Maruti went to meet the village chief again in the morning. This time, she didn't waste any time with greetings or small talk — she went straight to the point.
"The villagers said something about a succubus… can you tell me everything in detail?" she asked, sitting down on the wooden chair across from the chief.
The old man let out a long sigh, his wrinkled face full of worry. "Yes… a succubus has been appearing here for almost a month now. Every week, she kidnaps two men from our village," he said in a trembling voice. "She… she drains their essence through… intimate acts. When we find them later, their bodies are dried up like corpses and some never returned."
Maruti blinked, her mouth twitching slightly. For a second, she didn't know whether those men were the unluckiest people alive… or a little too lucky before dying.
She crossed her arms, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Two men per week, huh? Then she's definitely a mid-rank succubus. Not too weak, not too strong either.… this shouldn't be much of a problem."
She leaned forward. "How long has it been since she took someone last?"
The chief didn't even need to think. "Five days," he said immediately.
Maruti nodded. "Then she'll strike again today or tomorrow for sure." She paused for a moment before asking another question. "Do you have any idea where she takes them?"
The chief stood up and walked outside the house. He pointed toward a small mountain far in the distance. "There," he said. "There's a cave near the top of that mountain. We believe she lives there. But no one dares to go near it. She's confident no one can stop her… she even shows herself in the open sometimes, proudly choosing her next prey."
Maruti looked in the direction he pointed, her eyes narrowing. "I see. Alright, I'll stay in the village for now. If she appears again, tell me right away."
After saying that, Maruti left the chief's house. Honestly, she was feeling a bit bored already. Waiting around for a demon to appear wasn't her idea of fun. So, she spent most of her time on a small hill nearby where she could see the entire village clearly. Sometimes she hunted animals in the nearby forest just to pass time.
She only came back to the village when it was time to eat or sleep, and the villagers soon got used to seeing her wandering around silently like a lone wolf.
Two whole days passed — still no sign of the succubus.
Maruti lay on the grass, staring up at the night sky with a sigh. "Did our miss succubus forget her weekly routine or what?" she mumbled to herself with a smirk.
But just when the night was about to end — around four in the morning — loud screams and shouts echoed through the village.
Maruti's eyes snapped open. "Finally," she muttered and jumped to her feet.
The chief came running toward her, panting heavily, but Maruti didn't wait for him to speak. She already knew what was happening. She dashed toward the noise with quick, light steps.
When she arrived, she saw a shocking yet strangely mesmerizing sight — a succubus hovering in the air, her black wings spread wide, flapping slowly. She had long violet hair, two curved black horns, and wore barely anything to cover her curvy, seductive body. In one hand, she held a struggling man by the collar as if he weighed nothing.
Below them, the man's wife was on her knees, crying and begging, "Please! Give him back! Please don't take my husband!"
Maruti didn't move. She didn't attack or even shout. She simply stood there with her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with a calm expression — almost as if she was watching a play.
A moment later, the chief caught up to her, breathless and red-faced. "My Lady! Why are you just standing there? Do something! Stop her!" he yelled desperately.
Maruti turned to him slowly, her tone relaxed and almost teasing. "Calm down, old man. I just want to confirm whether the place you mentioned was correct or not. Let's see where our pretty demon takes her prey."
When the succubus flew away towards the same mountain the village chief had mentioned, Maruti sneakily followed her with astonishing speed. A few minutes later, she saw the succubus leading the men into a big dark cave.
Maruti didn't rush in. She looked around to see if there were any traps or if the succubus's subordinates were lurking around, but thankfully, there was no one. The succubus was all alone.
"Well, at least the old man's information wasn't wrong!" Maruti sighed to herself and decided to directly attack the succubus and end this matter once and for all.
She approached the cave and walked inside, Without needing to shout or do something to let the succubus know she was there. She already knew the succubus might have already sensed her presence.
"No point in hiding in the dark, come out!" Maruti shouted.
But then, a glow emerged from the bottom of the cave, like natural sunlight. Maruti, without changing her expression, saw a few men bound by chains and unconscious. Her eyes then landed on the violet-haired succubus, who had a smug smile on her face.
"Who said I'm hiding? I knew you were following me. It's the same as prey walking into a trap by themselves!" the succubus said with a soft chuckle. Even her normal voice seemed very seductive and enchanting, just like Kailith's.
But Maruti, having spent months with Kailith, had long since grown resistant to such cheap charm abilities.
The succubus looked at Maruti's confident and determined face without any worry. "You are very full of yourself, but I like seeing despair on my prey the most!" she scoffed and added, "I'm Freya, the Violet Dragon!"
Maruti's face immediately changed. "Dragon?" she thought, her instincts kicking in.
"ROARRRRRRRRRr!....." Freya let out a defining roar of a dragon, causing Maruti to fall to her knees. Blood trickled from her ears.
"A dragon roar?" Maruti thought in panic. She immediately realized that the succubus was no ordinary succubus but a genuine dragon who had undergone its second awakening as a fallen dragon.
Before Maruti could even think of escaping, Freya said softly with her seductive voice, "Battlefield killer move—Garden of Fake Love!"
Instantly, the whole cave was filled with red and pink roses, like some kind of garden. The air smelled of elegant roses. Maruti stopped in her place while Freya exhaled quietly, as if everything was over in an instant.
"Hah! Quite easy, as I thought. Even a Pseudo S rank might have a hard time once they get caught in this battlefield killer move!" Freya said proudly and went to sit on a lone chair left in the cave.
