Chapter 929: Aelyra vs Succubus
Aelyra did not wait for Strax to arrive.
Perhaps because of pride.
Perhaps because of desperation.
Perhaps because, deep down, she understood that if she remained standing before that window for a few more seconds, staring at the black dragon advancing over her castle like a living night, something inside her would simply break. The Monarch of Stormy Tides had been humiliated before, crushed before nobles, guards, and monarchs, but this was different. That sight was not a political defeat. It was the physical announcement of a personal extinction.
So she attacked.
Albedo’s hand was still on the back of her neck when Aelyra transformed her own body into a liquid current of mana. The pressure around her exploded in a circle of dark water, breaking part of the floor and hurling pieces of the war table against the walls. In the same instant, a trident formed in her hands, shaped from water compressed to an absurd density, its points vibrating with blue lightning as though carrying a piece of the ocean in a storm.
Her speed was abnormal.
Even for a Monarch.
Aelyra twisted her body backward with the clear intent of piercing Albedo through the chest before the succubus could react. The strike was precise, brutal, and carried enough mana to pierce reinforced naval walls. For the smallest fraction of a second, she almost believed she would succeed.
Almost.
Before the trident could touch Albedo, Lithara appeared behind Aelyra as if she had always been there. There was no perceptible movement, no trace of conventional magic. The older succubus simply emerged in the space between one heartbeat and the next, pressing her body against Aelyra’s with intimate and dangerous naturalness. One hand caught the wrist holding the trident, while the other slid to the Monarch’s waist, preventing the full turn.
Then Lithara leaned in.
And bit Aelyra’s neck.
It was not a bite meant to tear flesh or destroy arteries. It was something slow, deliberate, and deeply invasive, carried by a predatory sensuality that made the magic in the room waver. Her fangs sank in only enough to mark, to take a drop of blood, and to allow demonic mana to enter like sweet poison through the Monarch’s spiritual current.
Aelyra held her breath.
For one second, the trident wavered.
Lithara smiled against her skin.
"It does not need to be this way~"
The succubus’s voice came too softly, almost affectionately, but the power behind it spread like invisible threads through Aelyra’s mind. It was not merely ordinary charm, nor some vulgar seduction thrown at someone unprepared. It was a mind domination magic refined over eras, built to enter through cracks of anger, fear, pride, and the desire to survive. It touched the Monarch’s mind like cold fingers opening a door.
For an instant, Aelyra saw the sea grow silent.
Saw the room disappear.
Saw the fear lessen.
Saw Lithara as something closer to an answer than an enemy.
Then her eyes trembled.
The water around her boiled.
"Get... out of my head."
Aelyra tore the charm apart by brute force.
Not with elegance.
Not with superior technique.
Only with a violent explosion of will, pride, and terror compressed until they became a blade. The water trident spun, the sea mana tore through part of the demonic threads, and a wave of pressure pushed Lithara two steps back. The Monarch recovered control over her own breathing, staggering only enough to show that the charm had come closer than she wanted to admit.
Lithara remained motionless for an instant.
Then she smiled.
A much more amused smile than before.
"Oh?"
Albedo, who had remained exactly where she was, brought one hand to her lips and began to laugh.
Low at first.
Then louder.
Then in an irritatingly satisfied way.
"My, Lithara."
Lithara slowly turned her head toward her.
"Do not start."
"I did not say anything."
"Your face did."
Albedo pointed at Aelyra with a cruel smile.
"You just failed to control the mind of a foolish human."
Aelyra gripped the trident tightly.
"Foolish human?"
Albedo did not even look at her.
"Lithara, this is embarrassing."
Lithara narrowed her eyes.
"She is a Monarch."
"Still human."
"With above-average mental resistance."
"Above average for humans."
Aelyra, still surrounded by stormy mana, stared at the two of them as if she could not believe what was happening. Her castle was under attack, her guards lay dead, dragons covered the sky, and two succubi had invaded her war room. Even so, the two seemed more interested in arguing with each other than in treating her as a real threat.
That enraged her more than any direct insult.
