Chapter 51: The Last Floor
The following morning, the artificial sun rose slowly over the paradise floor, painting the sky in shades of rose and honey.
The couple woke up nestled in each other’s embrace.
Gabriel’s arms were wrapped around Lilith’s waist, her back pressed to his chest. Her silver hair spilled across his shoulder, and her small horns rested just beneath his chin. His golden wings had unfurled slightly during the night, draping over them both like a feathered blanket. Her tattered dragon wings lay folded against her spine, rising and falling with each slow breath.
The cascade murmured in the distance. The exotic birds sang their morning songs. The flowers opened their petals to greet the false dawn.
Lilith stirred first. Her crimson eyes fluttered open, blinking against the soft light. She felt Gabriel’s heartbeat against her back, steady and warm. A small smile curved her lips.
She wriggled slightly, turning in his arms until she faced him. His eyes were still closed, his expression peaceful—almost innocent, if an archangel could ever be called innocent.
She pressed a soft kiss to his nose.
He smiled without opening his eyes.
"Good morning, babe," he murmured.
"Good morning, hubby," she whispered back.
Lilith stretched her arms above her head, her silky robe slipping off one shoulder. Gabriel watched, unabashed.
"You’re staring," she said.
"Normal, it’s my duty to enjoy how beautiful you look," he replied.
She laughed and pushed him gently toward the lake. "Go wash up. I’ll make breakfast."
By the time Gabriel returned from a quick, refreshing dip, Lilith had conjured a small portable stove from her dimensional space. A pan sizzled over a gentle magical flame. Eggs crackled in butter. Slices of bread toasted on a nearby rock. A pot of tea steeped, releasing the fragrant scent of jasmine.
She plated the eggs and toast—simple, but perfect—and sat beside him. She picked up a fork, stabbed a piece of egg, and held it to his lips.
"Ah," she commanded.
He obeyed.
She fed him bite by bite, and he fed her in return—a piece of toast here, a sip of tea there. Their fingers touched. Their eyes met. The artificial sun climbed higher, but they paid it no mind.
When the last crumb was gone, Lilith leaned over and kissed a smear of butter from the corner of his mouth.
"Delicious," she said.
"The breakfast or the kiss?"
"Both."
After packing away the stove and the dishes—Lilith simply waved her hand, and everything vanished back into her dimensional space—they decided to explore around.
Gabriel stood first and offered her his hand. She took it, rising gracefully to her feet.
"Shall we fly?" he asked.
"We shall," she replied.
They wrapped their arms around each other—his around her waist, hers around his neck. Gabriel unfurled his twelve golden wings, their runes glowing faintly in the morning light. Lilith spread her tattered dragon wings, the membranes catching the breeze.
Together, they launched into the sky.
The paradise floor unfolded beneath them like a living painting. Emerald forests gave way to meadows of wildflowers. Crystal lakes reflected the clouds. Rivers twisted like silver ribbons through valleys carpeted in green. Waterfalls tumbled from cliffs, their mist catching the light and creating permanent rainbows.
They flew arm in arm, not fast, not slow—just drifting, savoring.
Lilith reached into her dimensional space without breaking their embrace and produced a small leather pouch. She popped a candied nut into her mouth, then held one to Gabriel’s lips. He crunched it happily.
Moments later, Gabriel produced a bottle of chilled white wine—where had he been hiding it?—and took a long sip before offering it to her. She drank, the cool liquid sliding down her throat, refreshing and light.
They landed on a cliff overlooking a vast, flower-filled valley. Lilith pulled out a blanket and a basket of snacks—cheese, grapes, small cakes. They sat at the edge, their legs dangling over the drop, and ate while watching a herd of silver-antlered deer graze far below.
Then they flew again, stopping at a secluded lagoon where the water was warm and turquoise. They swam for a while, then lay on the sandy bank, drying in the artificial sun, sharing a bottle of sweet fruit wine.
They visited a forest of giant mushrooms, their caps glowing with bioluminescent light. They picnicked beneath a waterfall, the spray cooling their skin. They found a field of singing flowers—blooms that hummed softly when the wind passed through them—and danced slowly among the petals, barefoot, laughing.
Everywhere they went, they ate. They drank. They held each other.
The dungeon core watched from its hidden depths, smiling because everything was ready.
They are treating my paradise like a honeymoon, it thought.
It was not wrong but they don’t what await them next.
As the artificial sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, the couple found themselves back at their original spot—the grassy bank by the lake, the cascade, the familiar mat.
They collapsed onto the cushions, tired and happy, their fingers intertwined.
"One more day?" Lilith asked.
"One more day," Gabriel agreed. "Then we finish this dungeon."
They watched the artificial stars emerge, one by one, and the moon rise silver and full.
The paradise had served its purpose.
But they were in no hurry to leave.
°°°°°
After a last memorable night on the paradise-like floor—a night filled with whispered promises, lingering kisses, and the soft glow of artificial stars—the satisfied couple decided it was time to end it all.
As if responding to their resolve, a shimmering portal appeared not far from their lakeside campsite. It swirled with hues of silver and white, its edges crackling with raw mana. The dungeon core had finally opened the way to the next floor—the last one.
The couple rose from their cushions, stretched their limbs, and shared a final glance at the cascading waterfalls, the flower-filled meadows, the tranquil lake that had cradled them for two blissful days.
"No regrets?" Gabriel asked.
"Not a single one," Lilith replied.
Hand in hand, they walked into the portal.
The transition was seamless—a brief tug at the navel, a flash of white light, and then solid ground beneath their feet.
They stood on a vast expanse of white stone that stretched endlessly in every direction. No horizon. No walls. No ceiling. Just an infinite, pale plain, smooth as polished marble, reflecting a light that came from nowhere and everywhere at once. The air was still, heavy with anticipation. Not a sound broke the silence—no wind, no water, no birdsong.
The couple looked ahead, hand in hand.
Neither had their wings unfurled. No golden runes glowed on Gabriel’s back. No tattered dragon wings spread from Lilith’s shoulders. They appeared almost normal—like two young, beautiful humans in simple traveling clothes. But their eyes betrayed them. Cross-shaped pupils and crimson irises gleamed with the same hunger, the same readiness.
In the distance, they saw monsters.
At first, the shapes were no larger than specks on the white horizon. But as the couple’s eyes focused, the specks grew, sharpened, took form.
Two creatures.
Massive. Deadly.
They stood side by side, their bodies coiled like springs, their heads lowered, their gazes fixed on the intruders.
The first dragon—the one on the left—was a nightmare carved from sapphire and shadow.
Fierce sapphire eyes sat low within its angular, horned skull, giving the creature a frightful, almost demonic appearance. Several small tendrils writhed atop its head, just above its long, pointed ears. Large, fan-like structures of skin and bone ran down the sides of each jaw, flaring slightly as the beast breathed. Its nose was thin, with two thick, curved nostrils that flared with each exhalation. A jagged crystal growth jutted from its chin, glowing faintly with internal light. Several sharp teeth poked out from the side of its mouth, offering a glimpse of the terror hiding within.
A broad neck ran down from its head into a long, snake-like body. The top of the body was covered in warped scales—twisted, interlocking plates that seemed to shift and move even when the dragon was still. Rows of small tendrils ran down its spine, twitching like antennae. Its underside was covered in crystal-like skin, much lighter in color than the rest of its body, shimmering with an almost translucent glow.
Two slim limbs carried its massive frame, allowing the creature to stand elevated and tall. Each limb had four digits, each ending in long talons that appeared to be made of solid crystal—sharp enough to pierce any armor, hard enough to shatter stone.
Slender wings grew from its shoulders and extended down to the lower end of its back. They were scythe-shaped, elegant and deadly. The insides of the wings seemed to be made of thin, translucent crystals, and each bony structure ended in a curved, yet blunt tip—blunt only in appearance; one swing would cleave a mountain.
Its flat tail ended in a fan-like tip, covered in the same warped scales as its body. The tail swayed slowly, deliberately, like a pendulum counting down to doom.
The second dragon was nearly identical—but where the first was sapphire, the second was emerald. Its eyes burned with a green fire, its crystals shone like jade, and its scales rippled with shades of forest and moss. They were mates, perhaps, or siblings. They moved in perfect sync, their heads turning together, their tails swaying together, their breaths mingling in the still air.
Dragons, Gabriel thought. Real dragons, wow.
Not wyverns. Not drakes. Not the lesser kin he had slaughtered in the sky. These were true dragons—, intelligent, powerful. Their mana radiated from them in waves, pressing against the couple like a physical force.
Lilith squeezed Gabriel’s hand.
"Finally," she murmured, her crimson eyes gleaming. "Something worth our time."
Gabriel smiled—the same serene, terrible smile he had worn when summoning meteors, when slowing time, when erasing islands.
"One each?" he suggested.
"One each," she agreed.
They released each other’s hands.
The dragons roared—a sound that shook the white floor, that echoed across the infinite plain, that would have shattered the hearts of lesser beings.
The couple did not flinch.
They stepped forward.
The final battle had begun, the dungeon’s core was overjoyed, it was about to end soon.
