As soon as Alex stepped into the portal, it immediately closed, leaving the team with a multitude of questions. What the hell just happened here? Main looked at Faraday and, gritting his teeth, called him a treacherous bastard. But despite the anger and accusations, Faraday remained silent. Suppressing his rage, Main turned to the girls, demanding answers. He wasn't the only one with questions; many members of the team didn't understand what was going on.
"Can someone explain to me what the hell just happened here? Why is there a dead man? Why are these three standing there like zombies? What was that female voice? Why did Kei Arasaka turn into some three-meter tall robot? And what's up with the portal that Alex went into?" Main fired off his questions.
Lucy, Kiwi, and Rebecca exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. Even if they tried to explain, everything would seem like a fantasy without Alex's presence.
"Sorry, Main, but we can't explain everything right now. We need to wait for Alex's return—he'll answer all the questions. For now, we need to be ready for an attack," Lucy said in a guilty tone.
Main frowned, noticing the same guilty looks from Rebecca and Kiwi. The feeling that something important was being hidden from him fueled his anger just as much as Faraday's betrayal.
"So what questions can you answer?" Main muttered, trying to keep himself in check.
"The robot that Kei Arasaka turned into... he kind of... um..." Lucy began, struggling to find words that wouldn't make her answer seem absurd.
Main noticed her hesitation and furrowed his brow even more.
"What's the deal with him? Is it really that hard to say who he is?" he asked impatiently.
Dorio, Pilar, and Falco looked at the girls, who seemed unsure of how to explain who this robot was without making it sound ridiculous. After all, the truth might seem completely unbelievable.
"Sis, just tell us who he is and why Alex is against him," Pilar said, walking over to Rebecca.
Rebecca looked up at her brother, sighed, and, steeling herself, replied:
"This piece of mechanical junk is an evil god that infiltrated this world. Alex's hostility towards him is linked to that female voice you all heard."
Rebecca's words made the others exchange skeptical glances. It was hard to believe that this robot, whom Alex had just sent through the portal, could be a god. However, as strange as her words seemed, they matched the events they had just witnessed. The female voice that seemed to come from nowhere and the portal Alex created with a swing of his sword—it was all real.
"Are you joking? How can a robot be a god?" Pilar doubted.
"Sorry, Pilar, but it's true. This robot is a god, and he's the source of many troubles in this world—from cyberpsychosis to corporate wars," Lucy nodded, confirming Rebecca's words.
These words stunned the others. Falco grabbed his head, trying to process what he had just heard. Pilar looked at Rebecca, who nodded in agreement, confirming what had been said. Dorio and Main exchanged shocked glances; no matter how much Main wanted to deny it, the facts were clear.
"Then what about these three, standing like zombies?" Main asked, pointing to the trio in the distance.
Lucy looked at them and remembered what Alex had said about soul infection: after that, people turn into obedient puppets.
"In a way, they're already dead," she answered, though she wasn't sure how to explain it best.
"What do you mean, 'in a way'?" Dorio asked suspiciously.
"According to Alex, their souls are infected with something like corruption. Now, they're just puppets of that robot," Kiwi added, trying to explain, though she understood little about these matters herself.
"Alright, let's leave that for now. Alex can explain when he gets back," Main said, realizing that the girls wouldn't be able to answer all his questions.
Just after Main spoke, the stadium suddenly filled with light, revealing a terrifying sight: the arena was literally packed with mechanical robots, standing motionless with their eyes closed. But in the same instant, their eyes snapped open, glowing a sinister red, directing lifeless glares at the group by the van. There were so many robots that Main, unable to believe his eyes, rubbed them, but the scene didn't change.
"Shit, that bastard seems to have planned for this in case he's far away," Rebecca speculated, assessing the scale of the threat.
"What do you mean?" Dorio asked, casting her a worried glance.
"Alex suspected that this 'god' wouldn't stop at anything in battle to see his plan through," Kiwi said, recalling Alex's words.
Dorio wanted to ask what "plan" this evil god could have, but before she could, the space in the stadium cracked, like shattered glass, and more robots started emerging from the cracks. They immediately focused their gaze on the group.
