Capítulo 96: "Chapter 96: Trust of the Group and Unveiling the Truth"
After Alex and Lucy arrived at the group's meeting point, Lucy sighed in relief, realizing that the hardest moments were behind them. Everything could have been much simpler if they were only chased by scavengers or mercenaries looking for an easy target. But in the end, even the police decided to get involved, complicating an already tense situation.
After parking the limousine, Lucy gave Alex a reproachful look. Her expression clearly conveyed that his jokes about his «luck,» which turned every mission into chaos, were no longer amusing to her. Nevertheless, she understood that he had done everything he could to handle the situation.
«At least he's right—being prepared means being armed,» Lucy thought, smiling involuntarily.
Getting out of the car, Alex held GIR by the head, as if afraid he might run off at any moment. When Lucy asked why he was doing that, Alex responded in his usual style, and she just shook her head, watching as he approached the group and began chatting cheerfully with Maine and the others. Maine praised him for successfully completing the mission, particularly noting how he protected Lucy and the limousine.
Lucy recalled how she had watched Alex through the side mirror during the chase. His incredible skills impressed her: not only did he catch up with a car going at full speed, but with a single move, he destroyed the pursuers.
«With abilities like that, it's clear how he managed to escape his organization. But if Gloria found him wounded and bleeding, he's probably not the only one who escaped,» Lucy suddenly realized, and her heart clenched with anxiety.
Of course, she couldn't even imagine that no such organization existed, and if there was one, it had only one member—Alex himself. Lucy glanced at his mask, which she hadn't taken seriously before. Now, in a calmer setting, she suddenly realized that this mask gave him something sinister, as if something wasn't quite right with the mind of the person wearing it.
A sudden sound made Lucy turn around—Kiwi had a gun pointed directly at Alex's face.
«Who the hell are you?» she asked sharply, without lowering her weapon.
Alex slowly turned his head to see the barrel of a gun right in front of his face. Barely containing himself, he reached for his katana, his gaze turning cold, and his face under the mask frowned. He couldn't understand what made Kiwi ask such a question, considering he had already explained who he was and where he came from. Or maybe she needed the explanation all over again?
«What's the meaning of this, Kiwi?» Alex asked quietly but with a threatening tone, gripping the hilt of his katana more tightly.
Without saying a word, Kiwi just cocked the gun. The tension in the air instantly escalated. Rebecca nervously placed her hand on her own gun, ready to intervene at any moment. The tension among the rest of the team was palpable, and Alex knew that if he didn't defuse the situation right now, it could end in bloodshed.
«Lower your weapon, immediately,» he commanded in a cold tone, not taking his eyes off Kiwi.
Everyone froze at the sharpness of his words, and even Kiwi hesitated for a moment, but she still didn't lower the gun.
«I'm not putting it down,» she said firmly. «Now tell me, who are you really?»
Alex shook his head and pointed at GIR.
«I'm talking about him.»
The group turned their surprised gazes to GIR. He had already transformed his arms into weapons, pointing them straight at Kiwi. His goofy expression had disappeared, and his eyes were glowing with a menacing red light.
Electric sparks ran along the railgun, and the tension in the air only grew stronger. Rebecca had already drawn her gun and was ready to intervene if the situation didn't resolve.
«The codex states that traitors must be eliminated,» GIR declared, not lowering his weapons.
Alex sighed, realizing that his companion still seemed to be following the Codex Astartes, which he had adopted as a guide for life.
«Forget about that codex for a minute. She's not the enemy,» Alex said, trying to regain control of the situation.
GIR froze for a moment, his software processing the new data. After a brief pause, he finally obeyed Alex's command, retracting his weapons and returning to his usual form—a funny robo-dog in a suit.
Alex turned back to Kiwi.
«What do you want to know?»
«Who are you?» she repeated, staring him down with determination.
Alex sighed wearily, took off his mask, and coldly locked eyes with Kiwi. Her body involuntarily trembled under his gaze. Not long ago, he had looked at her like a friend, but now his eyes showed only neutrality, even irritation. He couldn't understand what she was hoping to achieve by repeating the same question.
«If you need my full name, it's Alexander Valdigoad. Does that change anything?» he asked with a hint of sarcasm, raising an eyebrow.
Kiwi fell silent, and Alex could only shake his head. But the sight of the gun still pointed directly at him was starting to annoy him. He decided to take it away before Kiwi did something foolish. He had already stopped GIR once; if Kiwi decided to shoot, the second time might not go as smoothly, and he could launch an attack.
«Get that thing out of my face. You're not going to accomplish anything by pointing it at me. I already stopped GIR once, but the next time, he'll take action,» Alex said calmly but with a note of irritation, grabbing the barrel of the gun.
He easily pushed the gun down, despite Kiwi's attempts to resist. It felt to her as if her arms were being overpowered by an unstoppable force. She suddenly remembered how strong Alex was—from his mastery of martial arts to his raw physical power. When she had seen him flip a car with a single strike, she had been stunned. And then there was GIR—a true walking killing machine.
«If you wanted to ask something, you could've just asked. Shoving that thing in my face only pisses me off. Everyone who's ever threatened me has come to regret it. I haven't done anything to you because I consider you a friend,» Alex said, now clearly irritated.
Despite his frustration, Alex still saw Maine's crew as his friends. Sure, their work and past weren't exactly ideal, but they were the best people he knew in this city.
He walked over to his bike to change. As he passed Rebecca, he gently ruffled her hair to ease her tension. Then he took off his coat and carelessly tossed it onto the motorcycle seat. He turned around and noticed the silent group staring at him.
«For God's sake, what's with all of you? If you've got questions, ask them. Stop acting like indecisive virgins,» Alex said, clearly annoyed.
The group exchanged glances, obviously debating what to ask. Lucy and Rebecca's accounts of Alex's past were still a mystery to most of them.
«Why don't you have cyber implants? Not even the basic ones?» Kiwi suddenly asked.
Alex had long prepared an answer to this question. In a world where almost everything could be replaced or enhanced with technology, the absence of implants was indeed surprising. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly exhaled the smoke.
«First of all, I don't need them. Second, every implant is tied to the network in one way or another, and that leaves a trace. And if you don't leave a trace, it's like you don't exist,» he explained calmly, blowing out another cloud of smoke.
Alex didn't go into details. His blood was toxic to anything outside his body, and even an avatar of Nyarlathotep had been dissolved after contact with it. In this world, there simply wasn't a device capable of harming him.
External implants? Maybe, but they were useless. Even his bank account in the system appeared as an empty space—no name or data except for the actual amount of money.
«Then why are you so strong?» Dorio asked, clearly amazed by his abilities.
«I was born this way. I'm faster, stronger, smarter,» Alex answered with a shrug.
«You mean, you were grown in a lab or something?» Pilar asked incredulously.
Alex sighed, a flash of irritation crossing his face. What did «grown in a lab» even mean? He wasn't some kind of experiment like Homelander. He had been created in this life, but in his past one, he had been born a regular human.
«No, I was born like everyone else. Or do I need to give you a lesson on the birds and the bees?» Alex replied with clear annoyance.
Pilar looked embarrassed, and Rebecca, who had been tense, couldn't help but laugh, though she quickly fell silent when she noticed the others' stares.
«Any more questions?» Alex asked, looking around the group.
«What was that organization you were part of?» Maine finally asked, intrigued by Alex's past.
Alex rubbed his chin, debating whether to stick to his usual story. He didn't want to reveal too much—the more you say, the more likely your words could be used against you.
So, he decided to keep the details to himself, especially anything involving the gods or that old man who had tasked him with fixing timelines that threatened to destroy the universe.
«I can't tell you much. The less you know, the fewer targets you'll have on your backs,» Alex said calmly, trying to sense whether Nyarlathotep was watching them.
He wasn't going to wait for more questions. Right now, his main concern was changing clothes so he wouldn't stand out on cameras. Shedding his outerwear, he was left in just his pants.
The group couldn't help but stare at his bare back, where a fiery symbol tattoo was visible, seemingly radiating warmth. Rebecca, who had already seen the tattoo, looked at Alex's body again and almost drooled. She would never get tired of looking at him.
«Alex, is that tattoo a symbol of your organization?» Falco asked, voicing the group's shared curiosity.
Alex knew what they were talking about. The tattoo was the emblem of Hestia's family—his beloved goddess. He had never planned on removing this symbol, despite his strength and status. To him, Hestia was special, even though there were other girls in his life. She had always helped him control his fiery temper.
«No, it's not the organization's emblem. It's the symbol of the Greek goddess Hestia, the patron of home, family, and hearth,» Alex explained with a soft smile.
This answer offered a small glimpse into his inner world. Everyone understood that family and home meant a lot to Alex. However, they didn't know that despite his attachment to those close to him, he could turn anyone's life into a living hell if they threatened his family.
«Then tell us what your organization did,» Dorio dared to ask.
Alex pulled on a shirt and turned to the group.
«Simply put, when villain A shows up and gathers like-minded people to destroy the world, I step in and stop it,» Alex said, lighting a cigarette.
The group reacted cautiously to his words. For Lucy and Rebecca, it wasn't anything new—they had already heard about his past activities, though in less detail.
«Can you explain further?» Maine pressed.
Alex blew out a cloud of smoke.
«To put it briefly, before I met you guys, I was cleaning up the mess that hit the fan,» he added without diving into specifics.
«Lucy said you stopped some kind of crisis,» Dorio reminded him.
Alex exhaled smoke through his nose, deep in thought. The crisis he had prevented was far larger than they could imagine. Behind it was a being one could only encounter in the worst nightmares or insane paintings.
«Yeah, that's right. Imagine a group of people with immense power and influence. One of them decided humanity had stagnated and needed a push. What's the best motivation for development?» Alex asked, casting a fleeting glance at Kiwi.
Everyone pondered. In a world where cyber implants and violence had become the norm, finding the right answer wasn't so easy.
«War?» Kiwi hesitantly suggested.
«In a way, yes. But for a world like this, a regular war wouldn't be enough. You'd need an enemy that people would unite against, developing technology just to survive,» Alex flicked his cigarette away.
The answer raised even more questions. If this plan was meant to help development, why had Alex and his organization opposed it?
«If they wanted to help progress, why did you take them down?» Falco asked, rubbing his chin.
Alex squinted slightly.
«The idea sounded good on paper. But in reality, it was just the selfish desire of one fool who thought he was doing the right thing. The rest had their own selfish goals,» Alex replied, recalling Erebus' words.
Now they understood why Alex had to eliminate those he called villains. If their actions had truly been for humanity's benefit, they wouldn't have started a war to advance human development. Lucy had also mentioned why these villains decided to work together.
«So, it's true that someone from your organization's leadership was behind that group?» Kiwi asked, narrowing her eyes.
«Yeah, that's right, otherwise they wouldn't have even had the chance to act,» Alex responded with a shrug. He was already thinking about the apologies he'd owe if they ever found out who he really was.
«And what happened to those villains?» Dorio asked, watching Alex closely.
«They disappeared. No bodies, no records—nothing. Only memories remain in the minds of those who knew them. But chances are, even those memories are gone by now,» Alex said with cold certainty.
In reality, he had destroyed not only the bodies but the souls of those gods. The rest of Orario's residents only knew of their existence, but had no idea that they were gone forever. Only Alex's family and Ouranos, to whom Freya had revealed the truth, knew what had really happened.
Alex's words about absolute erasure, even from people's memories, sent chills through the group. The very thought that there was an organization capable of wiping out not just a person, but all memories of them, frightened them.
«And what are you going to do now?» Maine asked seriously, watching Alex intently.
«The same as before. Work with you guys. You're some of the few friends I have in this world. I'd be happy to tell you more, but it would only bring you trouble. And I don't want to lose my friends,» Alex said with a light smile.
Maine sighed in relief. Alex wasn't holding a grudge against Kiwi for her suspicions, and his willingness to share such dangerous information showed his trust. When he called them friends, it warmed their hearts. Maine laughed, clapping Alex on the shoulder, Pilar gave him a big thumbs up with a wide grin, and Falco nodded in respect.
Dorio gave Alex a pat on the back to help him relax. Kiwi, still embarrassed by her recent actions, remained silent. She had recently pointed a gun at him, trying to get the truth, but it turned out to be far heavier than she had anticipated.
«Oh, guys, you're making me blush,» Alex said with a playful grin.
Maine merely smirked and patted him on the shoulder again.
«Thanks for telling us about yourself. Maybe not everything, but we understand that you want to protect us,» Dorio said with a smile.
«It wasn't difficult. You've helped me too. You gave me a job and understand why I can't share more,» Alex replied with a grateful smile.
Dorio jokingly punched him on the shoulder, while Pilar placed his hands on Alex's shoulders and looked him in the eyes.
«I'm glad you consider me a friend. But I have a feeling we'll soon become closer than just friends,» Pilar said with a wide grin.
«Wait! First of all, I like girls. Secondly, I like girls. And thirdly, I still like girls,» Alex replied, pushing Pilar's hands away and stepping back a few paces.
The group laughed at their exchange, noticing Alex's pale face as he retreated from Pilar. Realizing that Alex had misunderstood him, Pilar also laughed.
«I like girls too. I meant your relationship with my sister,» Pilar clarified, holding back his laughter.
«Oh, if that's what you meant, then it's all good. But I can't help it—Rebecca loves me so much that I'm afraid she might kidnap me one day,» Alex said shyly, placing his hands on his cheeks.
He and Pilar laughed, but Rebecca, hearing this, first turned red, and then, noticing the joke about kidnapping, frowned. She rushed over and punched Pilar hard in the stomach, making him double over. Then she lightly shoved Alex in the stomach, her cheeks still flushed, and muttered,
«Idiot.»
Alex smiled at her cute behavior. He loved the embarrassed Rebecca just as much as her more mischievous side.
«Alright, guys, it's time to throw a party to celebrate the successful mission,» Maine cheerfully suggested, noticing the tension in the air dissipating.
Everyone agreed enthusiastically. Alex smiled, glad for a chance to relax. As he hopped on his bike, he hadn't even turned around when Rebecca was already sitting in front of him with GIR in her hands, while Lucy settled behind him, hugging him tightly. Alex was happy to ride with them but felt someone's gaze on him.
Turning around, he noticed Kiwi looking at him with some internal conflict. She clearly wanted to say something but didn't know how. Alex just smiled, signaling that he held no grudge against her.
«It seems Kiwi is starting to have feelings for you,» Rebecca teased, stroking GIR.
«I don't think so. She probably just realized she was wrong and now doesn't know how to apologize,» Alex replied.
Falco veered onto the road, and Alex followed him. After a while, they found themselves in a noisy club whose name Alex didn't even bother trying to remember—places like this weren't really his scene.
He had only agreed to come because the whole team was together.
Rebecca settled on Alex's lap, playfully swinging her legs while holding a cocktail.
Lucy sat next to him, leaning against him and petting GIR, who was also sipping something through a straw. Kiwi was nearby, clearly gearing up to discuss something with Alex but finding no opportunity.
Falco was peacefully sipping his drink, and Pilar lounged on the couch, his legs thrown over the table. Maine was sitting with Dorio, joking until someone contacted him through his comms, prompting him to stand up.
«Here comes our employer,» Maine said as he got up from the couch.
Alex followed his gaze and noticed the man he was heading toward. The man was slim, wearing a burgundy jacket and a white shirt, with black gloves on his hands, the most striking feature being his four eyes—three of which were in one socket.
