After leaving the bath, everyone celebrated with drinks in the village center. Ard said, "Here, eat these. I heard these fruits are rare."
Outside, Liebe said, "Thanks." After taking a bite, Liebe added, "This is delicious."
Licht said, "Damn, is this alcohol? Good stuff!"
Ard said, "Thank you. We make it ourselves. Feel free to stay as long as you want."
Licht said, "Great! Can I stay for life?"
Ard said, "Of course. Lighty, you can stay too, Liby."
Liebe said, "Liby?" Licht said, "Lighty? Anyways, I'm staying."
Liebe said, "No, we have work, and Alyssa is sick. We have to go soon. Plus, if you leave, what will I say to your parents? That you just vanished into thin air, huh? Or that you died somewhere and I don't have your corpse?"
Licht said, "Oh yeah, that is a problem. By the way, Mr. Ard, can my father and mother also come and stay here for retirement and enjoy the food, strong drinks, and baths for free?"
Ard said, "Of course. All you have to do is go and kill a few monsters that come here."
Licht said, "Great! They will love it here. Good food and strong booze—what more could Dad want? Oh yeah, sleep. And there aren't any clocks here. Liebe, I'm sorry to say, I'm leaving Team Liebe and moving here. This place was built for me!"
Liebe said, "Like hell you are!"
Licht said, "Think about it! We can't leave Gaia here alone. Even if everyone here is a devil, I should stay just in case."
Liebe said, "Gaia isn't staying, and neither are you, dumbass. Kiss your fantasies of vacation goodbye."
Licht said, "But why?"
Liebe said, "Well then, looks like you don't want Iris."
Licht said, "Frick! Why do you always hit me where it hurts?"
Liebe said, "It's the facts."
Ard said, "That's your decision, but as the leader of the Xeniz, I respect it. Please visit once in a while."
Liebe said, "Of course."
Deep inside the Purgatory Palace—the perfect place to train—Ard said, "Of course. And take care of Gaia."
Liebe said, "Of course."
Gaia said, "It was fun, Liebe. Let's go back home."
Liebe said, "Let's do that."
Ard said, "By the way, Liby, do you know what this is?" as he showed Liebe a Devil's Heart.
Liebe said, "A Devil's Heart from a dead devil."
Ard said, "Yes. Devils, as well as humans, both want to kill us. By eating their hearts is how we are able to grow stronger. All I'm saying is, not all devils are like us and believe in coexistence. So don't die trying to talk to them." As he extended his hand, Liebe said, "Sure. Let's go, Gaia."
They left while Gaia came with them. He had to drag Licht by the leg. Ard said, "Visit any time you want."
As Liebe's communicator began to ring, Liebe said, "Go for Liebe."
Gelda said, "Lord, there is trouble."
Liebe said, "What's wrong?"
Gelda said, "It's about time. The captain is waiting in Valhalla Island."
Liebe said, "Ok, we will be back in a few minutes. Get ready to create the portal."
Gelda said, "Of course."
As they went to the location, Gelda made the portal. Liebe, Licht, and Gaia went through. After returning, Liebe said, "Gelda, clear my schedule for today."
Licht said, "Guess I will take a nap."
Liebe said, "Licht, for the last 10 days before our match... no, since you won't be participating till round 5, we have about 3 months in total with the first 4 rounds. I may not be fighting, but I will be on standby in the first 4. Till then, you have to sleep as much as possible and store magic power."
Licht said, "So I get a 90-day nap?"
Liebe said, "Yes."
Licht said, "Looks like my prayers have been answered. And for the final lineup, the 1st round will be Isurugi, Fate, and myself."
Licht said, "What about Alyssa?"
Liebe said, "In the off chance I do end up having to fight, it's best not to reveal the dual properties of her magic as well."
Licht said, "Ok then. But if we are being that careful, why not send me or M in your place?"
Liebe said, "I have my reasons."
Licht said, "You just want to fight Hwang, is that it?"
Liebe said, "Yeah. How could I possibly resist the temptation of fighting someone like him? And with Lumos and Gaia, I doubt there will be any permanent damage."
Licht said, "Guess so. Just make sure you don't reveal too much. And what exactly are you working on?"
Liebe said, "Well, right now I'm working on something. Since Vanadis Eilífa Áin hasn't been working like usual, I'm working on a new passive. It is known as Black Edge. It's not a magic like Vanadis Eilífa Áin, but it's for my blade. With this, it will be able to super-conduct my darkness and semi-conduct any other magic. Your current rapier isn't strong enough to keep up. That's why you got embarrassed back in Mímisbrunnr island. The fact it didn't shatter into pieces from your magic power itself should be considered a miracle."
Licht said, "Yeah, I have been using this thing for quite a while now."
Liebe said, "It's true that even a hunk of metal in the hands of a master is dangerous, but that same hunk can only take so much before shattering."
Licht said, "Guess so."
Liebe said, "What do you want for your next weapon?"
Licht said, "A rapier, same as ever. But the blade should be between 1.65 to 1.80 feet, with the edges being strong enough to keep up with my speed. And I was thinking for the weight, I would like it to be less than 900 grams if possible."
Liebe said, "Ok then. Guess I would need some Aldinium and a bit of Caldium. But either way, it will take time, but it won't be impossible."
Licht said, "What about the Aldinium and Caldium? Those aren't cheap."
Liebe said, "From my estimate, the blade should cost about... what, 100,000 gold?"
Licht said, "That much? What are you planning to make it with?"
Liebe said, "Well, metals alone won't be enough. I will need some stuff from the black market and some monster parts from the Abyssal Zone." Liebe continued, "And what kind of passive do you want?"
Licht said, "Easy. A passive that ensures it can remain strong even while I'm using Afterglow and not melt. I can't use Afterglow with this thing because it was a gift from Dad. If I go all-out, my light will definitely melt it to nothing."
Liebe said, "Ok then. How about a passive that allows your blade to let your light flow like a prism? In that way, your light will use it like a medium instead of a metal, causing it to overheat."
Licht said, "Ok then. What do you need?"
Liebe said, "Nothing. I will use my knife as a blueprint for the basic idea. And the price should be between 750,000 gold to 1.5 million gold."
Licht said, "That much?"
Liebe said, "If we want to win against the world, we can't be cheap. But if you want to help, these are the monster parts I need from the Abyssal Zone."
Licht said, "Ok then." As he looked at the list, the first item literally said: Quetzalcoatl's skin, teeth, and wings.