After walking the still-stunned Shino home, Alex continued to chuckle to himself, pleased that he had once again managed to surprise someone with his abilities. The girl simply nodded silently and, as if in a light trance, stepped inside, leaving Alex at the doorstep. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, he couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh.

“What a cute reaction…” he muttered with a smirk, turning and heading home.

That short walk and the destruction of a demon cluster turned out to be more than enough to fulfill his daily adventure quota. Not even the recent summoning of the little dragon, who had ultimately become Anya’s pet, brought him as much satisfaction as wiping out a horde of demons with a magical bow. The explosion from one of his arrows was especially impressive — it resembled a powerful nuclear blast, scorching everything within dozens of kilometers.

On his way back, Alex closed one eye and used an observation spell to get a bird’s-eye view of the recent battlefield. The sight was more than satisfying — scorched earth, cracked and torn, with a massive crater at its center. Making sure not a single demon survived the bombardment, Alex nodded to himself in approval. Even though Wolf had confirmed that all demonic presence had been eradicated, he preferred to see it with his own eyes.

When he returned home, he was greeted by a familiar, yet cozy scene: the girls were deeply engaged in a discussion about how best to care for a baby dragon. Not wanting to interrupt, Alex headed to the kitchen with a firm resolve to eat something unhealthy.

Opening the fridge, he grabbed a cold drink, then began pulling a variety of snacks from his inventory — salty, sweet, and everything else that fell under the “junk food” category. He set his phone on a stand and put on a background video, then got comfortable, propped his legs up on a nearby chair, cracked open a can of beer and a bag of chips. Immersing himself in a book he also pulled from his inventory, he savored the rare moment of solitude. This habit — reading with background noise — had started long ago and stuck with him.

“I see you know how to have fun even on your own,” came a familiar voice.

Alex looked up. Rory had entered the kitchen, a little surprised by how he was spending his free time, having transformed into some kind of lazy king.

Smiling, Alex motioned for her to come closer. Rory didn’t hesitate — she ran over and hopped onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“And why are you here all alone? Tired of us already?” she asked, exhaling warm air onto his neck.

“Of course not. You were all so into your dragon-taming book discussion that I didn’t want to interrupt. And you, my beautiful apostle, what brings you to me?” Alex said gently, stroking her hair.

“I can read later. I just wanted to keep you company, so you wouldn’t be bored,” Rory replied with a warm smile.

Alex smiled back and kissed her. After the kiss, he adjusted her on his lap to make sure she was comfortable. Reopening the book, he resumed reading — no longer alone.

At some point, he reached for his beer but didn’t find it. Glancing over, he saw the can in Rory’s hand, with the chips now resting on her lap. As if nothing had happened, she sipped the beer and munched on the snacks, having taken over his “junk food.”

Alex just sighed, opened another can, and kept reading. But in the back of his mind, one thought had already started to take shape — something he had been considering for a while now, something that involved Rory. And now was the perfect moment.

He set the book aside and looked at her.

Rory felt his gaze and turned around, still holding the can near her lips.

“Rory, would you like to become my apostle?” Alex asked directly.

“What’s with the sudden question? Are you jealous that I serve another god and not my husband?” she smirked, looking him in the eyes.

“You could say that. I don’t like the idea of my wife serving some third-rate deity from another world. I want you to be mine. Only mine—as my wife, and as my apostle,” he said seriously, locking eyes with her.

“Such a jealous Demon King…” Rory drawled, placing the can on the table and wrapping her arms around him. “But I don’t mind. We’re bound forever anyway.”

Alex wrapped his arms around her waist and, after a brief kiss, lifted Rory into his arms like a sack of potatoes.

“Then let’s go. Time to perform the ritual,” he said.

Carrying Rory through the living room, he entered his workshop and headed straight to the worktable. Performing the ritual wasn’t difficult—he already knew how to do it. All that was left was to put it into action.

He sat Rory down on a chair and took a seat across from her.

“Ready?” he asked with a soft smile.

“Of course. This will bring us even closer,” Rory replied cheerfully, swinging her legs.

Alex nodded and focused, preparing to grant Rory his blessing. He had seen goddesses bestow blessings on their chosen before, so he knew what needed to be done to make Rory his apostle. However, the moment the ritual began, he realized this was nothing like the divine gifts typical of the Danmachi world.

A massive magic circle flared beneath their feet. The invisible thread that once bound Rory to the god Emroy snapped. In its place, a new bond began to form—deeper, more profound—linking her to Alex as his apostle. And once that connection was complete, the transformation began—one that even caught Alex off guard.

