Creating A Succubus Army In A Fantasy World!-Chapter 40: Fighting A Curse! [Bonus]

[A/N: Here’s the Bonus Chapter as promised for reaching the second powerstones milestone! Continue to vote if you want more bonus Chapters!]

Creed didn’t think. He just ran.

His legs pushed off the cracked ground as hard as they could, his shoes slamming against the dirt with a frantic rhythm.

Beside him, Lilith moved with inhuman speed, her body a blur of purple lightning and raw power.

Behind them, the twins had already split off in another direction, their figures vanishing behind the ruins of broken buildings and collapsed stone walls.

It was a gamble—who would the curse chase?

There was no logic to it. No pattern. No way to predict what would happen.

And then, just as Creed dared to hope it might go after the twins, a horrible, guttural screech ripped through the air. A sound so unnatural it made his skin crawl.

The curse had chosen him!

Creed risked a glance back, and what he saw nearly made him trip over his own feet.

The creature was gaining on them. Its long, grotesque limbs swung wildly, its clawed hands digging into the ground with every step, launching it forward in jerky, horrifying bursts of speed.

Its body was humanoid in shape, but that was where the similarities to anything human ended.

The black liquid coating its body pulsed like something alive, shifting and reforming with every movement.

Its head was twisted unnaturally, a stretched mouth curling up in a monstrous grin, teeth too sharp, too jagged, too uneven.

But the weirdest part was the gaping hole in its chest. It was a wound so deep that it should have killed it. And yet, it still moved.

Because a curse wasn’t alive. Not in the way normal creatures were.

No one, not even the strongest awakened, willingly fought a curse.

Not because they were invincible, but because killing one was a death sentence.

A curse was born when a human or a dimensional beast was exposed to Curse Energy for too long, twisting them into something that was neither living nor dead.

And the only beings capable of producing Curse Energy were the Dimensional Kings!

That meant that every curse in existence was a direct servant of a Beast King—a creature so powerful that even speaking its name would send shivers down the spine of the bravest men.

But that wasn’t the real reason people avoided fighting curses. No, the true horror of these creatures lay in what happened after they died.

The moment a curse was slain, the remaining Curse Energy within it would attach itself to the killer, forming a Curse Mark.

This mark did two things. One, it allowed the Beast King who created the curse to pinpoint the exact location of the person who killed it as long as it was within a certain range.

And two, it slowly began to eat away at its host, corrupting them from the inside out, until they, too, became a curse!

And the worst part? There was no cure!

Creed clenched his jaw as he ran. His heart pounded, not from exhaustion, but from frustration.

Why did this kind of stuff always happen to him? He just wanted to survive, get stronger, maybe beat up a few arrogant young masters along the way—but no!

Instead, he was constantly running for his life from nightmarish abominations that wanted to turn him into an undead monstrosity!

"This is complete bullshit!" he shouted, legs burning as he pushed himself harder.

Lilith glanced at him, her expression unreadable. Then, without a word, she grabbed his arm and yanked him forward, increasing their speed dramatically.

Swoosh!

For a brief moment, Creed felt weightless, his body struggling to keep up with the sheer force of her movement.

But it wasn’t enough.

Despite its injuries, despite its broken body, the curse was still catching up.

Creed gritted his teeth. He needed a plan. Fast.

He could try to fight it, but that was a terrible idea. Even if he won, he’d be cursed for life.

The only way to avoid that fate was to let someone else kill it—but did that mean Lilith would be cursed instead?

What if the Curse Mark didn’t care who delivered the final blow and just latched onto him anyway?

His mind raced through possibilities, each one worse than the last. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be—

The curse screeched again, and before Creed could react, it surged forward in an explosive burst of speed.

Boom!

The air around it rippled as its grotesquely long arm lashed out, black claws gleaming like razors.

Creed barely had time to twist his body.

Pain exploded across his back as the claws grazed him, tearing through his back like paper.

Blood sprayed into the air, the force of the impact sending him tumbling forward. He hit the ground hard, rolling over rubble and debris, his body screaming in protest.

Lilith skidded to a stop, eyes flashing with fury.

"Master!" she shouted.

Creed groaned, forcing himself up. His back burned, but it wasn’t a deep wound. He could still move.

He could still fight if he had to. But fighting was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

The curse loomed over him, its mouth stretching even wider, as if it were laughing.

Creed’s breath hitched. It wasn’t just chasing him. It was playing with him!

Shit.

This was bad. Really bad!

Lilith tensed beside him, lightning crackling around her fists. She was ready to fight. Ready to tear this thing apart.

But Creed hesitated. If they killed it, there was no turning back. If he ended up with a Curse Mark...

His fists clenched.

This was the worst day of his life!

Boom!

The curse attacked Creed once again with a horrifying burst of speed!

Creed barely twisted his body in time, his back slamming against the dirt as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the curse’s grotesque, blackened claws.

Bang!

The force of its missed strike sent a shockwave through the ground, splitting the dirt and cracking the stone beneath it.

Creed didn’t wait. He planted his feet and launched himself forward, sprinting with everything he had.

’Maybe if I just ignore it, it’ll lose interest and go chase some other unlucky soul!’

Unfortunately, fate wasn’t that kind.

