"Mom?"

Lem stared dumbfounded at Selena’s moonlit figure—a sight impossibly unchanged from twenty years ago. His mother, long dead, stood before him in flesh and bone, every detail identical to his childhood memories.

"It’s been a while, Lem. But I’m not your mother."

Selena commanded the Tearmarked Ghoul riddled with light-arrows. Ignoring its wounds, the Corpse Eater lunged wildly at the two new hunters.

Lem’s mind went blank at his dead mother’s sudden appearance. He stood frozen, disbelief rooting him to the spot even as the wounded ghoul charged. Marn swiftly shielded the injured Elaina and the dazed Lem, blocking the ghoul’s vicious claw strike. Steel clashed against claws as Marn and the Tearmarked Ghoul resumed their deadly duel.

"So that corpse really was Lem’s mother?"

"You seem to know about this body," Selena said. "I’ve only just awakened. We should talk."

She vaulted over Marn mid-fight, landing before Elaina. With effortless strength, she shoved the wounded maid to the ground, straddled her, and pressed a spearpoint to her throat.

Impossible. This woman moved exactly like his mother—the same lithe steps, the same spear techniques used to hunt ghouls years ago. Lem’s shock deepened.

"Who are you?" Lem’s voice trembled, half yearning, half fear, as he stepped forward.

"I’d like to know too!"

Selena kicked the unguarded Lem aside. She pinned Elaina down, crouching over the maid as her crimson spear traced the girl’s pale skin. "Last time, I only saw the corpse preserved in the Third Detention Chamber. I suspected it might be Lem’s half-breed Ghostkind mother, dead for over twenty years."

"I do recall this young hunter," Selena said, glancing at Lem. "But I’m not her mother."

"Then... are you another spirit forcibly bound to that corpse?"

"I have no memory of dying as a Succubus in Posein. I don’t even recall my true name. Tell me what you know, girl."

"You mean the ancient demon clan recorded in the archives?" Elaina began.

"Move! Both of you!"

Marn’s shout cut her off. He’d slain the ghoul. His spear flashed toward Selena, lethal and cold.

Selena sprang up like a coiled spring. She twisted her willowy waist, deflecting the strike.

"Hmph. Since you admit you’re not Lem’s mother," Marn growled, "I won’t hold back."

"We’ll see about that, little hunter."

Purple magic billowed from Selena like fragrant mist, blinding Marn. She slipped into his blind spot and thrust. Marn blocked by instinct—but Selena’s powerful leg swept upward in a spinning kick, slamming him into the wall.

She pressed the assault, pinning Marn in the corner. Her spear strikes grew fiercer, relentless. Her ample chest heaved with each thrust, bouncing wildly beneath her torn clothes.

"Such an exaggerated figure... covered in wounds... yet wielding a spear like this. Remarkable."

"You still have energy to spare, little hunter?"

Selena accelerated. Her single spear seemed to split into eight phantom blades, a dizzying flurry Marn couldn’t fully parry. Crimson points pierced his body repeatedly.

"She even uses Mother’s Eight Flashes of the Red Spear?" Lem whispered, torn between nostalgia and shock.

"Idiot Lem! She said she’s not your mother! Help Marn before he dies!"

Elaina scolded him sharply. Ignoring her own injuries, she channeled her last ounce of magic. White Magic flared from her cross, banishing shadows with blinding light.

"Tch. White Magic only works on Undead. What effect could it have on a Succubus like me?" Selena scoffed, thrusting again despite the glare.

But the light changed her. Her body aged rapidly—her breasts swelled yet sagged under gravity, softening her silhouette. Faint wrinkles creased her face. Waist and thighs thickened with subtle fat, muscles loosening. Her once-youthful curves matured into lush, heavy elegance.

Slowed and weighted down, Selena’s spear faltered. Marn seized the opening, driving her backward.

"Damn it... I thought White Magic would destroy her!" Elaina collapsed, drained, clutching her bleeding shoulder. "Lem! She admitted she’s just a spirit possessing your mother’s corpse. Finish her!"

Even weakened, Selena deflected Marn’s furious barrage. "Lem! I need backup!" Marn roared.

Hesitating, Lem raised his spear. He and Marn cornered the woman wearing his mother’s face. Selena spun to block Lem’s strike—only for Marn’s follow-up to crash toward her waist. Her legs, sluggish from the magic, failed to dodge. The kick landed squarely on her soft belly.

