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

Another undead army was advancing. This time, they came with succubi. The sex demons were a mix of the Eminence's Sisters of Sin and Queen-Mother Zariah's ilk. Petyr sighed and flexed her arms. The attacks just kept coming. If only that damned necromancer was in Ehmvier at the time, then she could have pummeled her into the ground and not have to deal with it now.

"Spellcasters, ready your spells!" Petyr lifted a hand and waited for the enemies to draw closer… then swung down. "Fire!"

A volley of magical missiles launched into the skies and rained down on incoming scourge. Few succubi were knocked out of the sky. They had magic of their own and erected barriers to protect themselves. Scores of undead were destroyed before the shields reached them, too.

Petyr clicked her tongue. The Commonwealth forces were getting smarter. She glanced over her shoulder. Ortesian knights and Rotandrix dragoons looked weary. Donning their equipment took a lot out of them. Reducing rations had taken a toll on everyone.

"Draw!" Petyr ordered, and they pulled out their weapons to prepare for battle.

Bone brutes and skeletal warriors slammed into the vanguard. Steel clashed against steel. Explosive magic erupted without rhythm like a discordant tune. Fortunately, clerics wreathed the Ortesians in healing magic to keep them going.

Petyr transformed Shifting Steel into a warhammer. She swung hard, destroying the head of an undead. The momentum carried her weapon forward and smashed a second in collateral. When a giant bone brute brought down its own hammer upon her head, Shifting Steel transformed into a shield to block the blow.

"Consecrate Ground!" Petyr roared.

The earth fissured with tiny cracks beneath the bone brute's feet. Holy energies spewed out from them, causing the undead to recoil. Petyr transformed Shifting Steel back into a warhammer and caved its head in.

Easy. They could send more if they wanted. This much was nothing to the likes of—

Succubi flew past everyone over head, making a beeline right for the backlines. They dropped strange, star-shaped creatures all over the the spellcasters and healers. At that moment, Petyr barely recalled what the Rook of Rotandrix had warned her about.

Don't treat a battle against Kanae's forces like any conventional battle you've ever faced. She was able to devastate my best with mana-vamp starfishes, was what Avaline had said.

Petyr made the mistake of brushing it off. Mana-vamp starfishes? They were incredibly rare monsters. Highly illegal in and around Radevic, Lograin, Orturic, and Port Kandis. Even if the Commonwealth did employ creatures like that in battle, they shouldn't have more than maybe a dozen.

However, hundreds plummeted from above like the heavens raining divine punishment upon them. They latched onto priests, putting a stop to the healing aurora. Spellcasters ceased their volleys of destructive magic in an effort to pull the mana-vamp starfishes off their faces.

"Tch. TCH! Fuck you, Kanae! You think this is enough to stop me?" Petyr transformed her warhammer into a longbow. She tugged on the bowstring, nocking an arrow made of pure holy energy. Loosing it sent a powerful blast that traveled across the battlefield and ended countless undead. Only their broken bones were left behind.

But there were more to come. Unfortunately, with their backline of clerics and mages shattered, they still wouldn't last much longer.

"Pick up the fallen and retreat! I'll hold the front. Focus on killing those starfishes and carrying the unconscious away!" Petyr ordered.

"Hahaha! Loooooooosers~" The voice of Edina Hackett erupted from every broken skull on the ground. Even the succubi were laughing from a safe distance in the sky.

It took all of Petyr's willpower not to fall for the taunts.

They returned to the main encampment in far eastern Commonwealth, battered and beaten. Well, Petyr was perfectly fine. But they couldn't afford to lose more troops. She took her helmet off and marched into the command tent. Inside, Errenard DeSalle and Avaline von Cleisseldor were briefing their officers. They all had plates full of steaming meat and bread spread with jam. Their glasses of wine were either half-drunk or empty.

"Get out," Petyr growled.

"Returned so soon, Lord-Major?" DeSalle didn't so much as glance her way. "As you can see, we're in a meeting. Perhaps you would join us and offer your report instead."

