Alex was heading toward the shooting range — the place where the last group of people he intended to recruit for his world-saving mission had gathered. The folks from Ryōzanpaku had already agreed, and the Sun-Woo clan had accepted his proposal too. All that remained was to convince the final group… and the martial artists.

Although, convincing that last group probably wouldn’t even be necessary.

After all, the ones handling them were girls. Alex didn’t have to worry much about those muscle-brained martial artists refusing, not with Juri, Cammy, and Chun-Li sent to recruit them. As soon as those guys heard they’d get to fight a horde of various monsters in a dungeon — or even go head-to-head with truly powerful opponents — they’d jump into the portal without hesitation.

And if that trio gave the go-ahead, the rest would follow without question. Especially after hearing that the new world was full of monsters, dungeons, and worthy foes. Alex was one hundred percent sure of it.

Right now, what concerned him most was the group of soldiers — particularly Ghost.

There were times when a target needed to be eliminated quietly, without leaving a trace. And for that, Ghost was irreplaceable. Not every villain charged at the world with screaming and explosions. Some played the part of virtuous saints, acting like heroes while secretly being monsters who’d destroy everything for their goals. In those cases, the mission required nothing flashy — just a silent bullet to the head, leaving behind a corpse and a mystery.

While Alex was thinking through these details, his thoughts were interrupted by his daughters. Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx were animatedly discussing magical girls and planning to form their own “magical team.” But they quickly realized that three members weren’t enough. So Anya suggested inviting GIR, MIMI, and Stitch.

Alex nearly choked at the thought.

He wanted to explain to his daughters that GIR and Stitch were boys — and neither of them was going to run around in pink dresses, waving magic wands and tossing flower petals. GIR would more likely start swinging a chainsaw, turning everything into a bloodbath while yelling “In the name of holy cleansing!” And Stitch? He’d be throwing grenades, cackling like a madman. As for MIMI — she’d turn any idiot she met into a watermelon using her mace.

In short, they’d be the most violent and chaotic magical girl team in history.

Alex struggled to suppress a laugh as he imagined these “magical girls” spreading not joy and love… but chaos, destruction, and bloody fireworks. He genuinely pitied the poor souls who’d have the misfortune of crossing paths with such a team. If they survived — it would be straight to lifelong therapy in a mental institution. Assuming they survived, of course…

His train of thought was suddenly derailed by pain — someone had yanked hard on his hair.

“Daddy, are you thinking something bad about us again?” Jinx asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she sat on his shoulders, still pulling his hair.

Anya and Nyaruko, standing nearby, immediately nodded in agreement.

“Where did you get that idea, sweetheart? How could I ever think anything bad about my little princesses?” Alex replied with an innocent smile.

“You always make that face when you’re thinking dumb stuff!” Jinx accused. “Mom said if you make that face, it means you’re planning something suspicious. And that means you need to be punished!”

She pulled his hair even harder. Anya and Nyaruko joined in too, tugging at his cheeks from both sides.

While enduring his “execution,” Alex briefly thought that soon he wouldn’t even need to eat the Gomu-Gomu fruit — his face was already turning into rubber on its own. Turns out, female intuition works even on little girls.

Although, to be fair, he hadn’t actually thought anything bad about them. He just considered them little gremlins. But apparently, they sensed even that — because they started stretching his face even harder, just in case.

Alex was almost grateful that his daughters were only pulling on his face. Unlike certain grown women, who in situations like this preferred to bite his cheeks — or even his head.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough!” he mumbled, struggling to move his lips. “I was just imagining how you’d look in magical girl outfits. I was designing costumes… trying to make you happy… my princesses.”

“You should’ve just said so!” Nyaruko huffed, finally letting go of his cheek.

“Mmm-hmm, Daddy. If you told us you wanted to sew us cute dresses, we wouldn’t have punished you!” Anya said cheerfully.

“Can I pick the color of my dress?” asked Jinx, still holding on to his hair.