"You dare ignore me?"
Albedo finally looked at her.
Her expression was almost bored.
"Yes."
Lithara sighed.
"Do not be rude, Albedo. She is trying to seem important."
"Ah, of course."
Albedo smiled at Aelyra.
"Continue. It was very convincing."
Aelyra screamed.
The water trident expanded in size, and three liquid blades appeared around her, spinning fast enough to cut through stone columns. Sea pressure filled the room, making water emerge from cracks in the floor and form circular currents that tried to bind the two succubi in place. It was a technique worthy of her title. A direct manifestation of the Stormy Tides, capable of crushing entire armies inside a closed hall.
Lithara looked at the currents around her ankles.
Albedo looked at the blades.
Then both looked at each other.
"Want to flip a coin?" Albedo asked.
Lithara raised an eyebrow.
"To decide who breaks this?"
"To decide who plays first."
Aelyra advanced before they could finish.
The trident descended toward Lithara with enough force to split the circular table in half. The succubus dodged by leaning her body to the side, letting the liquid blade pass so close that a few drops touched her skin. Then she caught the handle of condensed water with her bare hand and squeezed. The sea mana hissed against demonic energy, but it could not truly harm her.
"My turn is not over yet," Lithara said.
Albedo crossed her arms.
"It ended when you failed."
"I did not fail. I merely tested her resistance."
"Of course. And I am the first wife."
Lithara smiled with poison.
"Definitely not."
Aelyra tried to pull the trident back.
She could not.
Lithara held the weapon as if gripping a ribbon.
Then Albedo appeared beside the Monarch and lightly slapped her cheek.
Not hard.
Not enough to hurt.
Only enough to interrupt her concentration.
"Hello."
Aelyra turned her face toward her with absolute hatred.
Albedo smiled.
"Now it is my turn to try."
Lithara released the trident at the same instant.
"You will fail faster."
"Impossible. I am prettier."
"Beauty does not compensate for lack of refinement."
"That coming from someone who bit her and still failed to dominate her."
Lithara placed one hand on her chest, pretending offense.
"The bite was artistic."
"It was lazy."
Aelyra, trapped between the two, tried to retreat, but Albedo placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face with humiliating delicacy. The younger succubus moved closer, her eyes shining in dark, seductive tones, while the demonic mana around her took on a denser and more aggressive texture than Lithara’s. If Lithara was refined control, Albedo was obsession concentrated into the form of a charm.
"Look at me," Albedo said.
The order came loaded with power.
Aelyra felt her mind being pulled again, this time by a different force. They were not subtle threads entering through emotional cracks; it was an intense presence trying to crush her will beneath artificial devotion. Albedo smiled when she felt the initial resistance and moved closer, as if that made the game interesting.
"You kidnapped a child," she murmured. "You tried to hurt my master through her. Now say you regret it."
Aelyra gritted her teeth.
"I regret nothing."
Lithara, behind them, laughed softly.
"She resisted the first sentence."
Albedo threw a murderous glance over her shoulder.
"Shut up."
"I am only observing."
"Observe silently."
"I cannot. This is too funny."
Aelyra used the distraction and exploded into water. Her body lost solid form for an instant, crossing the space between the two succubi like a storm current. She reappeared near the destroyed door, breathing heavily, with the trident reformed in one hand and a sphere of compressed water in the other. Her eyes burned with rage, but there was something else there now.
Fear.
Because twice those creatures had touched her mind.
And twice they had treated her resistance as entertainment.
"I am a Monarch," Aelyra said, her voice trembling with fury. "You have no idea who you are facing."
Lithara looked at Albedo.
Albedo looked at Lithara.
The two remained silent for a second.
Then they started laughing.
Aelyra felt her face burn.
Not with ordinary shame, but with absolute humiliation. They laughed at her like bored courtesans before a child armed with a wooden knife.
Lithara wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye.
"She said she is a Monarch."
Albedo nodded, trying to contain her laughter.
"I heard."
"With such conviction."
"I was almost moved."
Aelyra launched the sphere of compressed water at them.
