"SkyPoison Pearl?" Allen smirked, not believing that this marble was a treasure of that caliber. "Are you sure it's the same pearl and not just some shiny marble or something?"
[Host, with all due respect, I am a system. I know these things, and it is indeed the legendary and powerful Heavenly Profound Treasure. According to legend, not even true gods are capable of resisting its poison. It was created in the primordial chaos after the Ancestral Goddess shaped the world...]
Allen's smile faded, "Wait, wait, that's way too much exposition. You should know I only read a hundred chapters of that novel before dropping it and deciding Chinese novels weren't for me."
[Well... basically, it's an Infinity Stone from the ATG world...]
"And what is an Infinity Stone doing among piles of manga in my girlfriend's room?"
[Who knows...]
"Hey, aren't you way too relaxed about this?!"
Allen watched the object that could easily kill true gods rolling across the floor like an ordinary marble.
[Well... I suppose it is something terrifying and dangerous... if you weren't you.]
"Huh?"
[Host, are you forgetting that you have a Celestial in a display case and a cosmic entity as a paperweight...?]
"..." Allen's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about Arishem and Dormammu.
[Just toss it in a bag or something and leave it somewhere...]
"No, better safe than sorry."
Allen gently laid MJ down on the desk and picked up the Sky Poison Pearl. The moment he held it, he felt a slight chill run through his fingers.
[Host, that being said, it's probably best if you don't let anyone else touch it...]
Allen gave a flat look. "Didn't you just say I should throw it in a bag and leave it somewhere?"
[That is what I said, but...]
The bedroom door suddenly burst open, and Jalter, Raven, Zatanna, and Unohana rushed inside. All of them had grim expressions and serious faces, as if they had prepared themselves for death.
"Darling, get away from that thing immediately!" Unohana exclaimed with a terrifying look. "You can't fool me, monster!"
"..." Allen blinked, completely confused.
Raven bit her finger and drew a magic circle in the air. "What kind of thing is that? Just being near it makes my soul feel like it's threatening to dissolve into nothingness."
"It is the breath of death... this thing was designed to kill," Zatanna began casting a spell as though she were staring into the abyss itself. "I won't let you hurt Allen!"
Jalter changed out of her maid's uniform and into her black armor, "It possesses a powerful spirit, comparable to a Grand Servant... it is not a Divine Spirit... I can even feel it shamelessly whispering its authorities... poison, medicine, purification, and space... it has four authorities. What kind of absurd existence is this?"
Allen looked down at the pearl in his hand. To him, it still just looked like a simple marble. Perhaps he had spent so much time under restrictions that his instincts had dulled.
Allen decided to trust his women and took this seriously.
He treated the pearl like his ultimate nemesis and prepared to seal it before hurling it to the farthest reaches of the universe.
*Crack*
"Huh?"
Before Allen could do anything, the pearl suddenly cracked.
All the women present froze.
"The presence disappeared..." Raven said as she lowered her hands.
"There's nothing left..." Unohana said, her eyes widening in shock. Even after living a thousand years, she was speechless.
"The spirit... has died," Jalter gasped.
Hearing Jalter's words, Allen immediately grew nervous. Wasn't Jasmine supposed to be inside the pearl? Did he kill her?! Did he just kill a cute girl with great potential??
[Calm down, Host. The spirit inside was the original one, and it still lacked self-awareness. So if I had to speculate, this Sky Poison Pearl was taken from the very beginning of time, before it ever had its first owner.]
"But how did it die? And what about the poison? Is it going to be released?" Allen quickly surrounded his hand with a shield to prevent anyone from being harmed. It was true that everyone had their pendant, and while he would never allow harm in his presence, caution was still better.
[You killed it... Well, it was an accident.]
"I didn't do anything!" Allen defended himself. But it was true, he had only held it.
[Didn't you squeeze it a little?]
"Huh? Well, yeah, but since when are Heavenly Profound Treasures as fragile as glass?"
[They're not -_-]
"Shit, I can't believe I killed an innocent being." Allen sighed, grabbing his face. "Not even under Void's influence did I ever go that far."
[Innocent? No, I'd call it self-defense...]
