Optimistic Game Chapter 78

Edited by: Marethyu, Priapus

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– Emerald –

When she had convinced Cinder to take Branwen’s offer, she’d felt incredibly good about herself. Not only had Emerald somehow gotten through to that stubborn blob of insecurities and paranoia that was her ‘mistress,’ but because she had, she’d saved both of their lives.

They had escaped the unbearable cold of Solitas and were now enjoying the warmth of a sanctuary beneath the safest roof in Remnant. Outside the estate, land and sea stretched endlessly around them, free from the threat of Grimm and the looming shadow of Salem, allowing them to finally breathe in peace.

So Emerald liked to think that she’d done well. Beyond just stealing food from the nearest village for her and Cinder to eat, she’d secured them a good place to sleep, protection by arguably the strongest man on the planet, warm water so they could bathe, and actual, guaranteed meals. Not just a couple of fruits and rock-hard bread that was barely edible.

Of course, that was what she thought once Cinder decided to listen to her for once, and while that was true even now, Emerald… hadn’t really expected herself to be working as a maid for the Titan Slayer. Not in a million years.

Not to say she found it entirely uncomfortable. In reality, she was relatively fine with this. The job, she didn’t care much about, but the benefits? Oh boy. Free food, a warm bed to sleep on, and a high salary just to clean this giant mansion every once in a while? Where had this been when she’d been a kid struggling to live out her days in the slums of Vacuo?

All because Emerald ‘interested’ this Titan Slayer for some reason, whom she still found kind of creepy, in all honesty. He was interested in her ‘resourcefulness’ and ‘street smarts,’ was he? Bullshit. That was just his gross way of saying he wanted to fuck her.

Which she did not look forward to, but she knew it was part of the job. She’d heard stories of disgusting rich assholes who use their maids for sexual relief, so Emerald was bracing herself for the moment the bastard called her over to his room. Come on, with this tight maid outfit they were wearing — whatever he meant by ‘French’ — it was only inevitable.

She was a little surprised he hadn’t… Well, it disgusted her to even think this, but she’d expected him to ‘test the goods,’ so to speak. Then again, she’d gotten a few glimpses of him this morning, and for some reason, he looked kind of… pissed? She didn’t know— honestly, he was confusing.

Regardless, other than that bit about her being forced to have sex with him? She was happy about her current situation. She could handle a little pervert a lot better than starving and freezing while being hunted down by Salem.

Cinder, though?

“—And that concludes our little tour of Astera’s lovely mansion. Place ain’t exactly easy to keep clean with one person, so I’m happy to see two extra sets of hands,” Titania said with a clap, looking extra smug. “But I think we’ve wasted enough time, so let’s begin. Cindy, start sweeping the floor.”

Incredibly aggravated at being called ‘Cindy’ by Titania of all people, Cinder’s amber eyes flared with rage as she got up in Titania’s face, invading her personal space.

“Why should I take orders from you?!” She scowled, glaring at the smirking Titania. “You’re not my superior!”

“Oh, but I am~” The former assassin said, pointing at herself with her thumb. “The big boss appointed me as the Head Maid. I make the rules around here, so get your ass moving now. I better see this wing spotless in an hour. Once you’re done, clean the pool. Got it?”

Cinder gritted her teeth, tightly clenching her fists. She looked like she was really regretting her decision. Emerald was used to getting ordered around, so she didn’t really mind this all that much. True, she did not like Titania. Not one bit. But she’d built a lot of tolerance for her bullshit since they used to work together.

As for Cinder, she only got her orders from Salem, someone whom she thought was the most powerful entity in the world. Titania was not a candidate for the strongest, so to be ordered around by someone who she deemed weaker must be very humiliating.

“Why you—!”

“Upupup!” Titania cut her off, handing her a broom. “Less complaining, more working. Unless you want me to report your subpar performance to the big boss so soon~”

Cinder looked like she was on the verge of jumping Titania and tearing her a new one, but she knew better and decided to bide her time for now, snatching the broom from her hand. Cursing under her breath, she started her job, sweeping the floors as she glared at Titania with the fury of a thousand suns.

