Chapter 148: The Last Stand
The monsters began to move, floating slowly toward them. Their faces grew more horrific by the second, forcing Diana, Donna, and Dahlia to step back.
"Hey!"
The three of them turned to see Dennis and Daisy running toward them; they felt an immediate sense of relief and rushed to meet them. Dennis saw the advancing monsters and instantly used his Stun Roar. The creatures stopped in their tracks, though they seemed to be forcing themselves to move forward.
"Come on... let’s take them down!" Dennis shouted.
"Right!" Daisy, Diana, Donna, and Dahlia replied.
As they closed in, the monsters tried to fire off their sonic blasts, but "thump," Dennis slammed into the lead monster with his palm, throwing it backward into the others. Suddenly, all eight monsters scrambled up and beat their wings to take to the air.
"I won’t let you!"
Daisy stepped onto Dennis’s shoulder and swung her sword, creating a massive crescent-shaped slash that sheared off their hair. Caught off guard and confused, the monsters froze again, but Dennis hit them with another Stun Roar, this time while he was hovering in the air. Immediately, Diana, Donna, and Dahlia lunged forward and finished off three monsters at once, while Daisy cut down another. As they landed, Dennis pulled them all back because his stun effect was wearing off. Only four monsters remained, and this time, their once-pale faces turned a deep, angry red.
"Okay... wait... let me breathe, I’m out of stamina," Dennis said as his Rage deactivated due to his depleted SP.
Dennis dropped to one knee. "Honey! My husband! Love! Sugar!" Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, and Donna shouted in unison, rushing to his side.
"I’m fine, just exhausted," Dennis said, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his face pale.
"Alright, just rest for now, honey," Daisy replied.
"Let us hold them off," Diana said.
"Right," Dahlia added, standing up.
"Come on everyone, there are only four left," Donna added.
The four of them stood their ground, staring at the four monsters that remained still—but their faces were growing increasingly horrific, far worse than before. Suddenly, "uooooong," the sound of a trumpet echoed, and three of the monsters were instantly obliterated. Diana, Dahlia, and Donna turned around to see Daphne had woken up, used her move, and collapsed again.
Beside her stood Deborah holding a bottle; it seemed she had given Daphne something to wake her up and let her use her skill one more time. Dennis smiled as he watched.
"It turns out she used her ultimate skill... Apocalypse Horn... no wonder she went down," he said to himself. Then he looked toward Diana, Dahlia, and Donna. "Hey, look at that," Dennis said, pointing at the single monster remaining.
Diana, Dahlia, and Donna immediately turned to look at the monster. The creature glanced left and right, then looked at the three of them and began to retreat slowly. Its face, which had been a furious red with a horrific screaming mouth, turned blue—its expression shifting to a pathetic, pouting whimper with downcast eyes. Seeing this, Diana, Dahlia, and Donna all broke into wide, predatory grins.
A moment later, the three of them lunged forward. Diana snared the monster with her blood whip, Dahlia peppered it with fire from dual Uzis, and Donna vanished, reappearing behind the creature to stab it through the back.
Being alone and completely outmatched by three people with such overwhelming power, the monster finally succumbed and vanished. [Quest Clear] flashed on the interface in the sky. They all rushed back to Dennis and "huaaaah," they collapsed their bodies onto him until everyone fell over. Dulcia, who was still covering her ears but could finally hear a little, approached with Deborah, who was supporting a sleeping, smiling Daphne. Daisy sat beside Dennis with a look of relief.
"Huff... that was seriously tough," Diana said.
"That was only rank S," Dahlia added.
"Yeah, true. I wonder what those things from yesterday are like then?" Donna wondered aloud.
"Don’t talk about unnecessary things," Deborah scolded.
Dulcia remained quiet, simply sitting next to Dennis and leaning against him, while Daisy laid her head on Dennis’s lap as he sat cross-legged on the floor. Meanwhile, Dennis opened his profile interface.
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Character Profile:
Name: Dennis Larson
Race: High Human
Class: Berserker
Level: 10 -> 55 (0 / 140,000)
Health: 12,340 / 45,000 -> 67,000
Stamina (SP): 2,500 / 37,500 -> 48,750
Strength: 36,000 -> 67,500
Agility: 32,000 -> 63,500
Dexterity: 32,200 -> 63,700
Constitution: 36,000 -> 67,500
**************************************************
But before he could check his skill interface, "thump," Deborah, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, and Daisy suddenly piled onto him until he fell flat on his back, with Dulcia ending up sprawled out right beside them.
