What the hell…?
Kurose Akira stared at the sudden notification, a mix of confusion and shock flooding his mind. He couldn't begin to understand what Ivsha had just done.
She… had somehow gained an insight into Spatial Magic from him?
And there's more!
"Oh~ it's so big~"
Ivsha was directly in front of him, feeling the effects of her remote prayer across the distance. Her movements were subtle, unnoticed by anyone else—but Akira's eyes were locked on her every motion.
After all, she had used Spatial Magic to create a magical aura inside his swim trunks, siphoning his Saint Light…
Hiss~
Akira grit his teeth, desperate to stop her absurd behavior, yet unable to speak. He could only silently endure the corrosive pull of Death Coil.
With every tug, his Saint Light flickered, threatened by the persistent drain. Yet thanks to the spatial aura, even Xu Feiyan—standing nearby—couldn't detect anything unusual.
She did, however, notice his odd expression and asked, "Akira, are you feeling unwell?"
"N-no, no…"
Akira quickly waved her off, forcing a smile. "Please, continue. I'm listening."
"I've had a question for you ever since I met you," Xu Feiyan said, sipping her cocktail delicately. "Would you rather fall in love with someone from your guild, or a being from another world?"
"I… I guess… I'd probably choose…" Akira's voice wavered, his confidence faltering. It wasn't that his thoughts were uncertain—Ivsha's assault had intensified.
Death Coil crashed against his Saint Light like waves, sometimes spinning like a top…
Hiss~
This little succubus was taking things to absurd extremes! Clearly, Akira wasn't the only one striving to grow stronger.
"So that's your answer?" Xu Feiyan lightly glanced at him, then shifted her gaze toward the pool, observing the "Puff Fantasy" guild members.
Her question was casual, born of curiosity about Akira's bond with his guildmates. From his answer, it seemed he genuinely cared for them—not just as a player interacting with game NPCs.
Meanwhile, Lucia and the White Elf Queen approached them.
"What are you discussing?"
Lucia crouched gracefully, her golden-red eyes focused on Akira in the pool. From the moment Xu Feiyan arrived, she had been observing the situation closely. Though she didn't know Akira's relationship with Xu Feiyan in the other world, the fact that they could openly converse in swimsuits suggested a bond far beyond the ordinary.
"Just some guild matters," Akira explained. "I mentioned earlier that President Xu wanted to borrow Virora to help with a special commission…"
The White Elf Queen didn't crouch; she perched elegantly at the pool's edge, smiling at Xu Feiyan. "Do you need my help?"
"This…!? The Elf Queen!?"
Xu Feiyan froze, stunned. She had seen the Elf Queen before, but only briefly, through distant guild commissions. Her impression of the Elf Queen had been fleeting—yet instantly recognizable: impossibly beautiful.
And now… here she was, in Akira's guild?
Impossible. No player should ever be able to recruit an entity of this level.
And the White Elf Queen, a sovereign atop the magical continent? She would never join an adventurer guild.
Yet she was here.
"Just call me Tinas," the White Elf Queen said with a gentle smile, shaking her head. "I'm merely a regular member of this guild."
"Tinas…" Xu Feiyan whispered, confirming her identity—the legendary Elf Queen herself.
Kurose Akira… he actually recruited a queen into his guild.
"I remember you~"
Tinas brushed her silver hair back elegantly. "You're the leader of the Crimson Lotus Guild, correct?"
"The Queen remembers me?" Xu Feiyan was genuinely surprised; she had never met the Elf Queen directly.
"Yes~" Tinas nodded slightly. "Crimson Lotus is always active within the tribe. She often shares her opinions, sometimes radical, but occasionally surprisingly effective."
Xu Feiyan nodded. "True. Crimson Lotus' ideas often defy practicality, but they can work wonders."
"Exactly?"
Unknowingly, Xu Feiyan and Tinas slipped into a conversation, like old friends reunited.
Lucia crouched quietly behind Akira, her golden-red eyes flicking toward him. Something felt… off. Normally, surrounded by three beautiful women, his attention would scatter—but his gaze was narrowed, serious, lost in thought.
"What's wrong with him?"
Lucia worried, fearing illness. Little did she know, Akira was in the midst of an unprecedented struggle with a demon.
Across the pool, Ivsha submerged herself, covering her lips with one hand while lightly caressing her abdomen with the other. Her eyes widened in surprise—why had it suddenly… expanded? Was it because they were near? Could it be that her Saint Light was being affected by Akira…?
"Ah~ amazing~"
Ivsha's lips curved into a perfect smile. Her tongue traced her lips as her fingers danced across her swelling abdomen. Pale skin glimmered with pink runes, amplifying the effects of Death Coil to the extreme.
Hiss~
Akira felt her threat keenly and clenched his teeth, channeling all his mental strength into Saint Light. Now was not the time to lose control—Xu Feiyan and the White Elf Queen were right beside him!
"Ivsha! Stop it!"
