"???"
Kurose Akira snapped his head around—only to see that Idise had already shut the palace gates behind him.
"That woman…" he muttered under his breath. Before he could make sense of the situation, faint whispers drifted into his ears.
"Is he our food?"
"This is the first time Lady Idise has given us a man directly… before, it was always refined life essence…"
"His aura—it smells exactly the same as what Lady Idise feeds us!"
"Could it be… all our previous food came from him?"
"He smells so good…"
"I remember now! He was the one on the other side of the cave that day!"
"If Lady Idise brought him here, then this must be our reward!"
"We used forbidden magic to destroy an enemy territory for her—this is what we deserve!"
"Exactly! I can't hold back anymore!"
"I'm starting!"
"..."
After their brief exchange, hundreds of succubi turned their gazes toward Akira.
They had reached their limit. As succubi who had never once experienced the act of love, the deprivation had driven them nearly mad.
A heartbeat later, they surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Damn it!"
Akira's expression tightened as he bolted.
Now he understood what Idise meant by a "trial." Facing hundreds of succubi at once—
This wasn't a trial. It was attempted murder.
"Don't run!"
"Big brother~ I'll make you feel amazing~"
"Please stop running~ let big sis hold you~"
"I want to eat! I want to eat!"
"..."
The swarm chased him like a pack of ravenous undead. Even for someone as battle-hardened as Akira, the sight was enough to make his scalp prickle.
One against a hundred… that was a bit too much, even for him.
Fortunately, most of them were low-level succubi. In terms of speed, they couldn't possibly match him—
"Stop right there!"
Suddenly, another group appeared in front of him, cutting off his path.
They formed a tight encirclement, determined to trap their prey.
"!"
Without hesitation, Akira activated his half-dragon transformation. His physical abilities surged severalfold in an instant.
Like a bolt of lightning, he broke through the encirclement.
"So fast!"
"That's dragonization, right? So cool!"
"That physique! It's perfect!"
"Absolutely perfect… If we could devour that kind of life essence… we'd…"
"…we'd break, wouldn't we?"
"..."
The sight of his transformed body only drove them into greater frenzy.
They accelerated again, closing in, dragging him back into their encirclement before he could reach an exit.
Akira slammed a fist into one of the palace windows—only to freeze in shock.
A barrier.
An unbreakable one.
Even with his full strength, the magic barrier laid by Idise herself didn't so much as tremble.
"Damn it!"
His eyes darted around, searching for any weakness—
But before he could find one, two soft, heart-tipped tails wrapped around his arms like serpents.
"Got you~"
Two voluptuous succubi clung to him from either side, pressing close, their voices dripping with allure.
"Now where do you think you're going?"
Akira didn't give up.
Even transformed, he towered at over three meters. Compared to him, these succubi—none over two—felt almost fragile.
With a surge of strength, veins bulging, he wrenched his arms free—
"Sorry!"
The two succubi were flung away violently.
But it didn't matter.
The rest came crashing in like a flood.
In the blink of an eye, he was swallowed by a sea of pale bodies.
At the same time, hundreds of charm spells were cast on him.
Even with resistance, there was no way he could withstand that many at once.
In the end, his limbs were bound, completely immobilized.
"You can't escape!"
"Hurry! Get his weapon out!"
"Wait, I'll open his weapon box!"
A blue-haired succubus climbed atop him, her eyes shining with curiosity and excitement.
Her delicate hands descended, slowly unveiling the mist that concealed the sacred light—like lifting a veil from something forbidden.
In that moment, every succubus in the palace held their breath.
Silence fell.
Only heartbeats and Akira's heavy breathing echoed.
"I'm going to…"
"Opening it~"
The next instant—
Light erupted.
A brilliant, radiant surge burst forth like dawn breaking through darkness, shooting skyward with overwhelming brilliance.
The entire palace was flooded in white.
"W-What!?"
"Oh my god!!"
"It's… moving!"
"That's terrifying!"
"Is he even human!?"
"..."
The succubi recoiled in shock.
This trial wasn't just for Akira—it was one for them as well.
And for these inexperienced succubi who had never undergone the ritual of life, it was especially brutal.
Excitement turned into fear.
They hesitated, glancing at one another, none daring to go first.
