"Hm… This is odd." Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the Wizard Marshal, muttered to himself as he sat outside of the Tree of Time, in his Observation Room. The infinite branches stretched into the cosmic expanse, each one a thread of fate and history woven through the multiverse. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowed as he observed the flickering anomalies dancing across the different timelines. On one hand, the current situation shouldn't become a problem. After all, this happened in a whole different universe than he knew of, the interferences being only minimal.
But something felt different—off. It gnawed at him like a whisper at the back of his mind.
Caubac Alcatraz, aka the comedian of the Dead Apostles, was unusually silent, which was unfortunate considering he would've gladly accepted some of his guidance.
"Of course, the one time I could use his nonsense, he's nowhere to be found," Zelretch muttered dryly, running a hand through his graying hair.
The timelines where the sudden portals appeared would soon cease to exist because of the Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon but the people who come from these realities won't be back in this strange world. Furthermore, other universes were involved in this incident.
Flipping through his book, making his observation room spin on itself, Zelretch stroked his chin. It was safer to not act and observe what was going on, he decided.
"However, considering the people that were transported, things could turn out of hand quickly…"
"Ta~Da!" A gleeful voice echoed through the spherical room, startling the Wizard Marshal and almost causing him to nearly fall out of his seat.
Standing right in front of him, draped in a white cape and fur-like gloves and boots, was the White Rabbit.
"I'm glad I got here just in time!"
Zelretch, still taken aback by the sudden appearance, frowned. "Who... are you?" he asked cautiously, sitting up straighter in his chair, hand instinctively moving toward his cane.
The White Rabbit waved her finger at him, "I'm just passing by to tell you to please not interfere! We already have enough issues ourselves."
Zelretch's eyebrow twitched. "You didn't answer my question."
"Oh, where are my manners?" she smiled widely. "I am the White Rabbit! I come from another world. I tried to contact the administrators of this Luka's world but I got no one, so I decided to come and see what could come close to administrators in the other worlds!"
Zelretch's eyes narrowed slightly, his grip on his cane tightening. "Another world, you say? Luka's world…" He repeated, trailing off in thought. "I've seen the distortions, the portals. They've been affecting multiple timelines."
The White Rabbit nodded. "Yes, yes, you've been observing, haven't you? That's why I came here. But as I said, I'm just passing by to tell you: do not interfere. Otherwise, things might get out of hand quickly!"
"Interfering?" Zelretch's voice took on a playful edge. "That's rich coming from someone who just popped into my domain unannounced."
"Yes, I'm sorry but that was the only way for me to contact you."
"It's fine, I will trust your words," Zelretch chuckled softly. "I wasn't planning on interfering anyway."
"Good then! I am already busy so I'm pleased that you're not causing any trouble," she checked her pocket watch and jumped in surprise. "Oh no, I'm late! I need to go, bye!"
And with that, she hopped and disappeared into thin air, leaving the old man alone.
Zelretch watched as the White Rabbit vanished, a smirk playing on his lips. "Late, huh? How delightfully cliché," he muttered to himself, stifling a chuckle. He leaned back on his chair, eyes drifting to the endless lights disposed in front of him.
"Luka's world, wasn't it?" he mused. "It seems to be in a great mess."
But as he said, it wasn't his problem. His own universe already had enough troubles as it is and his only hope was that nothing would happen to the primary branch…
"...Sign here, and here!" Koyanskaya's voice chirped amidst the chaos of the Ahnenerbe as she handed over the contract papers to Luka. With a simple pencil borrowed from the strange cat-like creature, the man swiftly drew his signature with a determined look.
The woman's wicked false smile widened as the ink dried on the contract. "Congratulations~," she purred, leaning forward to get a better look at his face. "You are officially protected by NFF Services!"
"You… you made a contract with a devil…" Hakunen was shaking in his boots as the woman reminded him of a certain purple fox.
"Nah, I'm sure she is a nice lady," Luka assured with a satisfied smile.
"Good grief…" Jotato sighed, not liking where this was obviously going.
But the fox(?) woman didn't show any sign of concern as she tucked away the contracts safely in a small suitcase. "Don't worry dear customer~. I will make sure that your life will be protected, whether it's… a failure or not," she added in a whisper, doing little to hide the malice behind her sweet tone.
Suddenly, the lively chatter in the bar was interrupted by a bright, cutesy voice. "Waiter? Give me the checkout! I need to find Berserker back," the voice called out.
Turning towards the source of the voice, a different cat-like creature approached the client with a notepad in its paw-like hand. The voice belonged to a young girl with silver hair in a purple coat, her white scarf being tucked away on the chair. She was placed far away from the rowdy group of foxes that came from Mount Mahobora, who were drinking beer like there was no tomorrow.
"Berserker…?" Luka whispered to himself. That name drew his attention, as the only thing that looked like one was this giant chasing them.
"Do you think that girl knows this giant?" Jotaro asked, eyeing her from the side of his eye.
Koyanskaya chuckled, interrupting their thoughts. "Back in my world, 'Berserker' is the name of a class given to heroic spirits. Perhaps you've encountered one, master?"
Luka almost choked out on his breath upon hearing her say that. "Please don't call me that! Luka is fine!"
The girl, seemingly oblivious to the eyes on her, quietly paid her meal, stood up, and threw her scarf back around her neck in one smooth notion. She glanced toward the exit when suddenly a roar woke everyone up inside the bar, even the foxes.
"This place is too small for you young man," Neko-arc chirped at the doorway, her small frame dwarfed by the towering figure of bulging muscles. She casually waved her paw at the Berserker, as if scolding a child.
"!" The berserker roared in discontentment while bashing against the wall outside.
"I know! But you can't enter," Neko-arc said matter-of-factly, glancing back inside the bar, "we'll be closing soon anyway!"
The silver-haired girl, scarf now draped loosely around her neck, sighed softly as if this kind of thing happened often. Her eyes softened slightly as she looked up at the Berserker.
"Berserker! What did I tell you about being rude to people?" Her voice was stern, but there was a strange familiarity, as if scolding a child rather than a hulking beast.
Berserker, mid-bash, froze in place, his massive fist still hovering over the wall. His glowing, intense eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, his immense, muscled frame seemed to shrink just a little under her disapproving gaze. His next growl was more subdued, almost sheepish.
"...?"
The girl sighed again, shaking her head. "You can't just break things when you're upset. Now, let's go."
The Berserker let out a long, low grunt but backed away from the wall, lowering his head like a scolded dog. The other patrons in the bar, foxes included, watched in awe as the behemoth followed the young girl like a loyal companion.
"What the fuck just happened," Luka stared at the duo leaving in bewilderment. This hulking primal force that almost killed them all was tamed in an instant by a child.
"This truly is the power of a Master…" came a deep, smooth voice from the shadows. Luka turned to see another cat-like creature, this one lounging casually on the barstool with a cigarette in its paw, smoke curling up into the dim lighting. This version of the strange cat-like creature had a more suave demeanor, wearing a trench coat as it spoke with a mysterious, almost detective-like air.
"Such companionship… How poetic…" the cigarette-smoking Neko-chaos continued.
Luka glanced at the door. "That thing was a heroic spirit?"
"Indeed~," Koyanskaya chimed in. "A familiar bound to her, quite useful don't you think?"
"Hm," Luka exhaled. The night was still long and he still had no clue what was going on. It was a good thing that this Berserker wouldn't cause any trouble anymore but he was still on edge. What if other creatures like him appeared out of nowhere, and this time, with ill intent?
"Perhaps we should try to contact my friends?" Hakunen proposed. "I know someone that might be able to help us. She is a bit scary but she knows a lot of things!"
"Yeah, but we need to find the portal from which you came first," Luka sighed.
"Mine closed as soon as I got here," Jotaro explained with a sigh.
Luka rubbed his temples, feeling the exhaustion of the long night set in. "So, we're stuck here with no way to get you guys back?"
The room fell silent, save for the soft clink of glass being cleaned at the bar. The veil of mystery that had taken over the city, the sudden appearance of portals, and the arrival of otherworldly beings all pointed to one thing—someone, or something, was orchestrating all of this. The question was, why?
If only Nina was there to guide him, he would be able to see what was truly going on, but his earpiece wasn't working because of the strange veil.
"First, we need to get rid of that veil. Or at least try to understand what it is," Luka finally said, his voice resolute despite the exhaustion.
"That purple sky?" Hakunen asked, intrigued.
"What a great choice, dear customer," Koyanskaya smirked. "A veil like that could be a magical barrier, its large scale must mean the caster must be quite powerful, don't you think?"
Luka sighed, she had pointed out what he feared. "That's what I'm afraid of. If someone strong enough to cast a barrier on this is involved, we're dealing with more than just some cats and foxes."
His eyes widened as Koyanskaya casually pulled out a Dragunov rifle, her grin widening as she spun it effortlessly in her hands.
"That's why NFF Services is here~!" she cheered, her fox ears twitching with excitement. "I shall make sure that all of your enemies are simply obliterated, dear customer~."
Hakunen flinched at the sight of the rifle. "W-Where did you get that?"
"This isn't exactly the approach I had in mind… But this will do," Luka nodded in approval, surprising both Hakunen and Jotaro with his response.
