"But last night went on way too long… I'm so tired," Riku mumbled, running his fingers through Fia's hair.
Because both of them relied on their physical abilities, it was like they didn't know the meaning of fatigue—the battle lasted until morning. In the end, he almost lost his pride as a man; in her base state, Fia's body was still four or five times stronger than his.
To maintain his dignity, Riku had to activate the Eight Gates, opening the Third Gate just to barely win against Fia. Of course, he didn't open the Fourth Gate, since from that point on, it would start to really drain his stamina. The Third Gate, the Gate of Life, he could handle without side effects.
Not that Fia didn't consider using Blood Destruction she was definitely competitive. But Riku convinced her otherwise. This wasn't a fight; it was supposed to be fun. Using Blood Destruction would just wreck the room.
'Honestly, if she'd used Blood Destruction, I'd have needed the Fourth Gate or higher just to keep up… I would've been wiped out,' he thought.
Still, it gave Riku a sense of urgency. 'I might've gotten away with it this time, but there's no way I'll pull it off twice. I seriously need to boost my physical strength again. My adorable wife is a beast in more ways than one.'
He also had to admit, the crafty old werebeast chief seemed to have predicted all this he'd prepared a ridiculously sturdy bed for them. After all the chaos, it still hadn't collapsed.
'Anyway, I still haven't checked what I got from that platinum chest,' Riku realized, suddenly a little embarrassed.
He'd gotten so caught up in other things, he'd forgotten the main reason he'd come to the werebeast village in the first place.
'System, what did I get from the platinum chest?' Riku asked silently, hugging Fia closer and shifting to get comfortable.
[Congratulations! Platinum Chest opened: You have obtained the Life and Death Creation Pill.]
The Life and Death Creation Pill—from the Xianxia worlds. It could bring someone who had just died back to life, and completely heal even the gravest wounds of the living. If you were lucky, it could even break your limits and give you a huge power boost.
The system was apparently just repeating the message it had given yesterday.
'No way… that's insanely overpowered! It's basically another extra life!' Riku thought, eyes blazing with excitement.
He didn't know exactly how the system ranked platinum chests, but judging from how rare and useful the gold ones were, this must be the best of the best.
'System, if I use the Eight Gate, can I recover completely with this pill?' he asked, eyes burning with hope.
[Affirmative. Even more severe injuries can be healed. However, warning: If your soul is destroyed, the pill can only heal your body, not restore your soul.]
'That's fine. I knew as much. Still, that's incredibly strong,' Riku whispered to himself.
He'd only ever consider using the Eight Gate as an absolute last resort. But with the Life and Death Creation Pill, he now had one more trump card, one more shot at survival.
Riku was confident that, if he used the Eight Gate, he might not be able to defeat the War God, but he definitely wouldn't be taken down instantly.
The War God could destroy a planet. Might Guy couldn't, so the gap was huge. But Riku wasn't Guy, and with his own enhancements, his increase in power might be even greater. And he was only just getting started.
'Alright, everything's taken care of. Time to sleep,' he decided, tucking the Life and Death Creation Pill into his system storage. He nuzzled closer to Fia, resting his head against hers, his breath tickling her red cheeks.
Sensing something in her sleep, Fia pouted and mumbled quietly.
Riku just smiled, kissed her gently, and closed his eyes.
Soon, the only sounds left in the room were their soft, steady breaths.
It wasn't until dusk that the two of them finally woke up. During the wild night, neither of them cared, but now that they were awake, Fia suddenly grew embarrassed she pulled the blanket up to cover herself.