The old man didn't move or speak.
Silently he watched Alexander with eyes like a father would a son; gently, he let the red bloody magic aura assault his body; although it did no damage, he was a god, and Alex was a mere ant.
But it allowed him to feel Alexander's emotions, his deep affection and changes since the last time they met. While Stella was slowly growing on him, he still felt Vesta and the women around him to be mere tools, only truly caring for Sarah and Amy.
"Good... I am glad... You're growing so much... She would be so happy to see you...." His old voice whispered as the anger in Alex calmed down.
Alex realised this old man was not his enemy; his words and everything he said were never lying or to make him angry for no reason.
He looked deeply at the man standing opposite him, accepting his anger. Not a single moment did his face show displeasure or anger in return; it caused Alex to feel strange.
"Forgive me, old man..."
"Kayne, that is my name. You may use my name, Alexander."
Kayne looked at him with a serene look before he waved his hands, creating two more chairs as the others were crushed into pieces by Alexander's outburst.
"To think you now have such deep affection for a girl you only just turned into a Vesta; I am extremely impressed at your growth."
"Ah... It's thanks to you for opening my eyes... I know you helped back then... when I almost lost Samantha."
"Hahaha..." Kayne laughed as his head shook, "Alexander, that is because you finally prayed for my help; I could feel your changes and wanted to give you even a little hope."
"Like Paolo?"
"No, Alex... Paolo's improvement and blessing were all YOU! His faith in you, the help you gave him and hope... I merely took the lock off the door, and you helped him step forward."
The pair began to laugh; Alex was happy that the old man wouldn't abandon Paolo for his changes, another load off his mind as they slowly began to return to the topic.
"So, if I don't help... What is the probability of their death?"
"100%" Kayne's cold voice sounded as he looked towards Alex with a severe but honest gaze.
"Then, if I help? The chance they might live?"
"30% at most."
"!!!"
Alex's eyes widened; only 30% caused his heart to palpitate.
Would those cute women, the beautiful princess, the sexy knight order, and their silver-haired beauty all die, even if he helped only a tiny chance to save them!?
'How do I respond to this? What does he want from me... I am not a hero... Just an obsessive man that is addicted to sex...!'
"Alexander, I don't need you to become a hero." Kayne stopped for a moment, his head resting on his palm as he watched the young man panic, feel fear, then switch to anger, frustration and desperation to think of how to save them, a smile coming to his face.
"Become the villain; use any means possible. What matters if you lose many to save your important few?"
"Eh!? Shouldn't you believe the opposite?"
"Perhaps... But if many truly worshipped and followed my daughter's teachings, this would never have happened... Well, it can't be helped that bitch is involved too, but only those worthy of being saved will gather around you."
"So, for the rest? Fuck them... use them as sex toys, disposable banshees. I don't care."
His eyes became dark, a violent and fierce glare in his eyes as they narrowed.
"That bastard makes my cute daughter cry; she wails at night, unable to sleep, worried for the little ants that dared abandon her! As they die like dogs, she still weeps for them! My gentle and loving Sapphira! I won't let anyone who makes her cry die an easy death!"
'Wow... I can feel his deep love... Let's make sure to treat her right after I bang her.'
Alex felt a significant pressure on his body, almost crushing his soul as the old man's voice seemed to envelop the entire void; large storms of weird colours and flashes of light began forming in giant whirlpools.
"Alex, my daughter chose you, and I won't get involved in your business."
"I will not intervene in what you might do. Those thoughts are stupid! But if you make her cry or abandon her."
"I will fight even YOU, my favourite, to the end. "
"Understood?"
Kayne's body quickly returned to normal, as if this warning allowed him to calm down; watching the stupid handsome kid who charmed his daughter sweating and looking terrified was enough to amuse him.
"I understand... Old man Kayne is crazy..."
"Ahem! Now... The quest."
Alex sat up, feeling cold sweat dripping down his back as he wondered why saving a world he wouldn't see again after finishing was so important.
"There are many reasons why it's important... Let me tell you a secret... About the invasion that's currently happening in your home world... I have little time, so let me keep it brief..."
Kayne sat forward, his hand swiping the air, as the image of Alexander's planet appeared before the end.
"First is stage one; we call it The First Wave, named The Invasion."
"You seem to think this is the Apocalypse, but this is just the appetiser, not even a soup, more like the bread rolls. Those monsters have only one purpose, to destroy human souls and allow their bodies to become hosts to others from different worlds."
