I Took A Succubus's First Time-Chapter 111: Arrows From Afar

Meanwhile, while the others went ahead to intercept Souichiro's attack, Aria and Kouhei stayed behind at the Saonji Mansion. At that moment, the two of them were unusually close. Really close. So close that their shoulders were brushing against one another as they sat side by side, and the heat radiating from their bodies seemed to merge in the narrow gap.

"Um, Aria-san..." Kouhei broke the silence, his voice wavering slightly as he glanced at her.

"Yes, Kouhei-sama?" Aria responded, her calm yet attentive gaze fixed on him.

"I don't mind you being this close, but you know... you could do something else instead of just staring at me like that. I mean, there's no immediate danger, right? You can do whatever you want, really."

"Yuuna-sama gave me strict orders to watch over and protect you, Kouhei-sama," Aria said softly, her voice carrying a seriousness that felt unshakable. Her eyes gleamed with a quiet intensity. "Are you perhaps uncomfortable with my presence?"

"No, not at all," Kouhei replied quickly, shaking his head. "I'm just worried that I might be bothering you. Don't you have something more important to take care of?"

"I don't think there's anything more important than ensuring your safety, Kouhei-sama," she said, her tone firm and unwavering.

Her words sent a strange warmth through Kouhei's chest. He couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort and gratitude that was almost intoxicating. Having Aria by his side, so steadfast and devoted, eased the lingering unease in his heart.

But even as he sat there, his thoughts wandered.

I hope they're okay out there...

He had no idea what kind of enemies Yuuna and the others were up against. The way she avoided explaining the details made it clear she didn't want him to worry, but that only made him more anxious. Whatever they were facing, it had to be dangerous—possibly even life-threatening.

Even so, Kouhei trusted them. He believed they could handle whatever threat was coming, but that didn't stop a small part of him from worrying.

Suddenly, Aria stiffened beside him. The shift in her demeanor was instantaneous—her posture straightened, her muscles coiled like a predator ready to pounce, and her eyes narrowed toward the window.

Her sharp voice cut through the air. "Something's coming."

She'd sensed it—a threat barreling toward them with alarming speed.

Before Kouhei could even process her words, an arrow tore through the mansion wall with a sharp crack, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot.

The projectile was fast—unnervingly fast—but Aria moved faster. In one fluid motion, she drew her blade, the hiss of steel slicing through the tension in the air. Her sword gleamed with a faint, bluish aura as she channeled her mana into the blade.

The arrow struck her sword's edge with a deafening clang, sparks flying as the sheer force of the collision reverberated through the room. The arrow split cleanly in two, the halves spiraling away and embedding themselves in opposite walls with dull, bone-jarring thuds.

Even in the chaos, Aria's eyes remained sharp, analyzing the attack.

Even though the attack had been blindingly fast, Aria could tell immediately that their attacker was no ordinary opponent. She clenched her jaw as she realized the sheer precision and power behind it. The arrow's tip had been so densely packed with mana that if she hadn't fortified her sword, it would've shattered like glass.

"Kouhei-sama! Get down!" Aria barked, her voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the adrenaline-fueled haze.

Kouhei barely had time to react. He threw himself to the floor, heart pounding as another arrow screamed past, slicing through the air above his head.

The second arrow struck one of the mansion's concrete pillars with a thunderous crack, lodging itself deep into the stone. The impact sent faint tremors through the ground, and small chunks of debris crumbled from the pillar's surface.

The pillar was made of solid concrete, yet the arrow had embedded itself so deeply it nearly pierced through entirely.

Kouhei's breath hitched, his eyes widening.

If… If I hadn't reacted in time… that would've gone straight through my skull, he thought.

The realization sent a cold shiver down his spine. He had brushed terrifyingly close to death.

Aria was by his side in an instant, her body tense and alert, scanning the surroundings with razor-sharp focus. Her crimson eyes darted around, and her heightened senses extended out like invisible tendrils, reaching across the area for any sign of the attacker.

But something was off.

Even with her ability to sense anything within a 500-meter radius—an ability that had grown stronger thanks to her bond with Kouhei—she couldn't pinpoint the source of the attacks. The enemy was either incredibly skilled or utilizing some form of cloaking that rendered them undetectable.

Then, it happened again.

An arrow shot out from an entirely different direction this time, followed almost immediately by another.

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Aria's blade flashed like lightning, intercepting the projectiles with impossible precision. The sound of steel slicing through wood echoed through the room as the arrows splintered into harmless fragments mid-air.

Her mind raced.

It's not just one attacker.

The realization struck her like a thunderclap. It was practically impossible for one person to attack from multiple directions at such speed.

