Time, back to about ten minutes ago.

In the cave, Shafney, held by the shoulders by Shien, stared blankly at the serious face so close to her own. The heart-pounding words from just a moment ago echoed in her ears.

“Seduce me, tempt me, make me fall for you.”

“Even if it’s just temporary, make me fall for you.”

“Come on. Let me see your skills as the Succubus.”

These words made Shafney’s eyes twitch, and she blurted out almost without thinking,

“Are… are you stupid?”

Shafney was exasperated.

What did he mean by seducing him, tempting him, making him fall? What did he mean by even if it’s temporary, making him fall for her? What were the Succubus’s skills? Seducing men?

Shafney decided that if Shien said that, she would slap him to death.

Actually, Shien really did mean that.

After all, she was the Succubus. Although this Succubus wasn’t that Succubus, the meaning was there. Shien didn’t want to elaborate; those who understood would understand, and those who didn’t, he couldn’t help. He could only let them imagine.

So, Shien’s expression remained serious, even carrying a hint of provocation.

“What? Does our Succubus lack confidence?”

His tone was deliberately sarcastic and provocative.

Fortunately, Shafney wasn’t easily provoked.

“Don’t think you can goad me like this,” she snorted, then raised her head, touched her delicate cheek with a finger, and said with a smile, “Even if I don’t know how to seduce anyone, do you dare say that no one will fall for me?”

Hearing her words and looking at her breathtakingly beautiful, angelic face, Shien’s expression became unnatural.

This woman was truly a demoness, incredibly alluring, her every glance and smile capable of captivating one’s soul, let alone smiling so enticingly at such close proximity. It made his heart race.

Shien had to admit that even if she did nothing, most people in this world would still be captivated by her.

Gray was a prime example. He himself had struggled on the edge of danger several times, almost fleeing in terror.

But because of this, Shien felt that his current actions were meaningful.

Before, he had been resisting Shafney’s charm, not allowing himself to be easily captivated.

But now, since there was a need to be captivated, he didn’t mind pushing himself, making himself fall for this woman.

After all, what was done was done. Even if neither he nor Shafney wanted to maintain their relationship purely out of responsibility, there was no need to be so dramatic as to deny everything after the fact.

So, Shien truly wanted to try, to see if this woman could make him fall in love with her, make him willing to sacrifice his life for her, to bear that centuries-old curse.

This was also the current solution to their predicament.

Otherwise, he would have to charge out and fight against a Limit Level opponent, even a group of Old Demon Faction members, while protecting Shafney.

Thinking of this, Shien narrowed his eyes.

“Indeed, even if you do nothing, you can still captivate everyone, our Succubus,” he said casually, “But with all due respect, I’m not one of those people.”

Shafney raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” She seemed to sense a hidden meaning.

And it was true.

“What I want to say is very simple,” Shien said with a bright smile, “In my eyes, all of this is trash.”

Shafney’s lips twitched. She knew he was provoking her. However, even knowing this, she still felt displeased.

“You dare call me trash?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Isn’t it true?” Shien wasn’t intimidated at all, “Even if you can captivate everyone without doing anything, it’s just because you’re naturally gifted. If you don’t have any actual skills to make a man fall for you, doesn’t that just prove you’re just a beautiful vase?”

Shafney’s eyebrows twitched. He called her trash, and now a vase?

“…Do you really think I won’t hit you?” she asked, her voice chilling.

Shien gulped nervously.

Had he gone too far?

Whatever, he was committed now.

“If you have the skills, then make me fall for you,” he said forcefully, “Otherwise, even if you climb into my bed, I’ll show my disgust openly.”

A faint cracking sound, as if something had broken, seemed to echo through the cave.

Shafney looked at Shien expressionlessly, making his lips twitch, his heart pounding.

Was he about to be killed?

He seriously considered this possibility.

But just then, Shafney suddenly smiled. It wasn’t her usual cheerful smile, but a stunningly beautiful smile, like a flower blooming naturally.

At this moment, Shien felt the atmosphere in the cave brighten, as if countless flowers were blooming, turning the cave into a paradise.

With this captivating smile, Shafney reached out and wrapped her arms around Shien’s neck, her alluring body pressing against his. She looked at him with a charming smile and said softly,

“Since Master Shien prefers women with ‘substance,’ then what should I do to impress you?”

Her sweet and seductive voice, coupled with her alluring tone, sent a shiver down Shien’s spine and ignited a fire in his heart.

“Ahem…” He coughed, trying to regain his composure. Unfortunately, her alluring scent and the feel of her body against his made him increasingly aroused.

After struggling for a while, Shien realized he couldn’t even speak.

Shafney, like an imperial concubine from ancient times, looked at him with watery eyes, as if filled with affection, her lips parting slightly as she spoke,

“Your body seems quite warm, my dear Hero~~~”

Her seductive tone and fragrant breath almost made Shien faint.

This woman, she actually had this kind of skill?

Was she truly a Succubus?

It seemed he had played himself.

“Who can resist this?” he thought.

“—!” Suddenly, Shien shuddered.

The enchanting beauty in his arms had started to move.

Her delicate, beautiful hand touched his forehead, then slowly slid down, like a soft tongue, tracing his face, chin, neck, chest, and finally stopping at his abdomen, drawing circles.

“Do you like this, my dear Hero?” she asked, her charming smile making his breathing grow ragged.

If Shien could still hold on at this point, it wasn’t because of his strong willpower, but his last shred of dignity as a man.

He had resisted her so fiercely before, desperately trying not to be captivated, and now that she was seriously seducing him, would it be reasonable for him to surrender immediately?

That wouldn’t be reasonable!

Come on! Deceive me!

Come on! Surprise attack me!

Little Succubus, I dare you!

I’m not that easy!

“Is… is that all?” Shien finally managed to speak, his voice trembling slightly.

“Hee hee.” Shafney smiled triumphantly, then, at this perfect moment, she used her trump card.

“Chu…” She lightly kissed his lips, then hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear,

“Then ravage me, make me surrender, Master.”

“Don’t hold back.”

“You can do anything you want.”

These hot and seductive words, like the last straw, completely ignited the fire in Shien’s heart.

After holding on for a whole week, Shien finally succumbed, falling prey to the enchanting Succubus.

…

“Rumble…”

At this moment, the sky above the forest at the border of the Moon Demon Territory was filled with swirling clouds.

The wind howled.

The trees swayed.

The atmosphere wailed, and the envoys of the Old Demon Faction struggled against the strong wind, immobilized despite their discomfort.

Including Gorud.

“How… how is this possible…!?” he exclaimed.

In the distance, within the cave that had been flattened by countless magic spells, a slender yet alluring figure slowly rose into the air.

A terrifying magic power erupted from her, soaring into the sky and piercing the swirling clouds.

Seeing this, Gorud shouted hysterically without thinking,

“Run—!”

With this shout, he turned and fled, transforming into a blur.

“Run!”

“Run!”

The envoys of the Original Demon finally reacted and started to flee frantically.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

“Boom!”

A thunderous roar suddenly echoed, shaking the entire area.

“Weng!”

As the atmosphere trembled, amidst the surging, terrifying magic power, phantoms silently appeared. Men and women, old and young, all clad in robes, wielding staves, like a well-trained mage unit, lined up neatly behind the slender figure hovering in mid-air.

Gorud, fleeing, sensed the terrifying aura behind him and instinctively glanced back.

That single glance terrified him. Each phantom exuded an aura comparable to his own, at the very least on the same level.

This meant that all those phantoms were Legendary-level experts.

And they were Legendary-level magicians.

“Prepare attack magic!”

A cold command echoed in mid-air, just like Gorud’s earlier command, and the countless Legendary magician phantoms raised their staves, chanting spells. Waves of magic power erupted, far surpassing the Original Demon’s envoys in scale.

“Damn it!” Gorud’s hair stood on end, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Knowing he had no time to waste, he transformed his body into steel and burrowed into the ground.

“Release!” At the same time, the cold command echoed again.

The Legendary magician phantoms in mid-air unleashed their spells. Like the spells cast by the Original Demon’s envoys earlier, these were High-Level magic. However, the same High-Level magic, cast by Higher Demons and Legendary experts, had vastly different power.

Spells capable of scorching the earth, freezing forests, and turning the world into scorched earth appeared one after another, raining down like a meteor shower.

“Boom!” A corner of the forest exploded.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!” …

As the spells rained down, every corner of the forest was engulfed in flames. Explosions echoed continuously, turning into shockwaves that ravaged the forest.

The scene was apocalyptic.

“Ah!”

“No!”

“Noooo!”

The Original Demon’s envoys were engulfed by the magical barrage, swallowed by flames, struck by lightning, frozen into ice sculptures, or swallowed by the earth as it cracked open.

Fear, wails, pleas for mercy, and despair filled the scene like hell, claiming countless lives.

This scene continued for an unknown amount of time.

When the Legendary magic feast ended, the phantoms in mid-air disappeared, their magic power dissipating.

“Good.” Shafney, looking at all of this, had a satisfied expression. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, her aura powerful, as if she had made a breakthrough in a short time, her spirits high.

