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"Eh, why are these two fighting?"

Dorothy shifted her gaze from the other newcomers and was about to see how the Elf Witch who had dominated her illusion was doing, but she was surprised by what she saw.

The previously unstoppable Phantom was now being suppressed and beaten, and the one suppressing her was none other than her old acquaintance, the Succubus Witch Madeline.

This scene immediately piqued Dorothy's interest.

"It looks like our Child of the Forest previously overextended her luck, and now it seems to have run out," thought the homebody witch to herself.

If it were her real body fighting, there might be a contest, but with just this Phantom, it was virtually impossible to contend with Madeline, given that the Armed Society President was truly terrifyingly strong.

The strength of the Phantoms lied in their inheritance of Dorothy's proficiency in magic. The spells they used were of the Saint Threshold, powerful enough to crush their enemies directly.

When it came to combat awareness, however, the Phantoms weren't that strong. After all, each Phantom only inherited one-third of Dorothy's thought processes, acting somewhat rigidly and relying solely on instinct—idiots in battle, essentially.

It was like the AI in video game hell mode, strong in skills but with predictable behavior patterns. They could bully average players, but against a true expert, their shortcomings were inevitably exposed.

No matter how strong the attack, if it didn't hit, the damage was still zero.

That was the situation with the Clown Illusion. It was still an emotionless killing machine, making grand and powerful moves, but whenever these attacks were about to hit the Succubus Witch, she would always dodge at the last second. Then, while the Phantom was caught mid-movement and unable to change tactics, Madeline slyly dealt some damage.

As the Phantom advanced with Rapid Lightning Pace and a long sword, Madeline would counter with her great sword horizontally in front for defense, using its wide blade as a shield, then came a counterattack that left the Phantom wide open.

What puzzled Dorothy, however, was that every time Madeline caused the Phantom to stiffen up from the counter, she did not follow up with a strike. Instead, she would simply touch the Phantom here and there, poking around.

Witnessing this, Dorothy was full of question marks, not understanding what her old acquaintance was up to. Was she fighting or teasing the Phantom? The homebody witch even felt like Madeline was taking advantage of her.

But the Phantom was really just a phantom, right? Underneath the clothes was nothing but a magical energy form, lacking even a physical body. What was there to touch?

However, going back to the subject at hand, Madeline seemed to be much stronger than she was during yesterday's duel. Had she had some sort of breakthrough today?

Dorothy thought curiously.

She could tell at a glance that the Succubus Witch in the area below had significant increases in her strength, speed, stamina, and other attributes. It was unclear whether it was the amplification from some sort of spell, or if Madeline truly had a breakthrough.

....

On the other hand, Madeline had gone off the rails, but she also became stronger.

This was a racial trait of the Succubus Witch, as demons who hold the power of Lust, Succubi both revere and seek after carnal desire. Lust also looks favorably upon them. The strongest moment for a Succubus is when her carnal urges are at their peak; a Succubus in heat gains an all-attribute enhancement corresponding to the intensity of her desires—the more intense, the stronger the boost.

At this moment, the Succubus Witch could clearly feel her various attributes skyrocketing. If she were to pull out her Character Card at this time, she would find that her ratings, which were originally just A, had all temporarily changed to S, and her Precision attribute, which was already S, was about at S+.

Madeline felt like she was in excellent form, as if a mortal who had been wearing an iron restraint suit had finally broken free. She felt light all over and as if the whole world was within her grasp.

But the Succubus Witch had no interest in the world; her gaze was only on the Clown Illusion that was constantly resisting her.

Madeline had thought that once she gave up resisting, she would follow her instincts and pounce on this Phantom, eager to get close. But now, when she let go of her resistance, her previously muddled brain suddenly cleared up. She discovered unexpectedly that she was not trapped in a frenzied state of lust; rather, her mood became calm all at once.

Yes, it was a contradictory feeling. Even though her body's physiological responses all proved she was in heat, her brain was exceptionally calm. It was like being in a post-coital sage mode, where bodily desires didn't affect her reasoning at all.

"Could it be that I've entered Apostle Mode?" thought Madeline, somewhat shocked. But the feeling of shock was quickly dissolved, and her inner peace returned.

