Netori: Reborn as the Human Aphrodisiac-Chapter 55: Never Meet Your Idols!
Akamana di Angra. Few knew what she looked like, yet her name echoed like a thunderclap—awing men, wowing women, and everything in between.
At her 99-year anniversary, Akamana defeated her father, the legendary Knight of Ahriman in single combat, ripping out his heart to become the Grand Priestess of the Angra Theocracy.
She then deified her late brother and mother, causing the leaders of the six other theocracies, the strongest of whom had reached the sixth level of the Golden Palace, to unite to take her down. They were slaughtered to the last man, causing a sharp decline in their factions' strengths, and the start of the Angra Theocracy's tyrannical dominion.
Nine hundred years later, the Angra Theocracy had expanded to cover two-thirds of the continent, a gigantic empire connected through arrays of teleportation portals, with eccentric norms and extraordinary wealth supported by an invincible army.
But what set Akamana apart from the standard autocrat was the freedom she gave her rivals and subordinates. She didn't try to suppress rising stars and houses, enabling the birth of several Golden Palace tier noble houses in the Angra empire.
Those houses pledged allegiance on the surface, waiting for an opportunity to topple the Theocracy. So why did she let them grow? Because she was bored. So bored by her dominance that the thought she'd one day get overthrown put a smile on her mischievous lips.
She was the Purple Dawn Continent's noble women's idol. Cassandra, Honoria, Elektra, Headmistress Achai, it didn't matter. At various points in their lives, they all admired or outright worshipped the Grand Priestess, calling her 'Empress' like many others, and wondering how it'd feel to be as powerful and free as Akamana di Angra.
That woman now stood in front of Elektra, leading the most terrifying order of the Angra Theocracy.
"Oh but don't be shy now. I know I tend to have that wow effect on you little girls, but you shouldn't let my beauty and swagger get to your ovaries. I don't swing that way and will break your heart," Akamana said with a little wink, causing black lines to form on Elektra's forehead.
Was this really the Grand Priestess? The legendary demoness who dominated the continent for nearly a thousand years? This was Akamana?
"Crude and distasteful. Empress, I expected better of one so noble," Elektra said with a deadpan tone, making Akamana roll her eyes with an impish smile.
"There was nothing crude about that. Crude would be me saying that I think you're a bitch, a silly big-breasted, big-bootied, bubble-brain bum of a bitch," Akamana said with a wicked grin, immediately making Elektra's eyes widen with killing intent.
The Grand Priestess didn't care, and not giving Elektra a chance to clap back, Akamana went on.
"Elektra, Elektra, as the overlord of this continent, I like to keep tabs on all of you bitches. And truth be told, I used to think you were a smart girly and had a bright future ahead of you. Imagine my surprise when you decided to fuck up in the worst way imaginable. Sheesh…how could you be so stupid?" Akamana cringed a little, grimacing as she shook her head at Elektra.
"What do you mean?" Sensing that the Grand Priestesses' grimaces hid deeper truths, Elektra probed deeper. Akamana sighed, tilting her head to the left.
"Why do you think I haven't messed with the Blood-Smelting Kingdom in the last few centuries? Because of Gaiseric? Or his father, Odoacer? Neither one, of course. There is only one person throughout the Purple Dawn Continent who can make me think twice before messing around.
She may not have given birth to Gaiseric, but she raised him from the moment he was born. Is very annoying when she gets angry, and the depths of her powers...are far beyond what you imagine: my friend, your teacher, Vel'Asha," Akamana said, immediately making Elektra's face twist into a grimace.
"You know?"
"That Vel isn't Gaiseric's biological mom? Of course, I know. I know everything. Just like I know you discovered half the reason behind your teacher's seal and convinced yourself that since Gaiseric isn't really her blood relative, and killing him would help her break the seal, she wouldn't be too hurt and would eventually forgive you.
But I know her better…cause I know everything. And I can assure you she will make you pay…in the worst ways imaginable…if you're still alive by the time she wakes up, that is," Akamana said with a cheerful smile, then turned towards the masked maiden.
"Now Ishtar darling, look at that harlot over there. She wants to harm your little bro and stop you from reuniting. You gotta kill her. No worries, if it gets tough, I'll take over…and help you absorb her," Akamana leaned over, whispering in Ishtar's ears.