Unless…

A shadow of recognition flickered in her mind. She knew someone capable of this kind of attack—someone who could seemingly be in multiple places at once.

Cloning.

There was a clan notorious for this troublesome ability, but only one individual stood out among them. Someone who could fire from incredible distances and still remain undetectable, even to someone with heightened senses like hers.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, overwhelming barrage.

Arrows rained down from all directions, their sharp tips gleaming with lethal intent. The sheer number of them was staggering, a coordinated attack meant to overwhelm her defenses.

Aria exhaled sharply and closed her eyes. Time seemed to slow to a crawl—not literally, but her mind accelerated to a point where the world around her moved in sluggish frames. She could see each arrow in vivid detail, the trajectory of their flight paths burned into her mind like a map.

Her eyes snapped open, now blazing with determination.

"Demonic Slash!"

Her sword became a blur, moving faster than the eye could follow. The blade cut through the air with such ferocity it created a sharp whoosh, almost like a scream of metal. Kouhei could barely comprehend what was happening. To him, it looked like Aria had multiplied her movements a hundredfold in an instant, her form flickering in and out of sight.

When the chaos subsided, the arrows that had been barreling toward them were reduced to fragments. Not one or two pieces, but countless tiny shards littered the ground as if the arrows had been disintegrated mid-flight.

Kouhei stared in stunned silence, his heart still pounding as he processed what had just happened.

Aria turned to him, her expression calm yet deadly serious.

"Kouhei-sama," she said, her voice steady but laced with urgency. "Please stay low and out of sight. I will protect you, no matter what."

***

On the other hand, Yuuna and her team were locked in a desperate struggle against the Demonic Centipede that Souichiro had unleashed.

The creature was an enormous, grotesque monstrosity, its armored scales gleaming with an unnatural, malevolent sheen. Yuuna, Hina, and Nagisa threw everything they had at it, but nothing seemed to faze the beast.

Yuuna's powerful energy-based attacks, which could normally decimate enemies in a single strike, ricocheted harmlessly off the centipede's impenetrable scales. Hina's precise strikes couldn't even leave a scratch, and Nagisa's immense physical strength, which could crush steel like paper, barely seemed to make the creature flinch. It was as if the Demonic Centipede was mocking their efforts, an unyielding force of destruction that wouldn't go down.

And when the beast retaliated, Kozue was the one who had to bear the brunt of its monstrous strength. She raised her shield and summoned barriers with everything she had, but the sheer power behind the centipede's attacks shattered her defenses like glass. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, forcing the group to grit their teeth and hold their ground.

Souichiro had unleashed something truly nightmarish, and Yuuna knew it.

This thing is a nightmare, Yuuna thought, her mind racing. We don't have time to waste fighting it. Kouhei is under attack right now. If we don't finish this soon, we might be too late to help him.

She clenched her fists, frustration bubbling inside her.

Yuuna trusted Aria's abilities implicitly. If anyone could protect Kouhei, it was Aria. But even Aria couldn't possibly fend off someone like Masaki forever—a bow-wielding assassin with deadly accuracy who never missed her mark.

"Everyone! We need to finish this thing, and fast!" Yuuna barked, her voice resolute.

"Understood!" the others replied in unison.

Hina, Nagisa, and even Kozue shared her urgency. They all knew how dire the situation was. None of them could stomach the thought of Kouhei falling victim to the assassin's arrows—not even Kozue, who often clashed with Kouhei. She might dislike the man, but she didn't hate him enough to wish for his death.

"I'm going to use Crimson Dance again!" Yuuna announced, determination blazing in her eyes. "Kozue! Nagisa! Hold it in place!"

Yuuna's Crimson Dance was powerful, but it wasn't invincible. She'd already used it twice, and she could only manage two more uses before her mana reserves were completely drained. So far, the attack hadn't been able to penetrate the centipede's armor-like scales, but with enough successive strikes, she hoped to wear it down.

"Roger!"

Nagisa and Kozue sprang into action without hesitation. Nagisa charged toward the centipede with unrelenting speed, her muscles taut with exertion. She leapt onto the creature's massive head and wrapped her powerful arms around it, anchoring her feet firmly into the ground to restrain its movements.

Meanwhile, Kozue conjured a barrier spell of immense strength, encasing the centipede's elongated body in a glowing, translucent prison. The barrier shimmered with radiant light as it fought against the centipede's relentless thrashing.

The two women managed to immobilize the beast, but they could only hold it for a few precious seconds.

"Now or never…" Yuuna whispered to herself, raising her hand to the sky.

Her body began to glow with an intense, fiery aura. Crimson energy crackled and danced around her like living flames, radiating heat and power that made the air shimmer.

"Crimson Dance!"