I Took A Succubus's First Time

Kouhei immediately moved toward Via, his body reacting before he could spend too much time thinking about what he was about to do. His grip around the sword tightened as he stepped forward, and the weapon in his hand began glowing with an incredibly concentrated light. Unlike an ordinary blade that merely reflected the surrounding light, Kouhei’s sword was practically made from condensed holy energy, with its brilliance packed so tightly around the blade that it looked almost solid.

He swung the sword toward Via with all the force he could put behind the attack.

The moment the blade moved, the concentrated sword of light shot forward at an incredible speed. The attack cut through the air so quickly that it almost seemed to disappear for a moment, only to reappear directly in front of Via as it rushed toward him.

"Woah!"

Via’s expression changed immediately.

He was genuinely surprised by what he was seeing, and for once, the reaction on his face wasn’t something he had deliberately put there for dramatic effect. The fact that Kouhei was a demon capable of using holy power was already strange enough by itself. Demons and holy power weren’t exactly known for getting along, and normally, trying to handle something like this would be comparable to sticking your hand into a fire and then wondering why it hurt.

What shocked Via even more, however, was the sheer amount of power Kouhei had managed to put into the attack.

"Oh my, oh my!"

Rather than becoming nervous, Via actually looked entertained.

His eyes followed the incoming blade, and the surprise on his face slowly turned into a grin. Instead of treating Kouhei’s attack as something genuinely dangerous, Via seemed almost delighted that Kouhei had shown him something unexpected.

"I didn’t expect you to be capable of this kind of power!" Via said, sounding genuinely impressed despite the mocking smile beginning to form on his face. "I have to admit, I’m rather surprised by what you’re showing me right now."

Via’s expression then became more confident.

"However, having a powerful attack and knowing how to properly use that power are two very different things," he continued. "Your strength may be impressive, but you’re still inexperienced! I’m fairly certain that, as of now, you’ve only been wielding a sword for less than a year."

He tilted his head slightly while looking at Kouhei.

"You clearly have talent, and I won’t deny that much," Via said. "Still, talent alone won’t be enough here. You haven’t had enough time to develop the experience necessary to fight someone like me, and unfortunately for you, this is where your progress ends."

Via suddenly raised his hand.

A tremendous amount of light began gathering around his palm.

The energy condensed almost instantly, forming a blade that looked similar to Kouhei’s weapon at first glance. The difference became obvious the moment the weapon was fully formed, however, because Via’s blade was far more concentrated than Kouhei’s.

The divine power surrounding it was so dense that the atmosphere itself seemed to distort around the weapon.

Yuuna immediately felt the difference.

She didn’t even have to get close to the blade to understand how dangerous it was. The divine energy radiating from Via’s weapon was so intense that simply approaching it made her feel as though her body would begin to melt under the sheer concentration of holy power.

It was an overwhelming presence.

For Yuuna, getting any closer would have been reckless.

Kouhei, however, didn’t seem to suffer from the same problem.

Despite being a demon, he wasn’t an ordinary demon. The blood of a fallen angel flowed through his body, and that unusual heritage allowed him to wield holy power without suffering the same consequences that would normally come with it. The combination of demonic and fallen angel blood within him was strange enough on its own, but it also gave him a unique compatibility with the divine energy surrounding Via’s blade.

Because of that, Kouhei could remain near Via without being burned simply by standing within the weapon’s presence.

Yuuna quickly turned her attention away from the two men and rushed toward Aria, who was already badly injured.

She caught Aria and carefully supported her body.

"I’m sorry, Yuuna-sama..." Aria said weakly.

"You don’t have to apologize," Yuuna replied immediately.

Her voice remained calm, although the exhaustion she was feeling was becoming harder to hide.

Yuuna placed her hand against Aria and began using what little healing power she had left. Her mana reserves were practically empty at this point, so even performing a simple healing spell felt far more difficult than it normally would have.

She was already close to the absolute limit.

Still, she refused to simply stand around and watch Aria suffer.

Even if the amount of healing she could provide was small, she would rather use what remained of her mana than do nothing.

After stabilizing Aria as much as she could, Yuuna slowly looked back toward the battlefield.

Her eyes immediately focused on Kouhei and Via.

Via was incredibly strong.

Yuuna had already understood that much from the first exchange, but seeing the two of them face one another only made that realization more obvious. The difference between Via and the opponents Kouhei had fought before was enormous.

Kouhei was strong.

He had become considerably stronger than he had been in the past, and his ability to wield holy power was something Yuuna had never expected to see from him. Still, Via’s presence was different. There was an overwhelming pressure around him that made Yuuna feel as though Kouhei might have to fight at his absolute limit just to survive.

Defeating Via wasn’t going to be easy.

In fact, Yuuna wasn’t even sure whether Kouhei could defeat him at all.

That thought worried her.

Aria was injured, and Yuuna herself was barely capable of fighting anymore because her mana reserves had been drained almost completely. If she entered the battle in her current condition, she would probably become more of a burden than an actual help.

Kouhei would have to worry about protecting her while fighting Via.

That was the last thing Yuuna wanted.

She had to stay out of the way.

For the moment, the most useful thing she could do was keep Aria safe and contact the others.

Yuuna focused on their communication link and sent out a signal, hoping the others would understand the situation quickly.

Thankfully, it seemed as though they had received it almost immediately.

They were already on their way.

That gave Yuuna at least a small amount of relief.

All she could do now was hope that Kouhei could protect himself until the others arrived.

She watched him carefully.

Kouhei wasn’t rushing forward anymore.

That was actually a good thing.

Earlier, he had attacked Via almost immediately, acting on instinct rather than carefully considering the strength of the person standing in front of him. His emotions had gotten the better of him, and considering what Via had done, Yuuna couldn’t exactly blame him for reacting that way.

This time, however, Kouhei had managed to regain his composure.

He was thinking.

He was watching.

Most importantly, he was no longer throwing himself into danger without considering what could happen afterward.

Via noticed the change as well.

"Fufufufu..."

A quiet chuckle escaped from him.

His eyes remained fixed on Kouhei as he studied the subtle difference in his expression.

"You don’t seem to be affected by my divine power," Via said. "That is rather interesting."

He slowly looked Kouhei over from head to toe.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are," Via continued, his curiosity becoming more obvious. "You’re certainly not an ordinary demon. You possess the ability to wield something that should be capable of burning you, yet you’re standing here as though it means absolutely nothing."

Via’s smile widened.

"I have no idea how you acquired that ability," he said. "You don’t feel like you’re half demon and half angel either. The balance simply isn’t right for that. I also don’t believe you’re one of my children."

His expression became increasingly sinister as he considered the possibilities.

"Well, even if you were my child, I suppose it wouldn’t really matter," Via said casually. "You’re still going to experience absolute despair at my hands."

Kouhei didn’t answer. Part of it was because he had no idea what he meant, but a huge part of it was because of the fact that right now, rushing seemed to be a grave mistake that he was afraid to commit.

Right now, he simply remained where he was with his sword held firmly in his hand while his eyes stayed locked on Via.

For a brief moment, Kouhei thought about rushing forward again.

The instinct was still there.

His bloodlust hadn’t disappeared, and neither had his desire to defeat Via. After everything that had happened, part of him still wanted to charge straight at the man and end the fight before Via could do anything else.

Kouhei knew better now. He could feel it, in fact.

Via was stronger than him. Much more stronger.