After Sero forced Luna to clean up and change into more modest clothing, he sat on one of the sofas across from her, silently thinking to himself. He had tried contacting Aphiel to no avail, which was surprising since she had been active during his match against Liam. Speaking of, Sero didn’t know what happened after the match, since he immediately went to go see his father.
Apparently, before coming to the hospital as well, Gregor had moved quickly after he heard news of Tiero’s death, stepping up to represent Sero. The gesture was both helpful and problematic, as now people within and beyond the 25th zone were aware that the S-rank Conqueror had some sort of connection with Sero.
Defeating Elena immediately granted Sero the right to take the S-rank trial, but defeating Liam soon after pretty much acknowledged him as an S-rank already. Gregor neither denied nor accepted the title on behalf of Sero, stating that it was up to him if he wanted it. There wasn’t a reason not to, so he accepted the title half-heartedly.
Regarding the aftermath of the match, it seemed as though exhausting Liam’s resources took a greater toll on the Demonic Enforcer than Sero thought, causing the former to be moved to a much more sophisticated medical institution for recovery. Gregor had dealt with the medics who were inquiring about Sero, stating that he was under his private care; this statement also came with its own set of mixed reactions.
Later, Sero was to attend the official victory ceremony for the tournament, but he knew he’d had to stay low for a little while until the public wouldn’t be suspicious of his almost instantaneous recovery due to the Cat Paradox. Thankfully, Gregor managed to secure two to three days for Sero to take some time to himself.
As for the appearance of Culling members, Sero was still hesitant to reveal what had happened the night before, as if wanting to have all the pieces of information before sharing it with Amaya and the others. That was all without figuring out how to tell them about Luna as well.
The succubus fidgeted uncomfortably, tugging at the sleeves of her black top. Her eyes shifted from Sero to the cans of unopened alcohol on the table between them, as if thirsting for them. He hadn’t realized how long he sat there without saying a word and leaned back with a sigh.
"So, it seems like you were somewhat truthful. You really did assimilate with humans."
Luna blushed, directing her gaze away. If Sero didn’t know any better, he’d have thought she was a normal human. But the seductive magic radiating off of her was too obvious to overlook.
"Your kind has such nice things that I’ve never seen before," the succubus admitted. "It’s a nice change of pace from my world."
"Your world?" Sero leaned forward. "What do you mean by that?"
Luna tilted her head curiously, as if she didn’t believe Sero was serious in his question. Although he knew she didn’t do it on purpose, her action sent waves of allure and attraction towards him, but it was quickly negated by his Rationality. Sero twitched with surprise as his body buzzed, copying the ‘Charm’ skill. Was he able to copy skills from non-Ascendants as well?
"Umm…" the succubus began, jolting Sero out of his thoughts. "I know that what you guys call an ‘outbreak’ is really just a portal that opens between different realms."
"So… it’s like an invasion? These outbreaks aren’t generated randomly?"
"I don’t– I’m not sure what you mean by that, but no, I don’t believe so. Entire worlds and dimensions exist far beyond even what I can imagine."
Sero frowned. He had always thought the monster outbreaks were kind of like a dungeon simulator, like in a game. But Luna’s explanation made it seem like these portals were connecting his world to others that actually existed outside his reality.
He conjured a playing card, throwing it to explode Sting into existence. Luna gave a small yelp of surprise at the unexpected action.
"Master," the Joker bowed her head in greeting. "How may I assist you?"
"Sting, this is Luna. Luna, this is Sting, my Joker," Sero briefly introduced them. "I have a question for you. You said you were part of the Cardian race, right?"
"Yes, Master," Sting affirmed, giving Luna a wary glance.
"Are the Cardians… do they exist in a different world?"
Sting turned to Sero, thinking for a moment. "I do not understand exactly what you are asking, but to explain it simply, my race does indeed exist in a separate realm from this one." She glanced around the penthouse. "Although the world I came from does not include these structures and society that I see here."
"Ok," Sero grunted, rubbing his temples. "So, let me get this straight. The both of you come from somewhere not here, and it turns out you guys existed long before the apocalypse happened."
Both women nodded, wondering where Sero was going with this.
