Round 18: The Return Path

The succubus gently stroked Stephanie’s chest…
Suddenly, her sharp fingers dug downward—when she pulled them out, a writhing larva was clamped between them.
The succubus’s blood-red tongue curled around the larva and swallowed it, then glanced satisfied at her reflection in the mirror, seeing her skin’s texture become slightly smoother.
Stephanie trembled involuntarily. The larvae the old witch tricked him into eating were actually mutated variants; she was consuming his strength and soul to nourish herself. In essence, Stephanie served as both a reservoir and a breeding ground.
“Larvae aren’t something mere mortals like you can enjoy…” the succubus whispered in Stephanie’s ear.
But Stephanie could no longer hear her. His body and soul had been devoured, leaving only an empty shell that had nurtured a nest of plump larvae—most of which had already been eaten by the succubus.
He could have held on longer. After being severely wounded by Melganis, he had little strength left, but with his last traces of magic, he managed to escape—only for the succubus to track him down by scent and pounce on him, draining all his energy.
“You’re still playing around with the dead here!” Pippi flew in through the window, shouting in disgust. “Disgusting! Disgusting!”
“Shut up, as if you haven’t eaten any,” the succubus said, twisting her waist as she took a few steps, still satisfied.
I wonder if my ugly appearance that day will affect his impression of me… But it doesn’t matter… As long as I regain my beautiful appearance and work harder…
“Selfish! Selfish! The Metal Man is leaving!” Pippi cried.
“What?”
It took a lot of time and effort to eliminate all the demons that invaded the fortress, but it was successful. Moreover, the portal the old witches used to return to the Gray Wasteland was finally discovered.
After deliberation and a meeting, the fortress’s great demons decided to modify this portal to send the Metal Man, now a semi-pyreal being, back to his original realm—he was no longer a lowly pawn the demons could ignore or deceive. Just saving the Molten Lake from the Flame Monarch was a remarkable achievement. Without it, the fortress would be forced to seek resources from the Demon Legions of the Melted Lake!
So, a reward was necessary.
The Metal Man stood before the dim portal, his dull black armor skin emitting an unnatural glow as he stared into the void within. The demons assured him he would return to his original world—the world of Morriel. That name surfaced in his memory, and the Metal Man was delighted to find that she hadn’t yet been overwhelmed by the endless battles.
The succubus rushed over at top speed and hugged the Metal Man. She and Pippi had no choice but to use this portal to follow the Metal Man to the main material plane, as the portal could only be used once by one person—Damn it, is that all the demons’ technological prowess is?
She leaned close to the Metal Man’s ear and whispered, “My name is Vadalia… Remember me.”
The Metal Man smiled slightly. “Can’t you summon me?”

He walked alone toward the portal, ready to leave this Abyss of Blood Battles that had completely changed—or awakened—he.
At the last moment before entering, he suddenly turned around and said, “Forty-seven.”
“What?” The succubus didn’t understand.
“My name is Forty-seven,” repeated the metal man, before disappearing through the portal.
Immediately afterward, the portal emitted a loud crackling sound and shattered into countless pieces, turning to dust on the ground.
The succubus rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling very pleased.
There were plenty of fools in the Main Material World—those who summoned demons at will, those who came to the Abyss as tourists… Was there a shortage of opportunities?
Chapter 3: The Burning Jungle