I am Succubus!

Chapter 289

Mio and I flew at breakneck speeds to where the explosions had taken place. People were running away in the opposite direction, their holiday night out ruined by sudden violence. They were all still in their costumes, too.

I clenched my jaw and balled my hands into fists. What were they thinking? This was only going to make people think succubi were all bad. This could spiral out of control. Worse yet, with the opening of Tokyo's Tsuki nearing, the optics weren't looking good. As I thought this, Mio grabbed my hand.

"Don't sweat. Whoever's causing trouble, we'll beat sense into them. I know you've been working hard to get Tsuki up and running. We'll make sure things go smoothly!" Mio grinned.

"Thanks. I hope so." I smiled back.

The two of us landed at a park. Halloween decorations were strewn all over the place, broken, on fire, and scattered in pieces. Children huddled up together and cried. The firetruck sirens screeched from afar as they made their way here. Burn marks and icicles jutting from the ground showed signs of a battle with a lot of magic being used. Even a tree had fallen over, and thankfully no one was underneath it.

A succubus, whom I recognized as one from the recently immigrated group, sat with her back against the vending machine and clutching onto her left arm. Another laid on the ground, head on her lap and groaning in pain.

"What happened!" I raced up to them to check their injuries.

Both of them looked hurt, but not badly so. Thank goodness. If only Yumi were here. She could heal them right up.

"Queen Saeko… We're sorry… They just came out of nowhere and attacked…" the wounded succubus explained.

"Don't be sorry. This isn't your fault," I assured them.

"Where's Selene? I don't see that bitch anywhere," Mio said, eyes scanning the park.

"Selene…" The second succubus managed to open one eye and glance up at us. "She didn't want humans caught up in the crossfire. I think she tried luring them somewhere less dense… Last I saw… north?"

Less dense? We were in Shinjuku. The population was dense everywhere! At this time of the night, the only not-so dense place in the city I could think of was Ana-hachimangu Shrine. It was worth a shot. I beckoned for Mio to follow me, and soared northeast to the shrine's location.

The aura of a lesser succubus other than Mio entered my detection range. No, more than just one. Multiple. I scanned the still busy streets of Shinjuku at night, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Saeko!" Mio yanked me back, and a fireball hurled past my nose into the sky where it sputtered out harmlessly.

"Where did that even come from?" I gasped.

"There's another— fuck! More!" she warned.

Screeching balls of magical fire shot up at us like flares and fireworks. They came from the alleys, rooftops, beneath the canopy of trees, and hidden in the crowds. People on the streets thought they were being given a show. Meanwhile, we were up here dodging for our lives. We took evasive maneuvers in weaving through the volley. Luckily for us, the buildings were shorter around this area. Many of the succubi's spells hit nothing but the sky.

I felt the aura of a succubus retreating. As I thought to chase after, another sensation brushed against me and took off in the opposite direction. A third split up elsewhere. I was at a loss of who to follow and cursed under my breath.

This was hopeless.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Mio shook me by my shoulders. "Let's focus on getting to Selene, alright?"

"R-Right!" I nodded.

Instead of giving chase, we put our energy into dodging their spells and finally made it to the shrine. The place was surprisingly intact despite Selene having led the rogue succubi here. Mio and I landed, keeping our eyes peeled for any more ambushes.

There wasn't even a peep of fighting, only the tree leaves rustling from the winds and squirrels foraging for food. It was so eerily quiet that I thought I'd made a mistake in suggesting this was where they went. My hair stood on end. If they weren't here, then…

"Over there!" Mio pointed to someone sitting against a well where priests drew water from.

We raced over and choked on our spit. It was Selene. She was leaning forward a little, blood dripping from her chin and nose. I didn't sense any other succubus aura where we were standing. They just beat Selene up and left her here?

"Mio, call Yumi! We'll need her healing magic. Let's get Selene back to our place," I said, hoisting Selene onto my back.

When we got back home, we put Selene in my bed. The extent of her injuries were hidden from us behind her clothes. She had been bruised black and blue all over, each wound looking like they hurt something fierce. The only way she could have sustained all these injuries would be due to another greater succubus… but it was hard to believe Aria did this.

"I can't believe Selene lost," Hitomi said.

"Man, I hate Selene's guts, but even I don't like seeing her so beaten." Mio grimaced.

