Chapter 433 - 431:Upgrade.

Chapter 433: Chapter 431:Upgrade.

The carnage around me slowly quieted as the armada of pirates was swiftly and mercilessly destroyed. The girls having thoroughly enjoyed themselves, it seems, as,

"Boooo!!!! Where are the rest?" Khalifa booed as she appeared beside me. "Dante, spawn more pirates!"

"Huh? What’s wrong with your head now?"

"You’re the one with something wrong in his head!!" she snapped.

"Eyy? But if you don’t have anything wrong with your head, why would you think I was capable of spawning more pirates?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Humph! You have a knack for making enemies, so I just assumed if you breathed too loudly, some other pirates might take offense and appear." The woman even had the audacity to reply, and as if that wasn’t bad enough,

"Pfft... ahahahahahahahahahaha!!!" Sana’s smug laughter burst through my mind unhinged.

"She’s absolutely right. You’re so insufferable that merely breathing sounds like an arrogant act that rubs people the wrong way. Go on, breathe loudly, I want to see if you can really spawn more pirates." Her sneering voice and words were irksome, to say the least.

Here I was, feeling proud of them, yet Khalifa was more bothered about me spawning more pirates.

"Humph!" I snorted, turning my head away as I focused on the stunned Max before me.

"So..."

Grab!

"Hmm?" I turned as I felt the soft body pressing against my side.

"Hey! Are you... mad?" Khalifa’s face was only inches from mine as she strained on her toes, not minding the fact that she was floating in space, trying to get closer to me.

"Humph!" I merely snorted and turned away, feigning anger.

"Hey... I was just kidding. You know that, right?"

Silence.

"Hey... hey... don’t be upset. I was just kidding, I promise."

...

...

"I don’t believe you, humph! You just called me insufferable for nothing."

"Hey... I said I’m sorry. Alright, how do I make it up to you?"

"A kiss might help..."

I hadn’t even finished speaking before a pair of warm, soft lips locked mine in a tender kiss.

"There... do you believe me now?" Khalifa asked as we separated, a smile curling up my lips.

"Hmmm... I guess I’ll reluctantly accept it," I replied.

"You know you just got played, right?" Kaila spoke up from behind her sister.

"Ehh?"

"That bastard wasn’t really angry. He was just looking for ways to get touchy as usual. Haaa..." Her sigh was one of disappointment. "I’d have thought you’d know the pervert’s methods by now."

"Ehh? Dante, is that true?"

PAAAA!

A smack to her bubbly butt was the only reply she received.

"Kyaaaaaa!!!"

"You lying BASTARD!!!!" I distanced myself from the now-murderous elf as the others tried to hold her back.

"Kaila, let me go! Let me give this pervert a piece of my mind!" Khalifa raged.

"And risk you falling for his charms again? Fat chance."

"I... I won’t."

"Even you don’t believe your own words."

I tuned out the arguing women behind me, finally focusing on the stunned group of blue aliens.

"Sorry about your friends, my family got a bit excited and wiped them out. Hope you don’t mind?" I could only apologize, they seemed to have known each other, after all.

"No... no need to apologize. I should be thanking you instead. You just helped purge a scourge around our sector."

"Oh. Then I guess it’s all..."

"Big brother!" A sharp pull on my hair brought my attention to my little passenger, and then it hit me.

"Ahh! Yes! If you’re so grateful, can I ask you something?"

"Please, sir, if it’s within my capabilities, I won’t refuse."

"Ahh, don’t worry, it’s nothing excessive." Saying so, I reached up and brought the little guy down. "He was asking me earlier if he could get a spaceship, so I was hoping you’d give him one. After all," my eyes scanned the fleet behind him, "you’ve got a lot."

"Umm... this..." The man seemed to be having some struggles, although that quickly changed once he felt the murderous auras of the women behind me. "I believe we can make something work." The man finally relented as I smiled widely.

"Thanks, my good man. I assure you, you won’t regret it."

...

...

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

The cheerful, screaming voice of the little guy echoed through the silence as he stood at the helm of one of the ships, the thing doing spins through the region, as,

"Lucien!!! Stay still!! Oh my word!! Don’t you dare fall!! Lucien!!!" Hope kept having a panic attack at every turn.

"So, Maximoff, I believe this is where we part ways," I said to the man and his people. I’d already wasted enough time here, it was time to start exploring properly.

I turned around, intending to return to the others, but,

"Please wait." Max’s voice stopped me.

I turned, curious. "Yes?"

"This... you seem to have just stepped out of your homeworld, about to explore the wider universe?"

"Oh? How’d you know? It couldn’t possibly be because I literally just spawned out of nowhere earlier, right?" My smile wasn’t a smile, and he seemed to have picked up on my sarcasm.

"I’m sorry. I’ll be direct then."

"Go on."

"I was wondering if you’d like to return with us to Aetheris Prime. Since you obviously don’t have any real destination at heart, I was hoping you’d grace us with your presence at Aetheris Prime. I am sure my lord will be delighted to meet you."

"Hmm?" Was this the famous ’stranger meets powerful young master, then decides to build a relationship with said young master trope?’

"Husband, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I was already the most advanced and powerful planet within this region, so it’ll be better if we left to someplace more advanced." Terra.

"She’s not wrong. Although the Thraxans are a pathetic race, they can still be considered a middling force within this sector, so it might do us some good if we went there. At the least, we’d be a bit more informed on what’s happening, instead of just roaming about like headless chickens." Sana added, "Besides, they’re connected to the Calderans, so might as well begin our hunt from there."

"My dearest Sana. You’ve used ’we’, ’us’, and ’our’ quite a lot. Is my charming personality finally warming up to you? That was fast. Though I can’t say I’m surprised; it’s me, after all."

"Arrrrggggg!!! For the love of all things created, why do you have to be like this? Can’t you just be normal?"

"And ignore your obvious hints? What manner of man would I be if I did?"

"You know what, Dante? Fuck you!"

"I mean, I don’t really mind, whenever you’re ready, I guess."

"ARRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!"

Nodding in satisfaction after having my fill of annoying my petty tower spirit, I turned toward Max.

"Alright. I guess it won’t hurt to go with you, but let me make some things clear first." All playful cheer was wiped out from my face as I released a tiny fraction of my pressure, watching as their faces paled and their expressions turned choking.

"I do not tolerate nonsense. Should anything or anyone get on my nerves on this little trip, they will die. I do not care who you are. I do not care whose backing you have. Irritate me and I will devour you. And should your family decide to follow up, then they shall follow you to nonexistence as well."

"Are we clear?"

They forced themselves to nod in acknowledgment as I finally relented, letting them breathe properly.

"Haaa... Haaaa... Haaa..."

I ignored their heavy breaths as I turned around. "You guys can get ready, and we’ll be going." Spatial displacement placed me right behind the still-cheering Lucien as I picked him up. "Alright, little man, time’s up, let’s go."

"Awww... Big brother, please... a few more spins."

"No can do. The girls will kill me if I don’t go set things in order soon."

"Pooh... can we at least keep the ship?"

"Of course. They gave it to you generously, after all."

Saying so, I waved, and the spaceship beneath us disappeared into my personal space.

"Alright then, let’s go." Spatial displacement took the both of us away, the figures of the girls following right after as the place regained its silence.

...

...

"Commander... this..." an operator muttered speechlessly. They couldn’t even react to the fact that a fleet ship had just been confiscated. Or rather, they didn’t dare to react.

APEPLAXIS wasn’t some random group one could run through. They should know, after all, they’ve faced that pirate alliance many times before, and they somehow always came up short. But now, they’d just watched those same pirates be run through like mobs by the people before them.

And now, you expect them to question the apparent leader of this band of crazy people?

They were smarter than that.

"Everyone. Return to the mothership, get ready to return to Aetheris," Maximoff ordered as his eyes remained locked on the pitch-black 30-meter-tall tower floating peacefully in the distance.

"But, Commander, what about the expedition?" an operator asked.

"The expedition? Heh!" Maximoff scoffed, turning around as his thrusters pushed him back to the mothership, his voice trailing behind him. "What expedition could possibly compare to what we just encountered? I’ve already sent word to His Majesty, and he has ordered our swift return, ensuring we bring back the man in question. So do not worry about an expedition and begin preparations to return."

The realization that the Conqueror was already aware made the operators go silent as they finally returned to their mothership, the crew dispersing to begin preparations for departure.

Meanwhile...

.....

"Alright, everyone. We’re finally changing playing fields, so I believe it’s only right we change our kits as well."

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Aunt V asked as she shuffled herself to a better comfort on my lap.

"Well, my lovely aunt, I’m saying it’s about time I give you all a proper upgrade."

My grin slowly widened.

"It’s time you become one of Chaos’s very own."

********

A/N: More apostles? Or something else? Either way, we’re getting an upgrade to the girls, can’t wIt to see what we’re going to get.

Anyways...

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Thanks for reading...