Chapter 889: A Kiss of Brief Respite
At first, Serena froze, remaining stiff in his grasp.
Her silver eyes widened before the tears clinging to her lashes trembled as Asmodeus pressed his lips against hers. The cold facade and mask she wore as the Demon Empress shattered in less than a heartbeat.
"Mmmph, Asmodeus...!"
Her hands seized the back of his neck, gripping tight as if he might vanish.
Their kiss deepened.
Asmodeus tasted salt, blood and the faint sweetness lingering on her lips. Serena pulled him closer, almost desperately, her fingers tangling through his hair while the last traces of darkness surrounding her body curled around them like protective tails.
’How can her spit taste so sweet?’
Despite his exhaustion, a pleasant warmth spread through his chest.
Serena’s breathing grew uneven.
Her stoic expression vanished entirely as she parted her lips, pushing her tongue into his mouth and kissing him with enough force to make his jaw ache. Each time he tried to pull away, her arms tightened around him as she sucked on the tip of his tongue fiercely, refusing to let him escape.
"My love..." she whispered between breaths. "You fool..."
Asmodeus moved his tongue faster, dragging and curling it around her cheeks, savouring the slightly fruity taste of his wife’s mouth.
"Oh? That’s quite funny, coming from you..."
"Hmph... be quiet, be happy I don’t strip you bare and throw you down here."
She kissed him again, letting her hands roam his body as if searching for the holy grail, squeezing and pinching the longer it continued.
This time, her teeth caught his lower lip.
Her bite hurt, the pain spreading through his brain like a lightning bolt along with a growing heat in his abdomen.
Until a hand suddenly grabbed Asmodeus by the shoulder.
"Alright, that’s enough."
Velvet pulled him away.
Serena’s arms clung to his neck for several seconds before finally slipping free. Her silver eyes narrowed at the Dragoness, though the flush covering her pale cheeks ruined any attempt at intimidation.
"V...Vevelt?" Serena cocked her head to the side.
But the witch from Gigor cared nought for her reaction.
She stared up into Asmodeus’s eyes, then cupped his face with both hands and stared at him closely, violet-black scales still covering parts of her cheeks and neck.
There was an awkward moment of silence, but Asmodeus noticed the faint swollen redness and tears lingering in the corners of her eyes.
’Did Velvet cry?’
His heart pounded at the sheer thought.
"You almost died... what would I do without you?"
"Ah... I’m sorry."
"Tsk! What a terrible apology."
Without a moment’s hesitation, her hands yanked his head, pulling him down as their lips smacked together with a dull sound.
’Ouch!’
Unlike Serena’s desperate kiss, Velvet’s carried all the anger she had been holding back. She kissed him as though punishing him for his every wound, reckless action and all the time she spent watching him on the edge of life and death.
Her sharp teeth grazed his lip.
One hand slid behind his head while the other pressed firmly against his chest, checking his heartbeat even as she kissed him.
Asmodeus chuckled faintly.
Velvet pulled away only enough to glare at him.
"What?"
"Nothing, just the way you kiss is rather cute, Velvet."
"Eh...."
The colour of her scales bloomed brighter, with a deep shade of lavender, before she kissed him again, her breath blowing into his mouth as she nibbled on the tip of his tongue like she wanted to expel her shame and anger.
’This woman... is she reaching for my cock?!’
Her hand slipped lower, the movements slowly scaling his muscles as if examining every inch until reaching his waistband...
Then a golden hilt pressed between their faces.
"Move."
Erika shoved Velvet aside with one sword handle, though the weapon itself remained sheathed in golden light.
Velvet’s eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"You had your turn."
Erika crouched before Asmodeus, grabbed the front of his torn clothing and pulled him forward.
Her kiss was quick, more of a peck.
She kissed him once, then another followed in a barrage of kisses.
Each one landed somewhere different as if wanting to kiss every part of his face. She kissed his lips, cheek, jaw and finally the corner of his mouth.
"You idiot," she muttered after every kiss.
Asmodeus raised a brow.
"Is that all?"
Erika’s blue eyes narrowed.
She kissed him properly.
Her blonde hair fell around their faces as she leaned closer, one hand resting against his throat while the other gently wrapped around his waist. "Mmmmhmmm."
When she finally pulled away, her cheeks were pink.
"I’m happy you’re okay..."
"Yeah..."
"Argh!?"
A dark tail wrapped around Erika’s waist and pulled her aside.
Levia took her place.
Her armour had been completely destroyed during the battle, leaving her dressed in little more than torn training clothes. She no longer looked like a paladin, but just a black-haired beauty, as she settled both hands on his shoulders.
She stared at him without an expression at first.
"Levia?"
"Mm?"
She tilted her head without speaking, as if confused by his call. Then a smile spread across her lips as she stepped on her tiptoes and kissed him.
The kiss was short, sharp and fleeting.
Yet her cheeks blushed bright red as she hit his shoulders and turned away, glancing at the next woman waiting for her turn.