"Okay, let's find some clues on what's going on."
The group stepped outside, and Luka's gaze was immediately drawn upward. The veil stretched across half the city, its ominous purple glow bathing the streets in a strange, unnatural light. It felt familiar, but Luka didn't want to assume anything.
Hakunen shivered, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "I–I feel something staring at me."
"Are you sure you're not imagining things?" Jotaro asked, unsure of Hakunen's perception.
A bead of sweat ran through his forehead as his shivers kept going. "N–No, I'm sure of it. This s—sensation…"
"Ara? If it isn't dear Hakunen?" a mature voice echoed throughout the sky, which made Hakunen jump.
Hakunen froze as the voice echoed around them, his face paling. "I–I know that voice…"
Luka, Jotaro, and Koyanskaya exchanged a quick glance. Both the fox woman and the detective drew their weapons out while the delinquent invoked his stand to his side.
"Hey! There are a lot of cute guys here!" Another voice boomed in the sky, this time more cutesy. The air seemed to thicken as the temperature dropped slightly, and a strange scent enveloped the street. "Grandma, can we go down and eat them? They look delicious!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Hakunen started to scream, holding his head in terror as he realized who it was.
"Hey, get a grip!" Jotaro said, staring at the traumatized monk.
Another voice cut through the scream in the sky, this time a lot more serious yet higher-pitched. "Kuku… Why not? We could use a meal or two."
"Oh no no no, why are they here?" Hakunen mumbled, shivering like crazy.
"Who are they?" Luka asked, his eyes darting around the sky to try and locate the voices.
"That's the trio! They are super scary succubi!"
"They're what?" Koyanskaya asked in disbelief. Jotaro only lowered his gaze with a sigh.
"Great… As if I didn't have enough problem with those as it is…" Luka sighed.
"Hakunen? How about you come to see big sis? I'll make sure to pamper you a lot~"
"Okay, I get why you're terrified," Luka winced, feeling an overwhelming sense of secondhand embarrassment wash over him. The sultry voice calling out to Hakunen sounded playful, but the undercurrent of danger was unmistakable.
Hakunen, still trembling, shook his head violently. "No, no, no, no! Don't listen to her! If I go to her, I won't make it out alive!"
Jotaro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is getting ridiculous."
"Don't underestimate them, mister Jotaro," Hakunen warned, his voice shaking but serious. "They may act like that, but they're terrifyingly powerful. And they won't hesitate to suck you dry."
Koyanskaya, still holding her rifle with a relaxed grip, chuckled. "Scary or not, dear customer, we're well equipped to handle any threat. Just leave it to me~."
"I don't think guns will work that well," Hakunen wept. He hoped that was the case, but he wasn't crazy in thinking it would be enough. Turning his head towards the sky, he took a determined stance and started shouting desperately. "You can't hurt us! Otherwise, the people at the pocket castle will come back for you!"
"We're not in the same world! We can do whatever we want," the cutesy voice said, giggling all the while.
"Wait," Luka raised his voice. "Are you saying you killed some people here?"
"We might have~"
His fists clenched and his jaw tightened. "Okay, we're whooping their ass."
Hakunen's eyes widened in horror, the color draining from his face. "You can't just go around saying things like that! We need to—"
"Well, if you're so eager to take a look at that ass~" the voice answered with a giggle. "How about you play a game? If you survive, you win!"
"First off, are you the ones responsible for the veil covering the city?" Koyanskaya asked, keeping her tone professional.
"We might~"
"Oh fuck this, let's go! Bring it on!" Luka said, raising his fist towards the sky.
"Ahh! Stop it! Are you crazy?" Hakunen grabbed the detective by the shoulders, shaking him with all of his strength. "They're monsters! They'll kill us! They'll kill you!"
Luka shook off Hakunen's grip, his expression unyielding. "Nah, I'd win."
"Game, set, and start!" the cutesy voice shouted, throwing the quatuor off guard.
Luka barely had time to blink before the ground beneath him disappeared, and he, along with Jotaro, Koyanskaya, and a trembling Hakunen, was plunged into an abyssal darkness. The weightless fall seemed to stretch on forever, the air thick with an unnatural cold that clung to their skin.
Hakunen's panicked breaths echoed in the void. "W-We're going to die. This is it. This is how it ends!"
"Calm down," Jotaro grunted, eyes narrowing as he instinctively readied Star Platinum beneath him to shield his fall.
Suddenly, the fall stopped. The group landed softly on solid ground, and, around them, long castle hallways stretched in all directions.
A giggle echoed from nowhere. "Welcome, players! I hope you're ready for some fun~!"
