The feeling of hopelessness

The semifinals began in the early evening. It was the last day of the tournament and the most widely attended other than the first day, since the first day tended to feature the most extended rapes. The later rounds were more interesting for the true sports fans, although with Kyuba present, lewd fighting could be expected regardless. Since the other match involved a dark elf and a human, the semifinals could involve a lot more titillating content than in previous years.

Luka entered first. Ben noted that the crowd was now really behind him, seeing that he actually had a shot. They were mostly human, after all, but even the monsters seemed to have fallen in love with the guy. Everyone loves an underdog, Ben thought. The dark elf, who Ben found out from the scoreboard was known by a stage name, Rapina, came out second to tepid applause. Yep, the crowd was clearly in Luka's corner now, Ben thought.

The match was fairly straightforward. Luka had the power advantage, even without Gnome. But he couldn't use Gnome, since the elf was much quicker than he was. But Ben was confident regardless. Legend had it that no one other than Granberia could defeat Luka with a sword, and the man put on a display for the ages, skillfully parrying the elf's attacks no matter how quick they came at him and scoring frequently even though he was slower. Realizing to her disbelief that a human was beating her in a swordfight, the dark elf did what dark elves did best: try to tempt Luka into darkness. Using the sword mainly as a feint late in the match, she got very grabby and nippy with Luka, trying to distract him with minor pleasure attacks. But Luka had a will of iron at this point. And according to his book, at this stage he had made a promise to Alice never to willingly submit to another woman's touch. All her tactics could do was delay the inevitable. Luka defeated her in a long, technical, but exciting match that had the crowd on their feet and chanting his name. It had been the most beautiful display of the science of combat in the tournament.

The second match of the night was the one that had Ben on edge. Emma had reached the semifinals. Luka had earned his place in the finals. But if Luka faced Alma Elma…. Ben feared disaster if that happened. He'd read the account of what had happened in that match just before attending that night. And Alma Elma had only been suspicious of him, not truly seeing him as an enemy. Ilias had said that Alma Elma now definitely saw Luka not just as an enemy, but a dire threat. She had to be prevented from facing Luka at all costs. That was Emma's job. Defeat Alma Elma as she had Granberia, and then take a dive for Luka in the final. Or kick his ass. Ilias didn't really care, so long as Luka emerged from the tournament in one piece.

Emma came out first, to a passionate response from the crowd. As in, they passionately hated her. The crowd refrained from throwing things this time, but the boos were intense. Emma played the heel role to the hilt, egging on the crowd and gesturing rudely to them. Emma thought they were all a bunch of perverts anyway. And then Kyuba came out. The boos turned into the loudest cheers of the tournament. Their hero would defeat the prudish dragonkin, and maybe teach her how to lighten up. At least that's what the newspapers had said that morning. The fans wanted Emma to get violated by Kyuba so bad they could taste it.

What they didn't know was how much Emma had been going easy on her foes. They had no idea how tough she really was, and Kyuba couldn't possibly know what she was getting into. Ben hoped that the information advantage would give Emma the edge. He certainly didn't want to see his girlfriend violated in front of a large crowd. He'd already felt the sting of that humiliation himself, although at least in this world Emma would be humiliated in front of mere thousands, as opposed to the millions watching around the world when it had happened to Ben.

The match began, Emma taking a fighting stance, sword drawn. Alma Elma laughed and began playing with the wind. On her first pass she exposed Emma's chest. Emma swung wildly, completely missing "Kyuba". C'mon, Emma…. Ben said quietly. You know how to fight wind powered opponents.

On the next pass, Emma's crotch got exposed. In neither case was her business laid bare for the crowd, but now Kyuba could easily touch her sensitive spots. Armor and fabric hung loosely where they should have been secure. On the next pass, Kyuba would surely try to touch Emma.

Emma was ready. For one, Emma had dragonkin eyesight. Kyuba was fast, but unlike a human, for whom such a being always appeared as a blur, Emma could see her opponent clearly as she darted around the field. She just had to get her timing just right. Emma smiled slightly as she spread her legs slightly to create a tempting target for her succubus opponent.

