Only when Alex disappeared from the deck, casually slinging the girl over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, did everyone finally snap out of their shock. The mere fact that he had found her inside the belly of a giant Kraken—the very creature that had dragged him underwater—was already unbelievable. Everything had happened so quickly that no one had fully grasped what was going on—not even Alice, Honoka, and Malka, whom Alex had pushed aside. They hadn't even had time to be scared before it was all over.
Meanwhile, Shizuka was examining the three young girls, checking for any signs of injury or distress. To her surprise, they were completely unharmed, aside from the stunned expressions on their faces. The rest of the group moved to the edge of the deck to look down at the Kraken's massive carcass, now floating on the surface.
The sight was truly awe-inspiring. Now, everyone understood why Kota had called the creature legendary. A being of such size was something they had only seen in movies, yet here they were, staring at a real-life Kraken.
"Holy hell, that thing is enormous. How the hell did he even manage to kill it?" Revy muttered, studying the massive body of the beast.
"I'd be more surprised if he hadn't," Balalaika remarked calmly.
Everyone turned to look at her. She stood near the railing, a thin cigar between her lips, her coat draped loosely over her shoulders. Feeling their gazes, she simply shrugged.
The night before, she had a chance to talk with her old friend Yuriko and learn more about Alex. And honestly, what she heard had shaken her. It was hard to imagine someone so young being that organized in a world that was rapidly going to hell. He wasn't just keeping things under control—he had led people out of a collapsing country in search of safety, saving others along the way.
"So, what do we do with this thing?" Kiriko asked, doubtfully eyeing the Kraken's body. "Alex said it should be edible, but I'm not so sure…"
"What if it got that big because of the virus?" Shizuka frowned, glancing at the Kraken with visible disgust. "I wouldn't want to take any chances."
"We'll just do what Alex said—give a piece to GIR or MIMI for analysis and find out," Koko said nonchalantly.
Everyone nodded in agreement before shifting their attention to GIR, Stitch, and MIMI, who were already posing in front of the Kraken's carcass, snapping pictures from different angles. Even Alice, Honoka, and Malka had joined in on this impromptu photoshoot.
One question crossed everyone's mind: where did they even get a camera? And, more importantly, why would two robots need one? However, no one dared to ask out loud.
Brunhilde let out a heavy sigh and clapped her hands to get their attention. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch immediately ran over to her, latching onto the hem of her dress.
"Master Hayato, if it's not too much trouble, please bring a piece of this creature's flesh," she said calmly. "Let GIR and MIMI analyze it. If it's safe to eat, it will be a valuable addition to our supplies."
"Haha! One moment, young lady," Hayato replied with a grin.
With a swift motion, he leaped down toward the Kraken's carcass.
At that moment, Rebecca stifled a laugh. Brunhilde immediately shot her a sharp look, but Rebecca simply covered her mouth, trying not to burst into full laughter. When Brunhilde narrowed her eyes even further, Rebecca casually threw her hands behind her head and started whistling, though the smirk on her face gave her away completely.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding what was so funny.
The thing was, Brunhilde had long since stopped being a "young lady." Alex had once mentioned her true age—she was over 1,800 years old. Hearing herself called "young," Rebecca simply couldn't hold back her laughter.
Brunhilde shot her a look that promised a very interesting conversation later. But Rebecca just smirked, knowing she had a secret weapon—her husband. If things got dicey, she would just hide behind Alex while he convinced Brunhilde that she wasn't old.
Just then, Hayato returned, holding a large chunk of Kraken flesh.
"Here, I think this should be enough for analysis," he said, placing the meat on the deck.
"Thank you, Master Hayato," Brunhilde nodded. Then she turned to MIMI. "MIMI, can you check if it's edible?"
MIMI nodded, tore off a piece of Kraken flesh, and put it in her mouth for analysis. Standing nearby, Stitch stuck a finger in his mouth and drooled excessively. One paw clung to Brunhilde's dress while the other scratched his chin, as if in deep thought. A literal waterfall of saliva dripped from his mouth. He started tugging at Brunhilde's dress, looking up at her with pleading eyes.