"I said… Get. Out. NOW! All of you, except for DeSalle and the Rook!" she roared.

Not wanting to try her wrath, the imperial officers shuffled out in a hurry.

"What's the matter, Petyr? You're normally loud, but it's like you have the Horn of Glentir amplifying your voice," Avaline joked.

"We are losing ground!" Petyr exclaimed, holding nothing back. "Every attack chips away at our numbers because they have some concoction that counters the anti-succubus magic potions. I encountered those mana-vamps you warned me about, Avaline! There is nothing in our arsenal with which to repel them. We're having to reduce our rations every day. What we pillaged from Ehmvier will be gone by next week! Yet you're gorging yourselves fat in this warm little tent while everyone else goes hungry? Are you even taking this war seriously?"

"Of course, we are! The commanding officers are the brains of war. Can you blame them for needing to eat? Lord-Major, you must also eat to keep your strength up. Here! Care for some venison?" DeSalle lifted a plate of venison that an officer had only taken a single bite out of.

Petyr was about to slap it out of DeSalle's hands until images starving soldiers flashed across her mind. She snatched it from him instead.

"Darren has already scoured the area around Highgreen. My master's forces has also thoroughly searched through Queen-Mother Zariah's domain. The tomb isn't up there. It has to be around here like his hunch suggests," Avaline said.

"You put a lot of trust in a man who sent his drakeling servant across the sea and wouldn't come himself. Guillaume… what a piece of work." Petyr clicked her tongue.

"Lord Guillaume Pyrelle to you," the drakeling corrected tersely.

They stared each other down with the glares of dragons vying for territory. Guillaume Pyrelle was the eldest son of the head of House Pyrelle. A house whose family was first in line to the Ortesian crown. When the emperor and empress eventually passes away, it was Guillaume's parents who would inherit the empire.

The Pyrelles were among the oldest houses in Ortesian history. Diaries from their ancestors suggested they had even forged alliances with the dwarves prior to the stout race's extinction. That dated back a little over 10,000 years ago. They were members of clergy in service to the Supreme One, who grew their influence by ingratiating themselves into political courts as religious consultants. In present day, the family occupied positions across countless clerical offices in the empire.

"Now, now. Let's save the aggression for the empire's enemies, yes? Should Lord Guillaume and Sergeant Darren's intel prove true, then it means the land we are on is the last place we haven't investigated," DeSalle said.

Petyr eyed Errenard suspiciously. Between the DeSalles and the Pyrelles, they had been trying to one-up each other for centuries. Their hostilities had led to at least two civil wars and the end of several houses in their ambition for the crown. Errenard was being a little too negotiable.

"Fine. What's our next move?" Petyr asked.

"Our scouts reported that the Demon Queen and her forces have made an encampment between two lakes due northwest of here. They want to make a trade. The location of the Ruedegard's tomb and ankh for the captives," Errenard said.

"Great, then let's conduct the exchange and get out of here already!" Relief washed over her at last.

"Not so fast. Ortesia has long been aware of Kanade, the high elven succubus' existence since Bishop Rudo's defeat in Lograin. They will not give her up. I also will not give up my Gretchen. However, Queen Kanae might not give up their information without them. You will take the children there to coax the information out of her. Give only the tarnished child. We must keep the high elven succubus." He clenched a fist over the table.

Petyr chewed on her lower lip. As if Kanae would so easily accept the trade without both. 

"Why does the empire care so much about a high elven succubus?" Petyr folded her arms.

"Do not question the empire's will, Lord-Major. Simply act on it." Errenard huffed.

"What about Lord Guillaume's pet drakeling?" She thumbed over her shoulder.

"The Demon Three's Alliance launched multiple simultaneous attacks on our garrisons this morning. A Queen-Mother succubus named Labelle attacked Fort Light. Another, Claudia, is currently sieging Camp Trinity. Then there's Minestra Val'doun assaulting Fort Dawn. I was supposed to be reinforcing them. Instead, we're letting them fall so I can join you, " Avaline explained.