The curse let out a sickening screech and blurred forward with terrifying speed, its elongated arms swinging unnaturally as it closed the distance in a heartbeat.

Before Creed could even react, the creature was already in front of him, its clawed hand streaking through the air, aimed directly for his head.

His brain barely had time to register what was happening.

’DOES THIS THING HAVE A PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST ME?!’

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth, spun his spear, and brought it up just in time.

Clang!

The curse’s claws crashed against the weapon with an impact so powerful it felt like he had just blocked a boulder launched by a catapult.

And then he was sent flying. The sheer force of the blow flung him backward like a ragdoll.

His body crashed through a crumbling stone wall, sending debris flying everywhere before he skidded across the dirt, rolling at least three times before finally coming to a stop.

’This is it. This is how I die. Not in some glorious battle, not after achieving greatness, but as the main course for a walking corpse!’

A furious growl snapped him out of his thoughts.

Lilith.

Her entire body crackled with electricity as she launched herself at the curse, her eyes glowing with raw power.

In a blink, she closed the distance and threw a devastating punch, a blast of purple lightning erupting from her fist as she struck the curse square in the chest.

BOOM!

The impact was deafening. The curse reeled backward, its grotesque body twitching as dark energy sizzled around it.

Creed scrambled to his feet, shaking the dust off as he stared at his summoned beast in pure shock.

’Wait a damn minute... Did she just...’

His eyes narrowed, focusing on the energy flickering around Lilith’s body.

Lightning Intent!

’Lilith actually comprehended Stage 1 Lightning Intent before me?!’

For a brief moment, he forgot about the horrifying creature in front of them. He forgot about the death, the curse, the fight.

There was only one thought running through his mind—

’This isn’t fair! I’m supposed to be the genius here!’

He quickly shook his head. ’Focus, Creed. Focus.’

The plan was simple. Lilith would keep the curse busy, and he would use this chance to put as much distance as possible between them.

Once he was far enough away, he’d simply recall her back to his tattoo. Easy.

Except life, once again, decided to spit in his face.

The curse screeched and lunged—not at Lilith, but straight for Creed!

Again!

"Oh, come on!" Creed shouted in disbelief. "Why are you only chasing me?! Are you in love with me or something?!"

The curse didn’t answer, obviously, because it was a brainless monster. But that didn’t stop Creed from feeling personally attacked.

The next few moments were pure chaos.

The curse moved with reckless aggression, swinging its long, unnatural limbs in wide, devastating arcs, each strike capable of tearing through stone and metal alike.

Creed weaved through the attacks, his spear crackling with lightning as he struck back, each thrust sending jolts of electricity coursing through the creature’s body.

But it barely reacted, its monstrous form enduring the pain as it continued its relentless assault.

Lilith was a blur beside him, her speed far surpassing his own. frёeωebɳovel.com

She darted in and out of the battle, striking with pinpoint accuracy, her fists coated in pure purple lightning as she smashed into the curse again and again.

But the curse wouldn’t go down easily.

It fought like a rabid beast, unpredictable and savage. It would lash out wildly, then suddenly switch targets, forcing Creed and Lilith to stay on their toes.

Swoosh!

Creed ducked under a claw swipe and countered with a spinning thrust, his spear crackling with a surge of lightning as it pierced through the curse’s shoulder.

The creature howled but didn’t falter. It swung again—this time, its elongated arm twisted at an unnatural angle mid-attack.

Creed barely dodged, but it was close. Too close!

Lilith took the opportunity to strike, her foot slamming into the curse’s ribs, sending it skidding back.

Creed exhaled sharply.

Fifteen more moves. Maybe less. His muscles ached, his breath was ragged, and the curse was still standing. Worse, it was still getting faster!

There was only one way out of this.

He made his decision in an instant.

With a deep breath, he charged forward. But instead of attacking, he dropped his guard completely.

The curse, sensing an easy kill, lunged forward with insane speed.

Lilith’s eyes widened.

"Master—!"

The curse’s claws tore into Creed’s side, a sickening burst of pain ripping through his body as blood splattered into the air.

But he didn’t stop. He grabbed onto the creature’s wrist, locking it in place for just a split second.

His stage 1 physical strength erupted at full power!

"Lilith!" he roared. "Now!"

Lightning exploded!

Boom!

Lilith moved like a phantom, her entire body surging with pure, condensed power. She leaped, twisting mid-air as she pulled back her fist—

And then she struck!

Her punch connected with the curse’s head, a deafening boom erupting through the battlefield as a wave of purple lightning engulfed them all.

The curse’s body spasmed violently, its entire form shaking uncontrollably as Lilith’s lightning completely overwhelmed it.

Its grotesque mouth opened in a silent scream, its twisted body convulsing as the energy consumed it from the inside out.

Then, with one final, ear-piercing screech—

The curse collapsed.

Creed stumbled back, clutching his bleeding side as he gasped for air.

It was over.

Or was it?

His breath hitched as he looked down at his hand, his fingers trembling.

The curse’s body had already begun to dissolve into black mist, the remnants of its energy lingering in the air.

Creed’s heart stopped.

This was the moment of truth!

His mind raced in panic.

Would he...?

Would he be marked?!