"Mama, can I have some? Please? Please?" he begged, still pulling at her hem.
"Wait a little longer. And stop drooling everywhere—you're making a flood," Brunhilde said with a small smile.
Stitch nodded rapidly, hurriedly wiping his mouth, but the moment he did, a fresh wave of drool spilled down again.
The newcomers watching this scene were completely baffled. Their faces showed a mixture of shock and confusion. To put it mildly, they were stunned that the blue… dog?!—had just spoken. Some even pinched themselves, hoping this was just a dream.
Balalaika, deciding to take the rational approach, turned to Yuriko.
"What is that creature?"
But Yuriko didn't know much more than the others and simply repeated what she had heard from Alex and Rebecca. According to them, they had found Stitch after he escaped from some kind of laboratory.
Meanwhile, MIMI finished her analysis, and just as Alex had predicted, the Kraken's meat was indeed edible.
"Mama, this is safe to eat," she announced happily. "It's actually quite nutritious! Based on my analysis, this creature's body is quite old, but its meat is still fresh. It's likely an ancient descendant of other cephalopod species. From the data, the Kraken known in human history appeared and disappeared multiple times. But this time, it attacked Papa… and it won't be disappearing again."
As she spoke, MIMI nodded seriously.
"Got it. Thank you, MIMI," Brunhilde said, patting her on the head.
"Well, at least now we won't run out of food! Looks like we'll be eating this Kraken for a couple of years… or at least until it spoils," Rei remarked optimistically.
"We need to preserve as much of the meat as possible. At the very least, we won't have to worry about supplies," Saya nodded.
Everyone unanimously agreed that storing the meat was a good idea—but how? They were in the middle of the ocean, far from land, and butchering the carcass on the water wouldn't be easy.
However, one individual wasn't interested in discussions—he was interested in eating.
"Mama, can I have some now? Can I eat? Can I?" Stitch whined again, tugging impatiently at Brunhilde's dress.
Brunhilde let out a tired sigh and finally nodded.
The moment she gave permission, Stitch immediately pounced on the chunk of meat, sinking his teeth into it and greedily chewing. Within seconds, he had swallowed a massive piece, then let out a satisfied burp. Rubbing his bloated stomach, he flopped onto the deck with a blissful expression.
Rebecca couldn't hold back her laughter and affectionately ruffled Stitch's ears.
But despite this amusing scene, the main question remained unanswered—what to do with the Kraken's body?
"We need to figure out a way to butcher the meat, but doing it here, on the water, isn't very convenient," Valmet pointed out, snapping everyone out of their trance as they watched Stitch feast.
"We're relatively close to the Paracel Islands. Just a couple of hours, and we'll be there," Saya said, showing a tablet with the route map.
"So that means we're getting a vacation on an island? Awesome, I'm in!" Ada cheered.
"That means I get to wear a swimsuit and make my husband happy. I'm in too," Rika smirked.
Kiriko snorted and gave them a knowing look.
"Girls, aren't you forgetting something?"
Rika and Ada turned to her in sync.
"What exactly?"
"Oh, I don't know… maybe the zombie apocalypse? The evil corporation? The end of the world?" Kiriko listed, crossing her arms.
"It's fine," Rika waved dismissively.
The rest of the girls also thought that spending time on the beach would be a great way to unwind. Many of them wanted to step off the ship, even if only onto a sandy shore, to feel solid ground beneath their feet.
Brunhilde, tapping her chin thoughtfully, weighed the pros and cons. Butchering the Kraken and restocking supplies on the Paracel Islands was indeed a logical decision. Besides, some members of the team probably needed a break after everything they had been through.
"Then that's what we'll do. Master Hayato, if it's not too much trouble, could you help secure the Kraken's body?" she asked the man.
