Alex intended to crush Adam Smasher’s head. He didn’t know why, but a deep anger and hatred surged within him for someone he’d never met before. It wasn’t just a reaction to Adam’s crimes committed under Arasaka’s orders. This felt like something deeper, as if Adam had taken something incredibly precious from him.

The only time Alex had felt similar rage was during the battle with Apollo’s family when he discovered the god’s plans regarding Hestia. However, his opponent now had said nothing about Alex’s family or friends; in fact, he had barely spoken at all throughout the fight.

Alex thought that if he killed Adam, this relentless rage would vanish and stop haunting him. Just as his foot was a centimeter from Adam’s face, applause echoed from behind him—as though someone had been watching the fight, admiring the spectacle. Alex stopped and stepped back, turning to see who had interrupted.

Turning around, he saw a man in a silver-white suit. The sight of his face made Alex’s eyes widen in shock. This man definitely wasn’t supposed to be here. But now he stood before him, clapping and enjoying the show. Alex glanced at the group standing behind the stranger and frowned, recognizing a few of them.

«Bravo! What a magnificent performance. Such a battle, such brutality. Here it is—the true cold-blooded power of a killing machine,» the stranger sneered, continuing to clap.

Alex stared at him in confusion, trying to understand why he was here and why he was acting so strangely. Maine’s team also noticed the newcomers, and while everyone was surprised, Maine himself was especially riled up upon recognizing one of the faces among them. Lucy, Rebecca, and Kiwi seemed calmer—Alex had warned them that such a development was possible. Still, even they hadn’t expected the man in the silver-white suit to appear here personally.

«You’re not supposed to be here,» Alex said darkly, narrowing his eyes.

The man in the silver-white suit stopped clapping, his gaze shifting to Alex with interest, and a slight smile appeared on his face. He began to approach him slowly, as if taking a casual stroll through a park. Alex, never taking his eyes off him, leaped out of the crater and stood at its edge.

«And why shouldn’t I be here?» the stranger asked with a smirk, stopping closer to Alex.

Alex didn’t reply, only shifting his gaze to the people standing behind the stranger. There were four of them, three of whom he knew well. Noticing Alex’s attention on the group, the man in the silver-white suit merely smirked, pleased with his reaction.

«Faraday, the traitorous mongrel,» Alex said coldly, eyeing his impassive face. «Yorinobu Arasaka, the former Arasaka betrayer himself,» he added, catching Yorinobu’s smirk. «The psychopath and Maelstrom leader, Simon ‘Royce’ Randall,» he continued, observing Simon’s bloodthirsty grin. «And… a woman I don’t know,» he said, his gaze lingering briefly on the unknown figure.

Alex named each familiar face in the group, except for the woman whose identity he couldn’t place. He tried to recall who she might be, but her face didn’t spark any recognition.

«Pardon my rudeness; allow me to introduce the one you’re unfamiliar with,» the man in the silver-white suit said with a slight bow. «This is Maman Brigitte, also known as the head of the Voodoo Boys,» he introduced her.

«As for myself, I suppose I need no introduction. You already know who I am,» the stranger said with a broad smile.

«Kei Arasaka, supposedly deceased but somehow back from the dead, who died in 2023 during the Fourth Corporate War,» Alex said coldly. «But your consciousness should be locked in a virtual prison.»

Kei Arasaka—the man Alex had long thought dead. Once, Alex had tried to investigate Kei’s death and found that his consciousness had been trapped in a virtual prison after he committed seppuku to restore his family’s honor. And yet, here Kei stood before him—young, as if he’d never died at all. Alex couldn’t make sense of it; Kei’s body had been cremated, and his consciousness was supposed to be locked away.

«You’re right, as expected of the one we chose to become one of us. It took us quite some effort to find the one hindering our plans. But now you’re here,» Kei said, smiling as he fixed his gaze on Alex.

«I wasn’t exactly hiding. But first…» Alex smirked, a familiar cocky grin spreading across his face.

Alex was intently staring at one of the women among the so-called villains, and his grin grew even wider. Alex’s group looked on in confusion, wondering why he was grinning so creepily and smugly at one of their enemies.

«Hey, GIR! There she is—the woman who kept interfering with your ‘accidents’! No need to look any further,» he called out with a broad smile to GIR, who was standing atop a van.

Upon hearing this, GIR focused on the woman, his eyes blazing with determination. He remembered well how she’d disrupted his «creative» process, ruining his enjoyment as he orchestrated accidents, recorded them, and showed them to friends—especially Rebecca, who always praised his creativity. When someone dared to interfere with his beloved pastime, he swore by the Emperor’s name to eliminate whoever had obstructed his justice. Now was the moment: GIR swiftly drew a bolter from his belt and fired straight at the woman.

