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

The Commonwealth army awoke to a deluge first thing in the morning, an extremely unusual occurrence in Savir. Especially around the Nose of Hekaton, according to the natives. Very light and short rain, maybe. But so heavy that water creeped into the tents shouldn’t be possible.

Kanae had spent the entire night getting it on with the beastman tribe from the Arkesian Wastes. Even Manabe dropped in for a couple of rounds. She was full of energy, and her stamina restored. Men strewn about the tent and bed had their dicks hanging out, some were erect with morning wood. As much as she wanted to go again, that was going to have to wait until the end of the war now.

Soldiers outside were gearing up and preparing to put an end to Savir’s civil war. Kanae had a few things to do first, too. She fetched Cockcalibur and fucked herself with Titan’s member, once again acquiring the skill, Coat of Conflagration. The immunity to fire, natural and magical, should negate the Harpy King and Uzazzsa’s flames.

”Alright, time to— eek!”

Large orc hands embraced Kanae’s still bare body from behind, one cupping her breast and the other stroking her inner thigh. A thick penis with a bulbous tip rubbed between the crevice of her cheeks.

”Manabe? Didn’t you have enough last night?” Kanae groaned.

”Just one more before the fight! Some of us might not come out of this alive. A quickie. That’s all I ask!” Manabe dry humped her and slowly chipped away her resistance.

”Nnnh… We have an army to lead, now get to it!” She activated Coat of Conflagration. He jumped away, his chest hair mildly singed from the fires that wreathed her. Sulking, the orc commander of the Commonwealth forces got dressed and slinked out of the tent.

Kanae donned the Thistle, Matron’s Regalia. She wielded Cockcalibur in one hand, Lust in the other, and the Blade of the First Temptress with her tail. She filled her waistband full of potions and thought of Mikki. If there was any motivation to fight like hell and win, it was to see her children back home again.

”Master!” Esta peeled back the tent flap with Feraline holding a shortsword on her back. ”We have a problem. Archbishop Patrice is missing.”

”What?!” Kanae gasped.

The Knight of Silver led the way outside. It was pouring. The rain drenched Kanae immediately and steamed because of Coat of Conflagration. She switched it off before fogging up the camp.

Footsoldiers fell into formation, arranging themselves in ten regiments comprising 500 units, eight from the Commonwealth and two from Radevic. Knights of Ivory and Silver Hall, Romira’s mercenaries, the remnants of Rown Company, and Lilith and her black-clad Sisters stood apart from the main army as their own squads. Across the soon to be battlefield, they faced the Harpy King’s forces twice their size also getting into formation.

Esta brought Kanae to the cage wagons, specifically to Toro Squa’s. Ivory, Red, and Camilla were standing around awkwardly.

”Well? Where’s the archbishop?” Kanae asked.

”Archbishop Patrice…” Ivory began anxiously, ”left for the Harpy King’s camp last night. She wanted to go alone. It sounded like she didn’t expect to come back.”

Kanae pinched the bridge of her nose. How did things suddenly get worse for them? Just what the hell was the archbishop thinking anyway? She glanced up at Toro, who was seated crosslegged and silent in his cage. The elf offered a shrug. He clearly knew something, but they didn’t have the time to grill him.

”What’s the plan, Master? The archbishop was supposed to lead one of the Radevic regiments,” Esta explained.

”Combine them. Camilla, you’re in charge of both now. The Harpy King is our primary target. He falls, the rest of the army has no one to fight for. We need to break through and get Sivvy as close to him as possible,” Kanae said.

”Breezy and I are gonna make him pay.” The Knight of Red brandished her felmetal maul.

Elirashj manifested on her vessel’s shoulder. ”And I will show that pathetic candle light once and for all who is stronger. Oh, and Kanae? I can’t wait to see what exotic things you plan to give me.”

”Y-Yeah…” She gulped.

Everyone headed to their battle stations, and the commanding officers to their respective regiment. The fire tornados were still raging through the field. Because of the downpour, they created a low and humid mist on the surface. Elirashj flicked her wrist, conjuring a powerful gust that blew them away and cleared the mist.