"Ho-ho-ho! No problem. I'll have my lazy friends lend a hand, and we'll have it done in no time," Hayato chuckled.
Brunhilde nodded in agreement. They quickly found a long rope to tie the sea monster's carcass to the aircraft carrier. Hayato, Akisame, Sasaki, and Apachai jumped down and began wrapping the Kraken to ensure they wouldn't lose it along the way.
Meanwhile, Brunhilde turned to GIR, MIMI, and Stitch.
"Change course. We're heading for the islands."
After assigning tasks to everyone, she was about to go find Alex to learn who he had discovered inside the Kraken's body. The others, however, had a completely different mindset—for them, Brunhilde's words meant a short vacation. They eagerly anticipated the chance to relax, fish, or simply sunbathe. After the storm, the weather was perfect.
The girls also began preparing for their arrival on the islands, dragging Miu along before she even realized what was happening. They decided to leave all matters concerning the unknown girl from the Kraken's stomach to Brunhilde and Alex—after all, they would explain everything later anyway.
With confident steps, Brunhilde made her way to the medical ward, nodding to the medics and scientists along the way. The scientists, by the way, had asked Alex to provide data on the virus, hoping to find a way to create a vaccine. But when they saw the mess of mutations, their shock knew no bounds.
Finally, she entered the room where Alex and the mysterious girl were. Thanks to her spiritual connection with Alex, Brunhilde already knew who she was.
And it was astonishing.
A girl from another world had somehow ended up here.
Shifting her gaze from Alex to the stranger, Brunhilde noticed that he was sitting in a chair, with Poseidon's trident resting next to him. Deciding not to touch on the topic of divine weapons for the moment, she focused on the girl lying on the medical bed.
Alex tore his gaze from Rory and, noticing Brunhilde, offered her a seat.
She pulled up a chair and sat down beside him, softly leaning her shoulder against his as if savoring that brief moment of rest just for the two of them, not counting the girl from another world who lay unconscious on the bed.
Alex glanced back at Rory.
Despite her 961 years, she appeared no older than a thirteen-year-old girl. She had ascended and become a living deity, imbued with incredible power. Her long, flowing black hair was styled with straight bangs, adorned with a black-and-red ribbon, and her deep crimson eyes were framed by a gothic dress with red frills. Black stockings with garters, scarlet boots, and, of course, her main weapon—a massive purple halberd she held effortlessly.
"And how long are you going to pretend to be unconscious, Rory Mercury?" Alex asked calmly.
At Alex's words, a faint smile appeared on the girl's face, and she opened her eyes. Slowly propping herself up, Rory met Alex's rainbow-colored gaze with her crimson eyes, completely ignoring Brunhilde.
"Seems like you figured me out. But how do you know my name?" she asked with a light smile.
"I know a lot of things. But the main question is: why are you in this world, the Reaper Rory?" Alex replied evenly.
"Oh, you even know my title… and that I'm not from this world. How unexpected," Rory said, inspecting Alex carefully, then turning her gaze to Brunhilde, her expression becoming more focused. "And judging by your aura, you and I are very alike. You carry the blessings of many gods… War, Love, Fertility, Family, Home, Fire, Blacksmithing, Illusions, Magic… I never thought one person could receive so many blessings from such different gods. And you..." Her eyes gleamed, "I didn't expect to meet a demigod in this world."
"Take it easy, girl, be more polite to our sister. She's twice your age," came a voice from behind.
Behind Alex and Brunhilde appeared Thrúd, along with the other nine Valkyries. They realized there was no point in hiding, so they all appeared together. Brunhilde merely cast a blank look at her sisters, silently reprimanding them for their sudden appearance.
Before she could say anything, Göll rushed to her and gave her a tight hug.
Rory, surprised, shifted her gaze from one girl to another, realizing she was standing before eleven demigoddesses, and it even impressed her.
As Alex listened to her words, he understood that Rory had noticed the blessings of Freya, Hestia, Hephaestus, and Loki. He glanced at Brunhilde, who silently nodded, confirming his suspicion.
