"Huff… huff… to think this would be how it all ends. Sigh…"

A grotesque scenery that would have sent chills into anyone who saw it. At the center of a tall and elaborate cage of steel was a divine being on the verge of death. His body originally white as snow now was the hue of azure.

Bathing in enough blue blood to fill an ocean, the being limped forward. Chains clinked and clacked with his every step. From his entire back, thighs, and both wrists and ankles protruded stakes made of dull orange metal.

The slayer alloy that Elian and Bianca fought so long to find.

His gruesome state looked like someone took a man and tried to turn him into a porcupine. Rust-colored steel was embedded in his entire body by both bullet and blade. Like a canvas without a clean spot left, Origin's body was ravaged without mercy.

Origin turned to the knight in front of him, one who was also encased in the same material from head to toe.

"You are going to regret this, you know… You might not become him once I am gone, but that will not erase all that you have done. Once the multiverse collapses, everyone who is still alive will know… Pwe!"

As if spitting the blood pooling in his mouth, Origin spat out blue-colored fluids in derision.

"Hah… When that time comes, you won't even need that damned lunatic. The universe itself will tear itself apart to kill the both of you. The whore of steel and the butcher of the end. What a sight that would be."

Origin then pointed to Bianca with his chin as his eyebrows furrowed in what looked like joy.

"And her? She will die a most horrible death. Even if you keep them all at bay, you have no idea how much the Tyrant of the End hates her. So long as you keep her by your side, there will be no compromise. You will all die… He will destroy everything!"

However, despite all the tidings of doom the bleeding Origin said, Elian didn't even raise an eyebrow. Instead, he kicked him in the chest and sent Origin flat on his back. With a raised lance made of Slayer alloy in the air, Elian only remarked in a dull tone.

"He can try…"

And brought it down.

With a final fierce movement, Elian drove his lance's tip through Origin's chest. Where more than fifteen blades were already jutting out. It was only then that the mighty divine being's body finally lost strength.

[Alert: Quest: End the Crucible has been completed.]

A final system message confirmed both the victory Elian and Bianca had sought. In the next moment, Origin's body began to vibrate. Fierce mana and kinetic energy gathered around his entire frame.

Elian turned behind him and called, "BIANCA!"

"ELIAN!" a figure landed behind him and raised her hands frantically.

"DIMENSION GLACIAL FORTRESS!"

As if someone tore apart the very fabric of space, void rifts appeared all around Elian and Bianca. Frost and ice began to solidify in the gaps, creating an instantaneous castle of crystal and void energy. Elian similarly raised his hand and fabricated overlapping shields of various alloys.

Despite their superior power and overwhelming defenses, it came.

[You have consumed 20 stacks of Divine Invulnerability. Max HP is increased by 20%.]

[Alert: Bio-Synthetic Regeneration has been exhausted. Cool down: 300 seconds.]

A shockwave that seemed so devastating that their very cores began to shiver in terror.

"AHHHHH!!!!" Bianca screamed.

Elian reformed his body to protect her. But it still couldn't shield her from everything. The metal, ice, and dimensional rifts they used to protect themselves were all destroyed in the next moment.

"ELIAN! The space is too volatile! We can't teleport away!"

"THEN WE WILL OUTLAST IT!!!"

Cataclysmic flares of pure power battered the pair. It was as if they witnessed the sudden birth of the universe. Detonation so powerful threatened to come like an avalanche. Each ripple had enough mana to tear apart the universe down to its every foundation.

Simplifying his approach, Elian summoned every bit of material he had and encased him and Bianca within it. His wife, noticing his actions, followed suit and mixed her ice to strengthen Elian's makeshift cocoon.

"CRAP! IT'S NOT GOING TO HOLD!"

"NO!!!! WE ARE SO CLOSE!!!!"

Amidst the horrific cyclone of destruction, Elian felt a hand desperately grab his. Its fingers swiftly interlocked with his and grabbed his with all of its might.

"ELIAN! IF WE DIE…!!!"

Knowing the words before his wife could even utter them, he answered as best he could. Her face, still hidden by her ascension, was weeping in distress.

[Talent: Adamant – activated. Elian Reed is now immune to fear and psychological effects so long as the Talent remains active.]

"WE WON'T! I LOVE YOU TOO!!"

Without minding her reply, Elian leaned in closer and took her lips. Even as his body melted, even as Bianca's soul body slowly chipped and shattered like glass, Elian still smiled.

Seeing his grin, Bianca smiled uncontrollably too. The Villainess quickly wiped her tears and drew courage from her husband.

"WE'RE GOING TO SURVIVE THIS YOU HEAR ME, BIANCA!"

[Talent: Driven – Salvation mode activated. Elian Reed will never lose consciousness in the face of an enemy so long as a marked target is in danger.]

"SNIFF, NATURALLY! I REFUSE TO DIE A VIRGIN FOR THE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH TIME!"

[Talent: Frigid activated. Bianca Valestra loses all capacity for empathy and affection. Processing power increases by 500%. Duration: 120 minutes.]

The chaotic energies bellowed and pushed all around. Wrapping their arms around each other, Bianca and Elian sent every bit of mana and strength into survival. Renewing their bodies again and again, like a blade tempered in a furnace, they burned.

[Talent: Driven – triggered. Elian Reed will never lose consciousness in the face of an enemy.]

"ARGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Unable to even rest for a single second, they pressed their foreheads together and chanted the mantra that defined their journey.

"FOR OUR HAPPY ENDING!" they repeated again and again.

Like a prayer, the couple felt their circumstances improve slightly with every repetition. It was as if they had brainwashed themselves into seeing that vision. A future without war, without death, a future in which they lived in peace.

[Talent: Driven – triggered. Elian Reed will never lose consciousness in the face of an enemy.]

When they couldn't even summon the strength to speak, they merely gripped each other and thought in their minds. For what seemed like an eternity, they were assaulted one-sidedly, like a boat in the middle of a terrifying storm.

Fortunately, their tenacity was soon rewarded.

The waves of destructive energy began to grow weaker.

And though they were spent, the hope that the ordeal was about to end gave them energy they didn't know they had.

Soon, the damage they suffered lessened. Until finally the fierce assaults ceased entirely.

When Bianca noticed the surroundings turn silent, she peeked out of the cocoon with Dimension Walker. The scenery she saw was a universe much like the one she knew.

"Elian! It's over! We're safe!"

"Ugh, I think I am going to hurl. We should bring pillows next time."

Hearing the stupid jokes Elian was making, Bianca's smile grew wider as she threw herself at her husband.

"WE WON!! ELIAN, I LOVE YOU! MWUAH! I LOVE YOU, MY BELOVED HUSBAND! CHU! I LOVE YOU! CHU!"

Like a broken record, Bianca kept professing her love. All while greedily ravaging his lips in lust. Elian responded just as energetically and hugged her so tight that normal humans would have died by accident.

Their bodies only grew hotter the more they sought each other. Indulging themselves for a good half hour, Elian finally was able to break away. In a feat of superhuman willpower, he was about to separate from the succubus just long enough to utter a single word.

"Home."

Bianca eventually nodded her head and turned towards Earth. From a distance, it was the same world they had always left. But both Elian and Bianca knew it wouldn't be so simple.

"Let's go back."

"Okay."

Fearing the worst, Bianca's hand began to tremble. But Elian grabbed it and gently squeezed her fingers.

"It will be fine."

Like an unmoving mountain, Elian's every word grounded Bianca. His presence allowed her to release the tension and fear. Overwhelmed with affection, she leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

"love you."

"Mhm. And I, you."

"Dimension Rift."

Waving her hand, Bianca opened a portal. One connected back to the skies above Crestfall City. The pair entered and saw a marvelous city.

One way bigger than what their world originally had.

It was both their home, but at the same time, it wasn't.

"Crestfall…"

"Let's go down," Elian said with a grimace.

When they glided down to the city gates, they saw multiple figures racing to meet them. All of them were humanoids covered in black.

"HALT! WHO GOES THERE? IDENTIFY YOURSELVES OR WE WILL USE LETHAL FORCE!" cried the one who seemed to be the leader.

Elian and Bianca searched the mana signatures of everyone present. And none of them were familiar. That simply meant there wasn't a single person in the city Elian or Bianca saw before.

The leader, a very tall female, walked forward while brandishing a long scimitar.

"I WILL SAY AGAIN! IDENTIFY YOURSELVES OR BE SUMMARILY EXECUTED!"

"Elian…"

"…'

The realization that their home had vanished began to cause their hearts to break.

"Who leads this city?" Elian asked with great trepidation.

"This city is aligned with the Weapons of the End. Naturally, we follow the Tyrant of the End!"

At the person's answer, Bianca visibly began to shiver.

Just as Elian was at wit's end about what to do, a figure dashed towards the leader of the city guard and smacked her in the head.

"Stop it with your tasteless jokes, you brat! Your sister looks like she is about to cry!"

With a loud clang, the woman's helmet was knocked off her head, revealing a face as gorgeous as Bianca's. Except she had a streak of gold in her silver hair.

Seeing her appearance, tears began to stream from Bianca's face. "Fluffy!!"

Before anyone else can react, the one who smacked Fluffy vanished and appeared in front of Elian and Bianca. She took off her helmet, revealing a face that filled the pair with joy and longing.

"It is good to see you after so long, Bianca and Elian."

A voice that was firm yet gentle. It dripped with affection and pride. It belonged to someone neither would ever forget.

"MOM!" "Mother-in-law!"

Silent Frozen Star made a breathtaking smile as she continued, "Welcome home, you two."