The Veil of Desire

“There’s still plenty more.”

Sovenia spoke, her voice calm as she ducked behind the shattered ice shield. With the flat of her Moonlit Blade, she precisely parried the Succubus Heavenly King’s claw as it tore through the crystalline debris. The blade collided with the demon’s keratinous talons, producing a dull thud.

She shifted her weight, expertly deflecting the force of the blow. Her face remained impassive as she continued in her cool, clear tone, “Perhaps it’s my chastity that’s fueling my magic.”

The Succubus Heavenly King froze for a moment.

Meanwhile, Wawalde had also regained his footing. He let out a low growl, gripping his greatsword tightly, and charged forward with rapid strides. His footsteps echoed swiftly through the empty side hall.

“You vile wretches!” the Succubus Heavenly King shrieked. Knowing there was no escape, her face contorted with madness and desperation. “I have one last trick!”

With that, she inhaled sharply, her chest swelling dramatically. Then, she unleashed a roar that seemed capable of piercing clouds and splitting stone.

“Oh oh oh ho ho ho!”

That sound, however, was less a roar and more akin to… a rather inappropriate cry.

Accompanying the shriek, the entire side hall was engulfed in a dazzling pink light. Countless mirror images materialized out of thin air, reflecting everyone’s forms repeatedly, creating a chaotic, kaleidoscopic scene.

A rich, sweet fragrance permeated the air, as innumerable crimson rose petals rained down from above, like a lavish shower of blood.

“What in the hell is that noise…” Sovenia, driven by pure combat instinct, had already thrown herself to the ground the moment the light erupted. Her face pressed against the cold stone bricks, she inwardly cursed the utterly vulgar sound effects of this move.

Her vision was completely obscured by the pink light and the swirling petals. Sovenia could only hear Wawalde’s roar cutting through the storm. “Clones! Guard the entrance! Anything that comes close, strike it down with Holy Severance!”

‘What a useful tool,’ Sovenia mused. ‘This idiotic dog’s clones are truly excellent. They can serve as a meat shield, a turret, and even guard the house. Once this storm passes, if that woman tries to escape through the entrance, she’ll run right into Holy Severance. Perfect!’

The “Oh ho ho ho” storm arrived as quickly as it dissipated.

As the pink light gradually faded, Sovenia immediately sprang to her feet.

Her gaze immediately darted to the entrance. Wawalde’s indistinct clone stood there faithfully, still holding its ethereal greatsword aloft, the tip pointed forward in a vigilant stance.

It hadn’t swung its blade, confirming that the Succubus Heavenly King hadn’t attempted to break through the main exit.

Good.

Sovenia’s gaze then swept across the interior of the side hall, searching for the Succubus Heavenly King.

She found her. The woman who had moments ago been so arrogant was now half-kneeling before a side wall of the hall.

That solid stone wall had been gouged into a waist-high pit by her sharp claws. Fresh scratch marks and lingering pink magical embers still clung to the edges of the opening.

Yet, she hadn’t managed to claw her way through.

Her body seemed utterly depleted of strength. The claw that had so effortlessly torn through the air moments before now hung limply, several slender fingers twitching unnaturally. The pink glow at their tips had already faded.

She panted heavily, her fragrant sweat dampening the dark hair on her forehead. Several strands clung to her wheat-colored cheek.

The Succubus Heavenly King, unwilling to give up, reached out and futilely scratched at the wall with her nails, producing a grating ‘sccch’ sound.

“Wh-what’s happening…” Her voice trembled with weakness, filled with incredulous horror. “Why… my body… my muscles are paralyzed, I can’t move…”

Finally, the manticore venom had taken effect.

A wave of satisfaction surged through Sovenia, though her face remained etched with its usual millennia-old indifference. With a flick of her wrist, the tip of the Moonlit Blade pointed directly at the kneeling Succubus Heavenly King. She issued a terse command:

“Wawalde, attack.”

Her tone was utterly flat, a stark contrast to the deferential cries of “Brave Hero!” she had uttered while hiding behind Wawalde’s clone earlier.

Wawalde didn’t hesitate for an instant. He roared as he charged forward, his demonic greatsword raised high, aimed directly at the Succubus Heavenly King’s back. He unleashed [Holy Severance].

A blinding flash of sacred light erupted!

“No!” The Succubus Heavenly King, sensing the fatal threat behind her, let out a desperate shriek. She twisted her body with all her might, attempting to activate her infallible “Supernatural Charm” to deflect the attack.

She expended her last ounce of strength, contorting herself into a pose designed to ignite male desire. Her long legs, encased in black stockings, curled, outlining a breathtaking curve.

But this time, Wawalde’s blade did not deviate significantly.

The irresistible power of Holy Severance pierced through her back.