“Anything you want, my little princess,” Alex replied with a strained smile.

“Then I want a grenade launcher. Or a big machine gun. No, wait — a grenade-launcher machine gun!” Jinx shouted with delight, bouncing happily on his shoulders as she clearly dove headfirst into her bloody magical-girl fantasy.

“I’ll… think about it,” Alex muttered with a tired sigh.

Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx immediately understood that their daddy hadn’t actually said no to the weapons idea — and launched into a lively debate about what kind of armament would best match their magical girl costumes.

Alex, at that moment, was completely lost. He had no idea what to say — so he did what he usually did in such situations: he just went with the flow, hoping their excitement would soon wear off and they’d forget all about costumes and fighting evil.

Listening to the girls’ cheerful chatter, Alex finally reached the shooting range. Even from a distance, the sounds of gunfire could be heard — the group of guys was clearly doing some live practice. Alex was surprised. After such a massive battle the day before, he’d expected everyone to be flat on their backs, exhausted.

As he got closer, he spotted Lehm and his team. Soap, Price, and Ghost were there too. Even Jake had shown up — which wasn’t all that surprising. Alex’s gaze settled on Itami, who looked like he’d been dragged out of bed against his will, deprived of the chance to stay home and watch anime in peace.

“Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence,” Lehm smirked. “The Demon King himself, and from what I can see — now with two more daughters.”

“Jealous you don’t have any of your own?” Alex shot back, rolling his eyes.

Lehm only chuckled, lighting a cigarette. Alex walked closer, and all eyes turned to him. He carefully set Nyaruko, Anya, and Jinx down so they could wander off and avoid interrupting the adult conversation.

The moment their feet hit the ground, the girls rushed toward the weapons rack. Before anyone could stop her, Jinx had already grabbed a rifle and bolted. Alex saw it, of course, but didn’t even flinch. He was used to his little gremlins’ antics by now.

Jinx felt her father’s eyes on her and gave him a mischievous grin, hiding the weapon behind her back. Anya and Nyaruko immediately stepped in front of her, shielding their sister like it was a perfectly rehearsed maneuver. Alex just shook his head and pretended he hadn’t noticed — after all, they’d been holding back their chaotic nature for quite a while now.

“And what brings you down to our level, oh great Demon King?” R asked, smirking with his arms crossed.

“Honestly? I was expecting screaming, panic, maybe a few dumb questions. But you guys aren’t even surprised. I haven’t even told you anything yet,” Alex replied with a faint smirk, looking over the men.

“Alex, you must’ve forgotten what happened yesterday,” Soap began, rolling his eyes. “I mean, I can deal with a destroyed island — fine, Old Man Hayato said it was possible. But I wasn’t the one floating in the sky holding a golden spear, and I didn’t turn the sky into some cracked-glass nightmare monster. We saw the stars through those cracks, during the day, while the damn sun was still shining. Oh, and the sky was blood red. Because of demons.”

Everyone else simply nodded in agreement.

“Well… I won’t argue. You’re right,” Alex shrugged. “Yeah, I really am the Demon King. Alexander Voldigoad. Nice to meet you—again. Yay,” he added, striking a ridiculous pose like some low-budget anime hero.

The guys stared at him in disbelief. Just yesterday, he was up in the sky fighting a horror that still gave them chills. And now here he was, acting like a clown. But still… it was Alex. He had always been like this — serious in battle, and outside of it… a complete idiot.

They couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. The laughter broke the tension — they realized that no matter how powerful he had become, Alex was still himself. Only Itami nodded as if he had already known all of this — though a spark of pure otaku excitement flickered in his eyes.

“All right, spit it out. You didn’t come just to shoot the breeze,” Price said, lighting a cigar.

“Exactly. I have an offer. A job. But I’ll say this upfront — you’re free to say no. I’m not pressuring anyone,” Alex said, lighting up a cigarette of his own.

