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

As per protocol, the clerics rushed out to check on Kanae and Bocchiri. The dark elven Saint Priest didn’t so much as have a single injury on him. Except for an erection, but that couldn’t be counted as a wound. They walked her back to the tunnel she had come out from and, while out of sight from the spectators, inspected her more thoroughly.

Healing magic restored small cuts and minor bruises. They held a tiny crystal that shined a light into her eyes. She winced. That was a good thing apparently.

”You threw the match,” someone said brusquely.

Kanae tensed up.

Arms folded and leaning against the wall, Petyr Stormcloud glared with the intensity of the sun. Her warhammer rested upright on the ground. Kanae couldn’t escape while the clerics continued their examination.

”N-No, I didn’t… I fought my hardest out there. Maybe I could’ve prepared better by making use of Skill Drain before the match, but I didn’t want to cheat. And I had no chance to Skill Drain during the fight,” Kanae defended herself.

”Hmph.” Petyr scoffed. ”Pathetic excuse. You held nothing back against me when we fought back then. Maybe your defeat is for the best. I doubt it would look good on the Knight-Commander if a subordinate smeared you on the floor.”

Awkward…

”Yeah. Uh, you’re fighting Red next? You excited? She certainly looked eager to give you a shot the other day,” Kanae recalled.

”Even on her best day, Sivvy can’t beat me on my worst,” Petyr said, trying but failing to suppress her grin.

When it came down to it, the former Knight of Gold was a soldier at heart. She felt the most at home in the thick of battle. That much was obvious, given that she tapped her arm impatiently, awaiting to be called out to fight. Not to mention, with the Ortesian delegation present for the prisoner exchange after the tournament, this gave her a chance to rub it in their faces.

”My lady, we’ve finished. Aside from minor injuries, you’re perfectly fine.” The cleric bowed.

”And my wings? Can I fly?” Kanae asked.

”Nothing is wrong with them. I believe you fly mostly by the gift of mana. You had merely pulled a back muscle when thrown by the winds, thus masking the feeling of controlling your wings. We’ve restored you with magic. It should be fine now,” he explained.

A mighty round of cheers, greater than every other before it, erupted that made the tunnel they were inside of quake. Elizabeth Bedlam had just introduced and called forth the Knight of Red. Everyone sounded overjoyed over Sivvy Brenhallow’s return, who to them had been absent for many years. Only Kanae and a select few were privy to the details of her kidnapping in Savir.

”I expect to be booed when Eliza introduces me,” Petyr said, propping the warhammer onto her shoulder and turning to the tunnel exit.

”Petyr,” Kanae called out and gave the high elf pause. ”Good luck.”

”Thanks.” She glanced back with a smirk, then donned her helmet before walking forward to a booing audience.

Without wasting another second, Kanae unfurled her wings, stretched them out, and flew down the tunnel in a burst of wind. She made it to the VIP spectator booth by the time Petyr reached the center of the arena. Panting, she shuffled into a seat next to Andora and Gold. In fact, most of the Order of Colors had made it today. A sulking Garuda took up a third of a row of seats a few rows down. Probably still lamenting her loss.

”Moooom!”

Kanae’s children piled onto her all at once. Kanade, Suvee, Feraline, Mikki, and Teana crowded the immediate row.

”It’s okay that you lost! Don’t feel bad!” Suvee reached up to pat her on the head.

”Yeah, you put up a good fight!” Teana added.

”Really? Didn’t look like she did to me,” Arenade teased from a few seats down the same row.

”Hrmmph.” Kanade returned to her high elven mother and pinched her cheek.

”Owowowow! You’re taking her side?” she complained.

”I’m fine, girls. I’m not beat up about it. You’re all very sweet to console me after my fight though.” Kanae smiled.

Reassured, the kids sat back down. Kanade and Suvee, however, descended to the front row to watch from the guardrail. They seemed particularly interested in the match between Petyr and Red.

”Don’t know why Kanade was defending you. You clearly held back. I bet you just didn’t want to end up fighting Edina or Petyr.” Arenade rubbed the side of her cheek that was pinched.

”No one needs to know that…” Kanae mumbled.

”Knight of Red, Sivvy Brenhallow. Petyr Stormcloud. Combatants, begin!” Eliza shouted and quickly lifted off into the sky upon her broom.

