(Before you start reading this chapter, I want to thank those who have made it this far and stayed with me. When I began writing, I didn't expect to get this far. I thought I would write a short story to gain some experience, and in the end, I ended up with this. We are now over 5,000 strong, and this fanfic has more than 300,000 words. I wholeheartedly want to thank everyone who reads my fanfic and continues to support me. Muah!)
The situation Alex found himself in was hard to describe. Behind him, a flipped car was burning, with bloodied bodies lying next to it. Surrounded by multiple guns, Alex slowly scanned the people aiming their weapons at him. Glancing up, he spotted snipers on the rooftops and a blinding spotlight shining down on him. Beneath his feet, a man lay bleeding out.
«Put your hands up and don't you dare move, you bastard!» one of the armed men shouted, aiming at Alex.
Alex sighed heavily, not expecting things to turn out this way. The plan seemed clear, but as usual, reality had been unpredictable. To understand how he ended up in this situation, we need to go back a little — to that morning when it all began.
Waking up early because someone was chewing on his face, Alex cracked open his eyes and saw Rebecca next to him, literally trying to bite his cheek in her sleep. Over the few days she'd been living with him, Alex had noticed one curious trait: while Hestia just drooled in her sleep, Rebecca behaved like a true gremlin — she could hit, kick, or even try to eat someone. Sighing, Alex carefully moved her aside, but she immediately turned over and kicked him in the ribs. He just shook his head and headed downstairs.
In the kitchen, he saw Lucy, engrossed in tapping something on her tablet, paying no attention to what was happening around her.
«Good morning,» Alex greeted her, coming closer.
He kissed Lucy on the cheek and headed toward the coffee machine. Lucy, still focused on her tablet, only noticed him as he passed by and kissed her. She knew well enough that Alex without his morning coffee was a nightmare. Without a cup of that energizing drink, he looked like he was ready to destroy everything around him.
«You're up early today,» Lucy remarked, watching Alex as he stared intently at his coffee cup.
«Sleeping with Rebecca is quite the quest. Especially when you wake up to someone chewing on your face,» Alex responded with a smirk, taking a sip.
Lucy nodded knowingly. She had experienced something similar once — waking up in the middle of the night to someone biting her leg. At first, she was frightened, but seeing Rebecca asleep, hugging her leg and occasionally nibbling on it, she quickly understood what was going on.
«Well, you're her boyfriend, so you'll have to get used to it,» Lucy said with a smile.
Alex chuckled, sitting down next to her on the couch. Lucy snuggled up to him, still focused on her tablet.
«Well, I'm your boyfriend too, you know,» he reminded her, burying his nose in her hair.
«True, but that doesn't mean I'll let Rebecca chew on my leg while she sleeps,» Lucy replied, glancing at him.
Alex just shook his head, realizing that with «gremlin» Rebecca, these incidents would happen regularly. And although her nightmares had stopped, they were now replaced by dreams of food — particularly hamburgers. Alex remembered how, one time, he woke up to Rebecca mumbling about juicy burgers in her sleep, occasionally chewing on his arm.
«Where's Gloria?» he asked, looking around. He knew it was her day off, so she should've been home.
«She took your car and went shopping with Valerie. She said Valerie needed new clothes,» Lucy replied without looking up from her tablet.
Alex nodded. Recently, he'd brought Valerie, as promised, to live with him. She was so excited that she started jumping up and down like a child, and within minutes, she was standing next to her packed things. Since then, she'd been living with them.
«And where's that dumb mutt?» Alex asked, surprised by the absence of the familiar noise from G.I.R., who was usually drinking his milkshake at this time.
«Gloria took him with her. He's carrying the bags,» Lucy answered, sipping coffee from his mug.
Realizing that he had no pressing matters for the time being, Alex leaned back on the couch, and Lucy nestled closer to him, still typing something on her tablet. Ever since Alex had given her the device, she was thrilled with how much easier it made her work.
When she asked him how he managed to create it, Alex had rattled off something that sounded to her like a jumble of alien words. Since then, she decided to simply use his inventions without trying to understand the creation process.
The silence in the room was broken only by the sound of Lucy's fingers tapping on the tablet screen. Suddenly, Alex heard the chime of a message on his phone. He glanced at the screen and saw a file sent by Lucy.
«What's this?» he asked, opening the message.