“Before we decide anything, maybe you could tell us what kind of job we’re talking about? We’re adults, after all. We want to understand what we’d be getting into,” Ghost said, leaning against a wooden post.

Alex nodded and started explaining what he had in mind. He told them about the organization he wanted to build and why he had chosen them specifically for this offer. From the first few sentences, the guys understood — Alex was planning something truly massive. This had long since moved beyond the scope of a single world. His plan was grand… maybe even insane.

He didn’t sugarcoat anything and admitted right away: this wasn’t a job about heroism or patrolling city streets. Sometimes, it would require getting your hands dirty. Eliminating villains — not giving them pep talks and trying to redeem them. In Alex’s view, not everyone deserved a second chance. And he was ready to shoulder that responsibility — with those willing to stand beside him.

It didn’t take long for him to lay out the whole idea — and when he finished, silence fell. Everyone was deep in thought.

For Itami, it was like a dream come true. The chance to visit different worlds — including anime universes — was already more than enough reason to say yes. The others, meanwhile, were still weighing the risks.

Lehm and Price exchanged glances. They both had the same thought in their eyes: if they agreed to this, they could kiss a peaceful retirement goodbye. But really, who needed that anyway?

Soap, despite all his military experience, still carried the heart of a hero. He saw this as a chance to make sure what happened to their own world never happened again.

Ghost, as always, remained silent. He simply observed Alex, continuing to analyze everything. The former members of Koko’s squad were also deep in thought, but for them, not much would change — only the scale of their missions. And the promised pay was generous.

“You know what, Alex? I’m in,” Jake said first, smirking. “Been a mercenary my whole life. You promised good pay. So if you want me to kill some god or whatever — just pay me, and we’re square.”

“I’m in too,” Soap said, crossing his arms. “If there’s a chance to prevent what happened to our world from happening again, I’m willing to take the risk. And the chance to see other worlds? Just a nice bonus.”

Alex looked around at the rest.

“And you guys?”

“Ah, kid…” Lehm drawled with a smirk. “With you, we can forget about any peaceful life. But we’re mercs. If you pay, we’re in. Right, boys?”

“Damn right! As long as the pay’s good,” the guys from Koko’s squad chimed in together.

“Hey! Don’t forget me!” Itami shouted. “If I get to visit anime worlds, I’m ready to work 25 hours a day, eight days a week!”

Alex laughed.

“Price? Simon?”

“I’m in,” Ghost nodded. “I never dreamed of retirement anyway. And killing — that’s what I do best.”

“Well, there goes my retirement. Lasted a whole half a day,” Price smirked, flicking ash from his cigar. “But I’m not leaving my squad behind. Count me in too, kid.”

“Great. Then start packing. By evening, we’ll be in my world,” Alex said with a grin. “Trust me — you’re gonna love it.”

“Alex, can I ask something?” Ugo said uncertainly. “Can we bring our families with us?”

“Of course, Ugo,” Alex nodded. “They’ll be much safer in my world. Like I promised, I’ll provide housing and money to get you started. Not to brag, but my family’s pretty wealthy. And I’ve got enough treasure to buy half of any world.”

“Ha! Now you’re definitely bragging!” Lehm laughed, reaching out to shake his hand. “It’ll be a pleasure working with you, boss.”

“Pleasure’s mine,” Alex replied, shaking his hand. “We didn’t travel half the world just to stop here.”

He was genuinely glad they agreed. Alex knew well: he couldn’t be everywhere at once. Sure, he could create clones and send them across worlds… but it was far more reliable to build a team he could trust.

Once the basics were settled, they moved on to the most important topic — payment. Alex explained the system: payment would be based on mission difficulty. Sometimes it’d be money, other times — artifacts or access to tech and magic from other worlds.

But in the middle of the conversation, a powerful explosion rang out. Everyone immediately turned. Half of the shooting range had been reduced to smoking rubble.

