The dungeon, the simp and the slaughter date.

Blink—

Kinito's eyes snapped open.

System, how long was I unconscious?

[HOST HAS BEEN UNCONSCIOUS FOR 40 MINUTES.]

He sat up, blinking in the darkness.

"Ugh… where even am I?"

It was cold. He could barely see anything, but what he could see looked straight out of a dungeon horror game. Giant stone walls. Thick shadows. A heavy metal gate.

A prison.

Kinito ran to the gate, grabbing and shaking it with both hands.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

Locked. Solid. Not even a wiggle.

"LET ME OUTTTT!"

Thuck—

In a fit of rage, he punched it.

Ouch—

He flinched. "WHY is it so strong?!"

[REALLY, HOST. IT'S A METAL GATE.]

"Thanks, system. Super helpful."

He turned around, scanning the dark cell again. No windows. No tools. No hope.

"…My dear system, any bright ideas?"

[I DON'T KNOW, HOST. PRAY THAT YOU SURVIVE.]

"…Wait. Am I gonna die?"

He looked down at Slimy, who was lying on the floor, eyes wide and sparkly like a baby seal. Slimy looked back at him like he was his whole world.

Hug—

Kinito dropped to the ground and scooped up Slimy.

"Slimy… we're gonna die. Boohoo…"

He hugged Slimy tight. Slimy hugged him back. They both cried like anime side characters facing death.

"It's so unfair!" Kinito sniffled. "I wasn't even gooning in this life! I was working out! Acting like a leader! I had a beautiful wifey!"

He clutched his chest dramatically.

"Aqua… her soft smile… her voice calling me 'my lord'…"

He stared at the gate again, something shifting in his eyes.

"No."

His voice dropped an octave.

"I'm not dying like this."

He stood, shaking off the despair. His fists clenched tight.

"I promised myself I'd live. I promised to never be weak again."

And then—

He marched to the gate.

PUNCH—

His knuckles split open.

PUNCH—

Skin tore. Blood flew.

PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH—

He screamed, again and again, not caring about the pain.

"I won't die here—I have to see her again!"

CRACK—

His hand broke. Blood poured like a faucet.

BLEED—

It didn't matter.

With one final roar—

SLAMMMM!

The gate shattered off its hinges, flying back like a rocket.

Dust. Smoke. Silence.

Kinito dropped to one knee, gasping, blood dripping from his hands. They were broken. Destroyed. Useless.

But he was smiling.

"We did it… We're finally—"

He turned to Slimy.

And then he froze.

Right next to Slimy…

A GIANT HOLE.

The wall had been melted through—bars completely gone.

Slimy stood next to it, eyes shining proudly like a student who brought home a gold star.

Kinito looked at the hole.

Then at Slimy.

Then at his completely destroyed hands.

"…You MELTED THE WINDOW?!"

Slimy wiggled proudly.

Kinito's eye twitched.

Then the pain hit.

"AGHHHHHH MY HANDS!!!"

He collapsed dramatically, rolling around.

Ouch—

Slimy hopped over, stuck himself to Kinito's arms, and healed them in seconds like it was nothing.

Kinito stared at his perfectly healed hands.

"…You could do THIS TOO?!"

He wanted to scream.

But Slimy's adorable little eyes were sparkling again. Kinito forgot why he was even mad.

Sigh—

A tired, proud smile appeared on his face. Like a single mom who just watched her toddler microwave a fork.

"…Let's go, buddy."

He patted Slimy, who jumped onto his shoulder with a happy wiggle.

They ran into the dark tunnels. The deeper they went, the more it felt like a prison from a nightmare. Endless cells, creepy vibes, dead silence.

Until—

CRASH—

A loud boom shook the halls.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

Kinito looked up.

A woman with butterfly wings sprinted toward them, sobbing.

"HELP! IT'S COMING—!"

SLICE—

Her head flew off like a baseball.

Blood sprayed across the stone floor.

Kinito froze.

Slimy clung to him tighter.

Step. Step.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the silence.

Kinito looked around in panic, spotting a rock nearby and diving behind it.

Step. Step.

Closer.

His breath hitched. Sweat dripped down his face.

"I just wanted to see my wifey one more time…"

And then—

A massive shadow appeared.

Two horns. Glowing eyes. A monstrous silhouette.

Kinito turned pale.

"PLEASE DON'T EAT ME! I'M NOT EVEN TASTY!"

"…Why would I eat you, my lord?"

He froze.

That voice.

That perfect, elegant, terrifying voice.

"…Aqua?"

From the darkness, she stepped forward—not as a human, but something else.

Her body was glowing faintly, soaked in blood. Her eyes shone with power. Her presence was terrifying—but to Kinito, she looked divine.

"WIFEYYYY!"

He launched himself into her arms like a flying koala, wrapping both his arms and legs around her.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

Aqua held him easily.

"You were gone too long, so I assumed my lord was enjoying himself too much," she said casually. "But when I checked… turns out you were imprisoned."

Her tone turned icy. "So I came to save you."

To Kinito, she didn't look like a knight in shining armor.

She looked like a demon queen storming the gates of hell to rescue her one true love.

Then—

"WHO IN THE HELL DID THIS?!"

An angry scream rang out.

Aerial.

Aqua glanced at Kinito, still wrapped around her like a baby sloth.

"My lord," she said calmly, "let's return the favor to whoever locked you up."

Without waiting, she scooped him into a princess carry and dashed forward.

Enemies flooded the halls. Dozens. Hundreds. Mobs waiting to stop them.

But Aqua?

She didn't flinch.

With Kinito in her arms, she activated the blades in her boots.

She leapt into the air like a shadow dancer, slicing through mobs with acrobatic flips, her body spinning mid-air while dodging arrows.

Her feet were faster than bullets. Her movements, a blur.

Blood sprayed through the air like red petals in the wind.

Mobs screamed and fell one after another. Arrows flew past her, barely missing—only because she twisted at impossible angles mid-air.

It was beautiful.

To Kinito…

It wasn't a massacre.

It was a date.

A perfect, bloody, romantic date.

The blood looked like flower petals.

The screams sounded like a symphony.

He gazed at Aqua with sparkles in his eyes.

"She's smiling at me under the petals," he whispered.

"What a beautiful date… I want this to last forever…"

[WARNING: HOST IS SUFFERING FROM EXCESSIVE SIMP SYNDROME.

RECOMMENDED CURE: ALPHA MALE PODCAST.]

"Sheesh… Shut up, System. Let me dream."

Soon, the bodies were behind them, the throne room in front.

But standing at the gates—

Aerial.

And Tera.

Aerial's face twisted in rage as she saw the scene: Aqua bathed in blood, carrying Kinito like a prince, standing before a mountain of corpses.

"You DARE destroy my dungeon?! A mob dares defy ME?! I'll skin you ALIVE!"

Her wings lit up with violet energy. Power surged around her like a storm.

[WARNING: HOST HAS ENTERED A BOSS FIGHT.

TARGET: AERIAL – BOSS OF THE BUTTERFLY DUNGEON.]

Aqua's eyes glowed a deep, furious purple.

She set Kinito down gently.

Then cracked her knuckles.

The goddess of war had arrived.

And she was pissed.