Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

Earlier—before we ever set foot in the Vanessa Dungeon—I made a promise to myself.

A vow.

That I'd grow stronger, that I'd shed this useless skin, stop dragging everyone down. One day, I'd stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Eris—not cowering in her shadow, not stumbling in her wake, but with her.

Fighting beside her.

Ripping through dungeons at her side.

Shielding her with my own hands.

No more dead weight.

No more pitiful, helpless tagalong.

I need to be useful!

I burn to be strong!

"As you probably already know," Princess Felicia speaks calmly in my head, "I don't have much time left. I can only control this body for so long."

I nod internally. "Right."

"So, this is your golden chance, girl," she adds, her voice sharper, more urgent. "Don't waste it."

"Nn!" I steel myself. "And how long can you stay in control again?"

"Two hours total," she replies. "Which means I've got about an hour and thirty minutes left before I'm forced to retreat."

"Roger that."

The truth is… Felicia's soul is currently a fractured mess. It's splintered, crumbling, barely clinging to itself. She can only seize this body in fleeting bursts, and even then, it's a brutal toll. She needs days, maybe weeks, to stitch herself back together after each takeover.

That's why she rushed into this place with such urgency. That's why she's pushing herself so much despite the danger.

"But won't it slow you down? I mean… you have your main objective here you need to do, right?" I ask nervously.

"Well, I do, but I still want to teach you," Felicia replies."That's equally important after all, right?"

Right…

She has a point

Because if I can't fight for myself… then what happens the next time something goes wrong? What if Eris can't save me? What if Felicia can't take over? What if I'm caught, injured, killed—

I'm not the only one who'd be doomed.

If I die, Princess Felicia dies with me.

So yeah. I get it now.

I really get it.

And thus, even if an hour and a half seems too short to learn swordsmanship… I'll take everything I can get. I'll absorb every strike, every motion, every lesson she throws at me.

Because I have to.

Because I want to.

"Alright," she says, her voice sharpening like steel. "Ready?"

"Nn!"

And with that, we move, rushing towards the enemies.

———————

"First, feel how I channel mana through this body," Princess Felicia says, her voice steady but buzzing with an edge.

I zero in.

And holy shit—I feel it.

Mana surges from my core—a tiny, pathetic speck of a thing—but it's pumping out a wild flood of power anyway. It races through my veins, igniting every organ, tissue, muscle—like liquid fire laced with chaos. It's in my blood, crackling with this insane, violent energy that makes my skin prickle.

"Let's be real—this body's still hot garbage," Felicia admits, blunt as hell. "The best I can do is juice up our muscles with mana to this level."

Yeah, I get it.

This body's weaker than a scrawny twelve-year-old!

No strength.

No muscle.

Just floppy, noodly arms and legs that'd snap like twigs.

But—wait—to think she can reinforce it this much, just with mana control?

Is that even possible?!

"Ha, because of our demonic power, that's why!"

"Demonic… power?"

"Yeah, you feel it too, right? the nature of this mana?

BA-DUMP!

BA-DUMP!

Our heart slams against my ribs, pounding like a war drum.

A red aura seeps from our skin—thick, pulsing, alive.

Every breath Felicia exhales spits out a crimson mist, straight-up demonic mana swirling in the air.

And its vibe?

She lets me taste it for a split second.

Instantly, I know.

It's raw violence.

It's unhinged madness.

It's so damn strong it could shove anyone straight off the cliff of sanity with just a tiny dose!

"So that's why you're breathing out mana like that!" I blurt.

"Damn right!" she fires back, grinning like a lunatic. "Otherwise, we'd explode! Pop like those zombies earlier! Our guts and brain would be flying everywhere!"

Hell!

That description is so graphic I terried a bit.

But… I get it.

And then, she explains futther. "Our mana is rooted in darkness, but the demonic corruption's jacked it up, made it even more vicious, even more unstoppable. It's literally the strongest mana attribute you can get, hands down, but also the most dangerous thing. Hey, remember those heartaches you had when you tried tapping into it?"

"Oh wait, yes!"

Earlier, everytime I tried to use my magic, my mana.

There's always this hammering, crushing heart throb and pain that hurt so much it made me just want to end myself.

So this is the cause, huh?

Demonic power?

"Yeah, that's why!" Felicia nods. "This mana is why. Therefore, without the right breathing and a cool head, it'll cause more harm than good, it will shred you from the inside out. But if you can master it like I have, though? You're looking at tenfold strength—no, a hundredfold boost!" she boasts excitedly

And

Wow!

My mind's spinning, reeling, blown away by the potential!

So that's the secret behind her insane power.

Demonic juice?

"And here's another trick," Felicia adds with a wicked grin.

Suddenly—she vanishes.

WOOSH!

High-speed teleportation tears through the space.

In a blink, she reappears in front of a snarling zombie. Its arms raise, too slow.

Her sword is already drawn.

"Only channel mana to the body part you need," she explains, raising the blade. "And then—"

"BLAST IT ALL OUT WHEN YOU STRIKE—LIKE THIS!"

SLASH!

A quick slash, yet hold the power enough to tear buildings apart!

BOOM!

The sword carves through, splitting the zombie clean in half—flesh parting like wet paper!

A jagged gash of red mana scorches the ground beneath, smoldering with heat and smoke, the air hissing with leftover violence.

Damn…

I'm floored.

The aftershock rolls over us in waves.

Just… how insane is her mana control?

That's terrifying.

Really terrifying!

I literally can't wait to learn that!

"So once you train your body properly and improve your physical foundation, you'll become strong. Really strong," Felicia says, her voice confident and sure.

"Nn!" I nod eagerly. "Then… then do you think I can become as strong as Eris? Maybe in… five years?"

Felicia snorts—loudly.

"HAAA! Five years? Don't insult me!!!" She laughs, full of teeth and madness. "If you learn properly, you could get there and beat her ass in one year!"

"WHAT?!" My voice cracks inside my head. "O-O-ONE YEAR?!"

"That's the sheer absurdity of demonic force, girl," she replies with a wicked grin. "Terrifying, isn't it? It's power that shatters all limits. But be warned… the more you take, the more it tries to take you in return."

Gulp…

That… that's amazing!

Demonic power heck yeah!

"But still," Felicia adds with a half-smile, "Your girlfriend is quite amazing too you know?."

"Wait—Eris?"

"Yeah, her power is extremely rare." She nods. "However, most of her talents are going to waste at this rate. If she has Luminaris training instead of whatever the crap she's doing, she would be at least ten times stronger by now."

Hearing that, I'm excited.

T-ten times stronger!?

Just how terrifying would she be then?

"But," Felicia continues, voice shifting as she steps back into a neutral stance, "we don't have time for a full mana control lecture right now. I'll teach you the principles later—you'll practice it on your own."

"Nn! I will!"

Felicia then exhales slowly, raising her sword.

"Now… the first sword technique I'm going to show you."

She shifts, and—damn—it's like watching a storm turn into silk.

Her posture sharpens, straiten. Her weight balances perfectly on the balls of our feet. The sword is held high, the blade glinting crimson under the red haze of our aura.

Even the air changes.

It's calmer now, instead of the violence vibe I was feeling before.

And as she breathes out, our heart rate drops.

"First sword style: Di Ventaria Sword Waltz," she announces, voice low and proud. "Graceful. Efficient. Beautiful. The first technique I ever learned—from my mother, Queen Alicia."