Hakunen ran as fast as he could. His legs burned from the strain but he didn't even dare to look back. If it had been anyone else, perhaps he would've confronted them but Nemea was a person that haunted him even in his dreams.
Her kind-hearted gaze hid a monstrous nature, her cutesy voice when she called out to him, her huge bazoonga—
"No, no! I have trained for this!" Hakunen shouted alone in the hallways, his voice echoing against the cold stone walls surrounding him. Clutching in his hand the talisman Luka gave him, he felt a small warmth emanating from it, making his heart jump with courage.
But when he skidded to a halt, he found himself staring at a solid stone wall—a dead end.
"W-Why is there a dead end here? What's the point of a hallway that leads nowhere?" he muttered in disbelief.
It made no sense but Hakunen soon stopped caring about it and turned around.
"Hakuneeen…♪" Nemea's voice drifted through the darkness, as melodic as it was menacing. Her sing-song tone seemed to wrap around him, echoing in the fog-like atmosphere created by the dimly lit candles scattered throughout the old castle.
Hakunen pointed into the gloom, his hand trembling. "Y-You can't eat me! Or else everyone at the Pocket Castle will come for you!" He tried to sound defiant, but there was a quiver in his voice. He could barely see two feet in front of him, and besides he was too afraid of her.
A faint giggle came from somewhere close—too close. "Eat you? But big sister just wants to pamper you…♪" her silhouette began to emerge from the darkness, her eyes glinting with an eerie light.
"G-Get away from me!" the small monk shot back while readying his three charms.
"Fufu…♪" Nemea giggled once more before stepping forward.
"And… Hop!" a voice echoed from behind Hakunen, past the dead-end.
Hakunen's heart nearly stopped. There was no way someone could be behind him—the wall was solid stone, wasn't it? He spun around just in time to see a door forming itself inside the wall as if it had been there all along. With a loud slam, the door burst open, and out stepped a girl dressed in a black skirt and a matching sleeveless crop top that showed off her midriff.
"Hey there!" she chirped, her voice light and playful, one hand resting on her hip. Her bright green eyes glinted mischievously, giving away her succubus nature even without the swaying, wispy tail curling behind her. "Looks like I'm home!"
The two succubus locked eyes for a moment, almost forgetting the little monk between them.
"Who are you?" Nemea asked, forcing a smile at the new person's arrival.
"I could ask the same. Who are you?" the skinnier succubus replied. While Hakunen knew she was one, she seemed more friendly than Nemea, and not in a bad way.
"Shouldn't the newcomer introduce itself first?" Nemea replied with a hint of danger in her voice.
Ignoring Nemea's remark, the new succubus' gaze soon turned towards Hakunen, eyeing up from head to toe. "A human? Here? Guess these weird cats were right…" There was a hint of exasperation in her voice as if this situation was more of an inconvenience than anything else. She jerked her chin towards Nemea. "Is this scary lady chasing you?"
Hakunen swallowed hard, his voice coming out nervously. "Y-Yes but I was going to…" he stammered, unsure if he should stay close to the stranger or back away from both succubi.
"You seem pretty strong, though…" the succubus eyed him up again, making his body twitch unwillingly. "Why don't you take care of it yourself? Aren't you a monk who is strong-willed?"
Her question hit him harder than it should have, striking at his pride. "I-I am strong-willed!" Hakunen blurted out, his grip tightening around his charms as he puffed out his chest.
"Oh? Is that so?" Nemea interrupted, her voice dripping with condescension as she stepped forward. "Is that why you keep staring at them?" she added, bringing her arms together to press her chest up, emphasizing the curves in a teasing manner.
"I! Am! Not!" Hakunen shot back. But strangely, he wasn't flustered this time. He wasn't blushing or stammering like he usually did. It was as if her attempts to fluster him were falling flat. For once, he could look straight at her without his cheeks burning.
Before he could process why, the green-eyed succubus behind him leaned in close and whispered into his ear, her breath warm against his skin. "Go get her, tiger!"
Upon hearing these words, a surge of confidence enveloped Hakunen, making him clutch his fists in determination.
"Huh?" Nemea recoiled slightly, feeling the shift in Hakunen's attitude. "Why do I have a bad feeling…?"
Jotaro carefully walked along what looked like a hall inside this strange castle. Chandeliers were suspended from the roof, casting shadows along the statues standing tall on both sides of a stairway leading to the second floor.
