The second round ended.
The moment the round ended, the nine [Stun] cards that had filled Sovinia’s mind vanished like morning mist, leaving no trace behind.
Sovinia felt refreshed and light on her feet.
The Succubus clones continued their Charming Gaze, sending several [Stun] cards clattering into the draw pile.
Naturally, thanks to Evolution+, they helped draw cards, pulling the entire deck back into her hand almost instantly.
So many cards.
The third round began.
The Succubus Heavenly King was furious.
She tore through the shattered ice wall, trying to kill Sovinia.
Wohard’s combat instinct drove him to make the most correct choice.
He immediately commanded his clone to attack the Succubus Heavenly King.
The clone with its blurred features stepped forward.
Its enormous ethereal sword swung down mightily, aimed straight at the Succubus Heavenly King, unleashing [Holy Smite].
A flash of holy light.
The blade tore through the air, but it only cut an afterimage.
The Succubus Heavenly King drifted backward at inhuman speed, her body as light as a weightless feather, easily evading the lethal strike.
Wohard’s clone did not pursue.
It continued to guard the entrance alongside Sovinia.
Meanwhile, Wohard’s true body charged at the Succubus Heavenly King like an enraged bull, roaring.
“Great Lord Hero, go for it!”
Sovinia shouted from behind the clone, cheering for her beheading nemesis.
“Use your Holy Smite and slice her head off too!”
She felt no goodwill toward this Succubus Heavenly King, who had abandoned her companion and fled during the battle in the Throne Room.
Why should I lose my head while you keep yours?
Sovinia’s cheers echoed through the side hall, grating on the Succubus Heavenly King’s ears.
Between dodging Wohard’s storm of attacks, the Succubus Heavenly King even had the spare energy to cast a contemptuous glance at Sovinia.
She swayed aside to avoid a sweeping strike.
Her long, black-stockinged leg hooked gracefully, sending the helmet Sovinia had dropped earlier flying precisely toward her.
The helmet arced through the air and clattered to a stop at Sovinia’s feet.
“Catch, my dear ‘kin,’” the Succubus Heavenly King said with mockery.
“A fallen princess like you deserves only this trashy equipment for grunts. It suits you perfectly.”
Sovinia didn’t even glance at it.
Inside, she felt no ripple of emotion; she actually found the assessment quite fair.
This body of hers was pathetically weak.
Without external protection, a stray arrow to the head would end her life.
She didn’t pick up the helmet.
Instead, she kept shouting, “She’s about to die! Go, you stupid—ah, no, Lord Hero Wohard! Cut her head off! Remember, leave the final blow for me!”
She needed to land the killing blow herself to get the cards.
That was an iron rule.
But the battle wasn’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped.
Inside the side hall, the clones formed from pink powder were multiplying.
While they had no physical attack power, their dozens of eyes, constantly flashing with a charming light, formed an invisible net that steadily weakened Wohard.
Sovinia noticed his movements starting to lag.
Each swing of his sword seemed to fight some heavy resistance.
His eyes were no longer as sharp as before; occasionally, a flicker of confusion passed through them.
The effect of Charming Gaze was stacking.
His pursuit efficiency was dropping visibly.
The Succubus Heavenly King noticed this too.
Instead of rushing the entrance, she began toying with him like a cat with a mouse, slipping nimbly past his sword while her verbal attacks grew more venomous.
“Damn it! Once I escape,” she hissed while dodging, dripping with spite, “I’ll find my mother. I’ll collect Kimi’s head for my stamp album!”
Stamp album?
Right, my head still has its horns.
Could use it for that.
Sovinia felt a chill creep across her scalp.
“I’ll tie you two dog and bitch to the pillars of the Demon Castle. I’ll summon the twenty ugliest goblins and have them take turns! Properly! Enjoying you!”
No.
I can’t count on this stupid dog anymore.
Sovinia made her judgment in an instant.
Under such dense Charming Gaze, Wohard’s willpower was being drained fast.
Each attack slowed.
Soon, he would be completely broken.
If the Succubus Heavenly King escaped then, the trouble would be huge.
As she pondered, the battle shifted.