Just seconds after Alex’s shout, Maman Brigitte’s head burst into pieces, spraying blood across the floor. Kei Arasaka didn’t even blink at her death, as if she were just another pawn in his chess game. Alex noticed this unsettling coldness and felt a wave of suspicion. Kei’s gaze rested on Brigitte’s body for only a moment before he looked back at Alex with indifference.

«A shame—a fine pawn,» Kei said with a mock sigh of regret.

But Alex could see right through him: Kei was just playing a role, and this «regret» was as fake as his entire image. As soon as Brigitte’s head exploded, Kei’s face lit up with a smile once again.

«It doesn’t matter; replacements can be found at any moment. But it’s you we’re interested in—the man who has transcended the limits of the human body without the enhancements native to this world. You embody the evolution of human potential, the one who has obstructed our plans and slipped from our grasp. Only you are worthy of joining us,» Kei said, moving closer to Alex and launching into his recruitment speech.

Stopping a meter away, he stared deeply into Alex’s eyes. Alex was considering how to lure out the «hidden master.» He knew that the Mechanical Man had obtained a body and was lurking nearby, but he didn’t want to use magic, as it would draw unwanted attention. Ignoring Kei’s speech, Alex looked over at his girls, who were watching anxiously. With a reassuring glance, he let them know not to worry.

«Shut up already. You’re so fucking annoying.,» Alex waved Kei’s words away with irritation.

His main focus was to draw the Mechanical Man out of hiding and put an end to this game. Alex had always despised villains who lurked behind the scenes. If you’re going to do evil, do it openly; otherwise, what’s the point?

«If there are only lackeys here, where’s their master? Or were you just let out to roam freely?» he asked sarcastically, scanning the group.

«Who knows? But now answer—will you accept our offer willingly, or will we have to use force?» Kei replied with a smirk, narrowing his eyes.

Alex realized that he wouldn’t be able to provoke any of them, as if they were programmed machines rather than living people. He sighed, realizing that his options were limited.

«You want an answer? Fine, you’ll get one,» he said, locking his gaze onto Kei.

Kei smiled wider, expecting agreement, but instead, he saw Alex pull out a revolver and point it directly at his face.

«Here’s my answer. I think you should go fuck yourself,» Alex said calmly, pulling the trigger.

A deafening shot rang out, and the bullet tore through Kei Arasaka’s face, exploding his head. His body slowly crumpled to the floor, but Alex immediately noticed something strange: not a single drop of blood leaked from the decapitated body. Even as it fell, no crimson liquid spilled around it. Alex shifted his gaze from the fallen «Kei» and scanned the remaining three, who showed no reaction to his death. He was about to finish them off to draw out the real enemy—the Mechanical Man—when he heard applause from behind him.

Turning around, Alex froze, seeing Kei Arasaka’s decapitated body on the floor, now clapping its hands. It slowly transformed, taking on a form that exuded an ominous aura.

«You never cease to amaze me, mortal. Your bloodlust, your determination, your mind that hinders my plans…» a shrill, echoing mechanical voice filled the entire stadium.

Alex immediately recognized the voice. He realized that the true enemy had been hiding behind Kei’s guise to conceal its true form. The voice sent an uncomfortable wave of pain through the members of the Main group, who were watching from behind the protective dome near the van. Rebecca tightened her grip on her shotgun, trying to ignore the pain, ready to open fire, but upon meeting Alex’s calm gaze, she decided to trust him. Similar thoughts crossed Kivi’s and Lucy’s minds as they kept their eyes on Alex.

«So the true puppeteer was here all along,» Alex said calmly, watching the changing body as the mask finally fell away.

He observed as Kei Arasaka’s «body» gradually transformed into metal, taking on a form reminiscent of Ultron from old films. The thought of the resemblance almost made him laugh, despite the seriousness of the moment.

The Mechanical Man, towering over Alex, was nearly three meters tall, forcing Alex to look up to meet his eyes. There was no chaotic vibration coming from the machine, as if it were just an ordinary artificial intelligence—but Alex knew this was a trick.

«My final offer, mortal,» the Mechanical Man said ominously, looking down at Alex. «Serve me and become my envoy to other worlds, and I will give you everything you could ever desire. Immortality, wealth, power, women—everything you wish. Bow to me and swear your loyalty, or die as those before you have died.»

Alex watched the pompous proposal with interest, recalling the moment from the movie «300 Spartans» when King Xerxes said something similar to Leonidas. He sighed heavily, disappointed by yet another villain who couldn’t offer anything worthy enough to earn his loyalty.

Alex lifted an irritated gaze toward the Mechanical Man, but then his face relaxed, and a light, mocking smile played on his lips.

«GIR, MIMI, what is life to us?» Alex asked loudly, grinning.

«Honor is our life!» GIR and MIMI answered in unison.

«And what is our fate?»