"Hey... what’s going on?" Dennis asked.
"Don’t do any more... we’re exhausted," Daisy answered.
"Yeah, she’s right. I’m tired and sweaty," Diana said, starting to strip off her clothes.
"Me too," Dahlia added, following suit.
"Same here... let’s call it a day, sugar. I’m seriously exhausted and soaked," Donna said, doing the exact same thing.
"I don’t want to have to look after all of you later, so we should definitely stop," Deborah said as she took off her lab coat.
"No, it’s fine. I’m tired too. Let’s end it here for today and pick it up again tomorrow," Dennis said with a smile.
Then, Dennis noticed that the small screens displaying timers above the heads of Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Dulcia had vanished. He turned to look at Daphne sleeping beside him; the small holographic display was gone from her as well.
"Huh... so they’re permanent now?" Dennis asked in his head.
[That is correct, Master. Your power is now sufficient to make them permanent in the outside world.]
"I see. Thank God," Dennis replied, this time with a genuine smile.
[Are you alright with this?]
"Of course I am. I love them all, and they are all mothers to Destiny, so it’s better this way. Honestly, you wanted it to be like this too, didn’t you?" Dennis asked Sami in his head.
[....]
"Okay, since you’re silent, I’ll take that as a yes," Dennis answered.
[It is good that you understand my intent. Do you wish to continue the training? Time does not exist here, so you will return to the outside world at the exact second you entered.]
"No... it looks like they’re already exhausted," Dennis said.
[Very well then.]
Dennis glanced at Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, and Donna, who were piled on top of him. He looked over at Deborah, who was still checking Dulcia’s ears, and then toward the other side at Daphne, who was sleeping with a smile on her face, looking quite happy. He smiled and stretched out his arms, hugging the four girls lying on him.
"Huh... my husband, I’m all sweaty," Diana said, squirming.
"Yeah... uh... this is embarrassing," Dahlia added, her face turning red.
"What’s with the sudden hug?" Donna added.
"Yeah... gosh, honey, our uniforms are getting soaked," Daisy said.
"Relax, it’s fine. We can just sleep and rest in this room for a while, enjoying the view of space," Dennis said cheerfully.
Dennis looked over at Deborah and Dulcia, who were watching him, and gestured for them to come closer. When they reached him, he pulled them in and hugged them as well, leaving them both stunned and confused.
"What is it, hon? You’re being unusually affectionate with us," Deborah said, puzzled.
"Yeah... did you win the lottery? Please answer with just your lips; my ears are still acting up," Dulcia added.
"You want to know why I’m so happy?" Dennis asked.
Everyone nodded immediately, their faces filled with anticipation as they waited for his answer. Dennis looked at them each in turn.
"From now on, all of you are permanently in the real world. The screens above your heads have disappeared, haven’t they?" Dennis asked with a wide grin.
"Oh!" Daisy immediately checked the heads of Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Dulcia, then glanced over at Daphne, who was fast asleep. Meanwhile, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Dulcia were all checking each other’s heads. Before long, wide smiles and tears of joy filled their faces. Without a moment’s delay and ignoring their sweat, they all piled onto Dennis, who was still flat on his back, and he returned their embrace.
They all seemed to be crying with joy and happiness, then kissed Dennis one by one right on his lips. But after that, they all stood up and shed their clothes until they were completely naked, including Daisy, who pulled off her uniform. Then, they began to strip Dennis.
"Hey... what are you doing?" Dennis asked.
"It’s fine, isn’t it? Time stands still here," Daisy said.
"Let’s celebrate being permanent," Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Dulcia said cheerfully.
"Wait, then what about her?" Dennis asked, now fully undressed, pointing toward Daphne with his thumb.
The six of them turned to look at Daphne. They glanced at one another and smiled. After a quick nod, they walked over to the sleeping Daphne, stripped her down, and lifted her up. They sat her right on top of Dennis, and they were instantly connected. "Ukh." Feeling the sensation in her most sensitive spot, Daphne’s eyes flew open. They went wide when she saw Dennis beneath her while she shielded her face with one hand, realizing she wasn’t wearing a single stitch of clothing.
"Huh... what? Wait... I’m... naked... aaakh... that feels good, dear. Let’s keep going," Daphne said, waking up and immediately getting into the rhythm. Meanwhile, the others kept Dennis’s hands and face busy by crowding all over him.