Seizing a brief moment of stiffness from Wohard’s stun, the Succubus Heavenly King turned into a pink blur that instantly slipped past his pursuit.
She shot straight for the entrance at terrifying speed.
Her goal had always been to escape from here.
And Sovinia, along with the exit behind her, was the only obstacle in her path.
“Come on!”
Sovinia stepped forward instead of retreating, her eyes blazing with a bloodthirsty light.
She had been waiting for this moment.
She had every card in hand.
Time to unleash her strongest attack.
[Double Strike]!
[Burning Strike+3]!
[Reckless Charge]!
She played her current strongest attack combination without hesitation.
The three cards activated in her mind instantly, surging mana flowing into Moonlight Blade through her arms.
This time, she didn’t thrust.
Facing an enemy charging at high speed, a wide, heavy slash was the best choice.
She gripped the sword with both hands, twisted her hips, and pivoted.
Silver Moonlight Blade burst into blazing flames as she brought it down in a vertical chop aimed at the Succubus Heavenly King’s head.
It was a full-power strike containing 4.5 times attack damage.
Combined with the copying effect of [Double Strike] and [Reckless Charge], the total damage was a solid ten attack.
Facing this sword strike that could shatter boulders, the Succubus Heavenly King smiled eerily.
She didn’t block.
Just as the blade was about to land, she dodged sideways at an angle that defied reason.
The burning blade seemed pulled by an invisible force, grazing her body’s edge and slamming into empty air.
The sword’s flames blasted out, hitting nothing.
The attack was deflected.
Fortunately, Sovinia swung the sword in an arc to recover, or the momentum could have snapped her wrist.
“Can’t hit me, can you?” the Succubus Heavenly King taunted.
“Guess why? Ha! Because your companion, that idiot with nothing but dirty thoughts, is lusting after this body, and that lust is boosting my power!”
Wohard’s clone moved, and the Succubus Heavenly King retreated in time.
As she backed off, she kept teasing.
That retreat caused her already tattered skirt to ride up further.
Her two long legs, wrapped in black stockings, gleamed all the more temptingly in the dim light.
The stockings were covered in tears from the battle, exposing large patches of pale skin.
The interplay of black and white held a fallen beauty.
The delicate lines of her calves, the plump curve of her thighs, the slender ankles—every detail seemed designed by the gods to lure the most primal instincts of males.
Sovinia knew this was the Succubus Heavenly King’s ability—Supernatural Charisma.
It could convert lust directed at her into her own defense, even deflecting enemy attacks.
Wohard’s pursuit came again.
His great sword whistled down.
This time, the Succubus Heavenly King dodged less gracefully, rolling and scrambling before leaping elegantly into the air to evade.
She looked back at Wohard and laughed, her body shaking with mirth:
“How ridiculous. You lust after this perfect body while pointlessly trying to kill me. Men, hah, such contradictory, pathetic creatures.”
Sovinia gripped her sword, silent.
Her expression darkened.
The Succubus Heavenly King was wrong.
No, or rather, half right.
Lust was indeed boosting her defense, but the source wasn’t just that stupid dog.
It included her share, too.
Damn it.
Damn it all.
Past memories surfaced in her mind.
Her every smile, every gesture.
The sway of her waist, the fullness of her hips when she danced…
“Roar!”
Wohard, filled with grief and anger, let out a furious bellow that cut off Sovinia’s recollections.
He swung his great sword, carving through an annoying Succubus clone nearby.
The clone shattered like a mirror.
Shards scattered and turned into specks of light.
But almost instantly, the Succubus Heavenly King flicked her finger, and another identical clone coalesced not far away.
“Useless,” the Succubus Heavenly King laughed.
“As long as I am here, my clones are endless.”
This wouldn’t work.
Wohard’s stamina was being wasted.
Resolve flickered in Sovinia’s eyes.
She had to do something.
She took a deep breath and made a bold decision.
No longer hiding behind Wohard’s clone, she stepped forward, leaving the only safe zone, exposing herself completely on the battlefield.
The fourth round began.
Thanks to Evolution+ and the constant mental harassment from the clones, her draw pile was once again filled with [Stun] cards.
