Succumania

The desert was a sanctuary of solitude—vast, quiet, and free from the troubles of the world. Here, no one could bother him. No urgent cases, no city noise, just the endless dunes stretching toward the horizon under a golden sky.

The young detective was enjoying his nice relaxing sun bath, his arms crossed behind his head as he rested against a cool rock. It reminded him of the days he had spent in the desert of Tamia.

Ah, so nostalgic.

It was a good time. Him and Saki, also named Seris by her true name, were having fun, journeying around these dunes, hoping from villages to villages, partying until the night ended.

Well, he didn't like partying but she did party a lot back then.

He, on the other hand, preferred moments of solitude and quiet. He was never a real lover of meeting people, drinking, or even dancing.

Even now, as he stretched beneath the sun, he could almost hear her teasing voice in his ears.

"You're such a bore, you know that? If I wasn't around, you'd probably turn to dust sitting under some rock."

A small smirk tugged at his lips. Perhaps she had been right. Even though he hadn't changed one bit. He still hated parties and loved moments like these.

Especially ever since a group of succubi had made an irruption in his home after a long battle. A rather short battle actually, but it felt long to him. Now that he was thinking about it, that battle for the fate of the multiverse had only lasted a few days at best.

Not even a week.

"Huh…" he let out a small sigh of amusement at the thought.

This was why he had come here in the first place. To escape from those wretched creatures who had treated his home as their own. Waking up to find two of them playing video games like carefree children, another reminding him of some random promise he barely remembered making…

And then there was her.

No, he didn't want to fight her for god's sake! She was terrifying as it was.

"So that's what you're doing here."

"AH!" Luka jolted upright, his heart leaping into his throat. The voice was small, but unmistakable. It carried a casual amusement, yet held an eerie sharpness—almost as if she had plucked the thoughts straight from his head.

He turned around, already knowing what he would see.

There she was, standing just above him—arms crossed, expression unreadable, white hair catching the desert breeze.

The same smug little nightmare who, for some unfathomable reason, had been dead-set on fighting him ever since they first met. A promise she had taken far too seriously, one he barely even remembered making.

He didn't expect that even after dying and being revived, she would remember that little detail.

"Fight me, brat."

Luka groaned, rubbing his temples. "Oh, for the love of—"

She was in her usual clothing, not in her succubus form for once. And he was glad, because otherwise there would have been heavy misunderstandings about her appearance.

Not that it would care because they were in a desert after all.

"How did you find me you damn loli? We're in fucking South America!"

His words were cut off by a sharp thud as she stomped down on his head.

"Hold your tongue," she said coolly. "I tolerate a certain level of disrespect, but you're getting awfully insolent, aren't you?"

Luka groaned, half from pain, half from sheer exasperation.

"Seriously?! You tracked me across the whole planet just for a fight?!" He pushed himself up, brushing the sand from his clothes. "I wasn't going to ask it before but… Are you insane?!"

She only smirked.

"Insanity has nothing to do with this," she replied smoothly. "All I hear is excuses because you're scared to lose this time," she grinned devilishly.

"Not really no. I just don't care."

Her grin faded almost as quickly. "Oh, really?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, really," He exaggerated a polite bow. "Now, if you'd be so kind, dear madam… You can leave."

"You're supposed to be the one asking to leave, not the other way around…" Vinum sighed.

"And what about all the others, huh? Why don't you all piss off from this world already?!" Luka stomped his foot in frustration. "Even the others did! Jotaro, Hakunen, everyone did! So why are you all still here?"

"That, I don't know," Vinum replied simply while looking unbothered by Luka's outburst. No, she was getting annoyed and uncharacteristically patient, and Luka knew it.

Still, he couldn't care anymore. They had taken over his place after all.

"You don't know? Why? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of grand magical being or something?"

Vinum remained still, watching him with an unreadable expression.

"Even that crazy blue-haired girl is here! She stole all of my hardware and keeps playing video games like a NEET or something!"

Her foot began to stomp against the sand, impatiently.

"Without saying that I lost track of Saki who fucked off god knows where! I bet she's the one responsible for this shit!"

Her eyebrows twitched.

"And to top it all off, the cherry on top, the final rotten piece of turd embellishing the sidewalk that is my life—"

Vinum's patience finally snapped.

THUD!

Her foot slammed into the sand with enough force to send a small shockwave rippling through the ground.

Luka took an instinctive step back, suddenly aware that he may have pushed her a little too far.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?" Vinum's voice was eerily calm, but the slight twitch of her eye betrayed her irritation.

Luka crossed his arms, feigning confidence. "Oh, excuse me, Princess Wannabe Goku! Why don't you go see the guy and ask him to fight you instead?"

"I was dead at the time you summoned this… Goku," Vinum frowned, her voice tinged with irritation. "And for the record, I don't appreciate the comparison."

Luka shrugged dismissively. "Well, you both love fighting for all I care. I bet it's because you're bored."

"Careful," she warned, a small, dangerous grin tugging her lips.

Luka tilted his head, his patience snapping. "Oh? What's it gonna be? Gonna use your sucking powers that suck on me?" he waved his arms in the air as if to taunt her.

Without warning, Vinum lunged forward—faster than he anticipated. She was right in front of him before he could even react, her hand already swinging in a deadly arc aimed at his face.

Luka barely managed to duck, the sharp wind of her swing grazing his cheek. His heart raced as he realized, in that brief instant, that this punch would have killed him.

He rolled to the side, his body moving on pure instinct as her boot slammed into the ground where his head had been just moments before.

"Too slow," Vinum said, her voice dripping with amusement.

Every move was lethal, and yet, she was just playing around.

"How the hell did I beat you?!" Luka began running for his life as he saw the little succubus grin at him in delight.

"You were just lucky, brat," she answered nonchalantly, raising her hand. A binding spell shot toward him, and before he could react, the invisible magic struck him like a vise. His whole body went rigid, every muscle locking in place as if he had turned into stone.

With no ability to move, Luka crashed to the ground, unable to even brace himself for impact.

Vinum casually walked over, her footsteps slow and deliberate as she stood over him, her smug grin never wavering.

"Any way you're letting me go?" Luka managed to croak, sweat dripping down his face, under her merciless gaze.

"I thought you were for once an interesting human," Vinum began, her words sharper than he expected. "That you'd at least keep your promise, unlike your kind, who only operates on treachery—"

"Oh come on, that's rich coming from you."

"True," she smirked, unfazed. "But you're disappointing me. And boring me too…" She sighed dramatically, her eyes almost closing in exaggerated weariness. When she opened them again, only a cold and neutral face was there. "So I guess I'll just kill you now."

Luka's breath hitched, his mind racing. "Wait—"

"No more words." Vinum's voice was cold, final. She bent down, her fingers glowing with dark magic as she prepared to end him.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Luka's heart hammered in his chest, his body completely at her mercy. In a desperate rush, he used his life force to channel a small, emergency spell that allowed him to regain control of his body. With a sharp jerk, he shot his fist upward, enhanced with magic, the blow connecting with Vinum's chin.

The little succubus was sent flying backward, and Luka wasted no time scrambling to his feet. He frantically rummaged through the pockets of his jacket, his heart pounding as he searched for the talisman that could get him out of this nightmare.

His fingers brushed against the cold, familiar paper, and he snatched it with trembling hands. Behind him, Vinum was slowly pushing herself back up, her eyes narrowing.

"Quick, quick, come on…" Luka muttered under his breath, sweat beading on his forehead. With trembling hands, he held the talisman in the air, his pulse racing.

He then flipped her off with his middle finger and began laughing. "Gahaha! Fuck you Vinum! Adiós!" The talisman glowed briefly, the spell beginning to work.

It was a long-range teleportation spell, meant to take him far from South America and back to Europe. He could feel it— the pull of magic, the familiar sensation of his body being pulled through space—

*Zap*

"Eh?" Luka's eyes widened as he looked up, only to see the talisman burned to a crisp in his hand. His gaze then shifted to Vinum, who stood there, pointing a finger at the smoldering remains with a triumphant smirk.

After a few seconds where they stood in front of each other, Luka turned around and began sprinting at full speed, the sand kicking up behind him.

Vinum's smirk only deepened as she watched him sprint away. With a bored sigh, she revealed her succubus form, her usual attire leaving be to a more revealing outfit. Her wings unfurled and her tail flicked behind her as she soared after him, her form cutting through the air with unnatural speed with her ponytail flicking against the wind.

"Come on!" Luka cried out as he glanced over his shoulder. "We used to be buddies! Remember the car chase?!"

Vinum's lips curled into a wicked smile, her eyes glowing with amusement as she zoomed up beside him, effortlessly matching his speed.

"Oh, I remember," she purred, her voice dripping with mock affection. "I wondered many if I should have just let you down in that pack of monsters back in the Pocket Castle. Besides, it was before you were such a coward."

Luka gritted his teeth, his breath heavy and labored. He had no idea how much longer he could keep up this pace, especially with the relentless pursuit of the succubus in his earshot and the sand slowing him down.

"Goddamn it, Vinum!" Luka shouted. "Give me some slack would you? I was not ready, this isn't fair!"

Luka's legs burned as he sprinted across the dunes, the sand shifting beneath his feet with every step. The desert sun beat down mercilessly, and his breath came in ragged gasps. Behind him, Vinum hovered effortlessly, her wings casting a shadow over him like a predator stalking its prey.

"You know," Vinum called out, her voice carrying a singsong lilt, "you're only making this harder on yourself. If you'd just fight me, we could both have what we want."

"You'll kill me if I lose!" Luka shouted back, his voice cracking under the strain. He risked a glance over his shoulder and immediately regretted it. Vinum was closer than he thought, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I'll keep you for a while, and then I'll kill you. We need to do something about that little dysfunction of yours, after all," she snickered.

Luka's face flushed, equal parts anger and embarrassment. "Dysfunction?! What the hell are you even talking about?!"

"Kuku… You know exactly what I mean," Vinum replied, her grin widening. "All that pent-up frustration, all that resistance… It's unnatural. Really, I'm doing you a favor."

That was it, the moment he snapped.

"A favor?!" Luka skidded to a halt, turning to face her. "You barged into my life, turned my home into a circus, and now you're chasing me across a desert because you're bored! I don't want your stupid favor!"

Vinum landed gracefully a few feet away, her wings folding behind her. "So, you've finally decided to fight."

"Fuck off! I'm beating you up, and don't come crying later!"

With a swing of his hand, Vinum stood on the defensive. Except, instead of receiving a spell or a punch, Luka only stood there, his middle finger extending again.

"Who said I couldn't do the same thing twice?" Luka grinned as he was holding another talisman in his hand, the same as the last one. "This time I'm going away for real, bye you crazed loli!"

The talisman flared to life, and with a quick burst of magic, Luka vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Vinum standing in stunned silence. For a moment, there was nothing but the desert wind.

Vinum blinked, her expression one of disbelief. "He actually got me…" Her wide eyes narrowed, but the shock faded quickly, replaced by a bemused smirk. "Well, at least he'll have a surprise waiting for him when he gets home…"

Because ever since he left, things had gotten way worse.

An invasion of succubi… was coming.