"That's great, then!"
Xu Feiyan rose to her feet with a warm smile. "I'll go clean up my clothes a bit—please wait for me for a moment."
"Alright~"
With that, she turned and walked straight toward the bathroom.
Ivsha, however, kept smiling as her gaze shifted—landing on Kurose Akira. A faint trace of concern flickered through her violet eyes.
Softly, she murmured, "Mr. Akira… it seems like you might need some help?"
…
Inside the Moonlit Dream.
Kurose Akira burst forward at sonic speed, launching himself straight at the Priest of the Waning Moon. The power granted by Mare Rhein's [Fusion] trait had elevated his combat strength to an utterly terrifying level.
In a single instant, he blinked to the priest's side. His dragon-scale-covered fist ignited with crimson flames as he drove it forward like a wrathful fiend.
"What!?"
Caught completely off guard, the Waning Moon Priest froze for a split second. Never in his wildest expectations had he imagined that a guild adventurer would dare launch an attack against him.
Reacting at last, he released moonlight magic, condensing it into a barrier to intercept Akira's strike.
Bang!
The punch landed solidly. The pale, semi-transparent moonlight barrier instantly fractured, spiderweb cracks tearing across its surface.
"You—!"
The priest's expression shifted again, shock flashing across his face. He hadn't anticipated that this half-dragon's strength would be so monstrous!
As far as he remembered, none of the adventurers recruited by the Moon God Empire possessed power on this level.
With strength like this… only an A-rank guild could possibly cultivate such a monster!
Could it be… this man was an adventurer hired by the Priest of the New Moon?
No—that couldn't be right!
The New Moon Priest shouldn't even be aware of their operation!
"Hmph!"
Letting out a cold snort, the Waning Moon Priest barked, "No matter who you are, anyone who dares oppose the Moon God Empire meets only one fate—death!"
Before his words had even finished echoing, moonlight gathered in his palm, forming into a gleaming blade that he slashed toward Akira.
Akira twisted his body sideways in a flash, narrowly dodging the strike. In the next instant, his eyes glowed crimson as he unleashed a beam infused with the power of destruction!
Seeing this, the Waning Moon Priest immediately summoned moonlight to clash against the incoming beam.
Though he couldn't completely neutralize its destructive force, the moonlight managed to deflect its trajectory, sending it streaking upward into the star-filled sky.
"The power of destruction?" The priest stared at Akira in disbelief. "That power should have vanished along with the fall of the Destruction Dragon… so why is it here?"
A chilling thought surfaced.
Could it be…
This half-dragon was a descendant of that very dragon?
He immediately demanded, "What is your relationship with the Destruction Dragon? Is she your mother? Or your great-grandmother?"
Akira frowned, completely unable to follow the man's bizarre train of thought.
At the same time, Mare Rhein's laughter rang out in his mind.
"Hahahaha! He actually thinks I'm your mom! That's insane!"
Ignoring the question entirely, Akira beat his wings and lunged forward again, launching another ferocious assault.
"You've piqued my interest!" the Waning Moon Priest sneered. "I'll make you talk—by whatever means necessary!"
Extending both hands, he summoned radiant moonlight into his palms, bracing himself to meet Akira head-on.
The two clashed instantly, their figures streaking across the dim night sky like beams of light, weaving and colliding in rapid succession.
But in the end, the Waning Moon Priest was a level 90 powerhouse.
Akira was no match for him.
The moment the priest's moonlight power fully condensed, Akira found himself unable to withstand it. He was forced to abandon offense and shift entirely to evasive maneuvers.
"This guy's strength… it's overwhelming!"
Gritting his teeth, Akira cast a glance toward the distant battlefield, where the Moonlight Witch's clone was fighting.
Thanks to his interference, the priest had been delayed, allowing the clone some breathing room to deal with the adventurers hunting it down.
But there were simply too many adventurers—and their strength was far from trivial.
That battlefield had fallen into a deadlock as well.
Akira turned his gaze back to the Waning Moon Priest, jaw tightening.
"I just need to hold on a little longer…!"
…
"Haa…"
Xu Feiyan gently patted her cheeks with her damp hands, trying to clear her mind.
Perhaps it was the long hours of work lately, combined with a lack of sleep—her head felt light and hazy.
"Are they… lovers?"
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she murmured softly, her thoughts lingering on what Ivsha had said earlier.
She didn't believe she liked Akira.
To her, he had always been more like a younger brother.
Besides, she was nearly ten years older than him—if they were in a relationship, people would undoubtedly gossip.
So from the very beginning, Xu Feiyan had never considered developing anything more intimate with him.
But hearing Ivsha claim that she and Akira were lovers—and not just her, but even Lucia and Nata as well…
That was something Xu Feiyan found hard to accept.
Of course, she had no right to interfere in a male friend's romantic life.
And this was all happening inside a game, no less.
What would this even be called?
An online relationship?
Or… love with fictional characters?
She had actually looked into this before, having invested in several games herself.
Even if she couldn't fully understand it, she chose to respect it.
After all—who wouldn't enjoy being loved by characters in a game?
"…I should head back."
She wiped the hem of her skirt and prepared to leave the bathroom.
She had been in there for nearly ten minutes. Even if the Moonlit Dream couldn't cause real harm, she had promised to stay by Akira's side at all times—she had no intention of breaking that promise.
As she stepped out and reached for the door to his bedroom—
A sharp, pungent scent suddenly caught her attention. Her brows knit together slightly.
"What is that smell?"
Frowning in confusion, she glanced through the half-open door.
The moment she saw what was inside, her pupils contracted violently, shock flashing through her eyes.
There—Ivsha was kneeling over Akira, her body pressed against his.
Though Xu Feiyan could only see Ivsha's back and not exactly what she was doing, a strange, rhythmic swallowing sound echoed through the room… accompanied by that unmistakable scent.
"What… is she doing?"
Xu Feiyan covered her mouth in alarm, unable to look away as she watched from the crack in the door.
In truth, she had already guessed what Ivsha was doing.
But her heart struggled to accept it.
She had only stepped away to clean her skirt—and in that time…
And wasn't Akira supposed to be inside the Moonlit Dream right now?
How could something like this even—
…Alright.
Maybe the male body was more complicated than she had imagined.
Still, what shocked her even more was that Ivsha and Akira's relationship had already progressed this far.
As she continued peeking through the gap, watching Ivsha's "feeding," Ivsha had, of course, already noticed her presence.
After a brief pause, Ivsha continued her movements while speaking, her voice slightly muffled.
"President Xu Feiyan… why not come in?"
"!!!"
Startled, Xu Feiyan nearly lost her footing. After a brief internal struggle, she finally gathered her courage and stepped into the room.
The moment she entered, she immediately asked, "Sister Ivsha… why are you doing something like this right now?"
As she spoke, she hurriedly covered her eyes with her hand—though she couldn't resist peeking through the gaps between her fingers.
Because she could already see it—
That radiant "holy light."
Even in reality, it had surprised her slightly.
But in the game… it was downright terrifying!
It could even change colors!
And there were faint currents flickering across its surface…
Criminal Akira!
Step forward!
Are you even human!?
"President Xu Feiyan… mm~"
Ivsha swallowed before slowly licking her lips, her expression alluring.
"I'm hungry~"
"…Hungry?"
Xu Feiyan froze for a moment at that explanation.
But then, remembering that Ivsha was a succubus… everything suddenly made sense.
Succubi were creatures driven entirely by desire, weren't they?
And Akira just so happened to be exactly her type.
"Sorry to interrupt," Xu Feiyan said quickly, turning to leave. "I'll step out for now—just call me when you're finished."
But before she could go, Ivsha's sultry voice drifted into her ears.
"President Xu Feiyan… would you like to try? It's very delicious~"
"…Huh?"
Xu Feiyan was completely dumbfounded.
She couldn't even begin to process what Ivsha was suggesting—taste it?
Absolutely not!
She was a traditional woman—her first time was meant to be saved for her wedding night!
How could she possibly—
"Are you hesitating?" Ivsha smiled knowingly. "That means you're curious… aren't you?"
Reclining lazily between Akira and Lucia, she idly toyed with the radiant light, her voice soft and teasing.
"Why suppress the desires in your heart? If you want something… shouldn't you be brave enough to pursue it?"
"I…"
Xu Feiyan fell silent.
There was some truth in Ivsha's words—but this was different!
She wasn't some love-struck girl!
"Enough. I won't do it."
She turned decisively, preparing to leave.
But before she could reach the door, Ivsha spread her wings and appeared in front of her, blocking the exit.
"You—?"
Xu Feiyan frowned, unable to understand her intentions.
She had already made her stance clear!
"Don't worry," Ivsha said with a gentle smile, her lavender eyes shimmering with heart-shaped glows. "I won't force you."
"But you can't leave~ Mr. Akira needs your help. Please… help him."
"…He needs my help?"
Xu Feiyan looked toward Akira, though the first thing that met her eyes was still that dazzling light.
"Rest assured," Ivsha continued. "I won't make you do anything against your will. Please forget what I said earlier—I apologize."
"…Then what do you need me to do?" Xu Feiyan asked, frowning slightly.
Ivsha smiled and fluttered her wings, circling around her once before answering.
"You only need to stay by the bedside… and, if possible, cradle Mr. Akira's head in your hands."
"…Why?"
"Because~" Ivsha turned her gaze to the sleeping Akira, her voice softening. "I can sense that he's facing trouble he can't handle on his own. I need to help him."
She looked back at Xu Feiyan.
"I'm a succubus—this is the only way I can transfer my power to him. I hope you understand."
"…If you're uncomfortable, I can go find Alice instead—"
"I don't mind!"
Xu Feiyan cut her off immediately.
If it was just watching… she could accept that.
"Then I'll leave it to you~"
"…Mm."
Following Ivsha's instructions, Xu Feiyan climbed onto the bed and moved to Akira's side.
After gazing at his sleeping face for a few seconds, she reached out and gently held his head in place.
Then she looked up.
Ivsha had already resumed, working diligently, coating every inch of that radiant light with her succubus magic.
Xu Feiyan's gaze wavered slightly.
Her emotions were a tangled mess.
She wanted to look away…
Yet couldn't.
Ten minutes passed in a blur.
"…Why isn't it over yet?" she finally asked, confused.
She had been watching for a full ten minutes—but the light remained just as brilliant as ever, shining with undiminished intensity.
"It can't be helped~" Ivsha replied helplessly. "If I rely only on this method… it might take an hour to extinguish Mr. Akira's holy light~"
"An hour?"
Xu Feiyan frowned.
That was far too long!
What if Akira woke up during that time…?
"Could you… go a little faster?" she asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Oh?"
A smile curled across Ivsha's lips.
"I see what you mean~ Then I'll… try a bit harder~"
As her words fell, her movements shifted.
The seamless transition made Xu Feiyan's pupils tremble slightly.
In that instant, she understood—
To be able to match so perfectly… the bond between Ivsha and Akira had already been forged to an unshakable degree.
They weren't just lovers.
They were something deeper.
And yet, from Ivsha's perspective, there was still a hint of regret.
While this form was decent—about three feet long—she still preferred Akira's half-dragon form.
Bigger. Stronger.
That was his most perfect state.
If Akira had been conscious, he might have chuckled at that thought.
Because what Ivsha didn't know…
Was that he already possessed an even more powerful form.
One so overwhelming that even the five-meter-tall Paslow could barely endure it.
Of course, that form could only be used on Paslow.
Even Ivsha—and Nata in her half-dragon form—would likely be unable to withstand it.
Unless…
Nata transformed into a true dragon.
"Now then~"
Ivsha placed both hands on Akira's chest, supporting herself as she smiled at Xu Feiyan.
"Listen closely to the story between Mr. Akira and me~ This is what we enjoy most every day~"
Xu Feiyan: "(ΩДΩ)!!"
Before she could even process those words, Ivsha activated [Demonic Entanglement], targeting the weakness of that radiant light.
Throughout the process, Xu Feiyan found her gaze drifting to Ivsha's pale abdomen.
The faintly glowing demonic patterns…
The subtle rise beneath them…
She stared, stunned.
Someone could actually envelop that brilliance completely…?
No—no!
Ivsha wasn't human. She was a succubus!
Just as Xu Feiyan's thoughts spiraled—
Ivsha suddenly reached out, cupping her face.
"Hurry—it's almost done!"
"W-Wait! Don't tell me you're—!"
Realizing her intent, Xu Feiyan panicked and tried to pull back.
But it was too late.
In the next instant, Ivsha released the restrained light.
A burst of dazzling golden radiance scattered through the air—
And landed squarely across Xu Feiyan's delicate face.
A warm, vibrant aura of life shimmered across her skin, making her amber eyes tremble violently as her body quivered uncontrollably.
She had never imagined Ivsha would do something like this!
What was she even trying to accomplish!?
Meanwhile, Ivsha curled her lips into a sly, triumphant smile.
Another sister…
Had just been added.