Alex watched as the battle in the city came to an end, a slight smile forming on his face. One problem was solved; now he just needed to gather information on Erebus, and then he could finally put an end to this circus of villains trying to sow chaos in the world. However, a thought flashed through his mind: would he be able to travel freely after dealing with this bunch of losers?
After all, another enemy was lurking in the shadows. An inner voice kept telling him that things wouldn't end so easily. Ever since he learned that someone was hiding in the shadows and aiding this group, paranoia had been gnawing at him, as if that inner voice was constantly saying, "Be ready; the situation is too suspicious." No matter how hard he tried to shake off these thoughts, he continued to prepare, not wanting to become like those heroes who rely solely on the so-called power of friendship.
Alex broke off his musings, focusing his gaze on Nyx, who was stunned by the news that Dionysus had also failed. However, she was more concerned with her own well-being than the fate of someone who turned out to be a loser.
"So, Nyx, are you ready to talk? Or should I wait a bit longer for you to gather your thoughts?" Alex asked, looking at her while her gaze remained unfocused.
"Hey, are you listening to me?" he repeated, starting to poke Nyx with a stick as she continued to silently stare at the ceiling.
His actions puzzled the entire group. They couldn't help but wonder where he got the stick and why he was poking Nyx with it, as if afraid to touch something dirty.
"You know, it's not very polite to poke a girl with a stick," Nyx said irritably, feeling the touch.
"You're a girl? Are you sure about that?" Alex asked suspiciously, glancing at her chest, which was as flat as a runway.
"Let me go, and I'll show you," Nyx snapped back, her eyes flashing with a murderous glare.
"Sorry, but no. You're the one who got yourself into this situation," Alex shrugged.
The group stood there in bewilderment, not understanding how a conversation about villainous plans had devolved into a discussion about Nyx's gender. But one of the girls, instead of being shocked by the whole situation, started getting angry at Nyx, who clearly would have liked to strip in front of Alex if she weren't tied up.
"How dare you, shameless hussy?! Have you no shame?!" Hestia shouted, pointing at Nyx.
"And what's the problem? So what if I show him a little? Isn't it in any guy's nature to always want to sneak a peek at a naked girl?" Nyx asked calmly, completely ignoring Hestia's anger. Her gaze was fixed on Alex, whose expression remained indifferent, as if he didn't understand what was going on.
"First of all, don't compare me to others," Alex replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm not interested in your body. And secondly, even if you were running around naked here, I'd still hit you."
The girls in the group just laughed at his words.
"What is that supposed to mean? Don't you want to spend an unforgettable night with a goddess?" Nyx continued, trying to seduce him.
"Hmm... How about 'no'? You don't attract me at all," Alex said, looking at her as if she were a complete idiot.
"Why? I'm a goddess! Any mortal would do anything to spend a night with a goddess. I know I'm not as beautiful as Freya, but still, I am a goddess!" Nyx protested, her face showing desperation.
"It's not about whether you attract me or not. The point is, because of you, I've lost my peaceful life. Instead of enjoying adventures, I have to stay up at night and prepare countermeasures against you idiots," Alex replied, his tired gaze piercing Nyx as if with knives. She had never encountered a situation like this before.
"What are you talking about? So what if we caused a little chaos? What's the big deal?" Nyx asked, which only heightened Alex's irritation.
"A little chaos? Do you even realize that you were ready to sacrifice many adventurers for your 'chaos'?" Alex responded in an irritated tone.
"Sacrifice? Wouldn't they have just died?" Nyx asked, sounding uncertain.
Nyx's words made Alex think. Could it be that she truly didn't understand what creature was sealed within the crystal and that if their plan had succeeded, the world would have been threatened by something no one could stop?
Looking into Nyx's eyes, Alex realized that she didn't know the true purpose of the crystal or the consequences of her actions. The entire group noticed how Alex fell into thought after Nyx's words and understood that the situation was much more complicated than it seemed.
"Alex, did you figure something out?" Hermes asked, observing him, as he too noticed that Nyx didn't know the reason for her tasks.
"I have some suspicions, but I'm not certain," Alex replied, continuing to watch Nyx closely, who appeared confused.
