The heavy doors of the shattered throne room creaked open. Gregory strolled in with an unbothered expression, lazily dragging his massive Orange Devil Mace behind him as he de-transformed. The floor beneath him cracked under its weight.
"Well, that was boring," Gregory yawned, scratching the back of his neck. "I raided the whole castle, wrecked a bunch of demons, and guess what? It was disappointing and unsatisfying."
His eyes flickered toward Patricia, who stood amid the ruins, her Fairy Bow resting by her side. The remains of her devastating Fairy Corruption Nova still crackled faintly in the air. She was standing in her de-transformed state.
"Let me guess." Gregory smirked, his voice dripping with amusement. "You turned him into dust, didn't you?"
Patricia ran her fingers through her hair, her mischievous smile returning. "Maybe I went a little overboard."
"A little?" Gregory raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Patty. Even I don't go that far. And I'm the one with a big mace."
"What can I say?" Patricia leaned playfully on his shoulder, resting her weight against him. "I just don't enjoy leaving things halfway done."
Gregory let out a deep chuckle. "You sure don't. No mercy at all."
Patricia's grin widened. "Mercy? That's a luxury I rarely offer. Weaklings like Asmo don't deserve it."
Patricia leaned against Gregory, her hair brushing against his shoulder. "Well, I'm done with my game. But next time—" she traced a finger along his chest with a playful grin "—I'll let you play."
Gregory chuckled, feeling the familiar rush of anticipation. "Heh, I'll hold you to that. You keep your deals, after all."
She nodded, her sly expression never wavering.
"So," Gregory swung his massive Orange Devil Mace over his shoulder. "Guess we should head off to the next destination. I'm betting there's plenty of fun waiting for us."
Patricia raised a hand, signaling him to wait. "Not so fast. I'm resting first." She smiled smugly. "After all, I'm the one who'll have to carry your heavy body all the way to the next planet."
Gregory groaned, though the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement. "Yeah, yeah. Like I have a choice."
"Exactly." Patricia's grin grew wider. "And it's thanks to me that I have the strength to haul you around all the time. So I deserve a break."
Gregory smirked. "And it's thanks to me that you were safely pulled from that crumbling wreck of a planet, Angelica, before it was destroyed. You definitely owe me."
Patricia's violet eyes softened slightly as she traced her fingers along his jawline. "That's what I like about you." Her voice dropped teasingly. "How could you so easily target my weak spot?"
Gregory held her gaze for a moment, then shook his head with a grin. "Lucky guess."
The distant horizon, once veiled in Asmo's sickly darkness, now shone with a golden hue.
The corrupted skies were cleared, and vibrant greenery emerged from the soil. It was as if the planet itself was grateful for its liberation.
Gregory surveyed the reborn landscape, his tone shifting to one of consideration. "Well, would you look at that. The place isn't half bad now that it's not crawling with demons."
Patricia followed his gaze. "Seems like Asmo's death did the trick."
Gregory's devilish grin returned. "We should make this our base."
Patricia arched a brow. "Our base?"
"Yeah." He gestured toward the grand but battered castle that loomed behind them. "No demons, no generals, and plenty of space. It's practically begging to be ours. Might as well enjoy it while we can."
Patricia's grin matched his. "I suppose a temporary throne wouldn't hurt. But remember, it's only until I'm ready to drag you to our next playground."
"Deal." Gregory smirked, his laughter echoing through the throne room.
And just like that, the twisted castle, once a den of poison and despair, would become their fortress — a resting ground for two Celestic Warriors with destruction in their wake.
Meanwhile...
Safari leaned against the controls, eyes narrowing as the red light on the tracker blinked ominously. The signal was unmistakable — a demonic presence. Yet, it flickered away as quickly as it appeared. They received the signal from Planet Goth.
Angeleva, furrowed her brow. "That was definitely a general's signal. But it's gone now."
Safari clenched his fists. "It doesn't make sense. Signals like that don't just disappear."
Zack peeked over Safari's shoulder, curiosity sparkling in his young eyes. "Maybe it was a ghost general? Or maybe... the tracker is haunted!" He waved his hands dramatically, earning a chuckle from Jen.
"Or maybe," Jen teased, "it's just a glitch. We've been through a lot. That thing's probably more damaged than we think."
Ian, ever the dramatist, raised his camera, zooming in on Safari's tense expression. "Breaking news! The fearless warrior Safari faces an invisible foe — a terrifying signal from beyond! Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion!"
Safari shot him a glare, causing Ian to fumble with the camera. "Could you not?"
Ian grinned, unfazed. "Hey, the viewers love a little suspense. Gotta keep the ratings up."
Olive crossed her arms, her tone skeptical. "I checked the systems yesterday. The tracker was perfectly fine. Whatever that was, it wasn't a glitch."
Angeleva nodded. "We might not be able to see it now, but something was there. And if a general's power was truly involved, it's better we stay on guard."
Despite the tension, Safari exhaled, forcing a grin. "Well, we're not gonna find answers just standing around. If that signal comes back, we'll deal with it. Until then—"
"We move forward," Angeleva finished, smiling slightly.
Zack pumped his fist. "Yeah! No creepy signals are gonna stop us!"
Safari chuckled, ruffling Zack's hair. "That's the spirit, kid."
Olive settled back into her seat, keeping an eye on the scanner. "If anything's out there, I'll know."
Ian dramatically pointed toward the screen. "Next stop: adventure!"
The crew shared a laugh as their ship accelerated, leaving the strange, silent planet Goth behind never knowing that the planet a few moments back had General Asmo who was killed.
Now, it became the home base of Gregory and Patricia.