”Proud knights of Radevic, with me!” Esta bellowed and lifted her greatsword.

Both regiments, 1,000 soldiers in total, began their march with the Knight of Silver and her daughter at the fore. Manabe signalled to the right and left flanks, each led by a Commonwealth officer to proceed in an arrowhead formation.

However, the first problem became immediately apparent. Rainfall had created sudden and uneven streams in what used to be dried soil. Soldiers were getting stuck in the saturated slurry of mud and sand. Everyone had a hard time marching.

They were sitting ducks, and the Harpy King didn’t hesitate to take advantage of that. Magical artillery and elemental bolts launched into the sky and, like the rain, were falling all over the Commonwealth army.

Sivvy intercepted the spellfire. She flew high and swung her felmetal maul. Infused with the strength of an elemental lord, the violent gusts blew the volleys of magic away. Soldiers cheered until earthen golems rose from the ground and broke their formations.

”Close ranks!” Esta bashed a golem into rubble before it started moving.

Their training and discipline shined through. Radevic knights tightened their formation and mounted a counterattack against the surprise attack. Smaller squads surrounded the golems, keeping them pinned until crowned casters pummeled them with spells.

Kanae cheered from afar, but celebrations were short-lived. The clouds darkened. Lightning surged through them with a thunderous symphony. Rainfall intensified, bludgeoning the army with hail and making the ground harder to traverse. Winds swelled and tornados materialized that came straight for Esta’s regiments.

”They seek to fan a hurricane. At me? The gall! I am the storm incarnate!” Elirashj raised both arms up, and the incoming tornados started to bend inwards. She sucked them into the tornado that made up her lower body. She pointed to the easternmost flank of the Harpy King’s army, where a cyclone spinning in place connected the earth to the dark clouds. ”There! Take me there. I can feel their shamans and elementals calling upon my gales.”

”Breezy’s got it right. Our forces can’t advance like this. We’re open season for them to lay into,” Sivvy added.

”No!” Kanae shook her head. ”We need you both at full strength to fight the Harpy King! I can’t risk you getting hurt right now!”

Maybe Lilith and the black-clad Sisters…

Before Kanae could finish the thought, Renya screeched to a halt upon a chariot pulled by three ronoas. She was joined by Thedia, who was on her own chariot, and more that were stamped with the emblem of Rown Company.

Renya smacked the side of her new ride. ”Introducing the Rown Chariot! This two-wheeled, five-seat war machine is designed for every terrain except mountainous regions, oceans, and sharp inclines. These large wheels are sheathed with dead slimes that conform to the terrain and cushion impact. Oh, did I also mention it can easily cross through mud? This baby can take you to the three hells and back!”

”Where did you even find time to build all this?” Kanae gawked.

”Spite does wonders for motivation! We couldn’t repair all the vehicles we brought, so with the association’s help, I drew up blueprints to break them down and build chariots. Wasn’t so hard, was it?” She shot a grin at Sadul, who had large bags under his eyes.

”That woman is a slave driver, I tell you. A slave driver!” Sadul cried, dismounting from one of the chariots.

”I may have put them to work day and night.” She shrugged.

Five to each chariot tallied up to 100 able-bodied fighters. Would that be enough? It had to be. They didn’t have much of a choice.

”Lilith and Ivory will go with you. Ivory and Silver Hall knights are enough to fill most of those chariots, and the Sisters will protect you from the sky,” Kanae said, then sent messengers to inform them.

Both arrived quickly with their forces.

”Ivory Hall and Silver Hall stand ready to fight. Esta entrusted her men to me, and we will represent the best the Knight of Colors has to offer,” Dalu’luna Mello, the Knight of Ivory said.

”We are yours to command, Queen Kanae.” Lilith and her black-clad kneeled. ”We also have charmed thralls to fill the remainder of the chariots to fight.”

”Your task is to disrupt the shamans and elementals creating this rainstorm. Do whatever you can to put a halt to their magic!” Kanae ordered.

