A scream tore through the chamber, accompanied by the ripping sound of flesh meeting something far stronger than bone could endure.

One of the natives didn't even have time to raise his weapon.

The monster ape's massive fist came down on him like a hammer, crushing him into the ground. Blood splattered across the floor in a brutal burst, his body folding into a broken heap.

Kaiden watched with a hard expression that was difficult to read.

But the shift in his face was immediate as the previous grin turned into a dark, sharpened seriousness.

"Furthermore… It's not like I'm sending them to their deaths, am I?"

A soft ding echoed in his mind.

—

Dungeon-Born "Atohi" has fallen!

Initiating Dungeon Resurrection Protocol…

Time Until Return: 01:00:00

—

Dungeon-Born were denizens of his dungeon, just like monsters. Their existence was sustained by the dungeon core, which also gave them the opportunity to grow stronger.

Giving up their humanity was the price they paid for incredible opportunities in life that would never be available to them had they not made the decision. However, it wasn't all benefits only; as people of the dungeon, they were tied to it. Which meant that should the dungeon core be destroyed, just like the monsters, they, too, would perish.

Kaiden's gaze flicked toward the corpse.

Before the others' eyes, the mangled body began to break apart, turning into drifting motes of mana.

Atohi's blood-soaked form dematerialized piece by piece before fading.

Behind him, another warrior screamed a battle cry and rushed in to fill Atohi's place, with no hesitation in his step.

Kaiden's grin returned slowly, curling back into place as he watched Atohi's motes fade into the air.

Outside his own dungeon's entrance, several transport vehicles rumbled quietly, engines idling.

They were waiting for one thing only:

To ferry revived Dungeon-Born straight back into the fight.

A closed-loop cycle of death → resurrection → transport → combat.

Efficient. Ruthless. Effective.

Exactly as Kaiden intended.

Another clash rang out as Taigi cut down an ape, then spun and shouted across the battlefield:

"Do NOT fight recklessly just because you can revive!"

"The Dungeon Core can be depleted! And if we're ever invaded and killed, the dungeon may fall before we return! Fight smart! Value your lives! Only die when the pros outweigh the cons!"

The warriors answered with a unified roar.

Kaiden nodded to himself, once again happy with his elected captain.

'Good. She gets it.'

He turned to his women.

"Please keep the natives company. Evaluate their performance. Correct reckless mistakes. Answer their questions. Guide them however they need."

Bastet saluted with her tail swishing.

Aria flashed him a warm smile.

Calypso cracked her knuckles, looking more than ready to teach someone a life-or-death lesson.

Then Kaiden reached out and placed a hand on Alice's head.

She lit up immediately and hopped against his palm like an excited bunny.

"The two of us," Kaiden murmured, "will do our own testing now."

Alice beamed in response.

The brother sister duo moved off toward the side of the dungeon, disappearing behind a curtain of drifting mana fog.

Nyx crossed her arms and pouted cutely. "So we're taking the backseat now? Little sister steps in, and suddenly she's the female lead?"

Luna's sigh was that of exasperation. "This isn't a story. There's no 'female lead.' And if there was, it would be us who're accompanying Kai from the beginning of this supernatural journey."

Aria puffed her cheeks, looking like a far too adorable hamster. "Yeah, well… I get what Nyx means."

She jabbed a finger toward where Kaiden and Alice vanished. "I wanna be a perfect supporter for him! Why is it Alice who gets to buff him!? I'm his beautiful moon, why can't I empower him with lunar energies?!"

Bastet's ears flattened slightly.

"I agree. Not fully, but… it concerns me."

Her tail curled slowly behind her tanned butt, in a rhythm that told them all she was worried. "I don't want to be pushed aside by another woman. Especially not by the little sister."

A wet crack echoed across the air as one of the apes backhanded a warrior.

The man slammed into the tree and crumpled.

Another death.

Another body turning into motes of drifting mana.

The girls watched from afar with their arms crossed.

Luna shook her head, amused by how extremely easy it was to make these two needy, jealous women feel immense envy for the spot of another. Simply seeing another woman have a conversation with their man while they were sidelined was enough to light the fire of seething jealousy in these two, especially in the yandere one…

"It should be clear by now that Kaiden doesn't play favorites. And he absolutely doesn't prioritize Alice. They unlocked a combo ability. That's why he's training with her. Someone has to watch the natives, that's why we're here. It's just simple efficiency in his mind, you know, that guy doesn't concern himself with much else. He thought this was the best way for us to spend time, end of story."

"Yeah…" Nyx grinned. "We sometimes forget that he's a man, and I think we all know they think differently."

Aria and Bastet both wore the same expression: a wry twist of the lips.

Understanding the logic.

Not liking the feeling.

Another crash.

Another scream.

Another Dungeon-Born dissolving into shimmering motes.

Calypso's demonic tail flicked sharply behind her red butt.

"You're all seeing it wrong," she suddenly spoke up.

The others turned to her.

Calypso's yellow, predatory eyes gleamed as she looked toward the struggle before them.

"Alice didn't push us aside. She found her place in this family, letting her fit in seamlessly."

The demoness smiled.

"She can support her brother as she always wanted. She can stay close to him even on the battlefield."

Calypso spread her arms, as if she was presenting the truth the others kept missing.

"But us?"

Her tail snapped once again behind her before she declared, "We are the ones who stand beside him."

Her voice dropped to a purr, full of conviction.

"His Sinsworn Valkyries."

"His monster girls."

"His chosen women that not only made him fall for their womanly charms, but also are strong enough to fight together with him."

Calypso tilted her head, eyes burning gold.

"Do you not understand? When the world looks at Valhalla's Sinners, they will see Kaiden and us, his women at his side. That has not changed with the addition of Alice."

Aria's eyes widened first, then Bastet's.

Both lit up with realization and renewed pride.

The bond wasn't threatened.

It was being defined even further.

Aria and Bastet shared a look, one full of renewed pride and competitive fire, then both broke into bright smiles.

Ahead, the surviving natives regrouped, patching themselves up and steeling themselves for their next monster encounter deeper into the dungeon.

Aria bounced on her toes.

"Let's go~!"

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