Chương 8: Arena Breakout

Helen was ready to die. She had wanted it even. She had already lived a long life as a succubus, five decades to be precise. She could have lived much longer, but alas, she had lived a life closer to death. As someone who hailed from the tribe of succubi and incubi, she possessed the Lust sin trait. It was a trait that granted her the ability to control people's emotions to an extreme degree using magic, amplified further through touch, and made her more in touch with her emotions and other people's emotions.

Normally, her tribe, eons ago, used it to comfort and soothe tensions between the Vaelrin. She wasn't supposed to live close to death and violence. But she wasn't born in such an era. The only world she ever knew was one where a triumphant human stood on top of a Vaelrin corpse while proudly brandishing his weapon, his heavy boot forcing the corpse's face deeper on the mud. That image, a poster she once saw in a human city to glorify their victories against Vael, was still etched in her mind to this day.

It perfectly encapsulated the reality she was born in. Even during her childhood years, most incubi were already wiped out—long used up in so many wars against mankind. The remaining succubi were largely traded as an expensive commodity by mankind, their Lust trait something ironically sought after by so-called 'Virtuous' humans who hunted them down. Worst of all, unlike the other Vaelrin tribes who possessed traits that could actually protect them, the succubi's and incubi's Lust trait was rarely useful.

Pride greatly enhanced the vampires' control over magic, the asura's Wrath let them grow impossibly powerful in combat, and even the gargoyles' Sloth made them proficient with tools and items. Meanwhile, the emotional buffs that Lust allowed her to use were rarely useful on their own. In an era of a destroyed civilization, it was the other Vaelrin races that had better advantages, for their traits were more practical.

Even if you could manipulate someone else's emotions, amplify them, or change them and suppress them, it wouldn't mean much if a crossbow bolt was already headed your way. And so, amongst the remaining elite races of the Vaelrin, people like Helen were already a rare sight even when she was a child.

Once, she wished to be a proper entertainer, a singer, an actress, someone who would produce fine arts that her people would find soothing in a time of strife and chaos, but, of course, strife and chaos themselves made such a dream pointless. When her family was killed by a group of human settlers who raided her hometown, she vowed revenge. All she had left back then was her little sister, whom she had tried to shelter at the rear by taking up arms herself.

She trained and broke her back just to get ahead and be recognized by the Vael Royal Army. Until one day, she managed to join in. She started out working as a desk woman, someone who filed paperwork and greased the moving parts of the outmatched Vaelrin army. But one day, she found out that her magecraft, which involved controlling people's emotions by simply singing, could lead people.

It was during a battle back when she was merely twenty years old, when the Vaelrin Army was once again in retreat, so bad that she found herself stuck in a siege because she didn't have enough time to evacuate. Helen picked up her wand, and with a wide-area incantation, done through a song, she inspired the soldiers of the fortress to fight back harder. Somehow, fueled by a succubus' inspiration magic, which buffed the physical stats of even the lowliest imp footsoldier, they defeated the human army.

Since then, she has become a proper military officer. A high-level [Mage Bard]. And she didn't just use her magecraft-aided music to inspire and buff her underlings. She eventually learned to control both fire magic and water magic and create massive ice magic AoE spells. Her enemies soon learned to fear her lullabies, which could blanket the battlefield with both frigid cold and music, right as her empowered soldiers crushed them.

And so, she became a legendary figure, feared by her enemies and praised by her people. Her sister even managed to live a normal life, a normal scribe in the city of Vael. But all of that was the distant past. Even victories wouldn't last forever. Every campaign ever fought for her homeland, even with many victories, was hollow. Always, eventually, mankind would outnumber them, overpower them, and force them back.

Every tactical victory was always followed by dozens of minor defeats, until the enemy secured a strategic victory in the end. She had seen it all: praise and hatred, lies and truths, victories and defeat, hope and despair. An endless cycle that eventually turned her jaded. Eventually, reality caught up to her, and she was defeated, captured, and humiliated.

