"Then~"
"I'm starting!"
"Go, Sister Mary! You can do it!"
Cradling the jellyfish-like container with utmost care, Mary slowly guided it toward the radiant Holy Light.
Perhaps it was because of its slick, supple texture.
Or perhaps because it had been personally selected by Lady Edis, its size chosen with meticulous precision.
Whatever the reason, the container enveloped the Holy Light perfectly—like something tailor-made for it. Not a single ray of brilliance escaped its soft, translucent form.
But…
A trace of puzzlement flickered across Mary's face.
How did Lady Edis know… exactly how dazzling the Holy Light would be?
The thought surfaced briefly before she forced it away. It wasn't her place to question Lady Edis's foresight.
Instead, she simply followed the instructions.
Slowly, carefully, she began channeling her own magic into the jellyfish-shaped container.
The instant her magic flowed in—
The container seemed to come alive.
A brilliant pink radiance burst forth from its translucent body, blooming outward in vibrant waves that clashed vividly against the golden brilliance of the Holy Light.
At the same moment—
On the other side of the wall, Kurose Akira immediately sensed something was wrong.
His eyes sharpened.
"What is this feeling…?"
His heartbeat accelerated.
He could clearly feel that something on the opposite side of the wall had suddenly enveloped the brilliance of the Holy Light.
Yet the sensation was different from the Life Ritual he had experienced before.
In fact, it felt almost the opposite.
Instead of draining vitality, something seemed to be secreting a strange kind of magic—feeding it back into him, nourishing the Holy Light that had been "defeated" earlier by Ivsha's [Death Coil].
"Mr. Kurose Akira?"
Standing beside him, Ivsha watched him curiously.
She was extremely interested in what might be happening on the other side of that wall.
And although the aura was faint, she was certain of one thing—
Many of her own kind were gathered on the other side.
Could it be…?
But no… that didn't quite seem right either.
Ivsha's pale violet eyes shimmered thoughtfully as she stared at the man beside her.
At least judging from his expression, he wasn't doing anything… strange.
If anything, it looked more like he was receiving some sort of power.
That realization amused her.
With a playful smile, Ivsha quietly slipped her arms around Akira from behind.
She leaned against him, her snow-white softness pressing firmly against his back as she exhaled a warm breath beside his ear.
The heat of her breath sent a jolt through his body.
Akira's heart instantly began pounding faster.
And the Holy Light responded immediately.
Its brilliance intensified, flaring brighter and hotter than before.
Naturally, this sudden change caught the attention of Mary and the others on the opposite side of the wall.
"What on earth is happening…?" Mary muttered, unable to hide her astonishment as the Holy Light grew even more dazzling.
Is it because of the 'Charm Spirit' in my hand?
The jellyfish-shaped container she held was called a Charm Spirit—a tool crafted from a unique plant found only in the Abyss.
It possessed the miraculous ability to nourish Holy Light.
In fact, it could even refine it—making the light purer, stronger, and far more formidable.
However, nourishing the Holy Light required an enormous amount of magic.
Especially the magic of succubi—magic born from Lust—which played a critical role in restoring bodies damaged by excessive depletion.
Yet at this very moment, Mary realized something alarming.
Her own magic alone… simply wasn't enough to sustain the process.
Because it—
Was far too powerful!
"My magic…" Mary groaned softly through clenched teeth as her body began trembling uncontrollably.
She could feel her magic being devoured at an astonishing rate.
It flowed endlessly from her body, through the jellyfish-like container, and into Kurose Akira beyond the wall.
"Sister Mary!"
"Let us help!"
Seeing her struggle, the surrounding young succubi rushed forward.
One by one, they began channeling their own magic into Mary.
Although each of them was still young and possessed only limited reserves of magic, their numbers were enormous.
Hundreds of succubi.
Surely the combined magic of hundreds of them would be enough to suppress this tiny bit of Holy Light… right?
Well.
It wasn't tiny at all.
At this moment, the entire assembly of succubi poured their magic into the Holy Light, nurturing its existence.
And yet—
Even with all their combined power, the Holy Light continued to shine brilliantly, endlessly devouring their magic.
"H-how is this possible…?"
"Why is it so strong?!"
"I… I'm running out of strength…"
"My magic… it's almost gone~!"
"It's terrifying! Such terrifying Holy Light!"
"Waaah~!"
The succubi were utterly shaken.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that even the combined magic of all of them together would still be unable to match it.
Mary's expression grew grave.
And in that moment, she finally understood what Lady Edis had meant before leaving.
Be careful.
Just as the succubi's defensive line was on the verge of completely collapsing—
A sudden voice spoke beside Mary.
"Let me handle it."
Mary turned in surprise.
Standing there was a girl she had never seen before.
The girl had pink twin-tails, her skin snow-white with a faint blush of cherry blossom pink. Her figure was petite yet exquisitely shaped, and a sweet fragrance lingered faintly around her.
Mary tried to recall where she might have seen her before.
The girl's scent felt oddly familiar…
Yet hazy.
Difficult to place.
"You are…?"
"My name is Elum," the girl replied gently.
"Lady Edis sent me. She said you might encounter some difficulties—that you might not be able to handle its existence on your own."
The moment Mary heard that it was Lady Edis's arrangement, the doubts in her heart vanished instantly.
Without hesitation, she handed the container to Elum.
The moment Elum took it, her gaze was drawn to the dazzling Holy Light.
Her large pink eyes shimmered faintly, reflecting the warm radiance like twin pools of liquid light.
"Mmm~"
She released her magic.
Time passed.
…
Although Kurose Akira had no idea what was happening on the other side of the wall, he could clearly feel that something within his body was changing.
Then—
A system notification suddenly appeared in his vision.
[You have received nourishment from 'Lust,' activating the Lust magic hidden within your body!]
[You have obtained: Primordial Lust Magic!]
"…?"
Akira stared at the message, licking his lips slightly in confusion.
Now he was even more curious about what exactly was happening on the other side of that wall.
To think it could elevate the already fused Corrupted Lust Magic and Pure Lust Magic directly into Primordial Lust Magic!
Primordial Lust Magic was the highest tier of Lust magic.
If it were to evolve any further…
There was only one possibility left.
The Authority of Lust.
Just then—
A force suddenly pushed the Holy Light back out of the wall.
The Holy Light, now thoroughly nourished by the succubi's Lust magic, radiated with an unprecedented brilliance.
Its dazzling glow was almost overwhelming.
Ivsha's eyes lit up with joy at the sight.
Her lips curved into a delighted smile.
"Mr. Kurose Akira, this is wonderful!"
She could hardly wait to return to the guild and personally experience the marvelous sensations brought by this newly empowered Holy Light.
…Or perhaps—
Why wait until they returned?
Maybe they could try it here.
"…."
Akira found himself momentarily speechless.
Who could have guessed that a simple badge quest would end up turning into Holy Light maintenance?
At that moment—
Mary burst into the room in a hurry, panting slightly as she spoke to him.
"The mission has been successfully completed! Thank you very much for your assistance, Lord Kurose Akira!"
"Completed?" Akira frowned slightly.
Even now, he still had no idea what kind of mission he had actually completed.
"Then let's hurry back, Mr. Kurose Akira~"
Ivsha quickly looped her arm through his, and the two of them soon headed back toward the guild.
After they left—
Mary turned around and looked behind her with a weary sigh.
The once milky-white wall had completely vanished.
In its place lay a scene of utter exhaustion—
Hundreds of succubi collapsed on the ground, drained of strength.
Mary herself let out a quiet sigh.
Then, finally unable to hold on any longer, she dropped to her knees as well.
Clear tears spilled down her cheeks.
…
Meanwhile—
After returning to the guild, Kurose Akira submitted the quest.
A notification appeared immediately.
[Quest Completed!]
[Reward Obtained: 'Succubus Breeder' Guild Badge!]
[Succubus Breeder: Damage against succubi increased by 100%. Your special combat power increased by 100%! You have obtained Succubus Feed (now added to the Holy Light Meal Set)!]
…
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