eurbetie was just standing there and taking them. My flurry of hits had already taken its toll. She backed off, tried to put some distance between us.
"Erubetie," I addressed her, trying to take advantage of the break in the action. "Have you tried directly appealing to humans? Telling them how your race has suffered?"
"What could humans possibly understand about our pain?"
"They might surprise you," I said. "It's clear that you've never even tried. At the very least you'd have allies among us. People like me, who don't want to see monsters harmed by human development."
"Understand! Coexistence! I'm sick of those hypocritical words! Is that why you fight? So you can oversee your own hypocrisy?!"
"I believe what I believe," I responded. "But I don't think that you believe your own nonsense. You are the hypocrite here. You can't be both a victim and an aggressor. You believe you are stronger than the humans, that you can defeat them? Kill them one by one? If that's true, then the power lies with you, not the humans. And you'd use that power to dominate them. To do precisely what they are doing to you. Except they are doing it unintentionally. They hurt your people out of ignorance. You'd respond to that by killing them instead of trying to get them to stop? You think you're a victim, and yet you think humans are beneath you. Not even worth talking to! I met a man a few days ago who thinks just like you. He said that monsters and humans can never get along because monsters are more powerful."
"He sounds like a smart man," she replied. "Humans should be scared of us! We'll educate you with fear! Until it's ingrained in humanity's mind to never trifle with us!"
"Educate us with fear?" I said in disbelief. "The fear is already there! That's the whole reason humans hurt monsters already! All you'd accomplish by attacking them is to increase the fear! Increase the hate! And it wouldn't even work! They'd figure out soon enough how to destroy you all! Just poison the water even more!"
"Enough! I have no patience for this!"
She threw another wave at me. It hit again like a concrete wall, but infused with earth power as I was, it couldn't do much real damage. The wave was just a distraction, however. Moving faster than I had thought her capable of, she got behind me and pulled me into her. I started struggling. With Gnome's aid, I was pulling myself free. That's when she divided herself and enveloped me from the front as well. I became the meat portion of an Erubetie sandwich.
I didn't expect a pleasure attack. I thought she hated humans too much to indulge in such foolishness. Yet her slime began to work on my penis. She was going to subdue me, then dissolve me! With a last big effort, I exploded out of her. If it caused her any discomfort, she didn't show it. She pulled herself back together and reformed.
"I was going to give you some pleasure before I killed you," she said. "You should be honored. Your words have at least reached me enough that I confess to not hating you personally. Only what you represent."
"What's wrong with what I represent?" I asked. "What do you think revenge will ever get you? The humans will just respond in kind!"
"So be it," she said. "I cannot be turned from my wish to dominate the humans. Only through fear can we ever be safe again."
"Then I'll just have to stop you!" I declared. I charged at her, swinging my sword again and again. I was surprised that she still made no attempt to evade my blows. I'd seen her move quickly to get behind me. I'd seen her divide herself. Yet she just stood there going toe to toe with me. But my sword was taking far more out of her than her slime attacks were taking out of me. This fight was surprisingly unequal.
"Do you think you can defeat me by swinging a sword?" she said. "Even an enchanted sword?"
She divided again. And again. And again. I struck at one of them. It collapsed. She simply reabsorbed herself and reformed it using different slime.
"You can weaken me with that sword, but I can neutralize its effects by creating copies of myself. As you destroy the copies, I just reabsorb the dead slime until it regenerates. You can never defeat them faster than I create them. Surrender now, and I will let you meet your end pleasurably."
Salamander got my attention. "Luka! Infuse your sword with fire! It will do more damage!"
I did. I couldn't tell the difference. Erubetie just continued to reabsorb her fallen copies and recreate them. I struck at what I thought was her main body. It went down, but was simply reabsorbed by a copy and reformed.
"Did you think my copies were not me? I assure you, we are all me. If you strike down one, the others will simply create a new me. You cannot win!"
I was getting worried. This was the true power of a Heavenly Knight that Alice had warned me about. A normal slime had almost no defense against a warrior with an enchanted sword. Erubetie, being a renowned Heavenly Knight, was demonstrating her resourcefulness. It seemed she had me checkmated just as I thought I was close to victory.
