The last thing Alex saw before the portal closed was the sly expression on Lady Death’s face. He knew that look. Becca used to wear it whenever she was plotting something. And now, Lady Death was staring at him with the same mischievous, almost gremlin-like grin—like she had just come up with yet another catastrophe.

Alex didn’t even want to know what she was planning. Deciding to leave that problem to his “future self,” he focused on the nearest goal—wrapping up business in this universe and finally heading off on a long-awaited vacation with his family. Just for a week, but even that would be enough to clear his head before the next wave of madness.

Already picturing the worlds they might visit, Alex was mentally lounging on a warm beach, far away from everything and everyone.

However, his dream wasn’t meant to come true—something slammed into his face. Or rather, someone. Wrapping around his head and chest like a small octopus, an unknown entity clung to him, completely disrupting his internal peace.

Alex froze in shock. The strangest part—he didn’t feel any hostility or threat from the intruder. On the contrary—it felt familiar, warm, almost… familial. Tiny arms and legs held him tightly, like a child clinging to a favorite toy.

Carefully detaching the uninvited guest from his face, Alex pulled the creature away… and froze completely.

In his arms was a little girl, about the same age as his daughter Anya. She had long snow-white hair, a funny little antenna-like strand sticking up on top, and her eyes… her eyes were just like Alex’s—shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.

“Um… who are you?” he asked, still trying to comprehend what was happening.

“Daddy! I’m your daughter!” the girl exclaimed cheerfully, beaming at him.

At that moment, Alex’s brain completely short-circuited. Every mental process shut down. Even the inner voices that usually gave advice and devised strategies went silent. The valkyries in his spiritual space were struck speechless.

As if someone had flipped a switch, Alex’s thoughts suddenly erupted into chaos. He ran through every possible scenario, trying to understand who this little girl was.

One part of his mind admired how cute she was; another demanded immediate answers. Where? When? Why didn’t he know she existed?

He looked at her again. The girl was swinging her legs happily while he held her under the arms. She was dressed in a black-and-white checkered dress with a short, puffy skirt, resembling a school uniform.

“Um… sweetie, why are you saying I’m your daddy?” he asked carefully.

“Because you’re my daddy! And a daddy is a daddy!” she replied confidently, folding her arms and nodding seriously, as if stating a universal truth.

“And who’s your mom?” Alex asked, already feeling his world begin to wobble.

“The mother of this child is me. And you, darling, are the father,” came a familiar voice from behind him.

“Mommy!” the girl cried out joyfully, reaching toward the source of the voice.

Alex felt someone’s arms wrap around his neck, fingers lazily trailing across his chest.

Nyan-Nyan’s voice.

A very bad feeling settled in his stomach. Especially after the little girl in his arms began nodding eagerly, confirming what had been said, and reached for Nyan-Nyan with a radiant smile.

Alex’s brain went into overdrive again.

While he was still trying to make sense of the situation, Nyan-Nyan released him, stepped around to the front, traced a finger down his neck, and smoothly took the girl into her arms.

And now, looking at the two of them together, Alex couldn’t deny it—they really did look alike. The girl clearly had features of both Nyan-Nyan and… himself. That was the most terrifying part.

“Explain. What the hell is going on? Since when do we have a child? And why do I know nothing about this? Is this one of your tricks again? Did you create another avatar to play house?” Alex frowned.

“Huhuhu… Of course not, darling. She’s not an avatar. This little girl is truly our daughter. And she was born… in the most normal, natural way,” Nyan-Nyan said with a satisfied smile, idly playing with a lock of the girl’s hair.

Alex followed the motion of Nyan-Nyan’s hand and saw her gently patting the girl’s stomach. Above his head, dozens—no, hundreds—of question marks suddenly lit up. Their number grew exponentially, and soon there was no more space above Alex’s head to fit them.

Nyan-Nyan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter at the look on his face. The girl in her arms, clearly having inherited her mother’s sense of mischief, also began to laugh loudly, mimicking her. What amused her most was her father’s utterly confused expression as he stood there, trying to understand what was happening.

Hearing their laughter, Alex finally snapped out of his stupor.

“Wait. How can she be my daughter? You do understand how that usually happens, right? Or is there something I don’t know?” he said, gently covering the girl’s ears with his palms so she wouldn’t overhear anything inappropriate.

“Oh, darling,” Nyan-Nyan sighed. “If you’re talking about sex and all that… it’s not strictly necessary. Though I wouldn’t mind, to be honest. But you keep running away from me, and it breaks my poor little heart… sniff,” she added dramatically, wiping away an imaginary tear.

