Alive

Kouhei's heart sank as he saw the hundreds of spears of light hovering above Saonji.

No... Without thinking, he burst out from behind the cover of the building, sprinting toward her. He had never been athletic, never quick, but the adrenaline surging through his veins made him faster than he could've imagined. His feet felt weightless, like he was running on clouds, and more than once, he nearly tripped. But he couldn't afford to fall—not now. He had to save her.

In the last possible second, he managed to shove Saonji out of the way, just before one of the deadly spears of light would have impaled her. But in doing so, he took the hit instead. The spear tore through his back, pinning him to the ground, its searing pain slicing through his body.

At least Saonji's safe, he thought, a strange sense of relief washing over him.

For the first time, Kouhei felt proud—proud that he had saved her in time. There were still regrets, things he'd never get to do, but dying like this didn't seem so bad.

I'm sorry, Nee-chan, he thought, an image of his aunt flashing in his mind. She had raised him, and being only ten years older than him, he always called her nee-chan.

His vision blurred, and eventually, everything went dark. He couldn't feel anything anymore.

Saonji stood over him, crouching down to cup his cheek with her hand. There was no warmth left. His skin was cold, a dead chill that confirmed the worst—he was gone.

Saonji looked down, her chest tightening. Something unfamiliar swirled inside her, a sensation she hadn't felt before—rage. Pure, unbridled anger.

"Hahaha! Now this is what you get for underestimating me, you filthy demon," the voice sneered nearby.

Suddenly, power surged through her. Succubi were powerful demons, their strength growing through sex. But that wasn't the core of their power. Their true strength came from desire—raw emotion. When emotions exploded within them, their power multiplied dramatically.

Saonji had never felt emotions this intense before. She was always the ice-cold princess everyone at school thought she was. But now, something ugly and red burst forth from within her—rage, fiery and unstoppable.

For the first time, she was truly angry.

"Now you die as well and follow your servant back to Hell! Demonnnn!" The angel screeched, conjuring another wave of spears of light from the sky. The spears were strong enough to shatter any shield if Saonji tried to block them all at once. But instead of raising her hand to defend, she dashed straight toward the angel.

"Useless! You can't run from me!" the angel taunted.

The spears rained down relentlessly, but Saonji moved with precision, dodging most of them. Whenever she had to, she would throw up a shield to block a spear, but it would shatter instantly under the force. Still, she pressed on, refusing to slow down.

"You think you can defeat me? You're nothing but a filthy demon!" the angel snarled, his voice dripping with arrogance.

The barrage of spears continued, but Saonji was faster, weaving through them effortlessly. When she got close enough, she poured all her strength into her legs and launched herself into the air, soaring toward the angel who hovered above, his wings flapping furiously.

"Wha—?!" The angel's eyes widened in shock as Saonji was suddenly in his face, a swirling black mass forming in her palm.

"Die." Saonji's voice was icy, detached, the coldest the angel had ever heard. In one swift motion, she unleashed the black mass directly into his chest at point-blank range.

The angel tried to summon a shield, but it was too late. The darkness consumed him, swallowing him whole. There was no explosion, no sound. It was as if the night sky itself had torn apart from the sheer force of Saonji's power. And when the darkness faded, the angel was gone—vanished without a trace.

Saonji landed gracefully on the ground, her feet touching down smoothly. Without a word, she made her way over to where Kouhei lay, his body motionless, blood seeping from the wounds where the spear of light had pierced him. The spear was gone, but the damage was done.

She knelt down and picked him up gently, cradling his body in her arms. Then, without looking back, she walked away from the place, carrying Kouhei with her.

***

Kouhei was overwhelmed by an intense sensation, like something magical was coursing through his veins, warming every inch of his body.

Am I... still alive? His thoughts were hazy as his vision cleared, revealing the familiar ceiling above him.

A strange wetness pressed against his chest, accompanied by the sound of something soft and slick moving over his skin.

"H-Huh?" he muttered.

When he looked down, his heart nearly stopped. Saonji was lying on top of him, her red tongue dragging across his nipple, her naked body pressed tightly against his.

"S-Saonji-san!" he stammered, wide-eyed.

Her smooth, pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light, the softness of her breasts and the warmth of her body molding into him. He could feel every curve, every press of her flesh against his.

"You don't need to worry, Okumura Kouhei," she purred, her voice low and calm, her tongue tracing a slow, wet path along his chest. "A succubus's body is filled with life energy. Doing this will keep you alive."

"W-What..."

"Even if you don't want to," she cut him off, her tone unbothered yet intense, "to keep you alive, we have to do it."

Kouhei's brain short-circuited, his thoughts a scrambled mess.

"D-Do what?" he barely managed to ask.

"Sex." Her eyes locked onto his, her voice unnervingly steady."Succubi usually drain life from people, but one of our abilities is to transfer life energy back to someone in order to keep them alive. I've been absorbing energy from flowers and animals for a while, so I have plenty stored up. Now, I'm going to give it to you. But unlike with flowers or animals, I can only transfer it to you through physical contact—intimate contact."