"Do you guys know why you were suddenly able to just come over here? And were you aware of my world before crossing over?"
"No, Master," Sting shook her head, but Luna leaned forward with a contemplative expression.
"I don’t know why I was able to come over here, but I can say that I was aware of your world. My mistress, the queen, was able to send a few of our kind over to your world every so often, but never en masse until that day. I recall learning that a being referred to as a ‘Catastrophe’ visited the queen and granted her the ability to force a connection between my world and yours for a period of time."
At the mention of the word Catastrophe, Sero’s body involuntarily shivered, but he didn’t know why. All he knew about it was what Amaya had said about the Culling’s plans to invoke a catastrophe, which were beginning to line up with Luna’s words.
"So, what’s a Catastrophe?"
"Supposedly a being of unimaginable power. It was a rumor we heard about, but hearing it from that woman over there seems to make it real." A familiar voice spoke behind Sero.
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Whirling around, he saw Kit standing there, her arms folded with a slight look of annoyance and jealousy on her face. Luna gave a small whimper of fear as Sting bowed her head in greeting.
"I came to check up on you and maybe cheer you up, but it seems like you’ve already found yourself something new to look at," the Paradox narrowed her eyes, glancing at Sting then at Luna. "Having fun here?"
"No, this isn’t– Sting’s literally my familiar– How’d you even get inside?" Sero stammered, caught off guard by Kit’s sudden appearance.
"Cat Paradox." Kit smiled, but there was a dangerous glint in her mismatched eyes.
"That never explains anything," Sero vigorously waved a hand. "Wait, that’s not the issue here. Luna is–"
A knock on the door interrupted him. Kit raised an accusing eyebrow before turning and opening his door, revealing Amaya.
"You called another one over?" The Paradox looked back at Sero, her smile devoid of warmth.
"No, I just– What the hell is happening?"
"Your text explained nothing to me!" Amaya barged in, immediately taking note of the other three women. Though taken aback, the liaison composed herself, shooting Sero an irritated look. "What do you mean by ‘Hey, I’m in my room now, good luck with the crowd, see you later’? Do you know how difficult it was to explain to them why I just pulled up to your place by myself?"
Sero opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Faced with the gazes of four women, he wasn’t exactly sure what he could say in this situation.
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After calming Kit and Amaya down, Sero explained everything in detail, starting with his first encounter with Luna, to fighting the two members of Culling, to learning the true nature of the monster outbreaks and the Catastrophe. He noticed Luna tearing up as he briefly mentioned his father’s passing, comforted that the succubus felt sympathy for him.
Sero sat on the couch near the entrance to his bedroom, Luna on the sofa to his left, Kit and Amaya on separate reclining chairs in front of him. Sting had been dismissed, hopefully to appease Kit’s strange jealousy.
As he finished, Sero carefully watched Kit and Amaya’s expressions. While Kit continued to maintain a scarily calm demeanor, it seemed as though she understood the situation. Amaya was not as composed, expressing concern and shock upon hearing Sero’s encounters.
"So, yeah, that’s pretty much it."
"This… isn’t good," Amaya chewed on the nail of her thumb. She glanced over at Luna, who had been watching them with a timid look. "We expected Culling to act during the tournament, like within the vicinity. But being active outside of the tournament? Was the information we were given wrong?"
"Well, I'm just glad you're safe," Kit sighed, her annoyance finally leaving her. "It seems like you're always going through something or another."
Sero smiled wryly. "Yeah, well... guess I'm used to it." He glanced at Luna again, then back at Amaya. "So, what are we going to do about this? I mean, we can't exactly keep this under wraps anymore, right?"
"No, we can't," The Spellblade shook her head. "I'll inform Gregor and the others about this. Meanwhile, I guess you make sure that Luna is safe. Culling went after once, but there's no guarantee they'll just stop pursuing her." Amaya glanced at the succubus.
"I can take care of myself, you know," Luna protested weakly, but no one paid her any mind.
