RISE OF EROS-Chapter 569 - 568
After Lugia had left, the other succubi began reprimanding Seraphine for her passivity in the negotiation and how she had let Lugia manipulate her. Succubi are truly the most loyal beings to the gods of Eros, so seeing that their leader didn’t get information about Andrew frustrated them, as they wanted to meet their new master as soon as possible.
Despite her sisters’ complaints, Seraphine didn’t get upset and smiling, she responded, "How would you have pressured her?" To which the other succubi immediately replied, "With force, we would’ve forced her."
Hearing her sisters say they would have forced Lugia to talk, torturing her and doing many other barbaric things, Seraphine couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Seraphine wasn’t mocking them; their ideas genuinely amused her, but the other succubi didn’t see it that way, they pouted and scolded her.
Succubi are seen by most as simple, beautiful women who serve to satisfy lust. In other words, they were trophy wives, admired for their beauty and good in bed. Only the clever ones had realized that the succubi had built a powerful intelligence network and were now in the upper echelons of demonic society.
In short, they had used their beauty and prowess in bed to climb the social ladder, and now they were very powerful. All of this was achieved thanks to Seraphine. She was the pioneer of this movement.
First, she gathered her companions, then she organized them, and after centuries of working, they were in their current position, but this couldn’t have been achieved through cunning alone.
As in everything in this world, strength was necessary. Unfortunately, succubi are one of the most fragile ethnicities in the demonic race. Their bodies are beautiful and lustful, but at the same time weak and delicate.
They are experts in charm magic, but that wasn’t enough to survive, which is why, before Seraphine, succubi were mere collectibles and lived short lives despite their natural longevity.
In that moment of need and danger, Seraphine appeared as a succubus who had managed to live a long life and develop her strength, which allowed her to elevate the succubi to their current glory. This was why Seraphine laughed, for her sisters, spoiled by her, were too naive, believing they could defeat Lugia.
It’s true that thanks to improved conditions, succubi are no longer as weak, but they are not the strongest either. "Girls, you’re overestimating yourselves," Seraphine said after her fit of laughter, which confused her sisters. One of them couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked, "In what way?"
Seraphine, caressing the cheek of the succubus who had just asked, smiled and tenderly replied, "Because that old dragon is one of the most powerful beings on the continent."
Even though Seraphine said that in a soft and caring tone, the other succubi were frozen as if struck by lightning. They couldn’t believe that Lugia, who seemed like an ordinary old woman, was so powerful.
"Seriously?" another of the girls asked, and Seraphine nodded, replying, "That old woman’s name is Lugia, and she’s a legendary-level demigod, on the same level as the ancient vampire Zaros or the ancient demon of chaos, Dornun."
At the mention of Zaros and Dornun, the succubi trembled with fear because the level of strength Seraphine had mentioned was unknown to them, but the power of Zaros and Dornun was different. Among the various ethnicities of demons, there are several survivors from the war a thousand years ago, so the existence of powerful old demons is not strange.
There are even some legendary-level demigods out there, but Zaros and Dornun were different from the rest. Even among legendary-level demigods, there are power differences, and these two are by far the most powerful among demons.
These young succubi had seen the strength of Zaros and Dornun, so when they heard Seraphine say that Lugia had similar power, they trembled and, with tears in their eyes, hugged Seraphine thanking her for stopping them from doing something foolish.
When Lugia had gotten the information she wanted from Seraphine and left without giving the promised information, these girls wanted to jump on her, but Seraphine stopped them, and now they understood why.
Seraphine smiled as she saw her little sisters crying like defenseless children while hugging her. Even though these girls seemed young, they had lived for centuries, but in Seraphine’s presence, they were mere children.
Leaving aside the establishment where Seraphine and the other succubi operated, Lugia rushed with Vaelyra toward the region where the swamp Seraphine had mentioned was located. Despite the rich and beautiful land of the demon kingdom, the two dragons couldn’t help but feel pain seeing how there were wars in almost every region they passed through.