He glanced around warily, his senses on high alert. There was an uneasy stillness in the air as if the castle itself was watching him. It was strangely empty too, which made him believe that the only inhabitants of this place were the three annoying voices that talked to them. Upon examining the area, he found a fountain near a pillar. His throat was dry, and he could feel the fatigue from all the running and fighting catching up to him. The thought of refreshing, cool water was tantalizing.
But as he drew closer, a grim sight froze him in his tracks. Lying beside the fountain was a corpse, its skin shriveled and leathery, as if every drop of moisture had been drained from its body. The hollow sockets where its eyes once were stared blankly upward, and its limbs lay twisted at unnatural angles.
Jotaro instinctively drew out his stand beside him as he scanned the area. And soon, he realized it wasn't the only one there, multiple corpses were lying around the grand hall, in the same state as him. It was as if something had drained the very life out of them, leaving behind nothing but husks.
"Is this the work of a stand…?" he muttered to himself.
As he took a step back, the sound of something faint echoed against the walls, like a shift in the air.
"Nooope…♪ It was me!" the annoying voice returned, coming from above him as she fell downwards.
Jotaro leaped back just in time, narrowly avoiding the pink-haired succubus's outstretched arms as she landed where he'd stood moments before. Her feet touched down with a light thud, and she straightened up, giggling as she brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Her revealing pink outfit fluttered slightly, leaving little to the imagination as she fixed her bright eyes on him.
"Awww… You shouldn't have done that you know?" she purred, her eyes never leaving his as she licked her lips. "Now I will have to chase you even harder…"
Jotaro's Stand loomed behind him, fists clenched and ready to strike. His expression was a mask of calm as he glared at the succubus. "Put some clothes on, dammit," he muttered under his breath. "Damn woman…"
"Now, please stop moving," Myusca commanded, her eyes shining with a sudden, mesmerizing glow. But nothing happened. Jotaro stood back up without a hitch, his posture unbroken and unfazed.
"Huh? It's not working?" Myusca's confident smirk faltered, replaced by a look of genuine confusion. Aside from the so-called heroes back in that stupid world where she couldn't indulge herself freely, no one had resisted her eyes before.
Jotaro's hand instinctively reached into his pocket, where a faint glow had caught his attention. The talisman Luka had given him shimmered with a strange light as if reacting to Myusca's spell. Jotaro took it in his hand and looked at it curiously. "I see," he muttered, glancing back at the succubus. "I don't know why, but this thing is protecting me."
"Well… I guess I'll just have to do it the hard way…♪" Myusca's voice lilted playfully, a dangerous gleam in her eyes as if the challenge had only excited her more. She tilted her head, her hair falling in cascading waves around her shoulders. "It's been a while since I had some real fun."
"So, you're the one who did this?" Jotaro asked, scanning the corpses around the room.
"Yup, that's me! Scary right? You will end up like that soon enough."
Jotaro's fists clenched. While he had his delinquent days, if there was one thing he hated besides a stupid hundred-year-old vampire, was absolute evil, one that trampled the weak.
"Good grief… I hope you're not thinking I won't beat the shit out of you in return." Jotaro said, his eyes glinting with determination. While holding his cap, he pointed at her. "A bitch like you should get what she deserves…"
"Whoa…♪ Scary…♪" Myusca giggled as she approached him slowly.
Without missing a beat, Jotaro shouted. "Star Platinum! The world!" His stand surged forward, stopping time the instant he shouted its name. With a sharp inhale, he raised all of the anger inside him and sent his Stand forward.
"Ora!" with a single movement, he punched the succubus in the face. He felt the hit connect but there was not as much feedback as he hoped. "I don't know if that punch will suffice, these things might be tough," he muttered to himself. Looking around, he jumped and managed to hide behind the stairway, in the hope that his punch had an effect on these creatures.
"Time has begun to move again…"
As time resumed, the atmosphere shifted. The stillness returned to its original state, and the punch of Star Platinum registered on Myusca. A shockwave echoed through the hall, and Jotaro watched as the succubus flinched slightly, surprise flickering across her features for just a moment.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, her playful demeanor momentarily disrupted. Her hands instinctively went to her face, rubbing the spot where he'd hit her. "That actually hurt! How rude!" But then, a sly smile crept back onto her lips, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. "You're going to pay for that, you know!"
Jotaro took a deep breath, sensing that the battle was far from over. That creature took one of the strongest punches of his stand in the face that could even shatter diamonds and she was fine. Still, it bruised her, so it wasn't completely hopeless. He was then reminded of the talisman Luka gave him, the piece of paper had repelled the spell she used against him earlier.
"Perhaps if I use this…" It was a hunch but Star Platinum reached into his pocket and grabbed the talisman.
The paper was emitting a faint glow as if reacting to the Stand's presence. Unbeknownst to him, this talisman augmented the will of the wielder as well as its fighting spirit. It was a coincidence, but that talisman was unironically great at countering the succubus's mental effects they could have on people.
And… Above all, it now strengthened the concept itself of a Stand.
Jotaro held the talisman tightly in his Stand's hand, feeling some kind of energy course through it. "Good grief… That guy could've explained it to me."
"It's useless to hide…♪" Myusca's sing-song voice cut through his thoughts, her footsteps echoing softly as she approached the stairway. Without a second thought, he gritted his teeth and stepped out.
He couldn't fight this damn woman head-on, but at least he could hurt her.
"Ora! Ora!" he shouted, his Stand launching a barrage of punches at the stairway at super speed, sending stone blocks and shards flying toward her.
"Hey! Don't break the place!" Myusca exclaimed, her voice rising as she instinctively shielded herself from the debris and the dust swirling around her. The fragments didn't even dent her skin as they bounced back off of her body everywhere.
As the dust settled, she saw her prey running back towards the fountain. "This isn't getting fun anymore!" she pouted, launching herself up in the air with a beat of her wings.
Jotaro smirked, seeing how she was just an amateur in terms of fighting. It was clear she only relied on her superiority and was overwhelmed once someone defied her. He quickly formulated a plan, his Stand grabbing a sharp piece of stone debris and preparing to launch it with deadly precision.
With a swift motion, he hurled the stone toward the chandelier hanging above Myusca. The projectile cut through the air, severing the chain that held the ornate fixture in place.
"You missed!" Myusca playfully giggled as she saw the stone fly just above her head.
"Oh? Dumbass," Jotaro retorted, waiting just enough time for the chandelier finally falling down on her.
Myusca glanced upward just in time to see the massive structure made of gold falling. Her eyes widened in surprise, but her reflexes kicked in as she attempted to dodge. However, the chandelier was too large and heavy, and she found one of her wings stuck inside it.
"Ah…!" the chandelier crashed down with her beneath it, and the sound of metal and glass shattering filled the hall.
Jotaro felt a rush of adrenaline. He charged forward and stopped right beside the ornate chandelier. "Looks like I caught myself a little rat!" he taunted, readying himself for another attack.
Myusca lifted the chandelier with ease with frustration, her playful attitude turning into anger. "Now I'm going to fucking kill you!"
But it was too late, Jotaro was already near her, at the two-meter range of his Stand. Clutching the talisman in his hand, Star Platinum appeared in front of her, and, with an ear-shattering roar, punched her. "ORA!"
The punch was enough this time to send her flying as she hadn't had the time to defend herself. She crashed into a nearby wall with a thud, sending dust and debris flying in the air. Still, she was soon getting out of her, materializing a bow out of thin air before shooting some arrows.
The arrows imbued with magical energy, hurtled toward Jotaro at blinding speed. Just as they neared him, he shouted, "Star Platinum, The World!" and time froze once more. His next movement was simple, there was no need to be cautious anymore. Now that he knew what kind of damage he could cause with his Stand, there was no need to play it sneaky.
In a straight line, he avoided the frozen arrows and approached the succubus, and, without hesitating, used his stand again. "Ora!" the punch reverberated through the air, and this time he felt it connect even more with the talisman in hand.
This was it.
"Time has begun to move again."
The punch registered as soon as the flow of time resumed, making Myusca's head wobble back into the wall, enlarging the crack in the stone.
"Good grief… Looks like I'm beating up a teenage girl," Jotaro sighed, seeing Myusca trying to regain her senses. As she looked up at him, he rearranged his cap and stared straight down. "A monster looking like a teenage girl, that is…"
"W-Wait… That's not what's supposed to—"
"I'm going to send you to hell, right where you belong."
For the first time, Myusca could see something next to his shoulder. Like a haze hovering in the air, its fists recoiled like spring, ready to punch her.
"Grandma, he—"
"ORAORAORAORAOROAROAORAORAORAORAORAORAOROARAORAORAORAORAORAORAOROAROAORAORAORAORAORAORAOROARAORAO—"
"Ora!" Hakunen shouted, punching Nemea straight in the face with inhuman strength. For a moment, he thought he could hear her neck snap as she was sent flying straight into a wall head-first.
"...Huh?" Hakunen nervously glanced at the succubus' unmoving form. "That's it? One punch?"
He hesitated, uncertain if he should approach or keep his distance. For a moment, he thought he could see a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, but his instincts screamed that it was too easy.
"Yay! Little monk wins!" the green-eyed succubus shouted, waving her hands like a cheerleader.
Hakunen's confidence improved as he stared at her. "Wait, what?" He was taken aback by how easy it was. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not…"
"Violence is always the answer!" the succubus continued.
"No! I don't want that!" Hakunen screamed, realizing he might have liked what he did just now. "She was just… too much!"
Nemea slowly stirred, blinking as she registered her surroundings. The impact from Hakunen's punch had clearly knocked her for a loop, but her mischievous grin returned almost immediately as she wiped the blood from her lips. "Ouch… What happened?" she asked, feigning confusion while brushing dust off her outfit.
"Oh no!" the cheerleader succubus shouted in panic. "Quick little monk! Finish her off!"
"Aren't you a succubus yourself?!" Hakunen shouted in panic while raising his fists back up again. "Don't you feel bad for her?!"
"Not at all!" she declared while dancing to cheer him up. "She is an intruder so she gets what's coming to her!"
"Oh my~" Nemea looked at the cheering succubus. "You are the owner of this place?"
"Technically no since it's just a fake but…" the succubus smiled softly. "It's still based on my castle."
"Your castle?" Hakunen echoed, turning his head towards her. "Wait, you're the friend of Luka?" he asked with hope brimming his chest.
"Oh? You know him? Yup, that's me!" she replied with a thumb up and a wink. "I received a report that some cat-like creatures had spawned inside my world and that a replica of my castle had been made. So I came to see it!"
"Oh, well, we are very sorry for intruding into your domain, miss," Nemea said, her voice suddenly more sincere. "You see, we were invited here."
"Invited? By that woman? I think her name was East or something?" she tapped her chin in confusion.
"Um…" Hakunen stammered, glancing at the both of them. "I can attest that I wasn't invited."
"But you always are, Hakunen~" Nemea insisted, looking at him lustfully. She then glanced back at the green-eyed succubus. "And yes, Est is the one who invited us here. She planned to expand the Land of Night once more but quickly abandoned the project."
The succubus's expression shifted, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Oh right, her. I gave her a taste of what she wanted and sent her home. So why didn't you follow?" the atmosphere shifted, making Nemea's skin crawl.
"Well… Myusca had thought of a game and—"
Wait, why am I telling the truth? Nemea closed her mouth the moment she realized something was wrong.
"So you decided to start killing people in my domain like it was your home or something…" she said, unimpressed and even disappointed in her. "Aren't you a bit old to play games like that?"
Nemea didn't answer. She knew opening her mouth could reveal more of their intentions. This succubus was dangerous, she needed to alert Vinum or else—
"Just so you know," she continued, her body tensing in rage. "No one…I say, NO ONE kills humans here…"
The threat was serious, the world around them started to change, the walls turning into nothingness as the floor beneath their feet expanded. Behind Nemea was only the void, leaving no escape possible.
"Your 'games' have consequences. If you think this world is some sort of playground for you to enjoy yourselves, you're sorely mistaken. I won't tolerate any more death caused by you three. Not now, not ever."
Nemea swallowed hard, a primal fear surging inside her like none she had ever felt before.
"Come on little monk. Get her ass!" The succubus shouted, pointing at Nemea as if she were ordering a monster to attack in a video game.
"R-Right!" Hakunen shouted, too terrified to even contradict her. Though a little part of him wanted to get back at Nemea.
"Wait—" Nemea began, but Hakunen's instincts kicked in, and he rushed forward, his fists ready to strike. "Don't look at big sister like that—!"
…
"You didn't finish her off, little monk," the green-eyed succubus sighed while staring at Hakunen standing near the beat-up body of Nemea. The 'big sister' was so scared of even fighting back that it had been a one-sided beatdown from the monk.
Still, he didn't stop whatsoever from punching her in the face.
"Looks like you had some pent-up anger towards her…"
"I'm not like that, I swear!" Hakunen shot back, his voice cracking as he looked at Nemea's unconscious form sprawled on the ground.
The succubus chuckled, holding her sides to prevent her from laughing too much. "Ahahah! It's adorable how you try to defend yourself. But let's be honest, you didn't hold back at all."
Hakunen's heart raced as he tried to think of some excuses but he couldn't find any. "I don't think the people at the pocket castle will be happy…" he hung his head in shame.
"I think she deserved it. Don't beat yourself down over it." The green-eyed succubus waved her hand dismissively. "Thank you for your help, little monk," she walked up beside him and held him in her arms comfortingly. "You're all safe now."
