Succubus of Defeat (1)
Humans have always wanted to believe they are a special chosen people. Every culture's legends across East and West, ancient and modern, proclaim their own as descendants of the heavens, and it's obvious just from how gods are depicted in human likeness. Humans are self-centered creatures by nature. That's why they once believed the Earth was the center of the universe. Astonishingly, that notion dominated people's perceptions for quite some time, and when science later revealed Earth as merely one planet orbiting the sun, Freud dubbed it—alongside Darwin's theory of human evolution from apes—one of humanity's great humiliations.
Humans are not God's creations but evolved animals. Earth is not the universe's center but just another planet. In short, we are not special, nor is the star we live on. Everyone can accept that much. But... there's still one illusion we cling to desperately: blind faith in the universe.
Is the universe we inhabit truly special? Is it the one and only, unique space with no substitutes? Was there nothing before the universe began, and will eternal darkness await when it ends? Does nothing exist beyond its boundaries? Humanity, trapped in the tiny well called Earth, knows nothing. The universe is not singular. Countless infinite universes are expanding busily right now, each in their own spacetime, grounded in unique theoretical frameworks. Visionaries call them other worlds, and a select few Earthlings chosen to pierce dimensional walls embark on adventures... or ordeals... to those realms.
This is the story of one such chosen one's final battle.
"Please, hero... the peace of the Western Continent now rests on your shoulders! You're the only one who can defeat the Demon King!"
"I told you, call me Hayato, not 'hero'."
A refreshingly handsome young man flashed a reliable smile, baring his teeth confidently just before the final duel. How many times had that bold grin saved her? When she summoned him from Earth after his truck accident, she'd worried if this green rookie could really save the world. Now, she knew it was the right choice.
"H-Hayato... sir."
"Just Hayato's fine. I'll call you Ishtar too."
"Wh-what?! I am a goddess! Even a hero can't just call me by my name like some human!"
"Hahaha. Once I beat the Demon King, you'll go back to being a normal person anyway, right?"
"...Pardon?"
"I know, Ishtar. You were originally just a village girl, weren't you? Forced to become a saint by people desperate to defeat the Demon King, and somehow elevated to goddess?"
"...Who told you that? That's ancient history from tens of thousands of years ago."
"I also heard that when the Demon King dies, the spell breaks and you turn human again."
"S-so what? What does that have to do with anything, Hayato?!"
"...The first girl I met when I came to this world was you."
Hero Hayato spun his holy sword Greenbelt deftly, vowing manfully.
"I'm definitely beating the Demon King."
"...I believe that too. You're the only one who can defeat him."
"When the Demon King dies, you'll no longer be a goddess—you'll be an ordinary girl."
".........."
"So marry me."
"Wh-what?!"
Goddess Ishtar's face flushed crimson. She was the one who'd summoned Hayato to this world. She'd never imagined the rookie would grow into such a bold man.
"Th-this isn't the time for that! The Demon King is right in front of us! This isn't a picnic! B-besides, I'm incredibly old..."
"Doesn't matter. As long as you look young and pretty."
"You really... have no clue about women, yet you propose like it's nothing."
"So? Yes or no?"
"......"
She'd fought for over 50,000 years, worshipped as a goddess solely to defeat the Demon King. She'd thought days of fluttering for a man or dreaming of an ordinary girl's future would never come. But this man... this hero... was truly special.
"If... if... and I mean if you really defeat the Demon King... I might become your wife then."
"Awesome! Now I've got the confidence to win for sure."
"Wait. That's just a possibility? Maybe 1% at best!"
"Fine by me. A hero's job is to turn that 1% into 100%!"
"That sounded kinda cool, but you know the fight with the Demon King hasn't even started? He's on a whole different level from anything you've faced!"
"You doubting me, Ishtar?"
Hero Hayato turned back dramatically from the cliff leading to the Demon King's castle. The gale whipped his cape, and his flawless, statue-like face gleamed with unshakeable confidence. Overwhelming youth that never considered defeat. A goddess who'd lived 50,000 years felt utterly captivated by this mere boy.
"...No doubts. You've overcome every 'impossible' trial to get here."
"Great. Then start thinking about your wedding dress!"
'With this man, even the terrifying Demon King feels like a puddle I could hop over at dawn, charging toward our future!'
Her steps toward the continent's most dangerous place—the Demon King's castle—felt lighter than ever. Ishtar realized she'd already given her heart to Hayato, envisioning a return to her village as an ordinary wife.
"Demon King!! Hero Hayato has come! I'll defeat you and bring peace to the world!!"
——And the hero lost.
——He wasn't even a match.
——The fight never truly happened.
