Tentacle Lilith had ruled over this land for an extraordinarily long time.
Humans were unaware.
They mistakenly believed that they had defeated her and that a new entity would emerge as her offspring matured.
In truth, Tentacle Lilith had survived for nearly a decade.
Reproduction, mimicry, body switching.
The many offshoots that grew from a single root absorbed mana from the air, expanded their domain and individual entities, and continued to condense their magic power.
During the harvest season, humans would appear one by one after a certain period to collect the fruits of mana.
Losing the mana from the offshoots wasn’t a significant issue.
As long as the core of the main body remained secure.
Even when humans approached annually, seemingly to harvest what they called an A-rank core, it didn’t matter much to Tentacle Lilith.
What was important was the root.
That which lay hidden underground, left untouched under the pretext of “harvesting it next year”.
Tentacle Lilith had evolved far beyond a mere plant, gaining human intelligence and self-awareness. She captured human women, forcing them to intermingle, learning about the human sense of self.
Even if mana was stolen, as long as her mind remained intact, Tentacle Lilith didn’t care.
Her existence’s meaning lay in craving the female body. If she could secure just a few more, she would return to her original state.
An angel.
A magnificent and noble being.
Though her wings had been torn and she had fallen to this inferior earthly existence ten years ago, the angel’s self-persisted by merging with the body of a lowly plant.
Others had sought to inhabit beast bodies, gaining advantages by controlling their flesh.
But the angel chose the plant, aiming to exploit human greed.
Humans didn’t always destroy monsters.
If they deemed them beneficial, foolish humans even tried to cultivate them, unaware that they were nurturing the seeds of their own apocalypse.
Deep underground, when the vessel of the soul germinated in the roots and condensed celestial mana from the atmosphere above, the angel could regain her form.
Tentacle Lilith, the angel, would rise to the surface.
And with her branches, which she called her hands, she would enthrall countless women, hanging one on each branch, turning them into her dolls of torment.
And now, another woman appeared.
Though some offshoots had been swept away, this one seemed worth the effort.
Branches extended.
Without sight, Tentacle Lilith relied entirely on the tactile sensations of her branch-like fingers to understand.
Plump.
Massive, abundant mana pockets.
Just grasping it was enough to sense it.
This was… motherhood.
Yet, if such a large body contained this level of mana…
Typically, beings with high mana levels tended to conform to an idealized form. But sometimes, individual desires suppressed mana’s will to transform.
Those who, despite being filled with mana, chose to maintain their large bodies.
To the angel, it was incomprehensible. Yet, to verify, she extended her branch downward.
A slim waist.
A smooth abdomen.
She stretched the branch downward, coiling around the legs like a snake, binding the woman.
The end of the branch reached the most hidden, intimate part of her body.
Got it.
Once she extracted the fluid emanating from this body and condensed the celestial mana within it, she could channel it into her roots.
Humans were unaware.
According to the plant’s essence, what they called roots underground were actually stems, and what extended toward the surface, resembling fingers, were the true roots.
Instead of absorbing water or nutrients, these roots absorbed mana, transferring it to the underground vessel—the “fruit”.
In human terms, this could be described as the Fruit of Heaven.
Thus, now all that remained was to absorb mana from the woman—from the celestial mana that naturally gathered in her body—
Heavy.
?
Tentacle Lilith had touched it.
Something unpleasant, blasphemous, filthy.
Something an angel should never touch, not even by accident.
In celestial terms, it was something that would mark her as “Gael” (fallen).
!!!
Unbelievable.
She was sure this was a woman.
The mana reservoir, the abdomen, the thighs—even the pelvis—all indicated a woman.
Then what was this heavy thing felt between them?
No, this was unacceptable.
Tentacle Lilith tried repeatedly to dismiss the thought, but she couldn’t erase it.
It was as if a golden, tanned delinquent had barged into a bed meant solely for pure lilies. While two women passionately explored each other, this intrusive “horn of the devil” forced its way in—
And worse, the hands and mouths of the two women now clasped and caressed that imposing “horn.”
-Thou art gay.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
* * *
“So, it’s starting to go berserk, huh?”
Yunia, Evangeline, and I had succeeded in our combined technique.
“What do you think of that ‘illusion’?”
“It’s… remarkable.”
Instructor Esta clicked her tongue in amazement at the illusion we had created.
“It’s basic to exploit the fact that Tentacle Lilith avoids any contact with men, but to deceive her senses to the point of forcing her into ‘contact’… But is it really worth getting that upset over?”
“It’s a matter of conviction.”
This was not something that could simply end with “she touched it”.
“Tentacle Lilith grabbed onto that ‘illusory woman’ with every intention of biting, licking, and rubbing against her. But hanging underneath was something she finds utterly revolting.”
“…So that’s why she’s having that meltdown?”
KIIIAAARRRGHH!!
Tentacle Lilith’s fingers flailed wildly, splaying out like a person in shock upon seeing a cockroach or touching something repulsive and slimy.
Her reaction was akin to feeling disgusting fluid on her hands and panicking in horror.
“It’s not just a meltdown, Instructor.”
“Then what is it?”
“As I mentioned, it’s a matter of conviction.”
While Tentacle Lilith might seem unaware of it now, her mana—more reactive than her very soul—was already responding.
Grrrmmm.
The ground began to tremble.
Something deep underground was collapsing, shrinking in volume, causing the ground to cave in.
“What is happening…?”
“The roots underground are withering. It’s not water, but mana that’s being released uncontrollably through those fingers.”
“Why would that happen?”
“Because she touched it.”
If this were martial arts, you might call it a kind of self-destructive energy disruption.
But since martial arts analogies would confuse them, a more fitting comparison might be—
“In simpler terms, it’s like a woman grabbing another man’s… item that isn’t her beloved’s.”
It’s like a pure love story suddenly veering into NTR territory.
“Still, can an A-rank monster be destroyed this quickly from something like that?”
“She’s only ever had contact with women.”
“And she didn’t know before.”
“She didn’t, but she still touched it. That act alone matters. It’s an issue of self and psyche.”
Tentacle Lilith would not be able to endure this.
Even for a moment, she had become something she loathed and detested the most.
From the perspective of Heaven, such an act—akin to the “fall of a pure maiden” into the curiosity of men—was the kind of debasement only Satan’s subordinates engaged in. For someone devoted solely to purity and lilies (female love), even imagining such a thing was repugnant.
And so, the angelic essence dwelling within a being meant to embody pure love began to flee.
“Now do you understand why I asked you not to write a report about this?”
“Hm…”
“It’s difficult to document this precisely. This is an issue of ‘mana nature’, something only I can perceive.”
How could anyone understand?
The foundational mana of Tentacle Lilith was angelic in nature, and angelic power became instantly nullified when tainted by even the slightest homoerotic overtones.
More accurately, it was a fall into (female) corruption, but for beings devoted solely to purity, such corruption was equivalent to a catastrophic collapse of their gestalt.
Could this be explained to these people?
“Let’s think of it this way.”
Thus—
“The offshoots were destroyed with turbulence, and the illusory doppelganger created with Yunia’s help—along with the enlarged form crafted with Evangeline’s assistance—served as a deadly toxin for Tentacle Lilith.”
“A toxin?”
“Imagine I designed a special toxin that would reverse-decompose the mana forming her physical body upon contact.”
“…Mana reverse-decomposition. That’s a concept I can wrap my head around.”
Instructor Esta shook her head in disbelief.
“Fine. I’ll fabricate the report. I’ll write it as though the three of you fought valiantly and to the best of your abilities.”
“Thank you, Instructor Esta.”
“So…, is the battle over now?”
“Yes.”
The angel that had been hiding deep underground would not escape.
“However, there’s one problem.”
Slash.
A single blade of wind traveled through the roots, instantly locating and severing the angelic essence.
“Now, Tentacle Lilith will no longer regenerate.”
“…What?”
Yurha, who had been beaming at the sight of the cascading cores, froze mid-expression.
“What did you just say…?”
“The cultivation of Tentacle Lilith is over.”
This land now belongs to us.
“Instead of grotesque trees like that tentacle monstrosity, shouldn’t we plant a more visually pleasing tree that bears cores?”
For now, let’s start with strawberries.
“As long as there’s sunlight, I’ll try to make the cores grow.”
Cores that increase mana when consumed.
