The Slumbering Trap
The movements of Calliope, the Succubus Queen and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, grew sluggish. She was trying to trigger the trap installed in this place: the Eternal Sleep. This was both our golden opportunity and our ticking clock. If that spell activated, every single member of the raid party who had entered with us would be completely neutralized. On top of that, it was highly questionable whether the Hero and I could even withstand it. In the Other World, we had managed to endure it; I had bought enough time on my own for the Hero to wake up and launch a counterattack. But now...? Nothing was certain.
"We have to take her down before she casts it!" I shouted, and the Hero instantly lunged forward. He swung the All Master, currently mimicking the Holy Sword, relentless in his assault to deny her even a moment's respite.
"Persistent men are so terribly unpopular, you know?" the Succubus Queen cooed, narrowly evading his strikes. I threw myself into the fray as well. Shrouding both of my hands in Holy Light, I coordinated with the Hero's attacks to pin down her movements.
"Ufufu, I'm afraid I'm rather clumsy at dancing." Unleashing a dense wave of magi, the Succubus Queen unfurled her wings and soared into the air.
"Damn it!" Even with our abilities, we couldn't fly. While flight magic did exist... it was impossible to wage proper combat while maintaining it. However...
"Like hell I'm letting you escape!" I leaped straight toward the ascending Succubus Queen. If she changed direction mid-air, I would miss her entirely and plummet, but... luck was on my side. My fingers brushed against her.
"Eek!" Once I confirmed my grip on her ankle, I immediately channeled my holy power. "Burn!" I unleashed Holy Light at maximum output. *Sizzle!* "Agh..." The Succubus Queen's ankle began to burn under the purifying divinity. Naturally, she thrashed violently to shake me off, but... I refused to let go. Gritting my teeth, I held on with all the strength and sheer willpower I could muster. Because we were airborne, my body was whipped around mercilessly, causing immense strain, but... I endured. The longer I clung to her, the better the opening the Hero would have to deliver a decisive blow.
"Do you honestly think this is enough to stop my magic?!" She was right; this alone wouldn't be enough to halt the spell. In fact, an ominous magic circle was already weaving itself across the sky above the castle, its magical energy swelling by the second. I spoke aloud in the language of the Other World, making sure she could hear me. "My goal was never to stop it. It was to hold you in place." "What?!" At that moment, a tremendous surge of power erupted from the ground below. As expected, the Hero knew exactly how to prepare a devastating strike. Though weaker than the genuine article, the All Master could replicate the Holy Sword. Its output was probably only around sixty percent of the original, but... a Hero armed with the Holy Sword? Do you have any idea how incredibly difficult that is to stop? Letting your guard down for even a split second was your fatal mistake. You bitch!
It was the same technique he had used earlier. Condensing magic, divinity, and sword qi into the Holy Sword, he would release it as a colossal slash. But there was one key difference from before... the scale. If his previous attack had utilized only about five percent of his full power, this one was easily over thirty percent—no, judging by the way the energy was still compounding, he seemed intent on pushing it past fifty percent. He was gathering so much power that any ordinary weapon would have shattered instantly; only an exceptionally durable weapon like the Holy Sword or a unique artifact like the All Master could withstand the sheer pressure.
"Do you really think this will stop me?!" Despite her defiant words, she sounded desperate. I smirked... and let go. "What?" The Succubus Queen gasped in bewilderment as I voluntarily released my stubborn grip. Well, obviously, I wasn't about to get caught in the crossfire of that incoming slash. Besides... letting go was the prerequisite for unleashing a powerful technique of my own. "Supernova!" I converted my holy power into the cataclysmic explosion of a dying star. With a blinding flash, pure divinity erupted from both of my hands. "Th-this?! Aaaaargh!!" Even the Succubus Queen would find it impossible to withstand this concentrated burst of holy energy.
"Yujiiiiiin!" I screamed the Hero's name. "Sever the cosmos!" As I plummeted, I looked down to see the Hero swinging his blade. Conveniently, the Succubus Queen and her magic circle were perfectly aligned in his trajectory. The massive, sweeping slash engulfed both the Succubus Queen and the castle. Or did it obliterate them? I didn't have the luxury to ponder the exact semantics. The violent shockwave of raw power blasted me away as I floated helplessly in mid-air. "Whoaaa!" My head spun so violently that I couldn't make heads or tails of my surroundings. I needed to land safely, but at this rate... I had no choice. Even if it meant taking some damage, I'd just have to brace for impact. I hastily circulated holy power throughout my body to cushion the collision. I thought I heard a voice calling out, but the rushing wind and dizziness muffled the sound. Then, I felt the sudden impact of a collision...
"Saintess, are you alright?" Huh? "Y-Yujin?" The Hero was holding me in his arms. Did he actually catch me mid-air? "Th-this is no time for this! We have to finish her off right now!" I was terrified that the Succubus Queen might still be alive. If that trap activated, we might have to risk our lives all over again... "She should be fine." How could he say that when he couldn't even be sure...? Of course, I was grateful that he had caught me when I was completely helpless. But prioritizing the Succubus Queen should have been his top priority. We couldn't afford to waste a single second. I scrambled out of his arms and stood up. "We don't have time to idle around." "I know." Yujin stood up as well. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have sustained any injuries. "Do you still have enough strength left?" "Of course." We headed back toward the castle—back to where the Succubus Queen had been. Had her magic been destroyed? Looking up at the sky above the castle... the magic circle was still there. Though partially fractured, it was still actively running. "Tsk, of course she survived..." The Succubus Queen was definitely still alive. "I'm sorry..." If only Yujin hadn't worried about me and had immediately hunted down the Queen to finish her off... But it was too late for regrets. "Let's find her quickly." Where was she hiding? She must have suppressed her energy, because I couldn't sense any magi. This place was crawling with demons to begin with, so if she actively hid her presence, finding her would be next to impossible.