«Duty is our fate!»

«What do we fear?»

« Fail is our fear!»

«What is our desire?»

«Saving innocent souls is our desire!»

«What is our craft?»

«Our craft is death!» they roared, striking their weapons against the roof of the van.

«What do we swear?» Alex’s voice was quieter now, but it still echoed through the empty stadium.

«We swear to forever destroy all beings of chaos!» GIR and MIMI responded solemnly, their voices ringing out through the space.

With each answer, the Mechanical Man’s face twisted more with fury. His gaze no longer held any desire to make Alex submit; now, he burned with the urge to crush him, destroy him, trample him, and cause him pain. He wanted Alex to suffer forever for his insolence.

«You miserable creature, worshipping the corpse on the golden throne, how dare you humiliate me? Do you even understand who I am? To me, you are nothing, a microbe I can crush with a single movement. I will kill everyone you hold dear, right before your eyes, and torture you for eternity!» the Mechanical Man snarled, his body filling with foul miasma.

Alex merely smirked coldly.

«No need to yell, I already know who you really are. You’re just a dog who bit through its leash,» he replied calmly, not losing his disdainful gaze.

The Mechanical Man’s face contorted with rage as he heard Alex’s words. Memories of the being that once instilled fear in his soul surged up, like a dark tide. The creature that had created him and the others, against which he and his avatar brothers had once rebelled.

The flash of fear and humiliation he had felt back then became the fuel for his escape, allowing him to break free from the hands of the one born in chaos. Now, the Mechanical Man burned with the desire to tear Alex apart, to torment his soul forever. As his rage reached its peak and the dark miasma began to ooze from his body like thick black sludge, a voice rang out across the space that made him tremble with fear.

«All hail the coming of Destruction!» — a melodic, mind-wrapping female voice echoed.

Alex sighed upon hearing the voice. He knew its owner all too well. He quickly glanced at his team, ensuring that those unprotected were not affected by the hypnotic sound. The group members — Main, Dorio, Pilar, and Falco — were staring in shock at the unfolding events, not fully understanding what was happening. Once he confirmed that Lucy, Rebecca, and Kivi were fine, Alex turned his attention back to the trembling, fear-stricken Mechanical Man.

«Looks like it’s time to change the scenery,» Alex said, summoning Yamato into his hands.

He decided to move the battle to another location before the Mechanical Man regained his senses. Drawing Yamato, Alex delivered two swift strikes toward the enemy.

«What have you done, mortal?!» shouted the Mechanical Man, desperately trying to suppress the fear that had taken root in his soul like an unhealed wound.

Alex didn’t answer. He sheathed his katana and summoned Beowulf. In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of the Mechanical Man.

«You’ll find out soon. Now… THIS IS SPARTA!» With those words, Alex kicked the enemy in the chest, sending him into the portal that had opened behind him.

Glancing at his team, Alex cast a look full of confidence and calm, especially stopping on the girls to show them that everything was under control. He then shifted his gaze to GIR and MIMI, who were standing on the van’s roof.

«GIR, MIMI. Exterminatus protocol. Eliminate all enemies,» Alex commanded as he disappeared into the portal.

After passing through the portal, Alex found himself on a desolate planet, far from Earth. The reason Alex chose this place for the battle was that he didn’t know all the potential consequences that could arise if the mirror dimension was destroyed. Therefore, he chose a distant galaxy on the brink of collapse, where all life had long since been wiped out.

As for how Alex found this desolate galaxy, he simply asked his father for help. He didn’t want to waste time searching, so he asked for assistance and wasn’t ashamed of the decision. In this way, he gained more time to search for countermeasures in the battle against the Mechanical Man.

Once Alex stepped onto the barren planet, he looked around and sighed, because everything around him had been dead for a long time, and even the sun shining in the distance flickered like a faulty lightbulb. He found himself in a situation similar to the last time—once again in a distant galaxy with dying worlds.

Only this time, the galaxy had reached its natural end. Alex looked around and saw the Mechanical Man. The enemy was hovering in the air, glaring at Alex with hatred.

«You pathetic mortal who possesses a mere drop, thinking you can compete with me. A pathetic mortal who decided to ruin my plans and save one of the pillars of this universe. I will kill you, rip out your soul, and make you suffer. I will kill everyone you love. After your death, I will find the remaining pillar and destroy it. I will annihilate this universe and devour it. I will make you watch as everything you love and try to protect is destroyed in my hands,» the Mechanical Man shouted with hatred.

Alex looked at the Mechanical Man and thought of him as a spoiled child. A spoiled child whose plans were ruined, now throwing a tantrum. Alex had always considered these outer gods—or whatever they were—smart enough to do everything methodically. But everything he had encountered so far was just two spoiled children rebelling against their creator.

Alex thought the subsequent avatars would be exactly the same. He tightened his grip on Yamato and looked at the Mechanical Man who was threatening him. Apparently, the enemy still hadn’t realized that they were trapped in this galaxy. Alex had done an excellent job locking the galaxy down for this battle.

«You’re acting like a spoiled child, rebelling against your creator. But it’s fine, you’re not the first one I’ll destroy, and certainly not the last,» Alex said in a calm tone.

His words, echoing in the air, seemed to infuriate the Mechanical Man, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Alex. A moment later, Alex vanished from his spot and appeared right above the Mechanical Man, clenching his fist.

«Grin your metal teeth,» he said calmly, tightening his fist so forcefully that a cracking sound echoed from his joints.

Before the Mechanical Man could react to Alex’s words, which rang out directly above him, he received a powerful blow to the head. The strike sent him spiraling downward, crashing into the empty planet with such force that it split in two, revealing its core. The Mechanical Man began falling straight into it.

Unfazed by the aftermath of his punch, Alex made a grabbing motion with both hands and slowly began pulling them apart as if squeezing space itself. The planet, shattered into pieces, began to rapidly compress until it turned into a stone ball.

But Alex continued to compress, and the planet glowed as if it were a supernova. With his final motion, a massive explosion erupted, destroying nearby moons and planets. At the center of the blast appeared the Mechanical Man—one of his arms and legs were missing, and his body looked as if it had been through an inferno.

«So you survived,» Alex muttered, lowering the barrier in front of him.

He instantly teleported in front of the injured enemy and struck him in the chest, sending him flying again. Each time the Mechanical Man’s body slowed, Alex appeared beside him and landed another blow.

This continued until the final strike sent him crashing into another planet, causing a massive explosion there. Alex looked at the crater and noted with satisfaction that this time he had managed to hold back and not destroy the planet entirely.

Teleporting to the edge of the crater, he watched as the dust settled. Soon, the completely restored body of the Mechanical Man emerged, as though he hadn’t taken any damage at all.

«All your efforts are futile. You can’t kill me,» said the Mechanical Man, standing at the center of the crater and looking at Alex with contempt. «My body is the pinnacle of technology and magic. Every blow you land only makes me stronger. No matter how hard you try, you won’t defeat me.»

Alex frowned, carefully examining the structure of his body, and realized the source of his confidence. The Mechanical Man’s body consisted of nanomachines that constantly adapted to any physical impact. Each nanomachine contained a part of his consciousness, like a swarm from which his entire body was composed.

«I’ll admit, using adaptive nanomachines is a great move. But I’m curious, how much damage can they take before you turn into a pile of scrap metal?» Alex said, looking down at him.

«You won’t live to see that moment, pathetic mortal,» the Mechanical Man retorted, glaring at Alex with hatred.

Alex merely shook his head as he looked at the arrogant avatar of the outer god. The Mechanical Man didn’t waste any time—he snapped his fingers, and behind him, hundreds of portals appeared, from which robots, similar to himself, began to emerge. Narrowing his eyes, Alex saw that they were all made of nanomachines and contained fragments of the Mechanical Man’s consciousness.

«Instead of using your true strength, you decided to rely on copies. How low—hiding behind numbers in a one-on-one fight,» Alex sneered.

He was puzzled as to why the Mechanical Man wasn’t using his full power. The only reason Alex could think of was that the consciousness or essence of the Mechanical Man hadn’t yet fully adapted to this body and the three-dimensional space.

«If you had used your full strength, like your predecessor, maybe you could have lasted longer. But instead, you chose to overwhelm me with numbers. How unfortunate that I foresaw this and prepared,» Alex smirked and snapped his fingers.

Portals opened behind Alex, revealing various types of weapons personally created by him. While he may have imitated Gilgamesh, his arsenal was far more dangerous than the treasures stored in the Gates of Babylon.

«Just so you know, I have a particular passion for creating destructive weapons. Now the odds are even,» Alex said with a wide smile.

He waved his hand, and his weapons surged toward the Mechanical Man’s army. Each hit was followed by a powerful explosion, leaving behind mushroom clouds. The weapons, which appeared to be junk, turned out to be so devastating that entire sectors of the planet were wiped from existence.

Satisfied with the destruction, Alex called his weapons back. For a moment, he relaxed, but then he felt the space behind him tear apart, and the Mechanical Man’s hand pierced through his chest.

«You’re too arrogant, mortal, if you think your broken toys can harm me,» the Mechanical Man whispered in his ear.

«You’re just a brainless idiot,» Alex laughed loudly, ignoring the hand impaling his chest.

The Mechanical Man, irritated by his audacity, intended to tear him apart, but at that moment, Alex’s body began to disintegrate, transforming into a dark liquid that burned with a grim fire and wrapped around the enemy’s body.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep