"Flow State," he whispered. "Activate!"

[FLOW STATE METER: 100%]

[FLOW STATE ACTIVATED]

[DURATION: 10:00]

The world crystallised; the roar of the battle vanished, replaced by the slow, rhythmic thumping of his own heart.

Akira looked at the clawed hand crushing his throat.

To him, it wasn't moving.

He could see the individual pores on Lilithia's skin, the flow of energy pulsing through her veins like slow-moving syrup. The six arms descending toward him looked like they were moving through underwater gelatin.

Too slow, Akira thought.

He grabbed the wrist holding him. With his stats increased tenfold, his grip strength was no longer that of a human; it was hydraulic.

Crunch.

He crushed her wrist.

Lilithia's eyes widened in slow motion, her mouth opening in a silent scream of shock. Her grip faltered.

Akira dropped.

He didn't just fall; he accelerated. He hit the ground in a crouch, the impact cratering the floor beneath him. Before Lilithia could even register that he was free, he was moving.

He dashed toward his fallen katana. He moved so fast that the friction of his body against the air created a sonic boom, blowing the dust away from his path.

He snatched the Phantom Cable Daito from the floor.

"Wake up," he commanded.

The blade hummed to life, whining at a frequency that shattered the remaining glass on the floor.

Lilithia was still reacting to her broken wrist, her other five arms clumsily trying to adjust to his new position. But to Akira, she was practically standing still.

"Ten minutes," he muttered. "Time to end this."

Lilithia's eyes widened as Akira moved. From her perspective, he simply vanished and reappeared at her side, his katana already cutting deep into her ribs.

Silver blood sprayed, and this time, the wound didn't close immediately.

"Impossible!" She swung three arms at him simultaneously.

Akira was already gone, reappearing behind her, the katana shifting to chain mode mid-swing. The segmented whip wrapped around two of her arms, and he poured ice essence through the links.

Frost spread across her flesh, and Lilithia screamed—a sound of genuine pain that shook the entire chamber.

"Ayaka, now!" Akira shouted.

Ayaka had been waiting for the opening. She launched herself at Lilithia's exposed back, her dagger blazing with purple demonic energy, and drove it deep between the guardian's shoulder blades.

"Combined assault!" she yelled.

Akira pulled the chain tight, ice spreading further, while Ayaka twisted her dagger, pumping more corrupted energy into the wound. For the first time, Lilithia stumbled, her massive form swaying.

"You... you're actually hurting me," she gasped, as if the concept was foreign.

"That's the plan." Akira retracted the chain, the katana reforming in his hands. "Ayaka, aim for the joints! Slow her down!"

They moved in perfect coordination, Akira's enhanced speed allowing him to keep pace with Ayaka's demonic agility. They struck at Lilithia's knees, her elbows, anywhere the flesh seemed softer.

Silver blood pooled on the floor, and the guardian's movements became sluggish and less coordinated.

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 07:15]

"She's weakening," Ai observed. "But her core is still intact. You need to find it and destroy it, or she'll regenerate everything eventually."

"Where's the core?"

"Unknown. It's shielded by her reality manipulation. You'll need to force her to reveal it."

Lilithia, sensing her disadvantage, changed tactics again. The massive form dissolved into mist, reforming into something new… a perfect copy of Akira himself.

"If you won't join me," the copy said in his voice, "then I'll become you."

It attacked with his own moves, his own patterns. Every technique he'd learnt, every skill he'd developed… the copy knew them all.

"Shit," Akira muttered, parrying a strike that felt eerily familiar. "She's pulling this from my mind."

"Then think of something new," Ayaka suggested, engaging the copy from the other side. "Something you haven't done yet!"

Something new. Akira's mind raced, even as his body fought on autopilot. What could he do that the guardian wouldn't expect?

Then it hit him. The copy was pulling from his memories, his experiences. But it couldn't predict what he was about to choose.

And looking at Lilithia's desperate shapeshifting, at the way she was throwing everything at him, Akira realized something crucial.

She was afraid.

Despite all her power, despite her domain advantage, Lilithia was losing and she knew it. That fear, that desperation… it was her weakness.

"Ai," Akira thought as he danced around another of the copy's strikes. "I need the core location. Where is it?"

"Scanning through the reality distortion... Got it!"

A translucent overlay appeared in Akira's vision… a miniature version of Lilithia's true form, highlighted in blue. The core pulsed deep within her lower abdomen, protected by layers of flesh and magical barriers.

"It's in her womb," Ai explained. "The most protected part of a Lust entity's body. And darling... there's a problem."

"What problem?"

"A direct strike won't work. The outer flesh is too dense, and any penetration from above or the sides will be deflected by her internal barriers. The only viable entry point is..."

Akira saw the highlighted path on the overlay: a narrow channel between her legs, the one place her defences were naturally weakened for the absorption of essence.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was. To destroy her core, you'll need to get very... intimate."

The copy lunged at him again, and Akira met it with a perfectly timed counter, his blade slicing through its midsection. The illusion wavered, Lilithia's concentration breaking as pain from Ayaka's continued assault disrupted her focus.

"Enough games!" The copy dissolved, reforming back into Lilithia's true shape, but smaller now, reduced from twelve feet to seven to match his speed. "You want to see my real power? Fine!"

She charged, and even with Flow State active, Akira could tell she'd gotten faster. Her six arms moved in complex patterns, each strike forcing him into a defensive position.

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 05:00]

They clashed in the centre of the chamber, katana against claws, ice against lust energy. Akira's enhanced speed let him keep pace, but barely. Every exchange chipped away at his stamina; every blocked strike sent tremors through his arms.

"You're strong," Lilithia admitted, silver blood dripping from multiple wounds. "Stronger than any mortal I've faced. But you're still just a human playing with borrowed power!"

She was right. Even dominating with Flow State active, Akira could feel the limits. His enhanced stats were phenomenal, but they had a timer. And Lilithia, despite her injuries, showed no signs of true exhaustion.

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 03:30]

"Akira, you need to make your move soon!" Ayaka called out, deflecting one of Lilithia's whips. "Whatever you're planning, do it now!"

But how? The core was in her womb, accessible only through the one entrance his weapons couldn't reach. He'd some breathing space to even initiate anything.

"Ai, there has to be another option. Some technique, some skill…"

"There isn't, darling. S-Rank Lust entities evolved specifically to counter physical attacks. Their cores are positioned where violence can't reach them. It's brilliant, really. Cruel, but brilliant."

Akira pressed his assault, driving Lilithia back with a flurry of strikes. Ice spread across the floor where their battle raged, the temperature dropping as he poured more essence into his attacks.

But nothing was working. Every wound he inflicted healed within seconds. Every advantage he gained was temporary.

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 02:00]

"Two minutes left," Ai warned. "After that, you'll be almost defenseless. And Lilithia knows it."

The guardian smiled, her beautiful face twisted with malicious glee. "I can feel it. Your power is waning. Soon you'll be mine, little king. Soon you'll beg for my touch."

She was right. He could feel the Flow State beginning to destabilise, his enhanced stats flickering at the edges.

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 01:00]

Akira's mind raced. Every option led to the same conclusion: he couldn't win this fight with force alone. Lilithia's defences were too strong, her regeneration too fast.

But what if that was the point? What if pure violence was never meant to be the answer?

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 00:30]

"Ai, pull up Option A again."

"The surrender option? Are you insane? That ends your…"

"Just show me!"

The system prompt reappeared in his vision:

[A: SURRENDER TO THE FANTASY - Accept Lilithia's offer. Reward: +10,000 PP, PERMANENT DREAM STATE (WARNING: This ends your existence in the real world)]

Akira read it carefully, his enhanced mind processing every word in the fraction of a second he had left.

Surrender. Accept. Dream state.

Not fight. Not resist. Accept.

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 00:10]

An idea formed in his head; it was insane and desperate, but possibly the only way.

"Akira, what are you—"

[FLOW STATE TIME REMAINING: 00:05]

4

3

2

1…

Akira made his decision.

[FLOW STATE DEACTIVATED]

The enhanced stats vanished instantly. Akira stumbled, his normal body suddenly feeling weak and sluggish compared to the god-like state he'd just experienced. His muscles screamed in protest; his vision swam.

Lilithia's eyes lit up with triumph. "Finally! Your boost is gone!"

She released another wave of alluring energy, stronger than before, concentrated and devastating. It hit Akira like a physical force, driving him to his knees.

[WARNING: LUST CORRUPTION AT CRITICAL LEVELS]

[WILLPOWER: 15%]

[MENTAL RESISTANCE: FAILING]

Images flooded his mind, not of his harem this time, but of Lilithia herself. Her body, her touch, her promise of endless pleasure. His resistance crumbled under the assault.

"Yes," Lilithia purred, approaching him slowly. "Give in. Stop fighting. Accept what you truly want."

Akira raised his head, looking at her through hazy eyes. His body was screaming for release, every nerve ending on fire with need.

And he made his choice.

"I choose A," he whispered.

[CHOICE CONFIRMED: SURRENDER TO THE FANTASY]

[WARNING: THIS DECISION IS IRREVERSIBLE]

[PROCEED? Y/N]

"Akira, no!" Ayaka screamed from somewhere far away. "Fight it… fight her!"

But Akira was already saying it: "Yes."

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