Creating A Succubus Army In A Fantasy World!-Chapter 154: Pyramid Of Dominion! (7)

The wide hallway, once filled with the terrifying crackle of battle and the roar of shadow tentacles, now fell into a strange, heavy silence.

Dust and leftover bits of broken shadow tentacles floated through the air like lazy snowflakes.

In the middle of the chaos stood Creed, Lilith, and Tierra barely sweating and standing tall.

While in front of them, kneeling on the cracked floor, was the shadow girl.

She looked utterly defeated, her once graceful figure now trembling slightly, her shoulder badly mangled where Creed’s brutal spear strike had torn through her defenses.

To make matters worse, Lilith’s fierce purple lightning was still sparking across her body, each tiny current causing sharp twitches of pain she desperately tried to hide.

The girl’s slim fingers dug into the floor, her teeth gritting together so tightly it seemed like they might snap.

For a few long, painful seconds, she fought against the electric shocks coursing through her.

Then, drawing on the last reserves of her energy, she manipulated the shadows around her body like a blanket, absorbing and finally smothering the lingering lightning.

The second the pain dulled, she let out a slow breath—her bountiful chest rising and falling, before lifting her gaze to stare at Creed.

And what Creed saw was not hatred. Not rage. Not even fear.

Instead, there was a strange glimmer of approval shining in her deep green eyes, mixed with a touch of admiration, like a warrior acknowledging another warrior’s strength.

"...Fine," she muttered at last, her voice tired but strangely light, almost teasing. "I admit defeat this time."

Everyone tensed slightly as she slowly reached into a hidden pouch at her waist.

Even with her injuries, her movements were cautious and deliberate, like a viper that might strike again if given half a chance.

Finally, she pulled out a small, shimmering object; the Dominion Key. It gleamed with a faint, mesmerizing glow, practically humming with the power it held.

With a lazy flick of her wrist, she tossed the key toward Creed.

But Creed wasn’t born yesterday.

Instead of reaching out to grab it like some rookie eager for loot, he took a wary step to the side, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

At the exact same time, Tierra moved like a ghost. Without even needing a word from Creed.

She manifested a small, gleaming silver portal right in the path of the key.

The Dominion Key slipped through the portal harmlessly... but as it passed through, a sneaky tendril of darkness which was almost invisible to the naked eye, was caught trailing behind it.

The girl’s face twitched in annoyance as she saw this.

Tierra’s portal reappeared right beside her, and with a sharp flick of her hand, she grabbed the key which was now completely free of any hidden shadows.

Creed allowed himself a small, satisfied smirk. He had timed everything perfectly.

The moment he and the girls had realized they were winning; when they wounded the shadow thief badly enough to cripple her combat strength, he immediately warned Tierra to prepare a space portal for any sneaky tricks.

After all, space voids had no shadows, no light, no matter at all—they were perfect for "filtering" out dirty tricks like hidden techniques or shadow bombs attached to something valuable.

The girl realized her last desperate plan had been completely crushed.

She sighed heavily, slumping her small, bloodied body even further onto the cracked floor.

Her long hair, messy and damp with sweat and blood, fell over her face, hiding her expression for a second.

Creed tilted his head slightly, his cold blue eyes glinting as he raised his spear lazily to rest it on his shoulder.

"So," he said, voice smooth and a little mocking, "Any last words before I send you packing out of this trial?"

He was, after all, a practical man. He knew that in this cutthroat Pyramid of Dominion, every advantage mattered.

And this girl, despite her sneakiness, was undeniably powerful—meaning she definitely had earned a good chunk of Dominion Points.

If he kicked her out, he would steal those points for himself, helping him climb to the higher floors faster.

The shadow girl slowly lifted her face to look at him again.

This time... she went for the nuclear option!

Her big, beautiful green eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly.

She tilted her head just right, letting her long lashes flutter helplessly, and gazed up at Creed with the saddest, most pitiful puppy dog eyes humanly possible.

Lilith and Tierra instantly tensed, sensing the danger.

And Creed?

He had already dimmed his eyes and looked away before she even finished setting up her act.

He knew himself way too well. If he had locked eyes with her, those pitiful puppy dog eyes would’ve cracked his iron will like a hammer hitting glass!

’Puppy eyes... my one true weakness,’ Creed thought bitterly, gritting his teeth and refusing to look back at her no matter how much she whimpered and sniffled.

Realizing her best weapon had failed miserably once again, the girl let out another long, soul-deep sigh, slumping over again like a cat that had been dunked in water.

"Fine, fine..." she muttered with a pout. "I can sell you information."

Creed raised an eyebrow slightly at that. Information?

That was interesting.

In an instant, countless ideas flooded his mind, each more tempting than the last. Information was practically gold inside this hellhole of a trial.

With the right knowledge, he could avoid deadly traps, steal treasures before anyone else, ambush rivals at their weakest points, and glide through the floor like a ghost instead of struggling like a fool.

It would be like having a map in a maze where everyone else was stumbling around blindfolded!

The very idea of it was so delicious that for a moment, Creed almost forgave the little thief for her earlier stunt.

But he quickly calmed himself down. Rushing headfirst into things was for idiots.

He wasn’t an idiot.

Crossing his arms casually, he tilted his head and gave her a lazy, skeptical look.

"And what kind of information are we talking about here?" he asked, voice dripping with amusement.

"Because if you just tell me, ’oh no, there’s danger ahead!’ I’m going to personally slap you into the next dimension."

The girl chuckled weakly, still kneeling in her wounded and pitiful state, but there was a certain spark in her eyes now—like she knew she still had a bargaining chip worth something.

"I know," she said, raising a finger dramatically, "the exact number of youths still left on this floor. I know their combat powers, what kind of abilities they have, what artifacts they use, everything."

She paused, enjoying the lifting of Creed’s brows before continuing, "I also know the locations of the mini-bosses, the Arena Lord, the gate to the next floor, the point requirements to ascend... and some rumored spots that might have hidden Dominion Keys."

Creed’s eyebrow twitched slightly. That was a lot more than he expected.

But he didn’t jump at the offer just yet.

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and immediately started firing off a series of sharp questions.

"How did you gather this information?" he demanded first.

The girl smirked proudly despite her bloody, battered state. "I can see through shadows," she explained.

"Anything that falls into the shadow network around here, I can peek into. Even conversations, battles... nothing escapes me if there’s a shadow nearby." freēwēbnovel.com

Creed didn’t stop there. "If you can see so much, why haven’t you already climbed higher yourself?"

The girl shrugged helplessly. "My plan was to understand the abilities and capabilities of my rivals for some time before proceeding to the higher floors. And besides—" she lifted her mangled arm for emphasis,

"—sometimes even knowing isn’t enough when you’re up against monsters like you."

Creed snorted at that but didn’t let up. "How do I know you’re not lying to me?"

The girl paused.

This time, there was no smug answer waiting on her tongue. She hesitated, looking genuinely troubled.

"...You don’t," she admitted finally, her voice soft. "You’d have to take the risk."

Creed smiled coldly, his hand tightening around his spear. "Wrong answer."

He stepped forward, lightning-quick, and for a moment it looked like he was about to ram his spear right through her heart without hesitation.

The girl’s eyes widened, her whole body tensing as she prepared for the end.

"Wait!!" she shouted desperately, throwing up her hands. "I’ll follow you around! I’ll prove it! I’ll stay close and feed you information as we go!"

Creed immediately countered, not even blinking, "You’re not part of my team. I can’t trust you. You could betray me the second I turn my back."

The girl gritted her teeth, frustration flashing across her pretty face.

"Then..." she took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping slightly, "...I’ll swear a temporary contract with you."

Creed’s cold smile widened just a little.

Finally.

"Now you’re speaking my language," he said approvingly.

He tapped his spear lightly against his shoulder, thinking. "But do you even have a contract scroll on you?"

Because contracts in this world weren’t as easy as just pinky promises or handshakes.

No, real contracts — the kind that actually mattered — had to be made using Stamp of Truth scrolls.

These were rare items, found only in rifts or ancient ruins, and they carried powerful magic.

When you signed one with your blood, it locked your soul into the agreement. Break the contract... and your heart would explode faster than you could say, "Oops."

They were very, very serious business.

The girl, looking a little offended, pulled out a small scroll from the hidden pouch at her waist.

The parchment shimmered faintly, and the faint golden stamp visible at the bottom was enough to prove it was genuine.

Creed chuckled. "Well, color me surprised."

He glanced at Lilith and Tierra, who nodded slightly, their senses confirming that the scroll was legit.

"Fine," Creed said, lowering his spear at last and giving the girl a smug, slightly evil grin. "Let’s do that."

He already had a rough idea of what he would put in the contract:

No betrayal. No leaking information to enemies. No sudden attacks. And most importantly—if she dared to double-cross them, her soul would be crushed into cosmic dust!