And standing in the midst of it all… were Jinx, Nyaruko, and Anya.More specifically — Jinx, holding a makeshift grenade launcher.

Alex covered his face with one hand.

“Well, now I definitely believe they’re your daughters,” Lehm said, staring at the wreckage. “Looks like destruction runs in your blood.”

“I’d be offended… but you’re right,” Alex sighed. “The Voldigoad family has one small quirk: we just can’t not blow things up.”

“So, you’re saying it’s normal that your new daughter blew up half the range?” Toji asked, nervously adjusting his glasses.

“She didn’t destroy the world. So yeah — all good,” Alex replied calmly.

“I won’t even argue,” R muttered, shaking his head. “At least it wasn’t the Moon. That’s something, I guess.”

“You’re just jealous,” Lutz jumped in. “Alex already has three daughters. You’re still flying solo.”

The guys all burst out laughing, looking at R. After all, he always claimed he could charm any woman, yet even after the apocalypse, he remained alone — never finding anyone. R’s face quickly darkened with irritation, and reaching his boiling point, he lunged at Lutz. The latter, laughing cheerfully, took off running.”Hey! Come back, jerk!” R shouted, flailing his arms as Lutz teased him even more, throwing new jabs his way.

Alex and the others laughed heartily, enjoying the comical scene. After a few more minutes of chatting and laughter, he said goodbye to the guys, scooping up Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx before they could blow up the other half of the shooting range.

“Don’t forget: be ready to leave by evening,” he reminded them as he left.

Leaving the range, Alex felt satisfied. He had managed to do everything he planned. Everyone he wanted to invite had agreed. Now he could confidently hand over full control of the Balalaika settlement to Svetlana and another woman he trusted completely.

Besides, in the near future, the settlement would merge with the resistance led by Chris anyway.

On the way home, Alex pondered how many people would be going with him to the other world — and, strangely, it didn’t bother him at all. He even thought about Alisa, Honoka, and Malka. Once back in Orario, he’d definitely add them to Lily’s group. He was sure the others — Lily, Haruhime, Kassandra, Bella, Daphne, and Valerie — wouldn’t mind. Especially since he personally trained Alisa, Honoka, and Malka and knew they could stand their ground.

He also thought about Nobukatsu. After a moment’s thought, Alex decided to put the boy under Finn’s care — let him teach everything Nobukatsu needed to know about the dungeon. Plus, he’d make some boy friends since he mostly hung out with girls.

Approaching the house, Alex stepped inside… and froze. The place was almost completely empty, and all the girls sat on plain wooden stools. His face showed genuine shock.

“What the… did you guys decide to take everything?” he breathed, looking around.

The girls noticed his reaction and laughed cheerfully. They fully understood why he was so surprised.

“We just don’t want to leave anything here,” Revy said with a smirk. “Not a single rag. We’d even take the walls if you let us.”

Alex just shook his head and glanced at Juri, Chun-Li, and Cammy. With his look, he asked how their talks with the others had gone. The girls smiled in unison and gave a thumbs-up.

“Stop standing there with your mouth open,” Koko said lazily, leaning back in her chair. “Better tell us — did you manage to convince everyone, or did someone still refuse your crazy plan?”

“Everyone agreed,” Alex answered with satisfaction, putting his daughters down on the floor. “Seol and the Sun-Voo clan gave their consent. The guys didn’t refuse either — they said the main thing for them was to get paid. So, you can consider everything settled here.”

“So, can we already go to your world?” Revy asked, rocking on her stool.

“Almost,” Alex nodded. “The guys are gathering now and discussing moving with their families. Everything’s on schedule — we leave in the evening. For now, we’re just waiting.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask… when does your vacation start? Or is it already started?” Ada asked with curiosity.

“Hm, let me explain. Here’s the plan: we return to Orario, spend a day there — you settle in, unpack your rooms, all that. And from the next day — official vacation,” Alex replied, leaning his elbow on his knee.

The girls exchanged looks, not understanding why they needed that extra day at all. Alex sighed and continued:

“I have to build houses for everyone I’m taking with me. Even with the help of clones, it will take time. Plus, you’ll need to set up your rooms, too.”

“Why do we need rooms if we already sleep with you?” Shizuka asked in surprise, looking up at him.

“Shizuka, you’re such a silly,” Rika snorted, kicking her under the table. “These will be our PERSONAL rooms, with our stuff, our own corners where we can do hobbies or just be alone. Of course, we’ll still sleep with Alex. But do you want to cram all your things into one closet again?”

“You should’ve just said that right away,” Shizuka mumbled, poking Rika with her foot.

The girls finally understood why they needed personal rooms. Alex even gave Becka as an example — she had her own room, which looked more like a weapon storage than a bedroom. Becka just shrugged — she never denied it. Even though she had her own corner in Alex’s workshop, that didn’t stop her from dragging weapons to her room and taking them apart there.

Now her thoughts were occupied with something else: how she would tease Hestia, since now she had a daughter before the “busty goddess.” Alex, unlike her, was thinking about something else — he was eagerly awaiting the moment he’d see his family again. Though from their perspective not much time had passed, for him months had gone by, and he truly missed them.

He also didn’t forget that once back in Orario, he’d need to update the rings of Ryuu, Hestia, Loki, Hephaestus, Freya, Gloria, Lucina, and Kiwi — so they could come to him anytime without waiting for him to return himself.

Alex clearly understood that once they returned, a lot of work would begin. But being himself, he decided to do the same as in Brunhilde’s world — use clones to handle his duties while he finally goes on vacation with his family.

There were still a few hours left before the departure. Alex and the girls were simply chatting about everything related to the vacation. The girls eagerly shared ideas about where they wanted to go — after all, since it was a vacation, they wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.

Besides that, everyone was curious about one question: which schools would Alex attend after the vacation? Despite their interest, he decided not to open the envelopes with the letters himself — he wanted it to be a surprise.

Alex watched the girls as they chatted, joked, and made plans. His family had grown — and he was only happy about that. Glancing at GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, he smirked, thinking that once they returned to Orario, those three would definitely brag about how they helped save two worlds.

He also looked at Nobuna. She was literally trembling with impatience — her thirst for adventure was bursting out. If it weren’t for the restraining looks from Nagahide and Katsuie, she would have already been running back and forth in anticipation of the departure. Alice and Nobukatsu were also excited: new worlds, new places — a chance to see what they had only dreamed about before.

“Alex, it’s time. Everyone’s already gathered,” Brunhilda said, glancing at the clock.

“Finally! I’m tired of waiting! Wait for us, Orario — city of adventurers and dungeons! Here we come!” Nobuna shouted, jumping off her chair.

“Ah, here we go,” Namiyo sighed with a bit of sadness. “I even got attached to this house… But it doesn’t matter. Our home is where our family is. Right, Alex?”

“You’re right, Namiyo,” he nodded. “Now, girls, it’s time to go. This is the last time you see this world. So let’s make it… beautiful.”

“What are you already planning?” Rei squinted suspiciously at him.

Alex just smiled mysteriously and stepped outside. The girls exchanged looks, then took Nyaruko, Jinx, and Anya in their arms and followed him.

He stopped in front of the house they had lived in all this time. It would be silly to lie — he really liked this house. But everything had its time. Besides, he had already taken the aircraft carrier with him — there was no way he was going to leave such a ship behind in this world.

Taking a deep breath, Alex slapped his palm against the ground. The house began to change. Right before their eyes, it transformed into a huge tree covered with pink petals. They slowly started to fall, as if saying goodbye. The girls held their breath, watching this magical sight.

Alex, however, didn’t mention that this was happening not only here. In every place where the Red Markers had once been, the same trees were now growing, as if cleansing the land of corruption.

