Calliope, Queen of the Succubi
Moving quickly, we arrived in front of the castle gates and immediately encountered the monsters. Perhaps because they had caught wind of the investigators we dispatched earlier, their guard was heavily raised.
"Tsk..." I clicked my tongue. We should have launched a preemptive strike, but they were already prepared. The succubi and nightmares spotted us and immediately unleashed their magic.
Of course... their magic wasn't particularly powerful, so it was easily blocked. And then, the Hero's devastating... "Thunder Rage!" A bolt of lightning struck down.
The succubi and nightmares casting spells atop the castle walls couldn't dodge the lightning and were instantly fried to a crisp.
"W-what incredible magic." Compared to the S-class mage from Daehyeon we met before, this attack was on an entirely different level. The casting speed was instantaneous, and both its destructive power and area of effect were peerless.
"Break down the gates and charge!" Namgung Min immediately barked orders, and the raid team prepared to move, but... "Earth Spear," the Hero's wide-scale magic erupted first.
Massive stone spears erupted diagonally from the ground, tearing the castle gates and walls to shreds. It was an incredibly violent display of force.
"Yujin, isn't that a bit too destructive?"
"Ah... I guess I had some trouble controlling my strength."
Was he seriously calling that an excuse? Still, the guild members looked utterly dumbfounded.
"An S-class..." someone muttered under their breath. The Hero's display of power was just that overwhelming.
"We don't have time to stand around. Let's move." We had to move quickly before the other monsters swarmed us, drawn by the commotion. Once we stepped inside, a scene resembling an ordinary village unfolded before us.
"What in the world is this...?" The raid team hesitated, thrown off by how normal it looked—as if actual humans lived here. And what cemented that illusion even further... was an ordinary-looking housewife stepping out of one of the houses.
Of course, her attire was completely different from modern clothing, and her beauty was exceptionally striking... but she was merely a succubus mimicking a human. As if to prove it...
"Are you travelers? What brings you to this place?" She spoke in a language that Earthlings couldn't possibly comprehend. Only after hearing those foreign words did the raid team realize that she was not human.
"She's not human, she's a monster! Keep your guard up!" But before the order could even finish, someone had already moved. One of the male hunters was walking toward the woman as if possessed.
"Tsk." I clicked my tongue and immediately cast an offensive divine art. "Aaargh!" Exposed to the pure divinity, the monster instantly shed its disguise, and the entranced man snapped back to his senses.
"Gasp!" How could he not be shocked when horns, a tail, and wings suddenly sprouted from the beautiful woman? "A monster!" "Eeeek! You filthy dog of the Goddess!" She must have been a fairly strong succubus to withstand my holy power. However, she couldn't block the next attack.
The moment he realized it was a monster, Namgung Min swung his sword. The succubus couldn't even react before her head was severed from her shoulders. "Are you alright?" "Y-yes. I'm... I'm so sorry." "No, the enemy's deceptive abilities are simply that formidable."
Mimicry, seduction, and bewitchment—these were the signature powers of the monsters in this Gate. Once it was clear that every resident of these houses was a monster, all hesitation vanished. We swept through the village, destroying everything in our path and turning the place into a wasteland.
The monsters reacted swiftly to the chaos we caused, but they couldn't keep pace with our small, highly mobile raid team. "This is quite exhilarating, indeed," Ddaengjung remarked, his eyes shining as he watched another building crumble.
"So, did you find the location of the investigators?" "Not yet." I asked the hunter with detection abilities, but unfortunately, they had still found nothing.
Although the Hero and I had cleared this place once before, many things were different now. Back then, we had bypassed everything and headed straight for the castle. We had prioritized the ruler of this domain, the Succubus Queen, over the small fry. Though that turned out to be a trap...
"This is the core." In the midst of the march, the Hero located and destroyed the core of the magic array cast over the castle. As he shattered them one by one, the power of bewitchment and dream manipulation weakened, allowing the raid team to hold their ground even without my buffs.
The Sword Saint led the way while keeping a close eye on the Hero. It was as if he was constantly evaluating the Hero's true strength. He glanced back quite frequently.
"It seems highly likely they are being held captive inside the castle." That was indeed the most probable scenario. "If we go there, we are bound to run straight into the boss."
We were being cautious because heading straight for the boss without clearing the surrounding minions could leave us vulnerable to a pincer attack during the boss fight. "But dragging things out like this will only drain us."
No matter how elite the hunters were, their stamina wasn't infinite. In truth, mental fortitude was a far bigger issue than physical stamina right now. Even though the magic's influence had weakened, resisting the constant pull of bewitchment and drowsiness was no easy feat.
"I believe it would be best to locate the captured investigators first, and then subjugate the boss. What do you think?" The Hero? The Hero, who had been silently doing his part until now, was the first to speak up.
"Is that so?" "The monsters here are succubi, aren't they? If they run low on energy, they will siphon the life force of the captives."
He said it in a lighthearted tone, implying they would be sucked dry like raisins. He spoke as if it were a joke, but it was the grim reality. If the Queen drained every last drop of their essence? Things would get incredibly troublesome.
Ultimately, our only choice was to head toward the castle. We couldn't clear the Gate just by tearing down the village forever.
