Overlord And The Blue Citadel 23 『Challenge Accepted』

A soft grin remained on his face as she could still hear her friend's m.u.f.fled giggles. "You wouldn't dare," Fenrir jeered as he knew she couldn't do any real lasting damage to him at her level.

Wrapped snug in his arms, Evileye reached forward and grabbed at his face, pulling at his cheeks. "Release me!" She turned her head to face the others, "Don't just sit there and laugh! Help me out here!" Part of her was all too clearly having fun with the situation, pulling at his cheeks that reacted elastically, but at the same time, her tone had some sort of urgency. She didn't want to get used to the feeling of being held this way.

"Heh, If we do anything, he might make us do more than just kneel..." Lakyus uttered as she watched her friend being hugged unto. "And I can't unleash Kilineiram's cursed full potential in such a small room, even if I am the only one who can control it."

"Is it that hard to control?" Fenrir's gaze rested on the leader of the Blue Roses who had said this and raised a brow as she was claiming to be powerful enough to control a cursed blade. His eyes hovered over the hand of hers which was resting on the hilt of the weapon.

"G.o.d doubts my word?" Lakyus seemed to grow a smug look across her lips as she drew the mighty Dark Sword from her back and held it out towards him blade first. The point hovered in the direction of his left shoulder.

"I thought you weren't going to use it!" Evileye shuttered in Fenrir's arms as she knew what that weapon was capable of, considering the owner of the weapon had been one of the Thirteen Heroes.

"Oh? Perhaps I'll try it out before sending you all off on your challenges..." His eyes drifted over towards the blonde-haired vampire in his arms. His attention focused on those crimson eyes of hers. He felt like his heart was going to be sucked into them, even if she wasn't centering her gaze on him as she had her head turned to the side. The Wolf didn't seem at all bothered by the girl's hands still on his cheeks, continuingly to harmless pinch and pull at them.

There was no getting him to let go, and she was beginning to find that out the hard way. She would only be free from this man should he so choose to let her be. Her hands fell to his shoulders and she glared up at him.

"Now, don't look at me like that," Fenrir's odd-eyes remained on those crimson orbs of hers as the command spell used on Gagaran wore off. He hardly registered her snickering at the sight, before he leaned forward bringing his face close to Evileye's neck.

Evileye tensed slightly, hearing him take small little sniffs as if trying to take her scent. She could feel his heartbeat drumming through his chest as her arm resting on it. The beat got even heavier as his closeness to her neck pushed down her hood, her golden locks in her face.

"W-what are you doing getting even more excited over this!?" She snapped at him trying to get him to back his face away, but that was when she felt something warm and slippery quickly rush across her skin.

Gooseb.u.mps ran through her entire body along with a strange tingling sensation. It hadn't felt bad, but it didn't feel good either, it was just gross.

Chuckling nervously and a bit out of character, Fenrir slowly withdrew from her neck, his face being grazed by her hair on his way back. "Uh-oh, my Wolf instincts got the better of me due to my excitement."

Quickly after recollecting herself, she shouted, "EEEH?! THAT'S ALL YOU'RE GOING TO SAY AFTER YOU JUST LICKED ME OUT OF NOWHERE!? Aaah! That's so freakin' gross!" She reached up to wipe it away with one hand, while the other balled up on his armored shoulder before she hissed, "Put me down!"

Gagaran pointed upon hearing this, "Hah! Shorty just got licked by a wolfman!"

"...Evileye got licked by the wolf~!" The twins both burst out into laughter after a brief pause.

"Was that supposed to be some sort of kiss, where you come from? Or were you just grooming her neck with your tongue...?" Lakyus asked as she lowered her weapon, a sweatdrop forming on the side of her face as she sounded her second question that seemed a bit concerned in tone.

"Uh, hm..." Fenrir looked down at Evileye whose eyes were looking up at him with this glossy look of embarra.s.sment embedded within them. He then glanced back towards Laykus, "The majority do not kiss like this where I come from, no."

"Pffffff!" Lucifael was standing there with a cheeky grin across her face, her middle and index fingers over her lower lips, "Father... Did you just mark a Vampire as your potential mate?"

Though this was the first time of Fenrir hearing of this, he was instantly intrigued.

"DON'T I GET A SAY IN THIS!? What in the seven h.e.l.ls is wrong with you!?" Evileye nearly blew a gasket, her face burning with anger, embarra.s.sment and a hidden glint of flattery.

The room went silent, all of their eyes were on the 'G.o.d' which was holding the vampiress in his arms. Even though she was undead, the small being in his arms was turning as red as a cherry tomato.

Gagaran exploded into a howling laughter and broke the silence near immediately, holding her stomach with both hands as she could hardly stand straight. "Ahahaa! This is too much! Shorty... Our Shorty is finally being picked up by a man!"

"Shut up!" Evileye threw her hands in the air as she growled, wanting her friend to silence herself and partially wishing Fenrir's spell hadn't worn off. "Shut up, before I cast you into oblivion, you big nonsensical Ma.s.s of Muscle! Stop laughing at me!"

Fenrir was sure that Gagaran was going to pull hernia from going far too hard with that laughing fit of hers.