Cards flashed through her mind like a waterfall.
In an instant, the entire deck’s cards were once again fully present in her hand.
Ignoring the nearby Succubus Heavenly King’s true body, she targeted the clone closest to her.
“Die!”
With a low cry, she activated a card.
[Burning Strike+3]!
Fiery flames ignited along the blade.
Sovinia dashed forward in a single stride and swung.
That clone didn’t even have time to react before the blazing blade cut it in half.
The body didn’t bleed; instead, it shattered like glass, exploding into countless pink specks that dissolved into the air.
One strike, one kill.
“Oh?”
From afar, the Succubus Heavenly King, still trading blows with Wohard, let out a cold snort.
“So you’re not completely useless. But that trick must be your last resort, right? Took a lot of mana, didn’t it? Let’s see how many more times you can use it.”
Sovinia ignored the taunt.
Without [Burning Strike], she fell back on pure swordsmanship.
Though this body was frail, Kimi’s battle-hardened instincts remained.
She brandished Moonlight Blade, sword light flashing, and charged another clone.
While dodging Wohard’s attacks, the Succubus Heavenly King continued mocking effortlessly: “Save your strength, little princess. Your sword will take forever just to cut down one of my clones.”
And it was true.
Without card boosts, Sovinia’s normal attacks against the clones felt like hacking at tough rubber.
The target merely shuddered and sometimes even dodged.
She chased for several swings before killing it.
But the moment the next round began…
The [Burning Strike+3] card returned to her hand as the discard pile shuffled.
Without hesitation, she activated it again.
Crimson flames burst forth.
Another clone turned to powder under her sword.
Round after round.
Each round, she used [Burning Strike+3].
Her rate of eliminating clones began to catch up with the Succubus Heavenly King’s summoning speed.
Inside the side hall, the pink-glowing figures visibly dwindled.
The Succubus Heavenly King’s expression finally changed.
Her smile vanished, replaced by shock and fury.
“You bitch!” she cursed recklessly.
“Is that move of yours as bottomless as your constantly pregnant belly? Can you use it forever?!”
Without thinking, Sovinia shot back: “This princess is still a virgin!”
The words left her mouth, and even she was stunned.
Why… did I call myself “princess”?
And in such a self-righteous tone?
Forget it.
No time to dwell.
It must be that my lying skills have advanced.
Even in a life-or-death moment, I instinctively maintain my persona, deceiving the enemy with lies.
Yes, that has to be it.
As the clones’ numbers plummeted, the mental pressure on Wohard diminished sharply.
His movements regained their ferocity.
His great sword swung with renewed vigor.
He chased the Succubus Heavenly King while casually dispatching clones, pushing her into a flustered retreat.
Seeing the tide about to turn, the Succubus Heavenly King’s eyes flashed with ruthlessness.
She seized an opening and turned into a blur again, disengaging from battle with a clear target: Sovinia.
If she could kill the one constantly clearing her clones, she could regain control.
This attack was faster and more vicious than any before.
But Wohard reacted with equal speed.
As if anticipating her desperate gambit, the moment she moved, he hurled his great sword.
The sword spun through the air like a flying death windmill, generating a terrifying pressure.
It slammed precisely into the flank of the Succubus Heavenly King.
She had to make a wide-angle dodge, but it still grazed her, sending pink blood splattering.
Though it didn’t seriously wound her, it successfully disrupted her charge, causing a pause and deflection as she closed in on Sovinia.
That instant decided life and death.
The Succubus Heavenly King’s claws, glowing with pink mana, were already in front of Sovinia’s face.
Sovinia could even smell the sweet, dangerous perfume on her fingertips.
But she didn’t flinch.
[Please select one hand card to delete in order to gain double defense bonus.]
A cold, mechanical prompt sounded in her mind.
Whoosh—
A translucent, curved ice shield rose from the ground without warning, solidly blocking her front.
[Shield of Fortitude].
A crisp crack echoed as the Succubus Heavenly King’s claws slammed into the ice shield.
The shield shattered into a shower of ice crystals, but the fatal impact was completely absorbed.
The Succubus Heavenly King panted in surprise.
“You still have mana?!”