“Maybe skip the drama for now, save it for later, and just tell me where the child came from? I think I have the right to know,” Alex replied dryly, ignoring her theatrical offense.

“You’re so boring,” Nyan-Nyan pouted. “Remember after you killed my avatar, asked me for a power crystal, and then I kissed you? Well… maybe, in exchange for my power, I took a little piece of yours. Then I fused it with my own, and… boom! Here she is—our sweet little daughter! Isn’t she a miracle? Such a cutie! And unlike those faceless freaks from Chaos, she took the best of both of us!” She nuzzled the girl affectionately and purred with delight.

“Mama, that tickles!” the girl giggled.

Alex frowned.

“So you took a part of my essence, fused it with yours, carried the child naturally… and now we suddenly have a daughter?”

“Exactly, darling! I know how you feel about kids and didn’t want you to get mad. And honestly, it was… quite the unusual experience for me. But no, I’m not going to turn into that disgusting Black Goat. Ugh…” she grimaced, tapping a finger to her chin.

“And what did you name her?” Alex asked, trying to come to terms with this new reality.

“My name is Nyaruko Voldigoad! I’m Daddy’s super cute little girl!” the girl declared proudly, striking a dramatic pose.

Alex shifted his gaze from Nyaruko to Nyan-Nyan, then back to Nyaruko… and gave the latter a deadpan look. Nyan-Nyan, on the other hand, cheerfully nodded at every word her daughter said, completely ignoring Alex’s reaction.

He covered his face with a hand and slowly dragged his palm down his forehead, trying to calm the growing headache. Whatever was going on, one thing was clear—standing before him was, without a doubt, his biological daughter. The result of some inexplicable alchemy, a fusion of his and Nyan-Nyan’s powers… and her name was Nyaruko.

He turned his gaze away from the mother and daughter and noticed Yog sitting off to the side on a rock near the ruins of the temple. She was leisurely eating sweets, a pair of headphones with cat ears perched on her head—clearly dampening the surrounding noise, and Alex immediately understood why. With Nyaruko’s arrival in the Chaos, the background noise had intensified dramatically. If Yog used to complain about Nyan-Nyan, things had surely gotten much worse now.

Sensing his gaze, Yog slowly turned and locked eyes with Alex. A universal exhaustion shimmered in her expression.

Alex actually started to feel afraid of what Nyan-Nyan might teach Nyaruko. But he couldn’t help thinking that Yog and Ophis would probably make great friends—both were quiet, loved silence and sweets. Imagining them just sitting side by side, eating pastries and occasionally asking for more made Alex smile slightly.

“Eh… I’d feel like a monster if I ignored such a cute daughter. Besides, Anya will have someone her age to play with now,” he muttered, carefully taking Nyaruko from Nyan-Nyan’s arms and placing her on his shoulders.

Nyaruko giggled with joy and snuggled against his head.

“Hooray! Daddy is my throne now!”

With a wide, satisfied grin, Nyaruko wrapped her tiny arms around Alex’s head and shot a meaningful look at Nyan-Nyan—one filled with triumphant superiority. A vein bulged visibly on Nyan-Nyan’s forehead—her irritation was growing.

Noticing this, Nyaruko stuck out her tongue and pressed herself even closer to her father, as if declaring, “He’s mine!”

Nyan-Nyan could have said something back, but she held her tongue. Despite her chaotic and capricious nature, she had truly grown attached to her daughter. It was a completely different feeling from the connection she had with her avatars, which were just playthings for amusement.

But Nyaruko… Nyaruko had become a bridge between her and Alex, a far stronger bond than anything that came before. When Alex accepted the girl’s existence, Nyan-Nyan even mentally praised herself for such a brilliant decision.

She couldn’t help glancing over at Yog with an unmistakably smug expression that read, “Told you so.”

Yog returned the look with the same blank, tired stare that practically begged, “Please, someone take this creature away from Chaos…”

Alex noticed the silent exchange but pretended not to. He had more pressing questions. For instance—how dangerous was Nyaruko? After all, if she was born from both his and Nyan-Nyan’s powers, then she was half Destruction… and half Chaos.

“Nyan-Nyan, just how powerful is Nyaruko? I need to know exactly, to avoid any… catastrophes. You might not care about these things, but I do. I don’t want my daughter to accidentally destroy a world or someone important just because she sneezed wrong,” Alex said seriously, not breaking eye contact.