These may not have been great wars with thousands or millions dead, but the fact that there was conflict in nearly every part of this vast territory was strange, reinforcing Lugia’s belief that remnants of the fallen god were in this place.
In fact, they noticed that the closer they got to the swamp, the more serious and frequent the conflicts became. The brutality and numbers increased considerably, and Lugia became increasingly convinced.
Although with their speed it shouldn’t have taken long to reach the swamp, they had to take many detours due to the numerous battles and conflicts, losing a lot of time in the process.
Lugia could have easily decimated all these battles, but that would also reveal her location, not to mention that it would drain her power and not knowing who might be lurking, it was better to be cautious.
The Lanix Swamp isn’t really a swamp as such. Normally, swamps are muddy and poisonous, with dense vegetation and poor visibility, but this one was different. It may have been called a swamp because it’s in the demon kingdom, where they tend to dramatize things, but in reality, it’s a vast marsh with some islands and trees inside, with a light mist that hinders vision.
In reality, the mist is light because it’s midday, but at night and early morning, the mist becomes so thick that one can’t even see their own hand. Lugia and Vaelyra had just arrived and immediately noticed how different this place was from all the other places that they had been. If they weren’t dragons and strong, things would be different.
"Elder Lugia," Vaelyra said with concern, and Lugia, looking at the vast marsh in front of her, nodded seriously and replied, "I’m afraid our concerns were correct. Here, there are definitely remnants of the fallen god."
Lugia could confirm this because they felt the pressure of the malevolent energies trying to infiltrate them upon arrival. It was as if thousands of needles were piercing their skin, trying to burrow under it while whispering, "Fight, bleed, die."
This voice wasn’t a whisper or a scream; in fact, it wasn’t even a voice. It was more of an intention that felt dark and cold. Lugia easily countered it, but Vaelyra required some effort.
The problem was that this intention was constant, attacking the barriers of the two dragons every second. "Vaelyra, I’m afraid if you enter, you’ll fall victim to this intention. You should retreat," Lugia said seriously.
Vaelyra, seeing Lugia, knew she wasn’t asking, she was ordering. Not even when she was discovered by Zaros in the Duchy of Cannes while approaching Andrew had she seen Lugia so serious, so she didn’t want to disobey.
Lugia, noticing that Vaelyra had understood her seriousness, smiled and said, "If I don’t return from this place in a week, go to Seraphine and tell her about Andrew. Then go to Andrew and Zaros and tell them what happened."
Hearing Lugia’s words, Vaelyra’s eyes filled with tears, and the elder noticed. These two often bicker, but this is because they trust each other so much that Vaelyra dares to behave recklessly around her, and Lugia dares to scold her.
However, hearing Lugia’s words about possibly not returning made Vaelyra feel an instant emptiness, and she was scared. They were like grandmother and granddaughter, even though they had never seen themselves that way.
Lugia, seeing Vaelyra, was moved and, giving her a hug, whispered in her ear, "Little one, it’s just a possibility. I’m not saying it will happen. Don’t be pessimistic. I’m old, but I’m a tough one to crack."
Although Lugia’s words were meant to cheer Vaelyra up, she didn’t feel much better, but she also knew she couldn’t send Lugia off feeling depressed, so she put on a serious expression and responded, "I’ll wait for your return."
The hug broke after a few seconds, and after a brief mutual nod, Lugia turned and rushed into the marsh known as the Lanix Swamp, trying to locate the place with the strongest dark intentions, as that’s where the remnants of the fallen god would be.
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Meanwhile, Vaelyra watched Lugia’s figure disappear into the mist, then turned and ran in the opposite direction. Although scared that Lugia might not return, Vaelyra had to find a place to wait for her or carry out her orders if she didn’t return in the allotted time, which was difficult since battles were more frequent and brutal in this area.