"Didn't you know what kind of creature was sealed in the crystal you used for the guardian?" Alex asked, hoping to see even the slightest change in her expression.
"What crystal? I didn't have anything. I was just supposed to observe and spread fear among the people," Nyx said, clearly not understanding what he was talking about.
"Like this one," Alex said, pulling out the crystal he had collected.
When Nyx saw the crystal, she instinctively tried to crawl away from it. The crystal looked ominous, evoking a strong sense of dread in her. Terrifying eyes and mouths with sharp teeth appeared on its surface. Alex realized that Nyx was either truly unaware or an excellent actress. Those who hadn't seen the crystal before were horrified and stepped back, feeling an unknown fear.
"You're either an outstanding actress, or Erebus planned to eliminate witnesses," Alex remarked, closely observing Nyx's reaction.
"What do you mean by 'eliminate witnesses'?" Hermes asked, looking at Alex.
"Exactly that. Either Nyx was also part of the plan for the guardian's development," Alex replied, continuing to watch her reaction.
"And what part of the plan could she have been?" Asfi asked, hesitant to approach closer while Alex held the crystal.
"Do you remember what I said about the soul?" Alex asked, putting the crystal away and looking at Asfi, who nodded.
"If the soul of a mortal is like a small sun, then imagine what would happen if a god were sacrificed," Alex said, his words causing gasps of realization within the group.
"And now think about what would have happened if Nyx had been sacrificed with her concept of darkness and night," he added, making the group ponder. Nyx, hearing their conversation, began to tense up, trying to understand what they were talking about.
Alex's words made everyone think, and as they pondered, it became increasingly clear that the situation could have turned catastrophic, especially if the guardian had absorbed the soul of a god. Nyx, realizing what they were discussing, understood that she herself was meant to be the sacrifice.
"You're lying! He wouldn't have done that to me!" Nyx screamed, overcome with panic.
"Why would I lie to you, Nyx? For what purpose? To turn you against Erebus? I could forcibly extract your memories and find him myself; you're essentially useless to me," Alex replied calmly, his words cooling the goddess's anger and making her think.
"I see you've calmed down. Now tell me, what is your connection to Erebus?" Alex continued, observing how Nyx was lost in thought.
"He's my brother," she said automatically, still trying to grasp the betrayal.
"Well, as I suspected," Alex remarked, pulling out a cigarette, but Hestia quickly smacked his hand, giving him an angry look that seemed to say, "Stop smoking already."
"You knew about this?" Hermes asked, noticing Alex's expression.
"There were stories about you in the world I come from too," Alex answered, looking at Hermes. Nyx, upon hearing this, realized that the person who had ruined their plans was from another world.
"Really? There were legends about us in your world too? And about me? What were they? Was I a cool god?" Hermes bombarded Alex with questions, not giving him a moment's peace.
"Gods, shut up. Yes, there were legends about you too. There are stories about all of you in my world," Alex said, shutting Hermes up, who had gotten too close and was starting to irritate him.
"Alex, what legends were there about the gods in your world?" Ryuu asked, noticing how Alex struggled to keep his composure and not hit Hermes.
"In short, Hestia, Hermes, Hephaestus, Nyx, and Erebus — you're all from the same pantheon," Alex said with noticeable distaste, recalling the Greek pantheon.
"Why do you look so disgusted when mentioning that pantheon?" Asfi asked, noticing the revulsion on Alex's face.
"In a word, that pantheon is a bunch of rapists," Alex said, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock. Even Hermes fell silent, looking at him in surprise.
"Is it really that bad?" Lily asked, expressing general concern.
"Let's just say I've put it mildly. For example, the head of the pantheon pretended to be rain to sleep with a girl," Alex said with a crooked smile.
"What do you mean, 'pretended to be rain'? How is that even possible?" Daphne asked skeptically.
"I don't know how it's done, and I don't want to know," Alex replied, not wanting to delve into the discussion.
"Let me briefly summarize what I know, and you can draw your own conclusions," he continued, drawing the group's attention.
Alex began recounting everything he remembered about the Greek pantheon, from minor events to the most significant ones mentioned in legends. He couldn't remember everything, as he had never delved deeply into the history of that collection of rapists. The more the group listened, the more they were astonished by what was written in the legends of Alex's world, from killing a father for the throne to battling the Titans.