"I don't like the way they're staring at us," Pilar noted, nervously sweating under the intense stares of hundreds of mechanical eyes.
The group silently watched as more and more robots crawled out of the cracks. The massive stadium was filling up with new enemies, so many that it seemed like their flow was endless.
"I don't like our chances. What are we going to do?" Falco quietly asked, understanding the seriousness of the situation.
The girls exchanged glances, knowing they had no choice but to fight. Main and Dorio also realized that they would have to engage, hoping that the defensive module Alex had installed would hold up. Noticing the rising tension, GIR gleamed with anticipation. This battle was exactly what he had dreamed of ever since he learned about the Warhammer universe: a fight where his mechanical "heart" would beat in rhythm with destruction. MIMI jumped off the roof of the van and stood in front of the girls, resolutely preparing to protect them from all enemies.
"We will accept this fight!" GIR declared proudly, striking the roof of the van with the hammer's handle.
All eyes turned to GIR, who looked as though he were filled with extreme excitement. Lucy, Rebecca, and Kiwi understood why he was so inspired: GIR had often mentioned that he dreamed of such a situation. They shook their heads, accepting the fight as well. GIR retrieved the flag of the Imperium from his inventory and planted it on top of the van.
"Brothers! Gather around the banner!" he proclaimed in a voice that was grim and foreign to his usual tone.
The sudden change in GIR's voice stunned the others. They were all used to his cheerful tone, but now he sounded like the voice of a war veteran.
"Because what awaits us is either victory or death!" GIR declared loudly, staring down the countless enemies.
These words brought a wide smile to Rebecca's face. She pulled her shotgun out of her inventory, followed by a personal grenade launcher she had created with Alex. Lucy, letting out a heavy sigh, also drew her rifle, realizing they would have to fight seriously. Kiwi, following their example, retrieved the assault rifle Alex had given her. The sight of weapons suddenly appearing in the girls' hands stunned the others, but the questions remained unspoken for now.
Falco climbed into the van, activating the turrets and targeting them at the robot army. Pilar loaded acid rounds into the grenade launcher, and Rebecca handed Main a box of ammunition, including acid rounds, while she herself loaded her own weapon, laughing. Seeing that Dorio had no weapon, Rebecca pulled a machine gun out of her inventory and handed it to her, to which Dorio smiled appreciatively.
"We hold this ground in the name of my creator!" GIR said, pulling a boltgun out of his inventory and aiming it at the enemies.
The group armed themselves and stood still, waiting for the robots to begin their attack. Time seemed to stop, and a silence fell over the stadium — so profound that it felt like the entire world had hushed. But just when it seemed like nothing would happen, the red eyes of the robots flared even brighter, and they all surged toward the team. This was the signal for the battle to begin.
Rebecca grabbed the grenade launcher and fired an acid charge into the air. The explosion roared over the robot army, unleashing an acid rain upon them. Lucy opened fire with her rifle, her bullets piercing the rows of mechanical foes, hitting those standing behind. Every member of the team charged into the fight. Pilar, seeing Rebecca's acid rounds, loaded his own grenade launcher and fired upwards, creating another downpour of corrosive liquid.
MIMI put away her mace and shield, pulling out a heavy bolt-rifle, and began firing as though mowing down the mechanical army. Falco activated the turrets on the van, and they began laying down suppressive fire on the advancing robots.
"If we die, we die with vengeance on our lips!" GIR shouted, holding the Imperium flag in one hand and the boltgun in the other.
The flag fluttered with each explosion that ripped apart the robot bodies, and in the heat of battle, Main felt a surge of strength, as though he had returned to the front lines. He remembered his promise to Dorio that after this mission, they would retire, and he vowed to keep it at any cost.
"Vengeance!" he shouted, rallying the team's fighting spirit.
GIR's battle cry echoed among his friends. Rebecca, laughing, shouted, "Vengeance!" and opened fire on the robots. Pilar, picking up her cry, launched a napalm charge into the sky, creating a fiery rain that descended upon the enemies, setting their metal bodies ablaze.
Dorio, gripping the machine gun Rebecca had given her, kept her finger on the trigger, mowing down the approaching robots. Her dreams of a peaceful life with Main, of family and children, only strengthened her resolve.