They climbed into chariots and rode off right away. But the Harpy King saw them coming. Of course, he did. She turned to her own regiment, comprising combined Saviran warriors, Arkesian Wastes beastmen, mercenaries under Sultana Dudula’s payroll, and Kara, Theena, and Seven.

”The rest of us, on your toes and prepare to charge as soon as this storm stops!” Kanae roared.

Everyone shouted back in unison.

The chariots were genius. Renya Rown reveled at the winds coursing through her hair. These ronoas were something else, too. Having legs like cockatrices gave them an incredible speed potential, and they raced over the muddy ground with ease.

”Last time we battled was during Archbishop Gretchen’s rebellion. Didn’t you have strange weapons that fired projectiles that time? Where are they now?” Ivory asked.

”In my brother’s hands. With any luck, I’ll get them back today! Until then, it’s time to flex the good ole sword fighting!” Renya drew two cutlasses and, without a casting or focusing element, incanted a spell that conjured half a dozen magic swords that zipped around her.

”Lady Renya, an enemy detachment is inbound!” Thedia warned from a nearby chariot.

They were wagons, also pulled by ronoas. That much Renya was about to make out. She squinted, then pulled out a spyglass to get a closer look. The Rown crest of minotaur horns were branded on the side of the vehicles.

An obsidian fur minotaur sat at the foremost wagon. He was also looking through his own spyglass. Sol Rown. A taunting smile creased his lips, and he drew a thumb across his throat. Renya responded with a threat of her own— firing a finger gun at him.

”No one touches my brother! He’s mine to kill,” Renya said.

A large wall of ice erected to block their way. Right. Sol had an elemental in him, too. But Renya was prepared this time and had the mana to fight back.

”We have to change course!” Ivory shouted.

”The shortest path is through, and that’s Rown Company’s speciality. Channel Mana: Cleaving Scythes!” Renya exerted a significant portion of mana to produce blades of pure arcane energy.

A hundred slashes carved into the ice wall, cutting openings large enough for their chariots to drive through. Everyone did just that. Their ronoas and wheels skidded a little but quickly regained traction on the ground again.

”Th-That must have cost an incredible amount of mana!” Ivory gasped.

”Sure did, but I’m a crowned Spellblade. We have one of the highest pools of mana, and I have plenty to spare!” Renya twirled her cutlasses and willed more arcane blades into existence.

They were getting closer to the source of the storm. Sol’s wagons weren’t fast enough to catch up. Their beasts were held back by poor craftsmanship. Renya grinned as some of her brother’s vehicles broke down being pushed to the limits. His group had fallen so behind that elementals and harpies abandoned the wagons to fly instead.

A barrage of icicles plunged into the earth in front of them. Sol was desperately trying to stop them. He might actually succeed.

”Ivory, Lilith! You guys go on ahead. That includes you, Thedia! I’ll hold the fuckers off!” Renya veered away from the main group.

”But, my lady!” Thedia chewed on her lower lip.

”Are you crazy? But Queen Kanae ordered us to help you!” Lilith cried.

”Kanae ordered you to disrupt the ritual, and with the Knight of Ivory’s help, you all should be more than enough. I’ve got a score to settle with Sol, and that fight is for me alone!” she shouted before they had separated too far.

Now, Renya was on a crash course for Sol. The minotaur lobbed another barrage, this time hail that rained down from above. She steered the ronoas to avoid as many as possible. Hells, this was easier than dodging cannonballs

”Sol! I’m here for a fat slice of steak!” Renya cackled.

Sol and his wagons were too slow. Instead of ramming, Renya banked hard to the right. The wagons couldn’t turn as quickly. She sliced and diced their wheels with arcane blades, taking out five of the twelve giving chase. However, the axle beneath her feet groaned and cracked. Shortening it to achieve sharper turns weakened the entire chariot’s stability.

Renya had to finish this soon before her vehicle broke apart completely. Another wall of ice shot up from the ground. She turned hard and narrowly avoided a collision. The chariot and Sol’s remaining wagons were racing alongside each other now.

”You’re gonna wish you didn’t take my pistols!” Renya conjured Arcane Spears and plunged them into the wagons’ spokes.

They came apart like tearing paper. Even Sol’s personal ride crashed through several tents. Renya celebrated with a whoop and fist in the air, but the right wheel of her chariot popped out and rolled away.

”Well, shit. Engineering is hard.” With her final act with the chariot, she sliced through the rope to free the ronoas and jumped off.

Renya hit the ground hard, rolling through the freezing cold slurry of mud and sand. Debris from the many destroyed wagons littered the ground. The ronoas, her lifeline back to the others, had taken off in a sprint. She picked up her tricorn hat, patted off the mud, and placed it firmly back on her head.

”Rown Company has a new chairman. With me at the top and the Harpy King as the primary investor. But you and your lackeys just had to go and make a mess of things…” Sol rose from the rubble and pulled some netting out of his horns.

”Lackeys? I’ll have you know my partnership with the Commonwealth is 60% profit and 40% pleasure. We have what you call a working relationship. With benefits! You though? I don’t need you butting in and mucking up things. Besides, it’s my win, brother.” Renya pointed behind him.

Sol hesitated to turn his back to her. He did anyway. The tornado had vanished. Sunshine peered through the dark clouds. A particularly warm ray hit Renya and brought a smile to her face.

”No!” Sol gasped, finally realizing what had happened.

”Save the bitching and moaning for later. I’m here to cut you to ribbons and take my prized flintlocks back.” Renya glared.

They did it! Renya actually stopped the storm. Kanae never expected to welcome the blazing heat of Savir’s sun. Without the constant rainfall, the water drained into the parched ground. She and the rest of the forces began their charge, and Estaline von Cleisseldor led at the front.

”Praijya, Harpy King! I’m coming for your heads now!” And there was no one more eager to join the battle than the Knight of Red.

Both armies collided into each other just outside the Harpy King’s camp. Spellfire and arrows arched across the bright skies. Kanae spotted Sivvy flying in a straight line into the depths of the enemy encampment. She flew up to give chase, only for Seven to bump into her.

”Ow… Seven?” Kanae rubbed her forehead.

”Ugh. All that weight on your boobs, and I crashed into your head?” Seven groaned.

”Hey. What gives? Shouldn’t you be with Kara and Theena?”

”I saw Sivvy. She’s going after my old man, isn’t she? And you’re about to follow her. I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not,” he said.

Kanae sighed.

”Fine. Just don’t fall behind like you did on the beach!” Kanae lifted off with Seven close behind.

Hundreds of Elusis foot soldiers were running to the frontlines. Kanae and Seven ran into few harpies. Most were already out there fighting. A loud explosion turned heads to the back of the camp.

They arrived just as wind and lightning incarnate battled each other in a cacophonous duel. Fiery tornados ran rampant and devastated the camp. Flames enveloped many tents and created infernos larger than bonfires. Sivvy’s felmetal maul and Praijya’s felmetal claws sparked every time the harpy pair clashed.

Down below, however, a single figure waited in what appeared to be an altar with tall totem poles made of… felmetal. One pole had been hammered into the ground, and judging by the pickaxes and wheelbarrows of dirt, an attempt was made to excavate it.

”Father!” Seven shouted.

Kanae and Seven descended into the altar space, and the Harpy King turned around with his felmetal wings unfurled.

”Son. I am disappointed to see that you haven’t been blessed with the gift of an elemental lord,” the Harpy King said coldly.

Seven clenched his jaws and looked down. Whatever he was hoping to say to his father seemingly lodged in his throat.

”As for you, Queen Kanae. It is only a matter of time before your army falls. We outnumber you two to one, and we possess the strength of elementals at the tips of our fingers. A friend of yours has already tasted Uzazzsa’s flames.” He conjured a roiling ball of fire into the palm of his hand.

”My friend?” Kanae raised a brow.

The Harpy King snapped his fingers. From behind a large totem pole, Riley Dryoak yanked someone out who had been badly burned. Scorched clothes clung to her badly burnt body. What was once beautiful golden hair had been singed up to the shoulders. Long elven ears were charred black at the tips.

Archbishop Patrice!

”You…” Kanae growled and stepped forward.

”Tsk, tsk.” Riley held her like a human shield and brought a hand crossbow up to the archbishop’s head.

”I must admit, the high elf resisted well and long before finally talking. You, Queen Kanae, are on the path of Deification. It just so happens that I seek the same. But unlike you, I have yet to reach such a gift. Perhaps when I have defeated you, the gods will deem me worthy,” the Harpy King said.

”You’re after Deification? All this destruction just so you can have people worship you?” She grinded teeth.

The archbishop muttered. Riley and the Harpy King exchanged glances before settling their gaze on her.

”Go on. Louder. I permit you to speak to your fellow before I end you both,” the Harpy King said.

”I…” Archbishop Patrice struggled and choked on her words. ”I said… Amethyst, there is no… sharper blade… than the mind…”

Kanae’s eyes snapped open. She activated Heightened Haste, dashed right up to Riley and Archbishop Patrice, and thrusted The Blade of the First Temptress into them. Riley jumped away. The Harpy King lashed out at Kanae with snaking flames, but she retreated back to Seven’s side.

”You… killed your own?” Riley gasped.

”Did I?” Kanae pulled the sword harmlessly from Archbishop Patrice’s chest.

”W-What happened? You clearly stabbed her!” Seven exclaimed.

”This enchanted sword doesn’t physically cut or maim. In other words, Riley, you dodged an attack that wasn’t going to hurt you!” She stuck her tongue out at them.

Riley clicked her tongue.

”So, what? The elf is too injured to be of any use in a fight. There is no scenario where you win,” the Harpy King taunted.

Archbishop Patrice snickered. ”Oh, it may be so that I cannot fight. But I merely wanted to witness this war come to an end from the winning side, is all.”

Kanae saw it first, since the Harpy King and Riley’s backs were turned to the desert. Distorted by the heatwaves, giant wagons approached from the direction of the Avanesse-Bravost border. When the two turned around at last, their shoulders slackened a bit. The wagons were coming in fast, too, pulled by hulking gwarms. Kanae recognized those enormous caravans anywhere. Edirashems, and the satellite wagons and carriages which trailed underneath their shadows.

A lone ronoa rider raced ahead of the pack, sword raised to the blazing sun as the figure led the charge. The hellhound Rasheena, in all her fierce glory, unleashed a howling war shout that was joined by the chorus of thousands on the edirashem wagons behind her.

”Avanesse?” The Harpy King gasped. ”Impossible… I was told they were cowering in the Ruby Jewel!”

”You underestimate Avanesse. All it took was a little succubus magic to nudge an aunt and her nephew to be a little more honest with each other.” Kanae grinned.

The ground shuddered. Soldiers around them stopped fighting to search for the source of the quakes. It wasn’t from the edirashem or their gwarms. The Harpy King erupted into boisterous laughter, his flames intensifying to an inferno.

”No matter. Not even Avanesse can stop me. Behold, Queen Kanae! Asa Mareer, the largest gwarm in Saviran history to ever live. Well done, Riben Crow! Now watch as your camp and forces are crushed beneath his feet! ” The Harpy King threw his arms and wings out as if to welcome the gargantuan gwarm, four times the size of a regular one coming into view from the southwest behind the Commonwealth encampment.

That big smile vanished as Asa Mareer walked past completely, leaving the camp intact if not a little spooked. Two large undead dragons and a skeletal berinath emerged from abyssal portals to join the battle.

”Toro Squa miiiight have told us what you sent Riben to do. Too bad for you, I have my own necromancer, and she happens to be the greatest necromancer in the world.” Kanae sneered.

”It’s over, Harpy King.” Archbishop Patrice picked up a discarded staff on the ground. ”Your ambitions are nothing but warm ashes. I look forward to writing the ending chapter of your failed conquest… as footnotes!”