Sighing, Alex realized there was no point in hiding the fact any longer. He then turned his gaze to the Valkyries, wondering why they had decided to appear now. Shouldn't they have stayed in his spiritual space?
Off to the side stood Göndul, who was silently exchanging words with Zhang Ya. When the latter materialized, Rory's eyes widened even further.
"This... unexpected," she mumbled, struggling to conceal her shock.
"Not so unexpected," Alex grinned, folding his arms across his chest. "After all, what's more surprising—seeing an apostle of Emroy in such a distant world, far from his will and influence?"
Then, he glanced at the Valkyries and Zhang Ya.
"Now, girls, you can go back. It's getting cramped in here."
"Heh, you're right about that," Rory replied with a slight smirk.
The Valkyries bid Brunhilde goodbye and vanished into Alex's spiritual space. Before leaving, however, Göndul gave him a quick kiss on the lips before dissolving.
Once the room emptied, Alex sighed, sensing the headache that was about to hit. Now he had to explain to the others who Rory was and what the hell she was doing inside the Kraken's stomach.
"Alright, now let's talk. Can you explain how you ended up in this world?" he asked, pulling out a cigarette.
"I don't know," Rory shrugged and spread her arms, adopting a carefree pose.
"How can you not know how you ended up in another world? You're an apostle, you're 961 years old... Wouldn't it have been logical to immediately find out what happened and try to return?" Brunhilde asked, irritated.
"But I really don't know," Rory shook her head. "I was just doing my job, as usual... and suddenly everything changed. In the blink of an eye, I was in an unfamiliar place. There were these strange, towering buildings all around, people everywhere. I didn't even have time to figure out what was happening when they started hunting me."
"Maybe you fell into a spatial rift or something like that..." Alex murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "How long have you been here?"
"No idea," Rory grinned predatorily. "I had to kill a lot of strange people in weird clothes before they finally caught me... After that, I don't remember anything."
"Give me your hand," Alex extended his palm.
"Why?" Rory squinted at him.
"I'll read your memories. Even if you don't remember, they're still imprinted on your soul. So stop wasting time—give me your hand."
Rory raised an eyebrow but still extended her hand to Alex. He simply touched her palm, and in the next moment, fragments of the girl's memories flashed before his eyes. Brunhilde, sensing the moment, immediately reestablished her spiritual connection with Alex to also peer into Rory's past.
The scene was exactly as she had described. The people hunting her were soldiers from the Evil Corporation, and Rory hadn't exaggerated when she said she had killed many of their fighters. She had wreaked bloody havoc, literally swimming in rivers of blood, until they finally caught her.
Alex continued watching and saw that she had been taken to some sort of research facility. Each time the scientists tried to take tissue, blood samples, or anything else from her, she caused massive bloodbaths, trying to escape. Eventually, they simply stopped trying, and no one bothered her again... they just put her into a deep sleep until she woke up one last time and managed to escape.
However, one memory made Alex frown — in it, he saw Wesker. Judging by how he fought Rory, he had quite impressive strength, even by this world's standards. But what amused Alex the most was the escape itself — she simply took a hostage, hijacked a boat, and then a Kraken attacked them and swallowed her.
"Well, that was definitely strange," Alex commented, releasing Rory's hand. "I'll say this now: even if your memories are blurry, they'll come back over time. Fortunately, you remained dangerous even after waking up, and they didn't manage to do anything to you."
"In what sense?" Rory frowned. "What were they planning to do with me?"
"To make it short, this world is pretty advanced in terms of technology. The people who captured you wanted to take samples of your tissue, blood, and other things to create more like you. Simply put, their goal was to make an army of Rory clones," Alex explained calmly.
Rory thought for a few seconds, then her gaze refocused on Alex.
"Alright, then who are you, and why are you in this world? Or are you here by accident too?"