"I don't think I really am," he replied, his voice muffled against her chest.
"You're right," she said, licking her lips temptingly. "I might eat you up."
Hakunen froze, his body starting to shake in response.
"Bahahaha! I'm joking, I'm joking!" the succubus said, releasing him in uncontrollable laughter. "Sorry, it was too tempting to scare you like that!"
"D-Don't do that ever again!" Hakunen exclaimed, a mix of embarrassment and relief flooding through him.
"Aww… Sorry about that," the succubus teased, crossing her arms while winking at him. "Besides you're too cute to not mess around with."
Hakunen crossed his arms, still flustered and angry. "I-I'm not cute! Besides, aren't you with Luka or something?"
"Luka?" the succubus echoed, tilting her head playfully. "Oh, no, no, that's not that kind of relationship. Which means if you ever feel the need to get intimate…" She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper.
Hakunen's face turned beet red, and he quickly took a step back. "I… I will consider it."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them started shaking. It soon stopped until it shook another time then another until it didn't stop.
"W-What's happening?" Hakunen regained his senses, looking around in confusion.
"Hmm… It seems another intruder is getting beat up," the succubus mused, her playful demeanor shifting as she focused on the source of the disturbance.
"Another intruder?" he asked, anxiety creeping back in. "I hope you're right."
In the distance, they could hear amidst the rumble of the ground and the deafening sound of something hammering against the wall a multitude of shouts, familiar now to Hakunen.
Oraoraora…
"Hm? I hear something," Hakunen perked his ears up, trying to locate the sound.
"Me too."
Oraoraoraoraorao…
"It's coming right this way…"
"I think it comes from the grand hall and—"
"...ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA, ORA!!!"
With a final roar, the void soon cracked, and then exploded into shards of stone as Myusca was sent flying through the wall. Looking back where the wall had been torn apart, Hakunen saw Jotaro who had been punching his way through here with Myusca as a drill.
"Did this guy just create a tunnel by punching?" the succubus remarked in shock.
"Sorry about that," Jotara grunted as he felt the blowback from using his stand too much on his body. "This bitch was hard to crack."
Hakunen blinked, still processing what just happened. As he looked back, he saw the unrecognizable body and face of Myusca, who was punched to a bloody paste.
"She's still breathing, damn," the succubus clicked her tongue in annoyance. Still, in her state, she wouldn't be able to stand for a few weeks.
Hakunen's eyes widened as the realization hit him like a cold wave. "Oh no…"
"What? Is something wrong, little monk?" the succubus asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"If Myusca and Nemea are here, that means Luka has..." he trailed off.
"Right, the older one you said," Jotaro continued as he was catching his breath.
"We need to help him!" Hakunen shouted, already prepared to run back to him.
But the succubus chuckled and stopped him in his tracks. "Nah, don't worry about him."
"I don't want to sound bad, Mister Luka was useful but he clearly isn't strong enough to defy her! Compared to Myusca and Nemea, Vinum is a real monster!" Hakunen alarmly tried to break off from her grasp. "At least that's what Kazuya told me…"
"Look," the succubus said, her tone staying playful. "Luka can take care of her no problem."
"Hakunen is right," Jotaro added. "I haven't known him for long but Luka is weaker than you think. Those bitches are the real deal." he pointed at the beaten-up form of Myusca on the ground. "She took a punch to the face from my Stand without even flinching earlier."
"Exactly!" Hakunen insisted, urgency flooding his voice. "Vinum is even scarier!"
The succubus chuckled, shaking her head. "That's exactly why you shouldn't worry. Listen you two. That girl, Vinum is going to get the most humbling experience of her life."
"Because that's precisely because he is weak, that Luka is terrifying to us, monsters."
"I'm already bored, boy," Vinum's form stood tall above him, hovering in the air while looking down at him with an annoyed expression.
Catching his breath, he stood up slowly from the debris. For a succubus, she punched hard, way harder than he thought. That single blow made him crash back inside the hallway and roll over for multiple meters before coming to a halt. And all this time he had been running.
"At least grow a spine and try," Vinum taunted, her eyes narrowing as she descended toward him. "You seemed so confident earlier."
Luka clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand up despite the pain. "Seriously… Why are the Lolis always the strongest…? It makes no sense…" he grunted under his breath. That stupid succubus was strong, terrifyingly so. It was in the top three of the things he had faced in the past.
Still, he grinned back while clutching his left arm. His talisman launcher was still intact and he could still give her a run for her money.
After all… an insect can still scare the biggest giants.