As we approached the castle, the royal guard naturally emerged to block our path. While people usually associate succubi and nightmares with female forms, male counterparts known as incubi also existed. The elite royal guard of the Succubus Queen, one of the Four Heavenly Kings—they had finally shown themselves.
Their equipment was top-tier, and unlike before, they had melee-capable monsters mixed into their ranks, making them highly troublesome to deal with. The Murim Alliance raid team kept the Hero and me in the rear guard and charged forward.
Though the royal guard was numerous, the Murim Alliance guild members fought like demons, each matching a hundred foes. Meanwhile, the Hero and I did our best to intercept the spells flying at us from the rear.
"Argh!" Naturally, casualties began to occur. But I did not permit them to fall. With rapid, long-range healing, I mended their wounds before they could even fully register they had been injured.
"Why are you taking so long to finish them off?!" No matter how elite the royal guard was, how had they not managed to take down a single one of us? While Namgung Min had dealt critical blows to quite a few, very few had actually been finished off.
This is why intelligent monsters are so annoying... They were actually pulling their wounded back to buy time for healing. To think mere monsters would look out for their comrades like that... Just then, an overwhelming pressure descended from the sky.
"That's...!" The moment we looked up, everyone was utterly paralyzed by awe. The Hero and I were no exception.
"Ah, I was enjoying such a lovely, long-overdue slumber... and yet you dare make such a racket..." An exquisitely beautiful face, a voluptuous figure, and a radiant, intoxicating aura that could seduce anyone at a single glance... The ruler of all succubi and nightmares, and the deadliest calamity designated by humanity as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Succubus Queen, Calliope.
"Oh? Why are the Hero and the Saintess here?" Yujin and I, who could understand the language of monsters, were utterly stunned. She knows who we are? No, it wasn't entirely impossible. The Hero and I had fought countless battles against the demon race on the front lines, so it made sense for our enemies to recognize us. But... for an entity inside an Earth Gate to react as if she knew us was completely unexpected.
"Yujin!" I urged the Hero. Hearing my shout, Yujin immediately unleashed a barrage of spells. He hurled multi-elemental magic—wind, fire, and lightning—simultaneously at Calliope, but...
"What a violent welcome." She blocked the Hero's magic with effortless ease. Right, she was always that kind of bitch... I knew it firsthand from our past battle. She was incredibly powerful. Back then, I couldn't guarantee victory on my own and had been pushed to the very brink of defeat... It was a miracle the Hero had arrived in time. I, too, launched an attack using my divine arts.
With a seductive smile, the Succubus Queen blew us backward. As the distance between us widened, the battle temporarily ground to a halt.
"Is that... the boss?" At Namgung Min's words, tension gripped the entire raid team. Everyone could feel it. The sheer weight of her presence made it undeniable that she was a monstrously powerful foe.
Despite belonging to the succubus and nightmare tribes, which were considered among the weaker races of the demon world, she was a powerhouse who possessed such terrifying strength... Moreover, she was a brilliant tactician who had tormented humanity with her cunning schemes.
"Tsk..." I clicked my tongue. "My children, prepare to fight once more." At the Succubus Queen's gesture, her royal guard began to slowly recover. It wasn't the instantaneous healing of divine arts, but rather a spell-based regeneration... Though the speed was slow, we couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Damn it, I wanted to rescue the captives before fighting if possible..." She had probably gorged herself on their life force already, hadn't she? This was incredibly frustrating. The Sword Saint took a deep breath and stepped forward alone.
"I, Namgung Min, the Sword Saint, challenge you!" "What?" What on earth was this crazy Guild Master talking about?!
"Ah, we're doomed." His younger sister, Seohui, covered her face with her hands and let out a deep sigh. "Seeing a strong opponent has completely triggered his battle lust." That was why he wanted to fight her one-on-one. The Hero seemed equally flabbergasted by this turn of events.
The Succubus Queen watched the spectacle with amusement. Then, she suddenly blew a kiss in our direction. It wasn't a simple gesture. It was her signature charm magic. Will Namgung Min be alright? I watched with concern, but... I quickly realized I didn't have the luxury of worrying about him.
The aftershocks of the blown kiss rippled through the area around me first. Everyone—excluding the Hero, myself, and Namgung Min, whose state was still unclear—fell under her charm.
"Oh, shit!" the Hero cursed, quickly restraining the movements of the raid team while I used my divine arts to snap them out of it. Naturally, they didn't wake up instantly. If it were that easy to break, we wouldn't have struggled so miserably when we fell into her traps in the Other World.
"Fuck, fuck..." I cursed under my breath as I repeatedly dispelled the charm. Fortunately, Ddaengjung and Seohui were the first to snap out of it. "W-what?!" "Wake the others up!"
By the way, was Namgung Min really okay? When I glanced in his direction, I saw blood dripping from him. Since his back was turned to me, I couldn't tell exactly what state he was in.
"I-I am fine!" Namgung Min suddenly roared and lunged forward. The Succubus Queen smiled warmly. "My, such a passionate man. I certainly don't dislike your intensity."
Though her tone was playful... Namgung Min's sword continuously sliced through empty air. The Succubus Queen, Calliope, dodged every single strike with elegant movements and provocative gestures.
I wanted to help him, but our priority right now was waking up our charmed allies. Alliance Leader, I know it's hard, but please hold on just a little longer...