“Daddy?” I asked, tilting my head.

“What happened to Zofia?!” Jakub cried out before the succubus could answer.

“What have you done to our village and its people?!” Gustaf yelled, pointing his sword at the creature. Jakub and the rest of his men drew their weapons and faced off against the monster, forming a defensive line in front of me and Myshka. Zofia only giggled in response.

“No spoiling the surprise until mommy gets here! Why don’t you all be good little elves and wait for her like good children, hmmm? She wouldn’t be happy if she saw you were all so rude!” the succubus replied playfully.

Jakub and his men hesitated. They were clearly torn between their desire to attack the creature and wanting to know what happened to everyone in the village. So they didn’t move. And the monster didn’t move either.

We’d have to wait until ‘mommy’ would arrive. So I thought it a good time for conversation.

“So, succubus, do you have a name? Also, again, what’s this ‘daddy’ business?”, for some reason, being called that by an alien-looking girl felt oddly fitting. I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. Though I didn’t want to give the monster the satisfaction of asking the question. I had a feeling she would enjoy explaining what was happening a bit too much. But it was necessary. The more information I had, the better.

“Oh daddy! How it wounds me you don’t recognise me! Though I was born after you and mother separated, I still thought our blood bond to be something you’d feel yourself…” the succubus said with a frown.

It was then that the implications of what she said hit me.

It was Elisa’s spawn. Because I had given up half my body to sustain Elisa when fighting Pandora, this succubus saw me as her father. The elves were looking at us in confusion, but I ignored them and stepped from outside their defensive line, standing among drawn bows, swords and spears.

“How did Elisa find this place?”, I asked directly, my eyes not leaving the succubus’ face. I was trying to read her expressions and see if I could glean anything from them.

“You can ask mother herself, she’s here now!”, an impact reverberated somewhere outside the building, shaking its foundations, “My name is Fumi! Please don’t forget it!” She said as her expression changed to a wide toothy grin and her hollow eyes lit up with joy, “I can’t wait to play with you, daddy!”. She giggled, clapping her hands. The sound of the impact still echoing throughout the large room. The elves flinched, but they held their positions. They were clearly unsure whether to focus on Fumi or the noise outside.

This was probably a good time to give the elves some encouragement or advice. I could tell Myshka was scared. She wanted to cling to me as usual, but she held her place in the formation. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what to expect myself. Except that I would be reuniting with Elisa soon.

“I think it’s best all of you flee,” I said, looking at Jakub.

“We don’t know what’s happening, or who this Elisa person is or what happened between you, but our elven honour requires us to see this through”. He gave his answer, looking grim but determined. He and the others looked ready for whatever was going to happen next. Even Myshka was standing there with her dagger clenched in her fist, trying not to tremble. Their willingness to stay here and face the danger despite their clear unease and fear sounded inspiring. But I could feel their fear as well. Fear was a natural reaction to threats. Fear kept you alive. I always thought concepts such as honour served only to get you killed.

“I appreciate your resolve, and that you want to know what happened to Zofia and your families. However, you’re nothing but meat to Elisa. Depending on her mood, you might not leave this place unscathed. Unless you are strong enough to match her. Which I can tell you are not” I paused for effect, letting my words sink in. “She is a being who exists on another plane of from you. She is a Demon Lord.”

“That’s right!” Fumi interrupted, holding her fists to her face like an excited schoolgirl. “Mommy is- is the greatest! She is stronger than anyone else in the world! So don’t think you can defeat her, she’s too powerful and amazing and cute and strong and pretty and smart–”, she continued to gush over her mother and as she did, the building was shaken once more by a heavy impact, cutting her off, the force of it nearly throwing us off our feet, but then she just kept on going like she didn’t notice.

“Daddy is right! She won’t see you as anything other than a meal! Oh, how I wish I could feast on your flesh too, but I must listen to mommy! I’m a good daughter after all. I do everything I can to make mommy happy and proud, and I always finish my meals like a good little girl!” She said proudly, putting her hand over her heart and smiling innocently. But her words sent a shiver down the elves’ spines.

There was another impact and a cracking sound. The walls began to shake violently and cracks appeared on the ceiling. Suddenly, a huge hole opened up to the skies above as the ceiling exploded, and a familiar figure flew in, landing in front of the elves with an ear-piercing crash. Fumi looked positively delighted and squealed with glee as the rubble fell down around her and a cloud of dust was kicked up. Myshka covered her ears as she stood behind me, wincing, but Jakub and the other elves were knocked off their feet.

“Hero! Why did you leave me?!”, Elisa cried out. She was wearing an impossibly thin, transparent latex bodysuit, and looked practically naked. Where I used to… live on her stomach, her flat, toned belly was now adorned with a strange-looking mark resembling a warped pentagram embedded in her flesh just below her navel. Her hair was longer and her teeth and nails sharper. She had formed wings from her tentacles and had a tail protruding from her backside, also enveloped in the same stretchy, clingy latex. She had an almost feverish look in her eyes, and her movements were jerky and unnatural, but the way she held herself exuded a sense of strength and power.

She was holding a black figure with cat ears by the scruff of the neck. It was Tomiko. Her body was limp and beat up.

