Ren stared at her, completely blank. "Why are you asking me that? Aren't you an angel too? Don't you know something we can do?"

Luxy blinked, then actually laughed—a dry, humorless sound. "Correction. Fallen angel."

Ren frowned. "…What difference does that make?"

"It makes all the difference." Luxy sat cross-legged on the floor, her blonde hair messy and her oversized shirt sliding off one shoulder. She tapped the back where only a single wing sprouted, ragged and faintly glowing. "Our wings… they're our identification. Our brand, you could say. Angels recognize each other through them. Since I've only got one left, the other angel will have trouble finding us immediately."

Ren rubbed the back of his neck, still gripping the kitchen knife loosely. "So… we're safe. For now."

"Somewhat safe," Luxy corrected, wagging her finger. "Don't relax too much."

Ren blew out a breath and dropped onto the bed. "Alright, fine, then tell me—can you beat this angel?"

Luxy turned her head slowly. A crooked smile tugged at her lips. "Ren, if two angels fight here, this earth would turn into a land of the dead. You want that?"

Ren's stomach sank. "…Right. Guess that's out of the question."

"It is out of the question," Luxy said, leaning back on her hands.

Ren chewed on his lip, thinking. "…Then what about killing it before it finds us? Is that possible?"

Luxy's smile faded. She went quiet for a moment before muttering, "…It's possible. But it'll be ugly business."

"Ugly how?" Ren asked cautiously.

"It would involve… devilish blessings."

Ren stared. "So devil exist?...I should have thought when all these goddess and angel business came to me."

Luxy shrugged, unconcerned. "Don't look at me. I'm just telling you your options. For now, the best thing we can do is lay low. Don't make a scene. I will not be using my angel powers for a while...which means it is a break for me."

Ren leaned his elbows on his knees. "So that's why Xinyue and Amanda both looked panicked…"

Luxy stretched suddenly, her shirt riding up a little as she flopped onto his bed like it was her own. "Pretty much. Hey—do you have any beer in this house?"

Ren squinted at her. "Seriously? We're talking about serious business and you're asking for beer?"

Luxy rolled onto her side, propping her head with one hand. "What? Beer is serious business, beside I think better when I am tipsy."

Ren ignored her and crossed his arms. "How's your hunting going, anyway? In the dungeon."

"Mm? Oh, that." Luxy smirked. "I'm already well-known down there. Boulderbacks, Mantis, you name it. I could carry half the newbies on my back if I wanted."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me you're famous now."

Luxy winked. "Media adore me, hunters envy me, and common folks gossip about me. You'd know if you actually tried to find out about me."

Ren rolled his eyes. "I should join your hunts quickly. I am curious about dungeon."

"Anytime you wish." Her grin widened, a little too smug. "I'll even give you a discount on membership fees."

Ren clicked his tongue. "Figured you would say that. Luxy, you have become so greedy." He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Still, that might actually be a good idea… if I can find a way that doesn't look suspicious to join you.

Luxy yawned, clearly not feeling the weight of the moment like he did. "So what's your plan, Ren? You've got your own little harem chasing you, your power's leveling up, and now you've got an angel trying to kill you. What's the big move?"

Ren muttered under his breath. "…Don't remind me all of that. I feel like puking!"

***

The dungeon gate loomed before them like the mouth of some slumbering monster. Its surface shimmered faintly with unnatural light, the boundary between Norbata and whatever lay beyond.

A low hum resonated through the air, making the ground tremble ever so slightly.

Amanda narrowed her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line. "As expected…" she murmured, lifting her hand and pressing a police baton against the invisible barrier that shimmered at the entrance. The moment baton touched it, the air rippled like disturbed water. She pulled back, her face grim. "We can't enter. There's some kind of force preventing anything from going inside."

Lan Xinyue crossed her arms, her gaze sharp and calculating. "But…" She turned toward the gate, watching how faint streams of distorted air leaked outward from its surface. "…things can come out."

The unspoken weight of her words hung over them like a curse. Everyone present could imagine it clearly—monsters pouring through the barrier one after another, flooding into the city like a tide of nightmares.

Xinyue lowered her voice, muttering almost to herself. "Something so dangerous is inside… that the dungeon itself is trying to spit it out."

Amanda's throat tightened. She glanced down at her boots, suddenly finding the hard-packed earth far more comforting to look at than the terrible gate before her.

She didn't want the others to see the worry on her face. She knew better than most what it meant when a dungeon tried to reject its own contents because that's what her body goes through everyday.

The officers nearby, armed to the teeth and standing at attention, were whispering nervously among themselves. Their hands clutched their weapons tighter than usual, knuckles white beneath their gloves.

Amanda clenched her fists. She knew, she might be the only one here capable of entering such a place. But that possibility terrified her. Her ability, her great gift, was already brutal on her body when used against a person. She had been forced to fight through pain that shredded her muscles and cracked her bones more times than she wanted to remember. And that was against living opponents.

What would happen if she turned that cursed ability against a dungeon itself?

Her body shuddered at the mere thought. The recoil, the backlash… she couldn't even imagine it. It might kill her outright.

Lan Xinyue shifted her gaze toward Kyouka, who was leaning heavily against a stone pillar nearby. Out of all Selene and Kyouka, who had tried to enter, only Kyouka had managed to stay conscious. Selene was lying inside the medical tents behind them, pale and unmoving, her vitality drained the moment she touched the barrier.

"Kyouka," Xinyue called, her tone clipped. "You're the only one awake after trying to enter. Weren't Valkyrie Fang able to contact Nina Raj?"

Kyouka's head shook weakly. Her lips trembled as she spoke, voice barely above a whisper. "No… She was inside when this happened. Since then… we've had no contact with her at all."

The silence that followed was heavier than any roar of monsters.

Amanda inhaled sharply, forcing her emotions back into the cage of discipline. She turned, eyes sweeping over the uniformed officers gathered behind her. Each one looked to her for direction, and she would not fail them.

"Form a perimeter around the gate!" she barked. Her voice was firm, cutting through the tense air like a whip. "No civilian comes close. Reinforce the barricades and keep the road clear. We don't know what might come out, so stay sharp and hold position until further orders."

"Yes, ma'am!" The officers responded in unison, immediately moving into formation. The clatter of boots and armor echoed as they spread out, raising temporary barriers and setting up defensive lines.

Lan Xinyue exhaled, lowering her arms. "Good. That's one thing settled. But…" She looked back at Amanda, her gaze deadly serious. "We don't have much choice here. The only option is to evacuate and separate this entire area from the city. If the dungeon overflows, we can't risk civilians getting caught in the tide."

Amanda nodded her head. "We already evacuated people around the perimeter."

Xinyue's eyes didn't waver.

Amanda averted her eyes but didn't argue. She knew Xinyue was preparing for a dangerous encounter, especially since even her face looked somewhat troubled at the sight of all this.

"And more than that," Xinyue continued, her voice rising so that the other guild officers could hear, "every guild must be alerted. Announce it to the NDA—everyone must be ready to give their full power. If this dungeon spills over…" She turned her gaze toward the ominous gate, her jaw tightening. "…we'll need every blade and spell at our disposal."

The air grew heavy again. The officers exchanged nervous glances, but none dared to question her.

Amanda nodded her head, but something had been bothering her since they arrived. "There's one thing I don't understand," she said slowly, turning toward Xinyue. "Why isn't Black Moondrop here? By now, they should've arrived. If anyone, they're always first to show up when a dungeon stirs."

But of course, Amanda was only trying to make Xinyue understand what was really going on, since she already knew that Black Moondrop had their own agenda in all of this, and their interests did not align with what the government or the country expected from them.

Xinyue's expression darkened. "Yes. That's what confuses me too."

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