“And you—” Titania glanced at Emerald, putting a hand over her chin. “What should I have you do…”

As her former partner hummed in thought, Em waited for something she knew was going to be humiliating. It was very clear that Titania didn’t like her very much, considering their little altercation earlier this morning, but a job was a job. If she was braced to warm the Titan Slayer’s bed, then she was ready for whatever Titania could throw at her.

“Ah, I got it!” She snapped her fingers. “I remember you being really good at laundry, so that’s gonna be your job from now on. Washin’, dryin’, all that fun stuff.”

“Goody…” Emerald muttered to herself. “I get to wash the Titan Slayer’s underwear. I’m honored.”

“Well, not really.” The ‘Head Maid’ said. “Astera doesn’t come here often, believe it or not. The laundry’s mostly for his girlfriends.”

“That doesn’t make it any less gross.” Emerald huffed.

“What, is someone complaining?” Titania’s smirk widened. “Does she want to get reported?”

Emerald rolled her eyes.

“I’m going.” She scoffed.

But before she walked away, she paused as she processed her coworker’s words.

“Wait, girlfriends?” She raised an eyebrow. “Plural?”

“Yup. He’s got a whole lot of ‘em.” Titania nodded. “And honestly, good for him. Can’t imagine juggling so many relationships like this being easy, but he’s doing well for himself.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, it’s legal.”

“I don’t care if it’s legal. It makes him no different than the smelly old politicians making their own little harems.” Emerald scrunched up her face in disgust before she shook her head. “Why are you even defending him?”

“I’m not. I’m just sayin’ I personally don’t have a problem with it.” She shrugged. “And is it really bad if they’re all happy about it?”

Emerald’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Since when had Titania, one of the most skeptical people she knew, had this much trust in anyone? The Titania she knew would look for any way to tear into him, calling him all kinds of words and names. But this? It felt like she had an actual positive opinion of him.

Did he have some kind of mind magic that he used on her? The way she was acting was really off.

“What the hell?” Emerald said. “Are you in love with him or something?”

“Woah, that’s kind of a reach. You can just say I gained a new appreciation for having an actually decent boss for once.” Titania responded with a chuckle. But then she paused and thought to herself. “…Well, to be honest, I’d be okay with it if he called me to his bedroom if you know what I mean~”

“Ugh.” Emerald groaned as she saw Titania wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “You’re all disgusting.”

“Whatever you say, Em.” She snorted. “Now stop stalling and go do your job.”

Emerald huffed and started to walk away before being interrupted by a red blur followed by a burst of rose petals, prompting her to shield her face in surprise. With it came the high-pitched, panicky voice of Ruby Rose.

“I’mlatei’mlatei’mlatei’mlate!”

She said as she zoomed past them, exiting through the front door.

“What was that?!” Cinder blurted out in surprise. She then looked down and noticed the rose petals littering the floor, an enraged scowl taking over her face. “Are you kidding me?!”

“Classic Ruby.” Titania sighed. She then looked at Cinder with a big grin. “Told ya it ain’t easy to clean. Especially with that pipsqueak running around 24/7.”

“You mean to tell me that whatever she just did, she does all the time?!” Emerald’s former boss questioned, grinding her teeth in frustration.

“Yup.” The Head Maid nodded. “And you are going to have to clean it all up from now on~”

Emerald took a step back as she saw Cinder nearly explode with anger, but then another voice joined in the conversation. A feminine one she didn’t recognize.

“She’s just messing with you.” She said with a yawn. “The rose petals are just aura projections. They’ll disappear on their own.”

Emerald turned and saw a girl with long, messy blond hair walking toward them. Her eyes were light purple, and she wore an orange tank top and black shorts. It was easy to tell that, whoever she was, she had just woken up.

She had never seen this girl before. Then again, when they’d arrived at the mansion, it was very late.

“Way to go, ruining my fun, Yang.” Titania pouted.

“Please, she looked like she was about to blow up.” The girl, now she knew was named Yang, responded. “Besides, the one suffering would be my sister. I don’t want her making enemies.”

“That’s why it’s fun.”

“Ugh, you’re such a massive jerk sometimes.” She shook her head with a sigh. “Most of the time, even. But Ruby likes you for some reason.”

“That girl is your sister?” Cinder asked, just as surprised as Emerald. “You look nothing alike.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot. Same dad, different moms.” She shrugged before giving them a beaming smile. “Name’s Yang Xiao-Long, by the way. You’re the new maids, right? Reid texted me about you two.”