Alma Elma was no fool. She saw exactly what Emma was doing. The thing is, Alma Elma just didn't care. She knew that Emma knew her next move, and Emma knew that she knew. This was a test of abilities. I'm going to touch your privates now, and I want to see if you can stop me. Alma elma darted straight for Emma's crotch. Emma was just a split second too slow, her swing aiming for Kyuba's head but missing by an inch. Kyuba's fingers quickly caressed Emma's crotch before she sped out of reach again.

Emma was in shock. On her world, monsters were immune to monster magic. Someone touching her there should have been annoying, enraging even. Instead, Emma was staggered by the intensity of merely being lightly caressed once. Alma Elma's magic was almost debilitating, and her skill was incredible. With just one pass her fingers had expertly stimulated all of her sensitive spots.

Seeing Emma stagger from the intense pleasure, Kyuba attacked from behind, seeking to reach under for another touch and perhaps give her a little something extra, like an ear lick, a favorite succubus tactic when attacking from behind. A little tongue in the ear might not seem like much, but when it's a powerful succubus it can enhance whatever else they are doing to you tenfold.

Not today, bitch! Emma thought as she swung around and leveled Kyuba with a clothesline. This time her timing had been perfect. Now it was Kyuba's turn to be shocked, at pain rather than pleasure. It had been a long time since Alma Elma had been hit that hard, and she had run into the blow at high speed. Clearly she had underestimated this dragonkin's willpower. Granberia always submitted quickly.

Knowing that Alma Elma was extremely difficult to kill, Emma tried to drive her sword through the succubus' gut as she lay on the ground. Worst case, Emma knew how to heal with her magic. Her healing powers would not be needed yet, however. Alma Elma rolled out of the way, kipped up, and put some distance between them.

"I'll give you credit," Kyuba said, this time slowly circling Emma at normal walking speed. "You're good. Really good. I got careless there because almost no one can do what you just did. But that just means I have to come at you from more difficult angles."

"If you think you'll beat me by touching me, you're out of your mind!" Emma said with more conviction than she felt. Clearly her immunity had not completely carried over from one world to another.

"Oh, I haven't even begun to touch you," Alma Elma said wickedly. She summoned up her wind power and began running around Emma in circles.

"It won't work!" Emma insisted. "I'm very straight! Like, the straightest woman there is! Nothing about you turns me on!"

Emma could see her quite clearly. But timing her counterattacks was difficult. Kyuba moved in at unpredictable intervals, always a bit faster than Emma could react. A carress here, a touch there, a lick somewhere else. The worst part was that stopping the stimulation didn't cause Emma's lust to retreat. Alma Elma briefly rested for a moment, out of Emma's reach, to catch her breath.

"Oh, honey, it doesn't matter if you're straight or gay," Alma Elma giggled. "Your body doesn't care. I can feel it responding to me. It wants more of me. Your mind may want to keep me from it, but your body is desperate for me to do things to it. I can feel you slowing down. Not because you're getting tired. Not because you're energy is getting drained. But simply because you like how it feels, and you don't really want to stop me."

"Eat a bag of dicks!" Emma yelled.

"Do you have a bag of dicks?" Alma Elma asked. "We can share after our match. I'd love to hear the story of how you acquired so many dicks."

The next thing Emma saw were a huge pair of breasts in her face. Why hadn't she punched Alma Elma's lights out? The succubus had come straight at her! Now Emma was beginning to doubt herself. Was she actually turned on by this succubus? She shook her head. No! She's playing mind games with me! That's the one thing Ilias couldn't turn to easy mode! Alma Elma can't beat me unless I let her! Well, I'm not letting her!

Now it was Emma's turn to charge, and she surprised Kyuba by using what wind power she knew. As a dragonkin training to become an Elite, she had to have a passing familiarity with all four elements. She was no more than beginner level at any of them, but a short burst of speed was well within her elemental capabilities. Kyuba smiled as her opponent came right at her, sword raised to strike.