Just as his nerves stretched taut, Lucia poked his cheek with a delicate finger, causing him to blink in surprise.
At the same moment, Saint Light lost control, captured by Ivsha. Brilliant life energy surged into her domain, leaving the succubi ecstatically satisfied.
"What's wrong?" Lucia asked, confused by Akira's sudden shiver.
"Nothing…" Akira replied, though his gaze was distant—empty. It felt as if his soul had poured out through the spatial aura into the succubus' lair.
Lucia sensed this strangeness and immediately probed his aura. She noticed Ivsha, flushed and satisfied, lightly stroking her abdomen, and the truth became clear.
Her golden-red eyes widened in disbelief. Akira was talking guild strategy with Xu Feiyan while simultaneously… with Ivsha.
He was insane.
But upon reflection, Lucia calmed herself. She needed to understand how Akira was performing such remote feats.
The Spatial Magic…?
Yet she detected no traces of him using Spatial Magic. Could his mastery of space be so advanced that even she could not perceive it?
Meanwhile, Akira stared at the notification blinking in his vision:
[Your adventurer Ivsha has acquired Spatial Magic—Spatial Aura! However, due to certain conditions, her Spatial Law requires your life energy to maintain!]
"?"
Akira frowned. Wait—Ivsha had gained Spatial Aura and access to Spatial Law using his life energy?
No wonder she was a succubus!
From Ivsha's perspective, it was a completely different scene.
"Mr. Kurose is incredible~ His power…" she murmured, hands lightly on her swollen belly, feeling the warm current of life energy coursing through her. Spatial Law's strength mingled with his gift. She didn't fully understand why it worked, only that she now wielded his power.
Far away, Idess in the Abyss noticed a flicker of red in her eyes and smirked.
"This boy never fails to surprise me! And this time…"
A pale golden glow appeared at her fingertip, channeled via Ivsha's life energy—a single drop dazzling like a fallen star from the galaxy.
"Beautiful~" Idess whispered, eyes alight with a near-mad joy. She brought the drop to her lips, savoring the overwhelming power. As it flowed into her stomach, her crimson eyes glimmered with gold. A Spatial Aura appeared before her, fully formed.
Had Akira seen this, he would have been stunned. He had spent hundreds of attempts learning just a fragment of Spatial Aura, yet Idess succeeded on her first try.
Her aura differed slightly—it wasn't golden sparks like Akira's, but rose petals woven into a perfect ring.
"This magic is amazing~" Idess beamed, empowered by his life force.
A voice whispered her name.
"Idess."
Behind her, a hazy, surreal figure appeared. Upper body human, lower body twisting tentacles—its form shrouded in shadow, yet unmistakably otherworldly.
"Our time is short," it said.
Idess lightly rotated her Spatial Aura, replying with a hint of nonchalance: "Understood~"
Elsewhere, after seeing Xu Feiyan off, Akira sat in the guild hall, sipping juice. His thoughts were still on Ivsha.
He had asked her about Spatial Law—she didn't know why or how it worked. She could only use Spatial Aura in specific circumstances, on specific individuals.
"So it's a magic targeting only me?"
Akira rubbed his brow. Ivsha had learned Spatial Aura, but it was directed solely at him!
Just then, a delicate Spatial Aura appeared in front of him, pink petals drifting with golden light, waiting for his attention.
He frowned, glancing at Ivsha beside him, eyes closed in prayer.
"Cut it out, Ivsha!"
"Hehe~"
Ivsha stuck her tongue out playfully, extinguishing the aura.
Sigh~
Akira exhaled. Her abilities were getting more outrageous by the day.
Turning his focus to the cards in his hand, he reminded himself: tomorrow would mark the Elves' full-scale assault on the Undead Lord. He needed every advantage.
Though the Elf Queen herself could handle the Undead Lord, the true enemy would be far more complex.
"Time to end this millennia-long war," he muttered, checking his strategies.
A presence appeared beside him—Tinas, the White Elf Queen.
"You really care about the Elf Kingdom, don't you?" she asked, curiosity in her tone.
"Queen… ahem," Akira cleared his throat. "It's your home, along with Beyafly and Beyaflora. How could I not care?"
Her eyes softened. "I knew we hadn't misjudged you. But I won't fight tomorrow. I hope you understand."
"I understand," Akira nodded. Two queens on the battlefield would cause a stir—he couldn't risk it.
"I won't fight, but she can."
The Queen gestured toward herself; her normally sapphire eyes now glimmered dark gold.
"Dark Elf Queen?" Akira's surprise quickly turned to comprehension. She meant the Dark Elf Queen could participate incognito.
"Yes~" she nodded. "But she'll need some… training to follow orders."
Before he could respond, the White Elf Queen grabbed his wrist, pressing his palm against her soft, ample chest.
The sensation made his heart skip. It was like touching a cloud…
"Mm~"
The Queen gasped softly at his inadvertent touch, a hint of irritation in her tone: "Not now!"