Two hours later, under the blazing midday sun...
Rin Yuki and Yuriko appeared just outside Rika Minami's house, tucked away on the quieter edge of the city ruins.
Yuriko clung to Yuki's arm, flushed and flustered, her expression stuck somewhere between overwhelming relief and burning embarrassment.
"Quick—smell me again. Do I still reek of it?" she asked in a harsh whisper, nudging him with urgency.
Yuki sighed and rubbed his temples, trying not to laugh. "You've asked me that five times."
"And whose fault is that, hmm?!" Yuriko snapped, her cheeks blazing red.
"You went completely overboard! How could I not reek?! I emptied half a bottle of five-star hotel shower gel and I still don't feel clean!"
Yuki couldn't help it—he laughed, deep and shameless.
After escaping the Takagi estate, he'd brought her straight to Shirozuka City's last untouched luxury hotel. The building had stood like a lonely tower among a graveyard of smoke and ruin. He booked the penthouse suite—floor-to-ceiling one-way glass walls offering a view of the city's collapse.
And there, while screams echoed in the distance and helicopters buzzed low over firelit streets...
They had used every inch of that suite.
The private sauna. The infinity pool. The sleek marble counters. The massive bed that could've fit five. The glass that fogged up under her bare back as he pressed her against it—while the apocalypse raged behind her like a live mural.
Yuriko—polished, composed, once a Wall Street wolf in heels—had fallen apart gloriously.
She moaned herself hoarse against the windows, dug her nails into his back in the steam room, cried out his name in the pool when he lifted her legs onto his shoulders, thrusting into her as water sloshed over the edge.
No more pretense. No more restraint. The world was ending, and she had let go.
She'd begged to taste him—and taste she did, with lips that didn't care for etiquette or pride.
Now, walking under the sun like nothing had happened, Yuriko felt like she was still glowing—and she hated how obvious it felt.
Yuki smirked, voice low and amused. "Oh? Weren't you the one who begged to taste it?"
Yuriko nearly tripped.
Her mind instantly replayed it—the scene, the sounds, the mess. The way she'd dropped to her knees, looked up at him with that raw hunger, and begged to feed on him like it was her last meal.
God. Post-climax clarity was a cruel mistress.
All those wild, filthy things she'd done now played in her mind like a shameful highlight reel.
But honestly?
She didn't care.
He'd seen her—torn her down, shattered her composure, owned every inch of her in every way a man could. There was no hiding anymore.
"What's wrong with wanting both mouths fed?" she shot back defiantly, a smug little tilt to her lips.
Yuki paused mid-step.
Then smirked.
In response, he reached down and gave her ass a sharp, deliberate pinch.
"Enough chatter," he said, pushing open the door to Minami's safehouse. "If Saya sees you like this, her little brain might melt."
Yuriko pouted, eyes narrowed. "'Saya' this, 'Saya' that… You talk like you've known her forever."
As she followed him inside, she muttered under her breath, "I knew it. This bastard's already gobbled up that girl."
"Pretending to help me find my daughter—ha! Meanwhile, he's had her for dessert."
"And now he's moved on to the mother? Disgusting."
Not that she actually minded.
Hell, Lin Yue was her only anchor now. He was arrogant, smug, and a damn womanizer… but he was good at it. Too good.
"I can hear you, you know," came Yuki's dry voice from ahead.
Yuriko yelped, scurrying to smooth her wrinkled clothes as she caught up.
Just then, around the corner—
"Mom?!"
A familiar voice cracked the air, and Saya Takagi burst into view.
She didn't wait a second. Saya threw herself forward, tears rushing down her cheeks, and Yuriko rushed to meet her with arms wide open.
They collided with a hug that almost knocked Yuriko off her feet.
The air turned thick with emotion as they held each other tight.
Behind them, Shizuka, Rei, and Saeko watched silently, each touched in their own way. Yuki leaned against a nearby wall, arms folded, eyes soft.
The mother and daughter clung to one another, rocking slowly. After minutes of quiet sobs and whispered apologies, Saya finally leaned back.
"Mom… why do you smell so good?"
Yuriko froze.
Just for a split second, her brain blanked out.
Then—professional mode.
Years on Wall Street hadn't been for nothing.
"Oh! That?" she said, voice sweet and casual. "Probably the hotel shampoo. After running around dodging zombies all day, I was a filthy mess. Had to scrub myself half to death last night!"
"Guess I overdid it," she added with a nervous laugh.
Saya nodded, no suspicion in her eyes. "Yeah, it's a shame we don't have good stuff like that anymore."
Yuriko chuckled, silently thanking every god she never believed in.
The conversation shifted to lighter topics—old memories, funny survival stories, hopes for what came next. For a while, things almost felt normal again.
Meanwhile, outside in the garden, Saeko walked beside Yuki, holding onto his arm.
The breeze carried the faint scent of blood and ash, but neither of them seemed to notice.
"So," Yuki said casually, "you're thinking of making this your base?"
"Mhm," Saeko nodded, fingers brushing the hilts of her twin blades. "I'm ready. I've grown stronger. I want to train here, protect everyone… and keep getting better."
Zombies were perfect practice dummies, after all. Her blade had to be sharper than ever.
Yuki smiled. "I like it. But remember—'Blade Phantom' is only the beginning."
Saeko blinked. "There's more?"
"There's Nightblade. Then Shadow Monarch," he explained, his eyes glowing faintly with golden light.
"And beyond that… Transcendent: Blade Phantom."
Somewhere, in another universe, a Dungeon & Fighter player wept quietly for the nostalgia.
Saeko's breath hitched. "I felt it. Like there's more inside me… just waiting to be unlocked."
"I could do it now," Yuki said calmly, raising one hand. "Full endgame build. Skip the grind."
Saeko stared at him, wide-eyed.
"You… really can?"
Yuki just smirked. "Senpai, it's time."
Snap.
A sharp click echoed through the garden.
Suddenly, Saeko's body lit up with surging energy. Techniques, skills, and forms she'd never even imagined filled her mind. Her aura erupted, roaring like a storm. The sheer pressure of it cracked the ground beneath her feet.
BOOM—!!!
The explosion of power would've shattered the house—if not for Yuki's invisible shield compressing the blast into silence. Inside, everyone flinched as the walls shook—but it passed quickly, and they went back to their conversations.
Saeko looked at her hands.
"...'Planet-level'?"
She wasn't exaggerating.
She could solo the entire world now.
The only threats left were… nukes.
That reminded Yuki—there had been hints in the original timeline of a nuclear strike wiping out everything. But the story never confirmed it.
This time, he wasn't leaving it up to fate.
With a simple thought, Yuki erased every nuclear warhead on Earth.
And then, as casually as brushing away dust, he waved toward the sky—an invisible barrier forming around the house, protecting it from any future fallout.
Saeko stared at him, eyes wide with awe and something deeper.
He wasn't just a man to her now.
He was the one who had reshaped her path, changed her future, and lit a fire inside her soul.
He was her impossible miracle.
Her light in a world swallowed by shadows.