"Hm, so Hephaestus is depicted as a man in your world?" Hermes asked, looking at Alex, whose eye twitched noticeably.
"That's all you're interested in?" Alex shot him an annoyed glance.
"What did you expect? This is the history of your world, and our world is entirely different. That doesn't mean everything was the same here," Hermes replied with a shrug.
"Well, you're right about that," Alex agreed, nodding.
"I'm more surprised at how Hestia managed to stay herself among that bunch of bastards," Lily said, looking at Hestia, who was frowning after Alex's tale.
"So, you went to Hestia because you knew her from the legends of your world?" Daphne asked.
"Kind of, and kind of not," Alex replied, causing confusion among the others.
"What does that mean?" Lily asked, staring intently at Alex.
"To put it simply, I knew Hestia from the legends of my world, but I wasn't looking for her because of that. I needed a home, and who better than the goddess of the hearth to provide it?" Alex said, taking Hestia's hand. She smiled at his words.
"And what about me?" Nyx asked, who had been silently listening to Alex's account.
"Hmmm... For some reason, I forgot about you," Alex replied, causing Nyx's eye to twitch.
"Actually, I know very little about you since I wasn't particularly interested in the legends of this pantheon. All I remember are small mentions from various sources. Some say you and Erebus are siblings, some say you are husband and wife, and some combine it all," Alex said, and with each of his words, Nyx's face grew darker.
"What ridiculous legends," Nyx mumbled, with black lines forming on her forehead.
"Well, what did you expect from a pantheon full of degenerates?" Alex shrugged.
"Alright, I think it's time to wrap this up. Freya and Loki might have already captured Dionysus, and I'll be able to speak with both of you at once," Alex said, standing up and stretching his stiff joints. "But first, let's heal you; it's unpleasant to look at your bloodied nose," he added, moving towards Nyx.
"What are you going to do? Isn't it enough that Hestia broke my nose?" Nyx asked with anxiety in her voice.
"It's your fault for trying to take her hostage. Be grateful that you only had your nose broken. Hestia's punch could have knocked out your front teeth," Alex said with a broad smile.
Everyone looked at the seemingly harmless goddess and couldn't understand how Hestia could be capable of such things. Hermes was the most frightened, realizing how lucky he was that Hestia had shocked him rather than punched him. Everyone continued to watch Hestia, who stood innocently, kicking the floor as if nothing had happened.
"So let's get on with it; I'll heal you, and then we'll head to my... torture chamber. Ahem, I mean, workshop," Alex said, stumbling over his words at the end, causing Nyx to start trembling.
"No, I'm not going anywhere! I don't want to go to your torture chamber!" Nyx screamed, trying to crawl away.
"It's my workshop, not a torture chamber. I just misspoke a bit," Alex said, approaching Nyx. Everyone understood that Alex was deliberately trying to scare her.
"How can you make such a mistake?" Cassandra asked, surprised by the situation.
"I don't know. He said the same thing when he kidnapped us to join Hestia's family," Daphne replied with a shrug.
"You were kidnapped to join the family?" Asfi asked, surprised by their conversation.
"Not kidnapped, but 'invited,' as Alex put it," Lily answered, barely containing her laughter.
As the girls discussed how Daphne and Cassandra were "invited" to the family, Alex had already approached Nyx, who was wriggling like a worm, trying to crawl away from him in fear of what awaited her. Alex struggled to suppress his laughter, watching the comical scene, which looked so absurd it could only be seen in a comedy manga, but now it was unfolding in real life.
"Nyx, stop running away. I'm not going to hurt you... unless, of course, you've done something excessive," Alex said, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck.
"And what do you consider 'excessive'? Everyone has a different sense of measure," Nyx protested, trying to break free from his grip.
"When you tell me, I'll answer your question. For now, just don't move," Alex said, touching Nyx's forehead and healing her nose.
"And what will you do to me if I haven't done anything excessive?" Nyx asked as she felt the pain in her nose starting to fade.
"I'll give you a corrective lecture... and maybe a few spankings as punishment," Alex replied with a smile.
"And if I've done a lot of bad things?" Nyx asked cautiously, looking at his face, which still had a smile on it.
"You'll find out when you meet your friends," Alex said, his smile taking on a slightly deranged edge.
"Let me go, I don't want to go!" Nyx started screaming and struggling.
"Uh-uh," Alex replied calmly, casting a silence spell on her to stop hearing her cries.
Alex threw Nyx over his shoulder so she couldn't run away and approached the group, which was chatting and laughing happily, looking at Daphne and Cassandra, who had sour faces.
"Let's head home; I'm getting tired of all this," Alex said with a slight smile.
"Alex, the barrier," Ryu reminded him, pointing at the barrier that was still in place.
"Oh right, I almost forgot," Alex replied, stamping his foot on the floor.
The barrier began to slowly vanish; the runes scattered across the floor started to return to their places. From a distance, it looked like snakes slithering back into their burrows.
Adventurers who were in the settlement at the time watched the scene with curiosity until they heard a loud voice informing them that they could go home and that the path to the surface was now cleared. At first, they didn't understand what it meant, but once they realized, they began to cheer and embrace each other, grateful to have survived the tough situation.
While the adventurers rejoiced, Alex's group appeared near Babylon. They looked around in surprise, noticing that the city was in the same state as the dungeon, except that all the houses on the surface were protected by barriers.
Nyx, experiencing the effects of teleportation, was completely disoriented and didn't understand what had just happened. Alex, sensing where Freya and Loki were, decided to go to them but, checking their location, noticed another god nearby who seemed familiar.
Not wanting to waste time, Alex used teleportation again and appeared near the group of goddesses who were standing over a man with a broken head. Alex couldn't immediately tell who it was since his clothes were torn and his face covered in blood. The only thing he could discern was that the man was a blonde.
The goddesses, watching the blood seep from Dionysus's head, suddenly felt someone's presence. They turned and saw Alex's group approaching him casually. Loki was the first to react. She rushed to Alex and, jumping on him, wrapped herself around him like a koala, rubbing her head against his chest. This brought a light smile to Alex's face, and he gently patted the carefree goddess on the head.
As Alex approached the others, he smiled and met Freya's gaze, who greeted him with a sweet smile. Freya gracefully moved towards him, standing on her tiptoes, and, ignoring Loki who was still hanging on Alex, lightly kissed him on the lips. Everyone present, feeling embarrassed, looked away, some even grimacing at the sight.
"Hey, guys, I see you did well. But why such gloomy faces?" Alex asked after the kiss, with Freya already holding his hand.
"Hmph. Not without your help," Allen replied with a frown.
"Don't worry, Allen, I'm not going to take your mother away. You can call me Dad Alex. I'll raise you like my own son," Alex said, further irritating Allen. The group struggled to contain their laughter as they watched Allen literally fuming with anger.
"You're not my father!" Allen shouted, causing a burst of laughter from those who could no longer hold it in.
"Don't worry, Allen, I'll be a real father to you. And I'll make a worthy man out of you," Alex continued in a righteous tone, nodding his head, which provoked another wave of laughter.
"Stop teasing Allen," Freya said, lightly hitting Alex on the arm.
"At least everyone is relaxed now. I show up, and suddenly everyone has such sour faces," Alex replied with a shrug.
"Who's that on your shoulder?" Freya finally noticed Nyx.
"Oh, that's Nyx," Alex said, pointing with his free hand at Nyx's rear. "Nyx, say hello to everyone," he added, shaking the goddess who still couldn't get over the teleportation.
"As you can see, she's a bit shy, but let's not blame her; she's the goddess of the 'Night,'" Alex said, causing Freya to just shake her head.
"Oh, and you're here too, Ishtar," Alex noted, turning his gaze to another goddess.
"Finally noticed?" Ishtar replied sarcastically.
"And what brought you here?" Alex asked, looking at the goddess who didn't know how to respond.
"She just wanted to show that she isn't part of this group of idiots," Loki interjected, lifting her head and continuing to rub it against Alex's chest like a spoiled child.
"Well, I knew she wasn't part of the group, otherwise, she'd have visited my workshop a long time ago," Alex said with a light smile, causing the adventurers to look puzzled—they didn't understand what was so special about Alex's workshop.
"So, what happened here while I was in the dungeon?" Alex asked, wanting to hear the details.
"Let me explain," Freya offered.
Freya began to recount everything in detail: from the monster attack to the appearance of the hydra, including how the members of their families fought, and how Alex's weapons had destroyed all the monsters.
"I'm glad that what I created was useful," Alex said after hearing the story. "But I'm disappointed that I missed the hydra," he added with a sad tone.
"Couldn't you have brought the hydra to the dungeon instead of this guardian?" Alex asked, shaking Nyx, who rolled her eyes in irritation, but Alex didn't notice.
"And what happened on your end after we left?" Finn asked, looking at the group, who seemed completely unharmed.
"To be precise, it can be described as follows..." Alex began.
Alex started describing what had happened on their side, including the battle with the Guardian, which he claimed was easy. However, those who knew Alex well only rolled their eyes as they listened. What might have been "easy" for him could have easily ended in a fatal outcome for their group.
Alex also praised the girls who fought the monsters while he distracted the Guardian, his face glowing with pride for them. He ended by telling how Hestia had knocked out Nyx, which led to astonished looks towards the goddess, who was shyly trying to hide from attention. No one could believe that such a small and kind goddess could do something like that.
"I see you had fun," Freya said with a smile, looking at Alex's radiant face.
"Of course, it's not every day you get to face a Dungeon Guardian," Alex replied, still smiling.
"But who is this man on the floor?" he asked, nodding towards the bloodied man.
"That's Dionysus," Ishtar answered.
"If that's Dionysus, then why is blood flowing from his head?" Alex asked, noticing that everyone was trying to avoid his gaze.
"I'm not going to be angry, I'm just curious. So speak freely; it's clear from your faces that something interesting happened here," Alex said, scanning the group that continued to avoid his eyes.
"Loki-sama knocked him out with a blow to the head using some golden box," Riveria answered cautiously, causing Loki to have a sad expression when she realized she had been revealed.
"So the item I prepared to bind gods was used to knock out one of them?" Alex asked calmly, his eye twitching nervously.
"But it worked," Loki mumbled, hiding her face in his chest.
"That's true, but still, items should be used for their intended purposes," Alex said with a crooked smile, looking at Loki, who didn't dare lift her head.
"Alright, first things first: we need to wake this idiot up and see his reaction," Alex said, carefully placing Nyx on the floor as she started squirming, and detaching Loki from him.
Alex approached the unconscious Dionysus, who looked like a beaten dog. He shook his head at the sight of the god. In the memories of others, Dionysus always appeared elegant and a gentleman, but now he lay on the floor with a broken head and torn clothes, like someone who had been in a bar fight.
Alex crouched down next to him and healed him so that he wouldn't die from blood loss. Dionysus's eyes flew open, and he began gasping for air as if he had just been resurrected.
"What's going on and where am I?" Dionysus asked, looking around until his gaze met the rainbow-colored eyes staring intently at him.
"Who are you…" Dionysus began, but Alex immediately covered his mouth.
"Sorry, but I'm the one asking questions here," Alex said gently but firmly, covering Dionysus's mouth with his hand.
"How are you, Dionysus? Did you have a good time today?" Alex asked with a smile, though his eyes remained cold.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot I covered your mouth, but it's a precaution. Your friends immediately start shouting that they're gods and spouting nonsense about how I'll regret it and other such rubbish," Alex said with a slight smirk, squeezing Dionysus's jaw, who began writhing in pain.
"I'm going to remove my hand now, and we'll have a nice chat. But if you think I'm going to tolerate your arrogant speeches, you're gravely mistaken. Start talking about how great a god you are and how I'll regret attacking you, and I won't hesitate to give you another concussion," Alex said, tightening his grip on Dionysus's jaw even more.
Those who knew Alex but hadn't seen his methods in action felt a twinge of fear and took a few steps back. Some were surprised by his behavior but understood that pity for the enemy was out of place here.
Nyx, lying on the floor and watching Alex deal with Dionysus, widened her eyes at the realization that she could have been treated the same way. Questions swirled in her mind about why Alex had not been as harsh with her. These thoughts troubled her, but one idea seemed the most plausible: perhaps Alex was interested in her despite his words in the dungeon. Nyx began to believe this possibility, completely forgetting that Alex had threatened her with punishment for her past actions.
To be continued…