Asmodeus stared at her.
Levia sat down beside Serena without another word, though the tips of her ears had turned bright red by the time she did.
Vinea laughed, stepping forward after Levia.
"Well, she’s quite the cute woman, right?"
She moved next, molten light still glowing faintly along her horns. Her copper-dark skin shone from the sweat and blood clinging to her. Vinea didn’t speak at first, as if she couldn’t figure out what she wanted to tell him.
She bent forward slightly, revealing her large breasts, letting them spill faintly from her broken cuirass... the light pink buds peaking before she hugged his neck. He could smell the faint traces of sweat which carried an alluring scent.
Her brown hair slipped over one shoulder a moment before she pressed her plump red lips against his. The warmth was instant. Her saliva tasted as if he’d swallowed liquid fire the moment her tongue entered his mouth, carrying the faint taste of smoke and something sweet beneath it.
When she pulled away, a thick thread of saliva dripped between them as she wiped her lips with a grin.
"God, you’re handsome... How can I stay mad at you?"
She laughed and tapped one finger against his nose.
"Rest while you can, husband. I intend to make you compensate me for fighting in that dreadful storm."
’....’
Asmodea appeared behind her sister, her arms wrapping around him like vines, sealing him in place despite their gentle movements. Unlike the others, she didn’t immediately take his lips, instead kissing his forehead, treating him like a delicate treasure.
She kissed his forehead first.
Then both eyelids.
Then the scars crossing his cheek.
Only after covering every wound she could reach did she finally press a slow kiss against his mouth.
Blood-red petals drifted around them.
The last surviving flowers beneath the women glowed faintly, responding to Asmodea’s emotions despite her exhaustion.
"You frightened me too," she whispered. "I thought that I might lose you for real.... everything felt so dark and empty when you fell..."
"Ah..."
"Hmm, you speak as if it doesn’t concern you."
"Sorry."
"Well...."
Her fingers combed through his hair, curling the longer strands around them, before pulling him even closer. "I hate the ocean..."
He couldn’t help but smile, glancing over her shoulder at the distance she’d created a floral island to reach him in time.
"Thanks for saving me, Asmodea."
She hesitated for a moment, her eyes shifting to the other women, before she scrunching up her nose and snorting. "Well, you just remember this when..." Her flowers bloomed a deep red, along with her cheeks. A familiar sight for Asmodeus... "Ahem!"
The beautiful woman turned away, avoiding his eyes. "Prepare yourself...!"
’She’s going to wring me dry...’
After entertaining his jealous women, some angry, others restless after the rush of battle. Yet they each started to fly back to land after getting their kiss and complaining about his actions.
Until only a single woman remained.
"Valena?"
Her wings folded tightly behind her as she approached, face flushed the same colour as her garnet red scales. She didn’t kiss him like the other women, instead lowering herself onto his lap carefully as if worried her weight might worsen his injuries.
"Master... you..."
’Ah, is she worried about that box?’
"Don’t worry, It’s alright, everything is alright... didn’t I make a promise?"
His fingers slowly slipped through her bright red hair, glancing down at her face as she curled up against his chest. Though he knew she could be manipulative and liked to hide her true face... right now he just wanted to stroke her hair.
’I guess I’ll never change...’
He once made a joke about mounting her, but the more she approached him, the more he found his heart and body reacting to her.
’The time I mount her human form is probably not far off...’
Asmodeus shook his head, sliding his fingers beneath her face and lifting her chin.
"Your mother’s heart is kept safe. When you are ready, I will help you unlock the seals placed on that box."
Valena’s lower lip trembled.
"M-Master... what are you talking about? Are you trying to seduce me.... haha... I’m not that easy of a woman, you know?"
Maybe it was the kiss they shared on the ship a few days earlier...
Asmodeus couldn’t help but find the glossy red shade of her lips ever more alluring as she glanced up at him with those big, glassy eyes.
Asmodeus lifted one hand and stroked her cheek.
She immediately leaned into his touch.
Her kiss was gentle.
Almost painfully so.
She pressed her lips against his as though afraid he might break, then pulled away only to kiss him again, a little more firmly.
When she finished, she rested her forehead against his.
"Please don’t disappear, you’re all that I have left in this world now..."
"I won’t."
"Promise me."
’That is something I cannot promise easily...’
From the clash with Leviathan, he’d sensed a strange barrier, a wall which kept him from reaching the next level. A monstrous power that could surpass all others he’d faced, making even Ein and the Arbiter seem trifling.
He sighed.
"I promise to try very hard not to disappear."
Valena pouted.
"That isn’t the same."
"It’s the best promise I can make."
She accepted it reluctantly and buried her face against his neck.
"What a foolish male... rejoice that this queen will accept your foolishness."
While hugging the Dragoness, he glanced towards the wreckage of the missing imperial fleet and took several deep, slow breaths. The biggest threat to him right now wasn’t the Empire, Emperor or the Creator...
But his own wives.
’I am going to be wrung dry by multiple women the moment we return...’