Neia, on the other hand, was blinking several times at the scene that had unfolded.

"I thought you were into your lovely little squire girl," laughed Lucifael before looking to Neia who was also flushing red in the face. She then paused for a few seconds, only to peer towards her creator with a brow raised as she kept her grin across her lips. "What's this?"

"I told her I intend to drown her in my affections," Fenrir pursed his lips slightly as he finally let Evileye down unto her feet before letting go. He then corrected his posture, "though since I'm at it..." In a single glorious stride, he approached Neia.

"Uh..." Nearly able to take a step back, Neia wasn't quick enough as she felt his hands clamp down on her shoulders and his ma.s.sive shadow engulfed her. Within seconds, almost like a predator coming in for a bite, his upper body was leaning forward and his tongue grazing across the side of her right cheek. "F-Fenrir-sama..." Her hands tried moving out in front of herself, her mind fl.u.s.tered and confused.

"Oooooh! Evileye has compet.i.tion!" Gagaran wiped her eyes as she stood up straight, a snicker leaving her lips as she did so.

"HE CAN HAVE HER!" Evileye flipped the nearest chair.

"Oh really? Guess I'll have two potential graceful spitfires as my future wives, then. So glad you agree to this, Evileye." Fenrir snickered to himself as he watched her.

Tina and Tia both sweatdropped looking at their shorter friend, before glancing over to Gagaran who seemed to be having too much of a good time with this. "Evil Boss," they spoke in sync as they pointed to Evileye, "Should we do something...?"

"Ah..." As she went to speak, her eyes flickered over to Fenrir who was now standing in front of her. Immediately she moved her blade to fit between them, her green eyes glaring at him now. "Fenrir-sama, you may be a G.o.d, but I only serve the Four Great G.o.ds. Should you try and lick me, I will remove that soft slimy bit myself!"

"While your beauty is surely impressive and attractive, for a heavenly mortal," Fenrir stated as he implied the Squire was no longer a normal human, "I can only see us as mutual friends..." His finger trailed along the flat face of the dark blade, "But the future holds many secrets."

"Oh. Evil Boss was rejected," Tia covered her mouth.

"She was, she was..." Tina acknowledged as she scratched the side of her head.

"...Am I not your type?" The leader of the Blue Roses, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, blinked up at him in a confused manner.

"I did say that the future holds many secrets, didn't I?"

Tina raised her hand slightly and said, "I'm a wicked Lesbian," as if it were some form of deterrent.

Lucifael grinned even wider hearing this as she c.o.c.ked her head to the side, training her gaze upon the Ninja. "Oooh?"

Tina blinked in a stoic manner at the Angel who was ogling her.

"Just because you're the Angel of Sin, does not mean you can commit it whenever you want..." Fenrir snickered lightly as he looked to his daughter from the side of his lips. "There is a time and a place."

"Fatheeer~!" Lucifael cried out as if he had ruined her fun before it could even begin.

"Now that this has been over and done with," He lightly tugged the weapon from her hold with minimal effort and took a step back. Fenrir tossed the blade into the air, allowing it to just barely reach the high standing ceiling.

Lakyus's eyes had grown as wide as grapefruit as she watched her weapon go airborne, reaching out for it as to not let it clamber upon the ground.

Yet just as the young adventurer was about to successfully catch her weapon, Fenrir s.n.a.t.c.hed it, gluing his grasp around the weapon by the hilt.

The instance in which he grasped the grip of her hilt, his eyes widened. "Uwaaah! I can feel it! This cursed weapon threatens to trample over even the mind of a G.o.d such as I! I commend you, young mortal... For having the Mental Const.i.tution to resist such a Dark Relic..."

Starry-eyed, the barer of the Virgin Snow exclaimed, "A G.o.d outside of the Pantheon Recognizes the power of a Priestess such as me?! This only solidifies my righteous claim that only a woman who serves the G.o.ds like myself can hold back its full power..."

"The Evil Bosses are multiplying~!" Tina and Tia both echoed one another.

"I suppose I do, don't I?" Fenrir offered a friendly chuckle especially to that of the twin's reactions. His gaze then moved to Evileye who had calmed down now and was standing over the fireplace. Shifting the weapon between his fingers, he held the grip out towards the Priestess to take her weapon back. "Since that is all said and done, it is time to issue the challenges."

"What kind of challenges are you putting us through...?" Evileye set her eyes on him after turning away from the fireplace, letting her locks of blonde hair glimmered like gold as the light of flames shown through them.

"Four of you will pull straws in order to determine the maze or Labyrinth you'll be undertaking," Fenrir informed as he walked over to the table by the window, where he had sat with Neia days earlier. Plucking the cup found in the center the table up into his hand, he peered over the three sticks within it, before turning his gaze to the four other members of the Blue Rose. "And the strongest Sorcerer within the group will face me in a spar..."

Evileye blinked several times hearing the words that spouted out of his mouth. He wanted to fight her? Though he knew that she was probably beneath him in power, he was likely wanting to see what she could do. How much interest would he get out of seeing this? It could only make her wonder.