It sounded like Kanae had finally stopped holding back. Good for them, but not for Ortesia.

Petyr loaded up leftover bread from the table before storming out. She passed them off to nearby guards. Their eyes and cheeks were sunken. The Ortesian pride was beginning to wear. They thanked her, though their voices were meek and barely audible.

"Quit slouching. Stand tall, or I'll straighten your spine for you," Petyr said.

"Yes, Lord-Major!" they exclaimed while stuffing their mouths with bread.

A little R&R first shouldn't hurt. Petyr returned to her carriage-mansion. The five young demon brothers were sitting bored around the room, but they perked up upon seeing her.

"Come to me. I need affection!" Petyr kneeled down and stretched out her arms.

They embraced her. Hugged her. Kissed her. Showered her with praises and compliments. The eldest one, Vesh, stroked the back of her head. Were demons always so cute and sweet? Their horns and wagging tails made them exceptionally adorable.

"Are we going to play again now that you're back?" Vesh asked.

"I wish! I have to go back out again, but hopefully tonight and henceforth… we'll have all the time in the world. I want to fuck the shit out of you all…" Petyr panted heavily.

The erections in their pants betrayed the fear on their faces. Petyr patted each of them on the head, then went into the lockbox in front of her bed.

"What's that?" Vesh peered over her shoulder.

"You mean inside?" Petyr popped open the lockbox's lid, revealing an array of sex toys. She quickly picked up the One-Eyed Cross and stuffed it into her pocket. "When I come back, you can familiarize yourself by using them on me. Look forward to it."

Next was the tent housing Kanae's children. Dozens of guards surrounded the tent, including a magical barrier sustained by several mages. They had to temporarily stop casting in order to let Petyr in. Kanade and Suvee were reading a book when she entered.

What was going on? Petyr felt a twang in her chest. Weren't succubi supposed to be a race of demons hellsbent on enslaving the world? These two were just… Before Petyr realized it, they were huddled together and staring at her.

"Good news. We're bringing both of you back to your mother," Petyr said.

"Is this a trick?" Kanade asked, holding her younger sister close.

"It isn't." She shook her head. "Kanae has accepted a trade, but you're welcome to stay if you like it here."

The two of them got up and followed Petyr outside. They were shivering from the cold. Petyr ripped the mantle off a knight on guard duty and draped it over them.

"What about Gretchen? We can't leave without Gretchen!" Suvee cried.

Too bad for them, DeSalle put Gretchen into a complicated ritual spell to end the effects of Kanae's enthrallment. When Kanade and Suvee refused to leave, Petyr beckoned a mage over to place a sleep spell on them. They collapsed to the ground together, and she picked them up.

Avaline had rallied a force of 2000 to join them outside the encampment. On a horse herself, she led another stallion over to Petyr.

"Ready to make history?" Avaline asked.

"Shut up." Petyr climbed onto the horse with the children, and together with the imperial army, rode to meet Kanae Toyomi.

"Aww, you're no fun." The drakeling rolled her eyes.

In the hour-long trek, Petyr was getting antsy. Her quest to reach luxury had been foiled time and time again. They neared victory at last. A seat at the Lord Council was every high elf's dream. But what if all this was a trap?

"Lord-Major, General Avaline! Commonwealth forces ahead!" a knight hollered from the front.

When Petyr glanced up, there Kanae Toyomi was. She was flanked by the Order of Colors, namely the Knight of Silver, Estaline von Cleisseldor; the Knight of Azure in training, William Bellevue; the Knight of Ivory, Dalu'luna Mello; and herself as the Knight of Amethyst. Elizabeth Bedlam, upon her flying broom, and Saint Priest Lanil Hammerthorn were levitating in the sky. An army of undeath laid before them, made up of six hulking death knights and a dracolich making circles above them. A group of knights with winged-helmets she hadn't seen before was also on their side. High elven in stature, maybe. Hard to tell.