Madeline recalled hearing from her father's mother that the most powerful demons in the Abyss are called the Apostles of Original Sin. They are favored by the Seven Deadly Sins and wield the most pure Power of Original Sin. They possess power not of the same level as other demons, they are the nobility of the Abyss.

Among them, at the apex of the Angel Envoys, the seven oldest and most powerful demons are the Seven Demon Gods. They are the incarnations of Original Sin and the absolute sovereigns ruling over Abyssal Hell.

As Demon Witches evolve using a demon as a template, they naturally would not give up the empowerment of the Power of Original Sin.

When Lord Demon King conquered Abyssal Hell, it was through a direct victory via face-to-face NTR. Alone, she engaged in a fair competition with the seven Original Sin Demon Gods, to see who was more favored by Original Sin. The result was that all Seven Deadly Sins chose Lord Demon King, turning the Seven Demon Gods into losers, and from then on, a supreme Demon King position was added above the ranks of Abyssal Hell's demon gods.

After Lord Demon King gained the Power of Original Sin, the Demon Witches also shared this power. In the realm of the Demon Witches, there exists a ritual known as the Trial of Original Sin. Those Demon Witches who pass this trial are granted Abyssal titles and become Apostles of Original Sin.

The Apostles of Original Sin receive blessings corresponding to their sin and possess a special burst ability known as Apostle Mode, which can double combat power in a short time. The higher the rank, the greater the enhancement.

Madeline felt that she must currently be in Apostle Mode, as a message had suddenly appeared in her heart.

"The Original Sin of Lust acknowledges your potential and grants you the rank of Viscount of Lust."

A mysterious voice reverberated in her heart, conveying this message.

The Succubus Witch was taken aback. She hadn't even participated in the Trial of Original Sin; how had she suddenly obtained an Abyssal title and become an Apostle of Original Sin? Moreover, she was granted the title of Viscount right from the start, when normally, Demon Witches who passed the trial could only obtain the lowest rank of baronet.

But it didn't matter; that wasn't important. What was important was how she would deal with the young lady's phantom in a moment.

The eyes of the Succubus Witch, with heart-shaped pupils, flickered slightly. No longer hasty, she had enough rationality to calculate how she should refine this spoils of war.

When it comes to interacting with the young lady, haste would only offend the beauty. It would be an insult to the young lady, akin to the most delicious dish being swallowed in one gulp by someone who does not appreciate gourmet food, not even knowing its flavor—truly a waste.

As she pondered, her body easily dodged the phantom's attacks, and she lightly tapped the opponent's body twice.

"Done."

Having succeeded, she drifted back, and a smile appeared under her mask.

Even as the phantom persistently attacked her again, she did not dodge or evade, simply stating calmly,

"Bind."

As the word infused with Magic Power fell, the phantom about to strike Madeline abruptly froze in place, as if a robot had run out of power.

Six-Ring Sealing Magic, a powerful Immobilization Spell.

This was spoils of war she had acquired from an unlucky player. Although the spell's learning difficulty was only at Six Rings, the effect of this Immobilization Spell could actually rival High-Level Magic; it simply had strict casting requirements, needing Paralysis Runes to be drawn on the body of the target.

Normally, this curse was used to bind captives without the power to resist, rendering defeated enemies harmless—in essence, it was the magical version of ropes used to tie prisoners.

But for Madeline, give her a rope, and she could completely bind her opponent in turtle shell bondage in the midst of a fight. Thus, the same logic applied to this Immobilization Spell.

The light tapping on the phantom's body earlier was merely the drawing of sealing runes.

Otherwise, Madeline, now in Apostle Mode, could have dispersed the phantom with a few moves; she went to such trouble to make it her spoils of war.

Now, her goal had been achieved.

Afterward, Madeline glanced at the Child of the Forest who was ready to flee upon realizing the turn of events. She merely raised her hand and threw a casual punch. Terrifying Fist Strength transformed into a marauding lion that rushed forward, sending this generous King of Luck express delivery back to resurrection.

Of course, she didn't do anything to the phantom; after all, how could a mere illusion satisfy her? Let the desires accumulate for a while; after all, there was still a long future ahead. The young lady would surely become her possession one day.

...The demon of Lust patiently waits...