"Pulling straws?" Lakyus asked as she looked down at the sticks. There were only three of them, "Aren't there four of us taking these Challenges?" She asked as she raised a brow.

"The Ninjas will be taking whichever Maze they get together," Fenrir informed as he held the cup out for her to take a stick. "Once you take a stick, you will be brought to the designated Arena. In order to make sure nothing lethal happens, the two of the angels will be watching over the main Floor."

"Spar?" The Vampiress asked as she walked between him and her friends, unable to block her friend's hand from curiously taking a stick. "Lakyus, wait!"

At the very second Lakyus grasped her stick, and gave it a glance, she vanished into a blur of light as she was teleported to the lower floor and into the Forest Labyrinth that surrounded the level.

"Where did she go?!" Evileye shot her gaze up at him.

"To the Forest Labyrinth on the first floor, near the entrance. Her primary opponents will be Werewolves that dwell within." Fenrir informed as he tilted his head to the side as Gagaran walked over to him, scrutinizing the simple-looking green cup and the marked sticks within.

"Hm. Two choices remain," Gagaran scoffed to herself as she raised her large muscular arm, outstretching her forefinger and thumb to grasp one of the sticks. As she lifted it from the cup, both Evileye and Fenrir peered at her curiously before she vanished in a similar fashion to their Leader.

"And... Where did she go?" Evileye asked as she crossed her arms lightly.

"Gagaran was sent to the Desert Labyrinth, the second ring of the First Floor, after the Forest. Her primary opponent is Blazvataan, a Primal Sand Elemental." Fenrir huffed lightly at the question as the two twins walked over to the tall man, looking him over then to the last stick available in the cup.

"Where will this take us?" The Twins asked as she looked up at him, then back to the cup.

"A generic stone dungeon-themed maze, your primary opponents will be twin shapeshifting Catfolk. They're stronger than Gagaran's opponent and typically use deadly illusions..." His eyes trailed over the twins as he was still curious as to what use the fishnet had, or what its appeal was.

After the two took the stick after hearing the brief and vague information he had to give, the twins vanished from sight as the other two humans had done just moments ago.

"All alone~" Lucifael drew out her voice as she grinned looking over the small Vampiress whose friends went off to take on potentially painful challenges separate from one another.

"Uh-huh," Evileye huffed quietly as she took a handful of paces away from Fenrir as she peered over the Cabin. It was a pretty st.u.r.dy looking place despite the simple almost romantic interior. Her gaze then matched his as he was watching her from where he stood, "Do you have any rules for this spar?"

"First, I would like to know about you, your real name, and your life before the thirteen Heroes." Fenrir found it hard to believe that 'Evileye' was her actual name, let alone the Vampire Lord 'Landfall' either from the Legend of the Thirteen Heroes.

She had not expected him to ask for or of this information, or at least say he was interested in knowing it. Most people who hear that she had been a companion or within the group of thirteen heroes, often wanted to hear the true exploits of the group through her. Hardly anyone was interested in her life prior to the hunt for the Evil Deities, of which she was one.

Though if he had indeed 'marked' her to be his mate, she could only a.s.sume it was natural to want to know about her, right? She bit her lower lip as she thought about how she didn't have the ability to even deliver babies, she was undead. How she wasn't well-developed physically and had the uncanny smooth body.

"If you really must know, my name is Keno Fasris Invern... I was the Princess of the country once known as Inveria that fell two centuries ago. As the sole survivor, I was blamed for that and thus named the Vampire Lord Landfall..." She took in a sharp inhale as she found her eyes trailing back over to the fireplace she had stood in front of not too long ago. The crackling of the flames kept her entertained, and for the most part calm as she revisited the past once more.

Fenrir said nothing, as pity usually didn't sit well with people who weren't looking for it. However, his brows still raised in a sympathetic manner.

"I couldn't find out what caused it," she felt the side of her face with her gloved hand, "But because of my talent, I am forevermore a Vampire until I release the spell that was used."

Pursing his lips hearing this last bit, he nodded as if he understood this. "You captured a spell with your Talent? That's an impressive feat," he said as he was truly impressed by the fact that she had such a power.

"If I release this spell, however, I will become a mindless undead, a zombie." Taking a sharp breath at this she looked to her hands as she lowered them in front of herself. She didn't want to picture herself as something so disgraceful and trapped.

Hearing these words resonated in his mind, the sympathy on his face never leaving and instead intensifying. It allowed him to even consider using super-tier magic Cash Items in order to attempt and cure her. The only problem that went along with that is either it would cure her, or it wouldn't and there was truly only one try if she were to actually release the spell.

"And you're saying that your entire nation was taken out in a single swoop?" Fenrir asked curiously as he looked over her pet.i.te form.

"Yes... That's exactly what I am saying," the girl now known as Keno now realized what he was looking at in her shortened tale of life before adventuring with the Heroes.

As it all aligned in her mind just because he pointed something so simple out, she bit her lower lip. "Super ma.s.s-scale magics that could destroy an entire Kingdom, only Players could be capable of..." she paled at the thought that she hadn't even had two hundred years ago. "Though there is also the case of a True Dragon Lord using Wild Magic, but that's also not for certain."