However, the one thing that took Petyr by surprise the most, was the cathedral in the lake behind them all. Marine vegetation draped the stained glass windows and tall, sharp spires. They had passed by here before and it wasn't there at the time. Where did it come from?

"You brought a pretty big army for what's supposed to be an exchange," Petyr remarked snidely.

"You're one to talk," Kanae said, referring to the army of 2000 knights and dragoons. "Where is Suvee and Kanade?"

Petyr pulled the the cowls over their heads to reveal the children. The succubus queen looked overwhelm with relief. Her shoulders slackened. All the tension in her face vanished.

"And where is the ankh and Saint Rue's resting place?" Petyr questioned in return.

"Here." Kanae lifted the ankh up for her to see, then gestured to the cathedral. "And there. You can thank Eliza for raising it from the lake."

Petyr was about to move forward with Suvee and Kanade until Avaline stuck an arm out to stop her.

"Hold on. That temple definitely looks like what we've been searching for, but we can't be sure he's inside. Hand me the children. You go and confirm Ruedegard is actually in there," the Rook suggested.

"What's wrong?" Kanae shouted.

"I know you're eager to have your children back, but we need to be certain that's the right tomb. Show me. Just you and me," Petyr said, passing the kids over to Avaline and motioning her stallion forward.

The Commonwealth forces parted, giving way to the entrance. Kanae gestured for her to follow. Together, the two descended into the gargantuan cathedral. For the first time in… ever, Petyr felt a shiver run up her spine. Motifs and carvings on the wall depict acts of sex. This place was giving her the creeps.

"This is no high elven architecture. You better not be leading me into a trap again," Petyr warned.

"That's because this isn't high elven architecture. It's ancient. It also belongs to an organization known as the Cult of Lust and Depravity that worships the devil of lust, Satine," Kanae explained.

"You're telling me sex cultists brought Ruedegard Ducante's body down here?"

"I'm telling you, Ruedegard is a member of the cult. It's obvious both of us have zero clue why the Empire of Ortesia wants to resurrect him. Or maybe they're being deceived." She stopped in front of a stone mausoleum.

This was high elven in make, carved from white stone. Ruedegard Ducante was inside. He was waiting to be resurrected. When that happened, this war could finally be over. Petyr would be allowed to return to Ortesia and live the life of luxury.

"Deceived or not, I have orders. Give me the ankh, Kanae. You'll get your children back. Petyr extended an open palm to her.

Kanae brought out the Ankh of Reincarnation. Even down there, its golden make shined like the sun. Petyr snatched the ankh from her hand.

Two conditions needed to be met. Using the Ankh of Reincarnation consumed a lot of ambient mana. First, toppling the Kh'shanti was like popping the cork from a wine bottle. Copious amounts of mana now flowed freely into the world. The second was to sacrifice a legendary piece of equipment.

Petyr drew the One-Eyed Cross, one of two parts of an incredibly powerful weapon that contained an avatar of the devil of pride.

"Finally. Ever since I was born, they made me fight, train, fight, train, fight… That's all I ever knew. All those years of battle to become the empire's shining knight, putting on a false facade to look nice in front of other houses, I can now put my sword down to rest once I resurrect this bastard. Hear me, Ruedegard Ducante! I sacrifice… this… Huh. You." Petyr spun around to face Kanae, who had taken a few steps back.

"W-What?" Kanae stammered.

"I hate to liken myself to a succubus like you, but… you went to great lengths to steal the Ankh of Reincarnation. You chased me across the Commonwealth to get it! You had someone you wanted to bring back to life. I know how that feels, and if it were me, I wouldn't have given this up so easily. This… This is a trick, isn't it?"

"Gold, wait—"

Petyr ignored Kanae's shouts and climbed atop the mausoleum. She transformed Shifting Steel into a warhammer, and used the pointed side of the head to smash the stone crypt. The succubus lashed out with her whip, but Petyr grabbed it and flung her across the room.

When the cracked lid had loosened, Petyr slipped her fingers between the fissures and ripped open the mausoleum. Lying inside wasn't a high elven man, but a high elven woman…

"Who the fuck?" Petyr recoiled.

It was a ruse!

Petyr hopped behind the mausoleum and discovered a Rift, perfectly hidden by the large crypt. She entered it and came through into a grandiose bedchamber fit for Ortesian royalty. A statue of a succubus figure towered over the entrance. Beyond it was a bed with a high elven man lying peacefully on it.

"There you are—"

"No, you don't!" Kanae tackled Petyr, knocking the relics out of her hands.

"Let's see you stay standing after a Smite!" Petyr buried the head of the warhammer into Kanae's chest.

The succubus skidded across the room and grinded to a halt in front of the statue.

"How are you still standing?"

"Whew. It still hurts like getting railed by an ogre, but the holy damage is negligible. All thanks to this." Kanae directed her attention to the two tattooes, one on her belly and the other upper right arm.

Petyr squinted and read them aloud, "It says… 'Free Use Pussy' and 'I like dicks girther than my arm'. Is this some kind of joke? How dare you make me say such foul language!"

"Wha—" When Kanae peered at the tattooes, her face went deeply red. "W-Wait, that's not what they're supposed to look like! It's the stupid ink! Ahhhh!"

Petyr seized Kanae's distractedness to grab the relics. However, the succubus lassoed Saint Rue's ankle, yanked him out of bed, and shoved the body out of the Rift.

"Bitch, you're not stopping me when I'm so close to retirement!" Petyr snarled.

"Hit me with your best shot!" she shouted.

Shifting Steel transformed into a bow. Petyr fired an arrow right for Kanae's head, but she leaped out of the way. The statue spun around in an instant.

"Power Word: Climax."

Pleasure rippled across Petyr's body, bringing her to the ground.

"What did you… just do to… me… I should be… immune…" Petyr shuddered from orgasm after orgasm, like someone was playing with her nipples and flicking her clitoris. It was like her very soul was in a perpetual state of climaxing.

As she twitched on the ground, Kanae waltzed right up to grab both the ankh and One-Eyed Cross.

"Not me. The statue did it. I'd really love to learn that spell. Just look how bad it messed you up. I might not be strong enough to take you on alone, but magic from the devil of lust? At least that's what I assume it is. Thanks for this, by the way. I'll be right back to fuck you with my dick. If you can still move, why don't you get onto the bed and wait for me there," Kanae taunted and exited the Rift.

"Not yet… Not fucking yet. My paradise awaits! No more fighting. No more being told what I can and can't do." Petyr kicked and crawled her way over to the portal.

Emerging from the Rift, Petyr found Kanae in front of the cracked-open mausoleum. She wielded both relics.

"KANAAAEEEE!" Petyr gritted through another orgasm and forced herself up.

"Gold?! Will you just stay down!" Kanae yelled.

They wrestled for control over ankh and cross until both of them had their hands on each relic. It was now or never. Petyr and Kanae uttered the names of the one they sought to bring back to life—

"Resurrect Arenade Brightwind!"

"Resurrect Ruedegard Ducante!"

The One-Eyed Cross disintegrated from their grasp. A column of light beamed down from the ceiling and bathed the entire chamber in golden energy. They were both blinded by its radiance. Their hearts thumped rapidly with anticipation. Standing behind the curtain of light at the foot of the mausoleum was a single silhouette. When the light subsided, there stood a high elf, tall, proud, and…

"Nnngh! You wouldn't believe how bad the krick in my neck is right now. What's a divine being such as myself gotta do to get a massage around here?" Arenade asked.

"Arenade…" Kanae gasped, choking up in tears.

"Hey, you. Missed me?" She smiled.

As the two of them embraced, blood drained from Petyr's face. Because the figure before them wasn't Ruedegard Ducante. His body remained slumped against the mausoleum, inanimate and very much still dead. Instead, it was a woman in the spitting image of Demigoddess Arenade from the pantheon of the Many.