Selena flew backward, crashing into Lem. They tumbled together. Her heavy breasts pressed against his face—a sensation hauntingly familiar from childhood.

"What a nostalgic feeling..."

Both spoke the words simultaneously.

Selena studied Lem beneath her like a curious child. Lem’s face burned crimson, torn between revulsion and longing. Sensing weakness, Selena pressed closer, her voluptuous body grinding against him. She leaned down, lips parting for a controlling kiss—

"{Breeding-Blessing of Black Goat Mother} Loading failed for Entity: Selena. Attempt 66."

The cold mechanical voice shattered her focus.

Selena kept Lem pinned, teasing him with her generous cleavage.

"Entity: Selena designated non-viable. Ceasing {Breeding-Blessing of Black Goat Mother} loading."

Lem shoved her away, gripping her bloodstained violet robe. His eyes hardened with resolve.

"Seeking alternative viable entities for loading."

The mechanical voice faded. Selena rose with a languid stretch, her S-curve silhouette glowing under purple magic. "That annoying voice is finally gone. Now I can use magic properly." She smirked at Marn like he was an insect.

Dark power erupted. Tiny horns on her brow split into sharp black antlers. Purple mist coalesced into leathery wings behind her. Her body reversed its aging—skin tightening, muscles firming, breasts lifting high and proud. She radiated demonic allure.

"Rise, my captured Corpse Eater!" she commanded the fallen ghoul.

It stirred, undead resilience defying death. It lunged at Marn, who was still shaking off her earlier enchantment.

"I remember now," Selena purred. "These ghouls were once my clients, lured to ruin. Children of lustful Ghostkind soldiers—kill these hunters for me."

Two more Tearmarked Ghouls dropped from the rooftops, surrounding Marn. They attacked with feral rage.

Selena’s true Succubus form needed no spells—her voice and sway alone ensnared minds, even ghouls’. Lem, trained in Royal Capital magic, knew her hybrid nature (Succubus, Lich, Ghostkind) burned magic too fast to sustain this form long. But pinned by ghouls, he could only watch helplessly.

Selena joined the fray. Teaming up with a Tearmarked Ghoul, she effortlessly subdued Lem. Yet she showed no intent to kill—only binding him with gauze woven from violet magic.

Next, she ordered two Tearmarked Ghouls to ambush Marn. She seized Elaina, whose magic exhaustion had left her dazed, and hoisted the frail maid into the air. With a spear, she pierced the old wound on Elaina’s shoulder, jolting her awake through sheer pain.

“Earlier, you mentioned Posein’s Succubus,” Selena hissed. “Where did you hear of it? Spit out every detail—or I’ll kill your Lem.”

Elaina writhed in agony but couldn’t break free. Marn, fighting two Tearmarked Ghouls alone, was battered bloody. Lem strained silently against his violet bindings, struggling to dispel the magic—without success.

Once cornered by three opponents, Selena now held absolute control. Three lives hung on her whim.

With practiced ease, she pressed a crimson spearpoint to Lem’s throat while her other hand pressed firmly on Elaina’s bleeding wound. “Talk,” she demanded, unhurried.

Wounded Elaina glanced at Marn—staggering, near collapse—then at the immobilized Lem. She bit her lip, hesitated, and finally yielded. “The intel came from the Royal Capital and...”

Before she could finish, four daggers flashed like silver lightning from above. They shrieked through the air, striking indiscriminately at Elaina, Lem, and Selena.

Selena sensed the aerial assault instantly. She flung Elaina aside and twisted her slender waist, dodging two blades with feline grace.

But the other two daggers plunged straight toward Lem, helpless on the ground. Without thought—as though moved by another will—Selena threw herself over him. Her body took the daggers meant for him.

Two rabbit-horn daggers slammed into her thigh and abdomen with bone-jarring force. A flood of agony, sharper than any she’d known, drowned her senses.

Then a lazy, irreverent voice cut through the night from above:

“Miss Aileen, has this backwater made you forget the Royal Capital’s lesson? Never parley with demons.”

Beneath Posein’s moonlit sky stood a figure in ash-gray.

Dante Graywhite—fresh from settling fortress affairs—perched atop the left alley wall. Bathed in crimson moonlight, the man who bore the Kingdom’s strongest title looked down imperiously at the scene below, a carefree grin on his lips.

Dante idly twirled a dagger in his hand. His tone left no room for argument as he declared the night’s deathmatch over:

“Well then, Succubus Selena—I’ll make your end gentle. For that lovely figure of yours.”