Massive pink banners fluttered in the breeze overhead as alluring succubi swung their tails high and walked with swaying hips. At a single glance, the entire Verses Valley was brimming with adorable little heart-shaped tails everywhere one looked.
Naturally, the population of succubi appeared pitifully small amidst the vast throngs of Underworld creatures, and not every demon was fortunate enough to successfully find a succubus of their own during this grand festival.
Hiding near the bustling, crowded entrance, Huey hesitated to move forward, gripping his tail so tightly in his nervous state that both demon and little heart-shaped tail trembled in unison.
“Huey! Stop doing that. You need to believe in yourself you are the prettiest succubus in the entire succubus realm!” Sophiel put on a stern face, attempting to ignite her friend’s self-confidence.
Clutching his tail, Huey pouted. “But I’m also the succubus with the ugliest tail in the entire realm.”
Left utterly speechless by his logic, Sophiel could only turn serious and say, “Do you still want to find that demon you’ve been yearning for or not? Pull yourself together!”
Thinking of the gentle Xavier, Huey hardened his resolve, let go of his tail, and marched boldly toward the entrance. He walked with such resolute determination that anyone witnessing it would think he was heading off to a heroic martyrdom rather than a succubus festival.
Mustering his courage all the way to the gate, Huey found that the ticket seller was a sexy and gentle succubus older sister. She first cast a sympathetic look at Huey’s tail, sighing softly, “Poor little Huey.”
Huey was quite famous across the Underworld, and everyone knew of this peerless yet pitiful little succubus with a platinum-gold heart-shaped tail.
“Two tickets, please, Big Sister.” Flashing a sweet smile at the ticket seller, Huey fished three thousand gold coins out of his storage ring to pay the price for a single ticket.
Succubi attending the “Sweet Romance” festival were exempt from paying admission fees.
Accepting the payment, the ticket seller briskly retrieved two rune-inscribed tickets from her box, but just as she was about to hand them over, they were snatched away by a sudden intrusion.
“Wait “
A leather whip snapped forward and swept away Huey’s two tickets as an arrogant voice rang out from the air above.
“I say, they only paid the admission fee for one ticket. What right do they have to get two?”
A succubus dressed in an exposed crop top and leather micro-shorts descended from the sky, accompanied by a powerful demon whose formidable aura trailed closely behind him.
“Baluns!” Huey called out angrily, glaring at the succubus. “Hurry up and give my tickets back.”
Swishing the two tickets back and forth in his hand, Baluns let out a cold, derisive snort. “Give them back? Sure, come and get ’em.”
With that, he flicked his wrist and casually tossed one of the tickets down toward the ground.
With a flick of his whip, Huey snatched up the ticket, pulled it securely into his palm, and narrowed his eyes as he stated coldly, “There’s still another one. Return it.”
“No can do,” Baluns shook his head. “You only paid for a single ticket’s worth.”
“Huey is a succubus!” Sophiel snapped indignantly. “Succubi don’t need to pay admission fees for the ‘Sweet Romance’ festival!”
As if eagerly waiting for those exact words, Baluns broke into a knowing, deeply sardonic smile. “Succubi don’t need entry fees because succubi themselves bring value to the festival.”
“However ” Pivoting abruptly, his tone turned razor-sharp and vicious, “what right does a succubus with an ugly tail a succubus who can’t even find a companion get to enter for free?”
“Baluns!” Furious, Sophiel raised her hand instantly, nocking an arrow as dense wind elements swirled and coiled around them. “You’ve gone too far. I demand that you apologize to Huey right now.”
The moment Sophiel made her move, the formidable demon who had remained silently standing behind Baluns stepped forward.
A crushing wave of pressure radiated outward. Aside from succubi, who were naturally immune, most of the surrounding Underworld creatures were pinned firmly in place by the suppression, freezing them where they stood as Sophiel’s bow-wielding arm shook violently, nearly causing her to drop her weapon.
“I won’t strike a succubus, but I won’t stand by and let a dark elf attack mine either.” The powerful demon pulled Baluns into his arms, gathering him securely against his chest.
Stepping forward, Huey placed a hand gently upon Sophiel’s shoulder, enveloping the dark elf in a comforting aura of succubus energy that helped insulate her against the heavy pressure.
Baluns smugly wrapped his arms around his demon companion in return, intentionally swaying his pink heart-shaped tail back and forth right in front of Huey as he crowed, “Oh-ho-ho, my companion is a powerful demon, you see. What can I say? He simply adores my soft, pretty pink heart-shaped tail. Huey, a succubus with a tail like yours can really only ever hope to land… a female dark elf, haha.”