«What you asked me to find,» she replied, setting aside the tablet and snuggling up to him again.
Alex's eyes widened when Lucy revealed that she had managed to locate the recordings from the scene of the accident where Gloria and David had been hurt. His gaze shifted to the urn with David's ashes, and he sighed heavily, realizing how cruel fate had been to Gloria.
First, she had lost her husband in a gang shootout, and now her son had died under similar circumstances. Alex hadn't yet told her what he planned to do next. Only Lucy and Rebecca knew about it—no one else. He didn't want to tell Gloria because he knew she would be against it.
Not because she'd pity those scum, but because she'd be afraid for him, afraid that he might get hurt. She was too kind for her own good. Though she had only seen a small portion of his power, it didn't stop her from worrying, even when he took on something as simple as a delivery job.
«Are you going to tell Gloria?» Lucy suddenly asked, looking at Alex, who was staring thoughtfully at his phone, hesitating to open the video.
Alex shook his head. He wasn't planning to tell her anything for now. First, he wanted to find out the names of the scum responsible for the tragedy, and only then would he take his revenge. Only after that, maybe, he'd tell Gloria.
«So, what are you planning to do? Just kill them or something else?» Lucy asked, gently wrapping her arms around him.
«I haven't decided yet,» Alex replied, setting his phone aside and pulling Lucy closer. «First, I'll watch the video, and then I'll decide. In the worst-case scenario, I can always use the cultist persona.»
He hugged her, burying his nose in her hair, still not ready to watch the video. More accurately, he wasn't ready to see Gloria in such a broken, desperate, tearful state. He knew that seeing it could push him over the edge, and the consequences would be far more brutal than he intended. Alex didn't want to kill everyone, only those truly responsible for the accident.
Lucy pressed herself closer to him, nuzzling her nose into his neck, frowning when Alex mentioned his cult. When she had first learned about it, she thought he was doing the right thing. But that was before Gloria revealed the real reason behind its creation.
The family had disagreements: Lucy and Gloria were against him forming the cult, while Alex and Rebecca supported the chaos. Gloria had said that Hephaestus forbade him from creating a cult in this world, especially given that he had enough trouble in the past due to being hunted.
«Do you remember what Gloria said about your cult?» Lucy asked, gently blowing on his neck.
«Of course, I remember,» Alex mockingly imitated Gloria's voice. «She said, 'I allow you to cleanse this world of heretics. Go with a noble purpose, my son.'«
Lucy frowned at his imitation.
«She said you were forbidden from creating a cult and causing more chaos. Wasn't the last world enough for you?» she asked sternly, pulling back to look him in the eyes.
«That wasn't me!» Alex replied, gesturing with his hands. «And this is a completely different situation.»
Lucy just shook her head and returned to his embrace. Alex closed his eyes, thinking about what to do next. He needed to calm down before watching the video, and the best way to do that was to hold someone you love. Their moment was interrupted by the ringing of Lucy's phone. She sighed, pulling away slightly from him.
«What happened?» Alex asked, cracking one eye open to look at her.
«I've got work. Seems like our cuddling is over,» she replied with a smile, getting up from the couch.
Alex shrugged. He didn't mind—they would have plenty of time together since they lived under the same roof. Lucy went to her room to change. When she returned, already dressed for work, she approached Alex.
«I won't be long. And don't do anything stupid,» she said, kissing him on the lips.
«I'm not that chaotic,» Alex smirked. «And feel free to take my bike.»
Lucy rolled her eyes, not buying his words, and kissed him once more before leaving. Alex stretched and headed to his workshop, where he intended to finally watch the recording from the accident.
As he entered, the lights automatically turned on, illuminating the large space. His workshop was massive, spanning an entire floor of a megabuilding, and those who saw its size could only guess at the magic that allowed him to expand the space.
Alex made his way to his corner, decorated in his usual style with only a few technological touches. He connected his phone to the computer and opened the video file.
«Let's see what happened here,» he muttered, starting the playback of the surveillance footage.
He began fast-forwarding through the video, trying to find the right moment. Since he didn't know the exact time of the accident, he didn't speed it up too much, watching the screen carefully. Some time passed before Gloria's car appeared in the video, driving down the road.
Alex slowed the video down, focusing on the screen. Pinpointing the right moment, he opened the footage from other cameras and rewound them to the same point.