Stepping deftly aside, all Emma got was more hand in her crotch. Except this time, she had run right into it. In a mere second, Kyuba rubbed her clitoris, assisted by wind power, allowing her to deliver dozens of strokes in one second.

Emma fell down face first as the most intense orgasm she'd ever felt wracked her body. The crowd roared their approval as Kyuba held her hands in the air to encourage more applause.

"And the winner…..!"

Alma Elma waited for the announcer to finish, but he had paused for some reason. Wha-? Alma Elma turned around to look right in the face of her opponent.

"Surprise, motherfucker!" Emma yelled, and decked the succubus with a right cross.

Ben was the only one to cheer. The rest of the crowd booed lustily, convinced that Emma had cheated somehow. In fact, Emma had simply found that she had half immunity. While she felt the full force of the succubus' sexual magic, her energy was not drained by it. She was still immune to critical ecstasy. Which meant there was no way for Kyuba to defeat her. Unless….

Kyuba rose slowly and backed away, checking her lip. A stream of blood was running down her chin.

"Looks like you're full of surprises," Alma Elma acknowledged. "I didn't want to have to do this, especially not in public. But you see, I have a very important job to do here, and I can't let you stand in my way. You're the one who beat Granberia, aren't you? I should have realized it sooner. You're here to stop me. To protect the hero. That means I have to take you down. No more holding back."

Oh, crap, Ben thought. Oh shitballs, Emma thought. And then the pummeling began. The crowd could only watch in awe as Emma vainly tried to protect herself from dozens of hard blows from every angle of attack. The blows didn't hit as hard as they would have if the world wasn't set to easy mode, but they didn't have to. Kyuba was striking her at will. It took some time, but after three minutes, both of Emma's eyes were almost shut, and she couldn't stand up straight due to the beating her body was taking.

And then Emma did the only thing she could do. She released her power, the power she had inherited from Luka. That did the trick. Alma Elma was thrown back and knocked cold, left in a heap forty feet away from Emma, who dropped to her knees, coughing up blood.

"And the winner is… Kyuba as a result of a disqualification!"

The crowd erupted in boos, directed at the cheating dragonkin who had used some sort of illegal magic to hurt their favorite. Emma didn't care. She needed to give Luka every possible chance since she had failed to win the match. She hoped that she'd taken Alma Elma out, but doubted that she was that lucky.

Paramedics rushed in to check on Kyuba. The succubus was conscious and back on her feet before they even reached her. The crowd cheered as she weakly held up her hands in triumph. She shared one last glare with Emma before stalking off to her locker room to prepare for the last match with Luka. Had Emma weakened her enough? She could only hope.

Alma Elma weakly stumbled into her locker room to rest her weary, beaten body. The dragonkin girl's eruption of power had been quite an unexpected shock. Everything hurt. But Alma Elma healed fast. There was an hour between matches. Time enough to stretch, get hydrated, maybe even get some semen for energy. There had been a very nice towel boy in to see her before her match with Emma. If he came by again, she'd be sure to give him the thrill of his life. A little semen would fix her up nicely.

She heard two people enter her private locker room. Two boys? That'll work! She thought. But the smell was wrong. She turned to see who had entered her dressing room and scowled. Women. Fun to play with, but not useful for energy.

Actually, they were more girls than women, teenagers judging by their appearance. One was a young kitsune with a single tail, although that single tail was the fattest, largest tail Alma Elma had ever seen. The other girl was a human, blonde with a sort of gothy look about her. That was apparently in with some of the kids these days. The girls were giggling as they entered the locker room.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Alma Elma asked. "I'm sorry I don't look my best right now. That match was a little brutal. If you want autographs, this isn't the place. I'll be signing after my win in one of the public areas."

"Oh, sorry!" the fox girl giggled. "We were looking for Luka's locker room. He had this one yesterday. We thought he'd have the same one assigned."

"Oh, fans of Luka? The human girl I understand, but you? Don't you like your own kind?"

"Normally yes, but that boy is so dreamy!" the fox girl gushed. "and so delicious too!"