Yujin scanned the area, then pointed in a certain direction. "I think she went inside the castle." What? "Inside the castle?!" But the guild members are in there! "The raid party might be in danger..." I had cast buffs on them, but resisting the Succubus Queen with their level of strength would be incredibly difficult. The fundamental issue was that they couldn't even withstand her charm. "Are you sure it's the castle?" "There's a trail of blood leading that way, but I can't be absolutely certain." Let's think... If the Succubus Queen headed into the castle, what would be her motive? It had to be... because the captives were held there. Was she planning to drain their life force to recover...? "She's going to harvest their essence." "Most likely," Yujin agreed. "Let's go." While destroying the magic circle was an option, it wouldn't be easy. Eliminating the boss directly would be much faster. As we stepped inside, the labyrinthine interior of the castle unfolded before us. Fortunately... "This way!" I could sense the direction of my sister, Nam Seohui. I had only given her a tracking device out of worry... I never expected it to come in handy like this. "Next, this way." Though I didn't know the exact layout, I navigated by following the general direction. "I think it's right below us..." "Below? Are you sure?" "Yeah, pretty sure..." Yujin gripped his sword in a reverse hold and gathered his strength. "Hah!" With a sharp shout, he drove his blade straight into the floor. The castle's floor and walls shattered under the immense force, and we plummeted straight down. "You could have warned me!" Still, having anticipated his actions from his stance, I had braced myself beforehand.
Landing on the lower level, we found the raid party. They were currently locked in combat with the monsters guarding the castle. "What's going on? Have you not found the kidnapped people yet?" "We found them, but the layout is just too complicated..." So they did find them. "S-Sis?" Seohui called out. "The boss escaped. She's likely trying to drain someone's essence to recover her strength." Guided by Seohui and the other hunters, we hurried toward the location of the captives. Fortunately, it seemed the Succubus Queen hadn't reached them yet. Wait, are they all here? "Are these all of them?" "I do not know," Namgung Min replied, his posture tense and alert. "Tsk. I heard there were about thirty captives. How many did you rescue?" "Twenty-four." Twenty-four? Didn't they say thirty people had been brought in? Which meant... there were six more left. "Ah, this is so frustrating!" I ruffled my hair in irritation. This meant the Succubus Queen could easily drain the essence of the remaining six captives hidden elsewhere. Dammit!
"Can you wake them up?" Yujin asked. "Huh?" "The people who are still asleep. Can you wake them?" I walked over and touched the foreheads of the sleeping captives. They were in a deep slumber, but it wasn't irreversible. It wasn't anything like the Eternal Sleep. "I can wake them." "Then do it. They're hunters too, right? At the very least, they can help." True. Though most of them were likely C-class or B-class, just having them move on their own two feet would be a massive help. I cast a wide-range recovery spell to rouse them and heal the guild members. The newly awakened hunters groaned, looking dazed and disoriented. "I'll leave the explanations to you guys. Take everyone and get out of here." "What about you two?" Namgung Min asked, his eyes filled with concern. "We're going to try and save the remaining captives if we can... and defeat the boss." Namgung Min's expression crumpled with a mix of complex emotions, and he lowered his head. "I apologize for being such a pathetic Guild Master. I... I am too weak to be of any assistance..." "You're the only one who can properly organize and lead the survivors." Considering his reputation, the rescued hunters might ignore our orders, but they would definitely follow the commands of Namgung Min, the Sword Saint. "Understood. Leave them to me." Now he was acting like a proper leader. After ensuring they were making a safe retreat, I set off with the Hero. We searched the castle, breaking through walls and doors as we hunted for the Succubus Queen and the remaining captives.
"Not here either." Where on earth was she? We searched frantically, encountering traps and monsters along the way. Fortunately, we possessed the raw power to force our way through any obstacle. After a long, grueling search, we finally located the Succubus Queen in a luxurious chamber on one of the middle floors. "Ufufufu, you're too late." There stood the Succubus Queen, her wounds completely healed. Behind her lay several naked, shriveled men. "Ah, fuck..." I muttered. I couldn't believe we were too late. The only saving grace was that the men, though drained of their essence, were still breathing. I unleashed my divinity, feigning an attack. As expected, the Succubus Queen retreated to defend herself. That was exactly what I wanted. Reading my intentions instantly, the Hero dashed forward, positioning himself between the men and the Succubus Queen. Meanwhile, my holy power shifted mid-air, dispersing as a potent healing spell over the victims. "Fufu, prioritizing the rescue of these humans over attacking me... You truly are the Hero and the Saintess, aren't you?" I had no idea why she sounded so delighted, but watching her smug face only irritated me further. "You absolute bitch..." Unable to hold back, I cursed at her in the language of the Other World. The Succubus Queen merely burst into a fit of giggles, thoroughly amused.