She tossed the Shadow, Tomiko, into the ground, where she landed in a heap. Then she looked at the elves. All of them were unconscious and had sustained minor injuries from the rubble that had rained down on them. But they were still breathing. The sight of their battered bodies didn’t seem to concern her in the slightest. Her gaze drifted across the room and locked back onto me.

“Why won’t you answer me?!” she yelled and ran towards me, grabbing my arm and lifting me into the air and shaking me back and forth furiously, “And why do you look like me?!”

This was new. I wasn’t sure how to respond, or why she was behaving in such a manner or why she had Tomiko. So I let her vent her frustrations on my body.

…

Finally, she stopped shaking me and set me down. I was about to speak, but was interrupted. Fumi had leapt forward and latched onto her leg, clinging tightly. She was staring up at her with admiration and awe. Elisa patted her on the head and smiled fondly. The expression of pure affection reminded me of how much Elisa cared for her Abyssal Worm army, her unlikely children.

“Did you behave yourself, Fumi? Was everything okay?” she asked the little monster still clinging to her. Fumi nodded vigorously in reply, grinning and wagging her tail enthusiastically, but still not letting go.

“You monster! Where are our people?!” I heard Gustaf call out as he steading himself on his feet.

The next moment he was bisected in two as the sound of a whip reverberated in the remains of the house.

“I ate every single one of them. I especially enjoyed toying with your children as their parents screamed for mercy. Even Sparkles had some fun… Now any more questions? Just know that each question will cost you your life… bwahahaha!” Elisa laughed cruelly as Gustaf’s blood sprayed over everyone in proximity. His two halves slid to the floor lifelessly and made a disgusting, squelching sound.

“Gustaf!!” Jakub called out to what remained of his friend, the wound still spilling blood, his organs and innards rolling out onto the wooden floor. It was an instant kill.

The rest of the elves were in complete shock. Some were trembling, some were screaming, and others were vomiting. Myshka was standing behind me, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Gustaf’s corpse. Elisa didn’t seem to pay attention to any of this as she was preoccupied with petting Fumi, who was still hugging her leg. She was stroking the monster’s head and gently brushing the strands of long hair out of her eyes.

I was focused on what was happening before me. Something was very wrong with Elisa. She was different. Her behaviour was erratic and unstable. Was it because she had changed without me, or was it I that changed? It was a confronting thought. Had we always been this mad and bloodthirsty?

Jakub slowly picked up his sword and walked towards the Demon Lord, his hand shaking and tears flowing down, washing down his blood-stained face. The remaining elves watched silently, then, as if roused from a deep sleep, they too picked up their weapons.

“Hahahahah! You think you can stand against me?!” Elisa cackled like a maniac, turning her back to me as she let Fumi go and raised her arms to the heavens as if she was praying. Tentacles erupted from her skin and stretched towards the elves.

In an instant, they were all slaughtered. Jakub was among them.

His head rolled between the gore and blood which were scattered around the room like confetti on a wedding day. His eyes were still filled with determination, but now devoid of life.

The entire ordeal took less than a split second. Blood and viscera were splattered everywhere, and the air was filled with the smell of death. Elisa was standing in front of me, her hands still raised. Then swung her arms down as if dramatically falling and snapped into a nonchalant and casual pose, her back still to me. She pressed her thighs together and did something with her hands I couldn’t see.

The only ones left standing were Elisa, myself, Fumi the succubus and Myshka the elf-elder-turned-child, who was cowering behind me, frozen, holding her dagger pressed against her side.

“Now that the meal has been prepared… what about an appetiser Hero?”, Elisa asked sweetly and turned to look at me with a massive, latex-encased erection, which slapped across her side as she moved. A twisted smile playing on her lips. She put her foot on top of Tomiko’s battered figure.

“Now, suck my cock with your cute little face, Hero. Just like you used to with that long, rough tongue of yours! I want that bitch Tomiko to see us enjoying ourselves as we used to as a gift for her betrayal!” she demanded as her voice changed into a deeper growl and her eyes shone with lust and hunger. There was an audible squelching sound as the latex covering Elisa’s fingers rubbed on the shaft of her penis as she pumped her hands up and down rapidly, her hips moving to meet her movements, her breath coming out in quick bursts. She was blushing in anticipation.

“No.”

I finally said to Elisa.

[NOTICE: Kiss of Death – an Eye for an Eye sub-skill activated.]

A blur.

A blade covered in thick, oily red liquid protruded through Fumi’s chest.

Where Jakub’s dissected body lay suddenly, there was nothing. Instead, he had returned to life, completely mended. And he was covered in the fresh blood of the Succubus, which was still pouring from her chest wound.

“I will never forgive you!!!” he cried out as he withdrew the blade and decapitated Fumi in one swift movement.

“Mo- “ Fumi tried to speak as Elisa looked on in surprise, the head of her beloved daughter rolling across the floor and the rest of her body collapsing with a wet thud, leaving a pool of crimson behind it. A puddle of her lifeblood growing around her lifeless form. Elisa froze. Her hands were still pumping up and down her cock as if refusing to catch up with the rest of her body.