«I hope these scum were caught on camera,» Alex murmured, continuing to watch.
Soon, a large SUV appeared on the road, with armed men hanging out of its windows. They looked like over-muscled bodybuilders. Alex instantly recognized them as members of the gang «Animals,» known for attacking other gangs and extorting money.
One of them started shooting at passing cars, and it was his shots that caused Gloria's car to flip over. Alex clenched his teeth, seeing how that thug deliberately created a dangerous situation to stall a rival gang's vehicle.
«Now I've got their faces, just need to find them,» Alex thought, lighting a cigarette and studying the screen, committing the culprits' faces to memory.
Alex didn't know how many times he had watched the video when the sound of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly closed the file and turned his head towards the entrance. G.I.R., his robotic dog, walked into the workshop. Alex silently watched as the robo-dog approached him.
«Mission accomplished,» G.I.R. reported proudly, giving a salute.
«Great, G.I.R., I've got a new task for you,» Alex said, lifting the dog and setting him on the workbench.
Alex pulled a cable from G.I.R.'s neck and connected it to the computer, beginning to upload the images of the five gang members responsible for the accident. These were the people he intended to hunt down and send their sinful souls to the flames. Once the data was uploaded, G.I.R. turned his head to Alex, waiting for further instructions.
«Everything I'm about to tell you stays between us. Not a word to Gloria or anyone else. Understood?» Alex gave G.I.R. a stern look.
«Yes, sir,» G.I.R. responded, nodding.
«Hack into the database and find everything you can about these five,» Alex pointed to the images displayed on the screen.
While G.I.R. got to work, Gloria entered the workshop with a tray. She approached Alex and set down a plate of snacks in front of him.
«What are you up to?» she asked, drawing his attention.
Alex took her hand, pausing for a moment to consider whether to tell her everything. But he decided it was better to keep her in the dark for now.
«Testing new software for G.I.R., waiting for an update,» he replied, pointing to the robo-dog, who continued working.
«Don't stay here too long,» Gloria said, leaning in for a kiss.
Alex responded, watching her leave the workshop. As G.I.R. was still busy with his task, Alex began to think about what to occupy himself with. Just then, his phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, he was slightly taken aback—it was Kiwi.
Since the last time she had aimed a gun at him, she hadn't contacted him directly, only through Lucy and Rebecca.
«Well, well, has the sun risen in the west if Kiwi is calling me herself?» Alex said with a smirk as he answered the call.
«I need your help with a job,» she said without further ado.
«What kind of job?» he asked, raising an eyebrow.
«Come down. I'm at the building,» Kiwi replied shortly before hanging up.
Alex looked at his phone and frowned at her brevity. At that moment, G.I.R. finished his work and sent all the gang data to Alex's phone. Deciding to review it on the way, he began getting ready, taking G.I.R. and a black case for him.
Before leaving, Alex wanted to warn Gloria but ran into Valerie, who was lounging on the couch, engrossed in her tablet.
«Vi, do you know where Gloria is?» Alex asked as he approached her.
Valerie looked up, surprised to see Alex holding G.I.R. by the head and a black case in his other hand.
«She's upstairs. Where are you going? Can I come with you?» she immediately asked.
«Maybe another time. Today, my partner will be G.I.R.,» Alex said, lifting the robo-dog, who was peacefully stuffing candies into his mouth.
«Oh, please… Can I come too?» Valerie looked at him with pleading eyes.
Alex grinned slyly.
«If you don't whine, you can take any knife from my workshop.»
She thought for a moment but then reached out, accepting the deal. Alex shook her hand with a smile.
«Tell Gloria I'm out for business,» he said, heading towards the exit.
«Okay,» Valerie replied, returning to her show on the tablet.
Once down in the parking lot, Alex placed G.I.R. on the back seat and drove out onto the street. Soon, he spotted Kiwi standing at the entrance of the building and waved to her. She approached and sat in the passenger seat.
«What's the job?» he asked, turning to her.
«There's data that can be sold for a good price,» Kiwi replied.
«But there's a catch, right?» Alex raised an eyebrow.
«Yeah, the server is right under the gang meeting spot. We need your skills to download the data without attracting attention,» she explained, handing him the address.
Alex shrugged. For him, this was just another routine job. Inputting the address into the navigator, he headed to the location. Upon arrival, he noticed that the gang meeting was taking place in a warehouse.