She wished that she was at least given the luxury of death at the end of this farce of a life, but alas, a succubus stupid enough to be captured by humans would, of course, find a fate worse than death. And so, here she was. Pushed forward and paraded like livestock. Nay, perhaps even worse than livestock. The death of her owner, who was sadistic in ways she only once heard from reports of her soldiers, wasn't even the end. She was sold again to people she couldn't even see.

She was pretty sure that right now, when her chains came off, she was being treated as entertainment again. She could hear cheers and booming voices, so overwhelming and so loud that she wanted nothing more than to cover her ears. Since being humiliated so deeply, with her eyes gouged out for amusement, she eventually also stopped using her magical senses to see the world, because she simply hated feeling or seeing anything at all.

She wished that she could do the same with her pitiful body, like her ears right now. But through the noise that felt like glass shattering in her ears, something finally took her attention.

"And not only did we buy her, but we also bought her sister Lyra!" Every word before that didn't register in her mind. That, though, immediately snapped her out. Since she'd heard news that even Vael, the royal capital, one of the last fortresses of her kin, fell, she feared for Lyra. She hoped against hope that she'd have escaped, but, if that voice was telling the truth, then… They captured her? My little Lyra?! She couldn't even say anything about that.

This was so cruel, so unjust, so unfair, that she immediately sent multiple pulses of mana out of her beaten body just to see the world once again. It wasn't true eyesight, but she could make things out with magic. She could see that she was in some kind of an arena, thousands of spectators watching her in glee, and that her dearest little sister, Lyra, her wings broken and tears streaking down her cheeks, was being displayed in a cage. Then, she 'looked' at her opponent.

It was someone wearing heavy armor, a six-armed asura. The announcer continued speaking. She had to kill him to secure her freedom and her sister's freedom, the man said. She gritted her teeth. She had protected the Vaelrin her entire life. How could she use her magic to kill the asura before her? No… how could she properly use her magic, even? As a [Mage Bard], her most powerful spells required musical incantations. Incantations—she could no longer speak now that her tongue was gone. It was another joke.

Even if she were willing to spill the blood of her kin for her sister, it wouldn't matter either way. She was just being made fun of. And so, once again, Helen lost her will to live. I'm sorry, Lyra. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. The asura in front of her was wavering. That wouldn't do. And so, quietly, she sent her magic flowing, amplifying the man's desire for citizenship, which she could feel in her heart. Right then, the asura in front of her, Vikar, vowed to kill her, even if he felt bad about it.

In response, Helen didn't adopt a fighting stance. She simply stood and waited for her death. But before the fight began, a pulse of powerful magic drowned out the world. The strength of it was so overwhelming that the effects of her spell on Vikar were immediately dispelled, and Helen felt a chill up her spine. She craned her head upward, letting a flood of mana come out of her just so she could see what she was sensing up there.

Floating above the arena, a woman hovered above all of them, and her amplified voice reached everyone's ears. As if she were the king of this land, she had decreed that the Veligrod Major was over. Who was she, Helen wondered? And why did she suddenly appear here? Had this event offended her? But then why was she here, watching a sport full of craven cruelty? Before she could answer that, the floating woman suddenly descended rapidly in front of Helen. Naturally, terrified of this new force, Helen took a step back.

But her magic sensed something. Another woman was now beside this new woman, kneeling on the ground all frightened. It was Lyra.

"I…what?" Lyra asked, looking around panickedly, until her eyes fell on Helen. Her little sister immediately clutched her chest, unable to say anything as her voice trembled. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Helen also couldn't say anything either. Then, the strange, powerful woman spoke to her little sister. Her voice was clipped and enunciated, almost regal.

"... Don't worry. I'll fix your sister." The strange woman then pointed her staff, which had appeared out of nowhere, straight at Helen. A short incantation followed, conjuring a spell circle, and within seconds, Helen felt a rush of vitality through her body. Her wounds rapidly closed, somehow. Her missing limbs, tongue, and eyes regenerated, and her bruises, scars, and the abuse she had received were wiped away like a divine miracle. Before she knew it, she could see, and she had hands.

She opened and closed it in disbelief. Then, she finally managed to glance at the strange woman who saved her and her little sister. She had not seen her for more than a decade. Logic dictated that she should deal with her heroine first, but her heart took the reigns of her body. And so, as she cried, tears flowing out like a river from her eyes, she ran straight to her little sister, hugging her hard as she knelt on the ground with her.

"Sister! Why are you here?! Are you hurt? I won't let them touch you again! I won't, I won't!"

"What did they do to you, sister? Why were you like that?!"

"It doesn't matter! As long as you're here, I'll protect you. I'll protect you again! Lyra, I missed you so much…"

"Sister…" The two broke down further as they embraced each other. On the side, their strange hero watched them silently. Vikar gulped. Earlier, he had been extremely excited to finally receive his citizenship. After years of training, fighting, and struggling, he was close to becoming a full member of Polonian society. Born in the lowest rung of the kingdom's stratified system, as an Asuran Vaelrin, the life he had known had been a harsh one.

He was barred from education, barred from owning his own business, barred from leaving his hometown, and barred from districts that weren't reserved for the Vaelrin.

The only way out was either through the so-called 'Streamlined Citizenship Pathway,' a unique law in the kingdom that allowed Vaelrin to gain citizenship after fifty years of indentured servitude to registered Polonian businesses, or through various special rewards by powerful people, like rewards due to meritorious service or, in this case, by winning in the Veligrod Major tournament.

It was why, even when the badly injured succubus was presented to him as an opponent earlier tugged his heart a bit, his cold response was simple. He was going to kill her. He would become a citizen of this nation. At the very least, it would end her misery too, Vikar justified further. But before he could end her life, the event was interrupted. Everything that had happened after that was so fast and confusing that it almost felt like a disorienting blur.

Right now, the two succubi sisters were on the ground crying while embracing each other. Earlier, he had the upper hand, but now, there was a strange, powerful human woman in front of him who intervened on the succubi's behalf, the enemy he was supposed to defeat, which meant that winning his citizenship this year was most likely out of the question. That, and my rivals who want me gone might use this as a pretext to blame me for this incident somehow. I'm fucked if I don't get out of here fast.

Currently, there was chaos and pandemonium throughout the coliseum. A magical field seemed to surround the arena itself, which the Veligrod Guards, heavily armed men who were mobilized for emergencies such as this, struggled to break through. Of course, all of this was the work of this woman. Anyone even remotely associated with her, especially a Vaelrin like him who had many powerful enemies, was going to meet a grim fate. But if I sneak out fast enough before anyone notices, I can probably slip out of trouble.

It's my best hope for now. The asura kept his mouth shut, and he began to back off. That was when he noticed the woman's body and face transforming. Her ears became pointy, her skin became paler, and she revealed two sets of fangs. He had never seen a vampire in the flesh, ever, just like the succubi sisters before him, but he was sure that this was how they looked. His blood ran cold upon realizing what was in front of him, and he was about to bolt out and run when she suddenly turned and spoke to him.

"Vikar, I'm planning to get these two out of here. Do you want to come with us?"

"... What?" Vikar was bewildered. The vampire in front of him began explaining herself.

"I know a town far away from here that once wanted my leadership. Since Helen and Lyra here need a safe place to stay, I'm planning to take them there, and I can take you there too. The town is a bit small, so I doubt I can bring in too many people, but I think I can bring the three of you there. It's far away from humans, and I can protect you there from anyone who wishes you harm. I'll make sure that it'll be a safe and peaceful place for us." Vikar's eyes narrowed.

A vampire, a noble, potentially ancient vampire, thinking about running a town for them? Was she crazy? Uncontrollably, Vikar's blood began to boil. Not only did she ruin his citizenship and snatch two slaves that were property of Polonian businessmen—she was also planning to run a town for the Vaelrin? He gripped his weapons tightly.

"Are you right in the head?" Vikar asked, barely containing his fury. The vampire in front of him seemed genuinely confused, her eyes widening in shock at seeing his anger.

"What's the matter with you?" the vampire asked.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Your interference ruined years of my hard work, maybe even my chances of gaining citizenship after this, all to save a woman who probably killed hundreds of thousands of humans in her lifetime. You've just made yourself an enemy of mankind, you're going to harbor an enemy of mankind, and you're asking me to join you? Are you mad?!" Vikar held off from saying his most grievous rants.

He knew that every single time that a conflict with his homeland and Vael happened, it was going to be them, the Vaelrin outside of Vael, who suffered. Every time, they were to be blamed for it. Every time, they would be sent to the fight, their families taken hostage so they couldn't refuse. Every time Vael resisted, every time rebels appeared, every time, it was people like Vikar, who just wanted to lower their heads, submit, and find peace, who suffered. It was unfair, and it pissed Vikar off.

Watching Vikar's outburst, the vampire's eyes trembled a bit, a faint hint of guilt appearing in her eyes. Seeing that, Vikar realized that he may have said a bit too much. He took a deep breath and recomposed himself.

"Sorry, just forget about me. I'm leaving."

"Wait! Maybe you're right, but I know you can't stay here either. You know yourself that they're going to hurt you, right? These people, no matter how hard you try, they'll still see you as a demon. Even if you gain citizenship and try your best to act like them, they will still exclude you."

"So what, fight them? Have you not seen the state of that succubus you saved earlier? That is where all of this leads. We already lost! Why can't you people drive that to your heads? We lost! There's no home for us, and anyone fighting to create one will just doom us further. I would rather face the wrath of humans when I meet them today than face their wrath if I go with you. I'm out." Vikar turned his back on her and walked away, gritting his teeth. Damned vampires, always playing god.

So they truly are that arrogant and out of touch. Makes sense. They're so powerful that they can get away with the consequences of their actions better than the rest of us. No wonder they always want war with mankind.

"Did I say that I wish to fight them?" The vampire's voice stopped Vikar dead in his tracks. She continued.

"I don't want war, Vikar. Didn't I say that I want a peaceful place for us? Naturally, that means I'll have to be peaceful with the Virtuous Races too." Vikar turned back to stare at her eye to eye.

"... And what if they still choose war?"

"I will still exhaust every option I have to avoid war." The vampire said those words resolutely, a fire of determination clear in her eyes. Vikar heard that vampires were naturally aggressive, arrogant, and the type of leaders willing to sacrifice Vaelrin if it meant they would stand atop the corpses of humans. It was why he didn't want to even consider this woman's offer. But the way she said that, with full conviction and sincerity, was enough to make him pause and reconsider.

Maybe she wasn't someone anyone would call a 'demon.' He looked around the arena. Time was ticking. The Veligrod Guards now had the ballistas fully set up, and they began firing volleys straight at the barrier the vampire created. Then, their mages joined in, powerful spells slamming again and again, creating iridescent ripples on her barrier. The time he spent arguing with her meant that the guardsmen probably already saw him talking with her too.

Deny it as he might, his plan of sneaking out without being noticed was shot down. Today had been an utter disaster, and it was all because of this woman. But at the same time, her words awakened something that he thought was long lost deep in his heart after this cruel world's endless lies beat him down.

Yes, perhaps her idea of creating a peaceful home for the Vaelrin was just another lie, just like how even the citizenship and the acceptance promised by those humans if he just won this tournament were ultimately hollow. But maybe, just maybe, it was possible. Or maybe, cornered as he was, his mind was simply making justifications to go to a pointless gamble to survive by going with her. As he mulled his options for a few more seconds, another powerful ballista bolt slammed on the barrier.

Time was truly running out. … Ah, screw it! If it's the only option I have left, then I'm going all in! Mind made up, he walked straight to the noble vampire.

"Look, I don't know if you're delusional or what. But you better keep your word about this 'safe place' you speak of. Get me out of here." The woman managed to let out a sigh of relief. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright. Vikar, Helen, and Lyra, let's go." She then planted her staff on the ground, mana suddenly revealing itself as it glowed around them. [Mass Teleport]! And before Vikar knew it, he was standing on snow.