"You go."
"No, no! You go!"
"You go!"
"Aif, weren't you the one always begging for a man? Why back out now?"
"You don't understand! I'm just… not ready yet!"
"We can wait until you are."
"!!!??"
Seeing their hesitation, Akira sensed an opportunity.
"Listen to me—"
Before he could finish, a succubus suddenly sat on his face, silencing him completely.
"Lady Idise warned us," she said with a playful smile. "You're good at tempting minds. So we won't give you the chance~"
"Mmph—!"
Caught off guard, Akira froze.
His limbs restrained, he had no way to resist, forced to endure their… "special attention."
It felt like standing by the sea—waves crashing endlessly against his face.
"Oh~!"
The succubus on top of him flushed slightly, reacting to the heat of his breath.
"Hurry up, Aif! I can't hold this much longer!"
"I—I know!"
Under pressure, Aif swallowed hard and reached toward the radiant light.
But its sheer presence terrified her.
Still, with all eyes on her, she had no choice.
"Here goes…!"
Gritting her teeth, she grasped the blazing light—
"!!!"
The moment it entered, her pupils shrank violently.
Her body froze.
Every cell seemed to lock in place.
She couldn't even make a sound.
Her head drooped, skin flushing deep red.
"Aif? What's wrong?"
"Say something!"
"..."
The others gathered around her, confused.
Her abdomen—once flat—now trembled faintly.
"Ah… ah…"
She tried to speak, but no words came.
Her mind and body had both reached their limit.
Only her purple heart-tipped tail swayed weakly—her last trace of resistance.
"What's happening…?"
No one understood.
After all, none of them had experienced this before.
They had no idea just how overwhelming that sacred light truly was—
It was mercilessly crushing the very lust they prided themselves on.
"We'll help you!"
Two succubi stepped forward, trying to assist—
"Ah—!"
But their clumsy interference only made things worse.
Aif's body trembled violently, letting out a broken whimper.
Stop—!
Don't—!
You idiots—!
But she couldn't speak.
Moments later, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, unconscious.
"Aif…"
The others froze.
Then, slowly, they all took a step back.
Fear filled their eyes.
The light remained, dazzling and untouchable.
Akira let out a quiet breath of relief.
If he could just hold out… Idise would release him eventually.
But then—
A voice echoed in all their minds.
"This is your only chance to break your sigils. Move."
"Y-Yes! Lady Idise!"
The succubi straightened, determination replacing fear.
Breaking their sigils meant power. Evolution. A future for their race.
Even if it meant risking everything—
They stepped forward again.
"?"
Akira blinked in disbelief.
What just happened?
Why had they suddenly gone from fear… to resolve?
Before he could figure it out, several succubi lunged at him again.
Damn it.
So that was it.
Idise had given them an order.
There was no escaping this.
"Then I guess I'll—"
(The following is a detailed "physical training" sequence, omitted… approximately three million words.)
…
Meanwhile, Idise reclined lazily on her bed, bathed in soft light.
Before her floated a mirror woven from magic, displaying the entire scene.
"Not bad~"
She nodded, clearly pleased.
Taking a sip of wine, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
Her gaze lingered on the image.
"It seems he's more than qualified to take the position of 'King'… Ivsha really found herself a good man."
Knock knock.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Mary entered respectfully.
"Lady Idise…"
She knelt—but her eyes drifted to the mirror.
Her heart skipped.
Envy flickered in her gaze.
A quiet loneliness followed.
So she was the only one left…
No.
There was one more.
She raised her head—toward Idise.
Idise's voice turned cold.
"What is it, Mary?"
…
Morning light streamed through the windows.
The battle was over.
Akira stood amidst the aftermath—exhausted, but victorious.
"Haah…"
He exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his brow.
Around him, hundreds of succubi lay scattered, unconscious.
A sense of accomplishment swelled in his chest.
Against all odds—
He had won.
He silently thanked Ivsha. Her "training" had paid off.
Even the [Death Coil] trait had unexpectedly boosted the sacred light.
Just as he bent to pick up his clothes, a notification appeared before his eyes:
[Obtained 372 Nectar. Queen Bee's Favor: Maximum!][Title Acquired: "Succubus Hunter"!]