And she was mostly right. The "Garden of Fake Love" had its disadvantages, such as a low range and the need to be set up in advance. But once someone got trapped, they would feel great affection and love towards the person, and even S ranks might have a hard time against it.
This was also the reason why Freya revealed that she was a fallen dragon and even did a dragon roar to cause panic and despair, since her killer move affected the mind, and the panic and despair would eventually act as a great boost.
"Although I'm not quite fond of girls, I'll make sure to have a nice time with you!" Freya said proudly, sitting on the nearby chair and extending her hand. "Now come and start by kissing my hand," she said, looking at Maruti slowly. But when she looked where Maruti was supposed to be, her eyes immediately widened.
Because Maruti wasn't there. Somehow, Maruti was completely unaffected by her battlefield killer move and was running as fast as she could, already reaching the mouth of the cave.
"How? How is that possible?" Freya said to herself in shock.
Frye had no idea that Maruti had her Divine Rank Essence Stone—Freedom. Charms and affection-based powers could affect her a little, but any kind of mental attack was completely useless.
Maruti didn't waste any time. She took this chance to escape at once.
"Nothing is making sense… how can a fallen dragon be satisfied with just two men a week?" Maruti thought, her eyes narrowing in confusion. But no answer came to her mind.
From the traits alone, it was clear that Freya was a mid-ranking succubus who had only recently reached that rank. Normally, high-ranking succubi required far more men to maintain their strength and sanity—and the same rule applied to fallen dragons as well.
Maruti clearly remembered how hard Kailith tried every single day to control her intense urges. Kailith was a silver dragon, known for being cold blooded and powerful mind. Dragons like her had strong resistance to desires and emotions, unlike normal ones.
And yet, being a violet dragon that were among weakest dragons kind,, this fallen dragon had managed to hide her true identity so perfectly.
Whatever the case, Maruti knew one thing for sure—her opponent was a fallen dragon. Even though violet and green dragons were considered among the weakest kinds, this one had already gone through her second awakening.
That meant her strength was on the level of a top-tier Rank A or even a pseudo Rank S awakened. The fact that she could use a battlefield killer move was proof enough.
Only the rarest and most talented warriors possessed such a move.
But now wasn't the time to think. The only goal was to escape and inform the academy.
Maruti took a deep breath, gathered her strength, and leapt out from the mouth of the cave.
"Wa—!" she gasped.
A massive violet dragon with faint black scales tore through the cave's entrance, revealing its majestic form. Its glowing eyes locked onto Maruti, and its wide-open mouth was ready to swallow her whole.
It was Freya, in her dragon form. But Maruti was faster. Flames burst from her legs, and in the blink of an eye, she shot to the side, narrowly dodging the deadly jaws.
Tham!
BAM!
Freya's huge claws slammed into the ground again and again, shaking the earth, each strike strong enough to crush a boulder. Maruti dodged every blow, rolling, leaping, and twisting through the air. To Freya, she was like a tiny insect that refused to die, no matter how hard she tried to squash it.
Finally, Freya paused her attack. Her eyes glowed as she opened her mouth wide, gathering energy to burn the ground and everything on it. But before she could release it, a giant silver claw struck her face with incredible force.
Freya's body trembled as her head was thrown aside. She looked up and froze.
Towering above her was a massive silver dragon, its scales shining faintly with black light. It was three times her size, its presence alone making the air heavy and suffocating.
The silver dragon roared and slammed Freya down, pinning her with one claw so she couldn't move. Then, it lowered its head close and let out a deafening roar.
"ROARRRRRRRRRRR!"
The sound shook the entire forest. The ground trembled, the trees bent, and blood dripped from Freya's ears. The roar was so majestic and powerful that the whole area fell silent, as if nature itself bowed in fear.
Freya immediately reverted back into her human form, weak and pale. The silver dragon also began to glow, transforming back into her human shape.
It was Kailith.
She had been secretly stalking Maruti, as she often did. But seeing Maruti in danger, she had no choice but to reveal herself.
Maruti looked at her and sighed softly. "Now I'm actually thankful that she's my stalker," she muttered under her breath.
Still, she didn't let her relief show on her face. She stepped closer and asked in annoyance, "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to finish your own mission? You know you're not allowed to help another student."
Kailith smirked, rubbing just below her nose in a proud way, mimicking Maruti's usual attitude. "I already finished it. It took me one and a half days to find a Rank B monster, but killing it only took a few seconds," she said proudly.
Then her gaze shifted toward Freya, who was lying a short distance away, glaring at them weakly. Kailith's tone grew more serious. "And about helping another student… I don't think this is a normal mission anymore."
Just as she said that, a man suddenly dropped down from above, landing between them.
Maruti instantly recognized him—one of the academy teachers. He had been secretly watching the whole time but had no choice but to appear now that things were getting out of control.
"Don't worry, students!" he said quickly. "I've already sent a message to the academy. Reinforcements will arrive soon!"
Even though he spoke bravely, the fear in his voice was clear. As a Rank B awakened, he knew he was nowhere near strong enough to face Freya, even in her weakened state.
"Student Kailith was here all along?" he murmured to himself, surprised. "I didn't even sense her presence…"
Maruti crossed her arms and looked at him with a tired expression. "He's just a Rank B awakened," she thought. "Even I can defeat him."
In a fight between her, Kailith, and Freya, he would be more of a burden than a help. In fact, they might even have to protect him instead.