Step. Step. Step.

Leona, Gary, and Trici followed Damien out onto the balcony. They accepted his offer and waited for Damien to show them how the Phantoms could fly. For them, it was something incredible, something that should only be possible for birds or airplanes.

But Damien's plan was a little different. Just taking off in front of them would be too boring, in his opinion.

"Alright, just stay calm and stuff. Nothing will happen while I'm with you. Hahahah!" Damien laughed as he stood in front of them.

"Agh?" Leona was confused. "Damien, what are you talking about?"

Click.

Damien snapped his fingers as he released a tiny part of his aura.

It was enough to take Leona, Gary, and Trici's breath away.

"Gha!"

But, in the next moment, they felt relieved as pale green energy, like light breezes, flowed toward each of their feet, condensing into a trembling cloud,

"I already explained everything, didn't I? The four of us are going to get alcohol! Hahaha! Little Trici will buy soda, don't worry, she's still too young to drink alcohol."

Slowly, the gusts of wind grew stronger as Leona and Gary realized they could no longer feel the ground beneath their feet.

They looked down only to see that they were hovering above the surface and rising higher and higher.

Their eyes widened, and their hearts began to beat faster in fear. They were afraid that if something went wrong and they fell, at best they would suffer a few broken bones, and at worst they would die!

Well, they were adults and understood all the risks, unlike someone else.

"Yay!" Trici exclaimed happily. "Mom, Dad, look what I can do!"

While Leona and Gary tried to remain calm, Trici had fun and flipped around in the air as if she were on a roller coaster.

"Hahaha, hey, can we go higher?" Trici asked, looking at Damien.

Damien shrugged.

"Of course. That was my original plan, but I warn you, it's quite cold up there. However, my energy will protect you."

Leona reached out her hand. "Wait, maybe first—!"

Whooooosh.

Before Leona could finish speaking, Damien waved his hand, and the wind gusts intensified.

The night sky, the balcony, and the lights of the street below blended into one as they finally came to a stop.

A cold gust of wind greeted them at the top when Leona opened her eyes.

While they tried to balance on clouds of energy, Damien stood confidently in the middle of the air as if on solid ground.

But what made Leona's eyes go wide were the clouds that were now not high above them but below them.

Above them was a view of the clear night sky full of myriad stars, as well as the entire Citadel through gaps in the clouds.

The Heaven Island, where Queen Elisa was located, remained hidden. After what Damien did, they were quite close to it, but it was not enough to see the soaring island.

Some things had to remain hidden from ordinary humans, for their own good.

Although Damien often behaved rather carelessly, he understood this better than most. His goal was not to scare Adam's parents and younger sister with the coming end of the world.

No, he just wanted to show them a unique view that they would not have seen otherwise.

"What do you think, Leona?" Damien crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded toward the Citadel. "No skyscraper, even the tallest one, can compare to this, right?"

Gary gulped.

"This... This is incredible. And you..." He stared at Damien's feet. "Are you just standing in midair?"

Damien shrugged.

"I assure you, for Phantoms of my level, this is nothing special, it's a common feature."

"Wait," Trici's eyes widened with realization. "Does that mean Adam and Alexia can do it now, too?"

Leona and Gary turned to Damien, wanting to know the answer as well.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Damien scratched his cheek.

"Well, he just learned how to do it. To fly, let's say this way, you need a lot of energy. Although after a while, when Adam gets stronger and gains experience, it won't be difficult for him."

For a while, Leona, Gary, and Trici enjoyed the view while asking him some questions. Trici was especially active. After Alexia told her about the Dead Lands, her desire to learn more only grew, and now she had the opportunity to ask Damien himself questions!

"Alright, alright, I think we shouldn't waste any more time." Damien glanced toward the obsidian skyscraper. "We said we were going to go buy alcohol, so it's time to do that!"

He waved his hand as gusts of wind propelled Leona, Gary, and Trici forward, cutting through the clouds before them.

For them, it was a short but unforgettable journey that no amount of money could buy.

The only thing that made them just as happy was that they would be returning the same way.

...

Sip. Sip. Sip.

Beth drank her juice through a straw, looking at Adam with half-asleep eyes. Unlike the energetic Alexia, she always looked as if she wanted to sleep, with a slight discontent in her gaze.

"While they're gone, it's time to talk about something more important than shrimp and pineapple appetizers, isn't it?"

All four nodded. Beth did not have the same power and popularity as Damien, for obvious reasons, but she was his Operator. She had influence and power that was unattainable for most Phantoms.

But Beth's main power was her knowledge.

While Damien had spent hundreds of years destroying monsters and defeating even the strongest opponents, she had observed and analyzed the successes and failures of thousands of other Phantoms and Operators.

In addition to her wealth of experience, she also had access to the largest amount of classified information possessed by the Citadel and the inner circle of the Second Rank Phantoms. This was data that could not be bought or read anywhere.

"Blood of God and the Ancient Frost, these are some of your conditions for the Third Grand Star, right?" Beth asked, looking at Adam and Alexia.

Adam nodded. "Yes. Do you have any ideas where we can get it?"

"Well... That's the point, Adam." Beth's gaze deepened. "No one knows, not even me."

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