The automatic gates slid open with a soft chime.
Seth stood in front of a sprawling estate—mansion wasn't the right word. Fortress maybe. Temple, possibly. But even that fell short.
This was the home of monsters.
Not literal ones, but of those who fought them.
The Chrono Household.
A place where every heartbeat pulsed with power. Where titles like Saintess, Swordmaster, and Slayer Sword of Destruction weren't just roles—they were identities forged in war.
"I haven't been here since... before it all started."
Seth's silver white hair shifted in the breeze as he stepped onto the white stone path. Hidden turrets blinked in the hedges, scanning him. One tried to lock on—then shut down, overwhelmed by the divine pressure radiating off his body.
He walked slowly.
Not out of hesitation.
But because he didn't want to blink and miss it.
Home.
Inside the Chrono Estate
A woman sat in the courtyard, her long silver hair tied back in a simple braid. Her robe was lined in holy runes, and a golden staff rested at her side.
Aurelia Chrono.
The Saintess of Radiance. SS-rank Slayer. Healer of armies.
She was tending to a garden.
Not because she had to.
But because it was all she could do without him.
Her hand froze.
A shift in the wind. A familiar pressure. One she thought was lost forever.
She turned slowly.
"..."
And then she dropped the watering pot
A flash of red.
A step onto the stone.
"...Hi, Mom."
Her lips trembled.
Tears flooded her eyes faster than any spell ever could.
"S-Seth...?"
She crossed the garden in seconds—not with teleportation, not with magic—but like a mother afraid he'd vanish if she blinked.
She crashed into his chest.
And sobbed.
"You died. We buried your clothes. We held a funeral. I—I felt it. I felt the bond break."
"It didn't break," Seth said softly, wrapping his arms around her. "It just... stretched."
From the upper balcony, another figure watched, blade in hand mid-practice.
Tall. Fierce crimson eyes like twin rubies.
Celica Chrono. SS-rank Slayer. Blade Queen. Older sister.
"...You're joking," she muttered.
She jumped from the second floor, landing hard.
Her sword fell.
She didn't care.
"SETH!"
She slammed into him next, nearly tackling him over.
"I swear to the gods, if this is an illusion I will level this entire damn dimension—"
"It's me, Sis. I'm real."
She stared at him.
Then she punched him in the chest.
"You asshole. You made Mom cry."
"Oof—"
And then she hugged him, gripping tighter than any monster he'd ever fought.
The doors to the main hall opened with a boom.
Every footstep echoed like a war drum.
Velric Chrono.
The Slayer Sword of Destruction. One of the fifteen SSS-ranks in the world. The man who singlehandedly destroyed a Gate that took an entire battalion to contain.
And the father who buried a closed coffin a year ago.
His black and gold Slayer coat flowed behind him. Eyes sharp, arms crossed.
"...What is this?"
"Dad—" Seth started.
But Velric was already moving.
No hesitation.
He grabbed Seth's shoulder.
Squeezed.
Not out of anger.
But as if testing if the boy before him was real.
Then came the smallest sound—a break in his voice.
"You're home."
No roaring speeches. No warrior's lecture.
Just a father who could finally stop carrying grief in silence.
He pulled Seth into a firm embrace—shoulders trembling once, before he pulled back with his signature intensity.
"You've changed."
"A lot," Seth replied.
"Stronger?"
"You could say... godlike."
Velric grinned.
"Good."
Seth sat with his family in the main hall—massive portraits of past Slayers surrounding them.
They spoke for hours.
He left out some truths.
He told them he was summoned, fought the Demon God, killed it—and then betrayed by the very god who'd sent him.
He didn't explain the Divine Chains in full.
Or how two gods now lived inside him.
But his family didn't care.
He was alive.
That was enough.
Aurelia cried again when she healed a small scar on his shoulder. Celica demanded a spar. Velric simply nodded, proud.
But then the house AI spoke.
[ALERT: Unregistered S-Rank Presence Detected on Property Grounds.]
Velric raised an eyebrow.
"They're coming."
"Who?" Seth asked.
"Slayer Organization. The media. And... others."
He stood.
"You've returned, son. And now the world's going to find out what that means."
Seth cracked his knuckles.
"Let them. I've got a message for the gods anyway."