The Succubus Heavenly King let out a bloodcurdling scream, her body sent flying forward by the immense force like a broken rag doll. She tumbled several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop.

She slumped against the wall, disheveled, one hand tightly clutching her left arm, which continuously oozed pink blood. The other hand braced against the ground as she struggled to lift her head.

Her once exquisitely beautiful face was now etched with terror and agony.

“D-don’t… don’t kill me…” she gasped, her golden eyes brimming with tears. She gazed piteously at Wawalde, who was approaching her step by step with his greatsword in hand. “Lord Wawalde… Brave Hero… I… I can be your s*ave… you can do anything to me… anything at all… truly… whatever you desire…”

To survive, she utterly cast aside her dignity as a Heavenly King.

She strained to push out her chest, making her body’s curves appear even more alluring. Beneath her tattered long gown, her black stockings were further shredded from her tumble.

The lace-edged tops of her stockings at her thighs were faintly visible, a section of her shapely thigh almost entirely exposed, creating a stark visual contrast with the dark silk fabric.

Her voice, laced with a sob, was filled with both temptation and supplication. She conveyed that if he only nodded, she would immediately offer him everything she possessed. She continued to weep, “I… I don’t want to die yet.”

“Very well then,” Wawalde’s voice was cold. “Sovenia, you deliver the finishing blow. I’ll watch.”

With that, he walked over to the Succubus Heavenly King. His greatsword was poised, a clear indication that at her slightest movement, he would instantly sever her head.

Sovenia inwardly nodded. ‘This stupid dog truly possesses rich combat experience,’ she thought. ‘What a pity his intelligence is far inferior to mine; he’s only fit to be a dog.’

She did not rush forward immediately. Instead, she gripped her sword and approached slowly, one step at a time.

She needed time.

‘One round is over; the discard pile is shuffling,’ she thought. ‘Hurry, hurry, bring me a [Blazing Strike +3]. The final blow must be mine to claim the cards and the treasure chest.’

The Succubus Heavenly King watched the indifferent expression on Sovenia’s face, saw the undisguised killing intent in her eyes. Her own expression slowly shifted from pleading to utter despair. She knew that begging was useless.

As Sovenia’s sword drew closer, she suddenly let out a hysterical laugh.

“Heh heh… heh heh heh… You’re going to kill me? You… imposter!” Her gaze darted between Sovenia and Wawalde, filled with malevolence. “Brave Hero, aren’t you curious? This woman, she knows the paths of the Demon King’s Palace better than anyone, even better than me, a Heavenly King!

“She claims to be escaping the Demon King’s Palace, yet she heads directly towards the area where Jimi’s head might be hidden!”

Wawalde’s eyes flickered. “Jimi’s head? The one I severed? It has—”

Sovenia abruptly quickened her pace, the Moonlit Blade in her hand transforming into a streak of silver light, thrusting directly at the Succubus Heavenly King’s throat.

Seeing Sovenia’s sudden attack, the Succubus Heavenly King’s speech accelerated like a barrage of cannon fire. “Jimi’s head must contain all of their power and secrets—”

*Puch.*

Sovenia’s sword arrived, wreathed in flames.

The sharp tip precisely pierced the Succubus Heavenly King’s neck, cutting off her remaining words.

The Succubus Heavenly King’s eyes widened, her golden pupils filled with resentment and venomous indignation. A gurgling sound escaped her throat, as if she still wanted to speak.

“You… how could you… Jimi the Cruel’s… abilities…”

These were her final words in this world.

Sovenia mercilessly twisted the blade, then yanked it out. Immediately, explosive flames surged towards the wound.

The fire burned away the pale purple veil on the Succubus Heavenly King’s face, revealing her even more alluring and enchanting features.

She left no corpse behind. At the moment her life ended, her body began to burn, transforming into faint pink flames. But then, she let out a piercing wail:

“Mom—!”

Sovenia delivered another swift decapitating blow.

Her head rolled from her neck and fell to the ground, its open mouth still crying out, “Mom!”

With lightning-fast reflexes, Sovenia struck again with a backhand, cleaving the still-wailing head in two.

The pink flames suddenly shot higher, then completely extinguished, and the corpse vanished entirely. All that remained on the spot was a pile of tattered court gown fabric and two equally shredded black stockings.

Sovenia cursed inwardly.

Feeling a prick of guilt, she immediately turned to face Wawalde. He appeared pensive, muttering something about Jimi’s head.

Sovenia quickly interjected:

“Succubi are masters of sowing discord. They love to babble nonsense on their deathbeds, uttering plausible but false words to shake people’s resolve. Turning lovers against each other and causing brothers to fight are their favorite tricks.”

“Hmm,” Wawalde nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation.