"It's more complicated for me. I'm not here by accident — this is my job. You'll find out what exactly later. As for who I am... I'm a demon. More specifically, the very first demon. Literally the first one, created by the Creator of everything. And the girl next to me, as you've probably guessed, is a demigod — a Valkyrie, and she's also from another world," Alex said calmly.
Rory froze, staring at him with wide eyes. Her shock was hard to describe. At first, she thought Alex was just another apostle, like her, or at worst, a demigod. But the reality was far more overwhelming.
Alex, accustomed to such reactions, simply waited for the girl to process what she had heard. When she regained her composure, she immediately became interested in the current situation in the world. Alex didn't hold back on the details and explained everything: from the fact that two powerful beings were targeting this world, playing a secret chess game for control over this universe.
"Why this universe?" Rory frowned.
"Because it's special," Alex answered briefly.
He didn't go into details, as it wasn't necessary.
After finishing the conversation, Alex decided to check once more for any hidden injuries or soul problems Rory might have. However, he was surprised to find that she still maintained a faint connection with her god, Emroy, despite being in another universe.
Alex certainly wasn't planning on contacting Emroy to clarify the situation. His life already had enough gods getting on his nerves, and Emroy, being a spiritual entity with no fixed gender, could be anyone.
"Well, you're alright, and that's good," Alex finally said, looking into the girl's ruby eyes. "And here's my advice: don't say too much. Not a word about who you are, who I am, who Brunhild is, or everything you've seen here. People have enough problems, given the current situation, and you know very well how they might react if they found out the truth."
Rory smirked but nodded.
"As you say. But what are you going to tell the others?"
"I'll come up with some nonsense. All you need to do is nod and confirm my words. Leave the rest to me," Alex said, standing up from the chair and picking up the trident that was standing nearby.
Brunhilda nodded, confirming Alex's ability to spin a story. Rory got up from the couch, grabbed her halberd, and carelessly threw it over her shoulder. Alex, Brunhilda, and Rory left the medical area and headed upstairs.
As soon as they exited, all eyes immediately turned to Rory, who was holding the massive halberd on her shoulder. Now, in better lighting, the others were able to get a better look at her appearance, and the first impression proved to be misleading — she looked like a child.
Rory immediately understood what the others were thinking, and her smile took on a predatory, almost bloodthirsty tone. A few people involuntarily shuddered.
Alex, noticing this, placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair slightly to calm her down and prevent any unnecessary provocation. Rory raised an eyebrow, surprised by the gesture, but said nothing.
"Who is this girl? Or... child?" Lehm asked, getting straight to the point.
"First of all, she's not a child," Alex replied calmly. "Despite her appearance, she's over twenty, just like Rebecca."
He continued to pat Rory's head, mostly to prevent her from attacking Lehm for his careless words.
The others exchanged glances and nodded, accepting the explanation. If they compared height and build, Rory did indeed look young, much like Rebecca. Had they not known her, they might have mistaken her for a schoolgirl.
"So, who is she? And how did she end up in the Kraken's belly?" Takashi asked, noticing Alex's expression.
"To put it simply, she's just like me, Rebecca, and Brunhild," Alex answered.
Takashi immediately understood what he meant, glanced at Rory once more... and promptly received a sharp pinch at his waist from his girlfriend. He quickly turned his gaze away, and Alex just smirked, watching the scene unfold.
The others pondered Alex's words. They already knew how strong the trio was, and if Rory was indeed similar to them in any way, that explained a lot. Everyone had seen how easily Brunhild dealt with undead and demons, and Rebecca, despite her small stature, possessed immense strength.
"You mean she's as... special as you three?" R asked, seeking clarification. "Like a superhuman? Can she breathe fire? Or maybe she's incredibly smart? Or damn strong?"
"More like Rebecca. Strong, with good regeneration," Alex explained calmly.
"Well, that makes sense," R nodded. "They really are similar in some ways."
"So how did she end up inside that sea creature? Maybe now you'll answer that question?" Lehm exhaled a puff of smoke, squinting at Alex.