Hero Hayato's limbs were severed, his body chained to a metal weight and displayed as a trophy in the Demon King's castle. His tongue ripped out, he could no longer speak, but tears streamed endlessly from his eyepatch-covered face.
"Th-this can't be... so strong. Even for a Demon King..."
"Hee hee hee. What's so unbelievable, Goddess Ishtar? You didn't seriously think this punk could beat me, did you?"
Witnessing dreams, hopes, youth, and spirit shattered to pieces, Ishtar collapsed in despair. She lacked even the strength to flee. The Demon King was no foe humanity could oppose.
But something was off. This wasn't the Demon King she knew. Legends described him as a man with a goat's head and a body larger than a palace, yet the one who'd toyed with Hayato was a small, cute little girl. Sharp fangs and a mischievous vibe, sure, but she looked like nothing more than a loli.
Why? Were the elders' testimonies and records wrong? Even then, there should be some resemblance—this was too different. Even the known battle methods and weaknesses were completely off. That was why Hayato hadn't stood a chance.
"Hee hee hee hee. Curious about that?"
Casually, since she'd already won, the Demon King stripped off her clothes to reveal her navel. A purple QUEEN slave tattoo marked her pubic area.
The shape of that tattoo...
"Y-you're a succubus?!"
"Hee hee hee. Quite knowledgeable, huh? Living a long life pays off, I guess?"
"Impossible! A low-level monster like a succubus beating the hero?!"
"Well, yeah. Because I absorbed the Demon King's power."
"What...?"
Succubi absorb their sex partners' abilities. But to steal all of the Demon King's immense power? Unprecedented.
The Demon King's comfort woman. A dream-invading mosquito of the night, sneaking semen from powerless humans to survive. A pathetic yokai with zero combat prowess, toyed with by villains. And now such a low-level monster had absorbed the Demon King and taken his throne!
"Hee hee hee. Oh, and the hero's power is mine now too, FYI."
"N-no way... The Western Continent's Demon King and hero's powers falling into a mere succubus's hands..."
This threatened not just the Western Continent but all humanity. She had to prevent this world from being ruled by a pathetic succubus.
"Slurp. Goddess Ishtar, whatcha thinking?"
"...Succubus—no, I suppose I should call you Demon King now. What's your name?"
"Bianca. Bianca Lilith."
"Bianca... You've become the world's strongest being. Even the mighty hero was like a child to you. With that immense power, what... what do you plan to do?"
"Hee hee hee. Nothing special? I'm a succubus. I just live by sucking semen from strong guys."
Bianca kicked the dangling Hero Hayato's ass. A muffled groan escaped. Hayato swung like a pendulum, groaning, and Ishtar's heart shattered.
"But the problem is, strong guys are running dry! Absorbing the Demon King's semen felt amazing! I had high hopes for the hero too? But this fucker's cum tasted like shit. You know? Succubi get hornier from stronger guys' semen, right?"
"...The hero is plenty strong. Excluding you, he's the top powerhouse on the Western Continent."
"Whaaat? No way, that's bullshit? Did I get too strong? Stuck with bland meals forever? Ugh~ Being transcendent ain't all it's cracked up to be~"
Recalling the Demon King's semen flavor with a smack of her lips, current Demon King Bianca took interest in Ishtar's brain—the oldest, most knowledgeable mind around.
"Hey, goddess. That loser's really the Western Continent's strongest?"
"...Yes. That's why we stormed the Demon King's castle together."
"Hee hee. But he got wrecked in 3 seconds, limbs chopped off? Hee hee hee."
"......Urgh."
Infuriating. But Ishtar's power paled compared to Hayato's. Charging Bianca would be suicide. She needed to compose herself and find an escape.
"So, who're the strong guys outside the Western Continent? Recommend some whose semen might taste good."
"The North, East, and South Continents have heroes too, but honestly, probably around Hayato's level."
"Hmm... Eat another continent's Demon King then?"
"That could work, but you've already absorbed the hero's holy power too. Even other Demon Kings wouldn't stand a chance."
"Whaaaat?! So I'm the world's strongest? Then whose cum do I suck? Annoying... Should I just make a human ranch and breed humans as semen-extracting machines?"
That had to be stopped. Desperately racking her brains, Ishtar hit on a brilliant idea.
"Perhaps... there might be a man who could meet your expectations."
"Whaaat? Who?"
"In another dimension lies a planet called Earth. As a goddess scouting heroes, I visit occasionally."
"Earth...? First time hearing it. Where's that country?"
She explained it was another dimensional space, not a country, but Bianca didn't get it. Skipping complex theory, Goddess Ishtar dangled the bait to hook her interest.
"That world might have men stronger than you. Why not set off on an adventure to find the ultimate penis?"