Hakunen looked around, seemingly confused. "This isn't the château des romances, where is this?"
Luka analyzed the place, he recognized its walls, though it looked more like a cheap imitation rather than the real deal. "We're in the Dreamworld, or something similar."
"Correct!" the giggle echoed again. "Wow, you know your stuff mister~"
Jotaro frowned, his brow furrowing. "Dreamworld? What's that?"
"It's the domain of a friend. As long as you are with me you should be okay," with that, he pulled out a pair of talismans from his jacket. "Here, take these. They should help you control your feelings better. Losing yourself to your emotions here could be considered fatal."
Hakunen and Jotaro gratefully accepted the talismans, staring down at it with a skeptical expression, though it didn't prevent Luka from continuing. "By the way, where is Koyan?"
"...You already gave her a nickname?" Hakunen sighed.
Luka shrugged, his usual nonchalant demeanor not entirely matching the situation. "Yeah, it sounded nice."
Hakunen shook his head, but before he could say more, the same playful voice from earlier echoed through the castle again. "She isn't here~ I didn't want someone like her spoiling the fun."
Luka's expression soured. "Great… Dammit, what do I pay her for if she can't even be here when things get serious?"
Jotaro raised his voice and asked. "What's the game then?"
"Like I said, if you survive, you win! If I catch you, you die! Simple, right~?."
"That's it?" Luka said, visibly unfazed. "Can we hit back?"
"Ahah, you can try~," the voice giggled, amused by his question. "By the way, my name is Myusca. Nemea will try to catch you too!"
With that, the voice stopped, leaving the trio in complete silence.
Luka's eyes narrowed, glancing around the eerie silence that followed the voice. "Myusca, huh?" he muttered, the tension growing in the still air. "There was another one, right?"
"Yes, the older one," Hakunen replied, his voice trembling slightly. "She is far more dangerous than the other two; do not fight her at all!"
The detective nodded in response. "Alright, got it. Let's split up and find these dumb bitches, right Jotaro?"
"I agree," the man nodded.
"ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR MIND? They might be stronger than that berserker!" Hakunen shouted, trying to find some semblance of sanity in his two newfound friends.
"What? No way, they're succubi!" Luka shrugged. "I've dealt with plenty before. As long as you don't get seduced, it's fine!"
Hakunen buried his face in his hands. "That's not how it works! They're far more dangerous than what you think—!"
But as soon as he finished his sentence, the two men dashed away in opposite directions, completely ignoring Hakunen's protests.
"Hakuneeeen~. Big sis is heeere~" a sultry voice sang, echoing through the dark corridors of the castle.
Hakunen's heart raced as he looked up, recognizing the playful tone immediately. "My heart is pure! My heart is pure! I must not fall to temptation!" he repeated to himself as he dashed away at full speed.
Sighing, Luka ran at a regular pace through the familiar hallways. The last time he was there, he had been chained up by his friend who had lost all of her memories, an event that made him chuckle in retrospect. The fact that she wasn't here meant that this wasn't truly the Dreamworld he was accustomed to.
All he had to do was find them and deal with them.
"Hm?" something started vibrating against his ear. It was his earpiece. Turning it on, he called out. "Nina, is that you?"
"Finally, I reach you!" the voice of his dear friend resonated throughout the earpiece. "Someone arrived in my lab through a portal and helped me create a device that bypasses this veil. Thanks, Prommy!" Nina called out, only getting a simple nod in response from the angel scientist. "By the way, where are you currently?"
"First off, thank this 'Prommy' person or whatever. And I'm currently inside a facsimile Dreamworld, in what looks like a labyrinth," he noted after passing through the same room multiple times while going forward. "It's a bit of a mess, honestly. There are succubi after me, so I would like some reading if I stumble upon one."
"Succubi?" Nina's voice asked in surprise. "Do you want me to call—"
"Nah, she is on vacation. I don't want to bother her," Luka stated, chuckling slightly.
"Alright, I'll keep you informed," Nina replied while sipping from a soda.
"Just stay on the line, okay? I might need to vent if things get too crazy."
"Always," Nina assured him, and Luka could hear the smile in her voice.
He pushed forward through the labyrinth with his senses sharp. Distant whispers and moans could be heard throughout the rooms he passed through, which meant there was more than one succubi in here.
"Not surprising, to be honest," he muttered to himself.
After a while, he barged into a room filled to the brim with books and shelves. The beautifully crafted pieces of furniture were scattered on the ground, making it difficult to navigate. As he carefully stepped over a particularly tall stack of tomes, he spotted a young girl with silver hair, sipping tea and engrossed in her reading.
The girl raised an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of the intruder, her expression turning from curiosity to a menacing glare.
"Sorry to bother you, just passing through," Luka said, making his way through the mountain of books while keeping his tone casual.
The girl set her cup down, her piercing gaze locked onto him with a smirk. "Where do you think you're going, kid?"
Kid? Luka questioned her choice of words in his head. "Just looking for a bunch of succubi wreaking havoc here," he answered truthfully.
"You aren't the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" the girl said, her voice laced with a certain tone that made Luka question her appearance.
"What do you mean?"
"I am with them if you haven't realized yet," the girl sighed while crossing her arms.
Luka's heart raced for a moment as he processed her words. "So you're a succubus too?" he clarified, narrowing his eyes.
Jackpot! I found the weakest! Luka thought to himself. This was going to be a piece of cake, looking at her.
"Okay, bring it on! I'll show you what it means to fuck with my city!" he declared, assuming a martial position.
"Oh? It's been a while since a human has challenged me…" she replied, her smirk returning, revealing a mix of amusement and intrigue. "I must say, you have guts."
"My name is Vinum," the girl said, uncrossing her arms in a menacing stance. "Don't disappoint me, kid."
"Grandma! Did you find one?" a voice resonated throughout the room, making the small silver-haired succubus sigh in discontent.
"Wait. Grandma?"
"Luka! What are you doing? There is an entity right in front of you with an absurd amount of mana! It's at least two times as much as the demon king you faced!"
A bead of sweat ran down his forehead as he processed this information. He stared at the small succubus in front of him, her smirk growing wider, clearly enjoying his expression of sheer terror.
"WHAT'S GOING ON WITH LOLIS TODAY!" he screamed as he turned tail and ran away at full speed, his heart racing.
"Kuku… Running already?" Vinum called after him, amusement in her tone. "You're no fun!" she said, revealing her true form and spreading her wings to catch up to him.
Ignoring her taunts, Luka ran as fast as he could, enhancing his legs with a simple spell to try and put as much distance as possible between him and the loliccubus.
"Why the fuck is it always the small ones?" he muttered to himself, dodging past the shelves as the sound of her wings grew closer. "Seriously, what is this stupid cliché!"
"She's catching up to you," Nina's voice chimed through his earpiece. "She might look cute, but she is incredibly powerful!"
"I SEE NOTHING CUTE IN HER AT ALL!" Luka screamed as he narrowly dodged Vinum's incoming pin-attack as she lunged toward him.
Gritting his teeth, Luka pulled out his gun from his jacket and fired three magical bullets at her. Each bullet struck Vinum head-on, but the impacts barely scratched her, releasing plumes of smoke that quickly dissipated.
"Oh noo…" Luka recoiled in terror, seeing that his gun didn't even faze her.
"Grandma? Can I have him?" Myusca's playful voice echoed through the room, eliciting an irritated sigh from Vinum.
"Go find your own, and stop calling me 'Grandma'," Vinum replied, her tone exasperated yet amused. She then turned her full attention to Luka, smirking at him with a devilish grin. "This man is mine."
"Kuku… I don't necessarily know why, but I can feel impressive bad karma looming over you, kid," she continued, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she stared at him like a predator sizing up its prey.
Luka holstered his gun and put it away in his jacket. "Yeah, I know…" he sighed, all too aware that life had a knack for throwing curveballs at him. "So, do we really have to fight? I mean, we could be friends or something…"
Vinum didn't answer and only looked at him in disgust as if he were a piece of garbage.
"Okay, no friends then…" he huffed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "But just so you know, I won't go easy on you because you look like a kid. And seriously, why take that form? It's not exactly practical for picking up books in here."
"I can fly," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Oh… Right. Practical. Still, I feel conflicted about this. On one hand, you're getting rid of scum, and that's a plus—"
"You think I only eat pedos?" she interrupted, arching an eyebrow at him.
"Uh… Well…" His shoulders slumped. "Okay, then. I guess I have to tell you whose turf this is." He shifted his stance, picking up a piece of armor-like device from his jacket and strapping it onto his left forearm. With a swift motion, he loaded it with a pack of blank talismans, sliding them inside the container attached to the device.
"I was having a good night," he continued, his voice firm and resolute, "and then everything turned to shit. This is my town. I vowed to protect it until the end, and I don't condone dumbasses from other worlds doing whatever they want here…"
Vinum's smirk faltered for a moment, replaced by a flicker of interest. "Oh? You seem to have one more trick up your sleeve…"
"You want a challenge?" Luka shot back, exhaling slowly as he regained his senses. He then smirked playfully, bloodlust and madness flashing through his eyes. "Bring it on!"