"Vengeance!" she shouted loudly, refusing to let the enemies get any closer.
Falco, sitting behind the wheel of the van, activated all the turrets. Though he didn't enjoy shootouts — his passion was cars — he would never leave his friends in danger. So, despite the risks, he was here.
"Vengeance!" — his voice echoed from the van.
Lucy and Kiwi exchanged a glance, barely holding back smiles as they watched this crazy group. No matter how much they shot, it seemed like the robots didn't decrease — for every fallen one, two more appeared. The mountains of dead bodies didn't stop them: robots climbed over their broken comrades, like zombies, relentlessly advancing forward.
"It looks like we'll run out of ammo before we even take down half of them!" — Main shouted, reloading his shotgun.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Rebecca decided to pull out the weapon she had stolen from Alex that morning, thinking it might come in handy. Even if it didn't, she could always return it… maybe. Mentally patting herself on the back, she pulled out the massive gun, struggling to keep it steady in her hands, and aimed it at the robots. Lucy, noticing the gun out of the corner of her eye, realized in horror that it was the same weapon Rebecca had nearly used on the megatower.
"Rebecca, no!" — Lucy shouted, trying to stop her friend.
Rebecca grinned widely in Alex's manner and said.
"Rebecca, YES!" — then pulled the trigger.
When Rebecca pressed the trigger, a giant plasma blast erupted from the barrel of the massive gun she held, heading straight for the robot army, reducing them to dust. Upon reaching the center of their formation, it exploded in a brilliant blue light, creating a powerful shockwave and a blinding flash.
The group involuntarily squinted from the intense light, and when they opened their eyes, they were met with a scene of devastation. Most of the robots had been obliterated, and the survivors were either melting from the high heat or had lost limbs and were struggling to move.
"What the hell was that?" — Main gasped, surveying the destruction caused by the weapon.
Rebecca burst out laughing at what she had done, and with a satisfied smirk, hugged the gun, deciding it would stay with her. Lucy gave Rebecca a doubtful look, thinking that a conversation with Alex about not leaving such a dangerous weapon in the hands of this insane gremlin was definitely needed. Kiwi clearly shared her opinion.
"Alex calls it the BFG9000, but to me, it's the Big Fucking Gun," — Rebecca said, continuing to laugh.
Lucy shook her head and decided it was time for GIR to start the next phase of the plan.
"GIR, start removing, the consciousness of the Mechanical Man. We'll handle things here ourselves," — Lucy shouted toward GIR, who was standing on top of the van.
GIR nodded, stowed the bolter in his inventory, and suddenly slumped, as if his battery had run out. Main quickly caught him, noticing that GIR weighed far more than expected.
"What happened to this crazy robo-dog? Did his batteries die?" — Main asked in surprise, holding GIR in his arms.
"He's busy deleting the remnants of this god's consciousness," — Lucy explained.
"How can this dog delete a god's consciousness?" — Pilar asked, surprised.
"This god is both an artificial intelligence and a divine being. While Alex is fighting the main part, we're taking on the remaining pieces, and GIR is handling the deletion," — Kiwi explained, pointing at GIR.
Main carefully laid GIR on the ground, placing a van wheel under his head. He didn't fully understand what was going on, but he knew that GIR was performing an important task.
"Alright, let's cover our crazy dog and finish off the remaining robots," — he said, racking the shotgun.
Everyone nodded, preparing to continue the fight. But before Main could turn toward the army, he noticed something strange. On the roof of the Arasaka truck sat a lone figure — a little girl in a black lace dress, sparkling like the night sky, with white hair that shimmered like stars. She was eating candy and swinging her legs as if nothing unusual was happening around her.
"Why is there a child here?" — Main asked in surprise, pointing at her.
Everyone turned around and froze upon seeing the girl. Lucy, Rebecca, and Kiwi recognized her and were stunned. The girl, sensing their gazes, turned toward them. Her yellow eyes glowed with wisdom that was far beyond her age.
"What is Yog doing here?" — Lucy asked softly.
"Do you know her?" — Dorio asked.
"Yes, she's an acquaintance of Alex, but I have no idea why she's here," — Lucy replied.
