The First Challenge Of Asmodeus

“In the deepest portion of our sect, there is a room which was made special throughout countless special rituals and agreements made between the sect and Prince Asmodeus–As a Prince of Hell, it is basically impossible for him to properly manifest into our realm, and even if he could, it would certainly only be for an extremely short period, so much like his peers, he instead seeks to make his presence known through champions carrying his blessings, hellish items, or privileges…”

“In simple terms, this room allows him to project pre-determined challenges to those who enter it willingly, and if one were to succeed in all challenges with flying colours, he would even be able to temporarily manifest in a lesser form for a final challenge… One can technically face the challenges as many times as possible, but repeated failure might bore Prince Asmodeus, and someone might find that nothing will happen anymore when they enter”

“Regardless, success means receiving rewards from Prince Asmodeus. Few people have ever managed even the first one, but it should be a piece of cake for you”

Jariakil explained what the challenge was all about. It was basically the result of a deal that benefited both the sect and Asmodeus himself. People from the sect could attempt to receive rewards from the powerful Prince of Lust, increasing their strength, and the devil had the opportunity to test people from this realm easily, greatly increasing his chances of finding someone who could actually represent him in some capacity.

The devils were a lot like the gods. They could get stronger by being known and worshipped. Though devils preferred to be seen in a sort of dual manner. Both were feared, but also sought after for the powers they could bestow. Divinities were more direct. If you were a loyal follower of theirs, then you would always see your affinity with holy energy increasing, and you might develop powerful abilities.

For both, however, blessings were rarely handed out. Not just because it was a precious thing, but because it was tantamount to endorsing the one they blessed. Taking away a blessing was apparently difficult and would just be a show that the great being had managed to commit a great mistake, which was a bad look.

As such, proper blessings were pretty much absent, with no one currently alive being known to possess one.

Regardless, Jariakil was very confident that the challenge room was safe, since nearly every disciple attempted it after joining the inner circle of the sect, and she herself had gone through a few of the challenges.

As such, Anoteros saw no issues with attempting the first challenge himself.

He followed Jariakil down into the depths of the sect grounds, eventually reaching a lonesome flight of stairs. Descending them took ten minutes, and only then did he lay eyes on the challenge room. 

At a glance, it was just a regular, empty room.

A box of solid stone brick shrouded in darkness, only illuminated by the lights outside the room itself. It only bore a simple wooden door, a heavy one, but a regular door of wood nonetheless–That was only a matter of appearance, however.

The room emitted a clear air of ancient power that was not at all concealed. Even a regular person would be able to feel it.

“To take the challenge, you merely need to enter with the intent to face it. The door will come close behind you, and the scenery inside will change–Do not worry, Young Master. The challenges are set in stone, and the first one should be of no issue for you”

“I suppose that it would spoil the fun if you told me what the challenge was before I entered, yes?”

“Prince Asmodeus wouldn’t appreciate it”

“I see. Well, then, let’s go”

The scion casually stepped through the door, and just as Jariakil had said, the door shut behind him. Despite looking like wood, it suddenly took on much stronger properties. Even if he went all out, he probably wouldn’t even put a dent in it.

‘A shame that the people inside needed to want to take the challenge. Otherwise, this could serve as an incredible cell’

Mmh… Now, that’s a better candidate than what I am used to!

A voice resounded, neither aloud nor inside of the scion’s mind. It simply existed without any clear source.

Oh, you… I see, I see! Very interesting. Let’s see how you deal with the first challenge.

The sound of snapping fingers resounded, and the dark room was suddenly flooded with soft, reddish light. The ground went from stone to what felt like a mattress, pillows fell from the ceiling, and a humanoid figure soon manifested from a puff of pink-red smoke.

‘That’s interesting. I guess that was to be expected from a challenge from the devil representing lust’

The figure was not something Edrick recognised, but he was easily able to guess what he was faced with. Horns, a thin tail, a green-blue body pigmentation, hair of a lighter colouration than the body, black sclera, irises coloured a glowing pink, and a pupil that seemed shaped like a heart flipped upside-down…

‘This must be a succubus, a real one’

Although certain demon species used the name due to certain of their abilities, Succubi and Incubi are originally types of devils, and are actually amongst the ones who most commonly mess with the world outside of Hell due to their ability to project themselves into people’s dreams.

And also due to the fact that they are the most popular kind of devil to summon.

This succubus had an expression that could only be described as extreme horniness, and the impression she gave off made it clear that she was a lesser kind of succubus, probably even the lowest kind possible.

Even if she was technically weak, it didn’t mean that the first challenge was easy. She was still a real devil, and Jariakil had been clear that most people failed the first challenge. Even if she was the weakest of her kind, it didn’t mean much, as a real succubus was simply unmatched when it came to draining sexual partners.

If anything, a strong succubus would be less deadly, as she wouldn’t drain her prey completely. A prey that had been touched by a devil could serve as an anchor point, so she would be able to wait and return to drain the same person again and again.

This one was frenzied. She would just try to drain everything as quickly as possible without even thinking.

‘Well, Luxuli might not be a proper succubus, but she might have nonetheless prepared me for this unknowingly…’

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you craving some male vitality?”

The devil pounced without hesitation…