Lithara did not even move.
Albedo raised a hand and crushed the projectile in the air, dispersing it into a fine rain that evaporated before touching the floor. Then she tilted her head as if evaluating a stage play of questionable quality.
"Are you done?"
Aelyra attacked again.
This time, she split into three liquid images, each coming from a different direction. The strike was technically perfect. A combination of illusion, fluid displacement, and physical attack capable of confusing experienced warriors. Against ordinary soldiers, it would have been devastating. Against court champions, perhaps fatal.
Against Lithara and Albedo, it was merely inconvenient.
Lithara pointed a finger at the image on the left.
"Fake."
Albedo pointed to the right.
"Fake."
Both pointed at the same time to the one in the center.
"That one."
Aelyra widened her eyes.
Albedo struck her first, with a kick to the abdomen that launched her against the opposite wall. The stone cracked on impact, and the trident lost form for a few seconds before reconstructing itself, trembling. Lithara appeared right after, holding Aelyra by the hair and dragging her away from the wall as if pulling a wet doll.
"You know," Lithara said, leaning close to her. "I truly thought a Monarch would have more presence."
Albedo walked toward them.
"She has presence."
Lithara looked at her.
"Does she?"
"Yes."
Albedo smiled.
"Of an administrative problem."
Lithara let out a short laugh.
Aelyra tried to raise her hand, but Albedo stepped on her wrist without apparent effort.
"Now, now," Albedo said. "Do not ruin the game before the master arrives."
Aelyra spat blood mixed with water.
"Strax will not touch me. The Emperor will not allow it."
The two succubi stopped.
The sentence lingered in the air for a few seconds.
Then Lithara tilted her head.
"The Emperor?"
Albedo covered her mouth.
This time, her laugh was almost delicate.
"She thinks this is still an imperial matter."
Lithara released Aelyra’s hair and stood.
"How adorable."
"Tragic."
"A little."
Albedo crouched before the Monarch and held her face with one hand, squeezing her cheeks with false sweetness.
"Listen carefully, little tide."
Aelyra tried to pull away.
She could not.
"The Emperor received a letter."
Lithara continued, slowly walking to the broken window.
"And probably, at this exact moment, he is wondering how to save whatever remains of your territory."
Albedo moved a little closer.
"The master did not come to ask permission."
Outside, a roar tore through the sky.
The entire castle trembled.
Stones fell from the ceiling.
The sea violently retreated below the cliffs, as if even the ocean were trying to flee from the presence approaching.
Aelyra looked toward the window.
The black dragon was much closer now.
Close enough for its golden eyes to be visible through the storm.
Close enough for each beat of its wings to push entire clouds away.
Close enough to make the tallest towers of the castle look like fragile toys.
Lithara rested her arms on the broken windowsill and sighed as if appreciating a beautiful view.
"He is almost here."
Albedo released Aelyra’s face and stood, fixing her hair as if she had just finished a casual conversation.
"Then we need to deliver her whole."
Lithara looked at the Monarch’s frozen arm.
"Whole is a flexible word."
"He asked personally."
"I know."
"Then do not tear anything off."
Lithara sighed.
"You are no fun."
Albedo smiled.
"I am more fun than you."
"You lost your turn."
"I did not lose it. I was interrupted by her incompetence."
Aelyra, lying between them, tried to stand again.
Both looked at her at the same time.
The silence that followed was brief.
Then Albedo pointed at Lithara.
"You hold her."
Lithara pointed at Albedo.
"You hold her."
"I held her before."
"You only squeezed her nape."
"That counts."
"It does not."
Aelyra felt the last part of her dignity shatter.
They were really arguing.
In front of her.
About who would have the task of holding her.
As if the Monarch of Stormy Tides were nothing more than an inconvenient package awaiting pickup.
Outside, the shadow of the black dragon completely covered the window.
Lithara finally smiled.
"Well."
Albedo smiled too.
"The master has arrived."
Aelyra slowly raised her face.
And for the first time in her life, she found no suitable word to call that a threat.
Because it was not a threat.
It was a consequence.
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