A black flash of light struck the world; Alex watched as he saw what happened to his planet from above after that voice appeared.
Huge green parts of the map turned black as if rotten, the massive bodies of water shrank, revealing new land, and the entire words map changed in less than 12 hours, but nobody realised the planet grew more prominent as if by magic!
It wasn't just humanity; the plants, animals and fish... Everything was changing as the planet was now twice its former size.
He was about to ask why it seemed the same, then saw significant barrier-like things around most cities. However, the villages and towns were in shambles, small communities now miles apart despite being a few hundred metres before.
'Oh my god...'
"These are the last moments of the First of Five Waves..."
"You may have noticed, but the zombies grow slower; they rarely mutate in the past month or so, right? This is because there are limits to the power other gods can exert on a world."
"But if that's true, what about our god!? Where are they?"
Alex wasn't a religious man, but there were countless gods and beliefs in his world; it was hard to accept they all went packing somewhere on this specific day!
Kayne looked at Alex with a bitter look, unable to even tell him the truth as he clenched his fists, "She... The goddess of your planet was judged to be unfit... and is currently locked away in the deepest depths of the abyss... until the abyss shatters, or she serves her sentence."
"What!? You guys can go to jail?"
"Normally it's impossible... but she committed a taboo... That's why Alexander, unless you become at least a demi-god, don't sleep with a goddess... neither of you will come out unscathed..."
His words were too grand for Alex; he was already satisfied with ordinary human women, and the fact vampires and werewolves existed was a big step; any further, and he might be sucked dry, but he kept the warning in the back of his mind, wondering if this goddess copulated with a mortal too.
"Next is the Second Wave, known as The Outbreak."
He looked towards Alex with a sorrowful look as if knowing what suffering and struggles were ahead for the young man.
"This is the answer to the strange oddity... Once the second wave starts, the zombies and mutants will no longer be restricted... They will level at the same rate, if not faster than humans..."
"Not all is bad, as it also includes dark races like werewolves and vampires too, even you ghouls... but not only will they improve faster... the millions or billions of zombies sealed outside those barriers will flood the cities."
"Chaos, death... extinction of more than 80% of humanity."
"Fuck me...." Alex uttered as he realised the old man's words were terrible news for him... But suddenly, many things made sense, why he was so low on the local power scale, despite being so strong... They are not counted... the strong mutants and zombies are NOT inside the zone to be added...
"Now then... The reason why this quest is so important..."
"Wave Three."
"The Merging..."
"Should you survive the second wave, the third stage will begin between 2 and 6 months. All worlds that a member of your race touched during the first two waves will begin to fuse with this one. Dimensional quests are to worlds that will merge with your world in the third wave."
"Then!?" Alex almost shouted excitedly, realising this old man never did him dirty!
"Yes... in as little as 3 months, or as late as 7 months, all the women that survive in this world will join you in reality. Not to mention as it's my daughter's world... If you help me with this, I will ensure all women and men related to you are teleported to your area when the merging happens."
"Can you do that? Won't it cause trouble?"
"Ah... It will, but it's the least I can do for a young man risking his life for my daughter's happiness..."
"But it is not all good; it also means magical beasts, monsters... orcs, goblins.... dragons... all sorts of evil and foul beasts will start to appear."
Alex nodded and accepted his words; now, the quest he wanted him to do wasn't so one-sided and useless for him.
"I cannot give you much information about the fourth wave, The Evolution, as it would break too many rules and might cause a premature advancing of the waves by the other gods that seek to usurp your world."
"Finally. The last wave... Haha, you believe the Apocalypse to have begun now... however, the true Apocalypse happens upon the fifth wave... Named only "The Apocalypse Begins."
Alex leaned back, watching the severe face of Kayne, feeling he was being a bit silly. Weren't all those waves sounding like the end of the world as he knew it? What is so unique about the fifth and final wave?
"I know your thoughts and what you are thinking..."
"Alex... Sigh..."
"When the fifth wave happens, all defences of your world will be gone, demons, invading deities, mythological monsters of a world-ending level... They will begin to assault your world earnestly, all to take it as their own. Those who surrender to the new gods, transformed and mutated into mindless slaves..."
"But those that fight..."
"..."
"Eternal torment and suffering... Even death will not be allowed..."
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