Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

856. A Vessel of Pure Lust

Light filled her vision again.

Pink skies greeted her as her eyes fluttered open. Weakness locked her body in place as she found herself laying on a metal deck that stretched over kilometers on all sides.

A vessel, although calling it this did not properly illustrate just how large it was. It barely rocked on the sea.

Was I… brought on board a ship?

Massive, threatening structures littered the deck. They were weapon systems. Each was equipped with over 30 cannons. An individual cannon alone was over 25 meters long and 5 meters thick. And these were the smaller weapon systems aboard.

Warships tended to have a large bridge where the ship was controlled and commanded from, but only weapons filled the deck. She had to wonder if the bridge was located within the vessel itself.

Inflow Direct’s Charybdis? Am I on board an Infusion-carrying warship? My body’s heavy… What’s my status like? Status…? Nothing yet? Tch. It’s gotta appear sooner or later.

Cer couldn’t turn to confirm where she was exactly.

Carefully, she sat herself up and immediately checked her body. The white buttoned shirt she wore was in tatters due to her new build. The real concern was that she was missing a necktie.

Strangely, there was a fishing net covering her body. It was possible that she had been caught in a fishing net while she was unconscious, but the chances were slim considering this was a warship.

My body’s bigger now. I’m confused about what this net is doing here. Did someone try to cover me? I’m still soaked, so it hasn’t been long since I’ve been taken on board. They have to be close –!

Suddenly, a sound came from behind her, causing her ears to twitch as she swiftly twisted her body.

“The wolf is awake. This one iiiiissssssss… Amazing. It’s the Fang of the Head.”

The sultry, tantalizing voice belonged to a three-horned Demon whose appearance was close to that of a hedgehog. She stood meters away from Cer holding a twisted staff that depicted the faces of a human, a bull and a ram.

“Naked, bare, but with the lower half of a human. It would’ve been nice to fish up another Siren or Mermaid.”

Her bright-pink hair was a fuzzy mess with thousands of cowlicks. It ran down to her back like spines, hence why she looked like a hedgehog. Although, a sawblade would also describe her.

Her apparel was no more than a black, heavy raincoat. It was only zipped from her waist and beneath her chest. The buttons held on for dear life and were just barely enough to conceal her oversized, bronze ample bosom. The raincoat was large enough to also cover her lower half, but it was clear that she wore nothing beneath it.

She didn’t wear gloves or any footwear. But funnily enough, she did wear a black necktie. If Cer wasn’t so wracked with confusion, then she would have laughed out loud at her ridiculous get up.

“Oh well. I’ll have to wait until we head into deeper waters for a willing catch. You’re not bad yourself, wolf~”

She was a tall woman who slouched forward as she leaned on her staff. Her crimson eyes brimmed with a familiar glow and slits just like another Demon she knew. There was hunger in her eyes; a kind that caused Cer a tinge of revulsion.

“What are you, an Aquatid? Who do you think you’re talking to?” Cer growled, bringing herself up to her feet.

The same halo that had released her potential appeared above her head like a dazzling star as she prepared to tear out the throat of this Demon. However, a prompt stopped her just as she tried to analyze the staff she wielded.

What!? I’m able to see her MP, RESIST and even her DEF stats as well!?

Cer squinted before realizing that she wasn’t seeing things. Seeing the DEF stats of a target alone held immense value for two reasons. The first was that it dictated how one would fight.

Secondly, and most important of all, was that it eliminated the need for quickly crunching the numbers.

Cer wasn’t the brightest person in the world. Numbers were her natural enemy, almost as much as water. She had been operating on mostly instinct for as long as she could remember. But now that her thought processes moved faster than instinct meant that she was able to assess every split-second decision moving forward.

Seeing her stats and her title brought Cer some relief. She exhaled deeply. She wasn’t with an enemy, but she didn’t know that for certain. Still, it was enough for her to at least know that she was safe.

“Were you the one who saved me?”

Asmodeus smiled lewdly as a fuzzy, serpentine tail nodded for her. It was pink like her hair. Nets, starfish, weird fruits that could only be found on the Spiritas continent and other strange objects were stuck in the maze of fuzz.

“It wasn’t just me. You have the Scarlet Healers to thank.” Asmodeus claimed. “The timing was good is all. To think there would be three stars to navigate the way home. Act X has unfortunately been inaccurate for several months now.”

She set her sights onto the giant blue tree that encapsulated Primus Ramus.

Cer’s attention was drawn to the exact same spot. Blue petals and particles fell from the tree like snow. It cascaded over Grandis and reached as far as the warship that floated tens of kilometers away from the coast.

“Consequently, we have arrived after last year’s annual Arbiter’s Council. How nice would it have been to participate under the banner of various Stars of our own. I suppose it’s not too late. Fang of the Head. What a spectacular sight that was. A shooting star soared through the skies. I was certain it would burn up and fizzle away, but you…”

She then turned to Cer. There was no reason for Cer to listen to her. In fact, she was tempted to get out of here and return to Frost as soon as possible. She reached into her Dimensional Storage and began sorting out the various suits she had prepared for this one moment.

“… you only grew brighter. It’s been a long time since I’ve been blessed with a pleasant sight.”

Eventually, she found the perfect fit and dressed herself nonchalantly. Hundreds of pairs of eyes appeared from various crevices across the ship. They belonged to various species of Demons, Aquatids and even Demi-Humans. Sucubuses, Mermaids, Scylla, and a type of near naked beings called Lilims.

There were even Nephilim on board.

“Got quite the ensemble here. Living up to your name as the Demon of Lust, huh. What is this, your private sex ship?” Cer sighed.

The old her would have been immensely infatuated with this.

Truth be told, she still was, but nowhere near as much.

It seemed like everyone here was naked.

“Close. They’re our crew. The seas beyond our understanding calls for people to be enslaved by their desires, less they wish to be enslaved by desires unbelonging to themselves.” Asmodeus hummed.

They only started to stare at Cer when she began to dress herself. But she was not naïve to what kind of gazes these were. Not like Frost who could barely tell a gaze from affection with one of lust. They were awestruck by her form and slithered away in disappointment when she finally buttoned her shirt close.

“No show today. Gotta keep the reputation of the Head clean.” Cer shivered to remove as much moisture from her hair as possible.

Not a single droplet landed on her clothes.

“Would it kill you to keep those eyes shut?” Cer cleared her throat.

“We’re both woman here.” Asmodeus smiled.

“Since when has that ever stopped anyone?”

“Never. Attraction and lust have no bounds. I’m sure you’re well acquainted with the Elves~” Asmodeus harped. “You’re different from how I imagined. Much taller too. Aren’t you the lead Jester of the Nexus?”

“Apparently Act X can’t even keep you up to date. The Jesters of the Nexus isn’t a name you’ll hear in the Nexus anymore. But you knew I was the Fang of the Head. Let me ask you something, Demon. Why did you bring up that derogatory name to my face?”

The only reason Cer hadn’t departed for Grandis was because she was thankful for their help. Without them, there was a strong possibility that she would have drowned.

Fighting against a near Beholder-level being was suicidal for a Moon. But Cer refused to allow herself to be ridiculed even if unintentionally. In the past she’d let it slide, make a scene, or complain loudly.

No one was going to dismantle her. These Beholders and Primordial Demons didn’t lend a single hand, and they had the audacity to utter that accursed namesake. Her eyes glimmered in the light of the rising sun as the tip of the moon descended behind her.

The halo shivered as if ready to open a valve retaining her dormant power.

Her lustful, whimsical act dropped immediately. She suddenly wore a formal demeanor and answered:

“It was not my intention to insult you. I’m aware of what you are but I was unsure if you were the same person.” She spoke succinctly like a soldier answering their captain. “A Star as the Fang of the Head arriving from an impossible beginning is quite an unbelievable tale.”

“That unbelieve tale is what’s standing in front of you. Heh… if you didn’t save me, then I ought to cut your tongue out.”

The way the gold surrounded her crimson irises caused Asmodeus to wear a look that Cer could only describe as nostalgic.

“It would be an honor.” Five, long tongues slithered from her mouth. They lapped the air like the tongue of a snake before retreating. “Let me apologize on behalf of Oboros Infinitas. Demons like us are awfully out of touch with the mainland. And frankly, we’re all here in the head. Monsters at the boundaries of our world tend to pick at your mind. And before you know it, you’re lobotomized into a Shell.”

Asmodeus explained herself in disturbing detail.