"What do you mean?"
[Since you aren't its master, it has been attacking you this entire time.]
Allen blinked before shrugging. "That explains why I felt a little cold... I figured the poison had already been depleted like in the original story."
[The Sky Poison Pearl contains the deadliest poison in primordial chaos. Even a tiny amount can make immortals and creation gods die miserably... and this pearl had just emerged from the primordial soup. It was in its prime.]
"Shit. Hey, shouldn't you have been a lot more worried about me? You could've warned me not to touch it." Allen tossed the pearl into his inventory, then created a wet wipe to clean his fingers.
[...]
The women exchanged glances before sighing and lowering their guards.
They had all heard Allen's conversation with the system.
Now everyone could hear the system's voice. After all, every woman in this apartment had already earned Allen's trust, so the system's existence was no longer a secret.
Of course, they had long suspected there was some mysterious entity helping Allen, but learning it was a legendary system was still surprising. Though after everything they'd seen through the broadcasts, hearing he had a system felt more like, "Oh, look, he has a system."
....
Ten minutes later, Allen sat on his couch deep in thought while petting his cat (Nokotan) on his lap.
"Don't tell me Yun Che somehow came to this world and randomly tossed that thing here... no, that sounds stupid." Allen sighed. He truly didn't want to deal with cultivators. But realistically speaking, this was far too strange. His house wasn't just a house—it was a fortress protected by his power. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that even if the universe collapsed, his apartment would remain intact.
"Master", 2B approached Allen carrying a tray with a sandwich and coffee. "Perhaps someone brought it here without knowing what it was?"
Rebecca laughed as she lay upside down on the couch nearby.
"Did you not see everyone's reaction? No sane person would bring that thing here... and even if they wanted to, I doubt they could touch it without suffering death in both body and soul."
2B looked at her master. "In that case, could it be that Master obtained it somewhere and simply forgot?"
Allen had a bead of sweat on his cheek. "I'm not a hamster. I'd remember something like that."
At that moment, Gwen opened the bedroom door and walked out of MJ's room. She approached Allen and hugged him from behind.
"MJ says she doesn't know anything. She's still half-asleep since she only got a couple hours of sleep, but she has no idea where it came from."
Allen reflected, but no matter how much he thought about it, there was simply no logical explanation. How could anyone even dream of doing something dangerous inside his house without his permission?
Unable to find an answer, Allen decided to move on with his life. However, he sealed all entrances to the Manhattan apartment from other worlds and forbade any girl from being there without him present.
The last thing he wanted was for some thousand-year-old disaster emperor, divine Dao master, or God of the Nine Constellations—or something equally ridiculous—to suddenly appear inside his apartment while he wasn't around. Besides, while Allen wasn't an expert on cultivation, he knew enough to understand that cultivators were extremely greedy when it came to kingdom-toppling beauties... and if there was one thing abundant around him, it was beautiful women.
Of course, Allen still slept there. Regardless of what happened, his apartment was his home, and not even the Ancestral Goddess herself could force him out if she dared try.
....
The next day, Allen left his apartment with Gwen and MJ. Together, they walked to the bus stop. It was true Allen could take them anywhere with a snap, but there was no rush, and he didn't want to stray too far from ordinary life—not in this world.
"My head hurts. I have no idea how I'm going to do on these exams," MJ complained while clinging to Allen's arm. "Hey, honey, can't you just cast a spell to upload all the knowledge into my brain already?"
Gwen snorted. "You say that every week, and we've already discussed this. No cheating."
Power was certainly convenient. Honestly, none of his women needed to study or work. One snap—or not even that, just a single phone call—and Fury would hand his girlfriends whatever jobs they wanted. But obviously, neither Gwen nor MJ would ever accept something like that. There would be no sense of accomplishment, no feeling that they had earned their place. More than that, they didn't want to abuse the privileges of being Allen Walker's girlfriends.
Allen respected that, even though he personally wouldn't mind otherwise. After all, what was the point of having power if you didn't use it to give your loved ones a better life?
"Don't be such a buzzkill, Gwen. I was just joking," the cute redhead said while sticking out her tongue.
"Yeah, sure..." Gwen replied mockingly.