"Yes, his smell is strong," Alma Elma agreed. "In a good way. I'm sure when he fights you can smell him several rows up in the stands."

"Oh, we've gotten a lot closer than that," the gothy human giggled.

"Teehee," the fox agreed. "We've gotten VERY close. He's quite the enthusiastic lover, isn't he?"

"We just had to come back for more!" the human laughed.

"Wait a minute," Alma Elma said. "You two…. Barely legal girls had sex with him? In his locker room? After his match, I assume?"

"Well of course!" the fox answered. "I'm a monster! If I pleasured him before his match, he'd have lost!"

Alma Elma seethed. Why that three timing-! It's not that Alma Elma was a prude about casual sex. She was the queen of casual sex. But Luka was portraying himself as a different kind of man, one worthy of the Monster Lord. But he was cheating on her! With groupies! Barely legal groupies! Not that age of consent bothered Alma Elma either under normal circumstances, especially not in the fox girl's case. Monsters ate semen as soon as they could walk. But humans of morals supposedly operated under different rules! This guy was just another typical pig! But she thought he'd at least try to play the role convincingly while he was manipulating the Monster Lord! Now she was insulted on Alice's behalf. He thought Alice was stupid! The Monster Lord! A human thought she was stupid!

Grim determination restored Alma Elma's energy. She didn't need semen now. She had her rage to fuel her. She was going to punish that man to the greatest extent possible under the rules of the colosseum. She would have liked to kill him or enslave him, but the colosseum didn't allow intentional killing or kidnapping. Still, there were other ways to deal with the likes of him!

Alma Elma barely noticed as the two giggling girls left her presence.

"Do you think she took the bait?" Sariela asked, changing back into her angelic form, being careful first to go invisible and undetectable.

"She swallowed it the way she swallows-" Tamamo began.

"You don't actually have to finish that sentence," Sariela interrupted. "I get the point. Wonderful plan, by the way. She was already determined to teach him a lesson, but she might have been persuaded to hold back as she did in his original history. Luka can be very convincing."

"Yeah, but now she won't believe anything he says, no matter how sincere here seems, and no matter how much he resists her torture," Tamamo laughed. "This is going to be glorious! I wonder how far she'll go? She can't kill him obviously, which is why I thought this was so perfect."

"Still stuck on keeping him alive, I see?"

"The Dark God would never forgive me if I turned my back on my honor," Tamamo replied. "Luka cannot die until my debt of gratitude has been paid."

"So fuck him and kill him, then," Sariela argued.

"Idiot! It's not a technicality that I have to fulfill and then I can just off the guy! You could never understand! But enough arguing about this! I must compliment you on our disguises. I have a human form, but I'd never tried making myself look like a completely different fox before. You're a pretty impressive sorceress!"

"She would have recognized you in human form or sealed form. I had to hide your tails, which was not easy, as well as alter your proportions and facial features so that you'd look like a random kitsune teenager."

"I had one big honking tail, but it looks like I passed. I'm really beginning to like our partnership, Sariela!"

"Do you really mean that, Tamamo?" Sariela asked.

"No. I still hate you and all your fellow angels," Tamamo said. "I've got some debts to pay with them as well. But since you're helping me with this little project, I'll consider forgiving you for burning me in the fires of hell."

"As long as Luka suffers as much as you did, I am satisfied. Now, let's go watch our plan unfold."

Queen Bee stared skeptically at the strange group that stood before her.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here to try to gain my endorsement, Spider Princess!" Queen Bee said.

"I've changed, Queen Bee!" Spider Princess pleaded. "I quested with the hero Luka, as well as the Monster Lord and the Heavenly Knights. I was even allied with angels and the goddess herself!"

"Yes, I met her," Queen Bee said. "So she has regained her full power? And she is still a friend to monsters?"

"She is," Spider Princess confirmed. "Some would argue that she is now too friendly with monsters, although I prefer it to what she was before."

"Well, if the Goddess can change, anyone can," Queen Bee sighed. "And the insect race has long needed a queen. Queen Ant and I are too busy to do the job ourselves. And Queen roach…. Well, she's even worse than you were. Still…. No queen is better than a bad queen. Luka, has she truly changed?"

