Ragna crossed his legs and took a swig from his sake cup, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Pass the bottle; I need a refill."
"Wait your turn." Clause poured some into his own cup and took a careful sip, then slowly passed the bottle to Mama Herta.
"It's a shame most of our cabinets got demolished in the battle." Mama Hertra filled hers to the brim and slid what was left to Ragna. "I guess that's a small sacrifice to pay for the survival of our guild, isn't it?"
Ragna's nose wrinkled slightly, and he brought the bottle to his lips, downing all of it in an instant. "I'll say. We cut it awfully close."
"Some of us more than others." Clause ran his fingers through his beard, tugging on a few whiskers. "Gormay's leg wasn't able to be reattached."
Mama Herta winced. "I know Olem is doing his best to heal the wound and get a prosthetic for him."
After the battle with Neptune had come to an end, both Phoenix Flight and Pantheon returned to the hotels eager to get some much-needed rest. Pantheon went to their own section while most of the Phoenix Flight members went to their own rooms. A few of them stayed behind in the common room, such as Falco and Ghost, who were still arguing back and forth, or Sieg, who was fiddling with his cracked oni mask, which he wore. For the majority of their members, though, they were all back in their rooms.
"Things really settled down." Mama Herta mused. "We got hurt, we experienced pain, we all almost died, but in the end each of us is going to be able to leave this dungeon alive. I'd say that's a good ending, right?"
Ragna nodded, suddenly sober. "For some of us, simply being alive is enough, but Merlin's been beating himself up about it. He's mad he never got to show up in the battle. He is full of shame and has locked himself away in Olem's room, refusing to leave Gormay's side."
"He has nothing to be ashamed of." Clause shook his head. "It's not his fault the battle took place during the day."
"Hard to believe it hasn't even been a week." Mama Herta mused.
Ragna let out a soft snort. "Yeah, well, recently things have been seeming to move faster and faster, haven't they?"
"Ever since we got those new recruits." Clause agreed.
"Do you not like them?"
"Oh, I love them." Clause laughed. "Reminds me of a few years ago when I was still on Pantheon and worked alongside Myth. Those were the good days."
"Speaking of Pantheon, I heard the captain left." Mama Herta spoke up.
Clause nodded at her remark. "Yeah. Myth decided not to stay behind and chat. He got all his guildmates to safety and then left them in the care of Whisper. He's heading to Rose and is planning on getting the Holy Saint and bringing her here so that whole demon stuff can finally be settled."
"Laerton's busy also." Myth hummed. "She's out trying to get the train to turn over so she can take it out of here. I really wish she rested more; after all, it hasn't even been six hours since the battle with that monster."
"I hope the others get some much-needed rest also." Mama Herta agreed. She then turned her attention to Sieg. "Why aren't you in bed? You got beaten pretty badly also, right? Same as your brother."
Sieg shifted slightly and stopped fiddling with his mask. He gave a lazy shrug. "I did plan on sleeping but… Things are a bit weird in our room right now."
"What do you mean?" Ragna raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we're all sharing rooms, right? And there are four beds in each room." Sieg explained. "You'd think this meant each person gets one bed each, but…" He trailed off. "They're being very weird right now."
"Who are?"
"The pervs," Sieg said ominously.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Ken jabbed a finger into Davi's stomach wound, nearly reopening the sealed flesh.
"I already called dibs; you're out of luck." The red-haired announced.
Davi winced at the poke and slapped her hand away. "You can't just call dibs on something like that." Davi shook his head. "Something this important must be solved in a reasonable manner, such as a game or rock paper scissors or a battle to the death."
Olivia sat on the bed with a deadpanned expression on her face as she watched Davi and Ken glare at one another. The three of them were all back in the small hotel room they had been provided, and she assumed they'd get ready for bed, but things quickly spiraled out of control.
"Can we not have a battle to the death so soon after we killed a guy?" Olivia pleaded.
Ken shook her head and pointed a thumb at herself. "Sadly, if it is a challenge Davi wants, then it is a challenge he shall get! I will not stand idly by and allow him to take what is rightfully my birthright!"
"Birthright?" Davi snorted. "Please, I've known her for far longer; it should be me, not you."
"Do I get a say in this?" Olivia asked flatly.
"No."
"Of course…" Olivia sighed again.
Ken folded her arms over her impressive chest and gave Davi another glare. "When Olivia decided to sleep, I already said I'd share the bed with her. A man can not get in the way of the love between two women, so scram."
"Yeah, but I also wanted to sleep next to Olivia." Davi shot back. "And I did way more heavy lifting in the last battle."
"You did not!"
"The hell I didn't! My spine was collapsing from how hard I carried the team!"
"I'm the one who got the final kill-" Olivia didn't even bother finishing as Davi and Ken continued to argue.
"I made out with her after the battle; therefore, I win," Ken said proudly.
"So what, I've kissed her also, plus we held hands." Davi bragged. "Also, if you really want to look at the scoreboard, then while we were in my mindscape, her and I-"
"AND THAT'S THE END OF THAT TOPIC!" Olivia stood up and raised her voice. "Look, I have an idea. These beds aren't huge, but if we scoot another one over, then we can combine them, and that gives enough room for all three of us to share!"
"Three people all in one bed?" Ken's face lit up slightly, and she patted her cheeks. "How lewd."
"What?" Olivia nearly stumbled back. "It's the same as what you wanted but with just one more person?"
Ken hummed and glanced at Davi, looking him up and down. She reached out and poked him in the ribs a few more times, then poked her finger in his mouth and played with his gums. His eye twitched, but before he could respond, she removed her hand. "Sure. I shall allow it." Ken flipped her hair casually. "As a powerful and beautiful member of the Yuan clan, it's only natural I should have more than one lover."
"Wouldn't we both be Olivia's lover?" Davi questioned.
"Nonsense, naturally I am the center of this romance." Ken shook her head.
"Well, I do like you both." Davi mused.
"You two got along shockingly fast," Olivia responded in another flat tone. "You're both at each other's throats, but all it took was making this a three-way, and you buddy up? You guys are pervs. I love it."
"I kind of just assumed we were already in a weird throuple," Davi admitted.
"Labels are boring," Ken shrugged. "I like Olivia, and I like you. You like Olivia, and you like me. Olivia likes you, and she likes me. Let's just go with that."
"Sure, sure."
Olivia let out a sigh of relief. "So, you two aren't going to kill each other now?"
"We're cool now."
"Good." Olivia gave a small smile. "Now, can we get some shut-eye? I'm exhausted."
Things actually calmed down rather quickly after that. As Olivia suggested, they combined two of the beds into one. There was another small scuffle over who got to be in the middle, but it quickly ended when Ken claimed it, announcing it was her right as royalty. That left Davi to take the left side of the bed and Olivia to take the right. Davi supposed he had no reason to complain as Ken's body was very warm, likely from being a flame mage.
It helped that none of them wore very many clothes, either. That was also a bonus! Getting to sleep in a bed with two beautiful women definitely made all the horrible things in his life worth it! Screw therapy, this was doing wonders for his mental health!
Many of the other Phoenix Flight guild members also made their way to their own rooms. At one point, Sieg did drop by, took one look at the sleeping arrangements, and then left once more wanting nothing to do with whatever was happening with the three of them.
Sieg tried to find safety in Falco's room, but he ended up walking on Falco and Ghost getting frisky and also left. Sieg ended up sleeping on a couch down in the breakroom.
So much had happened in such a short amount of time. It was almost hard to believe how powerful Neptune was and the ending he got. Not just Phoenix Flight but nearly every member in the Pantheon guild also found themselves slumbering away as all the exhaustion and excitement caught up to them. Pretty much everyone was able to sleep. All but one soul.
Davi stared up at the roof above in silence. He thought he'd be able to go to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and yet it wasn't catching up to him. He couldn't doze off, nor could he get his thoughts to clear.
Ken and Olivia had gone incredibly still, so he assumed they were out cold, and he hardly blamed them. Practically every member of the guild was in an injured state and was just barely patched up by Olem. His own body was still a mess with shattered ribs and a torn stomach. Luckily, he had learned to siphon off the pain so it didn't hurt that much, but it did mean he was left exhausted.
He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and snooze off, but it wasn't coming. No matter how hard he tried. There was still just too much that wasn't done yet.
Davi got out of bed and left the room. Both girls stayed behind as he snuck out of the hotel and began to walk through the streets of Enforcer City.
It looked a bit depressing. Buildings were in ruins, and the castle's courtyard had been obliterated. There also weren't any Licht-Fulk that were around. This was because the Queen had taken them all and placed them into the Underworld. Tomorrow would be the big day. The Licht-Fulk would get a new home.
Would he be able to do it?
Davi glanced around at the empty city, feeling a bit of nerves eating away at him. What would happen if he failed? It was as he was looking around that he noticed something. It was faint, yet it glowed, so it caught his eye.
At the end of the street, he saw a small ball of light that glowed with a soft energy. As he got closer to it, he realized it was no ball at all but instead a person. One who was small and winged and doing a little dance.
"Ho?" The little Licht-Fulk glanced back at him and giggled. "What are you doing here? All the Licht-Fulk should be in the underworld with Himvel and Bolem? Did the Queen send you up here?"
Ho looked at Davi, and the small creature's smile grew a bit bigger before he turned and flew off. Davi frowned and followed after him, turning the corner, but came to a sudden halt. Ho was gone. He looked around, but he didn't see the little ball of light. Where the hell did he go?
"Ho?"
"Who are you calling a hoe?" Davi felt a wave of pain as Ken elbowed him in the side.
Davi winced and dropped to his knees, clutching at his side. "Ow. Watch it." Davi glanced back up at her and frowned. "What are you even doing out here?"
"Shocked?" Ken gave a sly grin. "I'm basically a ninja. I was trailing you after you left the bed."
"You were up?"
"Of course I was. Everyone knows the one in the middle must sleep last!" Ken's smirk faded, and she crossed her arms once more. "Explain. Why did you leave the bed? Was my company not enough for you?"
"It's far from that." Davi snorted and stood back up. He glanced around the city in silence for a moment. "I've just been thinking, is all. I have a big task to do, and there's so much stuff that isn't resolved. I'd promise I'd talk to Olivia, but I just haven't had the time yet. I have so many things I want to tell her, but it got put off so we could all rest. Tomorrow I won't be able to do it either since I'll be busy helping the Licht-Fulk out and then the Holy Saint will be coming."
"You've got a lot on your plate, that's for sure." Ken moved so that she stood next to him, and she also glanced around the city before her eyes settled on the castle. Slowly, she took his hand in hers and gave it a soft squeeze. "I really thought I or Olivia would die. It was so much. I was worried you or she was going to be killed, or Yujin would die, or even myself. So many thoughts kept going through my mind."
Davi squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."
Ken shook her head. "No, don't be. After all, we're all alive. I was serious about what I said. I like Olivia a lot. She's pretty, nice, smells awesome, and she's super kissable."
"Yeah?"
"But I like you a lot also." Ken flashed him a small grin.
"I like you a lot too." Davi smiled back.
"I'm glad we all made it out alive. Phoenix Flight isn't so crappy." Ken hummed. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure of it. Our guild is a strong one. We'll get through whatever life throws our way."
Davi felt some weight ease up on his shoulders. "Yeah. You're right."
"I always am." Ken nodded. "Anyway, why don't we head back to bed? I bet we can convince Olivia to have a threesome!"
"Pervert… Why do you instantly jump to sex?"
"Well, we've got to get your mana back somehow! Let's do a three-way Joint Cultivation!"
Davi shrugged. "Can't argue with that logic."
Luckily, when they got back, Olivia had woken up due to the lack of people to snuggle with. It was not hard to convince her.
***
The next day, several Phoenix Flight members paid a visit to Olem to get more healing. Davi, however, was unable, as he was needed elsewhere.
He once again found himself back in the Underworld, this time with Sieg. The masked man looked around and shivered. "This is the secret hidden city?"
"Yep."
"It's not a lot."
"It is not."
All the people from Enforcer City had been brought down to the Underworld, and as such, the much smaller town was already filled to the brim. Buildings were full, and everything was crowded. The guards did their best to keep everyone calm, but it was clear things weren't going so well.
"It'll take time for everyone to settle down." The Queen hummed. "Luckily, while we were in your vault, I noticed a snowy forest and the remains of a destroyed village. We can combine that with this one to expand, and with the help of Bolem and Himvel, creating a source of food and water won't be impossible."
"It won't be easy." Himvel nodded. "It's also not optimal. There are still so many things we don't know. We don't have much of a choice, though. Rage had created a barrier around the dungeon, which stopped everyone from leaving. With his death, that Myth fellow went to get the Holy Saint. The kingdom is most likely not going to accept the Licht-Fulk race, and so we've come to your big fix. We'll have to hide in your vault."
"I know it isn't the best solution." Davi sighed and looked toward the ground in a bit of shame. "It's the best I got, though. At the bottom of my vault is soil so plants and vegetables can be grown, but everything is in a winter chill. It's warmed up, but it's still cold. I'll try to get animals and other things to enter my vault so you all have a food source, and with any luck, this won't be a permanent thing. I can store you guys in there until we find a better place to leave you all at."
"If you want a good ending, you have to fight for it." Princess Ever nodded. "We're willing to put the effort in."
Davi turned to her, and his eyes lit up. "That reminds me." He reached out, and without any warning, he placed one hand on her forehead and the other near her heart. "Let's see if this works."
Ever gasped and suddenly felt a searing heat in her chest. She stumbled back and shook her head. "What did you just-" She stopped. Slowly, she glanced down at her hands. All the red was gone. Her head felt light also. She fumbled around for her horns but found nothing. "W-What did you do?"
The Queen looked just as stunned, and Sunny seemed like he was on the verge of crying in joy. Davi tapped his fingers together. "Same thing I did to Himvel. I isolated her elven soul. I can only do this because she's so close to being an elf. I severed a section of your soul, the piece that had the corruption attached to it. Without that connection, it dies out almost instantly, and thus you're able to return to normal."
"You can do that!"
"Yeah?"
"It's pretty handy." Himvel chuckled. "It's not perfect, however. By slicing into the soul, he did just shorten your life. That said, you would have turned into a full demon in less than three years. Now you can live for another forty or so. I'd say that made it worth it."
"It's a good thing I figured out how the soul works." Davi glanced down at his hand and balled it into a fist. It was thanks to the ability to interact with an elven soul that he had been able to beat the Ebony Knight. He targeted his own soul and sliced the blade out of him. He didn't absorb the Knight's power; instead, he fully got rid of it and allowed it to die off. If he were lucky, the Ebony Knight would be truly dead. Of course, he was never lucky, and so that was why he'd train extra hard. He'd be ready for all that fate threw his way. "Alright," Davi took a deep breath and focused his energy. "I think it's time."
The Queen hugged her daughter and moved toward the crowd of Licht-Fulk along with Bolem and Sunny. Somewhere in the crowd would be High and Mel. Himvel stayed.
"You're not going to go in with them?" Sieg asked.
Himvel shook his head. "No. I've decided to help deal with the Core first. After that, I'll go if the Kingdom does not kill me. Should I die, Bolem is more than enough. I trained him well."
"You won't die." Davi shook his head. "I won't let the demon kill anyone. The Holy Saint will put it down. I'll make sure of it."
Himvel chuckled. "Careful not to jinx us, young man. Now, why don't you go ahead and get this next part over with?"
Davi turned back to the crowd, and a black aura flared around him. He closed his eyes and focused his energy. "Row Shadow-Light Armor." Black and white poured from his flesh, and he wore his ebony armor, now donning his white coat. Sieg's eyes widened as he finally got a good look at his brother.
"You've figured out Core Mask?"
Davi didn't answer. Instead, he raised his hand. "Vil Shadow-Light Vault." Darkness and light danced. The shadows lifted up, and the light from all the torches and lanterns ignited in a bright flash. It washed over the Licht-Fulk and the buildings. It reached out and covered the entire Underworld city, and together the two forces took shape.
One became a hand as black as the night, and the other was a glowing white. The two hands were massive, and together they cupped Underworld between their palms.
Davi felt his nose start to bleed, and he gritted his teeth. His mana kept flaring, and the hands pressed together, and then suddenly, in a single heartbeat, they were gone.
Underworld City was no longer where it had been. Instead, all that was left was a massive crater.
Davi crashed to his knees, breathing heavily, and his armor faded away. "It's done."
The people of Underworld looked around at the snow-covered forest they were now in and at the massive mountain of swords.
At last, it was done.
At that exact same moment, the dungeon suddenly shook as several new people entered it. The Holy Saint had arrived.