Rory’s body and clothes were bathed in a soft yet radiant light. Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise—he hadn’t expected such a dramatic change. When the glow faded, a new Rory stood before him. Her hair had grown longer, now black and smooth, cascading freely over her shoulders. Her bangs covered her forehead, and her eyes gleamed with the same rainbow light as Alex’s.

Her apostle attire had completely transformed. She now wore a gothic black dress with a corset, lace, and silver accents. The dress was short, revealing her slender legs clad in black stockings with lace garters. Even her weapon had changed—from her usual halberd to a massive black scythe glowing with a violet hue. It radiated destructive energy.

Alex was stunned. Rory was significantly stronger now—and that wasn’t even accounting for the fact that she now carried a fragment of his own power—the Power of Destruction.

“How do you feel?” he asked, his admiring gaze traveling from head to toe.

“Surprisingly good. And more importantly, I feel much closer to you. Oh, and I think I’ve got a new weapon now… cute,” Rory said with a grin, playfully spinning the scythe in her hands.

“Not just the weapon. You’ve got a new outfit too… and a couple of other changes,” Alex said with a soft smile.

Rory paused, turned to face him with curiosity, and tilted her head. Alex pulled a full-length mirror from his inventory so she could see herself properly.

Rory looked at her reflection and gasped softly—the changes were truly dramatic. While her height remained the same, her apostle outfit was far more striking and elegant. The black and silver colors seemed to emphasize her bond with Alex. But what surprised her the most were her eyes—now shining with the same rainbow glow as her husband’s.

She twirled around to examine herself from all angles. Alex, watching her calmly, suddenly noticed that even her panties had turned black. A thought flashed through his mind: Does apostolic attire include underwear, or is this just a coincidence?

That idea lodged firmly in his brain.

“What are you thinking about?” Rory asked, settling on his lap after finishing her inspection of her new appearance.

“I can’t stop wondering if apostolic clothing includes underwear, or if that was just your regular pair…” Alex replied with a serious face, as if unraveling one of the universe’s greatest mysteries.

“Normally, no. But it looks like after becoming your apostle, my underwear automatically matched the outfit. That answer your question, my perverted husband?” Rory said with a grin, leaning closer to his face.

“Oh, definitely. Now I can stop agonizing over it. But how do you feel? No discomfort? What’s it like being an apostle of destruction?” Alex asked, gently cupping her cheeks.

“I feel amazing. The outfit’s cute, the weapon’s powerful… and I really do feel stronger than before,” she said with a smile.

“That’s obvious. Though at first, you’ll feel a strong urge to destroy things. But don’t worry — you’ll get used to it,” Alex said with a cheerful grin.

“So that’s what that feeling is… Makes sense now. It’s your destructive nature rubbing off on me. I suddenly want to break something too. How do you deal with it?” Rory asked, tilting her head thoughtfully.

“I don’t,” Alex shrugged. “I embrace it. I just direct it toward the right targets. I build things designed for destruction. Sometimes I ruin the plans of idiots trying to devour this world, shattering their order — to create a new one. Though honestly, those are just excuses. You’ll understand it soon enough yourself. Destruction isn’t just about breaking things. It’s one side of a coin — the other side is creation. You and I now… we’re part of that balance. It’s beyond death, soul, or order.”

“Whew, that’s deep. Being Emroy’s apostle was way simpler… and now, just a few minutes with you and we’re already diving into philosophy,” Rory joked, teasing him a little.

“You’ll get used to it,” Alex chuckled. “Now, let’s test your new scythe. I’m curious why it took that form. I usually prefer blades,” he added, kissing her on the cheek.

Rory nodded and gracefully slid off his lap. He took her hand and led her toward the training ground — the same one he and Becca often used to test new weapons. Once they arrived, Alex activated the system: targets of various sizes and durability began popping up throughout the field.

He gave Rory a gentle nudge forward, offering her the stage to go all out. The perimeter was lined with all sorts of targets — from humanoid figures the size of people to enormous ones the size of giants. These weren’t just for show; at Becca’s insistence, training for interworld travel required preparation for enemies of every imaginable scale.

With ease, Rory vaulted over the safety railing and landed in the training zone. In one swift dash, she closed the distance to the first target, and with a spin of her scythe, unleashed a devastating horizontal slash. The blade sliced through the target with such speed that it left a glowing trail in the air. But that was only the beginning — the target didn’t just break apart. It vanished, vaporized by the destructive power embedded in Rory’s new weapon.

Without stopping for a second, she spun around and dashed toward the largest target, which resembled a giant. With a single leap, Rory soared to its top, began spinning, and with great force delivered a vertical strike, slicing the “body” of the giant from head to base. Like the previous target, the giant instantly evaporated under the destructive power.

