The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!

Kanae panicked every time Esta and Avaline exchanged blows. When the greatsword and talons met, locking them in a stand off, the baby breathed fire to end their stalemate. Avaline dashed back and rubbed her face charred by infant flames. Instead of looking peeved, she seemed thrilled. It almost didn't even feel like a fight, and they were just playing.

Was this just how drakelings were?

A devastating punch sent Esta and the baby rolling across the ground. Worry gripped Kanae by the neck. She flew over to the child first and cradled her.

"Are you okay?" Kanae asked.

The infant drakeling glanced up and flashed a toothy smile. No crying, no groaning in pain. But she did giggle. Wings suddenly sprouted from her bare back. For now, it was the only succubus feature about her. There were two sets of nubs on her head, one pair thicker than the other.

However…

"Is it just me, or do you look older than a baby…?" Kanae wondered aloud, but the child tilted her head like a baffled puppy. "Well, I think your big sisters are going to be surprised to have a big baby sister."

Although just born, she seemed to understand that and bounced happily in response.

"Master, watch out!" Esta cried.

At the corner of Kanae's eyes, she saw the glint of sharpened talons. She picked up the baby and flew backwards. Avaline swiped a trench into the ground with her claws.

"Hey, this is your granddaughter! You could've seriously hurt her!" Kanae yelled.

"You're only going to weaken the child if you shelter her," Avaline warned, but even she couldn't hide the glowing affection in those eyes.

The baby wrenched away from Kanae's grasp. She raced over to a defeated drakeling and wrapped her small hands around the hilt of a claymore.

"Grr… Hnngh!"

To everyone's surprise and gasps, Esta's daughter lifted the sword— but not without great effort— and brandished the point at Avaline, all the while snarling like a beast. They broke out into 'awws'.

"Atta girl! You did it!" Kanae cheered.

Her grandmother cooed. "You were born five minutes ago, and you're already wielding a weapon? Just like when Estaline was born!"

"That's mine and Master's daughter after all." Esta nodded proudly.

"Oooh! Kanae, what about me? When will we have our own child?" Minestra asked from the ground, only just now beginning to recover from her injuries.

"Don't ruin the moment!" they shouted her down.

The ground rumbled from a stampede of Commonwealth soldiers catching up. They were reinforced by charmed drakelings and high elves. However, Avaline's counter had already decimated the demon forces Minestra led for their three-pronged attack.

"Into the meat grinder they come. Dragoons, knights! Finish up your appetizers. The first course has arrived!" Avaline bellowed.

High elven clerics and priests spread an aura of healing across the battlefield. It was only affecting their own. Those that had fallen rose and picked up their weapons to do battle again. The one whose sword Esta's baby had taken stirred to consciousness— until she clocked his head with the pommel of the claymore.

"You got the right idea, sweetie! Sisters of Sin, release the payload now!" Kanae ordered.

The swarm of succubi and harpies dropped crates all over the empire's forces. Their spellcasters erected magical barriers, thinking they were explosives. However, when the shields subsided and a few went to investigate, the mana-vamp starfishes lunged at them like a plague of locusts. Many attached to faces. The unlucky ones were having their mana sucked out of them through their groins.

Taken by surprise of these monsters, the healing aura stopped. Some could no longer sustain the spell due to being sucked dry. Tiny magic crystals littered the battlefield, and unconscious soldiers deprived of mana soon after.

"What is this?" Avaline grabbed one that lunged for her and crushed it. "Mana-vamp starfishes! How were you able to acquire so many?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know? Esta isn't the only one giving birth." Grinning, Kanae patted her own belly.

The tides had only briefly turned. Of course, the more disciplined Rotandrix and Ortesian forces recomposed themselves much faster than the army of demons did at Orturic. As they staged a counter attack, the Commonwealth army began to crumble against their might. They needed Edina and Lani. Just where were those two?

"Master, we should fall back inside the city and take the fight there!" Esta suggested and swooped their daughter into her arms.

"You heard her! Fall into formation and retreat into Talahurah!" Kanae shouted.

"Only cowards retreat! You're being a bad influence to the baby!" Avaline scolded them.

Kanae helped Minestra up and casted Heightened Haste to as many of her forces as possible.

"Sorry. When we saw them coming, there was little time to pull back. They shot down any messenger imps I tried to send to warn you," Minestra explained apologetically.

"Don't be sorry. This is Avaline we're talking about. We're lucky we were even able to retreat from her like this," Kanae said.

"Listen, Lady Dahlia and her Artaggon forces should be trapped somewhere in the city. If we can free them, their numbers will greatly bolster our own. I'll stay behind to fend them off as long as I'm able," she insisted.

Far be it from Kanae to deny Minestra glory. She agreed. The herzulith grabbed Kanae by the back of her head and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Two hands clasped her cheeks and the other two hugged them together tightly. Kanae took this chance to use Restore Mana on her.

"See the Knight of Silver give birth to your child made me envious. I shall carry that upon my shoulders and do all I can to earn your love as well, Kanae Toyomi! Witness me, my love!" Minestra halted her retreat. She turned around to face Avaline's pursuing army. Lifting the staff up high summoned an army of her own made of earth and stone. They formed a defensive line to stop their approach.

"Don't go into the city!" Avaline yelled, only to be pummeled into the ground by a three-story tall earthen golem.

"I am Lord Charron's harbinger of war, Lieutenant Minestra Val'doun! Come, empire dogs! Allow me to demonstrate why it is that herzuliths stand at the front of Artaggon's armies!" 

"I'm impressed by Minestra. We won't let her resolve go to waste," Esta said.

They reentered the city, but there was fighting all over the place. Small pockets of resistance defended vainly against the imperial occupiers. It wasn't an exaggeration to say everyone, Ortesian Empire and Commonwealth, was in disarray. Even Edina's stray undead ran around like headless chickens.

"Edina!" Kanae snatched one by the empty sockets. "What's taking you guys so long over there?"

Its eyes glowed a furious purple. "Bitch, you try throwing an UNDEAD army against HOLY MAGIC and— huh?" The skull and spine cracked, turning to the drakeling baby. "Oh, shit! Is that your baby? Congrats! You guys name her yet?"

"I was thinking of— Wait, we don't have time for this!" Esta shook her head.

"Amethyst? Silver? Can you two hear me?" Lani's crackly voice butted in.

"Ahh! Stop! Let go of my head. It's not suppose to work this way!" the necromancer complained.

The sound of heads butting and bickering went on for a few seconds before stopping.

"It's Lani! We're held up by Ortesian paladins and priests in the east side of Talahurah. Avaline must have caught onto how we divided our forces. Everyone is severely injured. We're only hanging in there because Edina keeps replenishing her mana draining the fallen, then summoning more undead. How are you doing on your end?" Lani asked just as an explosion went off in the distance.

"Minestra is holding back Avaline and her army to buy us time, but she won't last long. I'm planning to head to the great tree. There's a gigantic underground dungeon down there. I think Avaline threw Talahurah and demon lieutenant Lady Dahlia's forces in there after taking over the city," Kanae explained.

"Then Edina and I know what to do. We'll continue to hold out here as well. Avaline concentrated her holy magic to stop us, but doing so means her main force is without wide-reaching healing magic. Victory rests on your shoulders, Amethyst! Silver, too! And congratulations on your baby. She looks like such a sweetheart!" the warlock squealed.

After a moment of silence…

"Damn Saint Priests… doing whatever they please… Alright, this is Edina, signing off. See ya on the other side or see ya in the three hells!" Edina wished them good luck, and the light in the undead grunt's eyes diminished.

"I know you're all tired." Kanae spun around to address the weary Commonwealth army. "But so are they. Everyone, spread across the city and knock on every door you find. Rally the citizens. It's time to take our home back from the empire!"

They roared back with greater fervor.

Soldiers pounded their fists on nearby houses, and civilians emerged with weapons in hand. They took to the streets together to reclaim Talahurah, even as fire raged across the branches and canopy. These were hardy folks, who saw just as worse when Talon proclaimed herself warchief and when Hilde took over the city.

Together, they attacked lone imperial soldiers or those separated from their main squads. Sisters of Sin fucked high elves in plain sight. Stampeding gorags and dreadmourns ruined organized enemy formations. The battle was beginning to turn in their favor, for now…

Kanae and Esta had to hurry before Avaline's main force defeated Minestra.

As expected, numerous dragoons had been left behind to guard Talahurah's great tree. They made it abundantly clear about keeping them from going inside.

"Grrr!" Their daughter was still wielding the sword and not backing down.

"Observe, my daughter. Watch how your parents battle." Esta patted her on the head and smiled.

Ten dragoons charged them at once. Kanae unwound Lust and switched on Sadist. She nailed two of them, inflicting Turn horny with each hit. They collapsed to the ground and twitched uncontrollably from their orgasms. Esta shield slammed one dragoon away and cleaved three with her greatsword. The remaining four fell quickly to them after.

Their daughter had stars in her eyes witnessing the fight. She raced over to them in a hurry. Kanae thought she wanted to be picked up and kneeled down to. Instead, the drakeling girl ran past them. One of the dragoons pushed himself up on his elbows, but a swift tail swipe from her bludgeoned him into unconsciousness.

"Good girl! You're learning so fast!" Kanae rufflled her jungle of hair as fiery as Esta's.

"I wonder if she inherited her grandmother's warmonger attitude," Esta said.

Come to think of it…

They recalled their past few encounters with Avaline and compared them with the infant drakeling's mannerisms so far. Both of them made a face, unsure what to make of this… unwanted revelation.

"Save that thought for later. Lady should be downstairs!" Kanae picked up their daughter and together with Esta, descended into the depths of the great tree.

A giant prison made of the tree's roots and reinforced with metal bars trapped countless demons inside. Artaggon's forces weren't the only ones in there. Kanae spotted Erin and Taileen, and they spotted her.

"High Priestess!" They ran up to the edge with tears in their eyes.

"Thank goodness, you two are okay." Kanae reached into hold their hands.

Taileen wiped her eyes before speaking. "The Ortesian forces attacked Talahurah so fast, we didn't even know what hit us—"

"Kanae!" Lady snarled. "Are you the reason for all that commotion up there?"

Lady Dahlia, the hell hound demon lieutenant and glorified paper fetcher of Lord Charron. She shoved the twins out of the way and flashed her fangs in Kanae's face. The baby returned a similar bestial growl that gave her pause.

"It isn't just me up there. Minestra is, too. Where's Sheeba? We're getting out of here and taking the city back," Kanae said.

"Queen Kanae?" Sheeba, the lioness, pushed past the many demons and Talahurans. "My queen, you shouldn't be down here! It isn't safe!"

"I know, that's why we're—

"No, you don't understand. When Avaline defeated me, she thought I was unconscious. I overheard her ordering Ortesian mages to inscribe explosive runes into the great tree's roots!" she warned hysterically.

Something crackled. The smell of burnt wood filled Kanae's nose. Everyone fell silent. Eyes turned to the thick root system of the great tree. Giant runic symbols they didn't see before started glowing an intense red.

"Esta, help me break them out now!" Kanae yelled.

Through sheer strength, they pried open the metal bars. Even the drakeling baby helped.

"Master, take her and leave!" Esta picked their daughter up and shoved her into Kanae's arms.

"What? No!" Kanae protested.

"I'll catch up, I promise you. And you." She wagged a finger in her daughter's face.

With little time to waste, Kanae hurried out with others. Her daughter fought like a demon to stay. When they reached the antechamber of the great tree, thoughts of losing Esta flashed in her mind.

"Taileen, Erin! Take my baby. Fly away as fast as possible," Kanae urged, passing her struggling drakeling daughter to them.

"What will you do, High Priestess?" Erin hesitated to ask.

"I lost someone I cared about before. I'm not losing another." She unfurled her wings and flew back the way she came, turning a deaf ear to the crying drakeling infant.

Explosions rocked the entire city. It was like earthquakes were going off all over the place. Kanae lost her footing at the stairs leading into the dungeon. Smoke billowed out like a chimney. At the very bottom, the thick root system had been destroyed and were in flames. Lady and Esta were trying to lift a giant piece of wood off of Sheeba.

"Master?!" Esta gasped.

"Our baby's safe. Like hell am I going to leave you behind," Kanae said.

With a third hand helping, they lifted the log enough for Sheeba to crawl out.

"I don't deserve your help, but thank you…" Sheeba winced.

They booked it back upstairs, but much more powerful, deafening explosions boomed from the trunk of the tree. A series of loud snaps and groaning wood followed. The great tree was toppling.

"C'mon, you stupid lion!" Lady hoisted Sheeba onto her back and bolted.

"Heightened Haste!" Kanae grabbed hold of Esta's arms, and with a powerful beat of her wings, launched them out. But she was slipping. Sweat dripped down their hands.

"Master…" Esta shot her a knowing look.

"Oh, no. You're not letting go. I'm not letting go!"

But at this rate—

To their utter shock, a small figure closed the distance on them. The drakeling baby flew past the curtains of smoke to help. Brows knitted together, succubus wings flapping madly, and fangs bared, she held one of Esta's hands to bear some of the burden. They were speechless. Their mouths hung open. But her added strength was enough.

"GO PERPENDICULAR TO THE TREE! GO!" Lady shouted rabidly.

The great tree crushed everything in its path. Kanae and her companions putt everything into one last burst of speed, barely escaping with their lives. It hit the ground, and the ensuing wave of rippling force knocked everyone off their feet and Kanae from the air. She cradled the baby, and Esta wrapped her arms around them both. They hit dirt and rolled into the side of stand.

"By the Supreme One's grace… I wonder who she inherited that reckless and selfless behavior from?" Esta sighed.

"I'm going to have to scold Erin and Taileen later!" Kanae groaned.

"We're so sorry, High Priestess!" The twins came flying in, frantic and terrified.

Unfortunately, the baby drakeling hadn't learned a lesson at all. She looked prouder than ever, enough to give Kanade's prideful demeanor a run for first place.

"I can scarcely believe it."

Everyone jumped to their feet and reached for their weapons. Avaline was standing over the ruins of a collapsed cabin. She was holding the defeated Minestra in her talons. Judging by all the injuries sustained on the drakeling woman's body, the herzulith didn't go down without a fight this time.

"Very ballsy of you to bomb the tree with your grandbaby in it!" Kanae shouted angrily.

"That wasn't my intention. I tried to stop you! I saw it happen. The child had already escaped, yet she flew back in to save you two. I'm… I'm so…" Avaline's voice started quivering.

"Sorry?" Esta asked.

"Proud! What a fierce and fiery display of love to one's family. Unfortunately, this is where I take my leave. With the great tree toppled my work here is done. Let us meet again in the final act of this invasion," she said as war horns bellowed all across the city.

"Not so fast, cunt!" Lady pounced at Avaline but had Minestra thrown into her instead, and both of them fell to the bottom of the mound.

A portal carved open behind the Rook of Rotandrix.

"Don't forget, Estaline. Your daughter's name—"

"Ends in -line as tradition states. Yes, Mother. I know. I already have a name for her. It's Feraline, because she has quite the feral streak about her. With my Master's blessing, of course." Esta searched Kanae for approval.

"I think Feraline is an adorable name. She's pretty rowdy. Aren't you? Yes, you are." Kanae tickled the giggling drakeling girl.

Avaline whispered the name under her breath as if tasting the truth behind it. A content smile fell across her face. She faced to the portal to leave when Esta called out to her.

"Mother, you know this isn't something we can turn a blind eye to. The Commonwealth, Talahurah especially, will retaliate. We will make you answer for your transgressions by this war's end," Esta promised.

"Then you best make good on those threats, Estaline. You wouldn't want to set a bad example to Feraline, would you?" Avaline entered the portal, and it closed shut soon after.