Allen chuckled softly at his two girlfriends. They had been among the first to stand by his side, and that was something he would never forget. If they wished for it, he would give them the world—though that hardly seemed possible, since both chose to live ordinary lives.
Of course, not all of Allen's girlfriends felt the same way about the "benefits" of being his woman. While Felicia had no desire to become some decorative house ornament, she certainly had no shame in using Allen's name every single time the police or some hero caught her.
Felicia was a mischievous cat. She had even developed a taste for getting herself captured just to watch everyone panic when they discovered who she really was. They would even swallow the dumbest excuses imaginable just to let her go.
— "Sorry, officer, I found this Picasso painting on the sidewalk and was returning it to the museum." —
— "My apologies, I truly didn't mean to break into the Federal Reserve. I just wanted to see how good their security was." —
— "Sorry, I only borrowed the diamond for a little while for a date with my boyfriend Allen. I was going to return it." —
Allen wasn't sure whether to feel proud of how shameless his girlfriend was or if he should punish her for harassing law enforcement.
BGM– *Pepsi-man~*
Allen was pulled from his thoughts when a metallic man bearing the Pepsi logo sprinted past him down the middle of the street.
"Huh?... Was that Pepsi-man?" Allen rubbed the bridge of his nose, convinced he was simply tired and hallucinating. "No, that has to be a mistake. Even with ridiculous heroes around, Pepsi-man is too... fictional..."
New York was a strange city, especially with superheroes and villains everywhere, but even so, the sudden appearance of such an absurdly colorful character was shocking.
"Girls..."
Allen turned to look at MJ and Gwen and noticed both of them were standing there with their mouths hanging open as they watched the man running while collecting floating Pepsi cans.
"Huh?! What the hell?!" MJ exclaimed.
"That can't be..." Gwen gasped.
All three of them knew exactly who Pepsi-man was.
Pepsiman was a promotional superhero created in Japan in the mid-90s as Pepsi's mascot. Dressed in a silver and blue suit, his mission was to quench people's thirst in extreme situations, eventually becoming globally popular thanks to his iconic 1999 PlayStation 1 game known for obstacle-running and absurd humor.
How did they know this? Because just yesterday, Amanda and Rebecca had been playing that exact game in the living room.
MJ quickly pulled out her phone and, just as she had done during Allen's travels, began searching. But what she found shattered her perception of reality.
"Look!" MJ showed her phone to both of them.
January 2003 – Pepsi-man saves a man lost in the desert by delivering him a refreshing Pepsi.
March 2005 – Pepsi-man is selected as an Olympic torchbearer.
December 2007 – Pepsi-man and his nemesis Coca-Cola Man engage in a sugar-filled, carbonated battle ending in a draw.
August 2015 – Pepsi-Man enters the Hall of Fame as an immortalized superhero alongside heroes such as Captain America...
"But how?" Gwen murmured. As a superhero herself, she had never once encountered Pepsi-man until now.
"You're telling me Pepsi-man has always existed and I just never noticed?" Allen found it hard to believe, though it was also true that he hadn't exactly gone out much before. Perhaps this miracle was somehow possible.
"Apparently," MJ said, equally confused.
"Oh well." Allen shrugged and continued walking. "I mean, he isn't hurting anyone."
If Allen had to choose between another Hulk and a Pepsi-man, he would definitely choose the latter.
The girls exchanged glances before following Allen. After all, he had a point—Pepsi-man was bizarre and comedic, but harmless... so long as one ignored the diabetes and obesity statistics caused by cola consumption.
....
Once at the university, Allen smiled when he spotted Sue Storm.
This girl had strange behavior. She always seemed to know exactly where he was, and before approaching him, she usually spent ten minutes simply staring at him.
[No, she's clearly a textbook stalker...]
Allen ignored the system and greeted Sue.
"What's wrong, blonde girl? Miss me?" Allen grinned.
Sue blinked her large eyes before nodding. "I was considering breaking into your apartment if you stayed gone for more than a week."
Allen laughed, but MJ and Gwen both had beads of sweat on their cheeks. They knew Sue was being completely serious.