Her eyes stretched to the limit, taking the slit shape of the dragon race, and she stepped forward, stretching out her arms.
"A 20-year-old girl? You can't be se—" Elektra started, but barely had she reached this point that Ishtar threw her hands forth, sending a flurry of steel chains flying towards Elektra. The chain tips morphed into murderous blades, hacking at the queen from all sides.
"Humph!" With a cold snort, Elektra joined her hands together, conjuring a sphere of silver flames that ballooned into a dazzling barrier and sent Ishtar's chains bouncing back.
[Convergence of Thousand Predators]
But the moment next, Ishtar made a hand sign, and the chains morphed into one thousand metallic dragons, fusing into one colossal beast that slammed into Elektra's barrier—shattering it in a detonation of earth-splitting energies.
"Im…impossible. Besides Mithras, there is another such anomaly in this world?" Elektra couldn't believe it. With just one glance, she could tell that Ishtar was only at the fifth level of Minor Expansion, with a Sid level of 2,000 units. Yet, she could destroy a barrier cast by Elektra, whose Sid level was at 20,000 already?
What type of Inner Flame did she possess to be able to release such overwhelming destructive power?
"Kill…absorb. Kill…protect. Protect…Mithras," Ishtar whispered and lunged forth, gliding through the air as if becoming one with the wind. Such fluidity shouldn't be possible without decades of studying Sid Manipulation. Yet Ishtar had reached that level already, showing horrifying talent.
Elektra didn't back off, and with a burst of silver flames, met Ishtar's charge. Ishtar's chains shrank into a pair of kitchen knives, slicing at Elektra's neck. The queen's hands morphed into silver fox paws, flaming claws extending from the tips and swinging at Ishtar's knives.
In a flash, the two traded a flurry of blows, going back and forth while causing rumbling blasts with each collision. Elektra couldn't believe it. It was as if Ishtar's physical attributes were so high that they matched that of someone three full ranks above.
Though Inner Flames had a massive impact on a Guru's physical attributes, even with a divine flame, a 20-year-old girl couldn't possibly be this powerful, right?
But as Elektra's mind reeled, formless energies erupted from Ishtar's draconic eyes, slamming into Elektra, and making her physical attributes drop by 80%!
"The Balmarian…Aristocracy?" Sensing the power of a dragon lord pressing on her shoulders, Elektra went livid, blitzing back, and putting as much distance as she could between Ishtar and her.
"Haha, Ishtar, one! Elektra, zero!" Seeing this, the Grand Priestess burst into laughter, motioning for two zealots to step forth.
"Zealot 255, Zealot 257!"
"Here!"
"Beat the drums!"
"Yes, Grand Priestess!" Following Akamana's order, Zealots 255 and 257 got to work, summoning large war drums and whipping up a tune in support of Ishtar.
The Grand Priestess nodded along the beat, and with a series of rhythmical steps, walked towards Ishtar. Her black hooded robe dropped at her feet, revealing a stunning beauty dressed like an Egyptian queen straight out of an erotic fantasy. A white and gold mini-dress covered her slim figure, pairing well with her golden bracelets and highlighting her long dark hair as they cascaded at her back.
Each strand undulated as if animated with a life of its own, and as the Grand Priestess' mask dropped, revealing her porcelain cheeks and scarlet eyes, all on the scene felt sucked into those eyes, trapped by the demonic allure and infinite darkness within.
"Surprised? Did you think your talent had reached the point it transcended the limits of the world or something? Elektra sweety, I came for two reasons: see my old friend and break your arrogance.
You're still a frog at the bottom of a well. Just a little froggy, yet you're causing so much trouble already. Froggy, know your darn place," Akamana said with the tone of a teacher admonishing her student, and the moment next, the Grand Priestess stomped her foot, causing the 600 priestesses Elektra had brought to defend the palace to appear out of thin air, surrounding their leader.
"Still, I know that once you go all-out, my Ishtar darling will not be able to handle you. So, instead of letting you fuck up her flawless looks, I will crack your skull myself, and use you as an opportunity to teach my girl the secrets of Sid Manipulation.
Don't worry, I brought you your girls so you can come at me with all you got. It's still not fair…for you. But I will keep myself at the first level of Great Expansion and only use Sid Manipulation to make things more balanced," Akamana said in a honeyed voice, her words causing large veins to beat on Elektra's temples.
