Chapter 150: Dungeon, Human, or What

"What do you mean?" Styx quizzed the succubus with narrowed eyes.

"Dungeons aren't an exotic race, they are technically monsters. Even if you can take on human form, sweetheart, that doesn't change your existence."

"So what?"

"Well, have you ever heard of a monster getting a member of an exotic race pregnant, or vice versa? It is impossible. A dungeon can use any woman's womb to breed monsters, the same with goblins, the monster kind, but that is different. If I was to describe it, the former is true life in the form of an exotic race, whilst the latter is more… parasitic."

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"Sweetheart, my knowledge is your knowledge, I will even tell you the greatness of the great demon god~"

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Styx looked up towards the ceiling.

"Everest," he called out, causing the Monster Lord in her giantess human form to appear from a fold in space with a quizzical face.

"I have gotten you pregnant, but I have also gotten Everest, who is a Monster Lord, pregnant many times. So what am I then?"

"A super breeder~" Ithrea giggled and threw herself at Styx with adoration filling her gaze. "I have even more hope for our daughter, sweetheart~"

"Sigh, come with me. I will show you around the dungeon. That child is absorbing your mana at an ever increasing pace, so you will need an appropriate amount of food to supplement that."

"Ahh, there is only one kind of food I like sweetheart~ And that is y-"

"We have all kinds of mana rich food that you will eat to support your body. In the meantime, you will also need to help me train these other succubi to behave and learn to use restraint."

Styx cut her off and simply led the Fourth Step demoness out of the prison. She followed him under his command as he showed her the various areas of the dungeon.

She marvelled at the large swaths of underground fauna that lived off mana. Giant fields of blue tipped wheat, fat and juicy tomatoes, corn, and all kinds of crops grew in their own regions. Special windmills that spun from the draft of mana to grind crops, whilst all kinds of monsters lived in harmony with the residents.

Ithrea had already learned Styx actually wasn't a part of the human kingdom the demons were attacking, but that mattered not to the invading demons. They would still attack anyway.

She wondered how long it would be until the demon's next force attacked, which was only a matter of time. Battles could be lost, but they always won the war. She would stand on Styx's side this time, or should her own people prove to win, take him as her own prisoner.

~~~~~

⠀

Styx sat in the throne room in silence, off in the distance across the boundless lake covered in pink and white spider lilies, Therina sat in meditation whilst channeling energies from the dream realm into herself. Beatrice, with her bulging stomach, sat on the armrest of the main throne, her head asleep on his shoulder.

He already understood that if what Ithrea said about breeding to be a universal truth. This meant he was somehow bypassing that rule. The succubus may have discarded that thought as her mind was filled with nothing but Styx, but he couldn't shake off the feeling like there was vital information he was missing.

His suspicion was that it was something to do with his previous life and that he was a reincarnated individual. As to whether this was true or not, there was only one person, or god, who would know.

"Anthea, I have questions…" Styx spoke aloud while looked up to the crystal lights that drifted along the cavern ceiling like stars in the night sky.

Despite his query, no answer came from the goddess.

"Anthea, what am I?"

⠀

[

You the lover to Anthea, defier of Authority, world ender, saviour of gods. You are Styx.

]

⠀

"…Who is this?"

⠀

[

I am here to answer your questions. Nothing more, nothing less.

]

⠀

"Where is Anthea?"

⠀

[

Goddess Anthea is currently occupied.

]

⠀

"...Very well. Am I a dungeon, or something else?"

⠀

[

You are a dungeon.

]

⠀

"…So how am I able to impregnate exotic races if I am a dungeon? Is this related to my previous life?"

⠀

[

I do not understand what you mean by your previous life. Please rephrase the question.

]

⠀

"Huh? I mean my life back on Earth. Am I different because I reincarnated?"

Styx waited, but a system window did not open up in front of him. He didn't know who was speaking to him through the system, but he was sure it must be someone related to Anthea, possibly a minor god, servant, or even an automated system like he had done in his core. After all, it was his question that triggered it, whilst anybody else wouldn't have done so.

For some reason though, it suddenly stopped responding.

"…?"

"Hello?"

Styx wasn't oblivious. Between the former time in which he saw Anthea and then those True Gods, and this information that was slipped to him, there were definitely secrets involved. Whatever was responding to him before had to have been silenced as it was simply autonomously answering any question he asked it, an opportunity that wouldn't repeat itself.

The names he was referred to as were also a bit suspicious. Anthea had previously called him world ender as well.

"Anthea?"

⠀

[

I cannot explain much, my love. There are rules that must be followed, and you need the majority vote of the other gods too.

]

⠀

"...Why? And how?"

⠀

[

Mortals need not know the knowledge of all past, present and future that gods hold. You were given Authority so you stand in the middle and have an opportunity. This is why. I cannot say how, when the time comes, you will know.

]

⠀

"What should I do, then?"

⠀

[

Grow. Explore that fallen world. I cannot say any more.

]

⠀

"It called me the Lover of Anthea."

No matter what Styx said from then on, Anthea and the earlier automated response remained silent.

Giving up on seeking answers for the time being, Styx closed his eyes and let his weary avatar rest. The throne room was silent except for the occasional drip of water in the pitch black depths of the cavern, and Beatrice's gentle breathing in his ear.

~~~~~

⠀

In Lagoon Porter City, two new stores opened up and caused a large amount of controversy.

They were brothels, one in the north, and one in the south.

As for why they stirred up controversy, it was because they were specifically succubus brothels, in which men would pay a small fee and be able to have a brief, yet highly satisfying session with a beautiful succubus. They were under strict control too, in which they would not be able to charm men with their magic and suck their life essence out of them until there was nothing less.

The city had just gotten out of a giant battle with the demons though, and cleanups of bodies, not just the enemy but also their own, was still underway.

The residents held not only fear, but a deeply ingrained hatred for them.

However, whilst the demonesses held pointed ears and short horns that poked from their hair, they still looked completely humanlike for the most part. Only a few of them had purple or blue skin, but they were just a beautiful nonetheless.

It wasn't long before the first adventurer ventured into the shop though, leaving half an hour later with a giant grin on his face and a gait that seemed like a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The succubus slowly ingrained themselves in the city, even venturing out of their shops to explore other regions. They weren't allowed to leave the city however as they were technically classed as slaves to Styx. Sex slaves, to be precise.

Either way, the male populas were getting a much needed reprieve from all the built up stress. There were still human and other beastmen brothels arorund, but these succubi were specialists.