In the next moment, the girl vanished from her spot, and her voice came from behind the group.
"I'm here to keep an eye on things," — Yog said melodiously.
Everyone turned around and saw her standing behind them. Those who were seeing her for the first time stared at her in astonishment.
"Keep an eye on what or who?" — Lucy asked, struggling to hide her excitement.
Yog didn't answer. Instead, she approached GIR and reached into a spatial rift, pulling out a snack bag from his inventory.
"I'm here to keep an eye on my sister, who might ruin everything again. And I want to stop her before she makes things worse and turns destruction into our enemy," — she replied, opening the snacks and calmly eating them.
Under the group's gaze, Yog opened the snack pack, then vanished again and instantly reappeared on the roof of the van. She sat there, quietly gazing at the sky and completely ignoring the chaos around her, as if none of it concerned her.
"What destruction is this girl talking about? And who's this sister she mentioned?" — Main asked, trying not to look at Yog, as her mere presence caused him an inexplicable sense of fear.
Lucy turned her gaze away from Yog, realizing that they wouldn't get any more out of her. She knew that if Yog did speak, it would be to Alex, not to them. Or perhaps it was just that Yog didn't like talking. Lucy thought carefully about her answer, trying not to complicate things further.
"She's talking about Alex, and the sister she mentioned is that female voice we all heard," — Lucy replied.
"But why is she calling him Destruction?" — Dorio asked, feeling that the day was becoming stranger by the minute.
"Better ask him when he gets back. We don't have time for explanations right now," — Lucy answered.
Everyone nodded in agreement and decided to wait for Alex to get answers to their questions. The group charged back into battle with the army of robots, which attacked the protective dome with increasing fury, like waves crashing against the rocks. They used every possible resource to buy time for GIR, who was busy erasing the remaining consciousness of the Mechanical Man.
The battle unfolded on three fronts: on the ground, in the virtual space where GIR, like a character from Pac-Man, devoured and destroyed the remnants of the enemy's mind, and in a distant dead galaxy at the edge of the universe.
The fight between Alex and the Mechanical Man reached its climax when the latter silently moved to another dimension and attacked Alex from behind, stabbing him in the chest. Confident of his victory, the Mechanical Man was taken aback by Alex's insane laughter, which drove him mad.
He tried to rip his enemy's body apart, but it immediately turned into dark liquid, engulfed in black flames that wrapped around the Mechanical Man, cocooning him. When the fiery darkness dissipated, the Mechanical Man was on his knees, bound by burning chains, causing excruciating pain to his soul and essence.
He tried to ignore the pain, but what infuriated him the most was the humiliation — the memories of when he and the other avatars once rose up against Nyan-Nyan herself, but just one of her glances made them bow.
"Bravo! What a battle, what a spectacle! You won't see anything like this in any movie. This could be called 'Demon King's Journey 2: The Age of the Mechanical Man,'" came Alex's voice, sarcastically clapping.
The Mechanical Man, maddened with rage, turned and saw Alex sitting on a golden throne, enjoying his humiliation.
"You!" — he growled, his face twisted with fury.
Alex, smirking, slowly stood up from the throne, putting it back in his inventory.
"That's right, it's me. Or did you think you were the first idiot to try and strike me in the back?" — he said coldly, walking toward the bound enemy.
Alex moved slowly and confidently, as if strolling through a park, savoring the moment. He crouched down to look his enemy in the eyes and lit a cigarette.
"The previous Nyann-Nyann avatar also tried to stab me in the back the moment I was distracted. That's why I made sure not to turn into a donut again," Alex said with a smile, blowing a puff of smoke in the Mechanical Man's face.
The Mechanical Man desperately tried to break free, but every attempt only tightened the chains.
"You can stop trying to break free from those chains. They're made of a combined spell. It binds not just the physical form but the soul itself. And the black flame slowly burns the very essence of the being bound in these chains, causing excruciating pain," Alex said, watching with pleasure as another flash of rage appeared on the enemy's face.
Smirking, Alex stood up, stretching. Still holding the cigarette, he made a few light movements, loosening up.
"You thought I would let go of someone who threatened my family and friends? No, buddy. We're just getting started. Before I kill you, I'm going to make you suffer," Alex said in a cold tone, his eyes darkening, becoming like black holes ready to consume the Mechanical Man completely.
After completing his warm-up, Alex summoned Beowulf and cast a spell, engulfing his bracers in pale black flames. This time, he decided to destroy not only the physical shell, but also the soul of the Mechanical Man.
A dark, terrifying gleam appeared in Alex's eyes—one that, if any of his friends had seen it, they would have understood that they were facing Alex's dark side. This face was known only to Freya, as she was the only one who had seen him like this.
Looking down at his opponent, Alex raised his fist, and the muscles in his arm tensed.
"This is for David," he whispered, delivering a crushing blow from the right to the Mechanical Man's head.
The impact unleashed a powerful shockwave, destroying everything around them.
"This is for the tears that Gloria shed," Alex added, striking from the left, and another shockwave shattered a part of the planet.
"This is for the threats to my dear cat Lucy," another blow, each time causing more and more destruction.
"And for trying to harm my sweet gremlin Rebecca," a kick to the chest sent out another devastating wave.
"This is for my eternally cold Kiwi," Alex brought both fists down from above onto the top of the enemy's head.
With each strike, Alex was obliterating the surrounding world, until nearly nothing was left, except for a patch of land beneath his feet.
"And finally, for the threat to my sister Valerie and the attempt to destroy the universe," he said, striking with such force that the Mechanical Man collapsed to his knees again, bound by burning chains. Alex exhaled and slowly lit a cigarette, surveying the ruins around them.
"Well, this is quite the devastation," he whistled, looking at the remnants of the planet, but suddenly he heard a faint mumble from the enemy.
"What are you mumbling about?" he asked, leaning in closer.
"If it weren't for you, I would have executed my plan," the Mechanical Man hissed, his eyes full of hatred, glaring at Alex. "Then I would have had the power and army to conquer more than one universe."
Alex just smirked, seeing this fury that reminded him of a spoiled child. He shook his head.
"You're pretty stupid for such a creature. You think Nyan-Nyan just let go of the leash and allowed you all to escape so easily? Just as you watch mortals struggle in despair in your grasp, she watches how you flail in her grasp before she crushes your despair-filled essence. No matter how much you flail and try to bite through the leash, you can't escape, and you'll never surpass the being that Azathoth himself created," he said with irony.
"That's why, no matter how much all Nyan-Nyan's avatars struggle, you're nothing but microbes in her eyes. You're all just her entertainment."
These words hit the Mechanical Man's consciousness like a hammer on an anvil. The realization of reality pierced him, shattering the illusion of freedom he had so firmly believed in.
"Well, I think it's time to end this," Alex said calmly, putting out his cigarette. "My family is waiting for me, and I'm finally ready to begin my journey."
Alex took a step back from the Mechanical Man, unleashing a colossal surge of magical energy. A wave of power erupted around him, destroying nearby planets and causing a chain reaction of destruction across the galaxy. Today, he decided to use a spell specially designed for beings of this level.
[Let me show you the end of your path.]
Alex's voice resonated with the very fabric of space, and with his first words, a massive magical circle appeared above the galaxy, adorned with ancient runes that only one who existed at the beginning of time could understand.
[I am the end of humanity's story, I am the one who will change this world.]
As Alex uttered the second line of the spell, the magical circle above the galaxy began to glow even brighter.
[And now, when my great task is complete.]
When Alex spoke the third line, an immense amount of magical energy surged upward, directly into the center of the magical circle.
[It is time for birth, I am the one who owns everything.]
After speaking the fourth line, a large droplet of pure energy began to form at the center of the magical circle, hanging from it like a bead.
"Stop!" the Mechanical Man screamed, feeling the inevitable end approaching.
Ignoring his desperate cry, Alex continued the incantation. The words fell from his lips like hammer blows, awakening the giant drop of energy hanging from the center of the magical circle. Looking into his opponent's eyes, Alex saw the flames of fear and rejection, as if the Mechanical Man refused to accept his end.
[And now, burn like garbage!] — Alex said, finishing the spell.
As Alex uttered the final line, the drop of energy at the center of the magical circle began to fall downward. After traveling a certain distance, it seemed to fall into water, creating ripples in the fabric of space throughout the galaxy.
Along with the ripples, a brilliant light shone, illuminating the nearest and farthest galaxies. Following the light, a powerful explosion erupted, reminiscent of the Big Bang that created the universe. The Mechanical Man didn't manage to stop Alex again before he was consumed by the bright light.
When the light faded, only Alex, remained in the empty space, surrounded by the void of the cosmos, where nothing existed but the vacuum. Alex surveyed the destruction caused by the spell and realized it was too powerful to be used in worlds where life still existed. A sigh escaped his lips.
"Too powerful for worlds where life still exists..." he muttered, tossing aside the extinguished cigarette, adding, "I know you're here. Stop hiding."
After his words, cold hands gently wrapped around his neck from behind. Alex immediately recognized them. Before, the touch of Nyan-Nyan had been accompanied by the disgusting sounds of flutes and drums, but now there was nothing.
"Oh, my beloved destruction, I thought you wouldn't call for me," Nyan-Nyan said in a feigned, hurt tone.
Alex sighed heavily, feeling her chaotic essence.
"When did I become your 'beloved'? Why wasn't I informed about this?" he asked, not hiding his sarcasm.
Nyan-Nyan didn't answer and stopped hugging Alex around the neck, withdrawing her hands. She walked around him and stopped in front of him, staring into his eyes. When Alex saw Nyan-Nyan's true face, no longer obscured by the black mist, he acknowledged that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but he also remembered that she had no fixed form, for she was chaos, and chaos was her. Just like the primordial chaos itself, she was chaotic and unpredictable.
"Don't you understand? You call me 'Nyan-Nyan' so sweetly, I just can't help but love it," she said, smiling and gently touching her cheeks with her palms.
Alex looked at her, realizing that trying to decipher her logic was futile.
"Why did you send me to this universe?" he asked bluntly.
Nyan-Nyan removed her hands, and her face lit up with a sly smile. She stepped closer and gently placed her hand on his cheek, tracing it as if soothing him.
"We made a deal. You find and destroy my avatars, and I won't harm your family. Or have you forgotten?" she whispered, tenderly caressing him.
"We had a different agreement," Alex rolled his eyes. "Either I find your avatars myself, or you send them to me."
Nyan-Nyan melodiously laughed, noticing how Alex rolled his eyes. She clearly enjoyed how his attitude toward her had changed. During their first meeting, he had been afraid of her and even attacked when she tried to encourage him. But now Alex acted as though he had met an old friend.
"It's just sophistry, my beloved destruction," Nyan-Nyan said, putting her hands behind her back and feigning innocence.
"As you say. Then why did you loosen the leash?" Alex asked, curious about why Nyan-Nyan allowed her avatars to try to overthrow her from the throne.
"You already answered that. As you said, out of boredom. There was nothing to do in the chaos, so I created this little game for myself," Nyan-Nyan replied cheerfully, taking Alex's hand.
"Just like that? Then why the strange deal?" Alex raised an eyebrow, ignoring her touch.
"Exactly. You have no idea how boring it is in the primordial Chaos. The constant noise of flutes and drums is unbearable. As for the deal... you said it yourself: I want to see them choke on their despair before you destroy them. Like that foolish Mechanical Man, who never understood that I still had him on a leash," Nyan-Nyan said, chuckling and shaking Alex's hand.
Alex merely sighed, hearing the confirmation from her lips. It seemed the simplest answer was the correct one. But he still wanted to understand why, when they first met, she had said that he would eventually have to come to Azathoth's throne.
"Then why did you say I would have to come to Azathoth's throne? I already know from Yog that it will happen for two reasons, and one of them involves you. And the only scenario in which this would happen is if you do something that forces me to hunt down every Outer God across the multiverse and ultimately wish to destroy primordial Chaos. According to Yog, this would lead to a bad outcome," Alex explained, sharing his conclusions.
Nyan-Nyan's smile faded, and she frowned upon hearing Alex's words. She knew Azathoth's prophecy about the birth of the incarnation of Destruction, which was meant to restore balance. But she had never heard of a second prophecy, and this troubled her.
"I only know one prophecy. I haven't heard of the second one," Nyan-Nyan admitted honestly.
She had barely opened her mouth to reveal the full prophecy to Alex when the space behind her distorted, and Yog passed through it.
"You can't tell him that," Yog said coldly, stepping out of the rift in space.
"Then why didn't you tell me about the second prophecy?" Nyan-Nyan asked, furrowing her brow.
"Because it's necessary," Yog replied calmly, walking up to Alex, holding a packet of snacks that G.I.R. usually ate.
Alex looked at Yog, who had approached him with a packet of snacks that G.I.R. typically consumed. Alex realized that Yog had visited the group. He became curious about how the group had managed without him.
"How are they?" he asked, looking at Yog.
Yog extended her hand, expecting "payment" for the answer. Alex's eye twitched, and he pulled out a packet of candy, placing it in Yog's hand.
"They managed. Your creation already destroyed the remnants of my sister's avatar," Yog said, putting the candy into her small handbag.
Alex sighed in relief. Despite all the precautions, he had been worried about the safety of his companions.
"Oh, don't worry, darling. Under your protection, those mortal girls won't get lost," Nyan-Nyan said, taking Alex's hand again.
He wearily rubbed his forehead. Dealing with the Outer Gods was never an easy test for him, especially with Nyan-Nyan and Yog, a fan of sweets.
"Alright, I want to rest and finally finish with this universe," Alex said, removing his hand from his face.
"You're leaving already? What about our date?" Nyan-Nyan asked with feigned offense.
Alex barely suppressed an eye twitch.
"Maybe next time. Now, give me a shard of your power," he extended his hand toward Nyan-Nyan.
"And why do you need it?" she asked, meeting his gaze.
"Why else? You said I should search for your avatars across the multiverse. By getting a shard of your power, I'll create something to make my job easier. I'm definitely not running across trillions of universes looking for your avatars," Alex said, rolling his eyes.
When Alex said this, Nyan-Nyan laughed cheerfully, and a small crystal containing her power appeared in her hand. Alex took out a special box from his inventory and carefully placed the crystal inside.
"And what if I hadn't given it to you? What would you have done then?" Nyan-Nyan asked with a mischievous smile, poking Alex on the nose.
"Oh, nothing special. I already have enough shards of your avatars' power, so I would have just built what I needed from what's on hand," Alex replied, shrugging.
Nyan-Nyan laughed again, pleased by his nonchalance. Alex simply shrugged slightly, allowing her to amuse herself as she pleased.
"We need to go," Yog interrupted, causing Nyan-Nyan to stop laughing.
"I don't want to leave yet," Nyan-Nyan replied, refusing to part from Alex.
"This is not a request," Yog said calmly but firmly, narrowing her eyes.
A silent duel of glances began between Yog and Nyan-Nyan. Alex watched with interest, as if witnessing a sisterly quarrel rather than a confrontation between two powerful beings. In the end, Nyan-Nyan conceded defeat, and when she looked away, she caught a barely noticeable smile of triumph on Yog's face. Rolling her eyes at her sister's actions, Nyan-Nyan approached Alex and stood close to him.
"We will meet again, my beloved Destruction," she said, unexpectedly kissing him on the lips.
Nyan-Nyan's body became ethereal and faded until she was completely gone, as if she had never been there. Alex glanced at Yog, meeting her calm gaze.
"Until we meet again, Destruction," Yog said, opening a spatial rift.
"Yeah, see you, Yog," Alex replied, waving at her in farewell.
Seeing this, Yog gave a faint smile, waving back before disappearing through the closing rift. Alex sighed deeply, looking around and realizing that his work here was done. He called Yamato and, with two strikes, opened a portal.
Stepping through it, Alex returned to the stadium, now turned into a battlefield. Everything around him was destroyed, and he picked up familiar traces, caused by only one weapon, which immediately made him guess the culprit.
"Yo. I'm done," Alex said, raising his hand in greeting to the group, who were tiredly sitting on the floor.
Hearing his voice, everyone turned their heads at once, noticing that he looked as if he had just returned from a walk. Rebecca, upon seeing Alex, immediately brightened, jumped to her feet, and ran toward him, leaping and hugging him halfway. Alex laughed and, smiling, walked over to the rest of them.
"Looks like you all had fun without me," he said cheerfully.
At his words, everyone just rolled their eyes.
"You had one opponent, and we had an entire army! And why do you look so relaxed?" Main asked irritably.
"Well, I had one opponent, but to defeat him, I destroyed an entire galaxy. As for looking relaxed, that's because now I can finally, finally rest a bit," Alex answered calmly.
After Alex's words about destroying the galaxy, everyone's mouths dropped in surprise. No one could find the words to describe their feelings and thoughts. Rebecca puffed up with pride, realizing she had missed such a grand event, but she thought Alex could show her a projection of it later. Alex carefully looked over everyone, noting that they were all mentally exhausted.
"And where's GIR?" he asked, not seeing his little assistant.
"After he wiped out all remnants of that god's consciousness—or whatever he was—GIR hasn't come to," Dorio replied, pointing to GIR, who was lying not far from the van.
Alex followed Dorio's gaze and saw GIR lying on the floor, with MIMI standing next to him, lightly kicking him with her foot, trying to wake him up. Approaching him, Alex also nudged him a couple of times with his foot to wake him.
"Maybe he broke?" Pilar asked doubtfully.
"No, he's not broken, just trying to stage a dramatic scene," Alex said, carefully studying GIR, who lay there like a fallen hero.
After his words, the group stared at their "injured" assistant with curiosity.
"Well then, watch this. Rise, son of Guilliman, your duty is not yet done," Alex said in a serious tone.
Immediately, GIR's eyelids slowly lifted, as if he were gathering the last of his strength to return to life. Struggling, he got up, holding a heroic pose, and punched himself in the chest.
"FOR THE EMPEROR!" GIR shouted loudly, standing tall.
"See? I told you he just wanted to add some drama," Alex remarked with a smile, pointing at GIR.
Alex's words caused the group to break into a mix of laughter and eye rolls, shattering the dramatic moment.
"Yeah, yeah, all for the Emperor, now let's go home," Alex said, grabbing GIR's head and lifting him up.
Now, Rebecca was hanging from Alex's chest, GIR was in his arms, and MIMI was already hanging off his leg.
"If you have questions, better ask them at home. MIMI, go get Yorinobu Arasaka—seems he got lucky and survived this slaughter," Alex said, addressing the group and pointing in MIMI's direction.
MIMI nodded and ran in the indicated direction, grabbing Yorinobu by the leg and dragging him toward the car.
"Aren't you supposed to keep your identity a secret?" Main asked, slightly surprised that Alex was so calmly agreeing to answer their questions.
"Not really. Just, if I had told you who I was during our first meeting, you'd probably have thought I was crazy," Alex replied, shrugging.
"Alright, choom, as you say. Let's go then," Main smirked.
Alex nodded, and together with the girls, he headed toward the car. As he sat behind the wheel, he noticed they still had questions, but he just waved them off.
"I'll tell you everything at home. Right now, the main thing is to get back."
Before starting, Alex glanced out the window and snapped his fingers to make the bodies of the slain robots disappear, covering up the traces. The other group members noticed this, their eyes widening in amazement. Seeing their reaction, Alex simply winked, climbed back into the car, and started the engine, heading home.
To be continued...
(Another day and another chapter. Hey babes, here's a long chapter that I wrote until 4 a.m. both because I couldn't fall asleep and because of the insomnia. I could split this chapter into 2 parts and please you with two chapters in two days. But hey, who's going to stop me from releasing such a long chapter. But don't get used to it, such long chapters will only be at the end of the world arc. It's safe to say that the Cyberpunk world arc is finished. In general, we'll finish a couple of things in the Cyberpunk world and return to the Danmachi world for a while. And I'm still thinking about the next world. But I think before Alex gets to another world, he'll first visit a couple of worlds quickly until he gets to the main world. Enjoy reading!)
(I also want to thank those who read my fanfic from the very beginning and those who came later. Know that I love you all and thank you for continuing to read. Mua:з)