Emerald wanted to tell her off for that idiotic question. Was she blind? Couldn’t she see what they were wearing? But then, her former colleague beat her to it.

“What was your first clue?” Titania replied dryly.

“You’re right. Dumb question.” Yang took it in stride as her smile widened. “So uh… what are your names?”

“Right. This one with green hair is Emerald Sustrai.” The Head Maid answered for them. “The scary lady glaring daggers at me is Cinder Fall.”

“Nice to meet you.” Emerald nodded in acknowledgment, not wanting to make a bad impression.

As for Cinder, her glare switched from Titania to Yang. She said nothing— she didn’t even try to pretend to be nice and polite. The blond blinked, her smile turning nervous as she looked between her and Titania.

“Are you okay?” Yang asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, she does that sometimes. Don’t worry about it.” Titania waved it off.

“R-right…” The blond cleared her throat. “Well, I’m gonna make me something to eat. Want anything?”

“We already had breakfast, thanks.”

Yang gave them a thumbs-up before she walked away toward the kitchen. The entire time, Cinder was watching her and only got back to work once the blond was out of view. Emerald had no idea what she was looking at, but she must’ve found something out.

“By the way,” Titania said, looking at Emerald as her smirk returned. “Once you finish the laundry, you can do the dishes. Can’t have the big boss’s girl bother with that, can we?”

…Maybe that cave in Solitas wasn’t all that bad.

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– Weiss –

Resting after a long sparring match with her fellow students, she gulped down from her water bottle. As usual, their training regime has been getting increasingly tougher, and for good reason. If anything, Weiss had started getting bored of the tamer workout.

Especially considering how fast they were growing under Reid’s tutelage. She’d attained a level of strength she never thought was possible for a huntress her age. She knew her lover liked to exaggerate, but she truly did believe him when he told her that she’d surpassed most S-class hunters. And she was still in her first year at Beacon.

Though, now she knew it wasn’t enough. After being told all about this Salem individual— this leader of the Grimm that even Reid wasn’t confident he could take on. When the man Weiss couldn’t imagine losing said that he didn’t think he could defeat her, then she had to be in an entirely different league.

So, she welcomed this faster pace. She’d always found more challenging training to be very rewarding anyway. Plus, it helped her keep a very good physique, and it may or may not give her an excuse to enjoy sweets more than she normally would.

Weiss paused and glanced at Blake, who was sitting next to her. She caught herself enviously staring at the two inflated balloons attached to her chest, which looked like they were almost bouncing with every breath the Faunus took.

“What?” Her teammate asked, tilting her head at Weiss curiously as she noticed her stares. “What’s wrong?”

Unfortunately, no amount of training or food would bless her with what her teammate had.

“Nothing.” She said as she stared down at the flat board she called a chest. “It’s nothing.”

In reality, Weiss wanted to cry. Why wasn’t she blessed like them? Even Ruby’s were bigger! A girl two years younger than her!

“If you say so…” Blake responded after giving her an odd look. “So, uh, that Eero person, huh? He kinda looks like Reid, doesn’t he?”

At his mention, Weiss glanced at the man in a navy blue cloak in curiosity. He was very big, about a head taller than Reid of all people, and shared the hair and eye colors of her lover. He had longer white hair that went past his shoulders and a messy beard. His skin tone was a few shades darker than Reid’s, and his wrinkles indicated he was very much older. Perhaps in his late sixties.

She had no idea who he was besides Reid’s introduction of him being a friend. She didn’t know where he’d found him— if this man was a hunter or someone from his homeworld. What she could recognize was that he was an experienced warrior. He held himself like one. But more than that, he had Reid’s spear strapped on his back.

He’d been intently observing them from the sidelines during their training, but he’d been as quiet as a mouse. Besides a few grunts when they were introduced to each other, he had not said a single thing. A man of few words, it seemed.

Weiss had to admit he was a little intimidating. It wasn’t like her to be so easily unnerved, but he just seemed like he was always mad, and while she was very confident in herself, something told her that she wouldn’t be able to defeat him in a duel.

“Maybe he’s a relative?” Levianna wondered out loud. “But they have different last names. Maybe he’s a distant uncle or something…”

“That’s what I think as well.” Weiss nodded. “Though, if that was the case, it makes me wonder why Reid introduced him as a ‘friend’.”

