An half asleep Tamamo slowly dragged her feet toward one of the Monster Lord's Castle numerous lounges, a plate of thin fried tofu in her hand. She delicately pushed open the door to see her three fellow Heavenly Knights all comfortably wallowing on lounge chairs around a table, clearly as exhausted as she was. She put her plate on the table, comfortably moved her tails to cushion herself, and reclined the chair to be comfortable.

"We can finally get started on our reports… I'll let you start first, Granberia."

The dragonkin groaned. "As expected, around two dozen spiders attacked Grangold last night… We pushed them back, and then they somehow teleported away."

"And the others asked what they could do to return in the grace of the Monster Lord… I gave them the list, I don't expect them to do half of it… Although I wonder where those spiders teleported to now that they're unwelcome everywhere…"

"We still don't know where that tower with Kagetsumugi is… You know, the one we investigated with Luka…"

"Oh, right… We'll see later about that… Erubetie?"

"Kanade is taking a little too much of Grand Noah's population for herself. This created minor problems with the population, and…" Erubetie sighed. "I managed to convince her to also take care of the other regions, although I'm not sure her… gluttonous nature will help convince the other kingdoms to accept our plans to protect the environment. Can't you do anything?"

"I'll smooth things out. Which kingdom will you start with?"

"…Hellgondo. I didn't tell anything to the Monster Lord yet… And… Was my Ancestor always like that?"

"I can tell that you already made her mellow out reasonably, considering that she apparently didn't kill anyone for a week."

"I don't know how you have dealt with her for so long in the past…"

Tamamo emitted a low-pitched nasal noise. "I… Let's just say I wasn't any better."

Erubetie emitted a bubbling noise that Tamamo interpreted as another sigh. "Let's move on to Alma Elma…"

The addressed monster answered in a monotone voice. "I hate my job as Succubus Queen and pass every bit of my authority to Succubus, the mayor of the village."

"…What?"

Alma Elma massaged her forehead. "Sorry… I thought dealing with the Lilith Sisters would simply consist in punching them as soon as they sucked someone dry until they stopped… And we ended up with complicated, multi-sided conflicts because they're hogging all the men. On the plus side, they seem to do better, with Lilith being livelier in particular."

Tamamo giggled. "I'm not surprised that the Lilith Sisters stole men from other succubi to annoy them."

"No, no, they didn't… Men wait in line to taste their skills and disregard the other succubi…" Alma Elma straightened herself. "Come to think of it, I wonder if it's not being recognized as exceptionnally sexually skilled that make them feel better..."

Tamamo slammed her head a few time against the back of her chair in frustration. "Definitively…"

"Anyway, Succubus is so far managing to do a better job than me to administrate the disputes, so…"

"But still… Do you really want to give up your authority as Succubus Queen?"

"…I don't actually know." Alma Elma's gaze lost itself in the ceiling. "As I said, I'm lost about what leading this race today entails. Those little twins are just as lost as I am, and Succubus is the only one able to pull through… Unless you think Minagi can do a decent job in that regard."

Tamamo jumped from her chair in a knee jerk reaction, and broke it in fragments when she landed in a quake.

"My apologies, but no, she won't. She's acting too reasonable. That may sound strange, but she reminds me of myself in my old days. She definitively has a plan, but I can't quite find out what it is…"

Granberia answered with a growl."So we still have to remain careful of the Succubus Ancestor… What else happened in the castle?"

"Well, Kanon is currently as stubborn as ever and I have no luck for now in regard to changing her, Hiruko is showing herself to be as adaptive as I expected of her… Although I would advise checking under the new kotatsus before using them…"

"I heard servants said that she was indeed a diligent maid… Not something they throw around lightly. What is she currently doing by the way?"

"She's currently training the Monster Lord to alter her body structure to switch between different races in the arena."

"Wait, she's alone with Alice? Aren't you worried she'll try to attack her?!"

"No, I'm sure they'll be fine…"

"Sorry Tamamo, but considering the history your sisters have, we're really uncomfortable with the idea that you let her alone with one of them..."

"What, you don't trust me?"

Granberia sat up. "It's not you that we don't trust, it's that we don't trust any of your sisters!"

Tamamo grabbed the last of her thin fried tofu blocks and growled as she got up. "Fiiiiine, I'm going to check on them…"

She slowly left the room, leaving the three remaining Heavenly Knights alone. Alma Elma moaned as she stretched herself.

"Is it me or little Tamamo is unusually cranky?"

"She just needs some vacations from her sisters, as much if not even more than the rest of us…"

Alice looked at her lower half still surprised. Her red tail had split into eight suckers-covered tentacles. At first, she had difficulties moving herself on the ground as she wasn't used to that many limbs. However, her natural instincts soon took the lead and she started naturally gliding around the room. After a few minutes, her tentacles fused back together and extended to form the tail that she had always been familiar with. She shook it a little and inspected the tip, and sighed in relief when she didn't notice any anomaly.

"Good! You can now freely alter your body back and forth from lamia to scylla!" Hiruko giggled. "I'm starting to turn in a teacher like Tamamo."

"…" Alice decided that remaining polite to not offend the scylla was a priority. "Thank you."

"You're welcome! With time, I could probably teach you to turn into each of the six ancestral races, but…" She looked at Alice's round stomach. "Tamamo told me that you needed to be careful."

Alice simply nodded back, still uncomfortable no matter the scylla's demeanor. She found comfort in Luka's presence, as the hero was right besides the arena, watching the duo from afar with a certain concern.

"You mean I could even turn myself in an alraune? How does that even work?"

Hiruko shrugged. "As a direct descendant of the Dark Goddess, your cells are just malleable enough to transform into any monster. However, since you never did transform before, your body gave out less energy to this function in particular, so you'll need to practice first, just like for muscles."

"Wait… What about when she transformed into a human?"

Alice sighed. "I already explained you, idiot, the body is stored in a pocket dimension of my own in the first place, I just switch between both. It's magic, not biology."

"Ah…"

"Awww, is someone afraid that his wife will randomly turn into a bundle of tentacles?"

"Actually I'm more concerned by what she's going to try to do with them at night."

Oh crap, did I just say that out loud?

Both monsters salaciously licked their lips while looking at Luka. The hero hesitated between being happy that they seemed to get along just fine and being terrified by the fact seemed almost ready to jump him at the same time.

"Oh! Luka was with you…"

Fortunately salvation arrived under the form of an exhausted Tamamo. The kitsune was stumbling around like a drunken sailor.

"You really need some sleep…"

Tamamo shook her head. "I'll get some rest a bit later. I'm currently making sure everything's alright…"

Alice's nose scrunched up in concern. "We're doing fine, thank you, but it doesn't seem to be quite the case for you…"

"I… Have some troubles to deal with."

Hiruko smirked and shoved herself in Tamamo's face like a jumpscare. "Wouldn't those troubles be called the Six Ancestors?"

"Sort of… But even before that, there's also the usual administrative mess, Kagetsumugi's forces, that True Faith movement… and I'm also worried a lot by what Minagi's doing."

"Yeaaah, I wanted to ask what was that about? I'm not that surprised by her plan to create herself some pantries, but what's exactly that whole deal with angels and holy energy? I mean I understood the bit about using tattoos so that angels can keep their own energy inside them, but…" Hiruko's face contorted briefly in an uncanny grimace, making Luka and Alice temporarily squirm. "Do you really believe she's the only one able to do that?"

Tamamo sighed. "I tried, and I was unable to correctly manage holy energy and its connection to the mind. Micaela tried, and she was unable to keep it bound to the body. Even in my prime, I couldn't keep channeling holy energy like that. The best I could do was to cast it through talismans."

"What about sharing the burden with partners? I mean if you have someone else naturally skilled at channeling the energy while you connect it with the body..."

"Save for Minagi, no monster can support the holy energy channeled while remaining focused enough to do a tattoo while simultaneously working that link with the mind. We tried back then if you remember."

"I do. Except a little something happened since then, and I didn't see you trying out that." Hiruko was giving out a beaming smile.

"Trying out what?"

"Take a guess..."

Tamamo was tapping her head with her fan in a desperate attempt to focus. Time passed by, and she started growling as her patience for her sister's game was wearing thin while everybody was looking at her. She suddenly completely froze, and her whole body gradually tilted like a freshly cut down tree before falling on the ground in a quake under the dumbfounded gazes of the royal couple.

"Aaand she found out. You might need to console her when she wakes up…" Hiruko curtsied with a smile and left. "Anyway, I have work to do! May your day be pleasurable!"

The scylla disappeared while Luka and Alice were still trying to understand what had just happened.

Suddenly, the castle started rumbling. Luka looked around him in surprise, his sword at the ready and the spirits already summoned, ready to serve. Most of the wards on the wall disappeared into small puffs. Tamamo stood up again in a more dignified posture and looked around her, slightly dumbfounded.

"She's not going to force a projection with all those wards around, is she?"

The next second, a black vortex briefly formed and disappear to reveal a regal-looking lamia whose arms were replaced by white feathery wings, and whose hair ended in snakes that were barely covering her impressive chest. Her golden eyes seemed to pierce through Luka, before her noble voice boomed through the castle.