Sovenia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“However,” Wawalde continued, “if you hadn’t spoken those words in Demonic, perhaps they would have been a little more convincing.”

Sovenia’s heart gave a sudden leap. Only then did she realize that in her haste, she had explained herself in fluent Demonic.

“I… I’ve been imprisoned for too long…” She immediately lowered her head. “I’ve spoken it so much that, without realizing it, I just…”

“I understand,” Wawalde sighed.

‘I got away with it again,’ Sovenia sneered inwardly. ‘This stupid dog’s brain truly isn’t very sharp.’

With the crisis averted, it was time to tally the spoils.

First were the cards. She reached out to touch the ethereal golden question mark card floating above the Succubus Heavenly King’s remains.

Three golden card apparitions shimmered before her eyes.

[Indomitable Stand]: 2 Cost, Skill, Gold Card. Gain 8x Defense this turn.

[Greater Elf Form]: 3 Cost, Ability, Gold Card. Gain two mana at the start of each turn.

[Moonlight Blessing]: 0 Cost, Skill, Gold Card. Draw three cards, gain 2 mana. This card vanishes after use and does not enter the discard pile.

Sovenia barely hesitated. She immediately chose [Moonlight Blessing]. A 0-cost activation that instantly replenished three cards in her hand and two mana, making it a powerful early-game card.

She selected [Moonlight Blessing].

Next, she crouched down and began to search through the remains.

Aside from a pile of rags, there were only the two torn black stockings. Sovenia picked one up and glanced at it, a thought unconsciously bubbling up in her mind: ‘My own slender, straight legs would look incredibly alluring if I wore these.’

But she immediately crushed that thought.

‘What a joke! These are a dead woman’s belongings, and I have no need to wear such provocative things. Moreover, my current public identity is that of a chaste elf princess. How could I possibly wear something so imbued with a decadent aura? More importantly, that stupid dog is still watching.’

‘Perhaps, once I find a male body, this current one could be used as a doll, and I could use these—no, no, I’ll just burn them. This experience of being trapped in a female body, no one must ever know.’

Sovenia tossed the torn black stockings back onto the ground.

“Did you find anything?” Wawalde asked.

Sovenia rummaged for a while, only managing to retrieve a silver short staff from the pile of rags. It was exquisitely crafted, inlaid with a glowing gem, clearly a prop the Succubus Heavenly King had used when impersonating an elf princess. A faint trace of magic still lingered on the staff.

“A staff,” she said, standing up to face Wawalde.

“Perhaps it could fetch some money, if we make it out alive,” Wawalde remarked.

Sovenia made no comment, simply stuffing the staff into her large black leather backpack.

Now for the main event.

As a powerful Gold Card enemy personally defeated by her, the Succubus Heavenly King had also dropped a treasure chest—an ethereal chest only visible to Sovenia.

Three ghostly relics, each emanating a unique aura, appeared before her.

The first item was a black bikini armor set, boldly revealing in its design. Only a few thin metal plates covered the crucial areas, exuding a wild beauty. Its effect was to provide an invisible full-body armor, excluding the head, and was for female wearers only.

‘This is very useful for the issue of excessive exposure,’ she thought. ‘It could be worn as underwear, which would at least be decent.’

The second item was a magnificent black cloak, its edges embroidered with subtle silver rose patterns, giving it a grand appearance. Its effect was to allow three uses of “Mirror Flower, Water Moon” per day, creating a mirror clone and instantly teleporting to a nearby location—precisely the displacement skill the Succubus Heavenly King had used earlier. This was a highly practical life-saving item.

The third item was a pale purple veil, as thin as a cicada’s wing. It was embroidered with intricate and mysterious patterns in gold thread, its style quite similar to the Succubus Heavenly King’s own veil.

[Veil of Desire]: Equipment. Provides 1 mana per turn, and grants “Supernatural Charm,” which can deflect all enemy attacks. The above effects require desire generated by a male towards you to function.

The description was concise, but Sovenia instantly grasped the terrifying potential of this relic. A steady 1 mana per turn was enough to make it a powerful artifact, and her deck desperately needed mana for its operations.

The “Supernatural Charm” passive also provided precious defense, as this frail elven female body was truly one arrow to the head away from instant death.

However, the “only fly in the ointment” was the condition: “requires desire generated by a male towards you to function.”

As a former confidante of the Demon Queen, Sovenia knew the abilities of the succubus race like the back of her hand. This equipment, in all likelihood, required the wearer to actively ‘seduce,’ to subtly entice and provoke men into generating a continuous stream of desire for it to function. Otherwise, it would be useless.

If it didn’t have the condition of requiring male desire, it would have been the ideal piece of equipment.

Sovenia furrowed her fair brows.