“It’s kind of weird, true,” Blake added with a mutter as her ears twitched. She then turned to look at Reid, who was speaking to Velvet.

Weiss noticed Blake’s gaze.

“What is it?” She asked. “Can you hear what they’re talking about?”

“Uh, yeah. Reid’s just telling her that he wants to take a few more days off.” Her teammate responded.

“That’s odd.” Levianna raised a brow. “Reid is asking for more time off?”

“Perhaps he still has a few more projects to finish up before he feels confident to return to work,” Weiss said. “What do you think, Blake?”

For a moment, the Faunus didn’t say anything. She stared at Reid with a thoughtful frown, almost as if she was studying his expression from afar while he continued his conversation with Velvet. The Titan Slayer didn’t even notice Blake’s staring, which was odd of him. Usually he noticed these things very quickly.

“…Hey, is it me, or does Reid look kind of…” Blake muttered to them, pausing to look for an appropriate word. “…No, never mind. It’s nothing. I guess he’s just swamped with work.”

“Blake?” Levi blinked as the faunus picked up her scroll. “What’s wrong—?”

Suddenly, both her and Weiss’ scrolls vibrated, prompting them to check out what they were sent. Surprisingly, the message was from Faunus next to them.

Blake: Texting so he doesn’t hear.

Blake: Is it me, or does he look like he’s feeling unhappy about something?

Weiss paused, glanced at Blake, then at Reid. She took a moment to study his expression, wanting to see what her teammate was seeing in case she wasn’t just overthinking things. Eventually, she, too, noticed it.

Reid always had a habit of smiling whenever he was speaking to any of them, and his eyes kind of looked like they were glowing as well. Whether it was his general positive attitude or he was just always very happy to see them, Weiss didn’t know. All she knew was that she loved that trait of his.

Even when the subject of the conversation wasn’t exactly a positive one, he’d show a ‘hint’ of that glowing attitude in his confident demeanor. That was the way he always acted and why Weiss thought he was worthy of being called a hero.

But now, as he was speaking to Velvet, he looked different. It was clear that he was trying to show that optimistic mindset, but it just came off weirdly fake.

He looked gloomy and tired—more than usual.

Levianna: Maybe it’s because I don’t hang out with him as much, but I don’t notice anything.

Weiss: No, Blake is right. Something is off about him.

Blake: Right? He was literally fine yesterday. Maybe it’s related to Eero?

That man had shown up out of nowhere, and he looked a bit like Reid. But it was too soon to tell.

Weiss: Maybe. Regardless, let’s keep this to ourselves for now.

Levianna: But why? Shouldn’t we ask Reid to see if he’s alright?

Blake: Knowing Reid, he’d just say that he’s just a little tired from work. Asking him will just make him more guarded.

Weiss: We should first get Yang and Ruby on this. Then, we can figure out how to handle it.

Levi looked visibly worried at that.

Levianna: I don’t know you guys. What if you’re just imagining it?

Blake: Then that’s good. Reid is okay and we were just overthinking. But if he isn’t, then it’s our responsibility to make sure he is.

Blake: Also, we won’t do anything if you’re worried about that. We’ll just keep an eye out for him in case something IS wrong.

That was it. After all, it was a big stretch to say that there was something wrong with Reid just because he acted a little differently once. But on the off chance that there was something bothering him, then it was their job to help him and make him feel better.

Weiss exhaled as she looked back at Reid, who met her gaze and gave her a smile. She smiled back at him, knowing that he couldn’t sense her worry for him from this distance. She hoped that they were overthinking it.

But if he really was bothered by something, she hoped it wasn’t too serious.

“Alright, it’s about time we continued our training,” Weiss said as she stood up, closing her scroll. “Come, Blake. You’re the least experienced in magic. You need this more than anyone.”

“Right.” She nodded, following her to the battleground.

“Wait, what about me?” Levianna questioned. “What am I supposed to do?”

Before the SDC Heiress could answer that, the elevator opened up, and Ruby walked out of it with a panicked expression. She froze in place as she spotted Reid, sweating bullets as he looked at her in annoyance.

“You’re very late.” He told her.

