The Enforcer dungeon wasn't known about by most of the public. It had been kept under wraps, and all four nations dealt with it anytime it appeared by taking on the games, lest the beast inside be allowed to get out.
In a weird way, this dungeon, which went from nation to nation, was able to bring all four lands together as they all agreed to play along. It was a historical thing.
And now it was over.
The dungeon was forever altered and changed. The Enforcer games were no more. The royal family was gone. Every Licht-Fulk had vanished.
"It's gotten quiet now that they're all gone." Sieg mused.
"I guess they've all gone to the Vault," Susie muttered.
"Shh." Ken held a finger up and shushed the other girl. "We aren't supposed to talk about that. Pantheon doesn't know Davi did that."
Susie shrugged. "Who cares?"
"I do?" Davi said flatly.
"Exactly! Nobody does." Susie snorted.
Olivia hummed and looked around the streets of Enforcer City. Both her guild and the Pantheon guild were now lined up in front of the city gates. The Shining Sentinels had sent several members to the dungeon, and soon they'd be here, the Holy Saint ready to slay the demon.
At last, this nightmare seemed as if it would be coming to an end.
"Before the Holy Saint gets here, you should probably take your sword back?" Olivia suggested, as she patted the blade that hung from her belt. She had tried to give it back several times already, but Davi kept removing himself anytime she tried to hand it off. "You should seriously take it back."
"No thanks." Davi shook his head.
"Why not? It's your sword?"
Davi shrugged again. "It picked you. Clearly, Storymaker made its choice."
"You sound like a jealous lover," Ken snorted. "Don't tell me you're salty your cool sword likes Olivia more than you."
"I'm not salty."
"You're a bad liar."
Davi's frown grew slightly, and he huffed and looked away. Olivia let out a sheepish chuckle and patted the hilt of Storymaker. "I don't even really use swords? I think it should be yours."
"Nah."
"Davi!!!" Olivia whined. "Take it back."
"I'll take it!" Susie raised her hand. "I always wanted a cool sword."
Sieg rolled his eyes beneath his mask and folded his arms. "Just keep it, Olivia. You should hold onto it since you'd make better use of it than Davi would. He can't use the sword, but you can. Truth be told, I think it should have ended up in your hands a while ago, but Davi here hogged it to himself. Besides, I'm curious to know what its true power is."
Davi just huffed again.
"You're so childish." Ken poked him in the cheek.
"Hush." This time it was Susie who shushed Ken, and the raven-haired girl looked toward the city gates. "They've arrived."
The gates to Enforcer City opened, and the sound of feet trotting along echoed out as all the Knights went silent. Myth entered first, finally back after he had left the dungeon. He walked on foot and looked much better than he had yesterday, being fully healed and having received clothing that wasn't destroyed.
Behind him were a few members of the Shining Sentinels guild. They rode on horses and looked proud and regal, like they always did. There were three in total. Father rode at the front on the proud golden stallion while Tori and Bruno were both behind him on smaller white mares. Davi instantly became concerned because he didn't see a fourth person. Where was the Holy Saint?
Father looked around the empty city, his lips pressed into a tight line. The paladin's eyes roamed the streets and the Knights. "Where are the Licht-Fulk?"
"I believe they're down in another section of this dungeon." Myth explained.
"Are they all there?"
"Yes."
"Good. After we engage the demon, we can finish the rest of them off." Father nodded.
Myth nearly tripped over his feet. "What do you mean? You want to wipe them out?"
"Of course." Father nodded. "It only makes sense."
"I was hoping we could get them to work with us?" Myth suggested.
Father shook his head. "I'm afraid that wouldn't work. The king's order. It was fine when all the nations worked together; however, should the Licht-Fulk leave and join our kingdom, it will cause the other three nations to notice us, and this could risk a war. Alternatively, we can not risk any nation getting the Licht-Fulk. It is simply easier to slay them all and make sure nobody gets the boon. This has always been our plan, but we were unable to do so for fear of unleashing the beast Haru sealed away. Now that we know it is a demon, we can easily put things back on track."
"But they haven't done anything?"
"They existed when they shouldn't have," Father stated coldly. "That reason is more than enough. We do not show mercy to monsters."
Myth's shoulders sagged slightly. "Yes, sir. I understand."
Davi's hand clenched into a tight fist as he heard the two captains talk. He was glad he moved all the Licht-Fulk to the vault. He had kept that secret from most of his own guildmates, much less Pantheon, so no one knew the Licht-Fulk were long gone.
His plan had worked pretty much flawlessly, which had him slightly concerned as things rarely went his way. He had used a mix of light and shadow magic to transfer the Licht-Fulk to his Vault and then used a Vow to seal it away for the time being. Once things calmed down, he could take them out and let them be free, but until then he'd keep them safe and make sure Father couldn't hurt them.
Luckily, Himvel seemed rather suspicious from the start and was in hiding somewhere. The elf would merely watch and make sure the Core was dealt with properly, at which point he'd leave for the Vaults himself. If everything went smoothly, then the Holy Saint would kill the demon, and Father would leave this dungeon unable to harm any of the Licht-Fulk.
Should worse come to worse, Davi was prepared to use another Vow to permanently seal off his Vault at a cost to his life to make sure the captain couldn't try anything.
Father looked around one last time. "Alright, so where is this Core?"
"I'll take you to it." Laerton offered.
Father nodded. "Sure. Lead on."
"Wait." Davi's words caused the horses to stop, and the captain of the number one guild gave him a look of disappointment at him speaking up. "I have a question."
"What is it?" Father demanded, rolling his eyes.
"Where's the Holy Saint?" Davi questioned. "You should have brought her. That thing is a demon after all."
Father snorted and turned away. "Rest assured she'll appear."
"Where is she?"
"Nearby." Father turned back to Laerton. "Well? What are you waiting for? Lead the way. Let's get this over with."
"Yes, sir."
Davi watched as the horses, Myth and Laerton, began to head for the castle. "That guy's a dick."
"Think he's compensating for something?" Ken questioned.
"Probably." Sieg snickered.
"You shouldn't say that about the strongest captain." Susie frowned.
"You really haven't been around us for that long, have you?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Actually, wait, why are you here? Trying to force yourself into our friend group?"
"We're a friend group?" Sieg seemed stunned.
"Don't be rude, Sieg," Davi hummed.
Susie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I do what I want when I want. I don't need you to question me. If I want to be here, then I'll be here. That's all it is."
"I see?" Olivia tried not to laugh. This girl was just like how Ken used to be.
Davi glanced back to where the captains were all heading, and then he turned to the Vice Captain of Pantheon. "Whisper. I have a favor to ask you."
Meanwhile, up with Father and the others, Tori also glanced around at the city with her bright blue eyes.
Had her eyes always been so blue?
"You've really messed up this time, Laerton." Father hummed. "The King likes things staying the way they are, and your actions have gone ahead and broken the status quo. We're lucky the other nations don't know about this little issue, or they'd have stormed over here to steal the Licht-Fulk and possibly the core with the demon in it. I hope you know this means the king won't be happy with you."
"He can kiss my ass," Laerton said bluntly. "I don't give two shits what that lazy fuck thinks of me. Besides, you and I both know if he really cared, he'd have long since shown up himself. Don't think I'm a fool. I felt it. His gaze was on all of us." Laerton reached up and rubbed her wrist where the Circuit mark was wrapped around her flesh.
All Knights received the mark, and it was what allowed them to use the system. It also allowed them to gain a Circuit core if they didn't have one and, most importantly, it allowed the king to see everything that was happening to them.
Because of how many of them had the mark, the king's gaze was never truly on them, but he did make an effort to check in on captains and vice captains. His gaze had fallen upon her during her fight with Neptune. The king had seen and heard everything and, no doubt, watched all of them during this time, taking note of the way they acted and what they did.
His gaze had especially been strong around Sieg, Susie, and Davi.
There was no hiding anything from the king, which also made her deeply worried. Davi hadn't told her, but she knew he hid all the Licht-Fulk in his vault, yet the king not only didn't send them any help but also didn't tell Father this information. Why? What game was he playing?
Or could it be that he couldn't? If luck were finally on her side, then perhaps the king wasn't on the planet at the moment. He did spend a lot of his time in the sun, so perhaps that was where he was. Even for a being like him, it'd take a few days to get back to the planet at his top speed. If that was the case, it would explain why Father was taking charge and why the King hadn't done anything or told Father of the Licht-Fulk.
That also meant it was Father who wanted the Licht-Fulk dead, as the King hadn't yet given that order.
Several thoughts went through Laerton's head as she led them to the castle. It didn't take long for them to find the core that the demon was in. Father was less than patient, and with a snap of his fingers, Bruno began to shatter sections of the floor and create a pair of stairs made of ice that went all the way down to the underground lab. Laerton nearly gasped when she saw the core for the first time, and even Father did a double take.
Since they left the horse above ground, he was forced to walk and circle the massive metal structure, looking it up and down. "What is it?" Bruno asked in awe.
"A ship." Tori folded her arms and frowned, her eyes gazing upon it.
"A ship?" Bruno looked puzzled. "You mean like a boat?"
"Sort of." Father reached out as if he were about to touch the core, but the flames, the wings, and the spinning blades made him quickly reconsider. "This is a special boat. It can travel through the stars."
Once again, Bruno gave a puzzled look. "The stars? So what? It's some sort of space boat?"
"Exactly." Father nodded. "The Angels and the Almighty used these machines and came here from beyond our sky. Most of these things are gone, but King Nier has one, and the current leader of Gallenth, Prince Sylas the Twenty-Fifth, also has one in his collection. I've seen the king operate his, and he even built it into his throne, but I've never seen one of these ships on their own. I suppose that it makes some sense that this became the core. After all, the power of a demon is truly vast, and only something akin to the level of an angel could hope to keep it sealed away."
"And we're going to unseal it." Laerton raised an eyebrow. "So, why isn't the Holy Saint here?"
Father rolled his eyes. "You know how hard it is to get that woman to see reason. She's been extra tricky recently ever since I had that run-in with that Adam fellow. That said, at the end of the day, she is a Saint, and a Saint is someone who must slay a demon. She'll kill it."
"If you're sure."
"I am." Father turned to Tori and Bruno. "Set up the barrier."
"We're summoning her here?" Myth raised an eyebrow. "Do you plan to just let the demon out in this room?"
"I do."
"But our first plan had been to seal it into Davi's vault and have her fight it there? If you unseal it here, then some of the Licht-Fulk could be corrupted."
Father shrugged. "I'll be blunt. I don't trust that boy. We'll unseal the demon here, and on her own, the Holy Saint will slay it. I do not sense any Licht-Fulk, so we have no issues of any of them coming out."
"Isn't it still dangerous?"
"Do you doubt the power of the Holy Saint?" Father smirked slightly. "She can slay this demon. I sense the creature's mana. It is actually not that powerful."
"Really?"
"Demons were feared due to their vast number," Father explained. "They all had the same amount of mana as a weak captain, and there were millions of them. A single demon on its own wouldn't be that big of a deal save for two things. One, they can only be killed by a Saint, and two, they can open a portal to Hell, thus allowing the return of every other demon. For someone like the Holy Saint, killing this demon before it has a chance to open the portal won't be an issue. Even if I'm wrong and it turns out to be stronger than me, the Holy Saint is far, far greater."
Myth still looked unconvinced but nodded. "Yes, sir. Whatever you say."
While he and Father had their talk, Tori and Bruno went about setting up a series of spells. Bruno started with thick walls of ice, which spread through the room, covering the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. They were like a shell, ensuring whatever was in here would have to get through them first.
Next up was Tori. Her lance began to spin through the air, psychic energy gushing out of it while she took her hands and began to weave various symbols with her fingers. Arcing runes of light danced over the ice walls, further reinforcing them, and the air was filled with a holy aura that made blessings far greater and curses lesser. The space became her personal domain, an advanced form of mana that would weaken those who opposed her.
Myth and Laerton both also entered a battle stance. Myth held his book out, ready to tear a page and summon a ghost, while Laerton had her sword drawn and stared at the core.
Before they had arrived, there had been this strange taste of despair, which had only grown stronger. She also couldn't help but shake the fact that she was being stared at. Whatever was in the core was gazing directly at all of them.
Father started to get naked. Bruno took off a pack that was on his back, which was enchanted to hold various items, and he allowed Father to tuck his shield, sword, and armor away. Father removed his belt, his gloves, and his chest piece and, further still, took all his gear off until at last he was naked as the day he was born.
He stood in the center of the room, resisting the urge to shiver. "Remember," the strongest captain began. "Tori, you are my trusted guide. When the time is right, it will be up to you to place the seals back on. Do you know the words?"
"I do." Tori nodded.
"Repeat them."
"Deniahcliec," Tori spoke in a serious tone. "The order of sealmeant. Should this phrase be spoken by the guide, then the Holy Saint will fall into a deep slumber in which she can only wake up one month later." She began to weave various hand signs again, and a much larger rune appeared beneath Father.
It was shaped like a cross, or perhaps a sword, resting within a circle with letters only the Almighty knew. While that happened, Father channeled mana into his finger and ran a nail along his wrist, slicing it open. Blood began to pour out, and then he did the same, cutting his other wrist. When that was done, he placed his hands in the gesture of a prayer and raised them both above his head, allowing his own blood to spill upon his naked form.
"Bruno." Bruno nearly jumped when his captain began to address him. "You are about to witness the Holy Saint in action. For years, she has been our guild's pride and joy. We have kept her alive by offering ourselves up and allowing her to share in our existence through the Rite of Marriage. Once you've had a bit more training, that Rite and the burden of holding her will be transferred to you, but for the time being, it is my burden to carry." Father closed his eyes, and his mana started to seep out, but then all at once it stopped.
The Rite of Marriage was truly something. Most people hardly knew of its existence. Those who did lacked knowledge that it came in different forms.
The most basic of Rites allowed a person to absorb the body and soul of another being. This was done through an act of devouring and the crushing of their soul with one's own. Himvel had done this to High and forced High's body and soul to merge with him. That process had been undone thanks to Davi, but not flawlessly. The time with Himvel had permanently shrunk down and cracked High's soul, greatly reducing his life force. The being known as High now had only one year left to live.
The second act of Marriage was what the Ebony Knight performed. Like the first, it involved devouring the target and breaking their body down to nothing. The Ebony Knight did not crush the other soul, however. Rather than try to force his will upon it, the Knight and his lover lived as two beings in one body. Two souls that controlled its form and allowed it to operate.
The final Rite of Marriage was what happened to the beings known as Merlin and Miranda. This was not a true Rite of Marriage, as it lacked the fusing of bodies and souls in a traditional sense. Rather than have two souls operating the body, two souls would still be within the host, with one sleeping while the other was awake.
In cases like these, whichever soul was conscious was in control while the slumbering soul would await its turn. It was a rare occurrence where a being would be born with the soul of their sibling, but it was also common enough that many people in the field of soul study knew about it.
Typically, the two souls within a body would come up with agreements on who gets the body and when. They would unknowingly form a vow, making it so. Miranda and Merlin had both agreed that one would get the body at night while the other would during the day.
This form of Marriage was also the same that the Holy Saint had undergone. As the blood flowed down on his head, Father began to chant.
"By the time of dawn, my blood becomes yours, and yours becomes mine. So let it be. By the time of morning, my eyes become yours, and yours become mine. So let it be. By the time of afternoon, my flesh becomes yours, and yours becomes mine. So let it be. By the time of evening, my voice becomes yours, and yours becomes mine. So let it be. By the time of twilight, my core becomes yours, and yours becomes mine. So let it be. By the time of night, my thoughts become yours, and yours become mine. So let it be. Nine hands, pillars of light, I allow myself to become undone. May you take all of me, and may I take all of you. Rise, legend of old, become my sword and strike down my foes. Rise, legend of old; become my shield and protect our home. By the time of dawn, my heart, your heart, we are one."
Father's mana suddenly exploded out, and a beam of energy erupted from his aura. It pierced the core, and all at once the room grew darker and colder. Not just within this room but all throughout the dungeon.
The wings of the core halted, and the many rings froze. Its fire grew dim and then stopped, and in an instant the core shut off. Outside the castle, the false sun above fizzled and faded as the world became frozen in ice. All color faded away, leaving it all black and white, and time began to crawl and then halted.
The core crashed to the ground, no longer floating, and a section along the metal split open, and something within the darkness stood.
Father opened his eyes and gazed upon the demon. "Come on out, Holy Saint! I summon you!"
The black and white color erupted as so much mana and heat filled the space that the halted time unfroze. Father's form glowed and then changed. One moment he stood, and then the next he was gone, and in his place the Holy Saint looked around.
Bruno's eyes widened as he saw her. She stood as naked as Father had been, but all the damage he had was gone. Long raven-black hair fell down her back, and her skin was pale and fair. Her eyes were a sea of black with dots of white all along them, as if an entire cosmos were within her gaze, and without saying a word, the Saint snapped her fingers.
Her mana flowed, black, white, and with sparkles of color, and it shaped around her, forming robes of starlight. Space, time, and gravity began to compress and swirl into a long staff, which she wielded and pointed toward the demon within the core.
She didn't speak, she didn't emote; she was like nothing more than a robot that saw a threat that it must wipe out.
More mana swirled at the end of her staff as she got ready to fire and take the demon out in one strike-
"Deniahcliec."
Everyone froze as Tori spoke. Her sudden words caught them all off guard, none more so than Father, who was suddenly back, the Holy Saint being sealed away once more. No one had time to process that, however, as the demon struck first.
Tori's eyes sparkled with joy, and far, far away, Evelyn smiled, her own blue eyes lighting up.
"Good girl, Tori. You did so well. Now, let's go find Olivia Lot. I think it is time her story comes to an end."