"Hero Luka! I am Saja! I have taken control of your homeland on the Ilias Continent, and hold the Seraph Micaela in my domain! I challenge you to a duel! Come alone at the temple of Ilias Village, or your home will know my wrath!"

The projection then vanished in a heartbeat, leaving behind a shocked trio. As usual, Tamamo pulled her fan and started refreshing herself.

"Well she hasn't lost her flair for dramatics… What are you going to do?"

While Alice was still dumbfounded by this sudden apparition, Luka had managed to gather his bearings and took the situation in stride as he weighed his sword.

No rest for the wicked.

The day following her unsealing, Saja had ironically decided to once again disappear from the surface of the planet into a pocket dimension of her own. Her plan to get to Micaela was already foiled by the fact that, for a reason, Tamamo had decided to invite the seraph in the Monster Lord's Castle, and openly fighting around the place was out of question if there was the smallest chance that the descendant of the Dark Goddess could be harmed in their fight. No, she could wait a little… And she did.

She smirked when Kanon fell to the hero. The Monster Lord had probably made the single greatest pick when it came to getting a husband, and Saja herself considered the idea of attempting to grab him, but… She wanted to test him herself first. There wasn't a single other man in the world that had even attracted a glance from her, and even getting Micaela became secondary as her obsession for the hero grew.

Eventually, Saja tired of simply waiting and disguised herself to look like a regular harpy to travel the world. Tamamo had only given a detailed description of the Six Ancestors to a few other people, and nobody would question her look. Simply travelling the world to enjoy the changes that had occurred since the Great War felt… Nice. Even if the populations of monsters had grown weaker, the developments in term of society and food culture were more than appreciable and compensated for that.

Her curiosity pushed her to visit the Navel of the World where Heaven used to be. Saja was impressed by the flow of dark energy that was still flowing from the now destroyed Heaven… There was no doubt the Dark Goddess, their mother would be free within a few months. She then proceeded to look at the remainder of the area: Even if Ilias and her cohorts had rebuilt the place after the war, it was now standing wrecked once again, the marble floor being split in several place while the tower that made for the physical access to Heaven was half-collapsed. A large fountain at the center of a plaza was split open, and moss had formed in several cracks.

However what attracted Saja's attention was one of the stone gargoyles standing on the pedestal. She recognized one of them as the monster that was ordered by Alipheese the Second to stand guard and watch over the gate of Heaven for activity. That girl had been sealed, and Saja took pity on the monster that was probably bored out of her mind. The Ancestor carefully examined her environment with her magical senses, and once she was sure Tamamo wasn't watching this spot right now, she deployed a counter-spell to hide her own magic. She then poured energy in the gargoyle, and the monster's red eyes slowly opened up. She grinned, and instantly jumped on Saja while channeling her petrifying spell. The Ancestor barely reacted in surprise.

"What are you doing? I just unsealed you…"

"Yes, and you were stupid to do so! Black Alice is right, there's nothing better than feeding on weaklings…"

Saja frowned, even as the gargoyle was unsuccessfully trying to turn her to stone. "Black Alice… You're serving the mad Monster Lord who helped Ilias?"

"And what of it?! I would have done anything to make that watch better! It's not like the Monster Lord knows anything about it!"

Saja glared at the harpy before continuing in a severe voice. "…You betrayed Alice the Second. You betrayed us."

The gargoyle raised an eyebrow, then Saja's body gradually shifted back to her true form. A primal terror seized the gargoyle as she finally recognized the Ancestor, but before she could move, Saja struck the stone monster in her chest with one of her feathery wing. The gargoyle instantly shattered in hundreds of shards that then rained on the floor around the now bitter Ancestor. She reassumed her harpy disguise and returned back to her own pocket dimension, her heart heavy with regret.

She was disappointed to see that Kanade decided to simply cooperate with humans. A clash with the hero would have definitively brightened her day… Her effort to integrate herself and make peace with humans were worthy of praise as it is what their mother would have wished for, but Saja definitively wished to see if the man had the resources to deal with the slime's regenerative abilities.

Then came the fight with Minagi… Saja was once more frustrated to be unable to assist to the fight herself, she wasn't even able to see the "New versus Old" fight of Lilith versus Alma Elma. She only assisted to the cleanup of Minagi removing her spell, and when she saw the dissatisfied duo of the hero and the Succubus Queen, she shared her pain with them.

She was surprised by Hiruko's own wandering through the world and with how she "played" with Sabasa, but appreciated the good fight she had put up against the hero and the dragonkin. Of course, her mood soured slightly when she saw the hero fall, nearly burned by holy energy. Fortunately, they apparently managed to save him, and Saja decided to wait to be sure he had recovered before putting her plan into motion.

She flew to Ilias Continent in the middle of the day. Nobody would care for one more unusual looking harpy after all, and she got as close as possible from Enrika without getting noticed. Her supernatural senses informed her that Micaela was in the largest house, apparently discussing with a small archangel. The two were discussing over a cup of tea about reigning over angels, while an elf served them. She also detected the subtle signature of Tamamo's presence coming from… A stuffed toy? She frowned as she tried to solve that mystery out, but eventually gave up. It didn't matter.

As she observed them, she realized Micaela's movements became more and more stiff. Concerned by the fact that her target had possibly detected her and could try to escape, Saja deployed a large magical barrier around the area. This time, Micaela reacted and the small angel clumsily attempted to hide herself. The first seraph slowly stepped out of her house and glared in the direction of the disguised yoma, who only then fully revealed her true form.

"Why are you here? There's nothing, only an old retired seraph barely able to fight and a few refugees."

"Is this why you're known as the guardian angel of this region? I can tell that there's still some fight left in you…"

Micaela sighed. "Is this what you really came here for?"

Saja smirked. "Just like old times. The winner is free to do as they wish as the loser."

"And what about them?" She gestured around her. "Monsters and angels who consider me their guardian?"

"They won't have anything to fear from me… If you step up that is."

"Very well… It's not like I can talk you out of it I suppose."

Micaela removed her glove and the ring underneath it. The next instant, her blond hair extended even more, two pure white wings expanded from her back and a blade of pure light appeared in her hand.

In the blink of an eye, she took to the sky with Saja in hot pursuit. Even before the seraph could do anything, she felt several magic signatures and dodged a salvo of fireballs launched by Saja in a flowing movement. The yoma maintained the pressure with a wave of darkness that weakened Micaela slightly, and she proceeded to directly charge at the angel headfirst. Micaela managed to dodge her at the last moment and slashed at her opponent's tail with all her strength, keeping the limb away and making a small gash appear.

Saja groaned in pain and summoned a dark lightning storm point blank, bathing the seraph in a dark cloud stirred by lightning. Micaela endured the pain as best as she could, and answered in kind by surrounding herself with a holy wind that destroyed her opponent's spell but dissipated without being able to damage Saja. The unimpressed yoma continued her elemental assault by attempting to freeze her opponent with a storm of supernatural ice, and, this time, Micaela took the full brunt of the assault. Saja then reinforced her own body with an additional spell and struck the seraph with the weight of a mountain, propelling her target in the Lost Woods at an impressive speed before the echo of the impact reached her ears.

Saja cautiously descended to the ground to see the large crater with an unconscious Micaela at the center. Even that fight had been disappointingly fast… Did she grew so weak on the surface of the world? Even worse, her life seemed to be threatened from this sparring.

"I can't let you die or I won't hear the end of it from Minagi… If I imprison you, you will be fine for a time."

Runic circles appeared above and under the seraph's body, and, the next second, she disappeared. Saja released her protection spell, and, once she had fully recovered, she prepared herself to send a message to the hero when she felt a disruption: Another barrier like hers had been deployed around the hero's village. Even from there, she could feel the handcraft of angels… She directly flew there, and noticed that said barrier wasn't of the highest quality. She even managed to sneak through unnoticed with a magic spell to assist to the sight of several angels flying over the city, led by someone who was wearing a rich white robe and a golden mask and who was hovering in front of the temple. The silhouette pointed a finger at the temple.

"We have come to claim justice in the name of Ilias, and clear the temple of the blasphemous failures that are profaning it!"

Saja looked at the entrance of the temple itself to see a concerned priest and a six-tailed kitsune. While the man was nervous, the kitsune looked ready to fight, having already a defense talisman in her hand at the ready.

The priest raised his arms in an attempt to appease these aggressors.

"Her love is for everyone, there are no reasons to be hostile…"

"Are you willingly ignoring her holy commandments? Let us kill those blasphemers!"

Several holy circles appeared in the sky as the small army of angels prepared to cast their spells. In desperation, the kitsune threw a few talismans, and barriers appeared around the temple. The spells rained on the barriers that shimmered before disappearing one after the other as angels sustained their assaults. After half a minute, the last one visible was starting to disappear as it threatened to collapse, and the duo in the temple started panicking as it was clear their last wall before being obliterated was falling apart… Until another barrier appeared to protect them, surprising everyone.

"Mmh. Really?" Saja revealed herself, an expression of contempt on her face. "Have angels grown that weak, they need a small army to sustain an assault for that long to bring one monster down? Or are you so desperate you need a victory over a harmless village to reassure yourself."

The hidden figure turned slowly toward her, clearly offended. "We didn't come to fight! We're here to cleanse the temples of Her Holy Light from the abominations that are accepted since that fake hero's victory!"

"So you decide to harm him by attacking the weak ones close to him." Saja giggled threateningly. "You are pathetic." She slowly started inhaling. It's only at that precise moment that an alarm cry echoed through the ranks of angels.

"It's one of the Ancestors! FLY AWAY!"

Angels started to scatter when Saja released her attack. A large beam of energy left her mouth and knocked her targets away like a stream of water would carry dead leaves. When her attack stopped, she noticed that they had all teleported away. She shrugged it off. It was time to resume her plan now, after all…

Saja frowned as she focused on the Monster Lord's Castle. Tamamo had generously warded the place.

Bah! The kitsune's tricks and talismans wouldn't hold her back for long. Her message would pass soon anyway.

Kagetsumugi looked at the critically wounded angels that her focused teleportation had brought in. She had just taken a huge gamble by thinking that the Ancestor would just forget them as soon as they disappeared, just as people usually did, but it paid off: She now had several powerful angels that were temporarily weakened in front of her.

She could hear them groan in pain, and a few were even scrambling around in fear in front of the puppeteer. Probably more experienced ones who had heard of her... She bowed.

"Greetings. You might not know me, but I am going to give you another opportunity to attack the hero and the Monster Lord… Now, I apologize in advance, but I never had the opportunity to practice my skill on divine creatures, so I won't guarantee that each and every one of you will be enhanced to a new level."

Nagael glared at her. "You will just make us your puppet!"

Kagetsumugi shrugged. "You always were puppets. You used to be under Ilias. I just happen to be your new master… But before I start, I want to check a little something…"

She made her way to the masked figure. The mask was magically locked, and the robe wasn't torn, it was only Saja's raw power that had knocked their wearer unconscious. It was really some of the finest clothing that only the most skilled angels could craft. Still, Kagetsumugi's magical skills made short work of the protection, and the unconscious wearer was soon revealed under the small puppeteer's unsurprised gaze.

"Of course... With all those in Heaven dead, responsibilities fall to the highest ranked angel, doesn't it?" Kagetsumugi mockingly continued in a sing-song voice. "Monsters are so barbaric, they fight to decide who will be the strongest to lead them..." She giggled. "And yet... You were always led by Ilias who was the strongest, and now..."

She gestured at the still unconscious angel's face, before sneering again.

"It's Micaela I suppose. Maybe I can change that..."

"We're aware Anera… Still, thank you for informing us. No, don't try anything, take a rest and make sure everybody stays fine. We have this under control."

Tamamo sighed as the communication with her panicking subordinate cut. Saja's appearance had been quite the shock for everyone involved, but once everybody recovered… That was when troubles started.

"I refuse to send Luka to his death!"

Alice was standing in front of the now sealed exit of the throne room, her tail shaking threateningly while she assumed a fighting stance.

Luka himself was trying to step around her, but the Monster Lord was always getting in her way.

"She challenged me, and Micaela's life is at stake! My hometown is at stake!"

"Maybe, but I can't take the risk of you dying! She's the strongest Ancestor and you will fight her alone. If she doesn't kill you, I know that holy corrosion will!"

"Actually…"

Alice raised a hand to interrupt Tamamo.

"You know it's true! And I refuse to raise our children alone!"

"I always carried through! I managed through worse! We managed through worse!"

"And you weren't alone back then! Do you imagine what would have happened if you were alone after your duel with Hiruko? You wouldn't have made it!"

"I still survived! That's what count first and foremost!"

"I wouldn't be so sure…"

"You did because you were lucky! Just like you always were. And because we accompanied you! You could have died so many times during your adventures I wondered how you were still breathing when you reached me the first time you came to the Monster Lord's castle!"

"So what do you plan to do then? Keep me sealed even if the world falls apart?!"

"Actually maybe I should! I even have a spell for it!"

"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!"

Alice and Luka finally gave their attention to Tamamo. The kitsune sighed and stepped between both to first stare at the Monster Lord.

"Alice… I thought you had matured more than that. If people happen to hear or think that a town got razed because the Monster Lord wanted to protect her own happiness, this will completely destroy any authority you and any future generation have, and this is not considering that it will end coexistence prematurely. A lot of monsters will take it as a message that they're free to act up, and I'm not even sure my own sisters wouldn't jump in the opportunity again. I'm disappointed."

The Monster Lord didn't answer. She raised a finger and mouthed a few throat noises, but she eventually looked down, ashamed.

"And Luka… You shocked me too, and if they were here, I'm sure your parents would be terrified for your future as well. You did nearly die several times during your adventures, and the last time was less than a week ago. I was wondering if it wasn't the call of adventures, but right now, I'm starting to think that you're actually addicted to the thrill of being close to death."

"I'm not-!" His words sounded hollow to his own ears. "I'm… Not…"

Tamamo moved back slightly to be able to look at both of them at the same time. She sighed.

"I'll try to see how much time Saja is willing to give us before starting to rampage… In the meantime, I also wanted to try testing what Hiruko found out since it would mean we wouldn't have to rely on Minagi for this tattoo story."

"Wait, please tell me more now!"

Alice slithered in front of Tamamo in a heartbeat. The kitsune tapped her chin with her fan.

"Simply put, you would need both the hands of an angel to control holy energy and a monster at the same time to make it work."

Luka's and Alice's jaws hit the ground at the same moment. Tamamo shamefully nodded.

"Yes, it's that simple. That easy. That dumb. But nobody considered this solution because angels didn't need that tool at first, monsters never used holy energy and… I guess even with coexistence, we didn't consider cooperation."

For a reason, that sentence made the effect of a cleaver on Luka's heart.

"In any case, I'll try to see if we can do this with Endiel. Even if she developed a bond with Minagi, I think making her cooperate will be easy." When she noticed a lack of reaction from the royal couple, she continued. "And you should both take some time to cool off after that."

When Tamamo returned a small hour later, the tension had barely alleviated. Luka and Alice were still barely looking at each other and hadn't said a word. The kitsune was instantly hit by the heavy air.

"Saja is ready to wait until tomorrow's zenith, but not a single second longer. Also Endiel is willing to give a hand, and I set up the magic laboratory, soooo… If Luka wills it… We can solve that issue with Holy Energy once and for all."

The addressed hero looked at his wife, and the latter closed her eyes and sighed exasperatedly.

"Let's do it. I'll accompany you. If she does anything reckless, I'll end her life."

The trio walked in silence through the castle's stone corridors, and even the usually calm servants were subtly trying to avoid them as best as they could. They entered a room which floors and walls was covered with different magic circles, and Alice frowned when she saw Endiel's carefree smile.

Tamamo guided Luka to a chair and sat him down.

"The best place for the tattoo will be your right arm... Unless you prefer another spot?"

Alice and Luka both shook their head negatively.

"Small warning before we get started… This… Won't feel good, and since a part of your own energy will be used to bind everything, you might end up unconscious."

Alice groaned, but didn't step in.

"Let's get started then… I promise, we'll do it as fast and as painlessly as possible."

Both Endiel and Tamamo grabbed Luka's arm. The kitsune started tracing symbols on Luka's arms with her fingers, while Endiel closed her eyes and summoned flying symbols. At first, the hero didn't feel or see anything. After a few seconds, however, he could see something form on his arm.

"Now is the painful part…"

Luka closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as an all too familiar pain was taking over his right arm, although he managed to recover and give out Alice a small smile to silently tell her he was doing fine. The pain wasn't as terrible as he remembered it, but it lasted longer than he expected as both the monster and the angel were working their craft. When he looked at his arm, he could see small intertwined lines burning red on his arm. Tamamo had even fastened his arm with her tails to make sure that he wouldn't swing it around as a reaction to pain.

Eventually, after several minutes, Tamamo and Endiel checked on Luka's arm, and the kitsune sighed with the satisfaction of a work well done.

"And done! That wasn't so terrible now, was it?" Luka's head was holding limply as the hero didn't answer, although everybody could still hear him breath. "Luka?"

The hero's body rocked a few times before eventually slipping from the chair, only to be instantly caught by Tamamo's tails and Alice's arms.

Endiel giggled at the spectacle. "He passed out once the deed done, just as they usually do..."

Tamamo and Alice glared at Endiel who ignored them. The angel whore started walking away. "Since we're done, I'm back to my room. There were a few succubi interested in sharing trade secrets."

"…Still, thank you Endiel."

Endiel didn't turn back. "You're welcome. Please don't forget to take care of Minagi… I still miss her."

Behind her, Tamamo and Alice remained awkwardly silent with the unconscious Luka between them. The Monster Lord was breathing loudly as she was looking at the unconscious hero.

"…Did it work? Are you sure he's alright?"

"You can see for yourself… We can ask him to test, but I'm not sure pushing him right now is a good idea."

"Well…"

Alice remained silent for an uncomfortably long moment, only staring at Tamamo and Luka before turning away and leaving her husband in the kitsune's care.

"…I will return to the throne room then."

"…Are you going to be alright? I mean, you're going to deal with the new leader of the Spider Clan, and then Kanade will be here tomorrow to discuss the cleaning out of a region in Hellgondo to welcome her brethren."

"I'll be fine… Unless you get in my way again, I'll be fine."

Tamamo gulped loudly, but kept her smile.

"Well… I will carry Luka back to your room. I'll see you later."

Tamamo and Alice walked in opposite directions without looking back. The kitsune made her way to the royal couple's bedchamber and delicately placed Luka on the bed. She was shaken by a small hiccup when she left the room, and a tear appeared at the corner of her eyes. When she closed the door, she stumbled a bit and used the wall to support herself. Maybe discussing her concern about the Monster Lord with the other Heavenly Knights was in order.

"Are you alright, big sis? You look completely down…"

Tamamo looked up to see Hiruko walking toward her. At least, she didn't appear right in her face this time. Progress…

"I'm… Having a bad day. I take it you heard what happened in the throne room and in the laboratory afterward…"

Hiruko sheepishly nodded. Of course, even if her curiosity wouldn't have brought her there, her self-affected duty of serving and helping the Monster Lord would. She gently grabbed her sister's hand, and a tentacle snuggled around Tamamo's wrist.

"You're so tense… You know, since only Saja remains out there, you should take a break and blow off some steam! A good meal, a good man, maybe play one of your pranks, just like old times!"

Tamamo reflexively giggled. "I don't think a single country would hold if I do anything like that again. Besides, something like that would wreck the world harder than you all did."

"Mmh. True…" Hiruko pouted and crossed her arms in a childish posture. "Then maybe on someone in the castle? Since it's been long since your last game, something slightly less grand could still be fun."

"Thank you, but…" Tamamo looked at the ground for a moment as she thought Hiruko's proposition out. A plan that would fulfill a few goals started to draw itself in the kitsune's mind. "Actually, that could be a good idea. Care to help me out?"

"Sure! What do you want to do?"

Luka ended up recovering a small hour later. Still groggy, the hero decided to take a small meal, and to train a little to at least stretch his limbs. Even as he kept swinging his sword, he repeatedly checked the tattoo that was now surrounding his arm. He couldn't feel anything happening with it. A part of him wanted to test its abilities, but the hero still felt too tired to really test his skills. He also wanted to check on Alice after their dispute, but the Monster Lord was busy with administrative matters, and the guards turned him away.

Disappointed, he decided to go check on the Heavenly Knights. However, Yao informed him that Tamamo was busy refining that new tattooing technique and didn't want to be disturbed, Alma Elma had returned to the Succubus Village to take care of the Lilith Sisters, and, apparently feeling courageous, Granberia had even decided to accompany her. Disheartened, he decided to wander in the basement.

It's only when the hero reached the castle's hot springs underground that he saw Erubetie. The slime queen was slowly drifting across one of the pond, and even as Luka tried to make himself as silent as possible, the slime queen instantly turned to lock eyes with the hero, surprising him.

"Sorry… I was just passing by, I didn't want to disturb you."

"It looks like you could use this relaxation spot more than me…"

Luka chuckled awkwardly. "I do look that bad?"

"The flow around you is completely twisted like waves of steaming blood crashing on a jagged coastline. If you tried to reach a serene mind right now, you would fail." Erubetie propelled herself to the edge of the pond and reformed herself. "It might not be much, but if telling me your problem can help you, I'm willing to listen."

"Thank you, but… Don't you already have your own problems with your Ancestor?"

"She's starting to free the spring as she prepares to travel to Hellgondo… I'm not looking forward to the cleanup of her… meal, and then I'll discuss with the queen on how to exactly carry over that environmental protection program to the other regions. My support will be less needed afterward, and I can use a distraction to change my mind. So you can tell me everything that ails you."

"Well…" At first, Luka hesitated, but since the Queen Slime was more loyal than ever to the Monster Lord, he decided to tell her what happened earlier, showing her his new tattoo as evidence.

When he was done and was confronted with Erubetie's neutral expression, he slightly regretted having dropped so much on the poor Queen Slime who had simply asked about his day to clear her mind from the Ancestor. Still, after a minute, she answered.

"It is good that you're now apparently free from the poison that nearly destroyed you twice. However, when it comes to the Monster Lord… Her reaction is understandable."

Luka frowned. "Wait, you think I should hang back while some monsters wreck havoc?"

Erubetie glared at Luka. "I said that I understood, not that I approved." Her gaze softened right afterward. "However, she had hoped to settle down with you after the war, and indulge herself in the peace with you. With the arrival of the Six Ancestors, we all had to get ready again to defend the world against them, you first… Except that between her pregnancy, her role as the Monster Lord, and, first and foremost, as the direct descendant of the Dark Goddess, she cannot risk her life. Each time you left to fight, she remained behind and could only pray for your safe return."

Luka nodded and gulped loudly as he understood where Erubetie was going.

"So instead of relaxing with her dear husband, she was forcibly sidelined while the man of her life risked her life again and again as the best hope to stand against this new threat… You can imagine how she feels. And you saw how passionate she can be in her actions."

"Yeah… This is the problem… I'm afraid one day I'll wake up to find myself behind an indestructible barrier without able to do anything, simply because she thinks it's what will be required for my protection…"

"But she never did that, did she?"

"Yes, but does it mean that she will never try… Oh…" Luka took his face with both his hands. "I am an idiot."

"She would probably agree on that one…"

The Queen Slime's snark made Luka chuckle reflexively. "It's just… I told her to trust me because I didn't die in the past, and I'm worried that she might seal me to protect me while thinking that the fact that she didn't already is no reason. That was so hypocritical of me..." The hero sighed loudly. "Although I don't know how I can reassure her now..."

"You're right. You are an idiot. You better make up to her as soon as you're done with the Ancestors." She closed her eyes. "I suppose guaranteeing her that you're going to hang back afterward can help. And actually "

Luka nodded. "Yeah… Thank you Erubetie." Luka got up and stumbled a bit. "I'm going to get some rest now."

"You're welcome."

Luka was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound panicking panting. When he turned, he saw the back of his wife moving in rhythm with her breath.

"Alice?"

She instantly stopped moving as she stopped breathing. Only a pathetic whimper answered him.

"I'm sorry…"

"What? What for?"

Alice turned, and Luka could see her dry red eyes.

"I said things so selfish… I told I was ready to sacrifice everything for my own happiness… I didn't even consider others and…" She hugged Luka tightly, surprising the hero who recoiled slightly at first, but returned her embrace.

"I don't think it! I don't know why I said it! I just want us to be happy, and yet I said I'm willing to trample everything you want… That's so dumb of me! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

Alice ended up exploding into full blown cries. Luka gently pat her on the back.

"There, there…"

Luka briefly castigated himself for being unable to find anything to comfort her.

"Once I've beaten her, we'll get back on the road together, just the two of us, just like good old times…"

"…Aren't you afraid that you're going to die? That you'll leave me alone against everyone's will?"

Luka took a moment before answering. "Yes, I am. Even if I'm an idiot hero, I'm not too foolish to not be scared of dying, now more than ever."

He freed himself and directly looked at Alice in the eyes.

"But I learned during our adventures together that I can't let myself be blinded, let it be by my fear or by anything else. People's lives are at stake, and people count on me. And I want to spread the idea of coexistence to the Ancestors too! But Tamamo told us that they only respect strength, and… Well, with the exception of Kadane-"

"Kanade."

Luka chuckled. "With her exception, I had to beat them all to convince them of co-existence."

Well… Kanon is still not convinced, and everybody seems to think that Minagi is still planning something.

And Hiruko still creeps me out.

"Once I've beaten down Saja, we'll finally be able to freely enjoy this world! And this time, I'll stay by your side as much as you want…"

"I hope… I already heard that one too many times before."

Luka raised an eyebrow. Alice looked down in shame.

"Sorry, it's just that we thought we would be done after defeating Ilias… We barely had a few months before discovering that we'd have to deal with those walking disasters that make for Tamamo's sisters."

"Yes, but if we deal with this one…" Luka gave an unusually devilish smile. "Then we'll make sure people think twice before harming us!"

"…That sounds exceptionally forceful from you… I mean having the Ancestors terrorize the population…"

Luka's eyes widened in shock. "Wha- No! I mean maybe the Ancestors will also step in and support us just like the Heavenly Knights!"

"I know." Alice giggled. "I was messing with you. You're still my cute little idiot at heart."

Luka sighed and laid back on the bed. He deserved that one. Alice was tracing his chiseled chest with a finger.

"But you know… I'm impatient to test a few things with this switching that Hiruko showed me."

Luka raised his arms defensively. "I still have to fight one of the most dangerous monsters that have ever walked this planet tomorrow."

"Right… I will let you rest then. Just… Please swear to me that you will come back safely."

"I will."

"Thank you…"

Alice returned to sleep, apparently appeased. The hero himself still felt concerned, however. Tamamo had insisted that Saja was the strongest of monsters below the Dark Goddess herself.

The first Ancestor… Uncomfortable memories of what Witch told him resurfaced.

The first is the most dangerous.

The first Ancestor he encountered, Kanon, had proven a tough fight, but he could hardly tell if she had been moreso than her sisters.

So it would likely be the other meaning of "the first."

He eventually fell asleep with a storm still raging in his mind.