The curse that had been tormenting her vanished without a trace.

Shafney looked down. The forest was gone, replaced by a scorched wasteland filled with craters, a testament to the ruthless destruction. Not a single corpse of the Original Demon’s envoys remained.

Then, Shafney looked up at the sky. There, within the swirling clouds, a figure had appeared. But as she focused her gaze, it vanished.

Shafney curled her lip.

“Still a coward, just like before,” she said.

A voice responded,

“Not going after him?”

Shien slowly ascended from the ruins below, arriving beside Shafney, holding a piece of paper to his nose for some reason.

“If we can eliminate him, there won’t be any more trouble from the Original Demon, right?” he said, his voice muffled.

“Do you think I don’t want to?” Shafney sighed, annoyed, “But that guy’s Unique Skill is known as the strongest concealment skill. Once he seriously tries to hide, even Nadue, the Goddess of Nature, can’t find him.”

Shafney had suffered because of this before. She knew that unless they set a trap, making him unable to escape, capturing him would be impossible. They would have to ask the Supreme God for help.

“If it weren’t for this, the Original Demon would have been eradicated long ago because of their Demonic Refining Rituals. How could they have become the oldest and most mysterious Old Demon Faction, lasting for a thousand years?”

Shafney sneered.

“So we can only let him go?” Shien sighed.

“Unless you can find him,” Shafney said, not holding out much hope.

“…Alright, I can’t sense anything,” Shien admitted helplessly. This was why he was almost ambushed by that Half-Demon earlier. If not for his explosive power, he might have been incinerated by that descending pillar of magic power.

“Launching a sneak attack and then running away, such a guy shouldn’t be called a Half-Demon or the leader of the Original Demon, but the Ultimate Escapist or Tartarus,” Shien said disdainfully.

“Ultimate Escapist? Tartarus?” Shafney asked curiously, “What are those?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Shien naturally couldn’t explain.

“Trying to act mysterious,” Shafney rolled her eyes, then, noticing the paper Shien was holding to his nose, she asked with a chuckle, “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” Shien quickly removed the makeshift nose plug, sniffed, and finding no smell of blood, said, “Just a bit of a nosebleed.”

“Are you satisfied then, my dear Hero?” Shafney asked playfully, “My seduction, my temptation, they’re quite effective, aren’t they?” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Shien’s expression turned awkward. Not just effective, but incredibly so!

He had instantly reached the level of connection required for transferring the curse with [Ripple Heart Demon], and if not for his last shred of rationality, urging Shafney to transfer the curse to him, he might have lost control and put on a good show for the Original Demon.

Even so, he was still aroused.

Therefore, he embarrassingly had a nosebleed.

Shafney was very satisfied with his reaction.

“Still dare to call me trash?”

“N-No… I don’t dare…”

“Still dare to call me a vase?”

“No…”

“Then what am I?”

“The great, beautiful, and stunning Succubus, Your Highness!”

“Beautiful and stunning are the same thing!”

“Then beautiful and stunning it is!”

“…”

The two bickered above the scorched forest, the crisis seemingly averted.

However, Shafney continued to observe Shien, and seeing his usual demeanor, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

First, the curse transferred to Shien seemed to have been completely purified by the Holy Sword’s power, not affecting him at all.

Second, she had been worried that Shien, having succumbed to her once and even willing to bear the curse for her, might become like those infatuated with her, only seeing her and nothing else. Fortunately, the Holy Sword’s power was even stronger than she imagined, quickly purifying the centuries-old curse, and Shien’s attitude remained unchanged, still treating her casually.

This was good. This was how a man worthy of her attention should be.

Shafney, thinking this, didn’t know that Shien was also relieved. He had been worried that if he fell for this Succubus, he would become a mindless simp. Fortunately, things were different now. This Succubus had almost no secrets before him.

Perhaps Shafney would never know that after the curse was transferred to him, while the Holy Sword purified it, and he endured the excruciating pain, Shien’s mind was filled with images of “conquering” her.

“I’ve already taken care of this woman… I’ve already taken care of this woman… I’ve already taken care of this woman…”

He hypnotized himself, telling himself that it wasn’t him who was infatuated with her, but she who was conquered by him.

And Shien was good at brainstorming and letting his imagination run wild. Therefore, he successfully hypnotized himself, regaining his composure.

If others knew that he used this method to prevent himself from being completely captivated, they would probably be speechless.

Anyway, Shien and Shafney successfully overcame this minor crisis.

Of course, they both secretly remembered this incident.

One day, they would settle the score with that Half-Demon.