The Story of an Arrogant Succubus Princess Who Always Looked Down on Humans as Mere Food, Until She Fell in Love With an Ordinary Man - Chapter 49

Asbel kicked off the ground. His speed was incomparable to when they fought before. Back then, he hadn’t even held a sword; he hadn’t intended to hurt this girl, Liliana, not even to the very end.

“Don’t you dare call yourself a god with such weak power! You worthless half-breed!”

But now, it was different. Asbel’s clear intent to kill was directed at the girl. His movements held no hesitation. Looking into his dark, terrifying eyes, the girl recalled the demons—the colorless beings who had driven her kind, the Succubus Queen’s race, to near extinction.

“At last, I’ve found you…! I’ll never have peace until I kill you and your kind for what you did to us!”

Hatred that had swelled for thousands of years was now unleashed here. Destroying the world or killing weaker beings had never brought peace to her rage. She knew she couldn’t rest until every last one of these monsters was eradicated.

What had kept her inactive until now was fear—a fear rooted in her hatred. She knew that if she went on a thoughtless rampage, they might destroy her again. A fear she herself hadn’t recognized quivered deep within her.

“Die, die, die, die! Just die already!!!”

Countless magic circles appeared in the air. Each one was an ancient relic from the past. Thunder from the heavens rained down with god-like intensity, obliterating the surrounding landscape as it closed in on Asbel.

“Tch. Is that all you’ve got? That’s nothing!”

The lightning bolts were cleaved in half by Asbel’s great sword. It was an inhuman feat. The girl frantically unleashed spell after spell, yet Asbel never faltered.

Through flames, drowning waters, and piercing lightning, he kept pressing forward, charging headlong toward the girl.

“A…a monster! Your kind has always been unforgivable!”

A particularly massive magic circle expanded behind the girl.

“—!”

The air filled with an enormous gathering of magical energy. Even Asbel had to halt his steps; the sheer quantity and quality of the energy was on an entirely different level.

“A light spell…!”

From the magic circle’s shape, Asbel gauged the coming spell, closing the distance to strike her down before it could activate.

Then, a voice resonated—not from the girl, but from the sky itself, as if delivered from the world itself, a godly decree to incinerate the wicked.

“—Kyria Luminous.”

A colossal arrow of light rained down from the heavens. It poured endlessly, ceaselessly, hammering down until its target ceased to move—a divine judgment.

“—!”

Asbel fell to his knees. Collapsing, struggling, and yet still attempting to move forward, the arrows of light continued to pierce him.

“Kneel. Worship me. I am a god. I rule this world. You barbaric races of brute strength alone are unworthy to raise a sword against me!”

The rain of light continued. It swallowed Asbel, creating a massive crater, which only grew wider as another crater formed within.

The lush meadow vanished, the mansion they shared disappeared, and even the mountains and lakes were erased. The peaceful days Asbel and Liliana had shared were obliterated by a single blow from the god.

“…Hah.”

The girl let out a breath. The rich nature, once surrounded by majestic mountains, was mercilessly consumed by divine wrath, leaving only an endless crater. Nothing could have survived such power.

This was godly strength, a punishment to the world that not even humans or demons united could withstand. It was the crystallized hatred of the Succubus Queen, cursed for thousands of years.

There was no one in this world who could stop it.

“…Is that all? Already over?”

“—!”

A voice echoed as though from the depths of hell, a cold voice without emotion. It was impossible for such a whisper to reach them from the bottom of that deep crater, yet something within the god trembled in fear.

“…What is this? What are you…?!”

The voice, was it anger or fear? Before it could take form, a man charged out from the depths of hell.

“Get out of my way! I’ve had no use for you from the beginning!”

The demon climbed up, his body battered and torn, as if he could collapse at any moment. It was a miracle he even still held his shape after enduring such magic.

Was this the power of his race, or the strength of the man called Asbel Khan? He didn’t know. Asbel himself didn’t know. All he knew was that he reached out for one girl.

“…!”

The god feared him—feared that relentless, unwavering determination.

“I cannot forgive the existence of someone like you—”

“—Too late!”

Asbel cleaved through the magic circle, his sword reaching the girl.

“Ugh…!”

The girl instinctively shielded her body with magic, but the impact couldn’t be stopped. Her small form was flung beyond the crater, crashing into a massive rock as she coughed up blood.

“Khah…!”

No…she couldn’t win. Her power should have been overwhelming; that mere human shouldn’t have been able to withstand it a hundred times over.

Yet, if this continued, she’d be killed—just like thousands of years ago. She couldn’t allow it. The hatred that had lasted for millennia couldn’t be ended by a single human.

She cast another magic circle.

“…Still going?”

But it was futile; the man closed in. What spell would work? What could stop him? Her opponent was already covered in blood, his body in tatters. A being like him shouldn’t be feared. She should be able to kill him with godly power.

…She should be able to, but—

“…Stay back. Stay back, stay back, stay back!!!”

She screamed, like a child, and cast spell after spell. Each struck Asbel directly, but his steps never wavered.

Her heart pounded wildly. Fear, etched deep into her soul, caused her body to tremble.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhh!”

Finally, she unleashed her greatest burst of magical energy…but even then, Asbel would not be stopped.

“A…aah…”

The girl collapsed, weakly falling to the ground. Asbel reached out his hand toward her, his throat quivering as if swallowing something down. With his characteristic clumsy smile, he said,

“—Sorry, Liliana. I can’t keep our promise.”

He looked as if he’d accomplished everything he set out to do. With that look, Asbel collapsed. At the same time, the god, who had been driven by vengeance, flickered out as if a switch had been turned off.

All that remained was a silence like an empty lie and the consciousness of a false girl who should have vanished.

“…Huh?”

Liliana Liche Riden’s mind suddenly resurfaced, struggling to grasp the meaning of the reality before her.

“—Asbel. Would you die for her?”

Gran’s words echoed. Asbel, looking at the familiar face of the girl he’d known, smiled at the end, with a face that seemed almost at peace.