"If I'm being honest, she still has her rough edges," Luka answered. "But I trust her enough to be her ally. This hasn't exactly been a dangerous quest, but she's been an excellent party member, someone who I know I can rely on if things get difficult. I know that she cares about her people. In a changing world, you could do a lot worse than to have someone who has been changing with it."

"All too true," Queen Bee conceded. "Aside from being so busy with our colonies, Queen Ant and I are rather inflexible in our views, and this world is changing faster than we can keep up. You always were the most intelligent of us, Spider Princess. If only you had applied that intelligence to things other than scheming. But if you have truly changed…. Do your other party members agree with Luka's assessment?"

"I think she's absolutely fantastic!" Granberia slurred, draping her arm over Spider Princess' shoulders. "I've never had a better friend. And I love her neck floof! So soft…."

Spider Princess grimaced as Granberia clumsily groped her neck, but tried to put on a smile for Queen Bee's benefit.

"Well, if the Heavenly Knight of Fire endorses you, who am I to deny my own?" Queen Bee proclaimed. "Very well. You have my endorsement for the position of Queen Insect. I wish you good fortune in gaining the endorsement of Queen Ant. And I pray that you become the queen you are capable of being should you succeed. Now, let us celebrate with refreshments! Luka, please remove your pants."

"That's not why he's here!" Sonya protested.

"Oh, it's not? I apologize. I assumed…. Does he not want to promote good relations between monster tribes?"

"I do, your majesty," Luka said quickly. "But…."

"Aw, posh with the 'your majesty'!" Queen Bee interrupted. "My friends call me Queenie, or just Bee. Tasty men get to call me whatever they want."

"Well, if it's for diplomacy…."

"We're leaving, Luka! This is monster business! And it's been settled!" Sonya yelled, grabbing Luka by the arm and dragging him away. Granberia and Vitae followed, leaving Spider Princess alone with Queen Bee.

Spider Princess and Queen Bee stared at each other uncomfortably for a moment. Then, Queen Bee's face broke into a wide smile. Spider Princess busted out laughing.

"Ah, Bee, no one but me knows how much of a kidder you can be!" Spider Princess exclaimed, embracing Queen Bee.

"You know we would have drained him dry had he said yes," Queen Bee chuckled.

"Oh, but of course! It never hurts to ask!" Spider Princess agreed.

Heinrich lay alone in a room for the first time in weeks. He'd grown used to Alicetroemeria being with him. He shouldn't have been afraid. He was a legendary hero! And yet it had been awhile since he'd slept in the dark alone, and he knew he was being hunted. He tried to remember what he'd been told about the eight foot woman. She wasn't that tough. She preyed mainly on the helpless, and thought Heinrich to be helpless. Evidently she hadn't heard that he was a legendary hero. And yet he found himself nervously checking next to the mattress to make sure his trusty Angel Halo was near. And he wasn't truly alone. The spirits were with him. And his companions were in adjacent rooms. He would be fine.

Well, perhaps not completely fine. Alice had warned him that Hachishaku would have to start touching him in order for others to see her. She had to become substantial to feed. That meant that he couldn't simply grab his sword and attack her as soon as he saw her. Heinrich didn't like that. He liked hearing about bad monsters, hunting down bad monsters, and sealing bad monsters. Having the bad monster come to him, and him having to LET her molest him didn't sit right with him. It didn't help that she was creepier than his usual opponents. But also so beautiful…. He found himself getting an erection despite his dread.

How would she get to him? Would she simply waltz in through the room door? Since she was invisible to all but her victims, perhaps she'd do just that. Or maybe she'd come in through the window? Heinrich nervously glanced at the window. A tree rustled outside, but there was no other movement.

"Po…"

The sound made him jump. Now he was trembling.

"Po… Po…."

It was a woman's voice. Was it a laugh? A call?

A large form slowly came into focus at the foot of his bed. She had simply materialized inside the room!

"Don't be afraid," she whispered softly. "I just want to make you feel things you've never felt before. You won't struggle, will you?"

"N-no," Heinrich replied shakily.

Her presence was unlike any presence he had ever felt before. Powerful monsters created an unbelievable pressure, which could be intimidating. But Heinrich had never faltered in his courage when faced with these monsters. But this was an entirely different kind of pressure. Instead of intimidation, it was a combination of love, lust, and abject terror. Heinrich didn't think he could resist, even if he wasn't supposed to let her start feeding on him first. He was frozen in a state that wasn't quite terror and wasn't quite love. The conflicting emotions made him unable to act.

"Let me undress you," she said gently, as she lifted him in one hand and removed his pajamas with the other, leaving him entirely naked, suspended four feet off the ground. "Oh my, your penis is so big."

It wasn't actually all that big, Heinrich thought, but she was probably used to less developed men. As Alice had pointed out, a nineteen year old virgin in this world was a rarity. Heinrich had only kept his virginity through a combination of toughness, complete lack of interest in casual sex, and general cluelessness when it came to women.

"Fortunately, I'm a big girl," she said quietly, as she lifted him to her mouth, easily devouring his entire length.

As she sucked gently, Heinrich noticed how weak her sexual magic was compared to other opponents he'd had. Her magic was of a different sort, suppressing resistance in her victims through her aura and presence, and it was working far better than the typical monster methods. Apparently she was also not physically strong. He should be able to overcome her without assistance. And yet, why wouldn't he act?

He came into her soft, large mouth. She swallowed his seed and smiled. "Oh, it has been a long time since I've been able to taste a mature man! I think I'll savor you as long as I can before taking your virginity."

She moved him down to her enormous breasts and began thrusting his penis in between them. He was surprised to find that his ejaculation had not made him terribly weak. Her sexual magic was ridiculously weak, weaker than the weakest monster. And yet, he still could not bring himself to so much as struggle. He wanted her. He was terrified of her. He trembled, both in ecstasy and fear. And shame. He knew he should break her hold and get his sword. But he wouldn't. Where were his companions? Shouldn't they be bursting into the room? Sure, the Hachishaku was being very quiet, but his monster companions had incredible senses. Now that she was feeding, they had to know she was here! Where were they?

"Okay, she's arrived!" Black Alice said, standing outside Heinrich's room.

"It doesn't sound like there's a struggle going on in there," Morrigan observed.

"I didn't expect one, to be honest," Black Alice replied. "Heinrich is strong in so many ways, but subtle charms like the kind a Hachishaku use to quell their victims' resistance are not something he's ever been exposed to. So we'll have to rush in and save his ass. Allison, you take the lead. Bust the door down."

"Why me?" Allison whined.

"Do not fear, child," Alice XV said gently. "Hachishaku is no match for you. Her charms will not work on you. Go in, wrap her up, and we'll decide what to do with her."

"This is a chance for you to save a man, rather than eat him," Marcellus added. "A chance to be the hero, since heroes are especially weak to a monster like her."

"Are you saying you'd have trouble against Hachishaku-sama?" Alice XV teased.

"To be honest, I don't know," Marcellus replied evenly. "I've never been targeted by one, and I never will be. Thanks to you."

"We apparently still need to have that talk," Alice XV observed.

"Perhaps once we've saved our legendary companion," Marcellus said. "Allison, go in!"

Allison nodded, set herself, and drove her shoulder into the door. The door didn't even budget.

"What the-?" Allison asked, shocked and in a little pain. "What is this door made of?"

"Wow, you're weak for a lamia!" Black Alice said irritably, and tried to break down the door herself. She got nothing more than a bruised shoulder for her efforts as well.

"Stop!" Alice XV ordered. "The door is an ordinary door, not even well made. Any of us should have gone through it as if it was paper. There is a powerful seal on that room! Eight, do you feel it?"

"Now that you mention it…. Shit! Now that I'm reading it, this seal is way beyond the capability of Hachishaku-sama!"

"Can you take down the seal?" Allison asked.

"Let me try!" Morrigan offered, trying to prove her own worth to her adopted parent.

Morrigan concentrated. As a succubus and assassin, she'd had to get past some pretty powerful protective seals in her time. She frowned. This one was far more powerful than any she'd ever encountered. She turned to Black Alice and shook her head.

"Marcellus, can you warp into the room?" Alice XV asked.

"I can try!"

Marcellus summoned his doorway and stepped through it, only to step right back out the other side.

"I can't get in!" he exclaimed. "But there's no place I can't get in!"

"This is god level magic!" Black Alice said, now beginning to grow very alarmed. "But who-? Oh no…"

Black Alice began to frantically bang on the door and yell.

"Heinrich! Heinrich! Can you hear me?! She's weak, Heinrich! Pick up your sword! Seal her! Before it's took late!"

"I'll keep trying to analyze the spell!" Alice XV shouted. "Perhaps I can find a weakness in the seal, even if it is god level!"

Black Alice continued to bang on the door and shout.

Inside, Heinrich gazed deeply into Hachishaku-sama's eyes as he came between her breasts. Her long tongue lapped up the semen he'd spilled on them and between them. He knew he could still fight, despite two orgasms. And yet he wouldn't. Not couldn't. Wouldn't. That filled him with even more shame. He was letting himself be violated and doing nothing about it. Why? It was inconceivable to him.

"Your friends are outside the door," Hachishaku-sama said, leaning over him, her breath in his face. "They want to interrupt our special time together."

"I don't hear anything," Heinrich said.

"No, you couldn't," she replied, kissing him deeply, her large tongue exploring his mouth. When she broke the kiss, she said, "Do not fear, Heinrich. This is all part of your goddess' plan. I know who you are. I would never have risked coming to you if I hadn't been assured that she would protect me. She has a plan for you, and you've been deviating from it. But she forgives you, Heinrich."

"Are you… an angel, not a monster?"

"An angel?" she giggled. "Definitely not. I am a monster. But I am a monster who is destined for extinction. Ilias has promised me a new destiny. This is good, Heinrich. I'm not even going to eat you like I normally would. Ilias doesn't want that for you. Just relax and know that she is watching, and approves of this. No one will interrupt us. Just lay still and let me take care of everything."

Heinrich's last vestiges of resistance were swept away by her words. If this was Ilias' will…. His sword lay forgotten by the side of the bed.

"Dammit!" Black Alice yelled. "I hear her doing things to him in there! Why isn't he fighting back! Can't he hear my voice?!"

"I suspect that he cannot," Marcellus said.

"He cannot, no," Morrigan agreed. "The seal is almost foolproof. There's no way to get in. But then why can we hear what's going on inside?"

"She's fucking with us!" Black Alice raged, kicking the door. "She wants me to hear every moan of his, every smacking and slobbering and other lewd noise that bitch is making! That sadistic, petty whore!"

"But that means the seal is not actually complete," Alice XV said, still concentrating, reading the magic that powered the seal. "You are correct. Ilias is taunting you. But that means the seal has a weakness. The weakness being the magic that allows sound to escape that room. I think I can break through."

"Please hurry!" Black Alice urged. "Is there anything I can do to help?! I'm pretty powerful myself!"

"You're too frantic," Alice XV replied. "Morrigan, start probing the weakness in the seal. See if you can break through."

Black Alice waited tensely, unused to being helpless. She knew she should be doing what Morrigan and Alice XV were doing, but her mind was in too much turmoil to concentrate on such subtle magic properly. Oh, how she wished she'd taken her meditation classes more seriously! But she'd laughed at the idea of being calm when casting magic. Anger and hate had always been more than enough to power her in the past. Ilias had known just how to exploit her few weaknesses.

It seemed to Black Alice as if it had taken forever, although later Alice XV would insist it had only taken five minutes. As soon as Black Alice sensed the seal go down, she pulverized the door into kindling and burst into the room.

The sight before her was her worst fear next to Heinrich being consumed. Hachishaku-sama was on top of him, his penis deep inside her. Black Alice let her hate and rage focus her magic. The yokai raping the love of her life looked up in alarm.