“Ah, your kind heart, darling…” Nyan-Nyan sighed. “But you can check it yourself, can’t you? I don’t really understand your power measurement methods. She’s our daughter—what’s there to discuss? Well… if she erased someone by accident, I’m sure he was just another idiot anyway,” she added with a light sigh and a shrug.

Alex stared at her blankly and seriously considered placing restraining seals on Nyaruko—not as punishment, but just in case. If she really had both chaos and destruction in her veins, she could potentially erase a universe on a whim.

He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, trying to calm the headache forming behind his eyes.

“Pain, pain, go away!” Nyaruko exclaimed, patting his head.

“Thanks, Nyaruko. That… helped,” Alex said with a faint smile.

She puffed out her chest proudly, as if she had personally saved him from death.

“Just like always…” Nyan-Nyan sighed. “I gave birth to you, raised you, and the moment your father shows up, you immediately switch sides…”

“I love you too, Mommy. But I just met Daddy today, so now I’m helping him,” Nyaruko replied, tilting her nose up and folding her arms across her chest.

Alex watched the scene with a slight feeling of inner chaos. He didn’t hate Nyan-Nyan — their relationship was just… strange. It had started with a series of absurd events and had evolved into an even stranger form.

But despite that, Nyaruko’s appearance was a pleasant surprise for him. A little princess he could spoil. A friend for Anya — since Alice and Nobukatsu were still older. Now Anya would have someone closer to her age.

Thinking about it, Alex began to quietly giggle. So sincerely and foolishly that he caught the attention of everyone present.

“Why is Daddy laughing so weird?” Nyaruko asked, tilting her head to the side.

“He’s just happy to have another daughter,” Yog replied unemotionally.

“Thank you, Aunt Yog! I won’t steal your sweets anymore!” Nyaruko exclaimed happily.

“You never should have stolen them in the first place,” Yog said with the same tired expression, not looking away from the sweets in her hands.

“But now I can take sweets from Daddy! Whenever I want!” Nyaruko declared with a gremlin-like smile, looking triumphantly at everyone.

Yog’s eye twitched at Nyaruko’s words. Not only did this little gremlin regularly steal sweets from her, but Nyan-Nyan encouraged such antics as if they were the highest form of upbringing.

Nyan-Nyan gave a thumbs-up toward her daughter — and Nyaruko returned the gesture, like two partners in crime. At that moment, Yog’s eye twitched again. She was already mentally plotting how to improve the defense of her sweets.

The problem was that although Nyaruko was born in Chaos, she didn’t actually belong to it. She could come and go as she pleased. But suddenly, Yog had a thought: if Nyaruko was going to wander back and forth anyway, why not use that to her advantage? For example, never get up from her throne — just give Nyaruko a list of sweets, and she would bring them herself. And for access to Chaos, she could charge a “fee,” as she did with Alex when helping him.

This brilliant plan earned Yog a satisfied nod to herself.

Alex, however, ignored all the talk about sweets. He didn’t care how many candies his daughter might need — he’d buy her a whole caravan if necessary. What struck him was something else: how on earth had Nyaruko managed to steal sweets from Yog? Getting close to Yog unnoticed was almost impossible, let alone snatching something right under her nose.

This confirmed one simple truth: Nyaruko wasn’t just a cute troublemaker. She was unique. Just like her parents.

And yet, right now, he was more concerned about taking care of Nyaruko. Alex asked Nyan-Nyan directly, and it was as if a dam had burst—she began describing everything in the tiniest detail. He quickly realized their daughter was nothing less than a little gremlin in female form, who loved causing mischief and chaos, much like Alex himself sometimes did in various worlds.

“Nyarlathotep, it’s time to go back,” Yog suddenly said, jumping down from the stone.

“Oh, already time?.. But I spent so little with my darling… And now we have a daughter! We should spend time together, like a normal family! Travel as a trio!” Nyan-Nyan whined with mock offense.

“Don’t make me drag you back to Chaos by your leg. I’ve already kept quiet about your avatars shaking the already fragile balance,” Yog said calmly but firmly.

“Ugh, you’re so boring, Yog… Fine, fine. Anyway, since Nyaruko is now with my darling, I can come by from time to time…” Nyan-Nyan grinned slyly. “Well, Nyaruko, give Mommy a goodbye kiss.”

“Bye, Mommy! I’ll definitely come visit!” the girl said happily, jumped into Nyan-Nyan’s arms, hugged her neck, and kissed her on the cheek.

At that moment, Alex noticed a strange detail again. Nyaruko freely enters and leaves Chaos. Such ability was granted only to the chosen—either those permitted by Yog or brought by Nyan-Nyan herself. But Nyaruko… she did it on her own.