But to Allen, being who he was, this potential yandere simply seemed cute.
Gwen looked at MJ, who helplessly shook her head. Both of them knew Allen's taste in women ranged from obsessive lunatics like Albedo to perverts like Aphrodite, so a Susan was hardly surprising.
The four of them entered the campus under everyone's watchful stares. Gwen, Sue, and MJ were among the most beautiful girls in school, but more than that, what truly drew attention was that they were always with the same guy.
"Male jealousy is such an ugly thing..." Allen said mockingly, loud enough for several nearby guys to hear. They could only grit their teeth.
[The moment you stop hiding your identity, many of them will end up hiding under their beds while begging for their lives~]
"I'm not that bad..." Allen snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the pants of the jealous guys staring at him fell straight down. Since it was cold, their humiliation was only worsened by revealing the crown jewels in their smallest possible form.
Shrieks erupted, and five young men immediately fled the scene.
"Hahaha!" MJ laughed.
"You..." Gwen shook her head, though a faint smile formed on her lips.
....
Allen spent the rest of the day attending classes like any ordinary college student.
Honestly, it felt nice to leave behind uniforms and wear whatever he wanted at school. While classes weren't nearly as exciting as fighting giant robots at UA, they carried far less responsibility, which made them much more relaxing.
When classes ended, Allen and the girls didn't immediately return home. Instead, along with Sue and a newly arrived Felicia, they sat beneath a tree enjoying snacks.
Taking advantage of the moment, the girls told Felicia about Pepsi-man, though they avoided mentioning the Sky Poison Pearl since Sue was present.
"Pepsi-man?"
Felicia blinked. Even this girl, who usually knew everything happening on New York's streets, had no clue about Pepsi-man.
Felicia lazily crawled toward Allen like a sleepy cat and rested in his lap.
"Are you sure you girls aren't hallucinating?~"
"No, it's real. I even took a video," MJ said proudly before showing it to her.
The white-haired beauty watched the footage with visible confusion. People didn't seem to react to Pepsi-man despite him sprinting through traffic, and the floating soda cans he collected only made things more surreal.
"Isn't this the game Rebecca was playing?"
Gwen crossed her arms. "You don't remember him either?"
"Sue... do you know who Pepsi-man is?" Allen asked Susan. She had clearly been listening to their conversation, yet instead of questioning it, she had simply been watching him.
"Hm? Ah... well, yes. I know him. My younger brother Johnny is actually a big Pepsi-Man fan."
Allen fell silent, glancing between the girls before shaking his head.
"No. No, no, no. I refuse to let some absurd nonsense ruin my vacation!" Allen declared.
The girls exchanged complicated smiles, while Susan tilted her head in confusion. Vacation? Weren't they in school?
"Well, as long as nothing dangerous shows up, everything should be fine," Felicia said while snuggling against Allen.
"I think the Sky Poison Pearl was dangerous enough..." MJ muttered, but then shook her head with a laugh. "Though that's true—among Heavenly Profound Treasures, it was only ranked fifth. If it had been something like the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations, we could probably say goodbye to the world..."
*Crack*
"...?"
It was a subtle but unmistakable sound.
High in the sky, a crack appeared.
Then it rapidly spread across the entire world.
Soon, everything darkened. No matter where one was on Earth, darkness consumed all.
And just when it seemed things couldn't possibly become more horrifying...
The cry of a baby echoed.
Across the entire world.
Along with that cry came an overwhelming sensation of death and dread. It wasn't killing intent—it was as though death itself had physically manifested.
Many fell to their knees.
Others fainted.
But most simply stood frozen, staring at the apocalypse unfolding before them.
The girls instinctively clung to Allen. They may have been heroines, but deep within their hearts, they were terrified of whatever this thing was.
"D-don't t-tell me..." MJ said, instantly regretting opening her mouth.
[Heavenly Profound Treasure... Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations... Rank #2... Origin: ATG... Well, well... what shall we do, boss?~]
"Oh, come on!"
====
A/N: Well, I'd like to make one thing clear: it's not that I've gotten bored of *My Hero Academia*, but my head is just so full of that arc that I needed to write about something else or I was going to lose my mind xd
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen