Ch 210: It’s okay to be selfish.

Ayase felt like she was at her breaking point.

She once again strained against her bonds, but the only result she obtained was hearing the creaking of leather. She wasn't getting out of her restraints by herself, and she knew it.

But, and that was the cause of her despair, she wasn't even sure she would ask to be freed, if offered the choice.

To call her bondage extreme would be an understatement. After waking up and being given a shower by Sakura, Ayase had been dressed in a red latex bodysuit and gagged with a black rubber phallus, whose shape she was becoming well acquainted with.

Sakura had started binding her by closing around her waist an intimidating black leather corset, that flared over her hips and torso and lifted her breasts invitingly.

Ayase didn't try to resist, as she had learned the futility of it. She was still surprised when Sakura pulled on the corset's laces more than what Ayase had recently gotten used to, forcing her to take short breaths.

The corset had many short leather straps to it, and she felt like Sakura would show her their role very soon. She was right.

Sakura pulled from the cabinet a huge collar, no, a neck corset. The intimidating piece of gear, once put on, wouldn't cover just her throat, but would cup her head along the jaw line, preventing any movement, and descended to her torso and back, where it would be connected by four straps to the main corset. From her head to her crotch, only Ayase's latex-covered breasts would escape the leather prison.

As Sakura applied the restraint on her with a smile, Ayase found out that it was every bit as oppressive and restrictive as it looked.

And Ayase tried hard to convince herself that she didn't love it.

Sakura next took care of Ayase's arms, turning her hands into useless fists with thick latex mittens, then stuffing her arms into a box-tie leather armbinder.

Ayase had been forced to sit on a sybian with a single attached dildo impaling her butt, her legs strapped to it in such a way that she could lift herself to the point where she could almost get the dildo out of her.

Assuming the distraction of the dildo in her ass being gripped by her clenched muscles didn't distract her enough for her to collapse back on the sybian.

And if she didn't try, if she let her body weight rest on the sybian, a pressure contact would turn it on, making it vibrate strongly. But she wouldn't cum. Sakura had seen to that, with a rune on her stomach.

That was Sakura's ploy with this devilish setup. If Ayase didn't try to escape the pleasure, the vibrations would drive her mad with craving an orgasm. And if she tried, physical exhaustion would soon force her to that state anyway.

Satisfied with Ayase's predicament, Sakura left the basement and returned sometime later holding Tsugumi's leash. The exhausted girl was dressed in a slightly less restrictive outfit than the first time Ayase had seen her in a pet outfit, with her arms free aside from the paw mittens. She crawled on all four behind Sakura, who tied her leash to a foot of the bed.

"You will be a good girl and wait here without me needing to restrain your limbs, right?" asked Sakura with a smile.

"Yes, Mistress." tiredly replied Tsugumi.

Sakura nodded, looked at Ayase for a few seconds, then walked to her and removed her gag.

"Tsugumi is like you, Ayase. She won't be allowed to have another orgasm until she swears loyalty to us, and mean it. I will soon be back with Inori."

Ayase didn't bother protesting as Sakura left the room again. She and Tsugumi stared at each other, and Tsugumi stared quietly sobbing, uselessly pawing at her chastity belt. Ayase couldn't see it, but from the way Tsugumi moved her hips relentlessly, she could guess that the tail plug was buzzing away.

"I'm sorry, Aya-nee… I'm so tired… and I need it so bad…"

Ayase closed her eyes and nodded as much as the neck corset would allow, which wasn't much.

"…I won't be able to resist much longer, either... Why is Gai not rescuing us? It has been at least a month already!"

"I don't know…"

"…Tsugumi, is there any chance of us escaping on our own?"

"I haven't got any chance. They are too thorough with all this bondage stuff… and… even if we manage to escape…"

Tsugumi left the rest unsaid, but Ayase didn't need to hear it to understand.

She, too, had already been changed by what she had experienced since she had been brought here. She had been made to do many things she could barely even imagine.

At times, she wondered if she still had the right to fantasize about Gai anymore. Not that she had any dreams about him for a while, aside from the increasingly distant hope of being rescued. In the rare times she was allowed to rest, all she could think about was the pleasure she had experienced in Sakura's hands. Mostly Sakura. She had turns with Medea and been made to pleasure and be pleasured by Darkness, Inori and Tsugumi as well.

And she had loved it all.

Even if she could somehow escape this place with Tsugumi and Inori, there was no escaping the training. She had become a perverted submissive. Someone who enjoyed being bound and treated like a plaything.

In a moment of clarity, Ayase thought back about her interactions with Gai, about her eagerness to do anything he wanted to please him, and she realized that maybe, she was a submissive all along. Sakura's training had only made it impossible for her to ignore it.

She couldn't dwell on it any longer as the door of the basement opened again, and Sakura entered, holding Inori's leash. Inori was dressed in a black latex bodysuit and a collar, and had her arms encased in a leather armbinder.

Sakura smiled at Tsugumi as she walked to the bed and sat on it, pulling Inori in her lap and hugging her from behind.

"This is the first time in a while that all three of you have been left ungagged in the same room and at the same time." said Sakura, as she started to play with Inori's nipples, and the pink-haired girl gasped.

"Tsugumi, Ayase, I can tell that you are both getting close to giving in. Inori is gray rocking me to an extent, bending in order not to break, but that won't work for long. You must realize by now you're only hurting yourselves by delaying the inevitable."

"Gai will come." said Ayase, more by reflex than because she truly believed it.

Sakura shook her head gently.

"How long do you think it has been, since your training started?"

"At least a month." admitted Tsugumi.

"And you only held so long because I went easy on you girls, despite what you may believe. Inori, Ayase, do you also think that over a month has passed?"

"Yes." nodded Inori, her cheeks flushed.

"It had to be at least that much." frowned Ayase.

"And yet, Gai hasn't come." sighed Sakura. "Your belief in him is admirable, but misplaced. It's a pity that he doesn't deserve your devotion."

"What do you even know about him?" bitterly asked Ayase.

"A few things that you don't. Can you guess the thing that makes me dislike him the most? It's related to Inori."

Ayase thought about it for a few seconds, but only one thing came to her.

"Is it because he and Inori… are lovers?"

"I'm not his lover?" said Inori in a tone that was half affirmation and half question, surprised and wondering why Ayase would think that.

"But you often go into his room at night, so…"

"Inori isn't Gai's lover." said Sakura. "Her blood has some special properties that helped Gai fight off the effect of the Apocalypse virus. So he often had some blood transfusions from her. After I healed him, have you seen Inori go to his room?"

"Ah… no. Her blood is special?"

Sakura nodded, and stopped teasing Inori, simply hugging her.

"Inori, are you aware that you are a clone?"

Tsugumi and Ayase both gasped, their eyes wide, but Inori only nodded.

"Yes."

"That doesn't matter to me, but it is important to mention it as it explains a few things about the way Gai is treating you. You are a clone of Mana Ouma, the virus's patient zero, and the girl Gai was madly in love with. Still is. The GHQ wanted to use your body as a vessel to host Mana's soul, because she could manipulate the virus in various ways, and some demented scientists in the GHQ are convinced the virus is a trigger for humanity to evolve. Such nonsense."

"I know. Gai rescued me before they could install her soul in my body." said Inori.

"And what do you think is Gai's goal, where you are concerned?" asked Sakura.

"…He didn't say, but… I think he wants the same. To have her soul inhabit my body." replied Inori with the same emotionless tone.

"That's… he can't want to sacrifice Inori!" blurted out Tsugumi, shocked. Ayase was equally in shock.

"You girls have noticed that Gai doesn't treat Inori the same way he treats you, right? I haven't been part of Funeral Parlor for long, but it is painfully obvious that he is cold toward her. He demands a lot from her, barely acknowledges her contributions, and says how much she disappoints him at the slightest mistake. That is because he doesn't want to grow attached to her, for when the time comes to bring Mana back, and for Inori to… disappear."

"It's okay." said Inori, causing both Tsugumi and Ayase to freeze in astonishment.

"I am not a real person. I am aware of it. I was only born to fulfill a purpose. Gai saved me, and I need to repay him. If it is for him, I am ready."

"Inori!" exclaimed Tsugumi, her eyes filling with tears.

"You can't give up, Inori!" shouted Ayase. "What is this nonsense about you not being a real person? You are!"

"Inori, did I ever tell you that I can detect lies?" asked Sakura. "I know that you are trying to convince yourself. You aren't actually fine with sacrificing yourself. And I won't let you!"

"…But, if I do not agree to it… I won't have a purpose."

"So what? Humans aren't born for the sake of fulfilling a purpose. They choose their own! You may be artificially born, Inori, but you are just as human as me or Ayase or Tsugumi."

"It's okay to be selfish, Inori. Yes, you have a debt of gratitude to Gai, but you, and only you, get to determine how and for how long you will repay him. Do you not want to live and be happy?" gently asked Sakura.

Inori trembled and stayed silent for a few seconds, then sighed.

"…Yes. I want to live." said Inori, with a voice choking from emotions.

"And you will." promised Sakura, hugging her tighter. "Did you say that you were indebted to Gai because he saved you? Well, I am going to save you from Gai as well, so you will be indebted to me. And I will want you to repay that debt by living a long and happy life in my and Noah's service."

"After the three of you surrender properly, we will return to Funeral Parlor, contribute to defeating the GHQ permanently, and then we will leave for the next mission my backers assigned us, helping more people who need salvation. Inori, is this not a better purpose than to die for another to be revived? Mana Ouma wasn't even a nice person when she was alive. She was a vicious and manipulative girl, of the type that wouldn't stop at slipping drugs into a man's drink to get what she wanted."

Ayase felt like pointing out that Sakura had done something extremely similar where they were concerned, but now wasn't the time for it.

"Is it… really okay? For me to reject Gai's wish?" hesitated Inori.

"Yes." sighed Ayase. "Inori, from my point of view, you have done more than enough already. Especially after giving Gai the Power of Kings, you do not have any more debt to repay."

"Yeah. Inori, I want you to live a long time. You deserve it." nodded Tsugumi.

"So I ask you, Inori." said Sakura. "Do you wish to live as part of my family? You will have a fulfilling purpose, but also a lot of free time to explore your own interests, many kindhearted adopted Sisters like Tsugumi and Ayase, and you will never lack partners to help you experience more of the pleasure I showed you."

Inori hesitated, looking at Tsugumi and Ayase in turns, and seeing no condemnation in their eyes, only encouragement. Finally, she nodded.

"Yes. Please help me forget Gai, and give me a life where I can act selfishly."

"Welcome to the family, Inori, my new sister." gently smiled Sakura, as she started to remove the armbinder keeping Inori's arms pinned.

When it was removed, Sakura Pushed Inori down on the bed and gently kissed her, and Inori moaned, letting her desires take over at last.

Sakura intended to make gentle love to Inori as a reward. Although she would keep the collar and leash on her.

"Tsugumi, Ayase. You too, will receive that kind of treatment, once you accept your fate and submit to me." said Sakura between two kisses.

Ayase, whose legs were about to run out of strength, could only try to nod as she watched Sakura act with Inori with a tenderness and affection that made her envious. She felt tempted to surrender right here and then, but refrained as she didn't want to waste Inori's moment.

Tsugumi seemed to be thinking the same, watching unblinkingly with a longing expression.

…

In another timeline, Gudako wondered why she was even bothering to resist. But she was stubborn. She was currently straddling her Kouhai, Mash, their bodies joined together by a double dildo. Not that Gudako, or 'Ako', the pet name Mash had chosen for her, had much choice in the matter.

In addition to the collar that seemed to have become a permanent addition to her appearance, Mash had forced her to put on black latex stockings and long opera gloves, then fastened a black leather harness on her torso, waist and hips.

The harness emphasized her breasts, making them seem larger, and amplified her feeling of helplessness. It was connected to the collar by three belts. It also sported a number of leather straps that Mash fastened around her forearms and arms, pinning them into a box tie.

With her arms out of the way, Mash had filled her mouth with a black ball gag and plunged her into darkness with a black leather blindfold as well.

Then Gudako's pleasure hell started all over again.

Gudako experienced orgasm after orgasm as Mash tried various positions, the latest being the cowgirl position, her hands firmly holding Gudako's hips as she thrusted from behind.

"Mmphe!" moaned Gudako, as she could find another orgasm coming.

"I love you so much, Ako! You're being a wonderful pet for your Mistress." exclaimed Mash.

"It looks like you're both having fun. Do you mind if I join?" asked Britomart, entering the room.

"Welcome back, Britomart. I do not mind. I am sure Ako doesn't, either." grinned Mash.

Gudako couldn't see what Britomart was doing, but she heard some noises, the sounds of something with belts being put on or removed, and she felt a pull on the collar, forcing her to lean forward.

"You're in for a treat, Ako." laughed Mash.

"Mmpe?... Mmphro!" protested Gudako as she felt something hard and slippery touch her butthole, and slowly force its way in.

"You really are lucky, Ako, to enjoy the attention of two beautiful women." smiled Britomart.

As both Mash and Britomart moved, each at their own rhythm, Gudako's mind was quickly overwhelmed by the pleasure, and she couldn't think about anything else anymore.

…

Heejin, dressed in black skirt, white top, and light blue coat, was standing on a street walk, watching the news on her smartphone, particularly the articles about the S-rank Hunter being defeated in front of the Korean Hunters Association's building a few days ago, when she heard someone calling out her name.

"Hi, Heejin. How have you been?" asked Lee Bora.

The young woman addressing her was one of the two people Heejin wanted to meet, and the other one was standing right behind her, smiling.

Lee Bora was of slightly below average height for a Korean woman, with neck-length black hair in a bob held by a white headband, and brown eyes behind large glasses. She was intelligent and attractive, with body curves that would have made Heejin envious, if not for Akeno telling her about the breast-enhancing harness she would put on her one day. Lee Bora wore a black and white dress with some frills on the neck and sleeves.

And Gina was… statuesque. A living manifestation of men's dreams. She was tall, with slightly wavy, shoulder-length, strawberry-blonde hair, red eyes, and possessed the largest bust Heejin had ever seen, aside maybe from Akeno herself. She wore blue jeans and a burgundy woolen pullover.

Gina and Lee Bora were both A-rank Mages belonging to the Hunters guild. They were core members of their second team.

Prior to Akeno, Jeanne and Alter appearing, the Hunters guild had been the only one able to field two full teams of Hunters, one mostly made of S-rank Hunters, the other made of A-rankers. Now, the White Tiger Guild had two teams as well, and Heejin had been named as the leader of the second team. Baek Yoonho had floated the idea of making Akeno the leader after she gained enough experience dungeon diving but had relented after Akeno told him that her presence in the guild was only temporary.

"Hi, Bora, Gina. I'm feeling great. how about you?" smiled Heejin.

"Great as well. But that's strange. You seem more… radiant somehow." said Bora as she squinted her eyes.

"I was wondering if I was imagining things." nodded Gina. "Is this a new brand of makeup? if so, share your secret with us!"

"Actually, this is something else, and that's part of the reason I wanted to talk with you. Let's order coffee first." smiled Heejin, pointing to the cafe where they had agreed to meet.

Gina and Bora nodded, and they entered the cafe. Once they took seats and ordered, Gina leaned forward and talked with an air of conspiracy.

"So, fess up. I heard a rumor that the legendary Akeno Himejima is living with you."

"Who did you hear that from?" frowned Heejin.

"You're not the only person I know in the White Tiger Guild." winked Gina.

"It will be a bother if news of it starts reaching the medias."

"I wouldn't worry too much." shrugged Bora. "The newsies are conscious of how important high-ranked Hunters are, and they won't touch on anything that doesn't happen in public. Not when an enraged S-rank might kill one or two people and not be punished for it."

"Okay. It's true. And legendary, eh?" smirked Heejin.

"Well. The first Hunter to break the speed of sound. To not just defeat but crush a S-rank individual without being S-rank herself. To heal patients from Eternal Slumber and terminal cancer. If that's not worthy of becoming a legend, what is? I heard even Thomas Andre is starting to take an interest." smiled Gina, mentioning the world's strongest Hunter, and the leader of the American Scavengers Guild.

Hwang Dongsoo was part of that guild.

Of course, whether Thomas Andre still was the strongest now that Akeno was in the picture, and how long it would last with her strength growing over time, were very much in question.

"What is it like, to live with her? Is she a good roommate?" asked Bora.

"The ideal roommate, really." smiled Heejin. "She's a great cook, cleans up after herself, and participates in the housecleaning. She doesn't make much noise when she's here and is a pleasant conversationalist. Quite modest, for all her achievements. It's not just her, but Jeanne and Alter are living with me as well, and they're good roommates as well. The guild pays me to house them, but I'd actually be willing to pay for them to…"

Heejin abruptly stopped speaking and twitched. The anal plug of her chastity belt had just started vibrating. It stopped after a few seconds.

This was Akeno's way of telling her that they had finished their dungeon and were on their way back. The fact that she hadn't called also meant that they hadn't suffered any casualty.

"Heejin?" asked Bora.

"Sorry, I just lost my train of thoughts for a moment." smiled Heejin. "Yes, they are good roommates."

"I heard another thing, from our guild leader this time." said Gina. "Some vague rumors reached our ears, so we went and asked him. He said that Hae-In and Akeno had reached some kind of agreement to test something, and that if the test was conclusive, he might ask something from Bora and I. Something big. But he didn't want to get our hopes up in case the test failed, so he refused to tell us what exactly."

"You two are the only female A-rank members of the Hunters Guild, right?" asked Heejin to confirm.

"Yes. do you think gender is related to that mysterious test?" frowned Bora.

"It is." nodded Heejin. She was about to say more when the server walked closer with their orders. Once served, Gina put two spoons of sugar and some milk in her coffee as Bora watched Heejin carefully.

"Out with it, Heejin. I can smell it's something big." said Bora.

Heejin nodded and extended her right hand to Bora.

"Give me your hand, Bora. Something good will happen." smiled Heejin.

"…Okay. I'll trust you, but you better not do anything strange."

Heejin shook her head as she took Bora's hand and used Greater Healing.

"…Eh?" exclaimed Bora as she suddenly couldn't see clearly anymore. She removed her glasses to rub her eyes, and froze in abject shock as the world around her suddenly became crisp. Even more than with the glasses on.

"I just fixed your eyesight, Bora." smiled Heejin.

"H-How is that…" started Bora incredulously, before her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "…Was that Akeno's healing ability?"

"Yes and No." shrugged Heejin. "It is the same ability, but she herself got hers from her boyfriend, Noah. But she can spread it to others."

"…You may want to say it in another way." choked Gina. "The way you phrase it made me think of a STD."

"That's a gross comparison, Gina." scowled Heejin for a second, before smiling again. "But I get your point. The thing is, Healing isn't the only thing she shared with me. How about we go to a B-rank dungeon tomorrow, and I'll show you a few things? I'll bring along a few friends as well."

"…Do you mean that the thing Hae-In is supposed to test with Akeno, has already been tested with you?" suggested Bora.

"Me and another young woman who will be part of tomorrow's raid, yes." nodded Heejin.

"…Why are they asking only about female Hunters, though?" asked Gina.

"Akeno explained it to me. There's an issue of gender compatibility with the way those abilities are transferred to a new person. It is possible for a man to inherit them as well, but it takes a lot more time. Akeno could share with a half-dozen women or more in the time it would take her to do one man. And we probably do not have that much time."

"We don't?" frowned Bora.

Heejin looked around to make sure no one was in earshot before replying.

"Do not spread what I'm about to tell you without Choi Jong-In's or Go Gunhee's approval. It would cause a panic."

Lee Bora and Gina nodded grimly.

"Akeno's appearance along with Jeanne and Alter isn't just a happy happenstance. They came to help us, because we really are going to need help. Remember that dragon Kamish?"

"How could we not?" gulped Gina.

The red Dragon, the boss of the only S-rank gate that had disgorged its monsters outside after a week, was known as humanity's greatest calamity. It had devastated the American west coast and massacred all but five of the S-rank Hunters who had gathered to kill it.

"Kamish was an underling, and its master will come soon, along with seven other beings at least as strong as Kamish was. Not only that, but they will bring with them a vast army of lesser monsters."

Lee Bora and Gina's eyes widened in consternation and fear.

"That's why we need all high-rank female Hunters to share Akeno's abilities, and a few S-rank male Hunters as well, if we have time."

"…How reliable is that information?" carefully asked Bora, also looking around to be sure no one was listening.

"I'm not certain." admitted Heejin. "Akeno says a Goddess, the one who gave Noah his own abilities and allowed him to share them to Akeno and others, told her about the Monarchs, and while everyone is taking that claim with a large grain of salt, nothing Akeno said so far contradicts what we know for sure about the monsters or the dungeons. She also made some very specific claims about Jeju island, and what the S-rank Hunters will find there."

"Everyone will take her a lot more seriously if what she said checks out. One other warning she gave us was that the Korean and Japanese governments should be vigilant about lone winged ants reaching our shores, as scouts for the ant colony. Those monsters are supposedly B-rank and are smarter than most monsters."

"That's worrying." said Bora. "Even a single B-rank monster can kill a lot of people before Hunters strong enough to deal with them can reach them. And the rest of her claims…"

"Yeah. Still, Akeno is fairly confident that we can deal with it all, and without too many losses, as long as we all work hard to become stronger. So, are you willing to go with me to a dungeon tomorrow, to get an idea of what you stand to gain?" smiled Heejin.

Gina and Bora looked at each other, then back at Heejin, and nodded with determination.