NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62: Ace In The Hole
The High Priestess sat motionless, blindfold tied firmly across her eyes, but her breath came ragged, chest rising with each inhalation as if she were starved. The Golem's senses bled into her own. She saw through its cracked eyes, felt through its trembling limbs, smelled through the corruption burning inside its chest.
She saw, and smelled him.
The smell. The presence. There was no denying it. The Hobgoblin standing before her, the one who wielded corruption, held Azaroth's Heart.
Her lips parted in a sudden gasp, body shivering.
"Aah…!" She caught herself too late, fingers curling into the dirt as warmth surged through her.
The stench of corruption was intoxicating. Her thighs pressed together, muscles trembling as a tremor rolled down her spine.
Through the Golem's eyes, she saw his sharp grin, saw his claws tear into the creature's heel, saw him weave corruption into pools of black ooze across the battlefield. Every strike, every movement carried the scent of Azaroth's power.
Her nails dug into her palms. The scent filled her lungs like smoke, numbing her reason, turning her thoughts molten. "Mmm… It's… So close..." Her tongue pressed against her lip. "So close… I'm so close… To Azaroth."
The three Followers kneeling behind her twitched, confusion passing across their faces at the heat rising from their High Priestess. Before they could utter a word, she twisted her hands back and pressed her palms against their bowed heads.
"Azaroth's Heart is near," she whispered with a voice filled with hunger. "Sleep."
The Followers' eyes widened only briefly before their chests collapsed inward. Life Force bled out of their mouths and eyes in bright, glowing streams, sucked straight into her hands. Their hair whitened, skin sagged, and their hearts gave out in at once. The three corpses fell forward with a dull thud.
The High Priestess inhaled the glow into herself, shivering in rapture as the energy coursed through her veins. "Yes… Oh yes… I'm coming… For you."
Clearly able to sense it on Amon, the High Priestess was convinced that the strength Hobgoblin held Azaroth's Heart, perhaps in one of his pockets, as it wasn't in either of his hands.
"Still, not only does he hold Azaroth's Heart, he is utilizing its power, wielding it… He must be quite strong to achieve such a feat."
This wasn't particularly an issue. All strength bent the knee in front of her.
The High Priestess's senses stretched farther, and she managed to feel the different beings that held her Magic within them.
The Golem, and the Followers… Both dead and alive.
She quickly found the right one. A Follower whose throat had been slit by his own hand, a Follower who had given his life to strengthen the others. Currently, he was in a state between life and death, and would only die after running out of Magic. He lay limp near the Hobgoblin and the Kitsune's battlefield.
Her smile curved wider. "Perfect."
The High Priestess pressed her glowing fingers together, and the world folded.
In her place, only ashes and three corpses remained.
***
Syl spun her spear, blocking another strike. Akane's flames smoldered at her fingertips, burning away hardened blood-arrows that hissed as they dissolved into smoke.
And suddenly,
"Wha-" Syl froze, eyes widening.
Before she could blink, one of the blood-soaked corpses on the battlefield twitched, and disappeared.
Where it stood now was a woman.
Her robes clung to her body tightly. Her blindfold fluttered against her cheeks, and her pale hands radiated light. Her arrival was so abrupt that even the seasoned Hobgoblin warrior's instincts failed her.
Akane's eyes widened, her tail puffing in alarm.
The High Priestess inhaled deeply, the scent of corruption washing over her once more. Her lips parted, a faint blush in her cheeks.
And then, before anyone could move, her hands stretched outward.
The remaining Followers gasped in unison, their weapons dropping to the ground immediately and their throats convulsing. Veins bulged black beneath their skin.
The next moment, their bodies shriveled like fruit left in the sun. Every ounce of blood, every drop of life was ripped from them in streams of violet glow, siphoned straight into the High Priestess' hands.
Their corpses hit the ground.
Syl staggered back, stunned, spear lowering involuntarily.
"Wha… The hell?" Akane muttered, her throat tight. Her every instinct was telling her to run away.
The High Priestess pressed her fingers together. On her face was a smile as soft as it was sweet.
"Rika, Rita…" She called out. "Come to me."
The glow in her hands split into twin streams that burned across the ground like ethereal serpents. The air shimmered.
And then they were there.
Two women had appeared.
"Demons." Syl muttered, tightening her grip on the spear.
They were Succubi.
The first towered with a physique that exhuded strength and power. Her dark hair flared behind her, and a black tail lazily swayed behind her. She cracked her knuckles, and the air itself seemed to shudder under the pressure of her strength. "I was getting bored with all the waiting around."
The second was slim and delicate in appearance; her violet hair cascaded down and hid parts of her face like a veil. From her fingertips unraveled threads of shimmering magic that were razor-thin and impossibly sharp. They cut the ground simply by trailing over it, carving scars into it. "Vulkan might not be too happy about this."
Syl gritted her teeth while Akane's ears flattened, her eyes darting.
The High Priestess tilted her head faintly. "Rika, Rita. You know what to do."
Their eyes widened as their gazes fell on Akane.
"Capture the Fox." Both Succubi said in unison.
They bowed their heads slightly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Syl set her stance, spear leveled. "So it's a three-on-two now…" She glanced at Akane. "We might have to run away."
Unlike what Syl thought, whoever, it wasn't a three-on-two.
***
The forest split apart with a bellow.
The bull-like Golem thundered forward, its chest glowing brighter, violet smoke pouring from the cracks in its body.
But Amon's grin was only growing wider.
"Come on then," he taunted, sidestepping another charge. The Golem stumbled into one of his corruption pools, its leg slipping as ooze bubbled and hissed beneath it.
He darted behind it, claws raking deep into its stone flesh. Chunks broke free, dissolving instantly into the Black Stone embedded in his hand.
The Golem howled, twisting, but Amon's speed made him untouchable.
"Too easy!" Amon laughed out loud as he crouched. His hand touched the shadow below, and his fingers sank into it.
The Golem staggered, legs caught in threads of hardened corruption.
Amon leapt forward, aiming to pierce the Golem's heart with his clawed hand. "Die!"
But the instant before he could connect with the Golem's body,
Woosh!
"...?!"
The Golem had suddenly vanished.
Amon's eyes widened, his momentum only partially halted. His mind froze mid-motion, shock locking his muscles.
'Did it just disappear? Could it be some kind of Magic I was unaware of-'
The next instant, right where the Golem had stood, a woman appeared, and Amon's confusion grew.
She hovered inches above the ground, arms wide open, blindfold fluttering.
The High Priestess was falling straight toward him.
Her hands stretched forward, a radiant smile on her face.
It was her ace in the hole.
The moment her palms would touch his body, she would steal the life force out of him.
She would drain everything from him, killing him instantly with a touch..
The High Priestess smiled softly, ecstasy touching her lips.
Her touch was her greatest weapon.
"Come here." She purred with an angelic voice.
Her hands came into contact with Amon's shoulders and,
"...!"