After several heartfelt moments of embracing one another, Hina looked at her daughter and said in an annoyed tone,
"Just look at yourself. Why do you insist on putting yourself in such danger?"
Sophia answered, already expecting the usual lecture from her mother.
"Mother, it wasn't that dangerous. Besides, Father—"
Before she could finish, Hina interrupted by grabbing her ear.
"Be quiet, you disobedient girl! Just look at all of this!"
She pointed toward the gigantic corpse lying on the ground. Sophia winced as she reacted to her ear being pinched.
"Please, Mother, let go. It hurts. I haven't even fully recovered yet, and—"
Before she could finish, Hina cut her off again.
"Your younger sisters have already become grandmothers, and you still haven't even gotten married!"
Then she raised her voice even further.
"Tell me, did I fail in raising you?"
Sophia turned toward Dan, who was watching from the side with a smile on his face. When he noticed his daughter's pleading look, he pretended not to see it and casually walked toward the giant corpse, leaving mother and daughter alone to express their affection for one another in their own way.
This warm family scene, overflowing with emotion, carried within it a strangely beautiful contrast. While the sky above was still veiled by the smoke of the devastating battle that had only just ended, while the land around them lay shattered and scarred with enormous cracks left behind by that monumental struggle, and while King of Dusk's sticky blue blood covered vast stretches of the ground, Hina stood in the middle of all that devastation as nothing more than a loving, worried mother who cared nothing for glorious victories or heroic achievements. The only thing that mattered to her was her daughter's safety.
Hina continued her emotional scolding, reminding Sophia of every reckless thing she had done, every unnecessary risk she had taken by throwing herself into these deadly battles. Again and again, she repeated with motherly frustration that Sophia's younger sisters had already become grandmothers, while Sophia herself was still unmarried. Faced with this endless stream of heartfelt complaints, Sophia could do nothing but lower her head, offering only quiet excuses and a faint smile as she surrendered completely.
This exceptional and heartwarming family reunion continued for a while before Dan finally spoke.
"It seems your followers are getting close. Well, it's time for us to say goodbye."
Sophia bowed slightly toward both Dan and her mother before saying,
"Thank you for coming to see me. I've truly missed both of you. It was such a wonderful surprise."
Hina looked at her daughter lovingly, gently brushed a hand through her hair, and said,
"Take good care of yourself. And if you ever grow tired of what you're doing, come back immediately. Everyone misses you."
Then Dan pointed toward the gigantic corpse of the giant and said,
"Don't let your guard down. This creature can only be considered part of the lower middle tier of this world."
Sophia immediately answered with a serious expression.
"Yes, Father."
Dan continued,
"And he had only barely begun to touch his Path, so he wasn't particularly strong. There are many individuals and ancient beings in this world who have already advanced a considerable distance along their own Paths. So be extremely careful, and never lower your guard."
The expression on Sophia's face instantly changed. The spoiled daughter's look disappeared, replaced by the serious and composed face of a warrior as she absorbed her father's assessment. It revealed to her the harsh truth of this world. The brutal battle that had lasted twenty days and exhausted every ounce of her strength against King of Dusk had, in reality, been nothing more than a fight against a being who belonged only to the lower middle ranks of this world , a creature who had barely managed to take his first true steps upon his own Path.
That realization illuminated something profound within Sophia's mind. It made her fully understand the scale of the dangers awaiting her throughout her journey in the Inner World. There were many powerful individuals and ancient entities who had long surpassed this level and had already traveled an immense distance along their own Paths.
Moments later, both her father and mother vanished from the battlefield. Sophia stood firmly in place, gazing toward the horizon as she prepared to receive her followers, who were now on the verge of arriving.
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