The sorceress probably expected the battle to kick off right at the start. Everyone did, too. Kanae included. Instead, Red and Petyr sized each other up. They were less than a yard apart. Sivvy Brenhallow had Petyr beat a few inches in height. While not muscular, the harpy could have half-giant parentage and Kanae would find it believable. In the tournament, Red wore no armor except light leathers. Her bright orange and red plumage glistened in the sunlight.

By contrast, Petyr wore her full suit of armor. The dragonscale armor forged from the ancient dragon Maelstrom’s gifted scale. It was maybe a stroke of serendipity that they both wielded felmetal weapons. Hammers at that. However, Petyr’s warhammer looked puny compared to Red’s hunk of felmetal maul.

”Too bad I wasn’t around for the Ortesian invasion. Maybe we could’ve had a scuffle. But I guess I’ll have to settle for this.” Red grinned.

”This isn’t a fight. Divine Command: On your knees!” Petyr growled.

Red tensed up and kneeled. Everyone in the stadium gasped. Petyr hoisted the warhammer above her head, infusing it with the golden glow of a Smite. It looked like Petyr was going to win in a single strike, until a giant fireball erupted from Red’s maul.

The spell took the high elf by surprise. It blasted Petyr square across the arena. Red stood up and dusted her shoulders. She whistled sharply.

”Sheesh. I almost forgot high level Paladins have that stupid skill!” Red guffawed.

”Tch. You won’t catch me off-guard again.” Petyr dashed in with another ready Smite.

Their clashes were explosive. Felmetal against felmetal, the magic-inclined alloy served as perfect conduits for their magic and skills. Petyr, for all her ferocity, struggled to land a blow on Red. The harpy woman twisted, twirled, and danced. With a giant wingspan, short bursts of flight enabled her to carry momentum into each swing.

Red flew along the surface and casted a volley of arcane missiles. She and the screeching projectiles were on a crash course towards Petyr from every direction. The high elf lifted her warhammer and brought it down on the earth, flinging debris into the air. Rubble intercepted the arcane bolts, and from the cloud of dust, Petyr flung her Smite-infused warhammer.

”That’s it! Show me more of that thirst for battle!” Red deflected the thrown weapon, and an ensuing explosion from the Smite knocked her to the ground.

”Is she insane?!” Andora gasped.

”A little… yep.” Kanae thought back to Savir.

As it turned out, Red rose to her feet uninjured. A Mana Barrier shimmered around her. She cracked her neck and dismissed the spell. Petyr emerged from the dissipating cloud of dust, eyeing the warhammer on the ground afar. She shifted one foot in its direction, and Red did the same.

Petyr broke out into a mad sprint. Meanwhile, Red launched into flight much faster than the other. She caught up to the high elf, maul raised high for a devastating blow.

”Drop your weapon!” Petyr ordered, and the Colored Knight did as commanded.

”Shit—” Red’s hands released their grip on the haft.

Petyr snatched the weapon as it fell and smashed upwards with a Smite. Red barely raised her arms up in time to defend herself. The blow connected and sent her skidding on her heels. When she came to a halt, her left arm dropped limp to her side.

”Too unwieldy.” Petyr tossed the maul half-way between them and walked the rest of the way to her warhammer.

The Knight of Red hesitated to retrieve her weapon, fearing Petyr would do what she had tried to when going to pick it up. However, the high elf waited patiently until she did.

”Awwww. How nice of ya. Serving under Amethyst really softened you up, huh? Not quite the bitch you used to be. Hahaha!” Red laughed even though she looked worse for wear.

”I liked you better when you weren’t around.” Petyr clicked her tongue.

”You don’t mean that. I know you missed me. Now, let me return the favor— Coalescence!” She raised the maul in an arch, summoning bristling orbs of arcane energy.

They were like dancing lights or wisps. When Red touched one with her maul, it supercharged the hunk of felmetal with lightning. Other arcane orbs transformed into levitating swords pointed right at Petyr.

”Arcane is the base form of magic. All these little orbs? My mana given form. Moulds that I can shape however I want, even into other elements. My mana pool ain’t as deep as Eliza or Bocchiri, but I’ve got plenty to finish you!” Red burst forward faster than anyone could react.

But not Petyr. She stepped back as the giant maul slammed and discharged a circle of electricity. Visible static ran through her body. When she was about to retaliate with an attack of her own, one of the arcane orbs morphed into a spear. It went for her head, scraping the side of the helmet.

Red didn’t let up and conjured fireballs from the arcane orbs. They acted like casting instruments that shot spells. For once, Kanae was at the edge of her seat. She had never seen Petyr pressed back so much before since… since Nasiri Waraluan, who repeatedly foiled the high elf’s attacks with the Monk-specific martial skill Redirect.

”I don’t get it. Doesn’t Petyr have Retribution’s Cross? Why doesn’t she use it?” Kanae wondered aloud.

”That’s the final Paladin Legacy Skill,” William Bellevue, the new Knight of Azure, chimed in from behind. ”I don’t even have it, because I’m nowhere near high enough level. If Petyr has Retribution’s Cross, she might be saving the skill as a last resort, since it recharges once a week.”

Petyr must be saving it for Edina. There was no doubt in Kanae’s mind. But it wouldn’t matter if Red defeated her today.

One of the arcane orbs fired a blast of ice at Petyr’s feet, freezing her to the ground. Red hovered above with a smirk, all but assured of victory. The dozens of remaining orbs gathered at the felmetal maul, supercharging it again with the elements of fire and lightning to a scalding degree.

”Oh, no! Petyr’s gonna lose!” Suvee gasped from the guardrail below.

”Today’s the day Sivvy Brenhallow knocked you down from your high horse, bitch!” Red flew high into the sky and rocketed downwards.

Petyr took off her helmet. The piece of armor glowed a bright gold. A white ribbon at the back seared off from the sheer intensity of holy magic.

”She infused her helmet with Smite?!” Arenade gawked.

”Eat this!” Petyr flung the Smite-infused helmet at Red, who veered to avoid the blow— right into the warhammer thrown after.

An explosion of holy energy sent Red crashing to the ground, the impact creating a crater underneath her. The magic frost subsided, and Petyr merely walked out of her freezing prison. She strolled leisurely to pick up her warhammer as Red crawled out of the crater, maul still crackling with energy.

”Stay down. It’s over,” Petyr said.

”Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Red gestured with her chin to look down.

Petyr did just as two arcane orbs emerged from Red’s back to freeze the bottom half of her body again.

”You fucking… You said you expended all your mana!” Petyr gasped.

”Uh, yeah. I did. I just naturally regenerated some. My turn, Petyr! Eat this!” Red stuck her tongue out before launching into the high elf.

”Divine Smite—”

Two warriors at heart, hammer in hand, clashed together. Maul and warhammer. The Divine Smite and elemental-infused felmetal discharged a blinding explosion so bright, it was as if the sun had descended to the surface of the world.

Kanae’s ears rang. When she could hear and see again, the stadium had fallen silent. The dust slowly cleared, and a silhouette remained standing in the cloud. A gust of wind cleared away the rest.

Petyr stood tall above the Knight of Red, who had fallen to the ground at her feet, charred from head to toe from holy burns all over the body.

”Victor, Petyr Stormcloud!” Elizabeth Bedlam bellowed.

Few among the audience gave it up for Petyr and cheered. No one dared to boo this time. Clerics hurried out to treat Red, but as soon as they got there, Petyr raised a hand to stop them.

”I’ll do it.” Petyr kneeled down and pressed a hand to Red’s chest. ”Lay on Hands.”

Golden light bathed The Knight of Red completely. Lay on Hands was a healing spell unique to crowned Paladins. It was capable of restoring someone back to full physical health even from near death. As such, the spell could only be casted once a day. Kanae possessed something similar, having earned Demigoddess Gaea’s favor.

The harpy woman snapped upright, sucking in a deep breath. Her mangled left arm could move again, and she flexed it several times to give it a try. She glanced up at Petyr and flashed a big smile.

”See? You have gotten soft!” Red exclaimed.

”I just didn’t want to be responsible for putting two people into a coma. That’s all.” Petyr turned the other cheek.

The Knight of Red jumped to her feet, grabbed Petyr’s hand, and lifted it into the air to draw another round of cheers.

”You know… I think I’m glad I got knocked out of the tournament,” Will said.

”Me, too.” Wendy nodded.

”That makes three of us.” Kanae said, slumping into her seat.