Chapter 164: Threats Are Coming
After a fierce debate that eventually forced them to borrow the training room, it was finally decided that Dennis should shave his beard—but not completely. It would just be thinned out and neatened up. Dennis could only sigh, staring at his seven wives who were actually bruised and battered from their own argument, all while holding Destiny. The baby still watched him like a total stranger, only agreeing to be held by Dennis after being convinced by the seven of them.
Once he handed Destiny back, Dennis began shaving his beard under the watchful eyes of his seven wives and, of course, Destiny. A few moments later, after finishing the shave and wiping his chin with a towel, Dennis’s original face began to emerge, framed by a neatly trimmed goatee around his mouth. Destiny, realizing the man in front of her was indeed her father, immediately broke into a bright smile.
"Da—da!"
Destiny reached out both her arms and leaned her body forward, wanting Dennis to hold her. Naturally, Dennis took Destiny from Dahlia’s arms and pulled her close.
"See? I told you it was Daddy," Dennis said.
"Da—da... gyaaa!"
Destiny hugged Dennis and immediately started babbling, telling him some long story in her baby language. Dennis just listened, nodding along to every word she said. Once Destiny was finished with her story, Dennis invited everyone back into the master bedroom, where they all sat on the edge of the bed.
"So, did anything happen during the two days I was out?" Dennis asked.
"Nothing at all. We were perfectly fine at the hotel. It was actually pretty fun; the place was so empty that we could use the swimming pool as much as we wanted without anyone realizing there are seven of us, hehe," Daisy answered.
"Oh, I see. That’s good then," Dennis replied.
"But you look... much stronger," Diana said.
"She’s right," Dahlia added, her eyes scanning Dennis.
"More muscular, too... wow," Donna remarked, reaching out to feel Dennis’s arm.
"That’s what happens when you train while you sleep," Dennis replied.
"Tell us about it, hon. What did you go through?" Deborah asked.
Dennis explained his training with Sami while his body underwent the awakening and gathered EXP points. They all listened intently, filled with admiration. When they heard exactly how long Dennis had spent in the dimensional training room, they were all stunned.
"No wonder you suddenly grew a beard that thick," Daisy said.
"That’s how it goes. I couldn’t exactly shave in there," Dennis replied.
"Can I test you, baby? Earlier, it felt like you caught my punch so easily. No one can usually do that," Dulcia challenged.
"Sure, let’s go to the training room," Dennis invited.
"But are you tired, dear? If you are, we don’t have to," Daphne added.
"I’m fresh as can be. Let’s go," Dennis said.
Dennis opened his dimensional space and brought his seven wives along with Destiny inside. Once they were in the training room, Dennis and Dulcia stepped forward. They stood face-to-face and exchanged a respectful nod.
"Let’s begin," Dulcia said.
"Whenever you’re ready," Dennis replied casually.
Without wasting a second, Dulcia lunged forward with a punch, but Dennis simply swiped his hand to parry it. Dulcia then spun into a side-kick aimed at Dennis’s head; once again, Dennis blocked it effortlessly by just raising his arm. After that, Dulcia unleashed a non-stop barrage of punches and kicks. Dennis continued to deflect every single strike without moving an inch from his spot, using only one hand. When Dulcia finally began to pant, she jumped back.
"Wow... incredible..." Dulcia panted.
"That’s enough for now. You’re exhausted," Dennis said.
"Hehe... not yet... I haven’t given it my all," Dulcia said, smiling even though she was out of breath.
Suddenly, Dulcia’s body emitted a white energy aura that enveloped her like flickering flames. Her muscles grew more defined, making her clothes look tight against her skin. She vanished instantly and reappeared behind Dennis, swinging a kick at his head. "Thwack." Dennis raised his arm to block the strike, but Dulcia spun in mid-air and followed up with a kick from her other leg. This time, Dennis raised his other arm, caught her leg, and yanked her toward him.
"Whoaaah!"
Caught off guard, Dulcia cried out and suddenly found herself perched on Dennis’s shoulders. But Dennis leaned back and "blam," "cough," Dulcia hit the ground hard.
"Oops... sorry," Dennis said, flipping over to hover above Dulcia with a smile.
"Hehe... my husband really is amazing. I lose, fair and square," Dulcia said, smiling as she wrapped both arms around Dennis’s neck.
Dennis stood up, lifting Dulcia with him, and set her back on her feet. The others immediately ran toward them, bringing Destiny along. After that, they all sat down together on the floor of the training room.
"So that means you’re as strong as that Ray guy now, right honey?" Daisy asked.
"It should be that way, hopefully even stronger. We both know how dangerous he is from what Mr. Ronald told us," Dennis answered.
"Hmm... I see. Could you explain the details to the six of us?" Diana asked.
"Alright," Dennis replied.
Dennis retold the conversation he and Daisy had with Ronald to Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne, as they hadn’t shared the full story yet. Naturally, they were all instantly shocked and grew furious when they learned the truth about the man named Ray M—the one who had showcased his power against that giant monster the other day.
"So that’s it... he’s the mastermind behind the syndicate that keeps causing chaos in every city," Diana said.
"He’s that man’s boss," Dahlia added.
"Yeah... the boss of the person who hurt us, our mother, and our sisters back then," Donna explained.
"Not just that, he’s also the boss of the person who wanted to turn Destiny into a crawler or feed her to them," Deborah said, her voice laced with rage.
"Crush him, baby. I’ll help you," Dulcia said curtly.
Daphne remained silent, but her face made it clear that she was absolutely disgusted and furious—her expression said everything about how ready she was to take on this Ray guy. Suddenly, "vwoooong," Sami materialized in her physical form. Everyone immediately turned to look at her. Dennis noticed that his seven wives didn’t seem surprised to see Sami, just as she had predicted.
"What is it, Sami?" Dennis asked.
"Forgive me for the interruption, but I have something to tell you, Master, and the ladies as well," Sami said.
Without further delay, Sami opened a massive interface screen showing satellite imagery of the planet they were on. Their eyes widened as they saw a swarm of red dots surrounding Onyx City. Dennis asked for the image to be enlarged, and they were even more shocked than before. It turned out those dots were the giant crawlers that had attacked them yesterday—and there wasn’t just one, but hundreds. They were stationary and didn’t seem to be attacking the city; they were simply encircling it, gathering as if waiting for something.
"W... what does this mean?" Daisy asked.
"It seems Ray has realized your presence, Master. That is why he is gathering an army to attack us," Sami answered.
The room immediately fell silent. Dennis and his seven wives were stunned, watching the giant crawlers surrounding Onyx City. The city itself appeared to offer no resistance; it was clear they were cooperating with the crawlers. Then, the interface zoomed in on the exit deck of Onyx City. A small red dot appeared there, and when enlarged, it was Ray himself standing on the deck. Suddenly, Ray turned and looked directly at the screen, as if he knew he was being watched from a satellite, and smiled.
The interface immediately cut out. Dennis’s heart began to race. Unconsciously, he clenched his fists and smiled, as if he were waiting for Ray to finally come for him.
"Let him come. I’m right here, ready to welcome him," Dennis said with a smile.
"Yes, Master. I understand," Sami replied.
Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne—who was currently holding Destiny—were seeing this side of Dennis for the first time. They glanced at one another, stunned; the Dennis they knew was usually gentle and avoided conflict, yet here he stood, looking fierce and clearly challenging the man who threatened them all. "Waaaah... waaah!" Perhaps sensing the intense tension in the air, Destiny suddenly burst into loud cries. Dennis snapped out of it and turned around, shocked to see his seven wives looking fearful and his daughter in tears.
"Sorry... I guess I got carried away," Dennis said, returning to his usual self.
The faces of Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne—who were all busy trying to soothe Destiny—immediately filled with relief seeing their husband back to normal. They crawled forward and hugged Dennis all at once, including Destiny, who reached out to be held by him. Dennis then looked over at Sami.
"Keep me updated on any developments," Dennis said in his head.
"Understood, Master," Sami replied in Dennis’s mind, remaining silent as she stood near them.