Alex watched calmly, without much surprise. What interested him more was how skillfully Rory was handling her new power and how much her physical abilities had grown since becoming his apostle. He noted to himself that her potential had multiplied—and would continue to grow.

With a slight half-smile, he nodded, observing how Rory swiftly moved across the training ground, cutting and literally splitting the targets. However, Alex’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a powerful burst of destructive energy. He turned to see Rory had destroyed a significant part of the training ground, unleashing an enormous amount of power.

Slightly surprised, Alex raised an eyebrow. Only a few minutes had passed since Rory became his apostle, and she was already demonstrating such destructive might. With a snap of his fingers, he activated the magic circle embedded in the floor, which immediately rewound time, restoring the training ground to its original state.

Rory, finishing her training, looked a little tired — it was her first experience controlling such a powerful and dangerous energy. Taking a deep breath, she approached Alex, holding her scythe in her hand.

“So, how was your first experience wielding the power of destruction?” Alex asked with a gentle smile, handing her a bottle of water.

“Amazing… Such power. But it’s not easy to control. I almost wiped out your entire training ground. Good thing you know how to restore everything quickly,” Rory said, taking a sip.

“That’s no surprise. Destruction is one of the primal concepts that arose alongside creation. In time, you’ll get used to it. Then it will become as natural to you as breathing,” Alex replied with the same smile.

Rory returned a warm smile and nodded. The thought of losing control didn’t scare her—she already had experience handling divine powers, so adapting to destructive power wouldn’t be difficult. And, as Alex said, the urge to destroy things gradually faded into the background.

Alex examined her carefully once more, checking for any side effects. Satisfied that the core of her existence was merging ever more firmly with the energy of destruction, he nodded with approval. Over time, her essence, like his, would carry the very nature of destruction.

After finishing all the checks, Alex and Rory left the workshop. As soon as they stepped outside, the nearby girls immediately noticed Rory—more precisely, her updated outfit and new weapon.

“What’s with the new look and style? Finally ditched that giant axe and picked something your size?” Becca asked with a teasing tone.

“This isn’t just a style change. Rory has completely transformed,” Brunhilda was the first to notice the details.

“In what way? She just dyed her clothes black like Alex and swapped her axe for a scythe. Reaper style, or what?” Rei raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

“The eyes. Her eyes are now the same as Alex’s. They used to be pink, but now…” Yuriko added, studying her friend closely.

The girls immediately turned toward Rory and noticed with surprise that her eyes, once pink, now shimmered with a radiant, rainbow-like light—exactly like Alex’s. This instantly sparked their curiosity: what had happened in the workshop for Rory to change so much?

Their gazes simultaneously shifted to Alex, waiting for an explanation. Even Brunhilda, usually reserved, was genuinely intrigued. She couldn’t shake a strange but familiar feeling—as if she had encountered a similar aura before. It was exactly the same sensation she had felt the moment she used Völundr with Alex. Now, a similar feeling emanated from Rory.

Noticing how the girls were staring at her, Rory only gave a sly smile, like a winner in an unseen competition. That smile immediately irritated the others—as if they had lost to her in something important, though they couldn’t quite put their finger on what.

“Alex, maybe you could tell us what you two were doing in your workshop?” Valmet asked, shifting her gaze from the satisfied Rory to Alex.

“In short—I didn’t like that Rory was serving some foreign god. So I offered her to become my apostle. The changes in her appearance are the result of that transformation. Now Rory is an apostle of destruction,” Alex answered calmly, sitting down on the couch.

“Wait… are you saying you just got jealous of some genderless deity from another world and decided to make her yours?” Saya squinted skeptically.

“Oh, pinkie, you have no idea how jealous my cupcake can be,” Becca chuckled with an exaggerated tone. “It’s a good thing he didn’t storm into that world and beat up that god.”

“Hold on… seriously? Alex could have gone to another world just to deal with a god out of jealousy?” Miu asked in astonishment.

Becca and Brunhilda nodded simultaneously. All eyes turned back to Alex, whose face remained completely calm. He denied nothing—why would he? Everyone knew he could be jealous. He just usually hid it well. But now… the situation was different.

The girls giggled, imagining Alex bursting into Rory’s world with a stick, shouting threats, and “punishing” the poor god.

“So how strong is Rory now?” Chun-Li asked, studying her friend carefully.

“She’s currently the second strongest in our family. It used to be Brunhilda and Becca, but now it’s Rory. I wasn’t joking when I said she became an apostle of destruction. Her power has grown to a new level. During a test, she accidentally wiped out almost the entire training ground where Becca and I were testing destructive weapons,” Alex explained.

