Epilogue

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CHAPTER START---

---2 Weeks after The Angel...

On a secluded sandy beach along the coast of Melene, a small group of people can be seen.

Over ninety percent of mankind's fighting force was gathered in this one spot to enjoy a sunny afternoon.

Yang lays on a blue beach blanket, wearing a pair of shorts, leaving his perfectly chiseled body exposed. His black metal hand laying on his left side with Riveria curled up to his right, her hand draped across his chest and falling onto his new tattoo.

The Trifecta Sigil in black ink on his left pectoral. His head lays on Freya's lap as she reads a book, gently stroking his hair.

The goddess wore a tiny white bikini, obviously putting on a show for Yang, Riveria decided to wear a simple green strapless dress, her glove remaining on as the trio wasn't alone.

To their right, Welf was on a red blanket, sitting up to lean against a cooler they brought, a pair of red shorts clinging to him as he sketched in his idea book. And an empty yellow blanket to their far left.

Hephaestus drinks in his appearance, not as bulky as Yang, certainly more on the slender side, but impressively sculpted over the past two years. Her eyes settle on the tattoo he also had on his left pectoral, The Trifecta's sigil, but in bright red ink.

Both his arms, from fingertips to forearms were wrapped tightly in red bandages as well, completely hiding the rivers carved from flesh left in the wake of his use of Channel Divinity.

His arms were perfectly fine, but he simply wasn't used to the look of them just yet, and he figured this would help him connect more to Hephaestus, who still never removes her eyepatch unless they're alone.

The goddess in question sat with her legs crossed, wearing a long red dress and eating from a box of sandwiches.

Hephaestus frowns as she decides that now was as good a time as any to ask something she was curious about.

"Will you keep exploring the dungeon?" she asks, not at all worried for them, but knowing it would mean enduring time away from Welf... again.

"What's the point?" Welf asks, still intently looking at his book as he sketches. "We don't need anything else down there, all adventures complete, right?" he turns to Yang.

Yang doesn't even open his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Riveria sleeping at his side and Freya playing with his hair, "can't imagine why I'd ever get up from here, maybe the dungeon will have some new materials for us but it won't take us long to collect them... after we remap those last few floors. The dungeon changing them back from crystal to stone was a bit of a letdown."

"You mean after Welf and Thalie hit level-10 of course," Freya reminds him. "Can't have our family ever being broken apart now can we."

"Obviously that was implied," Yang says. "And when Riveria decides to finally go public and get kicked out of Loki's familia, her too."

"Mmm," the princess groans, tapping his chest without even opening her eyes or upsetting her position. "Lefiya isn't ready yet to take my spot," she reminds him.

Setting her book aside Freya grins at the Elf, seeing her hugging Yang tightly, "from where I'm sitting I think you've taken her spot..."

Riveria scowls, fighting the urge to take Freya's bait, "I meant she has a lot more leadership training to do."

"Right... so small trips into new floors for materials?" Hephaestus asks.

"And to record new monsters," Yang says. "My Monster Manual is very incomplete."

"And what's you plan for when we aren't in there?" Welf asks. "Freya has her...job," he carefully avoids revealing it because they couldn't tell Riveria everything, yet. "Thalie has Mikoto, Hephaestus and I are still doing our smithing thing, what's your plan, knitting?"

"I have a suggestion," Freya giggles.

Riveria sits up and glares at the goddess, "babies after I leave Loki," she says in a harsh voice.

Freya pouts, looks away, and folds her arms, "honestly I only want one thing and nobody ever agrees," she mutters.

Yang reaches up and pinches her cheek, "I'm nineteen, not ready for kids, plus," he leans forward slightly and pulls Riveria back into his chest, "need this one to be living with us before we start expanding the family."

Riveria blushes worse than any schoolgirl, hearing Freya speak on this was one thing, but Yang confirming that he wants to have a family with her was a whole other level.

"I can't imagine how the world will react to that," Hephaestus giggles. "Suddenly 'Dungeon Emperor Yang Shen' has a baby, people will freak out. But what's your plan until then?"

"What about an apprentice?" Thalie asks, walking up to the group. Wearing a yellow bikini, leaving her scarred abs and muscular figure for the world to see. Long hair reached her thighs whipping aside just enough to expose the massive Trifecta sigil inked into her back in black ink. She was lacking all subtlety to show her devotion.

"Seriously?" Yang asks.

"Why not?" Mikoto asks, walking up to Thalie's blue blanket to sit beside her, wearing a blue one-piece, water dripping off both ladies quickly removed from them with the flick of Yang's hand. "Thanks, and yes why not take a student, anyone would be lucky to learn from you."

"Mmm," Yang considers it for a moment. "Nah, I'd rather help people survive than teach someone to be the next me, plus, I wanna go see The Empire and a few other places."

"Ha!" Thalie laughs. "You? Mister 'I'm level-10, I punch cities so hard they become craters of lava', you think a place that doesn't allow anyone above level-2 to enter without an armed escort will ever let you in, good one."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Freya says. "Yang is so plain looking, aside from being tall and all muscle..." Freya zones out for a moment as she runs a hand down his chest.

"Focus," Yang says.

"Right," she shakes her head. "It's still surprisingly easy to miss you in a crowd, my charm will be a minor inconvenience but I'm sure we can manage for a while, and if needed we'll have Riveria with us to help."

"ME?!" Riveria remains on Yang's chest but looks up at Freya with wide eyes.

"Of course you, it's a little family trip, and that includes you, think of it like a honeymoon for us all."

Yang groans, finally giving up on trying to convince anyone that the three of them weren't married. "Sounds perfect."

"The timing could work out too," Welf says, closing his book and resting it at his side, "we should be done renovating the top ten floors of Babel by the time you're back, assuming you only spend a week in The Empire."

"You gonna start a fight with their level-7?" Hephaestus asks, more amused than worried.

"Wouldn't be much of a fight, and nah, just sightseeing."

"Well while you two are busy, I've still got a lot to teach Mikoto," Thalie pulls the girl to her side and holds her in a side hug. "She's almost level-2, time for the final push!" She'd smile if her black metal jaw allowed it.

"Hmmm," Yang thinks it over for a moment. "Half of all adventurers die within six months, and half of the survivors die before level-2, that's a lot of dead people huh..."

"What are you thinking babe?" Freya asks.

"What if I could help, educate, them?"

"The adventuring academy idea?" Freya asks.

"Recruiting for the Trifecta?" Riveria asks.

"No," Yang says. "But if I was, Lefiya would be the first I steal, then Airmid and... one other."

"Still won't tell me?" Riveria asks.

"Can't risk Loki peeking into your Falna and poaching her," he says. "But no, no recruiting for our team. I just want the death count to drop, I'm thinking I take kids around fifteen, put em through hell so they want to quit being an adventure, help the quitters find a safer job or join a support familia which the Trifecta Home already does, and the people who don't quit get the full training."

"And what about for people who would like your training but aren't kids anymore?" Mikoto asks.

"Fuck em," Thalie says.

"No, I'll make a small guide, and make my adventuring journal for the first sixty floors public."

Riveria cranes her neck up to stare at him, knowing how precious his adventuring logs are to him, and the entire world for that matter. "You're really committed to this idea then..." she raises up slightly to give him a short kiss.

Mikoto blushes furiously while Thalie just rolls her eyes, "keep it in your pants princess, don't start baby-making while we're all here."

"Hahahaah," Yang laughs while Freya adjusts herself to lay on the opposite side of him, allowing him to wrap an arm around her. "Never in a million years thought I would be here, like this... I love it here..."

END EPILOGUE---

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