‘Me, the esteemed First Heavenly King under the Demon King, Jimi the Cruel, the Human Butcher, the Demon Race’s Blade… to flirt with men?’

‘What a joke! Utter humiliation! No, not even a little bit. I can’t have it.’

Her gaze immediately shifted to the other two relics.

The [Cloak] was clearly the safest choice. Three teleports were a divine skill for both pursuit and escape, and it was suitably dignified, befitting a true powerhouse.

The [Bikini Armor] wasn’t bad either. Worn as underwear, no one would know, and it offered decent defense.

But…

The accursed Veil of Desire drew her gaze back once more.

The effects of the [Veil of Desire] were simply too tempting.

A fixed +1 mana per turn would elevate her combat power by an entire tier, solving her mana problems, while “Supernatural Charm,” if used correctly, would boost her battlefield survival to another level.

‘No, absolutely not! As the First Heavenly King, Jimi the Cruel, the Human Butcher, the Elf’s Nightmare, the Demon Race’s Blade, how could I wear such a womanly item, and rely on selling my charm for power?’

‘What kind of image would that project? Where is my dignity? If I were discovered later, how could I continue to be a ‘demon’ and command the demon army?’

‘At the very least, I should choose something like a Skull Cloak to be worthy of myself. Yes, I’ll choose the cloak. The cloak with no prerequisites.’

But…

Sovenia couldn’t help but imagine herself wearing the veil.

‘Silver hair, golden eyes, wielding a silver longsword under the moonlight, paired with this ethereal veil… it would certainly… look beautiful, wouldn’t it? That mysterious, subtly veiled beauty…’

‘No, no, no, this veil is pale purple, and—’

Just then, the white veil seemed to sense her thoughts. Its color suddenly changed, becoming the ethereal white veil she preferred.

Sovenia unconsciously raised her hand to touch it, but her other hand suddenly grabbed it, pulling it back forcefully.

‘No, no, no!’ Sovenia shook her head violently. ‘Why would I care about such feminine aesthetics? It must be my instinct to pursue strength, yes, that’s it.’

Her gaze flickered between the three relics, her inner scales wildly swaying. Male dignity and the pursuit of great power, along with… beauty, waged a fierce battle in her mind.

‘It seems, actually, this Veil of Desire doesn’t have any particular tactical advantage compared to the others, does it?’

Sovenia pondered.

Just then, Wawalde walked over. He picked up the helmet that the Succubus Heavenly King had kicked to her feet earlier and handed it over.

“Your helmet.”

Sovenia looked at the indescribably ugly, ill-fitting, battered iron pot in Wawalde’s hand.

She imagined herself wearing that thing again.

‘Like a mere grunt, cannon fodder to be ordered around, and it pressed on my ears, hindering my hearing.’

The impulse for beauty instantly overwhelmed everything else.

She raised her head, reaching out her hand directly, and chose the [Veil of Desire]. Just then, a breeze blew, carrying the veil into her hand.

Sovenia snapped back to reality, looking at the thin veil in her hand. She took a deep breath and began to convince herself:

‘I should wear the veil, not that ugly iron can, because it can protect my head, provide unparalleled defense and mana, and won’t affect my hearing.’

As for the only small drawback—the ‘desire’ required to activate it…

Sovenia’s golden eyes flickered towards Wawalde, who stood before her.

‘Let this idiotic dog, who has less than a day left to live, provide it.’

‘Indeed, this is purely a tactical consideration. Utilizing the last bit of remaining value from a tool is logical and reasonable, making this a strategically sound choice, completely unrelated to vanity.’

‘Right, right, why would I bother to dress up for an elven maiden’s body that will last less than a day?’

Sovenia thus convinced herself. The mental exhaustion caused by the struggle for dignity instantly vanished, replaced by a light sense of relief.

Her expression remained as placid as still water.

She extended two fingers, picking up the white veil, thin as a cicada’s wing. Her fingertips registered a cool, silky touch, light as if it were a solidified piece of moonlight.

She brought the veil to her face. The veil, with loops on either side, could be hung over her ears. As she draped it, it seemed to come alive, gently adhering to the tip of her nose, her cheeks, and her jawline.

A peculiar shiver ran through her entire body from the contact with her skin. It was an incredibly comfortable, gently enveloping sense of security, a stark contrast to the oppressive feeling of the helmet she had worn before.

The veil perfectly covered the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of eyes that still glowed with a brilliant golden luster even in the dim light.

A secret joy, one that should not belong to “Jimi the Cruel,” quietly surfaced in her heart.

Yes, joy. Like a young girl donning her dream princess dress.

Naturally, our great First Heavenly King, Jimi the Cruel, the Human Butcher, the Elf’s Nightmare, the Demon Race’s Blade… attributed this joy to the acquisition of a strategically valuable piece of equipment.