Skyler’s eyes crinkled with amusement when he noticed their wary stances. He curled a finger toward the closest person.
"Didn’t you all want a spar? Come."
Yuris shook his head so violently it looked as though it might fall off.
At that moment, a soft chuckle echoed through the air.
Everyone instinctively glanced up, and for the first time, Zack, Austin, Charles, Isaac, and Yuris felt a wave of relief wash over them when they saw the Demon Queen.
She looked at Skyler, smiling.
"Congratulations on reaching the Divine Rank."
Hearing her words, Skyler vanished from where he stood. The very next second, his arms were wrapped around her waist.
Watching the two suspended in the air, Zack and the others wiped the sweat from their foreheads. It felt as though they had just narrowly escaped a big calamity. Even 505’s mechanical heart settled down.
Skyler kissed the top of her head before reaching up to brush the loose strands of hair away from her forehead. His fingers rubbed the familiar crimson gem hanging from the silver chain around her wrist.
"Where are the others?"
She clicked her tongue in distaste and glanced toward the highest floor of the Demon Castle, where a mermaid and a clearly displeased familiar white snake were silently staring at the two of them.
Skyler let out a soft chuckle and looked back at her. The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a serious expression.
"Do you really not want to come with me?"
His gaze lowered slightly.
"I can’t leave with peace of mind... I can’t bring myself to leave any of you behind."
He hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Isn’t there any way to hide your presence from the God of Extinction?"
The Demon Queen raised an eyebrow.
"This is my territory. As long as I don’t expose my identity, no one can harm me here. The Battle Royal has a barrier that prevents even the Gods from interfering."
A sigh escaped her lips.
"So, staying here is the safest option."
Skyler fell silent. For some reason, he had an uneasy feeling in his heart. However, at the same time, another feeling reassured him that everything would be fine. It was weird, as though his instincts were pulling him in two completely opposite directions.
After a moment, he rested his forehead against the shoulder of the woman in his arms before reluctantly letting her go.
The two of them vanished from the sky, reappearing inside the Demon Castle.
The moment Skyler appeared, the familiar snake lunged at him. She wrapped herself tightly around him, rubbing against his face. The mermaid was the only one who looked shy and reserved, her cheeks flushing red when the Demon Queen suddenly reached out, wanting to drag Skyler toward the bed.
Although nothing much happened in the end, Skyler still stayed with them until the very last second of the one-month period he had set before returning to Eldoria.
On the other hand, Charles and the others, having grown bored, wandered around the gloomy 52nd level of the Battle Royal. They discovered that, now that they had become so strong, everything that had once seemed threatening was easy to handle. They even found the door leading to the next level.
Yuris was ecstatic when he saw the tall door appear before them. Finding the door meant he had actually surpassed his older brother’s achievements in the Battle Royal—and in such a short time. Just a month ago, something like this would have seemed utterly impossible. But he had done it!
Still, as annoying as his big brother was, after going through so much, Yuris found himself wanting to give his brother a hug.
Realizing what he had just thought, Yuris clicked his tongue. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the smirk tugging at the corners of his lips refused to disappear.
Just like him, Isaac, Charles, Austin, and Zack stood before the towering door with smiles on their faces. But before any of them could push it open in their excitement, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"I believe all of you have consolidated your divine power by now. It’s time to go back."
Austin instinctively muttered.
"Finally?"
Skyler let out a soft chuckle.
"The month’s over. It’s time to return."
He called for 505 and told the system to send them all out of the Battle Royal. 505 quickly got to work. Since it had severed its link with the Main System, sending its host—and everyone whose systems were under its command now—in and out of the Battle Royal had become its responsibility.
A familiar screen flashed before Skyler.
("Take care, Host! No need to come back soon! Take your time saving your planet!")
Skyler’s eyes narrowed at the message. It seemed he had truly frightened his system this time. A pity the system couldn’t follow him outside the Battle Royal. Just before he vanished along with the others, leaving the Battle Royal behind, he quietly muttered.
"Status."
Another screen flashed before him.
_______
Name: Skyler Ironhart
Race: Mix: Dragon, 40% // Angel, 20% // Demon, 20% // Spirit, 19% // Human, 1%
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light, 2) Darkness, 3) Space,
4) Lightning, 5) Water, 6) Earth,
7) Wind, 8) Fire, 9) Metal
Divine Elemental Affinity with:
1) Time (Locked)
2) Void (Locked)
3) ???
Overall Strength:
Divine Rank
Potential: Divine Rank
(Currently locked due to ’Special Spirit Constitution’. No further information.)
Class: Unidentified
Skills/Spells: (21)
_______
Skyler’s eyes flickered with surprise.
"So there really are new elements now."
He mused as his vision blurred and the gloomy, dark scenery around him shifted.
Returning to Eldoria, everyone finally felt a faint sense of nervousness. Even Skyler couldn’t completely escape that feeling.
Therefore, when they finally opened their eyes and found themselves standing in the exact same spot within Starlight Academy where they had vanished a month earlier, a collective sigh of relief left them, followed by smiles spreading across their faces.
Yuris squinted up at the sky.
"I’m back alive! Haha!"
With that, he actually dropped to his knees and reached out to touch the familiar sand, as if confirming that he had truly returned.