The Incubus System Chapter 1437. Divine Forest

The Incubus System Chapter 1437. Divine Forest

Yeah, after getting jumped in a holy marble gym and fighting angels like it was leg day? I deserved something interesting on the other end.

I angled my body upward, wings snapping once, twice, then surged.

Straight through the tear.

For a split second?

Nothing.

No sound.

No light.

No gravity.

Just… blank.

Then… Everything snapped back.

Hard.

I stumbled forward as my boots hit ground, actual ground this time, not polished judgment marble, not floating nonsense architecture.

Grass.

Soft.

Real.

“…Huh?”

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

My wings twitched slightly behind me as I straightened, eyes scanning.

And yeah, that caught me off guard.

Because this?

Wasn’t what I expected.

At all.

A forest.

But not just any forest.

It was… too perfect.

Tall trees stretched upward like they were hand-placed by someone with OCD and divine authority. Leaves shimmered softly, catching light that filtered down in gentle, golden beams. The air?

Fresh.

Clean.

Suspiciously peaceful.

Birds chirped.

Actual birds.

Soft wind rustled through the branches like a background soundtrack that someone definitely paid extra for.

There was even a stream nearby.

Clear.

Reflective.

Annoyingly aesthetic.

“Okay,” I muttered slowly. “What?”

I turned in a slow circle.

Everything was… neat.

Too neat.

No broken branches.

No uneven ground.

No signs of decay.

Even the shadows felt curated.

“Is this some kind of illusion?”

Because yeah.

There was no way I went from “angel slaughter arena” to “fantasy honeymoon destination” without some trick involved.

“Analyze.”

[System Analysis Initiated…]

I waited.

Still scanning.

Half-expecting something to jump out and try to stab me with a flower or something equally ridiculous.

[Result: No illusion detected.]

I blinked.

“You serious?”

[Confirmed: This environment is real.]

“Oh.”

I scratched the back of my head slowly.

“Okay… that’s worse.”

Because illusion?

I could break.

Reality?

Yeah… that meant someone built this.

On purpose.

Which meant, I glanced down at myself.

Black armor.

Claws.

Blood.

Wings.

One demon.

One angel.

Horns.

Tail.

Yeah.

I looked like I accidentally walked into a wedding dressed as the final boss.

“I feel underdressed,” I muttered.

Or overdressed.

Or just… completely wrong.

Like I didn’t belong here.

Which, to be fair…

I didn’t.

I exhaled slowly.

“Alright… find exit. Leave. Done.”

Simple plan.

I lifted my hand.

Focused.

“Portal.”

Dark energy gathered.

Then fizzled.

Nothing.

I frowned.

“…No.”

Tried again.

More force.

More focus.

“Portal.”

Still nothing.

The energy collapsed mid-formation like it got rejected.

[Warning: Spatial Authority Denied.]

“Oh, come on.”

I dragged a hand down my face.

“You’re really going to do this to me today?”

Of course it was locked.

Because why would anything be easy?

And right on cue, the air shifted.

Subtle.

Like something watching.

Then, a voice came.

Soft.

Clear.

Everywhere.

“You need to come to me… Erebus.”

I froze for half a second.

Then slowly looked up.

“You got the wrong guy!”

No response.

Figures.

I crossed my arms slightly.

“What do you want?”

Silence lingered for a moment.

“Come… and we’ll talk.”

Yeah.

That sounded exactly like a trap.

Not even a creative one.

Just straight-up “walk into danger voluntarily” kind of trap.

“Wow,” I muttered. “You’re not even trying to hide it.”

The air shimmered again.

An aurora appeared.

Soft lights danced through the forest, weaving between the trees like glowing ribbons. Blue. Green. Gold. They moved in one direction.

Clear.

Intentional.

Leading.

“…Ah.”

I stared at it.

Then followed the line of light with my eyes.

Far.

Deep into the forest.

And there, something rose in the distance.

A structure.

Stone.

Tall.

Ancient.

Temple.

Of course.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a trap.”

No doubt.

Zero doubt.

Looks like a trap.

Feels like a trap.

Even smells like a trap.

But, I exhaled slowly.

“I need a way out.”

And right now?

That was the only lead.

I started walking.

Slow at first.

Cautious.

My wings folded back slightly, though I didn’t dismiss them completely. Claws still partially active. Eyes scanning.

Because yeah, even if I was going to walk into a trap?

I wasn’t going to walk into it blind.

The forest stayed quiet.

Too quiet.

No predators.

No threats.

Just… peaceful.

Which made it worse.

That means someone’s watching.

I tilted my head slightly as I walked, senses stretching outward.

And then, I noticed something.

Not obvious.

Subtle.

Presences.

Moving.

Watching.

Hidden.

Creatures.

Not attacking.

Not approaching.

Just… observing.

And every time one got close enough for me to feel, there was a reaction.

A shift.

A pause.

Like they were recognizing something.

Not me.

Something else.

“Erebus, huh.”

Because yeah.

That name again.

It followed me like a bad nickname I never signed up for.

And honestly?

I really, really wanted to scream.

‘Erebus is my ancestor, not me!’

Like, loud. Dramatic. Possibly with hand gestures. Maybe even a little stomp for emphasis.

But I didn’t.

Because yeah… emotional breakdown in a glowing divine forest filled with unknown creatures and a mysterious goddess watching me?

Probably not the best survival strategy.

So instead, I exhaled slowly and kept walking.

Calm.

Controlled.

Totally not internally screaming.

The deeper I went, the quieter everything got.

Not silent.

Just… softer.

Like the forest itself was lowering its voice around me.

The light shifted too.

Less direct now.

More diffused.

Golden beams filtering through the leaves like someone turned down the brightness but kept the aesthetic.

And the more I looked?

The more I noticed things.

Details.

Movement.

Watching.

They were there.

At first I thought it was just shadows.

Or branches moving.

But no.

They were following me.

Carefully.

Quietly.

Not trying to hide completely… but not stepping out either.

My gaze flicked to the left.

There.

Behind a tree.

Something peeked.

I slowed slightly.

Tilted my head.

“Okay,” I murmured. “Now that’s new.”

It wasn’t an angel.

Not even close.

It didn’t look human.

Didn’t even try to.

It was small.

About the size of a dog… maybe.

Its body looked like it was made of soft moss and light, tiny glowing particles drifting off it like pollen. No visible eyes, just a smooth surface that shifted slightly, like it was watching without needing to look.

Cute.

Dangerous?

Probably.

But right now?

Just… curious.