Someone rapped their knuckles on the front door. Kana hurried over to open it. Yumi and Hana got here at last, and the former gasped at the sight of how badly beaten Selene got. The last time she took such a bad beating was when Hana and I blasted her with all our magic.

"I'll begin administering healing right now." Yumi kneeled in front of the bed next to Selene and hovered over her with two hands, glowing with restorative magic.

The rest of us left my bedroom to them and returned to the living room. Kana and Elendir made us tea in the meantime. Eventually, Yumi emerged from the room with good news. Selene was going to be okay. She was a tough succubus after all, possibly the toughest. But her defeat wasn't any less concerning.

"Them beating Selene is only going to encourage. No doubt they are celebrating their victory right now," Elendir said.

"I'm the reason Selene got hurt. It's my fault for not making it clear from the start that there would be consequences…" I sighed.

"Hey, you couldn't have known." Mio grabbed my shoulders and squeezed. "Just blame Selene for not telling you sooner that they were coming to town."

As if I could do that. Thanks to Selene, the city came out unscathed. Only the two at the park really got hurt, and even then, their injuries were mild enough not to need healing. She took the brunt of it just to make sure they stayed safe.

It should have been me in their place. I was the queen. They were my responsibility, and I let her and them down. I shot a look back at the room Selene was lying inside, then to Yumi. She caught my gaze and offered a knowing smile. I excused myself from the group and entered the room. Selene rested in my bed awake, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"What happened?" I asked.

"They caught some of our own people. Said they would let them go if I took a beating in their place. I know you wanted to recruit those cunts, and they can't exactly work if I break every bone in their bodies. So, I let them have at me." Selene flashed a smirk, but her face contorted in pain.

"Selene…"

"This is nothing. I've been through worse in the war. Hey… I'm getting tired, but before I knock out… you should know… Aria… wasn't there…" She shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep after finishing her sentence.

Aria wasn't there? But what did that mean? She gave her rogue succubi orders from elsewhere, or did they act without her knowing?

I spent all night calling and texting Aria, but my persistence was met with disappointment. She didn't answer me at all. Why? I thought we had a good thing going, that I'd actually got through to her the last time we hung out. I refused to believe that meant nothing to her.

The rogue succubi had left me with no other choice. I sent Layla a text that I needed her in Shinjuku by morning. If they were going to be difficult, then we had to respond the same way. If Aria was going to stand with them, then she was going to be my enemy, too…

Yumi and Hana had stayed the night after escorting Hitomi and Rika home. It was too dangerous for them to be around us. I wanted to send Kana elsewhere, too, but he refused to leave our side. Mio and I ended up draining him dry to get our fill of sexual energy before battle. Now, he was sleeping in within his room.

Come morning, I heard a knock from the window. When I drew the drapes, a harried Layla waved at me from the other side. The masochistic succubus crawled in after I opened the window, but her boobs made it difficult to get her through. 

"Layla reporting for duty, Queen Saeko! Uhm… C-Can I get some help?" Layla flailed her arms helplessly.

"You could have gone from the front door." I rolled my eyes.

I grabbed both of her hands and pulled. If the window breaks… I was going to charge Layla for this. After giving it a little more strength, I pulled Layla through. We tumbled to the ground with her on top of me. Our faces were within an inch away from each other, and our lips were even closer. For how goofy Layla was, it never occurred to me just how attractive she was until now.

Layla turned bright red and snapped upright. I got up, too, putting a little distance from her. She twirled a lock of her dark brown hair while avoiding eye-contact with me. Despite it being cold out, she was covered in sweat. Layla probably booked it here as fast as she could.

"I-I heard about what happened to Selene. Is she okay?" Layla asked, pressing her fingers together.

"Yeah…" I cleared my throat and tried not to look shy. "Selene bullies you more than any other succubus, and you're worried about her? She's going to be fine."

"That's good." The masochistic succubus breathed a sigh of relief. "What exactly happened last night?"

"Aria's gone radio silent, and the rogue succubi are lashing out at us. I've given them too many chances. We're going to round them up and send them back to Elza whether they like it or not. No one else is getting hurt on my watch."

Layla pumped both fists, ready and willing to go to war alongside me.

"Just the two of us?" Layla glanced left and right in the empty room.