As soon as Alex saw him, he felt a resemblance to Erebus, the one who always believed everything was under control until it turned out he was just a puppet. Alex frowned. This man evoked extreme displeasure in him.
«Who is that?» Alex asked the group.
«That's the Fixer we're working with. His name is Faraday,» Kiwi replied.
Alex kept his eyes on Faraday. The longer he looked, the more it seemed that he was facing yet another «know-it-all.» Lucy noticed Alex's frown.
«What's wrong?» she asked.
«Nothing. It's just that this Faraday reminds me of an idiot from a group of losers,» Alex replied disdainfully, diverting his gaze from Faraday, who was grimly talking to Maine.
The group exchanged glances, clearly intrigued.
«What do you mean?» Dorio asked, leaning in closer.
«His whole demeanor screams that he thinks he's in control. But people like him usually end up being clowns that others manipulate,» Alex explained calmly.
«It's better to keep your distance from him; otherwise, there will be more problems than benefits.»
Although the group was skeptical about Alex's words, they decided to trust him—after all, his job was to read people. Alex didn't push the topic further but mentally noted that if problems arose because of Faraday, he wouldn't hesitate to launch the guy straight into the sun.
After a while, Maine returned with a wide smile.
«Job's done,» he announced. «Although our client isn't too happy about all the noise, I think he'll get over it.»
Alex checked his account and saw that the money had come in—a pretty decent sum for what he considered an easy job. He looked at Maine and decided to warn him.
«Maine, don't trust Faraday too much. Just keep that in mind. I don't want to have to save your asses later,» Alex said.
Maine didn't quite understand but noticed the group nodding in agreement and decided to talk to Dorio about it privately later.
«Alright, guys, I'm heading home,» Alex said, stretching.
«I'm coming with you,» Rebecca chimed in happily, turning to him.
«You do remember I live with Gloria, right?» Alex reminded her, looking at her.
«That's fine; I'll just check in on her. I've missed her,» Rebecca smiled.
Alex shrugged and didn't refuse. Just as he was about to get up, Lucy grabbed his hand and said she wanted to check on Gloria too. Alex agreed with her as well.
«Bro, I'll be at Alex's today!» Rebecca shouted to Pilar, who had already wandered off somewhere.
«As soon as you found a guy, you ditched me, huh?» Pilar yelled back, but immediately got hit on the head with an empty bottle thrown by Rebecca out of embarrassment.
Alex shook his head and, after saying goodbye to everyone, led the girls to his motorcycle. He decided to ride fast, not wanting to waste time. It had been a fun day but rather mentally exhausting. Constantly lying about his identity and not getting mixed up in the story was quite the task.
Finally, they reached Gloria's apartment. Alex opened the door, and Gloria greeted him—disheveled and visibly distressed. As soon as she saw Alex, her face expressed both anger and shock.
«Why didn't you tell me you were the Demon King?!» she exclaimed, not noticing Rebecca and Lucy standing behind him.
Alex immediately realized that the goddesses had spilled his secret. It was definitely either Hestia or Loki—both were notorious gossipers. He mentally cursed and looked at Gloria, who was clearly ready to strangle him.
«Well, shit,» Alex thought, realizing he would have to deal with the fallout from this revelation.
He regretted introducing Gloria to the goddesses without revealing the truth about his identity beforehand. Now he had to face the consequences. Rebecca and Lucy, standing behind him, also heard Gloria's angry shout.
At that moment, Alex felt a strong urge to run far away—he had planned to tell her who he really was, but later, when she was used to him and their relationship. However, fate had other plans, and now Gloria, left alone with this truth, snapped the moment he stepped over the threshold.
She couldn't contain her emotions and shouted his secret, not even suspecting that two more girls were behind Alex.
To be continued...
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
GreedHunter
GreedHunter Another day and another chapter. I can't stand this translator anymore who decides on his own what signs to put in dialogues. As if two different people are translating. And about Gloria who revealed Alex's identity, why not. Enjoy reading!
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