«Whose warehouse is this?» Alex asked, turning off the engine.
«It belongs to the 'Tiger Claws' gang. I don't know who the meeting is with,» Kiwi replied.
Alex nodded, turning to G.I.R., who had already managed to scatter candy wrappers all over the back seat. A vein throbbed on Alex's forehead—this robo-dog was always making a mess and never cleaned up after himself.
He opened the case, revealing a new outfit for G.I.R. Noticing the contents of the case, Kiwi raised an eyebrow, puzzled about why the clothes were needed. However, it soon became clear.
«G.I.R., change into this. We have a stealth mission,» Alex said, pointing to the outfit.
G.I.R. looked at the clothes, then at Alex, quickly popped a candy into his mouth, and began pulling the new suit over his old one. Soon, he was dressed like a ninja dog. Alex took a few pictures and sent them to the girls to get their thoughts on G.I.R.'s new look.
«What's with the outfit?» Kiwi asked, looking at the revamped G.I.R.
«This is Ninja G.I.R., and he's going to help us download the data,» Alex replied, giving a thumbs-up.
G.I.R. started making gestures like a real ninja, repeating, «Nin-nin!» Alex laughed and was about to get out of the car when Kiwi unexpectedly grabbed his hand. He stopped and looked at her, unsure of what she wanted.
«Sorry,» Kiwi said quietly, looking away.
«It's all right; it happens to everyone,» Alex replied, shaking his head.
He understood what she was apologizing for and never held it against her. She was just protecting her friends, and that was something he could respect. Kiwi sighed with relief, letting go of his hand, and Alex, with G.I.R. perched on his shoulder, headed towards the warehouse.
Not far from the warehouse, he spotted a guard standing at the entrance. A silly idea popped into his head that he decided to test. Approaching the guard, who immediately noticed him, Alex calmly said, «You didn't see anything,» waving his hand in front of the guard's face like a Jedi.
«I didn't see anything,» the guard monotonously repeated.
Alex smirked, pleased that his trick worked, and using mana pulse, he located the entrance to the basement.
«I'm already in the basement,» Alex informed Kiwi through the comms.
«How did you get in so quickly?» she asked, surprised.
«I used Jedi powers,» Alex laughed.
Kiwi didn't understand what he meant, but she decided not to ask. A lot remained a mystery to her in this world, and she preferred not to delve too deeply into some of them. Once Alex reached the server, he connected G.I.R., who immediately started downloading the data. While the process was ongoing, Alex lit a cigarette.
«It seems they arrived earlier than expected,» Kiwi reported.
«Who is it?» Alex asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
«The 'Animals' gang,» Kiwi replied, recognizing the emblem on one of the members.
A smirk appeared on Alex's face. He might not always be lucky, but when it mattered, fortune seemed to be on his side. He waited for G.I.R. to finish downloading and made a decision.
«Kiwi, I'm going to toss G.I.R. out. Catch him,» Alex said, grabbing the robot by the head.
«What are you planning to do?» she asked, not understanding his plans.
«I'll stick around here,» Alex replied shortly.
He threw G.I.R. toward the car, where Kiwi was standing guard. Seeing a black silhouette fly out from behind the wall, she quickly caught the robot, who immediately began complaining about the rough handling and threatened to tell his «mom.» Kiwi glanced at the chattering G.I.R. and then turned her gaze back to the warehouse, waiting for Alex's return.
Meanwhile, Alex climbed onto the roof of the warehouse and began searching for a window to slip inside. Once he descended, he moved stealthily until he spotted two camps: on one side were Yakuza imitators, and on the other were bodybuilders with tattoos mimicking animal skins. Alex searched for his target among the members of the «Animals» gang and finally spotted him—one of the culprits of the accident, Dylan Yang.
A sinister grin appeared on Alex's face, one that would make any sane person clutch their heart. But this was not the moment for him to indulge in the satisfaction of the situation. He contacted Kiwi just in case.
«Kiwi, if there's a commotion, take G.I.R. and head home,» Alex said, cutting the connection before she could argue.
Alex put on a mask and changed his outfit in case the situation escalated and the police showed up. Once he finished preparing, he jumped down, landing right in the center of the warehouse. Dust flew up around him, causing a commotion among both gangs.
In that instant, weapons were aimed at him. Alex merely waved his hand, dispersing the dust, and saw dozens of barrels now pointing directly at him. Behind the mask, his lips curled into a wide grin. Fear? Not a bit. He reveled in the situation.
«Who the hell are you?» growled the leader of the gang known as the «Animals.»
Alex turned sharply toward him. Alpha—that was what the leaders were called in this gang, where members mimicked animal behavior and divided into «packs.» Meeting Alex's gaze, Alpha flinched for a moment, feeling an odd sense of unease. Cold, fear—something primal awakened within him.
«Allow me to introduce myself,» Alex said with a slight bow, his voice dripping with mockery. «My name is Raziel, an inquisitor of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. And today, I've come for one sinful soul.»
His words only provoked further irritation. The thugs from the «Tiger Claws» and the «Animals» gang aimed their weapons at Alex, ready to fire.
«Get the hell out of here while you're still alive!» someone from the «Tiger Claws» barked.
Alex merely shook his head as if their threats amused him.
«How about a counteroffer: hand over Dylan Yang, and maybe I won't kill everyone here,» he said, his voice carrying a threat disguised as amusement.
He cast a glance at Dylan, who had gone pale, unable to comprehend how it had come to this. Panic raced through his mind: «Who have I pissed off so badly that they sent this lunatic after me?»
«You've been told to get lost!» Alpha growled, his voice laced with clear menace.
Alex sighed quietly and spoke, «When God created the world, on the first day He said: let there be light.» His voice softened, almost tender. «But I will say: let there be darkness,» and with a snap of his fingers, the light in the entire warehouse went out.
The thugs began firing, unsure of where to aim. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, some hitting their own. Meanwhile, Alex jumped up, relishing the chaos. But within a minute, the lights flickered back on, revealing his position—he was sitting on the railing of the second floor.
«There he is, shoot!» someone shouted from below.
Bullets flew once more, and Alex instantly leaped down, taking cover behind a container. With quick movements, he drew knives and hurled one at the first person he laid eyes on. Then came a few more accurate throws—each hit its mark.
Meanwhile, Dylan, Alpha, and several thugs rushed toward the exit, firing as they went. Alex dashed after them, throwing knives at those who pursued him.
When he burst outside, the car with Dylan was already disappearing through the gates. Alex sprinted along the wall, vaulted over a fence, and landed right on the car's hood, crumpling it into a pile of metal. The vehicle flipped and crashed into the wall.
Slowly, Alex approached the car, leaned down, and peered inside. «Dylan, sweetheart, where are you?» he sang with exaggerated affection.
Pulling out one bloody thug after another, Alex finally reached Dylan, who was coming to, realizing he was being dragged somewhere. Strength was leaving him; his body wouldn't obey.
«Who ordered me?» he croaked, staring at Alex.
«No one,» Alex replied coldly. «This is just revenge.»
«Who wants to take revenge on me?» Dylan asked, trying to sound mocking, but his voice trembled.
Alex lifted him by the neck as if he weighed no more than a feather.
«A couple of weeks ago, you and your buddies had a shootout on the road, causing an accident. As a result, a child died. The mother of that child still can't recover from what happened, blaming herself,» Alex said, staring intently into Dylan's eyes.
«Fuck him! Let that bitch have another!» Dylan spat back, coughing blood onto Alex's mask.
«I wanted to torture you, but it seems you won't survive more than a couple of minutes after those words,» Alex calmly replied, slamming Dylan into the ground.
The force of the impact created a crater beneath Alex's feet. Dylan spat out even more blood. Alex hit him several times, each blow creating new cracks in the asphalt.
Leaning down to the bleeding Dylan, Alex said,
«You will be the first. Don't worry, your friends will follow you soon.»
«Fuck you...» Dylan rasped, spitting blood.
But before Alex could crush his head, police cars surrounded them from all sides. Officers rushed out of the vehicles, aiming their weapons at Alex. Drones illuminated him with bright lights.
«Great...» flashed through his mind.
Alex quickly assessed the situation. He didn't plan on killing the police — that would only anger Gloria. Suddenly, he was jolted from his thoughts by an officer's voice:
«Raise your hands and step away from the victim! No sudden movements!»
Alex glanced at Dylan, who was smirking, thinking he was saved. But letting him go was not in the plan. Killing Dylan, distracting the police, and escaping was the only option.
Alex gathered his thoughts and prepared to act.
To be continued...