"Mio, Hana, and Elendir are coming, but I don't want to involve anyone else. Yumi's staying here to look after Selene. We need to hurry though. Hana's been sniffing out the rogue succubi's trail most of the night. She got a whiff of them this morning, so Mio and Elendir hurried out to help. You ready?" I asked.

Layla nodded.

Following the attacks last night, much of the city decided to stay in. There were still people and cars going about their day, but it wasn't the bustling Shinjuku I knew. We soon found out the real reason why on our way to Hana and the others.

"What the hell?!" I cried as a volley of magic pummeled us from below.

"They're firing at us from the sidewalk!" Layla pointed.

"They really aren't holding back. It's like guerilla warfare out here!" I deflected a spell with a flick of my wrist, sending it screeching into the sky.

Volleys of magical blasts pummeled us from below, more intense than yesterday. Mio and I avoided fighting them before. This time, Layla and I descended to the streets to take the fight to them. A succubus hiding behind a news stand raced into a bank building. We tried to follow her, but humans mobbed us on the sidewalk. So, they went as far as charming people en masse now.

But that was why I had brought Layla. The greater succubus seized control of every charmed human before they even reached us, then promptly freed them. By the time we dealt with them, the succubi auras had vanished.

How frustrating. This was probably how they handled Beatrice back then when she tried to reign them in. No wonder she gave up. Thanks to Layla, however, we managed to get across the city with little issue. We finally arrived at where Hana asked us to come. A couple of unconscious succubi laid around their feet. Looking up, I was surprised to see them standing at the clothing outlet Aria and I had gone to before. 

Including… her aura.

"You actually found her?" I gasped.

"Chick's been sitting in there for a while and hasn't moved an inch," Hana explained.

"We didn't want to go in without you guys. Fighting a greater succubus ain't no joke," Mio added.

This could be a trap.

"Layla, stay here with the others," I ordered.

They stood watch outside while I entered the clothing outlet. It was dark inside. No one was around. Seemed like the place never opened for the morning. I frowned at the thought of having shared laughter with Aria in here, even buying her a jacket she liked.

Aria's aura was unreadable. There wasn't any intent to repel me. I followed the sensation all the way to the back, where the changing rooms were located. Before long, I was standing in front of the stall. Her aura was strongest here, so I knew she was inside. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat and opened the door— to find a succubus huddled up in the corner of the booth, sitting on the ground and hugging her knees.

"Aria?" I stood at the door in shock.

"Oh. Hi, Saeko… I'm sorry for not answering your calls and messages… I just…" Aria rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

Even from here in the dim light, I could tell her eyes were red. From crying? The puffy coat I'd bought her the other day hung on a hook across from her. It looked like she was having a hard time facing it. When I entered, she turned her face away from me.

"You were here this whole time?" I asked.

"I tried talking to them," Aria began with hurt in her face. "They didn't want to hear it. They called me a traitor, and that I was just trying to sell them out to get on your good side. Apparently… Apparently, one of them saw me hanging out with you from afar. I wanted to contact you, I really did! But they… they're holding Micchi and my friends hostage, and I don't know where. All they sent me was a picture of them sitting in a warehouse through Micchi's phone earlier! I don't want any of them to get hurt!"

"I'm the one who should be sorry. Sorry for putting you and your friends in this situation. But we can save them. You can save them. You just need to be brave. You're a greater succubus for god sakes!"

Aria shook her head violently and the tears started running down again.

"I don't think the other succubi ever thought of me as one of them… Now that I think back on it, they always looked at me with spite. Micchi and her group were the only real friends who cared about me. Now… now…" Aria choked up.

"Aria!" I pulled the succubus to her feet and forced her to face me. "If you care about them, you'll do everything you can— to the very end— to help them. Are you going to let your friends get hurt? Is that what you want"

"N-No…but… " she muttered.

"I'm going to leave now. I'm going to put those succubi down and rescue your friends. You can come with me or stay here, wallowing self-pity. The choice is yours."

I let go of Aria, who didn't move from her spot. As I turned to leave, I felt her gaze on my back. It wasn't until I was half-way out of the store did I hear hurried footfalls rush out from behind me. Aria intercepted me, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"I want to help! Please, let me make up for being weak!" Aria shouted.

"Looks like you already took the first step." I smiled.