“Damn. Becca said you were testing some seriously dangerous stuff on that range, and everything held up. And she managed to destroy most of it? Impressive,” Revy said, surprised.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Yuriko asked with concern. “I mean, will it be hard for her to control this new power?”

“To be honest, I’m almost used to it already,” Rory replied with a smile, her palm gently glowing with purple destructive energy. “My body adapts on its own, as if I’ve been connected to this power since birth. At first, of course, there was a wild urge to destroy something… But after I messed around on the training ground with his ‘toys,’ that all passed.”

The girls stared in amazement at her glowing hand. Alex nodded, recalling that he had experienced something similar when he became the embodiment of destruction. Those thoughts and impulses quickly fade as soon as you start to feel like a part of that power.

Some of the girls exchanged envious glances. They, too, wished to become Alex’s apostles. But he immediately clarified: this was not the best path for them. Rory already had experience handling divine energy, unlike the others. Besides, why take that path when there are countless ways to become stronger?

However, the girls looked at him with slight irritation. Alex just shrugged and reminded them,

“You’re getting stronger every day anyway. Especially after our… special training sessions. Massages, evening exercises… you know what I mean.”

Understanding the hint, the girls rolled their eyes in unison but still nodded, realizing he was right.

Alex knew perfectly well what the girls were thinking. He understood that they just wanted to help him with his difficult work—saving worlds and dealing with all the challenges that came with it. Yet he was also aware of what that could lead to. That’s why he only entrusted them with tasks they could handle safely. He didn’t want any of them to get hurt.

Alex wasn’t the kind of hero who dragged his family into every dangerous adventure, only to later suffer from guilt or fall into destructive fits of rage if someone close got hurt. He knew himself too well and understood how easily he could lose control in such situations. So, he preferred to take on all the dangerous work himself, leaving those who wanted to help with less risky but still important tasks.

Deciding to change the subject, Alex asked how their study of the book on dragon care was going. The girls only sighed heavily—taking care of a dragon turned out to be much harder than caring for a regular pet. When the dragon was young, looking after it was like caring for a puppy, but as it grew older, things became more complicated. Fortunately, Alex could afford such a “domestic monster.”

Nevertheless, the most responsible girls—Brunhilda, Yuriko, Kiriko, and Namiyo—expressed concern about one important aspect: according to legends, myths, and stories, dragons are obsessed with gold. Their greed for treasure wasn’t just a whim—it was part of their nature. Alex could only nod in response to this worry.

But he had prepared in advance: in his inventory, he kept treasures taken after defeating a one-eyed dragon in a dungeon—an enemy Erebus had merged with, who wished to become the enemy of the whole world and accelerate humanity’s progress.

Hearing this, the girls sighed with relief. Others, on the contrary, showed keen interest in the contents of the “dragon’s hoard.” In the end, Alex had to show them all the treasures guarded by that very dragon. And so the day ended—examining gold and shiny trinkets.

The next morning, Alex woke up to the now-familiar sensation—someone was chewing on his cheek again. The first thing he tried to do was guess who had decided to make a morning snack right on his face. Over time, he had learned to recognize the “culprits” by their teeth and biting style. Today, it was Zero Two. She mumbled something in her sleep about a sweet cake while holding on to him tightly.

Sighing, Alex gently freed himself from her grip. Opening his eyes, he saw that almost all the girls were still asleep. Only Namiyo and Kiriko were already up—preparing breakfast for the whole family and feeding the little ones.

Carefully slipping out of Lucy and Zero Two’s tight embraces, Alex got up from the couch and started getting dressed as quietly as possible so as not to wake anyone. They had stayed up late the night before discussing how to care for the dragon, and the conversation had stretched well into the night until everyone finally collapsed from exhaustion.

Leaving the room, Alex headed downstairs and walked into the dining room. There he saw Anya, Alice, and Nobukatsu already awake, though looking sleepy—not surprising since they had also been playing with the dragon hatchling late into the night. The little one was now chewing on a piece of raw meat, comfortably settled on the table.

Alex didn’t even want to look at Stitch—he was, as usual, lying face-down on the table in a half-asleep state, drooling and unsuccessfully fighting his hunger. Alex passed by the kids, lightly tousling their hair in an attempt to perk them up a bit—just a little longer and their faces would be buried right in their cereal bowls.

In the kitchen, he quickly kissed Namiyo and Kiriko, grabbed his coffee mug and a plate of food, then returned to the dining room. Sitting down at the table, Alex smiled as he watched the half-asleep kids struggling with all their might not to bury their faces in their breakfast.