"Okay, that wasn't quite good enough!" Salamander said. "But there's still another thing we can try! But you need to use Undine and I together! I know it'll be hard, but it's life or death here! You need to find that serene place again and yet transfer all of your fighting spirit into your sword! We'll try to help you as Sylph and Gnome did! Not going to let those two show us up!"
Undine agreed. "Enter the flow, Luka! I know your concentration gets broken when you're hit, but I'll try to hold you in there a little longer!"
I entered the flow. As soon as I was there, I ignored Erubetie's attacks, hoping that the flow would push me out of their way while I concentrated on imbuing my sword with my fighting spirit. The sword lit up even brighter than before. I felt myself being carried around on the flow as Erubetie struck at me with varying slime attacks. A couple even hit. Nevertheless, Undine held me inside the flow as firmly as she had held me within her body while testing me.
"You've done it, Luka! Now you can use all four spirits at once! Call Gnome and Sylph again!"
I did. I felt like I was a juggernaut of power, unhittable, unhurtable. I struck at Erubetie's forms all at once. The onslaught made her scream in despair. She reformed back into one body. That one body sagged, barely able to hold itself together. It was a good thing too, because now all four spirits were exhausted. Erubetie was tough. Even with all four spirits summoned, I'd had to strike at her dozens of times to bring her to the point of defeat. The spirits still had to work on their stamina.
"No! It is not over yet! For the sake of my race, I will defeat you!"
She threw herself at me as best she could given all the deadweight she was carrying within her and wrapped around me.
"Why are you still fighting?!" I yelled. "You can't win! You can barely hold yourself together!"
"I'm going to blow myself up, with you right here with me!"
I struggled to get her off of me. Could she actually do that?
"This isn't just mere self destruction," she explained. "it's an ultimate skill, designed to turn every piece of my body into pure energy. Not a single cell will remain of you."
"Erubetie, what are you thinking?!" shouted Alma Elma. "You won't just kill yourself and Luka, you'll destroy the whole castle!"
"Erubetie, you stop that right now!" Tamamo ordered.
"Leave this continent quickly," Erubetie said. "I am well aware of my destructive power. All of Hellgondo will be devastated. Let's count down, Luka, we'll meet oblivion together!"
"Erubetie, this is pointless! Don't you see what your hate and anger has done to you?! You're willing to kill who knows how many innocent monsters! The Knights can teleport away, but those innocent monsters can't! They'll all die! Is this how you protect your kind?"
Her glowing died down. "I cannot do it," she said. "It is pointless."
"I actually convinced you?" I said, surprised.
"Not at all," she replied. "I simply realized that no one would benefit if we both died here. This useless fight is over. Granberia will dispose of you. You have changed nothing as it concerns me. You have shown me your strength, but I make no future guarantees to you regarding my actions."
The fight with Erubetie was over, but unlike the battles with Alma Elma and Tamamo, it seemed that nothing had been settled. I decided not to push the issue for now. Erubetie would probably just return to the spring. If not, I'd have to deal with that when the time came. For now it was just me and Granberia. I knew that if I beat her I'd have nothing to worry about as far as she was concerned. She would honor my victory with her promise to not attack human cities anymore.
"I guess it's just us now," I said.
"Yes," Granberia acknowledged. "I'm last. You know, we cast lots to determine what order we'd go in. I refused to participate. I wanted you last."
"That's taking quite a chance, Granberia," I said. "Didn't you want to claim me more than any of the others?"
"I do," she replied. "Something about being the last one you had to face just felt right. I had faith in you. It appears my faith was justified. Beating three Heavenly Knights is an incredible accomplishment. No matter what happens next, you are a legend. Even Heinrich didn't have to face this big a challenge. Black Alice had ensured that there was no one even close to her in power, which left her with no help when the hero invaded this castle. Alipheese is far wiser. She has us to stand between her and any hero. Of course, you're no hero. I know you're not here to hurt Alice. For us, this is battle for the sake of battle. To test our skills against the very best."
"It's not about that for me at all," I said. "Don't get me wrong, I am honored that you consider me worthy of crossing swords with. But as you know, I fight for something bigger than that."
"Yes, coexistence. That wasn't what you started out doing, was it? I seem to recall that you set out to do something else."
"A few things, actually," I replied. "But when I saw you try to take over Iliasburg and Alma Elma imposing a blockade, it became my mission to defeat you. I did always want coexistence. I just never thought I'd achieve it through the use of my sword. I had counted on it being more talking, less fighting."
"Even peace is something that has to be fought for," Granberia argued. "I want peace as much as you do. I went along with Alma Elma because the heroes kept on making trouble for monsters all over the world. Eventually one might have become strong enough to threaten the Monster Lord. It had to be stopped. In that way, there would be peace. It worked as far as it went. No new heroes reached the Sentora continent in two years. I consider it the height of irony that the one who did wasn't even a real hero."
"I'm surprised you're talking so much to me," I said. "The last time we saw each other you said it would be our last chance to talk without our swords raised."
"Hmph," she said. "You just fought three Heavenly Knights. I don't want to beat you while you're tired. I don't know what got into Tamamo that she felt she needed to cheat, but I don't want that kind of victory. So I'll talk until you're ready. I want the same thing you do, Luka. I am a warrior, but I do not like fighting with hatred. I'd prefer to compete in the coliseum as Alma Elma does, if there was anyone worthy of me there. Alma Elma persuaded me to do things her way. You can persuade me to do things your way, if you defeat me."
"I think I'm ready, then."
She unsheathed her giant sword. "I don't know that this will be our last battle." she said. "It would be fitting if it was. I can't imagine that we'll ever have a contest with more at stake."
Salamander spoke up. "Luka, don't summon any of us until you need to! This is going to be a test of endurance! You'll need us at critical moments!"
"I'm no match for Granberia without your help!" I protested. "I mean, I can defend myself against her normal attacks but it's just a matter of time before she unleashes that ultimate move on me again!"
"I'm feeling a little left out here," Undine said, joining the conversation. "Sylph and Gnome really upped their game and Salamander's been giving you amazing advice. I think I have something to contribute myself. I think I can access and channel just enough of your hidden power to knock her back when she sets up that ultimate move. I can't do much more than that. I have no idea how this power doesn't consume you. I can only handle a small amount of it. But it could be enough to at least protect you from that awful move."
"Yes!" agreed Salamander. "Don't summon Undine at all for this fight. Leave her in reserve to defend against that move and that move only. Do your best against her as long as you can, then summon the other three of us when you think it's time to turn the tide."
"Okay," I said. "Thank you for the advice."
Granberia and I faced off, swords drawn. With a battle cry, she charged at me. I didn't yell anything, but I came forward as well to meet her challenge. Our swords clashed, the sound ringing all through the great hall. We backed off, each sizing the other up. Granberia thrust forward with a quick flurry, all of which were parried. I came back with a flurry of my own, which she too parried easily.
We seemed to stare at each other for an inordinately long time after those initial feeling out moves. I wondered if I should perhaps say something. I always was more of a talker than a fighter. But something about this staredown seemed important somehow. I think I'd read somewhere that a battle could be won or lost just from two warriors staring at each other. Either that or Granberia was just trying to stare me down, because as soon as I broke eye contact she came at me. My brief lack of attention almost cost me but I got my sword arm up in time, just barely. My counter unexpectedly hit. Had I just hit her without any spirits summoned? Must have been a fluke.
Whatever it was, Granberia apparently decided that it was time to join the battle in earnest. Wounding her always had increased her intensity. I marveled at how familiar we'd become with each other's styles. Every time she attacked me this way I found it easier to defend myself. Yet every time I counterattacked she seemed to be having a more difficult time. Was I improving faster than she was, even without the spirits? It seemed hard to believe, and yet I was seizing the initiative as often as she was. Every time she strung together an offensive flurry, I'd break her and force her on the defensive. Then I scored on her again. It wasn't a fluke! Granberia backed off.
"You're improvement is remarkable," she said. "No special moves, no spirits summoned and you're winning! I never would have thought it possible! One of these days we have to have a contest where we fight each other this way until a finish. Today, however, that's just foreplay. Now it's time to pull out all the stops!"
I sensed her summoning her full fire ability. Was she going to go straight to her ultimate move? I spotted the footwork. Yes, she was! I prepared to counter with my own approximation of it, knowing it would almost certainly fail. But Undine was true to her word. As the first strike hurtled towards me, Granberia was hit with an outpouring of power that knocked her off her feet. She landed flat on her back with a loud "oof!"
Rising, her face had a look of elation. "That's a new one!" she exulted. "I never sensed it coming! I knew you had something like that in you from Tamamo's reports, but I'd been under the impression you couldn't use it. Here, have a taste of mine!"
She reared her head back and fire shot out of her mouth! I'd never considered the possibility that as a dragonkin she might be able to do that! I fell down as if hit by a brushback pitch in a baseball game, some of my hair singed but otherwise unhurt. She folded her arms as she waited for me to get up.
"Got any more surprises?" she asked.
"Does this count?" I said, grabbing my iron sword out of its sheathe and throwing it at her. It wasn't even close, falling short of her and clattering at her feet.
"Seriously?" she said. "Let me show you how it's done."
She pulled a knife from her hip and in one fluid motion threw it at me. I caught it by the hilt. That was the second time I'd done something like that. How the hell am I doing that? I thought. Granberia was just as surprised.
"Now that's amazing!" she said. "You seem as surprised as me. Your reflexes are something to behold!"
She charged at me again, unleashing a ferocious attack that mixed in her normal offense with special moves. It seemed that the main part of the fight had begun. If the early flurries had been a clinic in swordplay, this was sheer brutality. She was being more aggressive than ever, giving up some of her defense in order to hit me more. In that, she succeeded, cutting my left shoulder, my right hip, and a vicious thrust that would have taken a chunk out of my side if her sword had not been enchanted to prevent such gory wounds. I made her pay a price for it. Her neck, her sword arm, her own left shoulder, and her only really vulnerable part, her upper chest, all had glowing, energy leaking wounds. She was pursuing a strategy to end the fight quickly, one way or the other. It would be either her or me.
That meant it was time. I summoned Salamander, Sylph, and Gnome and went on the offensive. Now Granberia was hard pressed. Back, back, she was driven, desperately parrying my thrusts and swings, as if it was our first fight and our positions were reversed. Now she was completely on the defensive. But this was a wise strategy. She knew I couldn't keep them all in play for long. If I didn't end the fight soon, I had only Undine to fall back on, and all she was doing was making sure Granberia couldn't hit me with Vaporizing Rebellion Sword.
I almost pulled it off. I was sure I had her. I'd wounded her several more times. She was clearly growing weaker. For the past few minutes, she'd done nothing but try to keep herself in the fight. Gnome gave out first, reducing my power. Soon after, I lost Sylph. My enhanced speed was gone. Salamander, being the most dedicated to combat of the four spirits, was still very much in the fight, but at that point I could only use her power to enhance the damage I did. That only did me good if I could actually hit Granberia. I wasn't sure that I could anymore. Salamander, sensing this, pulled her power from me so that she could recharge.
"You can still win this, Luka!" Salamander yelled encouragingly. "You need to switch to the defensive! She's weakened, you can hold her off without us for a few minutes! Then when you can summon us again you can finish her!"
I'd never seen Granberia so tired and beaten up. I wasn't in great shape myself, but all things considered I was doing much better than I had in the volcano. I prepared myself. She was about to go on the offensive. I'd need every resource I possessed sans the spirits to withstand it. But the expected offensive never came. The swordswoman dropped to one knee, breathing hard. I thought for a moment that she might fall over. However, she steeled herself and rose again.
"I grow weary of this battle," she said. "I know that you have very little left as well. Well done, human. No man could ever do what you have done. I'm going to make you a similar offer to that which Alma Elma made you."
"You're going to try to make me ejaculate?" I asked. That wasn't like Granberia.
"No, idiot! A different kind of contest. Alma Elma's was befitting a true succubus. Mine is more befitting a true warrior. We'll each do our best move. One move, that's it! Whoever is left standing is the victor. No counters other than the move itself."
I wasn't sure about that one at all. Her ultimate move was one I couldn't counter, and I dreaded what it would do to me. I never wanted to experience that kind of pain again. That wasn't the only problem with a contest like that.
"My best move takes too long to set up," I protested.
"Do I look like I'm about to run a sprint?" she responded. "I'll wait. It will give me time to prepare myself. When you are ready, we will execute our moves. Whatever your big technique is, I will defeat it."