Kit glanced at the ceiling, as if lost in thought. "Hmm... I have an idea. There's a place not too far from here, an inn that's run by a friend of mine. It's secluded and well hidden, perfect for someone like Luna to stay in. I can put in a word for her, make sure she's safe there." She turned to look at Luna, her mismatched eyes narrowing. "You'll stay there until we can figure things out, understand?"
"Wait, what's wrong with Sero's place?" Luna gave a small pout.
"It's not that it's wrong, exactly," Kit explained, a flash of rage briefly flickering in her eyes. "It's just that, with the two of you together, it's not as secure as it should be. You'd be safer at the inn. Trust me."
"I don't want to. This place has such nice rooms and amenities, something I never had in my world," Luna folded her arms and sat back on the couch. Sero was reminded of a stubborn child throwing a tantrum. "Besides, I learned that his place just gives out free food."
"Wait-" Sero jerked his attention to the succubus. "What free food?"
"I think she's talking about our deal," Amaya interjected. "You know, where the association will pay for your meals for a whole month."
"It's already in effect?" Sero turned to Amaya and then back to Luna with a look of disbelief. "You've been leeching off my hard work?"
"Oh, come on, Sero," Luna whined. "You're the one who wanted me to come here. And I haven't been leeching, I'm planning to pay you back for the gold, after all." She gave him a pouty expression. "Besides, you like having me around. You said so yourself."
"My little bookworm said that?" Sero didn't need to look at Kit to know how she was feeling. He could sense the murderous aura radiating off of her.
"I never said that!" Sero hissed. "Don't just say things without context!"
Kit snorted. "Oh, please. Like anyone would believe that."
"No, I actually never- Ugh, whatever, that's not the point," Sero scowled. "Ok, here's the plan. Luna will stay here with me since I also have to lay low before the tournament victory ceremony. Amaya, you catch up with Gregor and the others."
"Very well," The Spellblade nodded, relieved to be left out of the tension. "I'll inform them and see if we can set up a meeting. We'll figure out something to do about Culling." With that, she turned to leave the room, heading toward the door. "Take care of each other," she said over her shoulder before quickly disappearing out into the hallway.
Sero wished that Amaya had stayed for a little longer as he shifted uncomfortably under the scathing gaze from Kit.
"S-so Kit, do you have anything to do-"
"I'm staying here, too."
Kit's words were cold and calm, her mismatched eyes unblinking as she stared at Sero. There was a quiet intensity about her that made it clear she meant business. Luna, sensing the sudden shift in the air, tensed up, her eyes darting nervously between Sero and Kit.
"Uh, why?"
"To keep an eye on you. In case you try to do anything with Luna."
"Me? Why would I try to do anything with her?" Sero protested, confused by Kit's attitude.
"Oh, come on, Sero," Luna butted in. "You can't be that dense. Kit's jealous. She thinks you're into me."
"I'm into all women!" Sero exclaimed, immediately realizing how that sounded. He forced his embarrassment down. "Besides, why would you be jealous, Kit? You're absolutely stunning."
Kit stared at him for a moment. Finally, she sighed, her shoulders dropping as she gave him an apologetic smile.
"I know I am, Sero. I'm just a little protective of you because you're so... innocent."
Sero blinked. "Pardon?"
Kit got up and walked over to him, cupping his face between her hands. "You act like you're a flirt, but I can tell you don't have any real experience."
"That's... actually pretty true," Sero admitted with a nervous chuckle. "I mean, I've never been in a relationship or anything."
"And that's the reason why I get so jealous. I worry that you might get taken away by someone who will treat you very badly," Kit squeezed his cheeks affectionately. "Or you might get hurt, or worse. You're too sweet for this world, Sero."
Sero opened his mouth, but blanked out. He hadn't expected Kit to say that. Honestly, he always thought she did like him in a romantic way, but he knew now that she was just worried about him. Almost like an older sister.
"Kit... thank you," he finally managed to say. "I mean, you don't have to worry about me. I'm not going to get hurt or anything. And I promise I'll take care of Luna, too." He paused, his cheeks feeling warm. "I appreciate your concern, but I think you're overestimating my innocence. I'm not as sheltered as I seem."
The Paradox giggled, swooping him into her arms and hugging him tightly. "It's the things you say that only prove I'm right about you being innocent."