“Well, don’t be so sure about that. Once upon a time, you didn’t even know about awakening your bloodline. Who knows if there isn’t something else that you might not be aware of?” He puffed some warm air at her, which grazed the black fur covering all of Miria’s body. “Besides, we are going to continue growing together. I can’t neglect my first mate, can I?”

  Even though he couldn’t see her blush, the way Miria slightly dropped her gaze while her tail danced gleefully behind her back was enough of a sign that she appreciated his words with a note of her usual shyness. He didn’t even need the help of their quite deep bond for that.

  “Now, I think we should focus on the situation we are still in. Tyr’s Aegis is up, but things aren’t yet finished.” Asterios turned his head to the front, gazing into the distance at the fighting winged women. “Hop on.”

  Miria didn’t need any clarification of Ast’s order and a truly ecstatic smile curved her lips alongside her short, feline snout. She did her best to hold back the tears of happiness that threatened to escape the corners of her eyes from how overjoyed she was. Without wasting even a single second, she pushed herself off the ground and jumped onto Ast’s back, seating herself in the nook right where his neck connected to his shoulders.

  Asterios took a single peek at her by glancing to the back, and seeing one of the widest grins Miria had ever shown, he launched them into the air with a quiet chuckle. The very instant they took off, she screamed in delight, laughing to herself with barely any control. He intentionally flew a little bit chaotically, adding a bunch of acrobatics to his flight, as listening to Miria’s euphoric voice was pure pleasure to him.

  Soon, they reached the top of the spiritual dome and stopped. It looked like some of the valkyrjas had been locked out during the activation of the barrier, but their friends and companions were bringing them in by extending their hands past the shield. Naturally, all the monsters down on the ground couldn’t receive such privileges and kept crashing into the forcefield protecting the city from all sides.

  Since the dome appeared around the town, many monsters were still present on the inside, rushing through the streets. Without the massive traces of potent energy being released by the Heart, they weren’t as crazy about heading straight for the source, but they were still mostly moving in the same direction, spreading out a little more than before.

  Asterios and Miria spotted Selene in her shifted form. The sparkling, white vixen was loitering around the central building and got rid of any cursed entities that dared to approach her location. The valkyrjas who had been forming the two defensive rings around the plaza weren’t there anymore. It seemed that the army had started pushing towards the streets to begin clearing them up while leaving the strays to Ast’s mighty vulpine companion.

  He spotted Krev fighting the ugly monsters alongside her assigned squad and dove down, causing Miria to scream in delight again. They descended from the sky at a rapid pace, filling it with lots of adorable giggling and overjoyed laughs. There was no doubt that the valkyrjas they were heading for heard them way earlier before Asterios announced their arrival with a flaming breath that burned the majority of the group’s enemies into nothing more than cinders in a matter of a few seconds.

  Flapping his wings to hover in the air and locate a good spot, Asterios landed on top of one of the nearby buildings and directed his crimson eyes at the winged ladies below.

  “You madman. You really did it, eh? The legends were true. The Aegis exists.” The tanned warrior laughed openly.

  “It does seem like it.” Asterios let out a rumbling chuckle.

  “I can already see the intense celebrations. Or all the people flocking here to see the ancient city for themselves. But, before any of that happens, we need to get rid of the remaining vermin,” she said, launching a bunch of her feathers after an enemy that just popped out of the nearby alley.

  “That’s why I wanted to suggest something.” He nodded. “I’d like for you and other commanders to gather a few good squads and head into the Spire. The elevators should be working now, and even if some might be damaged, we created holes through which you should have no issues passing. You can start clearing the floors up from the Scourge that had been trapped inside. Most of the monsters are definitely on the lower levels or still heading for the core chamber.”

  “That’s a nice idea. The soldiers will love the prospect of reclaiming the Spire themselves. I assume we should leave the streets to you?” Krev asked with a challenging smirk.

  “Master will have no issue turning anything that still moves into ashes!” Miria shouted from his back, hugging Ast’s thick neck with a massive grin.

  “Right. Without a doubt.” The silver-winged woman snickered. “I’ll go talk with Skodul and the others. You can let your companions down there know that we are going to be flanking the enemy soon. Keep up the good work and we’ll be done in no time.”

  “Thank you. Good luck to you all and see you later in the fully reclaimed city.” Asterios nodded respectfully at the valkyrjas as they took off and spread out to deliver the news.

  Miria shared the news with the others as he launched himself into the air again. They flew above the buildings while Asterios bathed the streets with almost constant streams of unforgiving crimson flames. Some of the houses and other different places could potentially get damaged a tiny bit from the unimaginable heat, but it was a small price to pay for safety and the knowledge that they were moving to accomplish the goal of their massive campaign.

  After making a round over the city, they took a sharp turn towards their vulpine friend. Soon, Asterios landed by the huge vixen’s side and Miria hastily jumped off his back.

  “Selene! Selene! I flew with Master! It’s so amazing!” The panthergirl practically bounced from bliss and excitement.

  Finishing off the last opponent in her close vicinity, Selene turned to face them. “I saw. And I’m glad. It looked like you were having fun.”