“Y-yeah…” She shuffled nervously. “…Sorry…”

“This is why I keep telling you to sleep early.” He scolded. “And I would’ve forgiven you this time had you slept right after we were done hiring Cinder and Emerald, but you didn’t.”

“I know…”

“I don’t want this happening again, Ruby.” He added, being uncharacteristically harsh. “All you’re doing right now is slowing everyone down.”

“Okay! I-I said I’m sorry.” She huffed and looked away. “Geez…”

Reid’s eyes twitched, but then he sighed to himself.

“You’re up against Levi.” He told her. “Senketsu told you everything about how he works?”

“Yeah…”

“Good.” He nodded. “Come see me this evening so we can figure out a solution, alright?”

Ruby nodded back and walked toward the three girls, looking visibly upset. Reid’s expression softened as guilt flashed before his eyes, but he said nothing. Instead, he looked at Eero and told him to follow him as they left the training grounds.

Weiss, Blake, and Levianna all looked at each other, having watched this scene unfold before them, which made them a lot more suspicious. Reid had scolded Ruby countless times— Ruby did have an annoying tendency to be lazy, but this?

One could argue that Reid had gotten sick of Ruby’s complacency, but no, that would never happen. Reid loved to spoil the girl, giving her everything she wanted, and was very quick to fold at the mere glimpse of her crocodile tears.

“Are you okay, Ruby?” Blake asked, approaching the younger girl.

“Yeah…” Ruby responded. “…He’s mad.”

“Well, he was just scolding you,” Levi responded.

“No. He’s mad at something else.” She shook her head. “Like, really, really mad.”

“What is he mad about?” Weiss questioned with a frown.

“I don’t know,” Ruby replied. “He’s trying to hide it, but I can just tell. I saw it yesterday when he came back from Teralos. It felt like he was on the brink of exploding. I’ve… never seen him that mad before. It’s like he’s the angriest he’s ever been.”

That had them worried as they exchanged looks of concern with each other. So they weren’t imagining it? But how come Ruby ‘felt’ it?

Is it perhaps through her Observation? Weiss thought.

If that was it, then Weiss wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. Something upsetting or bothering him was one thing.

But for him to be the ‘angriest he’s ever been’ sounded damning.

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– Reid –

I spent most of the day showing Eero around Remnant. Or rather, telling him where everything important is. Vale City, the mansion, training grounds, and my other secret underwater base. Since Salem compromised that other base after I lured her out by doing my funny little experiment.

Now, I don’t know if it’s her who went to check it out or if I killed one of her minions, but I know she went there. I felt my trap go off while in the dungeon, which confirms everything. Salem can sense things like this, which I used to verify whether Cinder was lying to me last night.

I’ve not yet gotten her to talk about what she knows, but I plan to do so later this evening. Right now, I want to spend my time completing more dungeons and max out my skills after the level cap on them got raised. I had Gwyn look around for more across Vale and even Mistral, and while he didn’t find anything above Epic tier, ten dungeons should be good for now.

Granted, I wouldn’t be able to level up a lot in anything less than Legendary, but as I said before, I refuse to be caught off guard again. I won’t touch Legendary and above until I’m at least fifty levels above what I am now.

I stare at the two silver rings in my hand with a frown. I swear I won’t let anything like that happen again, and these things will ensure it. I had this idea noted down a while ago, but I never really found the time to make it. Not anymore. Now I know better. 

[Power Limiter Type-A] – Item

An enchanted ring that limits the user’s physical power.

Decreases STR, VIT, and DEX by 30%

Increases EXP gain from all sources by 25%

Increases STR, VIT, and DEX stat gain each level up by 2

Increases free stat gain each level up by 1

[Power Limiter Type-B] – Item

An enchanted ring that limits the user’s magical power.

Decreases INT and WIS by 30%

Increases EXP gain from all sources by 25%

Increases INT and WIS stat gain each level up by 2

Increases free stat gain each level up by 1

It took me the entire day to make these power limiters, and I had to use some of my rarer materials as well. A little bit of Terrasteel, leftover dragon blood I had lying around, and the dark essence of a primal-class Grimm.

I considered using the Sidereus blood I received as a reward from the last dungeon, but I have a better idea. Let’s just say it will have to wait until I get my Eternal Mangekyo.

These two rings are incredibly powerful artifacts regardless. They are probably my most potent creation, second only to Sea Sentry, and while I could’ve made something that increases my stats instead, this is much better for the long term.

