Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

Liam stared upward at the creatures clinging to the mountainside, his eyes moving from one grotesque figure to another. There were too many of them to count properly from where he stood, and every single one seemed to be watching the group with the same cold, predatory silence. Their stone-grey bodies remained perfectly still against the dark mountain walls, their enormous wings folded behind them as though they were waiting for a command. Every now and then one of them would click its teeth together, producing a sharp sound that echoed through the narrow passage.

Liam finally looked toward the witches.

"Anyone care to tell us what these abominations are?"

Agatha remained at the front of the group, but she slowly turned around. Her expression had changed completely since they first entered the passage. The calm confidence she normally carried was gone, replaced by something Liam rarely saw on her face.

Concern.

She looked toward the creatures again before speaking.

"They are exactly what you called them."

Her voice was quieter than usual.

"Abominations."

Liam raised an eyebrow.

Agatha continued.

"They are creatures that were born from darkness itself. The name most people know them by is Gargoyles."

The word seemed to linger in the air.

"Gargoyles were ancient beings, far older than most of the kingdoms and civilizations that exist today. According to the oldest records, they were once witches."

Liam’s expression changed slightly.

"Witches?"

Agatha nodded.

"Powerful witches who sought magic beyond what the natural world was willing to give them. They wanted immortality, strength and the ability to command the forces that existed beyond the boundaries of ordinary magic. So they reached into the darkness."

She paused.

"And the darkness answered."

The wind seemed to grow colder.

"Whatever they received in return was not a gift. Their bodies changed first. Flesh hardened until it became like stone. Their bones twisted. Their blood became corrupted. Their minds slowly disappeared beneath something far more primitive and violent. Eventually, nothing remained of the witches they had once been."

Agatha’s eyes hardened as she stared upward.

"They became Gargoyles."

Mary quietly continued from beside her.

"They are not simply beasts. They are the remains of people who allowed darkness to consume everything human inside them."

Agatha nodded.

"Exactly. And that is why the old texts don’t classify them as magical beasts."

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

That explained why his system had failed to identify them.

Agatha continued.

"They are creatures of pure corruption. They don’t need kingdoms. They don’t build civilizations. They don’t seek wealth or territory in the way humans do. They exist in places where darkness has gathered for centuries, and they guard those places with absolute hostility."

She looked toward the narrow passage ahead.

"And when they decide that someone doesn’t belong..."

Her voice became quieter.

"They don’t negotiate."

Liam looked back at the Gargoyles.

Honestly, he wasn’t impressed.

They looked sick.

Their bodies were disgusting, their wings were malformed and their faces looked like someone had taken a human skull and stretched it until it became something unnatural. They were certainly ugly, but Liam couldn’t understand why everyone was reacting as though they had just encountered the end of the world.

From the way the Gargoyles had positioned themselves, however, one thing was obvious.

They were blocking the passage.

They weren’t randomly perched on the mountainside.

They were guarding it.

Liam looked at Agatha.

"So what do we do?"

Agatha didn’t answer immediately.

She stared at the Gargoyles for several seconds.

Then she said something that made the entire group go quiet.

"Not many records about Gargoyles survived."

Her eyes remained fixed on the creatures.

"But there is one thing that was written clearly in almost every surviving record."

Liam waited.

Agatha finally looked at him.

"When you see one..."

She paused.

"Run."

The word fell heavily into the passage.

Nobody laughed.

Even Irina’s expression became serious.

Mary lowered her eyes for a moment.

Tatiana looked toward Liam.

Gregor swallowed.

The warning was simple, but coming from Agatha, it carried more weight than any explanation could have.

Liam and Leonid exchanged a glance.

Three days.

They had traveled for three days to reach this place.

They had survived the witch.

They had crossed dangerous lands.

They had finally reached the mountains that were supposed to be their next step.

And now Agatha was telling them to turn around because some ugly creatures were sitting on a mountain.

Liam almost laughed.

Leonid apparently had the same thought.

He slowly straightened in his saddle.

"Let’s see how strong you guys are."

Agatha’s eyes widened.

"Leonid, wait."

Too late.

Leonid’s foot slammed against the back of his horse.

Thud!

His body launched upward.

The horse beneath him barely had time to react before Leonid was already several metres in the air.

At the same time, Liam reached toward the weapons hanging from the side of his horse.

He pulled one of his swords free.

Without even looking properly, he threw it toward Leonid.

"Catch."

Leonid’s hand snapped out.

He caught the sword effortlessly.

His body twisted through the air as he redirected his momentum toward the mountain wall.

His foot struck the stone.

Thud!

He pushed off again.

Another step.

Another burst.

Within seconds, Leonid was racing along the side of the mountain as though gravity had stopped applying to him.

The nearest Gargoyle slowly raised its head.

Its enormous eyes followed Leonid.

For the first time, its expression changed.

Its mouth opened.

"Screeeeeeech!"

The sound tore through the passage.

Leonid didn’t stop.

He tightened his grip around the sword.

"Come on."

He pushed himself harder.

The Gargoyle suddenly moved.

Its wings snapped open.

The movement was so violent that a powerful gust exploded through the passage, forcing several of the horses below to stagger.

Leonid raised his sword.

He intended to end the fight with a single strike.

His body twisted.

The sword came down with everything he had.

"Die!"

Clang!

The sound that followed wasn’t what anyone expected.

The sword broke.

Not bent.

Not chipped.

Broken.

The blade shattered the instant it struck the Gargoyle’s body.

Pieces of metal flew through the air.

Leonid’s eyes widened.

The Gargoyle hadn’t even moved.

The sword had struck its chest and done absolutely nothing.

Leonid’s confidence disappeared.

"What?"

The Gargoyle slowly turned its head toward him.

Its mouth opened.

Leonid suddenly realized something.

He was completely exposed.

The creature moved.

It didn’t flap its wings.

It didn’t leap.

It simply rotated its body.

But the speed was so incredible that Leonid barely saw the movement.

Slash!

A claw tore across his stomach.

Leonid’s body jerked violently.

His eyes widened.

For one terrifying moment, everything became silent.

Then blood erupted from his abdomen.

The force of the attack sent him flying away from the mountain.

His body spun through the air before he crashed against the ground several metres away.

Thud!

Dust exploded around him.

Everyone froze.

Tatiana’s eyes widened.

Irina’s mouth fell open.

Mary immediately stepped forward.

Liam’s expression changed completely.

The playful confidence that had been present moments ago vanished.

He stared at Leonid.

The attack had torn open his abdomen, leaving a horrifying wound across his stomach. Blood soaked his clothes as he lay motionless on the ground, his body partially obscured by the dust that still hung in the air.

For several seconds nobody moved.

Even the Gargoyle remained still.

It simply stared down at them.

Then it slowly opened its mouth.

Its rows of teeth clicked together.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

Liam’s hand tightened around the reins.

His eyes narrowed.

Now he understood why Agatha had told them to run.

The problem wasn’t that the Gargoyles looked terrifying.

The problem was that they didn’t need to look terrifying.

They were simply powerful enough to make the warning necessary.

Liam slowly climbed down from his horse.

His boots touched the ground.

Tatiana immediately looked toward him.

"Liam..."

He didn’t answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the Gargoyle standing above them.

Then he looked at Leonid’s motionless body.

His jaw tightened.

"So..."

He slowly flexed his fingers.

"That’s how strong you are."

The Gargoyle tilted its head.

Liam’s expression became cold.

"Interesting."

Above him, several more Gargoyles began unfolding their wings.

The entire mountain passage seemed to come alive.

Liam stared at Leonid for a few seconds without saying anything.

The sight before him was enough to make even him pause.

Leonid was still standing.

That alone was almost absurd considering what had just happened. His stomach had been torn open so violently that his intestines had spilled out, yet somehow the strange immortality within him had already begun putting everything back together. The flesh around his abdomen slowly pulled itself closed while the muscles beneath his skin knitted together one strand at a time.

But something was different.

This time, the healing wasn’t fast.

Leonid’s normally pale complexion had become almost ghostly. Sweat covered his forehead and his breathing had grown shallow. His shoulders sagged as though even keeping himself upright had suddenly become an exhausting task.

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

So that’s the limit.

Leonid could survive almost anything, but surviving wasn’t the same thing as instantly recovering.

Tatiana noticed Liam’s expression.

"What are you thinking?"

Liam didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes slowly traveled upward.

The gargoyles were still there.

Dozens of them.

They clung to the walls and hovered above the narrow mountain passage, their massive wings folded against their backs as they watched the group below. Their stone-like bodies looked almost carved from the mountains themselves, but Liam knew better now.

Liam finally looked back at Tatiana.

"Once I start fighting them, I’ll gather the attention of all of them."

Tatiana’s expression changed.

"What?"

"I want you guys to use the opportunity to move through this passage as quickly as possible."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Irina exploded.

"Liam, are you out of your fucking mind?"

Her voice echoed between the mountains.

"You just saw what one of those things did to Leonid and you want to take the rest of them on?"

She pointed toward the creatures above them.

"There are more than thirty!"

Tatiana’s face had gone pale.

She stared at Liam as though she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Even Agatha looked shaken.

"Liam," she said carefully, "you shouldn’t underestimate them."

"I don’t."

His answer was simple.

That somehow made it worse.

Agatha stared at him.

Liam wasn’t being reckless because he thought the gargoyles were weak.

He had seen exactly what one of them could do.

And he still intended to fight them.

Leonid slowly straightened himself.

"I’m fine."

Liam glanced at him.

"You look like shit."

Leonid gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"I know."

Liam turned his attention back toward the gargoyles.

Something about them bothered him.

His system couldn’t identify them.

It was almost as though they existed outside the rules his system understood.

That made Liam even more curious.

But curiosity could wait.

His companions couldn’t.

Whoosh!

Before anyone could react, Liam disappeared.

The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force of his acceleration.

Tatiana’s eyes widened.

"Liam!"

He reappeared beside Leonid almost instantly.

Leonid barely had time to turn before Liam grabbed his shoulder and pulled him upright.

"You heard me," Liam said.

Leonid looked at him.

"About what?"

"Getting everyone across."

Leonid stared at him for a moment before understanding.

"You really are planning to stay behind."

Liam smiled.

"For a little while."

Leonid looked toward the gargoyles.

Then back at Liam.

"You’d better hurry."

Liam’s smile widened.

"I always do."

Leonid suddenly stumbled.

His hand went to his chest.

His breathing became heavier.

"Liam..."

The young man immediately noticed.

"What?"

Leonid swallowed.

His lips had become almost colorless.

"B-Blood."

The word barely escaped his mouth.

Liam’s expression changed.

He understood immediately.

The healing had consumed more than Leonid could replenish on his own.

He needed blood.

And judging from his condition, he needed it now.

Tatiana stepped forward.

"Leonid?"

Leonid’s eyes flickered toward her before returning to Liam.

He looked embarrassed.

"I need..."

"I heard you."

Liam didn’t hesitate.

He raised his hand.

Then, before anyone understood what he intended to do, his teeth clenched against his own palm.

Rip!

He tore into the flesh.

Blood immediately welled from the wound.

Irina’s eyes widened.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Liam ignored her.

He grabbed Leonid by the back of the head and brought his bleeding hand directly to his mouth.

Leonid froze.

"Liam..."

"Drink."

The smell reached Leonid first.

His pupils contracted.

Something ancient stirred behind his eyes.

The veins around his face suddenly became visible.

He grabbed Liam’s wrist instinctively.

Then he drank.

The change was immediate.

Leonid’s body reacted as though someone had poured fire into his veins.

The faint tremor in his legs disappeared.

Color began returning to his face.

His shoulders straightened.

The wounds that had been slowly closing suddenly accelerated.

The flesh around his stomach sealed completely before the final traces of blood vanished beneath his skin.

Leonid continued drinking for another moment.

Then he stopped himself.

He pulled Liam’s hand away.

His breathing was steady again.

His eyes had regained their sharpness.

He looked down at his own body in disbelief.

The weakness was gone.

Every trace of exhaustion had disappeared.

Leonid flexed his fingers.

Then looked at Liam.

"Thanks."

Liam glanced at his injured hand.

The wound was already beginning to close.

He shrugged.

"Don’t mention it."

Leonid looked toward the gargoyles.

His expression became serious.

"You’re still doing this?"

"Yeah."

"You’re insane."

"I’ve heard that before."

Leonid gave him a small smile.

Then Liam placed a hand against his shoulder.

"Get everyone through."

Leonid nodded.

"Don’t worry."

"I’ll join you soon."

Leonid hesitated.

For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to argue.

But he knew Liam.

Once Liam had made a decision like this, trying to change his mind was pointless.

"Fine."

Leonid turned toward the others.

"Everyone, move!"

Agatha immediately understood.

She began directing the horses forward.

Mary followed.

Irina hesitated for another second, her eyes still fixed on Liam.

Tatiana didn’t move.

She stood there staring at him.

"Liam..."

He looked at her.

Her eyes were filled with concern.

"You’ll come back."

It wasn’t a question.

It was almost an order.

Liam smiled.

"Of course."

Tatiana stared at him for another moment before finally turning her horse around.

The group began moving.

One by one, they entered the narrow passage.

The gargoyles watched them.

None moved.

Not yet.

Liam remained behind.

He waited until Tatiana had gone far enough.

Then he turned his attention upward.

Silence settled between the mountains.

The wind passed through the narrow gap, carrying the faint sound of beating wings.

Liam rolled his shoulders.

He stretched his neck from side to side.

Then he reached down and drew one of the swords hanging from his horse.

The blade gleamed beneath the pale light.

Liam looked up at the creatures.

Their eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.

Thirty.

Maybe more.

Some clung to the mountain walls.

Others hovered above him.

A few slowly unfolded their enormous wings.

Their mouths opened.

Rows of jagged teeth became visible.

Liam’s smile widened.

"Well..."

He tightened his grip around the sword.

"You wanted to stop us from coming through here."

His eyes sharpened.

"So let’s see how good you really are."

A gargoyle suddenly spread its wings.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds, the entire sky above the passage seemed to come alive.

Wings beat against the air.

Dust and small stones rained from the cliffs.

The creatures began descending.

Liam’s smile disappeared.

His expression became calm.

Focused.

Almost peaceful.

He planted one foot firmly against the ground.

The gargoyles screeched.

Liam raised his sword.

"Come on."

His voice echoed through the mountains.

"Let’s dance, you damned creatures."

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