Chapter 83: Corvina

That afternoon.

The top floor of Laviana Media rarely received outside guests, but today, the atmosphere inside the private office was so tense that Vylana felt as though breathing a little too loudly might cause something to happen.

A woman sat on the sofa opposite the desk with her arms crossed.

Her name was Corvina.

Her extremely long black hair fell nearly to her waist, thick and naturally tousled. The dark purple makeup around her eyes and black lipstick made her already sharp features appear even more unapproachable. A black leather collar encircled her neck, with a metal ring fixed at its center. Over her tight leather corset, she wore a biker jacket of the same color, paired with leather pants, knee-high boots, and a silver chain hanging loosely from one hip.

A black motorcycle helmet rested beside her feet.

Her clothing alone made Corvina resemble the leader of a biker gang, but what truly made Vylana nervous was her physique.

Corvina was extremely tall. Even while seated, her toned body and long legs radiated obvious pressure. Her shoulders were broader than those of an ordinary Succubus, and although her arms were not excessively bulky, every line of muscle was clearly defined beneath the tight leather. In contrast to her powerful upper body, her waist was exceptionally slender, while her full hips and legs gave her figure both athletic strength and mature femininity.

Even her sitting posture had absolutely nothing to do with that of a refined lady.

Her legs were slightly spread, her back rested against the sofa, and her arms remained crossed over her chest. The fingers inside her leather gloves continuously tapped against her opposite arm.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Vylana watched the motion, one eyelid twitching slightly.

What made matters worse was that five other Succubi stood behind Corvina. Every one of them wore leather jackets, tight pants, knee-high boots, and an assortment of chains. Even their makeup was nearly identical. The longer Vylana looked at them, the more she felt that if they carried a few iron clubs, the scene would perfectly resemble a gang arriving to collect a debt.

Mother...

Vylana secretly glanced at her phone.

Still no message.

Where did you go?

Laviana had been the one to invite Corvina here. She had previously told Vylana that Corvina was one of the people she wanted to ask to advise them on several combat scenes for The Angel Succubus. Besides that, Laviana seemed to have vaguely mentioned a particularly unusual man, saying just enough to persuade Corvina—who normally had little interest in meeting men—to travel all the way here.

And yet—

The person who had arranged the meeting had disappeared.

Vylana took a deep breath and forced herself to smile.

"Corvina."

The tapping immediately stopped.

Those dark purple eyes looked directly at her, causing Vylana to instinctively straighten her back by several centimeters.

"My mother..." Vylana paused slightly, trying to keep her voice as natural as possible. "...had an unexpected matter to handle. She probably won’t be returning today."

The room fell silent.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

BAM!

"Ah!"

Vylana jumped in fright.

Corvina’s hand had just slammed down onto the wooden table between them. The thick tabletop immediately caved beneath her palm. Then came a loud crack as fractures rapidly spread from the center all the way to the edges.

Vylana looked at the table.

Then at Corvina’s completely unharmed hand.

The corner of her eye twitched.

"Laviana called me here." Corvina slowly ground her teeth. Her voice was naturally deeper than that of most Succubi, but now it sounded even more dangerous. "She said it was important. I put aside all my work, traveled nearly three hundred kilometers, and sat here waiting for more than an hour..."

The fractures beneath her palm spread a little farther.

Corvina raised her head.

"And then she disappeared?"

Cold sweat began forming on Vylana’s back.

"I don’t know where Mother is either."

"You don’t know?"

"I truly don’t."

"Is this how Laviana receives her guests?"

"Corvina..." Vylana tried to make her voice as gentle as possible. "Please calm down first."

The room abruptly fell silent.

One of the women behind Corvina quietly closed her eyes. The woman beside her also turned her face away, as though unwilling to witness what was about to happen.

Before Vylana could understand what their reactions meant, Corvina slowly rose to her feet.

I’m dead.

It had not been as obvious while she was sitting, but once Corvina stood at her full height, her enormous frame nearly blocked part of the light behind her. Vylana instinctively retreated, but Corvina had already stepped forward.

"You—"

Before Vylana could finish speaking, one hand seized her by the collar.

"Ah!"

Her body immediately became weightless.

Both feet left the floor.

Vylana’s eyes widened as she watched Corvina lift her with one hand as easily as if she were picking up a shirt. The woman’s dark purple eyes remained fixed coldly upon her.

"You’re telling me to calm down?"

"I... I was only..."

"Laviana also said she would introduce me to someone—someone she claimed was very different." Corvina ground her teeth, her hand unconsciously tightening. "I thought she had finally found something worth making me travel all this way."

As her collar pressed more tightly against her throat, Vylana began flailing her arms.

"I truly don’t know where Mother went!"

At that moment, the expressions of the five women behind Corvina changed simultaneously.

"Boss!"

The entire group practically charged forward at once. One woman grabbed Corvina’s arm, a second held her shoulder, while another wrapped both arms around her waist from behind.

"Boss, calm down!"

"She’s about to suffocate!"

"Don’t leave a corpse inside a media company!"

"People still need to film here!"

Corvina paused.

Vylana remained suspended in front of her.

The two stared at each other for several seconds.

At last, Corvina released her.

Thud!

Vylana dropped back into the chair and immediately clutched her throat, coughing repeatedly.

"Cough! Cough!"

Corvina watched her for several more seconds, her expression growing uglier by the moment. Then she abruptly turned away.

BAM!

The office door slammed so violently that the glass beside it trembled.

The entire room immediately fell silent.

Vylana coughed several more times before finally managing to raise her head. The five biker-clad Succubi still had not followed Corvina. One of them looked at Vylana and sighed as though she had just witnessed something completely ordinary.

"You’re lucky."

Vylana stared at her blankly.

"What?"

"The Boss is in a fairly good mood today."

Vylana looked at the table that had nearly split in half, then at the door that was still trembling slightly from being slammed.

"...This is a good mood?"

The woman nodded seriously.

"At least she didn’t punch you."

Vylana remained silent for several seconds. Another woman had already stepped forward to examine her neck. After seeing that it was only slightly red, she nodded to confirm that Vylana was fine.

Vylana swallowed dryly.

"What happens if she punches someone?"

The women all fell silent.

After a moment, the one standing nearest finally answered, "Two months ago, a Succubus laughed at the Boss’s motorcycle and called it ugly."

"And then?"

"Broken jaw."

Vylana immediately went silent.

The woman beside her cheerfully added, "That was one of the lighter incidents."

"What?"

"One time, a Stone-Armored Demon Bull charged straight into our convoy."

Vylana sat a little straighter.

"What level?"

"Silver."

"What did Corvina do?"

"She got off her motorcycle."

"And then?"

"She punched it."

Vylana waited several seconds, but the woman said nothing more.

"...That’s it?"

"Mm."

"What happened to the Demon Bull?"

"The armor on its head shattered."

Vylana: "..."

The woman beside her immediately added with a voice full of pride, "The Boss’s motorcycle only suffered a small scratch."

"I wasn’t asking about the motorcycle!"

"Oh."

The woman seriously reconsidered the question.

"The Demon Bull couldn’t get up for three days."

Vylana suddenly felt her neck hurt even more.

Another Succubus apparently felt that the stories were still insufficient and enthusiastically began recounting how Corvina had once lifted an entire motorcycle with one hand to change a wheel. Vylana had originally intended to say that such a feat was not particularly impressive, but after hearing that the motorcycle weighed nearly four hundred kilograms, she immediately fell silent.

"And another time—"

"That’s enough."

Vylana hurriedly raised a hand.

"I understand."

She truly did not want to hear any more.

But at that moment, Vylana finally remembered where she had heard Corvina’s name before.

A Titan Succubus.

One of the bloodlines most renowned for physical strength.

Corvina currently had no Partner, so her level was not particularly remarkable compared with the truly powerful Succubi in the city. However, she possessed Epic aptitude, and together with her Titan bloodline, her physical strength far surpassed most others at the same level.

It was said that ordinary concrete walls were little different from thin wooden boards to her.

Vylana looked at the table that had nearly split in half, then glanced toward the door.

She suddenly felt that the rumors might have been rather modest.

Mother.

Vylana raised a hand and rubbed her still-aching neck.

I’m begging you.

Please come back soon.