Chapter 573: Preparations Complete

The purple-haired girl ignored the Moon Valkyrie’s murmuring. “We finish the bath. Eat properly. Say our goodbyes.”

Luna’s jaw then tightened as she forced the next words out of her lips. “And then, with clear heads and prepared minds… we begin. Because whatever this is, and if I’m right that it’ll force us to change locations, it might take days. Weeks. Maybe longer.”

“Days…?”

“Weeks…?”

“Longer?!”

Aria’s voice climbed into outright panic as she twisted around, both hands immediately finding Kaiden’s, pressing them tightly against her bare, warm belly as if anchoring herself. “I can’t deal with that! I refuse! Separation longer than ten minutes is unacceptable!”

A chorus of agreement followed instantly.

“Yeah…”

“That’s horrible…”

“I don’t like that at all.”

The water rippled as bodies shifted closer together, the idea alone drawing them inward.

Then Calypso spoke.

Her voice was calm. Steady. Stripped of teasing and bravado.

“Right now, we’re surviving because we’re surrounded by shields that aren’t truly ours.”

The others quieted.

“Vespera. Runewoven. Nova Circuit. The Awakened Association.” Calypso’s gaze moved from face to face. “We lean on them because we have to. Because there are people out there who would happily tear us apart if they got the chance.”

She exhaled softly. “But I don’t know about you… I don’t like relying on that.”

Bastet’s ears flicked.

“Even Vespera,” Calypso continued, voice gentler now, “family she may be, has her own life. Her own battles. She can’t, and shouldn’t, be expected to baby us forever.”

“And we don’t want her to,” the girls said together, quietly but firmly.

Calypso nodded. “Exactly.” Her tail swayed once behind her. “If we want to stay with the love of our lives,” she glanced at Kaiden, eyes softening despite herself, “then we have to become strong enough to protect ourselves. Strong enough that no one can force separation on us.”

She hesitated, just a fraction.

“…I don’t want to be apart either,” she admitted. “Not even for a moment. But if stepping away now means we can stand beside him forever later…” Her smile was small, sincere. “Then that’s a sacrifice worth making.”

The words settled.

Slowly, one by one, tension eased—not gone, but tempered by resolve.

“… You’re right,” Nyx said at last.

“…As much as I hate it,” Luna added.

Aria sniffed, still clinging to Kaiden’s hands, but nodded reluctantly.

Bastet stared at Calypso for a long moment, golden eyes narrowed. Then she spoke, disbelief clear in her tone.

“…You are a lot wiser than you look.”

Calypso scoffed. “Shut it, Choco Kitty. I may be a demonic maiden hopelessly in love and prone to excessive bloodlust on the battlefield, but I wasn’t born yesterday.” She smirked. “I am a smart and wise woman.”

The tanned kitten shifted awkwardly at that, ears tilting uncertainly. Despite having a myriad of things to say, she didn’t argue.

And for the first time since the system’s judgment descended upon them, calm settled over the group.

They would separate, because they intended to return much stronger than ever before.

With the decision made, the tension finally bled out of the room.

They rose from the bath, reluctant but resolved. Towels were fetched, bodies dried with care, and Kaiden felt many small touches lingering on his body longer than necessary. The girls were quietly memorizing his warmth, texture, and presence, making it feel as if they were saying goodbye for a long time.

That was why no one rushed or joked for once. This moment mattered to all of them.

Alexandra’s nourishing meals awaited them, prepared with a great deal of care and love. They ate together at the table, close enough that knees brushed and shoulders touched. The food grounded them, pulled them fully back into their bodies, into the now.

When it was time to leave the dining room, Alice was there.

She took one look at them, armor being fastened, weapons checked, expressions far too serious for a simple excursion, and her composure cracked.

“… Where are you going?!”

Kaiden barely had time to explain briefly what was going on before she was in front of him, hands clenched into his armor, red eyes shining.

“Alice-”

“I should go with you,” she blurted out, words tumbling over each other. “I’m part of your system now, too! I’m your conduit, and you’re my core! That should mean I’m included like the Valkyries and Subjugated Monster Girls, right? The same rules should apply to me!”

The room stilled.

Kaiden reached out, letting his fingers thread gently through her hair, stroking slow and steady until her breathing hitched and then eased.

“You’re not facing a bottleneck, Alice. You’re stronger than us.”

Her lips trembled. “But what if-”

“We don’t know how this will work in the future,” he admitted. “Maybe you’ll be included next time. We’ll know at level one hundred.” His thumb brushed under her eye, catching a tear before it could fall. “When we reach it together, the question will be answered. Until then, I must ask you to be patient and trust me to pass on my own merit. Some challenges must be faced alone.”

Alice looked away, pouting hard, shoulders hunched as she brooded in silence for several long seconds.

“…You have to promise,” she muttered at last. “Promise you’ll come back as soon as you can.”

Kaiden didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

That earned him a sniff, a reluctant nod, and a tight hug that lasted just a bit too long to be proper but exactly long enough to be necessary.

Nyx watched the exchange with a fond smile, then leaned in toward Luna with a soft giggle. “You know. It would be hilarious if that ‘Begin’ spell just starts a countdown timer or something after all this dramatic buildup of your own making.”

The gamer girl didn’t rise to the bait. She simply adjusted a strap on her armor and pretended very hard not to hear.

Preparations finished, they moved back to the bedroom.

They sat down in a circle on the floor, backs straight, hands resting where they could reach one another if needed. Whatever awaited them, they would meet it together – or at least begin together.

They exchanged glances.

Kaiden looked at each of them in turn and felt fierce warmth bloom in his chest. ‘Protect, protect, protect!’ Those were the words his heart told him when he saw their beautiful expressions and eyes of utmost trust. Then he smiled.

“I’ll see you soon, my beautiful angels.”

Smirks answered him. Amused looks. Fond ones. None of them were angels, not even close, but Kaiden loved calling them that anyway.

They nodded as one.

And together, they cast Begin.