Chapter 15: Demon Queen's Gambit – Lust Against the Clock
Volume 2: The Origin Lustcore – Harem of the End
Arc 4: Infernal Games – Desires Bound by Time
> [Status: Celestira Recruited – Lustcore Synchronization at 94%]
[Next Trial: Infernal Dominion Arena]
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1. The Hourglass Burns
Time bent the moment we crossed the gate.
The sands beneath our feet were glowing embers, drifting like ash. Every second echoed as a heartbeat, slowing then surging. The sky above us was made of ticking clocks—some shattered, some melting.
Before us rose the infernal coliseum, carved from obsidian and brimstone, surrounded by rivers of molten gold. At its heart sat the throne of Queen Aztrinel—the Demoness of Desire and Chronos, the last trial before Valtheria herself.
"Time is the only thing even gods can't reclaim," Kalysta whispered. "And she controls it here."
System Ping:
> [Trial Initiated: Queen Aztrinel's Arena of Lust & Time] [Objective: Win the Queen's Game—Before You Run Out of Time]
A huge clock formed above us, ticking down from 3:00:00.
Three hours to survive. Three hours to win.
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2. A Queen's Invitation
Queen Aztrinel descended from her throne in a flash of hellfire and perfume.
She had four horns, each curling like spirals of obsidian flame. Her dress was an illusion—woven from shadow and blood-silk. Her eyes were hourglasses tipped sideways, infinite and dangerous.
"You've done well, Kairo," she said, licking her lips. "But my trial isn't fought. It's played."
A massive arena opened beneath us. Twelve gates around the ring. Twelve desires. Twelve tests.
"You must complete as many desires as you can before the clock runs dry," she purred.
"If you survive them all... you may challenge me. If you win... the last Lustcore piece is yours."
"And if we lose?" Elyria asked.
"You won't die," Aztrinel said with a cruel smile. "You'll just become mine. Forever."
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3. Game One: The Chain of Jealousy
A door opened. Inside, Elyria was chained to a post. I was forced to choose between saving her—or embracing Nyxira, who begged me for love she thought she'd never have.
"Every minute you hesitate, Elyria suffers," Aztrinel's voice echoed.
I held Nyxira's face, kissed her—then burned the chain from Elyria's post with my Lustcore.
"I don't choose between you," I told them. "I fight for you."
Timer: 2:33:07
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4. Game Four: The Kiss of Betrayal
Lilix was forced to kiss a shadow-copy of me, one that whispered everything I never said aloud.
"You never really looked at me like the others," it hissed. "Not until you were desperate."
Lilix hesitated.
"I'll never be second again," she snarled—and stabbed the copy through the heart.
Timer: 2:00:49
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5. Game Eight: The Clockwork Lovers
I was locked in a room with Celestira, Kalysta, and Rhyssara. We were given only sixty seconds to reach climax—together—or be frozen in time for eternity.
Heat. Panic. Desperation.
But it wasn't lust that saved us.
It was trust.
We synchronized breath. Movement. Emotion.
We loved, even inside madness.
The clock shattered.
Timer: 0:51:12
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6. The Final Game: Aztrinel's Gambit
We returned to the central arena. Only one test remained.
Aztrinel stood before us in her full form—towering, divine, infernal. Her wings wrapped around the throne, her tail coiled like a serpent of flame.
"Here's my gambit," she said. "You can fight me together... or one of you can sacrifice their future to stop the clock."
Everyone turned to me.
I stepped forward.
"Time was never mine to give," I said. "But I'll risk it anyway."
The moment I said it, Aztrinel struck.
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7. The Battle Beyond Seconds
She shattered time itself.
We fought in the frozen heart of eternity. Every blow I landed rewound or fast-forwarded memories.
I saw:
Elyria weeping after her first kill.
Kalysta's smile before she died the first time.
Celestira's wings the moment they fell.
Rhyssara... being born from fire.
Each vision tore at me.
Each gave me strength.
I kissed Aztrinel.
It wasn't a seduction.
It was a message.
"You want what we have. But you're too afraid to feel."
She screamed and shattered.
The clock struck zero.
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8. The Reward of Sacrifice
I collapsed, drained. My team gathered around me.
Aztrinel's voice—broken, soft—echoed in my ear.
"You win, mortal... but you've cursed yourself. The final Lustcore awaits. But you'll soon see—power doesn't save love. It tests it."
System Update:
> [Queen Aztrinel has joined your Harem (Limited Form)] [Title Gained: The One Who Stole Time's Heart] [Lustcore Synchronization: 100%] [All Harem Bonds at Maximum Stability]
The final gate shimmered.
Valtheria waited.
> [End of Chapter 15]