That meant Nyan-Nyan could use her daughter as a conduit to appear beside Alex at any moment. His smile slowly faded.

He shifted his gaze to the girl sitting in her mother’s arms, giggling joyfully while Nyan-Nyan rubbed her cheek against hers. Then, with a cheerful leap, she climbed back onto Alex’s shoulders.

“And you, Darling… don’t even think about letting that bony witch near you! If she shows up—shoo her away,” Nyan-Nyan said, grabbing Alex’s face and kissing him right on top of the mark left by Lady Death’s kiss.

“What’s your relationship with her?” Alex asked, squinting.

“A girl’s got to have her secrets,” Nyan-Nyan smiled. “And remember: don’t let that bony witch get close. Let her find another husband!” With that, she began to vanish into thin air.

Alex barely had time to open his mouth to ask another question before she was gone. He looked down at Nyaruko, still on his shoulders. She just shrugged—apparently, she really didn’t know what her mother was talking about.

Alex sighed. He turned to Yog—she silently gestured, “The answer is worth sweets.”

Alex rolled his eyes. Yog was definitely squeezing everything she could out of him. Realizing there’d be no sweets coming her way, she wordlessly created a hole in reality and disappeared, returning to Chaos.

And so, among the ruins of the destroyed temple—once the temple belonging to the Minister of Monoliths—only Alex and his new daughter remained.

He sighed deeply. Thoughts about the feud between Nyan-Nyan and Lady Death still troubled him, but he knew that neither would ever reveal the truth. So, pushing aside those intrusive doubts, he gently lowered Nyaruko from his shoulders and took her in his arms.

He felt that the souls trapped in the core of Tau Volantis were no longer suffering — but they still needed to be freed and given a chance at rebirth. Although… first, it was worth visiting a friend.

“Let’s go find my comrade. See how he’s doing,” Alex said softly, smiling at his daughter.

“And who is your friend, Daddy?” Nyaruko asked with curiosity. The little strand of hair on her head curled into the shape of a question mark.

“A very good guy who, unfortunately, ran into something called fate…” Alex replied with a slight sadness, but still with that warm smile.

The strand on Nyaruko’s head twitched again, as if alive, and Alex realized that with such a gremlin, he definitely wouldn’t get bored.

Having located Slayer’s whereabouts, Alex, carrying Nyaruko in his arms, slowly headed toward the place where his friend was. Walking through the ruined temple, he stepped closer and closer to the epicenter of the recent battle.

From afar, he could already see the traces of the fight between Slayer and Davoth. Alex mentally praised himself for his foresight — thanks to the barrier covering all of Tau Volantis, neither Davoth nor the Minister of Monoliths could escape. Moreover, he had beforehand embedded runes in the barrier to strengthen the very structure of the planet so it wouldn’t crumble to dust under the onslaught of colossal forces.

Now, as he stopped examining the battlefield, Alex saw Slayer himself.

He was simply sitting among the debris, with Davoth’s broken sword stuck in front of him. His armor looked quite battered, the helmet was half destroyed, but he was alive. The armor had taken all the blows.

Alex slowly approached and, without a word, sat down next to his friend. He carefully set Nyaruko on his lap. To keep her from breaking the silence, Alex quickly put a candy into her mouth — just in case. He didn’t know how strongly Nyan-Nyan’s influence had affected her and didn’t want to take any risks.

They simply sat in silence. Only the rustling of candy wrappers and Nyaruko’s chewing mouth reminded them that life went on. Alex and Slayer stared at the mutilated landscape — once mountains, buildings, and plateaus, now all turned to ash, scorched and destroyed.

“So, you’ve taken your revenge, my friend,” Alex finally spoke without taking his eyes off the horizon. “I could congratulate you… but I see you’re not sure yourself if it was worth it.”

“Hmm…” Slayer only rasped in response.

“I think I understand what you’re feeling right now,” Alex continued in the same calm tone.

Slayer slowly turned his head, glancing slightly in his direction.

“You believed that Davoth’s death would bring relief. He was your curse, your purpose… the reason you kept moving forward, shedding the blood of demons who crossed your path. But when you killed him, you realized — the past can’t be undone. Your wife, your child… they won’t come back. Davoth’s death won’t erase the suffering you endured. But on the other hand…” Alex paused for a second, then went on, “They’ve already been reborn. Somewhere in one of the realities, they live a peaceful, happy life. And by killing Davoth, you didn’t just get revenge. You prevented a terrible future. With your own hands, you saved countless worlds, even if no one will ever know.”

