The Crimson Cavern’s Possession

Pant… pant…

They tumbled to the ground, escaping the suffocating tension. All three lay sprawled on the reddish-brown rock, gasping for breath.

Behind them, the crimson body of the Blood-Red Dragon had already collapsed. Like a colossal boulder, it slowly sank into the magma, utterly still. It was, presumably, quite dead.

“The dragon is dead… My magic isn’t enough to summon the Blood-Red Dragon again,” Iqiyah Scarlett struggled to push herself up, her exhaustion clearly evident. “I can only rely on you, Seraphina.”

“That’s easily done,” Seraphina replied. For her, casting buffs was like a superpower, a skill she could unleash anytime, anywhere, without expending any energy.

“It’s just… your basement is truly quite cult-like.”

Rising to her feet, Seraphina surveyed the crimson landscape before her.

Though Godia Scarlett had described it previously, and she had glimpsed traces of the basement through Cardo’s memories, standing here now, Seraphina felt an unsettling eeriness—a cult-like strangeness.

“Iqiyah Scarlett… I know you’re well-traveled… but have you ever heard of an animation?”

“What?”

“Mr. Pickles…”

****

Everywhere, thick, hot steam billowed.

Yet even this dense white mist could not conceal the pervasive scarlet hues within the subterranean chamber—or perhaps, subterranean cavern, for it was more fitting.

It was clearly an artificial cavern, carved deep beneath the earth.

Above, the cavern soared a hundred meters high. Countless towering stone pillars stretched upwards, bracing the ceiling.

From the ceiling, millions of red crystals hung in layered rows, like precarious stalactites, emitting an unsettling, creaking groan.

Below, the floor was composed of scorching, reddish-brown rock. Merely stepping upon it offered the sensation of an uninterrupted, twenty-four-hour hot moxibustion foot spa.

Moreover, countless fragments of red crystal, both large and small, littered the surface. Some were no bigger than a fingernail, while others loomed as massive as elephants.

Glancing left and right, one would realize that Seraphina and her companions were currently navigating the left side of this vast underground space.

In the very center of the cavern, an immensely wide river of magma flowed.

Within the dim underground chamber, dark red magma boiled, emitting a soul-searing gurgle as it slowly advanced. It stretched for hundreds of meters, culminating at a throne that appeared minuscule compared to the vast cavern itself.

Before the throne lay a blood pool, identical to the one preceding the throne in the Blood Manor. Within it, a pallid entity, little more than a head and shriveled limbs, lay prone.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the True Ancestor?”

Stepping forward, Seraphina couldn’t help but chuckle at the True Ancestor’s current wretched state.

“Looking at you now, I bet even I could kick you to death~ You trash❤ Useless trash❤”

“Hmph… Consider yourselves lucky you weren’t incinerated by the magma…”

As expected, Iqiyah Scarlett’s portrait had indeed been a trap set by the True Ancestor.

Like an ancient spider, the True Ancestor swayed her four skeletal, branch-like arms, supporting a beautiful face that seemed utterly out of place on her repulsive body.

“However… weakening your power has achieved my objective…”

“If I’m not mistaken… Iqiyah Scarlett, having just lost her dragon, should no longer be capable of fighting, correct?”

“Unable to fight? Are you perhaps joking?”

Seraphina chuckled softly, then extended her hand. In an instant, countless beams of light converged in her palm, illuminating the dim underground chamber as brightly as day.

“It’s merely that the main damage dealer is out of commission. You truly underestimate me, a mere healer!”

“…I see. Excellent.”

However, unlike the panicked or pleading True Ancestor Seraphina had envisioned, the True Ancestor’s face now wore an expression of iron calm.

“Seraphina… no, Cardo, you are currently unable to unleash the power you displayed in our last battle, aren’t you?”

“???”

Seraphina had not anticipated that the True Ancestor’s focus would be on such a detail.

“In that case, I am at ease. You currently lack the ability to defeat me.”

“What are you mumbling about, you crippled, amputated noble?”

As Seraphina raised her hand, a faint unease stirred within her at the True Ancestor’s inexplicable confidence.

‘Does she have some hidden trump card?’

‘No matter. Even if she does, can’t I just take her down before she uses it!?’

Pointing the light towards Iqiyah Scarlett behind her, Seraphina’s face was etched with irritation and fury.

“Watch me send you flying!”

“Hmph, do you truly believe there’s such a vast chasm between us?”

The True Ancestor sneered, “Ultimately… you are merely a familiar, devoid of such profound foresight and wisdom.”

“As for me, I have made countless preparations to ensure my survival.”

“Fulkarn! Interrupt her casting!”

“!?”

[Desire Manipulation]!!!

“Guh!?”

Before she could even unleash her support magic, a sudden heat flared in Seraphina’s lower abdomen. This was swiftly followed by a wave-like, yielding impact that swept over her body, again and again.

[Desire Manipulation]—while a common trick used in succubus convenience stores—is essentially equivalent to a divine-tier control spell when applied to someone with no magical resistance like yourself.”

The True Ancestor gave an evil laugh, then raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

“Fulkarn, apply the rest of the package to Miss Seraphina as well~”

“Yes.”

With vacant eyes, much like Seraphina herself had been when under the True Ancestor’s control, Fulkarn Scarlett continued to recite the incantations mechanically—

[Sensitivity Enhancement]… [Resistance Reduction]… [Forced Ecstasy]…

“Haaah… No… stop…”

Had it been only [Desire Manipulation], Seraphina might have barely maintained her balance through sheer willpower.

However, as these layers—whether buffs or debuffs, she couldn’t tell—encircled her, she finally succumbed to the burning heat steadily igniting in her abdomen. She stumbled and collapsed to the ground, soft moans escaping her lips.

“Seraphina!”

Seeing Seraphina fall, Iqiyah Scarlett rushed forward, only to find her arms abruptly seized by two unseen forces, rendering her immobile.

Turning, she discovered a multitude of maids had appeared behind them, seemingly out of nowhere. They swarmed around Iqiyah Scarlett and Levian’s bodies, securing their arms firmly and preventing any movement.

“Tsk, you insolent lot!” Iqiyah Scarlett raged, “Have you forgotten who your mistress is? Release me at once!”

Yet, facing Iqiyah Scarlett’s fury, these maids—who had been perfectly obedient moments ago—remained utterly unresponsive.

“Damn it, let go of me!”

Her struggles were in vain, whether due to her own excessive magical expenditure or because each of these maids possessed immense strength.

“Since I chose this place as my hiding spot, I naturally made ample preparations.”

Facing the three immobilized women, the True Ancestor gave a small wave of her hand. The Fulkarn Scarlett standing by her side then numbly stepped forward and removed the standard maid uniform that bound her chest.

Though a moment of unrestrained allure was revealed, Seraphina found no inclination to appreciate it.

She had already guessed what the True Ancestor intended to do.

Yet even with this foreknowledge, the sight of what unfolded next sent a cold sweat pouring down Seraphina’s back.

As if lifting a rabbit, Fulkarn Scarlett took hold of the True Ancestor’s arms and hoisted her above her head.

Then, she tilted her head back, aimed for the True Ancestor’s body, and opened her mouth—

“Waaah! Ugh!”

Fulkarn Scarlett swallowed the True Ancestor’s crippled form whole. Moments later, a face began to emerge from Fulkarn Scarlett’s bare chest.

“Don’t worry… Cardo, this is merely my temporary body.”

Unlike her previous parasitic possession of Godia Scarlett, this time, the True Ancestor had directly seized control of Fulkarn Scarlett’s body.

“Damn it, who cares about you! And I’m not Cardo! I’m Seraphina!”

“…Regardless, I am certain that Cardo resides within your body.”

Gazing down at Seraphina, the True Ancestor swallowed, then stepped over her body.

“Possessing you would prove too difficult for me.”

“Moreover… you are not my first choice.”

Moving behind Seraphina, the True Ancestor (in Fulkarn Scarlett’s body) gripped Iqiyah Scarlett’s chin, staring into her crimson eyes, and twisted her neck like a snake.

“The only one truly worthy of my body… ever since Cardo’s demise, has always been you, Iqiyah Scarlett!”

Without further preamble, the True Ancestor abruptly pulled Iqiyah Scarlett’s head towards her own chest—

No!

At the sight, Seraphina broke into a cold sweat.

‘She intends to possess Iqiyah Scarlett!’

Just at this critical juncture, as if her soul was leaving her body, Seraphina suddenly felt something tear itself free from within her.

The next second, a golden form materialized before them.

“You fiend, stay away from my sister!”

Raising a massive hammer, Cardo glared at the True Ancestor, her teeth gritted—