“I told you yesterday not to play until late at night. And now you look like zombies trying to wake up,” Alex said, resting his cheek on his fist.

“Sorry, daddy… We just got carried away playing with Bond,” Anya mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“I heard, little one. You were running around the room until late. But still, you look better than Stitch. If his mouth weren’t moving and his eyes were closed, I’d think he was still asleep,” Alex smirked, pointing at Stitch, who was managing to chew cereal with his eyes shut.

“Mmm…” was all Anya could manage, slowly nodding with half-open eyes.

“You can sleep a bit more after breakfast. It’s a normal day today anyway,” Alex added, sipping coffee from his mug.

The kids could only nod drowsily, continuing to eat their cereal listlessly. Alex shook his head with a slight smile—morning was clearly starting as usual—until there was a loud plop. He turned toward the sound and saw Stitch’s face had fallen right into the cereal bowl, bubbles starting to form.

“Seriously?..” Alex sighed, getting up from the table.

He approached Stitch, took him by the head, and gently tilted it back so that he could open his mouth. Then he simply poured the remaining cereal with milk into his mouth and helped him chew. All the while, Stitch didn’t even wake up—he just snorted loudly, somewhere between sleep and eating. After finishing the “feeding,” Alex let go of his head, which dropped back onto the table with a thud, and Stitch immediately began snoring deeply.

Massaging his forehead to fight off a rising headache, Alex returned to his seat to finish his coffee.

“What was that sound?” Kiriko asked as she entered the dining room.

“Stitch was trying to drown in his cereal bowl. Had to perform a rescue operation,” Alex muttered, still holding his head.

Kiriko glanced over at Stitch, who was now sleeping with his head thrown back, snoring as if trying to win some competition. Smiling, she just shook her head. Then Namiyo came out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel. Hearing what had happened, she quietly chuckled and went back inside.

When GIR and MIMI finished their portions, they simultaneously grabbed Stitch like a trophy and, carrying him above their heads, dragged him to his room. Alex barely held back his laughter—especially when he noticed Stitch was still snoring loudly.

As the “evacuation” of Stitch was underway, the girls began trickling into the dining room—yawning and rubbing their eyes. That’s when they saw the scene: GIR and MIMI carrying the loudly snoring cosmic dog. This sight fully woke everyone up and sparked a wave of laughter. The girls giggled, each giving Alex a quick peck before sitting down at the table.

Breakfast continued in a warm, homely atmosphere. The girls ate leisurely, discussing what to do for the day. However, it quickly became clear there were hardly any serious tasks. The main workload fell on Koko, Brunhilda, Yuriko, and Saya— a new group of people had arrived in the settlement, and they needed to be accommodated. The rest could afford a rare day off: just relaxing at home, lounging around, and resting.

Meanwhile, Alice, Anya, and Nobukatsu finished their breakfast, grabbed the little dragon named Bond, and hurried off to their childhood activities.

“Alex, when are we heading to America?” Chikita asked, turning to him.

“Hmm… Soon. We need to wrap up a few things first, then we’ll return to Anchorage, and from there—onto the USA. I think Hannibal has already contacted a friend at the military base to arrange for our reception,” Alex replied thoughtfully, sipping his coffee.

“And what are those ‘few things’? What are you tinkering with in your workshop again?” Rei squinted suspiciously at him.

“I’m not tinkering with anything,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “I’m just waiting for Rekka and the scientists to finish modifying the virus against demons. Then I’ll be able to turn it into a weapon.”

“Isn’t the virus already a weapon?” Ada asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“In essence—yes. But I want to make it more effective. Simply put, to make infecting demons easier so the cleansing of cities goes faster.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Koko asked, resting her elbows on the table.

“In the best tradition. I’ll make it into a bomb—so the virus can be sprayed over a city. I’m thinking of using either rain or fog. I have a few ideas,” Alex said, tapping his finger on the table with a wide smile.

“I’ve already told you, handsome… you can be scary sometimes,” Rika giggled.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that you all love me,” Alex said with an exaggerated gesture.

“Even us?” Nagahide smirked, pointing to herself and a blushing Katsuie.

“Not yet… but who knows how fate will turn out,” Alex answered with a warm, calm smile.

Nagahide chuckled softly and smiled slightly, not denying Alex’s words. Katsuie, flushed bright red, just lowered her gaze, trying to hide behind her plate.

While everyone continued breakfast and discussed the upcoming trip to the US, Alex mentally reviewed the plan for the next stage of his work. But first, he had to wait for the new version of the virus to be ready. Only then could he move on to the next part of his complex but carefully thought-out strategy.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep