Dungeon of Lust: Managing Otherworldly Beauties

Chapter 244: A Long, Developed Step

It was calm.

As Vale filled the [Nitro], Salome and Alpha stood on opposite sides of the octagon. Lor was in the middle, taking measured steps toward Vale.

’It’s done.’

Vale hopped off the bike and faced Lor.

"Lor! Have you no sense of urgency?!"

Vale stepped in front of the bike, then lifted it over his head, holding it by the handlebars once again.

The knight grunted and haggardly staggered forward.

When he took his next step, Vale said:

"Well, it’s now or never."

The moment the last vibration escaped his throat, Salome flapped her wings and dashed toward the man from one side while Alpha raised the whip and aimed a strike.

’This better work!’

The knight, only a few paces away from Vale now, paused his approach. It seemed Lor’s nose had sniffed out their plan. But knowing it or not wasn’t the issue, it was whether the man could stop it.

Paying no heed to Alpha, Lor turned toward the charging Salome and reached out toward her.

’Come on...’

All while Vale stood a couple meters away with a bike raised over his head.

As Salome closed in, she furled her wings and tucked into a barrel roll while aiming for the back of the man’s knees. In her hand were a few of her quills.

Salome rolled under his grab and punched, causing the man’s stance to fold as his knees crumpled — but he stayed standing.

However...

’No!’

Alpha lashed the whip at an angle, causing it to wrap around one of his legs. But luck wasn’t on their side. The thorns on the tip failed to lock into the rivets on the sabaton.

Salome, who’d been flying past, noticed this in a fraction of a second.

"What are you doing?!"

Salome hooked her foot around the man’s ankles to stop herself. Then she spun and slammed down the quills in between the whip and sabaton, locking it in place using the thorns.

Salome tried to spring away again, but the man caught her left wing with his hand.

With a furious grunt, the man lifted his unbound foot and kicked at the succubus while tearing at the wing.

Salome let out a guttural scream as Vale listened to the wet sound of flesh tearing apart.

"Yeck!"

The man pushed, kicking Salome to the ground. As she collapsed, a pool of blood leaked from her back.

In Lor’s hand was her severed left wing. The knight scoffed then carelessly threw it away.

With a light sneer, he lifted his sword.

"Die, pest who follows that heathen."

Off to the side, Alpha was grunting as she pulled, as she had been since the whip first locked in place.

"Alpha!"

’Hurry! Come on!’

Vale couldn’t wait any longer. He began to step forth.

At that same moment, Salome smiled up at Lor with bloodstained teeth, staring as the sword began its descent.

"I am Salome, Succubi Queen, a soldier of Hope. Tell me, why point your blade at one of your own?!"

The man didn’t pull his attack, but his shoulders and form flinched for a moment, and so did his stance.

Alpha engaged all the power she could and pulled, causing Lor to fall back. As he fell, Vale swung the bike down in an overhead arc, activating [Nitro].

’Y... yes.’

Vale almost couldn’t believe it as he watched the frame of the bike smash into the man’s jaw, then carry through until it smashed his head into the ground.

Vale followed the bike’s path and couldn’t help but stumble forward.

’Oh no...’

Losing his balance and grip on the bike, Vale fell onto the man’s chest.

Vale didn’t know if it would make a difference, but he engaged his armor. Bronze clinked against metal and Vale fumbled, trying to push off the ground and spring away.

But surprisingly...

’He didn’t...’

The knight, ever since being slammed into the ground, had yet to move. He hadn’t even attempted to grab Vale or Salome, who was also lying nearby.

Vale shouted at the succubus, who was currently dragging herself away with her left arm, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

"Salome, are you—"

"I’m fine, Vale. But get ready! Look!"

Vale followed Salome’s gaze to the man, whose fingers were twitching as he coughed up copious amounts of blood.

Lor brought a hand to his helmet and tore at it, ripping it apart.

His head had now been fully exposed.

’Horrifying...’

The knight was still lying on his back, but his face was covered in his own blood.

Salome, who’d crawled over to where Lor had spit his blood before and absorbed it, yelled:

"Vale, I can sense it! The Enchantment has broken."

Vale retreated to one of the walls and leaned against it to support himself.

"Alpha!"

The Archer dropped the whip and took up the shield as she marched closer. Then, she planted it and activated the Enchantment while angling it at the prone man.

It was now Alpha’s job to contain Lor.

The shield was no longer needed to disable the man’s projectile nullification, but it could disrupt his unseen enhancements as well as general Aether use.

Lor immediately showed immense strain as he cried out in pain.

’Seriously...’

Vale watched as the knight, with a shattered jaw, fought through whatever pain he was in and ripped his armor apart to free his body.

’This monster.’

When he was done, Lor was left bloodied and lying in the center of the room in a brown tunic with chainmail over it. All he had left on from his original armor were his sabatons.

The bike lay on the floor next to him.

Lor pried the whip off his foot, then dragged it to himself, then ripped it in half.

’He still has that much power?’

Even weakened by the shield?!

Salome finished dragging herself to the wall and drew laborious breaths as Vale made his way around to join her.

Salome chuckled as blood continued to leak from her back. She looked up at the man who’d just reached her and spoke softly:

"Vale."

"Salome, will you be alright?"

"Let’s not worry about that right now..."

Vale looked over at Lor as blood dripped down his entire body. The man slowly staggered to his feet, then looked at Alpha, scoffed, and turned his attention to Salome and Vale.

"Right... Well, what is it?"

"Win, please..."

’Huh?’

Vale’s attention snapped back to Salome to find her eyes closed.

She wasn’t dead, and it seemed like she’d been able to stem the bleeding; she was unconscious. While the bleeding was stemmed, it was not stopped. Even if Vale won, if he took too long...

’Tch.’

Vale’s eyes were vacant as he looked at the expanding blood pool.

"I’m getting really tired of this..."

Teetering on the edge of losing someone close to him. Being put in situations where their lives are his to save.

Maybe he could save Salome here. Maybe.

Hopefully.

But...

"Alpha, drop the shield. Take up a sword."

How long will his devil’s luck continue?

How much longer will he even have the chance to save those around him? What if the man hadn’t hesitated and instead finished her off then and there?

Would Vale have had to watch her die?

Vale grit his teeth as Lor, although his movement restriction was gone, continued to saunter. It seemed those hits to his shins and ankles from Salome had accumulated quite a bit.

’I hate that I even have to contemplate this.’

Vale hated it might become his reality.

He wanted the power...

’I need the power to protect my forces.’

On the other side of the room, Alpha dashed to pick up a sword, then sprinted until she stood near Lor, just out of his range.

’You damned Voice, why make Lust so weak?’

Why not give Lust combat powers?

Why make Lust so reliant on others?

Vale walked over to a nearby chipped sword on the ground and knelt next to it.

’No...’

Vale slid his fingers around the sword’s hilt.

’Don’t misunderstand, you dumbass.’

Vale clicked his tongue as he stood.

’It’s not Lust that’s weak, but Vale.’

’I’ve always relied on others. Even before coming here. Dad, mothers, Fleur, Salome... For once in my life...’

Vale took a step toward Lor.

’For once in my life, can I shed my codependency?’

He took another step.

’Can I do something on my own?’

Vale raised his sword.

[Lust] flared...

But it hadn’t ignited because of his lust for another. Nor was it his lust for power or battle. It was his lust to finally do something for himself. To not have to worry about what’s behind him, or what he stands to lose.

To throw all his worries to the wayside and be able to focus on marching forward.

At the moment, such a thing was impossible, with Salome injured and on the ground behind him...

It was impossible for him to fight while not looking back.

’But...’

Vale never wanted to go through these motions again. He never wanted to have to look back and see a bloodied comrade again.

Vale cried out a pained scream.

[You have developed a Trait: World Without Witness]

He didn’t even wish it to, but the new Trait activated.