Bursting into a series of cackling laughs, he added, “You should have listened to my advice and cleared out of the festival two hundred years ago. Now that two centuries have passed, you really ought to have some self-awareness and leave quietly on your own instead of ruining everyone else’s mood. Oh, and don’t forget to take your female dark elf with you~”
The very same succubus who had mocked Huey two hundred years ago was none other than Baluns right before his eyes.
Having watched his friend insulted over and over again, even Huey despite his typically mild temperament felt a surge of genuine fury. Deliberately turning his head, he asked aloud, “Sophiel, do you know who the prettiest succubus in our realm is?”
Catching on instantly, Sophiel chimed in without missing a beat. “Of course it’s you, my little Huey! Why, you were already the prettiest succubus in the entire realm two hundred years ago.”
Turning back to look squarely at Baluns, Huey swept his gaze up and down the other’s face before suddenly covering his mouth in exaggerated shock. “My, Baluns! Why does your face look so much older compared to two hundred years ago? Look at all those fine little wrinkles clustered at the corners of your eyes. Back then you were just jealous of my good looks, but now you must be jealous of almost every succubus out there, because you are truly hideous!”
Tossing his head back and forth with exaggerated cuteness, Huey offered a feigned note of comfort. “But it’s alright, Baluns! As long as you take good care of your pretty little pink tail, even if you turn into an absolute monster, some demon is bound to love you.”
“Who are you calling a monster?!” Driven to the brink of fury by the insult, Baluns whipped out his own lash and lashed viciously toward Huey’s face. “I’ll carve your face to pieces today and make you the ugliest, most repulsive succubus in the entire Underworld!”
Restrained by the heavy pressure of the rival demon, Sophiel was completely powerless to intervene, and could only stare at Huey with eyes brimming with anxiety.
Crack—
The crisp, shattering sound of colliding whips echoed through the air as the two succubus lashes intertwined inextricably.
“Baluns.” A cold expression settled across Huey’s pretty face as his delicate hand twisted firmly, gripping the whip tight as he stated coldly, “You have violated the fundamental code of the succubi.”
Article One of the Succubus Code: When succubi fight, they strike each other anywhere except the face!!!
Baluns let out a sneer. “We don’t strike faces because it ruins a succubus’s chances of finding a companion later on, but what difference does it make for a loser like you who can’t find one in the first place? I’ll hit you whenever I damn well please.”
With a flash of pink light surging across his frame, Baluns’s aura skyrocketed. Pulling hard with a surge of strength, he actually snatched Huey’s whip right along with his own and flung it violently away.
Stumbling forward from the sudden yank, Huey looked up in shock. “You’re actually borrowing your companion’s power!”
While succubi possessed the ability to amplify and harmonize their companions’ magic, correspondingly, they could also borrow a fraction of their companion’s power to temporarily elevate their own strength.
Delighted by Huey’s disheveled stumble, Baluns was so carried away by triumph that he completely failed to notice his own demon companion frowning deeply behind him.
“So what if I borrowed it? If you’ve got the capability, go find a powerful demon to borrow power from yourself! You only have yourself to blame for being useless!”
Crack—
The sharp whistle of a whip piercing the air rang out once more as a black, barb-laced lash hurtled straight toward Huey’s face once again.
At that moment, feeling the suppression weighing down upon her suddenly lift, Sophiel cast a suspicious glance toward Baluns’s companion and bolted forward without hesitation. Channeling wind elements into her legs, she pushed her speed to the absolute limit, desperate to help block the incoming strike for Huey.
Yet, tragically, Sophiel was simply too far away, and the whip moved far too fast. Huey could only watch helplessly as the lash closed in on him. His small wings beat frantically in a futile attempt to gain distance; left with no other choice, he raised both arms to shield his face leaving scars on his arms was infinitely better than getting disfigured.
The lash wasn’t just lined with barbs; it was also coated with a layer of magic specifically designed to prevent wounds from healing.
However, the anticipated pain never arrived. Instead, absolute silence blanketed the area, and even the bustling entrance gate fell utterly still.
Soft, smooth feathers enveloped Huey’s body as the startled little succubus tumbled straight into a familiar, warm embrace.
Strong, powerful arms cradled the small succubus, settling him comfortably against a forearm boasting sleek, flawless muscular lines.
“Are you hurt?”
Xavier’s gentle voice echoed softly beside Huey’s ear. Lowering his arms, Huey opened his eyes to behold the handsome demon once more, his dark-golden eyes as deep and mesmerizing as a whirlpool that threatened to swallow a soul entirely.
“N—no,” Huey stammered, his face flushing a brilliant crimson as his little tail wrapped securely around Xavier’s waist, its heart-shaped tip rubbing excitedly back and forth against the man’s side.
“It’s so wonderful to see you again, Lord Xavier.”