These will do it for me. 30% may be a lot, but I can easily make it up with my buffs, so I’ll benefit way more than I’d suffer. A whopping 50% EXP gain and so many more stats each level up will be significantly better for my development. The lower-tier dungeons won’t feel like a drag to complete anymore. They’ll be beneficial.

I might as well wear them until I’m pushed to fight with my full power. If every quest EXP benefits from this as well, then I’d be dumb to ever take them off unless absolutely necessary.

“Right, so…” I put the two rings on before glancing at Eero, who has been looking around the hidden underwater base. “What do you think of Remnant so far?”

The base is at the center of the world map, somewhat close to my mansion but a reasonable enough distance away so that I don’t have to worry about my more dangerous experiments reaching it. It’s inside a damp cave deep beneath the sea. So deep that I don’t have to worry about anything getting here because of the heavy pressure.

I’ve also built a small magical barrier at the cave’s entrance and emptied out all the water inside, making it a viable laboratory. Anything that shares my blood will be able to go in and out without trouble. Otherwise, the barrier is indestructible. Or, well, unless the Stardust powering it runs out of energy.

Outside the base, every sea creature that’s able to handle this pressure is actively guarding it, and I went out of my way to unlock each and every one of their auras using my potions. This is basically my best base so far. Not only is it hidden perfectly, but it’s also almost impossible to raid. Not a lot of Grimm can defeat a whale that has had its aura unlocked.

“It is different,” Eero responds before looking at me. “It is as you said: magic is not as prevalent in this world, even in its atmosphere. It is hard to get used to.”

Right, magic creatures. That makes sense.

“It feels better here, however.” He adds, gesturing around the lab.

“Yeah, it must be because of all the tools I have lying around.” I nod, looking around my lab. Ritual circles already drawn, alchemy and enchanting stations, and golems being hard at work expanding the cave and smoothening out the floor. “I guess with so many magical things here, it would feel closer to Teralos than Remnant.”

Eero grunts.

“I do not wish to offend you, but I would prefer if I stayed here for the time being.” He says after a moment.

“You like the magic air this much?” I raise a brow.

“Partially. I truly value your hospitality, but ever since you resurrected me, there are many things I wish to reflect on.” He responds. “And I wish to do so in silence.”

“Ah… Yeah, for sure. I understand.” I give him a smile. “Having someone around when I’m not here is probably for the best. Sure, you can stay here for as long as you want.”

“Thank you.” He nods in acknowledgment.

He then walks past me as he finds a place to sit on his knees, still and quiet as he closes his eyes. I watch him in silence for a few seconds before feeling curious enough to ask.

“What are you doing?”

“Meditating.” He answers. “You may join me if you wish.”

“Er, no. I have… other things to do.” I respond, not wanting to sound rude. Then, I take a small transparent sphere out of my inventory and give it to him. “Right, well, before I go, I want you to have this. If you need me for something, inject it with your magic, and I’ll get the signal.”

Eero grunts in acknowledgment and doesn’t persist. I watch for a couple more seconds before deciding to leave, exiting through the barrier and swimming away to the closest dungeon Gwyn found.

Despite my weakened stats, my speed in the water is absurd, and I make it to land in mere moments. I cast a simple fire spell to dry my outfit and then head toward where the dungeon is, through a thick forest somewhere in Mistral. On the way, I find Gwyn with the key in his mouth, making me smile.

“Good job, buddy,” I mutter as I scratch his chin.

However, my familiar only whines, worried about me after…

My smile drops, and my eyes twitch as I’m once again reminded of my failures, but I quickly reign in my bubbling anger and exhale calmly. There’s no time to cry about these things. People are relying on me to do my job.

“I’ll be okay, Gwyn,” I say, trying my best not to show any weakness. “Let’s just finish the dungeon, alright?”

“And what ‘dungeon’ might this be, Astera?”

I stand paralyzed, icy dread washing over me as every hair on my body stands on end once I hear that eerily familiar voice. A chill runs down my spine, compelling me to turn and face the source of my unease. 

And there stands the immortal witch, hands casually behind her back. A sly smirk plays on her lips, sending a shiver of fear through me.

“We meet at last, Titan Slayer.” Salem says, a glint of devilishness in her eyes.