Chapter 146: New Purpose
Dennis kept his eyes glued to Ray’s struggle above as he hammered the Roach Gigas without mercy until it finally recoiled. Then, "grrk," the ground beneath them shook. It was clear that Emerald City and Ruby City, currently docked as one, were moving away, leaving the battle between Ray and the Roach Gigas behind as the fight faded into the distance.
"Wait, are we leaving Ray out there all alone?" Dennis asked.
[There is no need to worry, Master. Ray is accustomed to living alone in the darkness and does not belong to any city.]
"Is that really true?" Dennis asked.
[Once someone reaches a level of power like his, anything is possible, Master.]
Suddenly, Dennis felt someone hug his arm. He looked over to see Daisy, holding Destiny, leaning against him and staring up at the sky. Dennis unlinked her arm and pulled her close by the shoulder instead, and she immediately snuggled into him. Both remained silent, watching the battle above fade into the distance, feeling a slight sense of relief. No one spoke; every eye was fixed on the dome. "Beep," the city alarm blared again, followed by an official announcement from the government.
They informed everyone that the situation was under control. They also provided an update on Onyx City—it turns out Onyx wasn’t destroyed, only severely damaged. Many hunters had been killed there when the Roach Gigas broke loose, but the creature was now being handled by Ray. Then, against the sky that had returned to blue, a holographic screen appeared, broadcasting the fight between Ray and the Roach Gigas. With a single, graceful movement, Ray finally managed to sever the head of the Roach Gigas, though the creature’s body continued to attack him, albeit very slowly.
"Yes,"
Secretly, everyone watching felt a surge of joy and admiration as they saw Ray’s efforts pay off. Then, the body of the Roach Gigas finally collapsed. "Blam," the entire city shook as the massive carcass hit the ground. Ray transformed into a streak of light and bolted back toward Onyx City, which sat in the middle of the ocean. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the broadcast ended. The atmosphere softened, the tension draining away. William and Elenor sat in the backyard chairs with a look of peace; Blake sat on the ground near the grill with Naomi by his side, both relieved.
Ivan and the others returned to their seats at the long table, looking relaxed, while Gary hugged Olivia, and Jason and Kimberly held each other tight. Inside, Rika felt the weight lift, as did Bella. Martha pulled Dulcia and Diana into her arms, one on each side, out of sheer relief. But Dennis and Daisy, who was still holding Destiny, kept their eyes on the sky—now blue again and bright with simulated sunlight, though it gave off no heat, being nothing more than the dome’s interface.
"Honey, are we in danger?" Daisy asked.
"I don’t know... because our lives have been so peaceful, I started getting careless and forgot that our world is actually a dangerous place," Dennis answered.
"I’m... thinking about Destiny’s future," Daisy replied, gazing at her daughter.
"Same here... me too," Dennis said, pulling his wife and child closer.
"Um... sorry to interrupt you two, Dennis, Daisy."
The two of them turned around and saw Bella standing there with Rika right behind her.
"I have to go. Thank you for your hospitality and for still being willing to have me here," Bella said politely.
"Oh... right. You need to eat first. Come on, I’ll join you," Daisy replied.
Without waiting for an answer, Daisy pulled Bella by the hand toward the house, followed by Elenor, who had also stood up. William just looked at Dennis and gave him a thumbs-up before heading inside after his wife. Rika stepped toward Dennis.
"Den, I want to apologize again for what Bella did... you already know she’s pregnant, right?" Rika asked.
"Yeah, Daisy told me. Maybe having a kid will make her think about getting her life together. Do you know who the father is?" Dennis asked.
"She said she met him at a bar... just a one-night stand thing, but it happened immediately. Sounds like they didn’t use any protection," Rika answered, shaking her head.
"Whatever, no need to get into the technical details. The main thing is, hopefully she changes from here on out. We live in an uncertain world. What just happened made me realize we have to do what we have to do, because we could be wiped out at any moment," Dennis replied, looking back up at the sky.
"Yeah... you’re right, Den," Rika replied.
"You should go keep Bella company inside. Hey, have you eaten yet? Go on, sit next to your husband," Dennis said, pointing toward the long table that was lively once again.
"Yeah, thanks, Den," Rika replied with a smile.
Rika finally went to the long table and sat next to her husband, Akira. She started reaching for food, and Akira helped serve her. Dennis turned his gaze back to the sky above.
***
That night, after the guests had gone home, William, Elenor, and Martha sat in the living room watching over Destiny. Meanwhile, Dennis, Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne gathered in the council room with a candle burning in the middle of the table like some kind of cult. The atmosphere in the room was tense and deathly silent, until suddenly—
"Hey... what is this? Why is everyone just sitting here being quiet? Baby, you said you wanted to talk, so talk already," Dulcia broke the silence, standing up.
"Ah... sorry, I got carried away by the cult vibes. The room really sets the mood, haha," Dennis replied with a laugh.
Everyone immediately burst into laughter, and things returned to normal as they started on snacks and drinks.
"First off, thanks, guys. Today was a success, despite everything that happened," Dennis said.
"No need to thank us for that, dear," Daphne replied.
"So, what’s the point? Why did you gather us all here?" Diana asked while sipping from a blood bag.
Dennis went quiet for a moment. He looked at each of their faces one by one, then opened an interface screen displaying the power levels of Ray M and Destiny. They all stared at the screen, studying the data, before Daisy turned to Dennis.
"What does this mean, honey?" Daisy asked.
"I want to invite you all to train seriously in the dimensional training room... just like what we did with you back then, honey," Dennis answered, looking at Daisy beside him.
"All of us?" Dahlia asked, pointing at herself.
"Yes... everyone, without exception. Well, obviously not Destiny," Dennis replied.
"Hmm... and the reason? Care to share, hon?" Deborah asked.
"Like we saw this afternoon, there are incredible monsters out there attacking us. If that guy hadn’t been there, our city would be gone and we’d all be dead. I don’t want that... I want to provide a peaceful, comfortable, and safe life for Destiny. She’s the future for all of us, right?" Dennis answered.
"Hmm... true. Anyone with a child would think exactly like you, baby," Dulcia said.
"Yeah, you’re right, everyone thinks the same way. But we’re different from most people. We have the means and the ability; if we don’t use them, it feels like a sin," Dennis said.
"So you want us all to become as strong as him and then save the world or something, sugar?" Donna asked, pointing at Ray M’s profile.
"Wow... saving the world," Dahlia muttered, lost in thought.
"I’m not thinking about saving the world. My goals are much smaller than that. I just want us to have the power and be ready if something like today happens again. It’s not about wanting to protect the city; I just want to protect us, Destiny, and this house. It’s just that doing it alone is hard, right?" Dennis replied.
"You’re right, dear. I agree," Daphne replied.
"Okay... I’m on board too. It’s time we make use of what we have, right, my husband?" Diana asked.
"Exactly," Dennis replied, giving a thumbs-up with a smile.
Finally, they all agreed to train according to their respective abilities until they reached their absolute limits. They discussed the technicalities and how to use their individual skills, spending quite a long time in the council room. But afterward, suddenly, Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne stood up and "sraag," they stripped off their clothes all at once.
"Wait... aren’t we finished?" Dennis asked.
"Now we’re going to talk with our bodies, not our mouths, honey," Daisy answered.
"Huh... I see," Dennis replied, confused.
"Take them off, hurry," Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne said in unison as they approached Dennis and pounced on him. Eventually, Dennis gave in to being stripped stark naked, and of course, each of them kissed him passionately before moving on to other things.
"If it goes like this, I’ll have a second kid before I even get the chance to become strong," Dennis muttered in his heart.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Martha was nodding off, while Elenor was completely out. William, seeing Destiny fast asleep in his arms, glanced toward the basement.
"Where did they all go? It’s not fair to just leave everything to Grandpa. I mean, I’m happy to do it, but this is a bit much," William muttered in his heart.