Lilith, still dazed from the fight, focused her gaze on the pulsing notification regarding the sacrifice of souls. Without hesitation, she clicked "YES," and the Demon King's Altar immediately flared with an intense violet light.
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 Hero Soul. You gain 2 Skill Points!]
"So one soul gives two points instead of one?" she whispered to herself, her eyes widening with excitement. Seeing the remaining four souls in the system menu, she quickly began to exchange them, and a cascade of messages blurred before her eyes:
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 Hero Soul. You gain 2 Skill Points!]
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 Hero Soul. You gain 2 Skill Points!]
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 Hero Soul. You gain 3 Skill Points!]
[You have sacrificed a Level 1 Hero Soul. You gain 3 Skill Points!]
In total, from the five goblin-hero souls, Lilith gained a staggering 12 skill points. As a Level 1 Demon King, she needed exactly 10 points to unlock her next ability. However, she looked at the messages with slight confusion.
"Why did I get two points sometimes and three other times?" she wondered feverishly. "They were all Level 1, so where did the difference come from? Did it depend on their potential before they died?"
She pushed those thoughts aside and shifted her gaze to her four as-yet inactive skills, then looked at the succubi standing beside her. "I can unlock a new power now," she announced, reading them her list of skills:
[Succubus Endurance] (Inactive)
[Succubus Desire] (Inactive)
[Origin Aura] (Inactive)
[Beginner Anti-Magic] (Inactive)
"Do you know either of these last two? What do you recommend?" she asked hopefully.
Lysandra looked over the list and shook her head. "The first two work exactly as the names suggest; practically every succubus has access to them," she explained in a serious tone. "But as for the others... I have no idea." She looked at Mina and Kala, who also had bewildered expressions. "None of us have such skills to choose from in our own trees."
Lilith sighed heavily, thinking she had to choose blindly again based only on the name. Lysandra, however, gave her a strange look, narrowing her eyes.
"Lilith... can you not simply use your Analysis skill on the names themselves?"
Lilith froze. Her eyes went wide, and an entirely blank expression crossed her face. She stared at Lysandra for several seconds in complete silence before stammering out uncertainly:
"I... I suppose I can?"
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment until a stinging shame flooded Lilith's cheeks. I am a complete moron... she thought, feeling her subordinate's expectant gaze. She shook her head violently to ward off the embarrassment and focused on the interface.
Lilith focused her sight on the two skill descriptions that had previously seemed mysterious. She read them carefully, trying to grasp their true potential:
[Origin Aura]: A unique skill of the Primordial Succubus. Upon activation, it produces the aura of a Primordial Demon around the user.
[Beginner Anti-Magic]: The ability to partially disperse hostile lower-tier spells and increase natural magic resistance.
When Lilith summarized the effects of both talents for the girls, Lysandra suddenly smiled broadly, a predatory glint in her eyes.
"Mistress, without a doubt, the best choice is Origin Aura," she declared with absolute certainty.
Lilith furrowed her brow, genuinely surprised by the suggestion. She looked at Lysandra doubtfully. "Really? It seemed like the weakest option. It's just an aura... Anti-Magic sounds far more practical for fighting Heroes."
Lysandra slowly shook her head, making a gesture as if explaining something obvious. "It may seem so at first glance, but..." she paused, squaring her shoulders. "Beasts and demons are incredibly sensitive to aura and pure primordial strength. If we plan to acquire subordinates of our own kind in the future, combat power alone will not suffice. We must have a presence that brings them to their knees."
The succubus stepped a pace closer, her voice dropping to a low, passionate register. "Demons and monsters respect and fear strength above all else. They will never, ever serve someone they deem weaker than themselves. Your current form is beautiful and, for a succubus, you are strong - but this aura... it will make every lesser creature feel the weight of your lineage in their very bones."
Lysandra glanced pointedly toward the forest where the goblins had come from. "We just had the opportunity to meet those pathetic creatures who dared to attack us. Wouldn't it be nice to simply conquer their village and take our revenge?" She smiled cunningly. "You only need to fly there and activate this skill. Proclaim your primordial Succubus aura, and I guarantee you all those goblins will piss themselves with fear and fall on their faces before you before they even think of fighting."
Mina burst into pearly laughter, clapping her hands. "Imagine their faces!" she chirped. "They'll squeal and beg for mercy, feeling the very embodiment of darkness standing before them. It'll be much more fun than just mowing them down!"
Lilith fell silent for a moment, weighing Lysandra's words. She knew her commander had much more experience in the demon world than she did. Trusting her judgment and instinct, the Monarch took a deep breath and focused on the chosen talent.
"Fine. Since you think so... I choose Origin Aura."
The moment she thought of confirming the choice, the air around the altar thickened violently, and a notification flashed before her eyes:
[ Skill „Origin Aura" has been successfully activated! ]
In that same second, Lilith felt an invisible, heavy wave of energy erupt from within her. It wasn't an attack, but something far more primal - the manifestation of her royal blood, which began to pulse around her like a dark nimbus. Even the succubi standing beside her held their breath for a moment, feeling an instinctive respect for the power that had just awakened.
Lilith straightened up and looked around, her brow furrowed in consternation. She looked at her hands and wings, but she felt absolutely no difference - to her, the world looked and sounded exactly as it had seconds before. However, the expressions on the three succubi's faces had changed drastically.
Mina, usually so confident and loud, suddenly paled and instinctively took a step back, hiding behind Kala's more massive silhouette. Her wings trembled, and her voice, when she spoke, was unnaturally high and shaky.
"M-Mistress... could you please withdraw that now?" she stammered, avoiding direct eye contact with the Monarch. "I feel... very uncomfortable. Like the air itself is trying to crush me."
Kala, too, no longer resembled the bored guardian of the altar. She stood completely tense, muscles tight as bowstrings, her hands involuntarily clenching into fists as if her body were preparing to fight an invisible, all-powerful predator. Even Lysandra, though she tried to maintain a stony face, betrayed herself with a nervous flickering of her eyes, searching around Lilith for the source of this overwhelming weight.
Lilith tilted her head, genuinely astonished by their reaction. Withdraw it? she thought, bewildered.
I don't feel like anything has changed.
She quickly realized, however, that as the source of the [Origin Aura], she was completely immune to its effects - which could not be said for her subordinates. Seeing their authentic discomfort, she decided to try and control it. She focused on the space surrounding her, imagining that the dense, dark energy radiating from her core had to return inside.
She took a deep, slow breath, and the girls could have sworn the air around her swirled. It looked as if Lilith was physically "inhaling" the invisible mist back into her body. Her shadow, which had seemed unnaturally elongated, shrunk back beneath her feet, and the heavy aura began to narrow its radius until it was finally completely absorbed by her marbled skin.
All three succubi exhaled simultaneously, their shoulders visibly relaxing.
"It seems that is quite an interesting and... dangerous skill," Lilith murmured, making a mental note not to use it around allies without a clear need.
As the tension ebbed, Lilith remembered the last bit of loot she had received after wiping out Korgath's group. She reached into her system inventory and pulled out a small object. Resting in her palm was a Skill Stone - a smooth, green mineral that pulsed with a soft, inner light.