Alex turned to his friend and smiled.

“We’re not heroes, Slayer. We’re just killers with blood on our hands. But that doesn’t take away what we did. We saved the world. Not for glory. Not for thanks. But because no one else could.”

Slayer nodded slowly. Silence returned again, letting his thoughts drift far away.

Meanwhile, Alex glanced at Nyaruko, who had already stuffed so many candies into her mouth that her cheeks resembled a hamster’s. He couldn’t resist and gently started to squeeze them, making the girl wiggle on his lap, afraid the sweets would fall out. She waved her tiny hands, trying to push him away with an expression of fierce but cute protest. Alex laughed, pinched her soft cheeks once more, and looked back at Slayer.

Now he noticed something important — Slayer had absorbed the second half of Davoth’s power. It didn’t escape his notice. His friend’s strength had grown significantly. He had become… different.

“So, what now?” Alex asked, looking at him. “Will you rest? Try living like a normal person? Or will you return to the old path?”

“I don’t know…” Slayer said slowly and with difficulty, as if each word cost him effort.

“Then maybe you’ll hear me out?” Alex spoke softly, almost like a friend.

Slayer looked at him. Silent but curious.

“How about doing what I do?” Alex began. “In the endless multiverse, there are plenty of monsters — demons, Maykr, gods, angels… all kinds of beasts that destroy, kill, enslave. Yeah, not all demons are bad — I’m a sweetheart myself, pure kindness,” he smirked. “But the ones like Davoth… they need to be stopped. And who better than us?”

He stretched out his hand to Slayer.

“Let’s keep working together. Cleansing worlds. Doing what maybe we were born for — killing those who want to burn everything to the ground.”

Slayer looked at Alex’s outstretched hand and paused for a moment. He really didn’t know what to do next now that his revenge was complete and the cause of all his troubles was dead.

He had long understood: he was no longer the person he once was. He had become something greater. He was no longer a weapon in someone else’s hands — now he was free. But aside from killing, he didn’t know how to do anything else.

Finishing his thoughts, Slayer clasped Alex’s outstretched hand — firmly, in his own way. That was his answer. He accepted the offer. Alex was right: not only had this world almost fallen, but many others could be in the same state. If he could use his power, then he would. Even if it meant getting his hands bloody again. Because he would do what he did best — exterminate evil.

“Great, glad to have you on the team,” Alex said with a predatory grin, baring his sharp teeth. “Like I said before: Rip and Tear until it is done. We’ll keep doing it until all the scum is gone.”

“Hmm,” Slayer nodded shortly, as usual stern and taciturn.

“Wow, Daddy, you’re so cool! And your friend’s cool too!” Nyaruko exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands.

Alex released Slayer’s hand and looked at his daughter, who was beaming with joy. For the first time, Slayer truly noticed her — before, he simply hadn’t paid attention to the quiet girl, plus her aura… was too unusual to take her as an ordinary child.

Alex smiled faintly, noticing how enthusiastically Nyaruko reacted to the talk about fighting monsters.

“Hmm…” Slayer rasped, clearly implying, “And what kind of kid is this?”

“Oh, right. Let me introduce her. This is Nyaruko, my daughter,” Alex said with a smirk. “Remember I once told you I had… strange relations with a certain woman? Well, Nyaruko is the product of the union between my power and hers. You could say she appeared in a rather… unconventional way. But the point is — she’s my daughter. The details… are just details.”

Slayer nodded slightly, studying the girl. Indeed, there was a resemblance to Alex in her features.

“Well, now that we’ve settled things here, I think it’s time to head back. But first — we need to free all those souls still trapped in the core of this planet,” Alex said, rising from the ground and placing Nyaruko on his shoulders.

Slayer nodded and stood as well. Now he too could feel those souls — their suffering, their call. He put on his half-destroyed helmet again, as if reclaiming the form of a Warrior.

Alex grinned and, summoning Yamato, opened a portal with a single motion. Together they stepped through the rift in space and found themselves in silent space.

Before them, the planet Tau Volantis slowly rotated.

Looking around, Alex noticed a strange detail: not a single star shone around. Only emptiness and darkness. Everything looked dead. Though, considering what the Minister of Monoliths was capable of, it was no surprise.

But freeing the souls — that was what mattered most now.

Alex drew Yamato. With a light upward sweep, he sliced through the air — and right before them, the planet Tau Volantis split into two perfectly even halves, sliding apart like an open book.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep