A world of deep purple unfolded before me.
In its center, I could see the figure of the Succubus with a sensual smile.
“Welcome. To my world.”
The sight of her, casually spouting that this was her world after invading someone else's dream, was enough to make me want to vomit.
But in truth, her expression 'my world' wasn't entirely wrong, as a Succubus could create whatever she desired within the nightmare she concocted.
“…But this is my dream.”
“Hoo-hoot. You’re just as cheeky as ever, not knowing your place whether we’re outside or in here.”
Blinking her signature purple eyes, she slowly approached me.
“Still… I’ll acknowledge it. For a low-life, you were quite impressive. You’re actually better in some ways than those foolish Hounds of the Cross.”
As she muttered, tentacle-like protrusions resembling plant roots suddenly shot up from beneath my feet and bound my body.
“To think you’d stab that woman’s body without a second thought. If it had been those Order bastards, they probably would have held a meeting amongst themselves before just pretending to stab her, muttering something about ‘unavoidable circumstances….’”
“Is that a compliment?”
Shrug—
“Take it as you will. It means you're better than those dogs… so whether that’s a compliment or an insult, it’s up to you.”
As the distance between us closed, the Succubus's appearance came into view.
In a word, I could describe her as 'the exact opposite of Eliya.'
A silver bob that fell to her shoulders.
Black bat wings.
Purple eyes.
And a piece of black cloth that seemed to have lost the original function of clothing, which is 'warmth.'
It was a classic appearance that could only be described as a 'Succubus.'
“Oh my, your gaze seems a bit impure.”
“……”
“Don’t worry. I’m not particularly disappointed.”
Shaking her head as if it couldn't be helped, she came even closer.
“No matter how special you are, you’re still human… endlessly greedy, and you repeat the same mistakes.”
“……”
“Appetite, the need for sleep, sexual desire. Aren't humans creatures who go crazy for such fleeting, momentary pleasures?”
Shrugging, she stood right in front of my nose.
Squeeze—
The purple tentacles, which had crept up from my ankles, had now entwined my entire body, even binding both of my arms.
My arms, naturally spread out to the sides, left me hanging in the air like a sacrifice on a cross.
I tried pulling my arms with force, but as expected, they wouldn't budge.
“It’s useless.”
“……”
“You said it yourself. That I’m a Succubus.”
Rustle—
“In here, everything goes my way. Time, place, pain, pleasure… and eventually, even your heart.”
Taking one last step closer, she gently brushed my bangs back with her right hand.
And then.
Grip—
She grabbed my hair, pulled it back, and whispered in my ear.
【How about it.】
【Is there a dream you want to have right-now-?】
To that blatant question that entered my ears along with her breath.
I couldn't help but spit out an immediate answer.
“Ge… ah……”
“…What did you say?”
That is.
“I said get lost, you bitch. You’re disgusting.”
…is what I said.
* * *
“Wh-What the……”
The Succubus, her expression one of clear panic, took a step back.
It was understandable.
To borrow her own words, it was surely impossible for a ‘mere low-life’ to resist her at will within her own nightmare.
“How on earth… I was sure I completely captivated your mind this time……”
“You said it yourself earlier. That I’m a little different… I guess I am.”
Swoosh—
Effortlessly breaking free from the tentacles' grasp, I untied my arms and rolled my shoulders.
“……”
The skills and traits a Succubus possessed varied in ability and number depending on the individual.
But there was one skill and one trait that all Succubi had in common.
<Trait: Devil's Whisper (★)> and <Skill: Nightmare (★)>.
To put it simply, <Trait: Devil's Whisper> was a trait that embedded a bewitching function into one's voice, captivating a person's mind.
And <Skill: Nightmare> was a skill that manifested a nightmare within a human's mindscape, allowing the Succubus to manipulate it at will.
“I absolutely loathe that attitude of yours.”
“……”
“That disgusting sense of superiority you things have, treating all humans like toys.”
Snap—
As I stepped completely free of the tentacles and snapped my fingers, the hideous tentacles now sprouted from beneath the Succubus’s ankles.
“N-No way—.”
Seeing the tentacles coil up her legs and bind her body, the Succubus looked almost terrified this time.
This was probably something she had never experienced in all her time traversing countless human mindscapes.
To be turned on within the very nightmare she had created.
“Wh-What in the world are you……”
“The reason a Succubus can freely unleash a nightmare in a human's dream is because that human fundamentally allows it… having been bewitched by your cunning tongue.”
“……”
“But not me.”
The mechanism by which a Succubus traversed people's dreams was incredibly simple.
Through <Skill: Nightmare>, she would create a nightmare (惡夢) in the target's mindscape. When the target's mind broke down within that nightmare, which the Succubus could freely manipulate, she would occupy the shattered void and make them her host.
That was the basic survival principle of a Succubus.
And ironically.
It was the target themself who handed over the authority to create the nightmare to the Succubus who had infiltrated their mindscape.
Humans are fundamentally creatures who are tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Even if they somehow endured <Trait: Devil's Whisper> on the outside, they generally became much weaker once a Succubus entered their mindscape directly.
…But I was different.
Squeeze—
“Ugh……”
“Sorry, but I’m a far cry from ordinary.”
If anything, it would be different outside my mindscape, where my body hadn't fully matured and lacked proper magic resistance.
But in here, where the experience points I'd accumulated since before my Regression were fully intact, I could never be weak enough to be bewitched by her voice.
In the first place, I had encountered hundreds of Succubi on the battlefields of the War against Demons.
With all that experience existing purely within me, there was no way I could ever lose to her in here.
Bound and unable to move, the Succubus suddenly bit her lip hard.
From her expression, it seemed she had realized something.
That is—
“You mean… you deliberately met the activation condition for Nightmare……”
Smirk—
The fact that I had ‘let myself be hit’ by her skill.
“For me, this is my home ground.”
<Skill: Nightmare> was rated as a 1-star skill by The Order's grading system, but in truth, its potential far exceeded a typical 1-star skill when used exclusively on humans.
The reason it was still rated as 1-star was due to its difficult activation conditions.
Those conditions could be broadly divided into two.
One was, ‘direct contact with the existing host.’
And two was, ‘consent from the new host.’
“Feeding Holy Water to those around us was to prevent you from entering another host.”
“……”
“Pretending to fall for your half-baked voice was a signal that you could enter my body.”
And so, to the Succubus hiding in Kim Sia's mindscape, I had set a ‘snare,’ presenting myself as a new host who could satisfy both of those conditions.
“How can you know so much about Succubi? No, beyond that, how……”
Her expression of disbelief deepened.
It was only natural.
There were probably more than a few things she couldn't comprehend.
Enjoying the impressive change in her expression that occurred in such a short time, I snapped my fingers once more.
“Since this will be your end anyway… I’ll show you something interesting.”
Snap—
With that, a rectangular white movie screen appeared above the purple world.
『…Fufu. I ended up failing after all.』
The scene that unfolded upon it stained the Succubus's face with an indescribable expression.
『Well, it doesn’t matter. It hurts my pride a bit to be caught by the Hounds of the Cross, though.』
“……”
『Tearing apart some of those growing little bastards will be helpful to Him.』
The reason was simple.
The one muttering those words on the screen had the exact same face as the Succubus tied up before my eyes.
And unlike this one, who was perfectly fine, the Succubus on the screen had both her wings torn and her legs cut off, hung on a cross of The Order.
“This is……”
“My memory.”
“……”
“Well, if you want to be precise, you could call it a memory of the ‘past future.’”
The past future.
It was, of course, a nonsensical, paradoxical phrase.
And yet, the Succubus's mouth fell open as if she understood something.
A low gasp soon followed.
Ah—
Helplessness.
Resentment.
Despair.
The very same vacant expression the Succubus had likely seen on others' faces in their mindscapes now appeared on her own.
Seeing that, a laugh escaped my lips.
Smirk—
“Looks like you’re in pain.”
Honestly, it was enjoyable.
How should I put it?
It felt like I could understand, just a little, the pleasure Succubi felt while messing with others' minds.
Of course, some might look at me, feeling pleasure at another's pain, and shudder, asking, ‘How are you any different from a Succubus?’
It certainly wasn't an emotion a normal human could possess.
…But, well.
I couldn't care less about that.
Because that thing was a Magical Beast that deserved to die anyway.
Swoosh—
I raised my right hand and wrapped it around the dazed creature’s neck.
“Take care of me.”
Keoheok—
Then, watching the Succubus choke out a blocked breath, I muttered lowly.
Grin—
“This is just the beginning.”