Nine days to the disintegration of the soul.
" It's absurd... I thought Leach and the Damned Condemnation were the overachievers, but compared to you, they bury their heads deep in the sand... "
Ramiel pressed his fingers to his temple, which was throbbing with pain. He was still recovering from last night's madness.
His wild dragon slept docilely, not even thinking about any effort anytime soon. All he craved was solitude and rest.
The passionate encounter with his beloved friend left a trauma in his mind for the rest of his life. Never again would he look at her in the same way. Not after what she did to him.
Like a whirlpool of water raging in the middle of the sea, she sucked all the white liquid out of him. She was very thorough in her actions, draining him of all his strength.
Asme's face was adorned with a beautiful, wide smile, revealing a row of snow-white teeth. The pupils of her blood-red eyes were crescent-shaped, forming a small island in the middle of the scarlet ocean.
The face of a tired man was reflected in the calm water's surface. The bags under his dull eyes spoke for themselves.
Asme was bursting with pride from inside. In her mind, she still had a fresh image of Ramiel begging her to stop. Finally, after so long, she had won an undisputed victory. This is something worth celebrating.
" Does this mean that I am in charge now? " Asme's tail understood perfectly the intentions of her mistress. Before Ramiel could react, it wrapped itself tightly around the man's torso at lightning speed.
" Eh... " A heavy sigh, tinged with a hint of resignation, escaped Ramiel's lips. He really didn't feel like playing childish pomp and games with Asme. Especially when he was barely alive, all he dreamed of was rest.
From not wanting to, he once again looked into the statistics of the naughty demoness.
| Status |
| Name Asme |
| Race Sukkub of the Blood Ice (First Phase) |
| Direction of Evolution - |
| Age 22 |
| Strength 35 > 58 |
| Stamina 33 > 62 |
| Vitality 26 > 70 |
| Agility 40 > 67 |
| Defense 22 > 50 (Ice 50% / Blood 10%) |
| Mana 66 > 80 |
| Compressed mana 0 |
| Intelligence 44 > 70 |
Asme's status was impressive for a man. Before, her stats were average and poorly balanced, but they looked surprisingly good after evolving. Starting with mana and ending with defense, everything looked excellent.
The defense stat works in a specific way. Along with it, the skin's resistance to any damage increases. To better illustrate this, let's compare hunters. Those of the highest rank can survive non-stop bombardment for several days.
But wait, wait, what about the shock wave ? Well, their internal organs are also less susceptible to external factors. As a result, they really can survive a lot.
The real threat, however, is the percentage of resistance to the element. 100% doesn't mean that one is invulnerable. Take the element of fire, for example. With 100 percent resistance, killing a creature on its own will take a month.
Its impact on them will be much less, but it still leaves a painful mark.
50% resistance to the ice element and 20% blood. Free jokes, it was far better than excellent. It was downright absurd. However, it was nothing compared to the vitality of 70 points.
From long experience, Ramiel knew how long it takes for hunters to lick their wounds. Although they were better than ordinary humans, it still took considerable time.
Discovering a wonderful thing called a status window, he guessed what the problem was.
Vitality
Vitality directly corresponds to the rate of wound regeneration, affecting cell metabolism. Consequently, it is the most difficult statistic to raise. Even after evolution, it is lower than other stats.
Asme was an exception. Her vitality was insanely high. Ramiel suspected it might have something to do with her new species.
Now that he had a sober mind, he could analyze the information bomb he had just received.
Not counting the woman's high stats, Asme told him about her new abilities and the element of blood ice.
Along with the regeneration of the horn, it revealed a deep-rooted knowledge. She carried with her information about the blood element, how to use it, and some basic spells. In addition, Asme learned how to use charms and innate abilities more effectively.
The sneaky succubus withheld inconvenient information about pheromones and such things, and she couldn't afford to lose such a valuable trump card.
Unfortunately, where there are pluses, there are also minuses. As a superior species, the Blood Ice Succubus family had wiped out the remnants of the weaker blood, thus depriving the woman of her ability to create illusions. It was a small price to pay for the power she had gained.
Fortunately, that was the end of the knowledge Asme received. Knowing her, if she had known how valuable the blood flowing in her veins was, she would have fallen into self-indulgence, and that never ends well.
" Just because you are stronger doesn't mean you are invincible. Overconfidence backed by arrogance is no different than putting a noose around your neck. Understand this... Arrogance has already lost billions of lives. If you don't change your approach, you will surely join them sooner or later... " Ramiel took a brief pause. " Some rules, they never change... "
The man's painful words hit Asme like a speeding freight train, bringing her down to earth. Unfortunately, she had a tendency to belittle her enemy, especially when she was stronger.
Ramiel tried to eradicate her bad habits, but it's hard. It is difficult to remove something that has become deeply ingrained in someone's personality. It requires a tremendous amount of time, self-denial and help from outsiders.
" Are you sure I can't be a tad arrogant? ~ "
With a deft flick of her wrists, Asme nailed Ramiel to the ground. Her slender hands cupped the man's arms above his head.
There was a brief flash in the red eyes, heralding impending trouble.
Smiling brazenly, the horned beauty leaned over Ramiel's ear.
" Do you want to find out how arrogant I am? ~ Or would you rather I ask your little friend? ~ "
Asme had more than one bad habit. Another was flirting when she was stressed. Sometimes, it was funny and cute in its own way, but in the long run, it became annoying, especially when she couldn't sense the atmosphere.
Ramiel tried to break out of the iron grip, but the advantage in strength statistics proved to be an impassable chasm.
At first, he planned to let go and give Asme a small victory.
But she made a small miscalculation. Her eyes were dripping with arrogance, and she looked at Ramiel with superiority.
Switch
The switch in Ramiel's head flicked, activating the mode of the ruthless brute.
A chilling aura, mixed with a hint of murderous intent, leaked from his body.
Asme felt as if a grim reaper had come to visit her. Her hair stood up, and her sixth sense screamed of impending doom.
" Huh?!!!? Whe - " Ramiel, who was lying tied up just moments ago, disappeared, leaving a patch of shadow behind him.
Asme's right eyebrow raised, and her pupils dilated in shock. Normal people don't just disappear like that.
" Ram - " Asme didn't have time to finish. Before she did, the figure of a grown man silently emerged from the shadows behind her.
Moving like a skilled assassin, Ramiel knocked the defenseless woman down in his first approach.
" Ugh. " His knee fell on her like a steel hammer, pressing the petite figure to the ground.
Asme's hands bent at an unnatural angle, immobilizing her. This was a specific method of incapacitating a target that Ramiel had developed together with Max.
Fighting stalkers requires an unconventional approach, especially if you have to catch them alive.
Asme wanted to use mana to escape, but this one didn't respond to her call.
What ?!! The woman's mind stopped functioning, experiencing a severe shock.
Ramiel took advantage of a small trick and a gap in Asme's skills.
He forcefully introduced mana into the woman's body. This was akin to an anti-terrorist breaking into the apartment of a wanted criminal.
Under Ramiel's will, his mana particles stopped the movement of energy in Asme's body.
This required perfect control over one's own mana. The slightest mistake or a moment's hesitation could have resulted in permanent impairment or, worse, an explosion from within.
You still have a long way to go...," the man thought.
Asme jerked like a fish pulled from the water, but Ramiel was unbending. The iron grip he had on the woman showed no sign of loosening.
" Do you want to find out how arrogant I am? ~ "
A voice filled with mockery reached Asme's ears, pulling an arrogant smile from her face. The woman struggled for another moment, then gave up.
There was no point in clashing with Ramiel when he was serious. The odds of winning were one in a thousand.
Asme felt humiliated. Just a moment ago, she had laughed at the sight of a helpless Ramiel, and now, she found herself in a tricky situation.
" You can let me go... I understand... "
As if with the wave of a magic wand, Asme regained full control.
The feeling of freedom is something wonderful. - Like an ostrich rushing around, a brief thought crossed the horned beauty's mind.
Involuntarily, with resentment written in her eyes, she glanced at the figure of a calmly standing man. Sweat trickled down his steel-hard muscles, perfectly accentuating his athletic physique.
Feeling the gaze full of sorrow on him, his heart stung painfully. Causing harm to the people you love is never pleasant.
" Asme... I didn't do this to fuck you up or make you laugh but to make you realize something. "
Asme fled with her eyes. An invisible pressure fell on her shoulders. She felt like a naughty student being punished by her teacher for bad behavior.
Ramiel smiled under his breath at Asme's charming behavior.
Walking toward her, his heavy footsteps echoed in the empty space.
Suddenly, Asme was overwhelmed by a sense of warmth and security. Before she knew it, Ramiel's arms were wrapped around her.
" Understand, too many times I have seen someone die because of their stupidity. I'm worried about you, and I don't want you to share their fate... "
Like a koala bear, Asme snuggled into Ramiel. Her head rubbed against his chest. Accidentally, she let out a quiet murmur, blushing in the process.
" I'm sorry, Ramiel... it's not easy, but I'll try to change it. "
He rubbed the two horns protruding from Asme's fine silk hair out of habit. Only after a moment, did it occur to him what he had done.
" Khm" Ramiel moved away from the blushing demoness as if scalded. Another moment and he would have crossed to the other side of the forbidden river.
" Since you understand your mistake, clean up the whole mess as punishment. "
" Huh? Why should I do it myself? You are as guilty as I am! "
" Maybe so, but I, unlike you, have to take care of Caera. I doubt if she wants to see you after you broke your silent pact.
" Where did you come from? " - Asme asked herself. Before she could respond, Ramiel disappeared into the shadows.