"As I said, she's just like us. The difference is that while we managed to stay hidden from the Corporation, she wasn't so lucky — they caught her. Then, as usual, they sent her to a secret laboratory, but she managed to escape. Took a hostage, hijacked a boat... but then her luck ran out. She ran into the Kraken, which swallowed her. Thanks to her regeneration, she survived... and now here she is," Alex casually pointed at Rory.
"Did you find out where this lab is?" asked Ghost, picking up on the key details.
"In the North Pacific," Alex replied. "The journey there isn't short, so it's unclear if we should visit it for now."
Everyone nodded, and now the question was: where to put Rory? However, almost simultaneously, all eyes turned to Alex. Since he had saved her, it was his responsibility to take care of this dangerous girl. After all, if she had escaped from the lab, she obviously had considerable strength. To avoid potential problems, an unspoken collective decision was made — Rory would remain under Alex's care.
Alex gave them a blank look, signaling that he wasn't going to argue. The important thing was that everyone bought into his story, and he wouldn't have to explain anything more. Rory glanced at the others, then back at Alex, in disbelief that anyone could seriously swallow such nonsense. Though, considering all the absurd things Alex sometimes did, they might actually believe that Rory had fallen from the sky.
Alex simply patted her head and gestured for her to follow him. After bidding farewell to the others, he, Brunhild, and Rory headed to the captain's bridge, where the other girls were waiting.
As soon as Alex opened the door, he was met with animated conversation and bustle.
"What did I miss?" he asked, drawing the girls' attention.
"Because of that monster you killed, we're heading to an island, and that means..." Renka smiled and gave him a sly wink. "Swimsuit time."
"Right, we need to look beautiful and sexy for our man," Rika added with a wide grin.
Alex raised an eyebrow but caught onto another word — "island." He glanced at Brunhild, waiting for an explanation.
"The stop at the island is necessary to process the Kraken's carcass and make use of it," she explained calmly.
Alex nodded, understanding that it made perfect sense. Meanwhile, the girls finally took notice of Rory, who was standing behind Alex and Brunhild. She casually held the massive halberd on her shoulder, which looked like it weighed a ton.
"Dear, could you introduce us to our new acquaintance?" Yuriko asked calmly.
"Of course. This is Rory Mercury," Alex introduced her.
He repeated the same story he had shared on the deck, explaining who Rory was. She squinted slightly as she watched him, becoming more curious about why he kept his identity hidden even from those close to him. Though, perhaps the reason lay in his absurd nature — after all, accepting the full truth about him would indeed be difficult.
When the girls heard what Rory had gone through in the Corporation's laboratories, they felt sympathy for her. The kindest of them were especially upset, wanting to comfort the newcomer, but Rory didn't seem particularly troubled by her past.
As the girls gathered, Alex went to his workshop, not forgetting to tell Rory where the weapon rack was.
"Don't leave the halberd lying around," he called over his shoulder.
Rory silently nodded, placed her weapon on the rack, and followed him.
Once Alex was in his workshop, he turned on his laptop and got to work. He decided to spend time creating new gear for the team, while also testing a few ideas. Magical symbols flared up in the air, and work began in earnest.
Rory grabbed a chair and sat beside him, watching carefully.
"What exactly are you doing?" she asked, trying to understand him better.
Alex calmly answered her questions, though he skillfully avoided some details. They spent several hours together, packing the finished armor into a box.
At that moment, the door opened, and Saeko appeared in the doorway.
"Alex, we're already near the island, we're waiting for you," she said.
"One second. Are you all ready?" Alex asked, moving the box of armor aside.
"Everyone's waiting for you," she replied with a smile, taking his hand.
Alex nodded and gestured for Rory to follow him.
When they left the workshop, he glanced out the window and saw the island approaching on the horizon.
"A whole day of rest… Not bad," Alex thought with a slight smirk.
But just in case, he sent a mana pulse toward the island to make sure no one would interfere with them.
To be continued...
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