  “I was! It’s so awesome! You have to try it too!” Miria beamed at her excitedly.

  “I will a bit later. We still have responsibilities to take care of.” The fox lady smiled.

  “Sorry.” Miria giggled, glancing at the ground.

  “I didn’t mean to berate or criticize you.” Selene shook her head with a soft chuckle. “You have done plenty already. I’m sure Master is very pleased.”

  “Nevertheless, there’s still much to do. Would you like to switch with me and clear the streets alongside Master or stay here and defend the entrance?” Miria asked.

  “I’ll remain here. My techniques in the current form are much more destructive than yours. I don’t have to worry about turning this entire place into complete ruins that way. I think you are much more suited for fighting in such an environment.”

  “Alright. Leave it to me and Master.” Miria nodded and climbed back onto Ast’s shoulders.

  They soared into the air and started circling the city, going from the inside to the outside. Asterios flew above the streets and mostly used his Dragon’s Breath to deal with the pests dirtying the old home of the valkyrjas. Now and then, he swooped in to slice or crush one of them into pieces with his sharp talons.

  Miria chose to drop down to the very ground and run under Asterios while tracking and killing all the monsters on their path. She had no issues keeping up with his speed, all thanks to her fully unlocked bloodline. The Scourge was nothing more than prey to her as she jumped from place to place and ripped them apart with just her claws and general strength. She moved from intersection to intersection, house to house, building to building in a flash.

  Quite quickly after their conversation with Krev, multiple groups of valkyrjas entered the Spire through the main entrance. The women smiled eagerly and were full of anticipation. Krev must have been right about the morale. It shouldn’t take long before the girls below received some assistance and breathed out a sigh of relief after continuing to repel the monsters for long minutes if not hours.

  The winged soldiers that didn’t join the delegation heading underground continued hunting the Scourge locked inside the Aegis alongside Asterios, Miria, and Selene. Even though the number of remaining monsters wasn’t anything to scoff at, the organized and well-guided valkyrjas reduced the forces of enemies at a quick pace. Everyone was eager to be done and enjoy the celebratory party.

  Minute by minute, the streets were regaining their original state, finally not looking like a tsunami had come through with the Scourge covering most of the ground. The sounds of battle still echoed everywhere as smaller skirmishes took place at almost every single corner.

  The monsters pressed into the barrier from the outside hadn’t unsuccessfully done anything to get rid of it. Their toxic black blood had no effect on the powerful barrier that now surrounded the city. Even though the sight of so many of them right on the other side might be a little bit stressful and anxiety-inducing, Asterios had no doubt that the valkyrjas would repopulate this place no matter what, returning this piece of long-lost land to its former glory.

  In less than half an hour, the surface was starting to get scarce in terms of ongoing skirmishes and monsters available to be slain. The winged corps should have no issue finishing things off by themselves there so Asterios, Miria, and Selene jumped back to the Core Chamber, leaving the rest to the valkyrjas.

  The single entrance to the cylindrical room with the glowing crystal hanging off the ceiling was still spewing out more and more gray-skinned humanoids of various sizes. Judging by the number of corpses that had luckily avoided being completely obliterated by the girls and their spells, there were quite a few giants amongst the grunts.

  “You are back. How is the situation up there?” Silvia asked as the trio rejoined them.

  “The valkyrjas have it under control now. There will be no monsters soon enough. Everything that was outside the city during the activation is now stuck there. It should be safe in a moment or two,” Selene explained.

  “Then we are the last ones to party this hard. We started this show, and we will be the ones to end it.” Grea chuckled mischievously.

  They wrapped up the useless chatter and focused on fighting. With Asterios and the two beastfolk girls joining in again, they could take it with ease. The intensity of the monstrous flood had died down already and the Scourge was beginning to trickle in instead. Everyone worked together at keeping those monsters at bay. Maybe except for Bryn and Atra, who stayed by the control panel and tried to alter some settings related to the specific defensive systems in the Spire, learning as much about them as they could.

  About half an hour later, sounds of battle reached their ears from ahead and some colorful flashes illuminated the Scourge from the back. A few spells flew out of the corridor leading into the chamber, hitting the monsters from behind and taking them down. Valkyrjas started entering the room and Ast’s party noticed a bunch of faces they recognized.

  Finding them right under the giant core, Krev and Skodul smiled, approaching their spot quickly while their companions secured the perimeter. One more winged lady accompanied them and everyone recognized the golden color scheme of Sidr.

  The three women landed in front of Asterios and the girls and Odin’s Supervisor stepped forward. “We meet again. Even though it wasn’t that long since we’ve last spoken directly, it still feels like ages due to the intense waiting we’ve been subjected to.”

  “And we didn’t think we would find you here,” Grea replied with a raised brow.

  “I might not be as skilled and talented as the seasoned warriors, but I’m still a valkyrja with more than just basic training completed. I’m not going to hide in the comfortable confines of my mansion while my friends and comrades are risking their lives for a great cause. Though, I also didn’t expect to find one of you here,” Sidr explained and raised a brow at them.

  “There were a few moments when we needed someone deeply knowledgeable about the Spire to aid us. Atra was willing to be that person and my familiar transferred her here before we reached the conclusion. Things might have not been possible without her invaluable aid.” Asterios glanced at the petite scholar, who was trying to tame down the blush that came from the praise.

  “I see. I hope you can continue aiding us in things related to the Spire, then.” The Supervisor made a tiny, respectful bow. “It looks like we will have to contact Brage for the information on the city itself from ages ago. There will be a lot of rebuilding and renovating. We’ll also definitely need to station at least a few managers for the Spire too so that public information is properly restricted. Especially one related to this place. There’s no doubt that there will be a sea of visitors.”

  Noticing Sidr’s gaze on herself, Atra’s eyes widened to the brim. Bryn smiled gently, glancing at her close friend from the side. They knew no better person than Atra for such a position. While the scholarly valkyrie’s specialization was the ARKs, she certainly knew a lot about the Spire itself and could read up on whatever she was lacking. With the Spire back in their hands and the support of Odin, the Council from Brage would have a hard time denying her access to all the materials.

  “Does that mean the place is secured now?” Tina asked.

  “Mostly yes. We will have to sweep every nook and cranny to make sure, but we are in the green,” Skodul answered. “Did you find whatever you were looking for here?”

  “I think the answer to that is pretty obvious.” Selene chuckled softly and a radiant, white glow surrounded her giant fox figure as she returned to normal.

  Asterios followed suit and dark crimson mist swirled around him as he grew smaller too, reappearing back as a human. Right after the change, he felt a plethora of emotions flow into his mind through the bond he shared with the girls, ranging from slight embarrassment to faint desire. The somewhat shocked faces of the winged ladies standing in front of them were quite unexpected too.

  As Grea landed a loud smack on his butt while nibbling on her lower lip, he realized that he was buck naked. He quickly resummoned his clothing and armor made of spiritual energy and covered himself up to spare the spectators from the unexpected sight.

  “My apologies. It was my first time transforming. I had no idea how much focus it requires to uphold it and switch between forms.” He smiled wryly.

  “It’s alright. Unexpected things happen all the time. I’m glad that this expedition helped you grow stronger. You are now the proud, sole Dragon in this realm. Possibly all nine of them, actually. People will definitely view you as a symbol of change, fulfilling a dream.” Sidr smiled back, with a much more friendly expression.

  “Oh yeah. I’m sure people love this Dragon and his symbol.” Grea snickered quietly, unable to miss where the gazes of most valkyrjas were still directed at.

  Asterios rolled his eyes. “While we haven’t exactly found the answers we expected to find here, we have definitely stumbled on a much more shocking discovery, which is very beneficial for us. Even though I don’t feel like there is anything else related to me for us to discover here, we might like to look around a little more when there are no cursed monstrosities just waiting to interrupt us at every single corner.”

  “The seal is still there, isn’t it?” Miria asked.

  He nodded. “I’ve learned a thing or two, possibly peeking through it during our merge, but it’s still not down.”

  “Maybe the miraculous device will be of help now that we have returned the Spire to its neutral state,” Bryn suggested.

  “Don’t worry, then. I will make sure that you guys receive unrestricted access to the Spire. We might still require your help anyway,” Sidr added. “As for the healing chamber, we should actually check it out as soon as possible. It might come as extremely useful in treating our wounded. Do any of you know how to operate it?”

  “Bryn does, and maybe Master to some extent,” Selene replied.

  “Great. What do you say about us moving there while the others guard the chamber and search every corner for hiding monsters?” The Odin’s Supervisor directed a glance at Ast’s face.

  “Let’s go. We shouldn’t lose any lives if we are able to save them.” He nodded firmly.

  Skodul stayed behind to instruct the soldiers while Krev accompanied them about halfway to the fiftieth floor, jumping off the elevator to look for more enemies to slay. They arrived at their destination without an issue and verified that anyone could technically use the device as long as they were somewhat proficient with mana.

  Sidr thanked them for the help and advised Asterios and his companions to rest after what they had done. There definitely would be a celebratory feast during the night as those who remained on the ARK had already been informed about the success of the unbelievable campaign.

  Atra decided to stay behind too and accompany Sidr at the healing device. The injured were going to be brought there soon and she really wanted to be useful. No one had any objections, so after reminding the Supervisor to be careful about the number of people staying inside the protective dome since there would be no way of getting in if there wasn’t even a single person able to extend a hand past the barrier, Asterios transformed back into a True Dragon and took everyone on a ride back home on his draconic back.

  “If the seal on your memories is still present, then what did you remember after absorbing your evil alter ego?” Silvia asked during the flight.

  “I also thought that getting him would fill in the gaps completely since I would be receiving a set of new memories, but at a certain point, they are like the exact copy of mine. Therefore, I have a feeling that they were just blocked by this interactive, super complex formation too, right after fusing,” he replied.

  “That sucks.” Miria grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “But, I did manage to pick up a few pieces of memories from the period close to the entire operation, and some general information on True Dragons or Red and Kaguya, coming from my other half, of course,” Asterios continued. “I’ll fill you all in soon. We need to rest and wash up first just like Sidr suggested. Our part is completed. The rest is in their hands.”