"Maybe we should just settle this by continuing our duel," I suggested.
She shook her head. "We've both given too much. As we are now, we'd be more likely to drop from exhaustion with the battle unresolved. Your defensive reflexes are too good, and your offensive flurries too brief. Neither of us can beat the other today. Given the stakes, we cannot fight to a draw. One must stand, one must fall! One day I'd like to challenge you to an endurance match like that. But today, I say one move to decide everything!"
"Okay," we were going to do this. I began the preparations for Quadruple Giga. If this worked, my victory was assured. If not, she was going to carve me up again and then I'd be hers forever. I concentrated harder than I ever had and began.
"Come, Sylph!" The power of wind entered my sword.
"A skill that attacks with a razor wind?" Granberia mused, rising to her feet. "No, that isn't it."
"Come, Gnome!" The power of earth took hold in my weapon.
"The power of earth as well?" she said, raising her sword. "Oh wait, it isn't over yet?"
"Come, Undine!" The power of water infused Angel Halo.
"I see," Granberia said. "So it's that kind of technique." She began to summon her fire.
"Come, Salamander!" Finally, the power of fire. My sword shook and bucked in my hands, flames and water shooting out in every direction.
Granberia shifted her feet to deliver her ultimate move. In a flash it came. As if controlled by fate itself, my own sword made contact with hers. I don't even remember controlling it consciously. It simply bucked in the direction of her initial strike of dozens to come.
She never got to the second strike. As soon as our swords made contact, a torrent of pure elemental force exploded into Granberia, flattening her. Her sword flew out of her hands, her helmet was ejected from her head. She had been flipped end over end, landing on her stomach about twenty feet away. She wasn't moving.
I sheathed my sword and ran to her. I turned her over. Her eyes were open, her face almost one of bliss. "That was…. Fantastic!" she said euphorically.
She waved off my attempts to assist her in getting up. It was incredible to me that she could take a hit like that and not lose consciousness. I had feared that I had killed her. She rose to her feet, unassisted, and faced me. In a mirror image of the end of our first battle in Iliasburg, she got to one knee.
"I acknowledge you as the victor today," she declared. "It has truly been an honor. As promised, I will cease my attacks on human cities. For now, I will try to do things your way."
I retrieved my iron sword and placed it back in its sheathe. I gathered up the pieces of Granberia's armor as well and handed them to her. I looked at the other three. Alma Elma's eyes were filled with admiration. Tamamo's with trepidation. Erubetie was just seething. I addressed them. "So we're all agreed that there will be no more attacks on humans? We will all try to work towards coexistence?"
"I already agreed," Alma Elma stated. "I'll say it again if I must. I can't change completely, I am a succubus, after all, but I will no longer make war on the humans. I'll limit myself to torturing bad men."
"I already wanted coexistence," said Tamamo. "I sincerely hope that this issue is considered settled. We've made a commitment here to do our utmost to bring about coexistence as the Monster Lord and her predecessor desired. I'm glad that we are all of one mind now."
"I am not in agreement," said Erubetie. "However, I recant what I said before. If you are all committed to this course, I shall not sabotage it. I am not yet convinced that I should actively aid you, but I will not stand in your way. I sincerely hope you succeed."
"Then it is settled," Granberia declared. "I will use my sword only to protect the weak from the strong, as Luka does."
"Isn't that what we were doing?" Alma Elma asked.
"We were stretching Alipheese's orders to their limits," Granberia responded. "Punishing humans who had never done us harm in order to prevent the creation of humans who would. I saw the error in that thinking quite some time ago, but felt that I needed to see our plan through until its conclusion. It is now concluded."
A bright light emerged from the throne room. An amplified version of Alice's voice rang out in the great hall. "Welcome, Luka, victor over my Heavenly Knights. No… Welcome, hero! Now appear before me! The Monster Lord who rules over the monster domain!"
This was it, the moment I'd been waiting for. New energy surged within me. I ran towards the throne room towards Alice's voice. One more battle, and then we'd be together forever! I had come to a fairytale world, a twisted one, but a fairytale world nonetheless, and I was running towards my happily ever after.
I failed to heed Tamamo's desperate shout behind me. "Luka, NO! WAIT!"