The little succubus’s cheeks burned bright red, his eyes radiating an undisguised adoration and excitement.
Xavier curved his lips into a faint smile, reaching out to stroke Huey’s sleek black hair soothingly, just as one might pet an affectionate puppy.
Cradling the small succubus, Xavier shifted his gaze toward Baluns and his companion.
Stunned by the sudden shockwave of power, Baluns had tumbled backward onto the ground and found himself temporarily unable to stand, while his companion remained firmly suppressed by Xavier’s aura, completely immobilized.
The tables had truly turned.
Terrified out of his wits, Baluns had no idea who this demon holding Huey might be, but the sheer terror the stranger radiated felt akin to the descent of the Grim Reaper. Flinging all pride aside, he scrambled backward across the ground on his palms, shrieking hysterically, “Y-you can’t lay a hand on me, I’m a succubus!”
Retreating blindly behind his companion, he shoved frantically at the other man’s back. “Hurry up and protect me!”
His companion happened to be a ram-horned demon, who at that moment was not only paralyzed in place, but losing control of his transformation as a pair of massive ram horns began violently sprouting from his head.
Giving the two demons a cold, indifferent sweep of his gaze, Xavier shifted his attention back to Huey, his expression melting back into profound gentleness. “Would you like to exact your revenge?”
A seductive, enchanting voice reverberated beside Huey’s ear, prompting the young succubus to nod instinctively.
“Very well.”
A cool kiss brushed softly against Huey’s brow as a torrent of rich, potent magic poured endlessly into Huey’s body through the kiss, energizing him so profoundly that even his hair and leather garments fluttered from the surge of newly acquired power.
Raven-black locks mingled with dark-golden strands, tumbling across Huey’s face and bringing a faint, tickling sensation.
“And your little whip.”
Pulling back a few seconds later, Xavier pressed a brand-new leather whip into the dazed succubus’s hands.
The entire whip possessed an iridescent, dark-golden luster. The handle was inlaid with a platinum-gold gemstone shaped into a tiny heart an exact match for Huey’s tail.
Setting the little succubus gently down on his feet, Xavier gave him a light, encouraging push on the shoulder. “Go on, settle the score yourself.”
Naturally, he didn’t forget to gently pry Huey’s overly enthusiastic tail away from his waist before letting him go.
Simultaneously, a burst of kinetic force shoved the ram-horned demon aside, exposing Baluns cowering directly behind him.
Regaining his wits at last, Huey felt his heart pounding like a wild rabbit, thoroughly intoxicated and floating on air from that forehead kiss. The little whip in his hand looked more dazzling with every glance he felt a sudden, fierce urge to lift it up and shower it with kisses.
“H-Huey! Please, spare me! According to the Succubus Code, you aren’t allowed to harm me!”
Now it was Baluns’s turn to tremble with terror. Sobbing and pleading for mercy, he even tried to appeal to the surrounding onlookers for help.
Predictably, not a single demon paid him the slightest heed; getting on the bad side of a formidable demon just to stick up for an ill-mannered succubus was an exceptionally foolish venture.
Brandishing his whip, Huey stepped up before him, his exquisite long boots resting directly upon Baluns’s tail as he looked down upon him from above. “Didn’t you want to carve my face to pieces just a moment ago?”
“N-no!” Baluns shook his head frantically, entirely abandoning any concern for the sharp pain shooting through his trampled tail as he raised his hands in blind panic to cover his face.
Tilting his head, Huey glanced from Baluns to the whip in his hand.
“Forget it,” Huey said, carefully stowing the whip away. “I have no desire to let your filthy blood contaminate my new whip.”
Just as Baluns felt a wave of relief washing over him, he abruptly discovered that he could no longer utter a single sound.
“However, I genuinely despise that foul mouth of yours,” Huey stated with serene composure. “If there is ever a next time, it won’t just be a simple gag spell I will personally whip your mouth to shreds.”
The silencing spell cast by Huey, backed by Xavier’s potent magic, was far beyond anything Baluns could hope to dispel not even the ram-horned demon could break it. At the absolute minimum, it would take three full years before it wore off naturally.
“Our Huey is truly such a kind-hearted child.” Sophiel sidled up next to Xavier, praising him with a fond tone in front of the man holding her best friend’s heart.
Scarcely had Sophiel finished speaking when she heard Huey let out an artificial gasp of surprise.
“Oh dear, I completely forgot your tail was still trapped beneath my foot how on earth did it snap in half like that? Oh well, never mind, it’ll grow back after a few years of rest.”
Smiling sweetly, Huey lifted his foot and casually gave the snapped tail lying on the ground a dismissive kick.
“Well…” Sophiel muttered, looking somewhat awkward. “Being kind to your enemies is just being cruel to yourself!”