Lilith and Lysandra drifted through the air, their wings slicing through the night. From this altitude, they had a perfect view of the forest track below where Varg was racing, and on his back - with arms spread wide and a gargantuan smile - sat Mina.
The small succubus was riding the werewolf with such joy it was as if she were taking part in the world's most magnificent parade.
Lysandra, watching the sight, let out a slow, heavy sigh. She shook her head with resignation but refrained from making any biting comments. Lilith gave a crooked smile, feeling a touch of embarrassment.
The plan had been for all four of them to set out and finally pacify the rest of the Blood Fang Tribe, but Mina, seeing Varg running, had experienced a "revelation." Now, they were both witnessing the results of that brilliant idea.
"How is Kala?" Lilith asked, abruptly changing the subject and pretending that the sight of a succubus riding a werewolf was the most natural thing under the sun.
"She sustained minor injuries during the fight with that hero," Lysandra replied, adjusting her grip on Verial's dead body, which they were still carrying as an "argument" for the negotiations. "But Mina used her regeneration skills on her immediately, so she's perfectly fine."
Lilith nodded. They had intentionally left Kala at the castle. They didn't know what ideas the surviving wolves might get, and the red-haired warrior had made such a colossal impression on them that her mere presence at the gates was enough to ensure no one thought of rebellion.
"Of all of us, Kala seems the happiest right now," Lysandra added with a rare smile. "Like you, Mistress, she also advanced after defeating that hero."
Lilith was just opening her mouth to ask what new toys their main strike force had gained when a system window flashed before her eyes as she used her Analysis skill.
[ Blood Fang Tribe ]
Type: Werewolf Tribe
Description: Although not particularly large on a global scale, it is considered very strong in this region. It numbers about 800-900 adult individuals.
Status: High exploration value.
Possible Rewards: Bronze Chest, goods and resources of the Werewolf village.
Lilith narrowed her eyes, reading the report. 900 adult individuals? That would nearly double her current workforce if they could be "persuaded" to cooperate.
"A bronze chest and an entire village to plunder..." Lilith murmured, her eyes gleaming with greed. "Lysandra, let's speed up. Varg and his 'passenger' will be there soon, and I don't want Mina starting the fun without us."
They folded their wings, diving toward the settlement lights visible on the horizon - a village that did not yet know their great chieftain was coming home as a corpse in the hands of a new queen.
***
Elina stood by the window of her hut, nervously picking at the hem of her clothes. Her eyes, alert and fearful like those of any member of the rabbit folk, constantly scanned the deserted encampment.
She knew the numbers were on her side. Verial had made a mistake of pride - he took nearly 90% of all able-bodied warriors with him, believing the Valley of Darkness would fall in minutes.
Currently, only the elderly, the wounded, and a handful of guards remained in the village, more interested in drinking than guarding a "rabbit heroine." Elina estimated her chances of escape at a solid 70%.
This was her only chance. And yet, her feet seemed bolted to the floor.
If I run now, what will happen to my kin? she thought in despair.
Although she had only been in this world for half a month, she had come to love these simple, long-eared people who saw her as their only hope. If Verial returned as a victor and she wasn't here, he would slaughter them all as punishment. And he would return stronger than ever.
With a defeated Demon King on his record, he would become a legend of the Chaos Forest. Hunting her down would be only a matter of time for him.
At the very moment she was wrestling with her thoughts, the sky above the camp suddenly turned a deep purple, and the air became so thick that Elina got goosebumps all over her body.
A gargantuan, dark, and powerful aura descended over the village, making Elina feel as if her heart were about to stop beating. This wasn't Verial's roar. This wasn't the strength of a werewolf. This was something infinitely older, prouder, and... more malevolent.
Every animal within a kilometer went silent in a single second. Elina, trembling all over, crawled to the window and looked up. Her eyes widened to their limit when she saw two winged silhouettes circling the village like angels of doom, and right behind them, emerging from the gloom on the path, was Varg, with a laughing child with horns sitting on his back.
The fear that fell upon the settlement was thick and almost palpable. The werewolf women and elders left in the camp felt icy shivers down their spines.
Panic broke out in a split second when the inhabitants saw Varg - their greatest shame, the outcast with "girly" fur - entering the village in an unnatural silence.
The sight of a child riding Varg triggered a wave of whispers and confusion. "Varg! What are you doing?! Who is that?!" shouted one of the elder wolves, but Varg did not answer. He stared ahead with a vacant gaze, paralyzed by loyalty to his new mistress.
Mina hopped lightly off his back. "Good little wolfie," she said sweetly, patting him on the head, before her silhouette suddenly began to swell and darken. In a fraction of a second, the innocent child transformed into a predatory succubus with burning eyes.
Mina folded her hands in front of her, and green-black threads of energy shot from her fingers. The ground around the entire settlement exploded. Gigantic, thorny weeds shot into the sky, weaving into a living cage that completely cut off all escape routes.
The village erupted. "Intruder! Defend yourselves!"
The roar of the few remaining minotaur warriors tore through the air. They grabbed their spears, and priests began to feverishly mutter spells. Gigantic ballistae, the tribe's defensive pride, were laboriously aimed toward the sky.
***
Elina, watching this chaos, wasted no time. "Now! Girls, run!" she shouted, yanking at the locks of her kinsfolks' cages.
Before she could remove the shackles of the last one, however, the sky above the camp shattered. Lilith, hovering high on her powerful wings, let out a majestic, almost joyful laugh.
"KNEEL!" she commanded, activating her Origin Aura.
A formless, purple wave of power swept through the area with the force of a tsunami. Elina felt as if a gigantic, invisible hammer had struck her right in the back of the head. The world spun, colors merged into one, and her limbs became heavy as lead.
In her field of vision, as a Heroine, red notifications flashed:
[You have been attacked by the Origin Aura of a PRIMORDIAL being!]
[Received -8 Health Points. You receive the STUN effect for 4 seconds!]
Thanks to Lilith's advancement to Level 2, her aura was no longer just a "heavy gaze." It had become a weapon. Demon Kings' skills have that terrifying trait of not having a fixed rank - they evolve along with the host. It was this systemic "cheat" that made Demon Kings the terrors of worlds, provided they were given time to develop.
When Elina regained her sight a few seconds later, the image was macabre in its efficiency. Dozens of rabbit villagers lay on the ground, completely unconscious. Werewolves, minotaurs, and even powerful warriors - all had been downed by a single wave of pure psychic pressure.
The priest who had been preparing a spell just moments ago now lay with his face in the mud, trembling uncontrollably.
What was that? Elina thought feverishly, trying to stand. Was that a psychic attack? How is it possible that something so powerful exists, something that shuts down an entire village in one second?!
She had never seen such power before. The entire encampment had been "switched off," and Lilith, hovering in the air with a gaze full of superiority, looked like a goddess deciding the life and death of ants beneath her feet.
Lilith landed slowly in the very center of the dead silence.
"Mercy!" the elders wailed, falling on their faces. "This has nothing to do with us! Since the chief claimed he was chosen by destiny, he went mad! He did things we didn't understand!"
"We would never dare make an enemy of a being as great as you! Please, forgive us! We are ready to surrender!"
They fell on their faces, begging for mercy, placing their fate in Lilith's hands. Yet in the middle of this whimpering, Elina felt the deepest despair. She knew something these werewolves did not understand. Even if this Demon spares the pack, there would be no mercy for her.