"No!" Hachishaku-sama cried. "Ilias! You promised me!"

"Die for me." Black Alice said quietly.

The yokai screamed in terror and pain as the dark magic ball enveloped her upper body. She got off of Heinrich and began to stagger around the room, trying to get away from the dark magic that crackled around her, inflicting unimaginable pain and suffering. Heinrich sat up in the bed and reached for Hachishaku-sama. But she was already doomed. Her suffering was intense, but short-lived. In less than thirty seconds, there was no sign of her.

Black Alice could only stare at the naked Heinrich. His expression was hard to read. There was horror there, but was it horror at Black Alice's viciousness, or horror at what had happened to him? Probably both.

"Alice…." He said, shaking. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I let her do it. I'm unworthy of you!"

"No," Black Alice said, rushing to hold him. "no, no, no. You're not unworthy. I'm unworthy. I put you in a position where I knew you'd be helpless and didn't tell you. I assumed I'd just be able to run in here and rescue you. But Ilias tried to make that impossible! Oh, Heinrich, what are we going to do? How do we fight someone like that? And why is she so horrible? Your virginity was mine to take, not hers!"

"I'm so sorry, Alice!"

"No, this is not your fault! What matters is that you're safe now, okay? I'm here now. I won't leave you again, I promise!"

The two hugged and cried for quite some time. Allison, Morrigan, and Marcellus left them to their privacy, but Alice XV stayed behind. Marcellus gave her a questioning look, but Alice XV waved him off. Marcellus shrugged and returned to their shared room.

"Oh, Fifteen!" Black Alice sobbed. "This is what I was talking about! We're fated to live in a tragedy! We can't fight someone like her! And even death won't be a release!"

"Come here, Alice," Alice XV said gently.

Black Alice had unconsciously transformed into her youngest-looking known form, clutching her bear tightly. She melted into Alice XV's embrace and began sobbing again.

"There was once a time when I believed our futures to be written in stone," Alice XV said, rocking her as she held the shockingly vulnerable Eighth Monster Lord. "But I know more than most that the future can be changed. Luka freed us from this 'true history' nonsense."

"But how?" Black Alice asked. "Even Heinrich and me working together can't take on a goddess! We don't have Luka's special power!"

"That Luka was blessed with a special power, that is true," Alice XV said. "But he is but one variant of Luka. Other Lukas had similar power to Heinrich, and defeated the goddess. And even the Luka you know had help. Alice, you failed because you were alone. Your followers had mostly abandoned you, and the one you loved had come to hate you. Luka didn't charge into heaven and defeat Ilias and her legions alone. He had his Alice. He had the Four Heavenly Knights. And most importantly, he didn't have hate in his heart. What happened here in this room, this night…. You must purge yourself of such emotions. Hate is destructive and powerful, but it can only get you so far. There will always be stronger hate. The hate of Ilias for our kind. We cannot fight that, power for power, hate for hate. Luka showed us the way. We win with love. By having something to fight for. Fight for your love of Heinrich. Fight for a better world."

"I don't believe in fairytales, Fifteen. Lollipops and rainbows won't defeat a goddess."

"No, they will not," Alice XV admitted. "That's why you have me. And Marcellus. And once Luka is finished with his quest, we'll bring him here and perhaps he will aid us."

"You really think so? Maybe we will have a chance, then."

"Believe, Alice," Alice XV soothed, running her hands through her hair. "Have the same faith Heinrich has, that Luka has. We monsters once thought we were superior to the humans, but now we know they have much to teach us."

"Um… about that?" Heinrich asked. "What just happened? That monster said this was all Ilias' plan for me. And you guys confirmed that. Isn't she good? Doesn't she want us to be happy? She only wants me to punish the bad monsters, right?"

Black Alice sighed. "You are so lucky to have a smart boyfriend," she said.

"Marcellus is not my boyfriend," Alice XV huffed.

"Whatever," Black Alice sighed. "Heinrich, it's time you and I had that talk. Ilias is not who you think she is."