After admiring the tree for a couple more minutes, Alex and his companions headed to the meeting point. He didn’t want to give any farewell speeches. Let these people continue living their lives — without depending on him.

Everyone was already gathered in the open space. Alex immediately noticed: there really were many people. Alice and Nobukatsu were already cheerfully chatting with Honoka and Malka. Among others, he spotted Kisara and Kaname with their companions. Even those like Takada and Ukita were here.

He looked around to make sure no one was left behind. The Sun-Voo clan led by Seol was present. Lehm and his team were here. Even the Ryodzanpaku dojo had arrived in full force: Ryuu, Ken, Jin, and others were ready to follow Alex.

Finally, he shifted his gaze to Takashi. He looked noticeably nervous, waiting for his meeting with Gloria. Yuki stood beside him, holding his hand and offering support.

“What’s taking so long?!” Kensay’s voice rang out. “We’re all gathered here already! Come on, do whatever you’re doing — open the passage! I can’t wait to meet the girls from the fantasy worlds… elves, those pointy-eared ones, magical girls… he-he-he…”

“Oh, Dad… you’d better keep quiet,” Renka muttered tiredly, looking at him with sympathy.

The others also looked at Kensay — some with pity, others with clear mockery. But among them was one person who wasn’t laughing at all — his own wife, Ju Ma. She looked at her husband with such bloodthirst that the air around her seemed to sparkle with fury.

Kensay, lost in fantasies about the girls with ears, completely forgot who was standing next to him. Feeling the dangerous aura, he slowly turned his head like a robot… and met his wife’s bloodshot eyes.

He didn’t manage to say a word — the next moment Ju Ma’s fist slammed into his face with such force that he was knocked out on the spot.

Renka’s brothers wasted no time and, with obvious practiced skill, tied up their father, turning him into a mummy in seconds. Apparently, this had become a routine procedure for them. The others just shook their heads and laughed. Kensay just never learns to keep his mouth shut — that’s all.

“All right, since everyone’s ready… It’s time to go,” Alex said with a grin, summoning Yamato.

“Wait… Your sword can open portals even to other worlds?! I thought you used magic, pentagrams, scrolls, and all that…” Soap stared at him in surprise.

“You don’t even know half of what Yamato can do,” Alex smirked. “Now, step back, I’m opening the portal.”

Everyone stepped back. Alex swung the blade twice, cutting through the air, and a wide portal opened before them, large enough for the entire group to pass through easily.

Alex was the first to step into the shining vortex, followed by the girls.

On the other side, they found themselves in a dense, green forest — a familiar place where his journey had once begun. The girls followed him out and started looking around. Everyone was curious why Alex had opened the portal in the forest instead of somewhere else, or even directly in Orario.

“This is my favorite forest, I even missed it…” Alex murmured, gazing at the trees. “I opened the portal here on purpose. I didn’t want to do it right in the city — I’ve got enough headaches as it is. Can you imagine if everyone started asking questions or, worse, panicking?”

“Ha, that’s classic. The main hero ends up in a fantasy world and finds himself in a forest! Where’s the starter tree, though?” Kouta smirked, surveying the area.

“A forest is a forest. Except the air here is way cleaner than back home,” Hayato noted, taking a deep breath.

“Well then, my dears, welcome to the new world!” Alex declared ceremoniously, drawing everyone’s attention. “From here, our path leads to Orario. Once there, I’ll tell you everything and show you around.”

“Do we really have to walk?” Ada drawled. “There are cars…”

“I’d love to, but… no,” Alex rolled his eyes. “I don’t need gods banging on the door yelling, ‘Get me a ride, brother!’ Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

“Makes sense,” Claire smirked. “Then lead the way. Besides you and Becca, no one else knows their way around here, so be kind and show us the road.”

Alex nodded and led the group forward. They had to go through the forest — the walk wouldn’t take long, about ten minutes. Then, a similar stroll along the road leading to Orario. A perfect chance to look around, breathe fresh air, and feel the start of a new life.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep