Yoru’s eyes widened at the sudden change of environment. Though her surprise only lasted a short moment before a soft smile curved across her face.

"You just can’t stop surprising me, human," she said, her hands still on his armoured chest. "So what now?" she asked, searching his eyes for an answer.

Damon knew exactly what she was asking.

Yoru and Ayame were the last two divine beasts, and the quest required that there could be only one divine beast left. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Of course, Yoru already proposed a solution, one that would require breaking every single one of Ayame’s tails, something that would leave her broken far beyond just a loss of strength.

"We won’t be going ahead with your plan," Damon said flatly, his gaze holding hers without flinching.

Yoru’s expression changed slightly.

Although she had already expected it, she was still surprised to hear it out loud.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked. "Kill me?"

Damon held her gaze for a second before replying. "I won’t kill you."

"Do not be foolish, human," Yoru’s expression darkened slightly. "Only one divine beast must be left alive. There is no tricking a system."

"I don’t need trickery to end the quest."

Yoru frowned, completely puzzled at what was going on in his head.

She lingered for a moment before speaking once more, this time a lot softer.

"Stay... Stay here with me. Go with my plan, and you’ll always have me by your side."

Her cheeks grew pink as she spoke, her gaze left Damon’s eyes and drifted to the ground, while her voice sounded as though she had to swallow all the pride she had to say what her heart desired.

Yoru’s eyes slowly rose to meet his. Her hands reached for his face as she leaned forward and pressed her lips onto his.

It lasted only a short moment before she pulled back and looked straight into Damon’s eyes.

Her expression changed for the second time, and this time it turned rather sour. "You... your mind’s already made...." she said, her voice turning softer than it had ever been.

Damon did not answer immediately.

Instead, he reached up and moved loose strands of her hair, tucking them behind her ear.

Yoru’s eyes lowered.

That simple gesture told her everything.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

"You damn human... You really are impossible."

"I’ve been called worse."

"By me, mostly."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Damon’s mouth before fading once more.

Silence settled between them.

For the first time since they had met, Yoru looked genuinely small.

Not weak or frightened, but rather just tired.

"So... how will you do it?" she asked, understanding well what came next.

Damon found himself slightly surprised at how easily she accepted defeat.

"You’re not going to try and fight me?" he asked.

Yoru shook her head. "No. I know when I lost."

He watched her for a moment before reaching toward one of her horns.

[Mana Absorption Activated.]

[...]

Immediately, Damon felt the absorption ability activate, but unlike using it as he normally would, this time he held back, taking just enough for Yoru to lose recognition as a Divine Beast.

[You have absorbed 1137 Mana.]

He stopped the second Yoru’s presence withered. Her knees almost buckled at the sudden loss of nearly half her mana.

Damon caught her by the waist, supporting her entire weight with one arm.

Using his second arm, he lifted her into the air and moved her slowly to the bed, placing her gently onto the soft white sheets below.

Her arms wrapped around his neck just as he was about to pull back.

"You damn human..." she said, her voice nothing more than a whisper.

Their eyes lingered on one another before Damon finally pulled away, just as a long notification rang through the entire world.

[Final World Quest — War of Six Divine Beasts is now Complete.]

Immediately, Damon felt his connection to Ayame as her champion weaken. With the quest of this world being over, his time here was also coming to an end.

He, however, wasn’t quite ready to leave just yet. He activated Heavenly Comprehension and reached for that connection. By feeding more mana into it, he could prolong the process, which, with his current reserves, was good enough of a solution.

His gaze then moved for the last time to Yoru, who was already looking at him with a quiet understanding.

"Go," she said, turning her gaze away as soon as she said it.

He spared her one final second, which was worth more than any amount of mana he could spend, before he reached for Shadow Step and left the dragon territory with a single step.

In an instant, he disappeared from Yoru’s chamber and appeared back on the Kitsune estate.

It took a moment too long for the Kitsune Clan members to take notice of him, and a moment longer for Ayame to appear upon hearing of someone’s sudden arrival.

A book she had been carrying slipped out of her hand. Her eyes turned watery as she broke into a run toward him.

Her slender body crashed into him a second later, her face buried against his chest while her arms wrapped around his torso, as though afraid he would disappear if she loosened her grip.

For a moment, the world ceased to matter before Ayame spoke quietly.

"You’re here..." Her voice cracked. "You’re still here."

Damon’s hand found the back of her head. "I’m here."

She pulled back slightly, her arms still locked around him.

"I thought you..." she tried to speak, but her voice failed her.

At the same time, Damon’s hand moved to the side of her face, wiping a single tear rolling down her cheek.

He felt the rate at which his mana was being depleted. He felt the system’s pull trying to drag him back.

And yet as Ayame’s arms tightened around his chest, Damon ignored both.

In that moment, there was nowhere else he would rather be.