*Allen POV*
I've seen the world, and I have absolutely no idea why everything went to hell, so after careful deliberation, I've decided to ignore it all even if it kills me.
*End POV*
....
With a new resolution, Allen got up in the morning ready for a new day. This time, it was a morning at his house away from Manhattan Island.
He left Diana sleeping. Sometimes it was hard to imagine how this guy managed to seduce Wonder Woman, especially before he became a true womanizing bastard.
When he stepped out of his room, there was a lively atmosphere. The dolls preferred this house over the Manhattan Island apartment since they had more opportunities to relax here.
At the pool were Albedo, Jalter, and Nokotan. It seemed that the first two were trying to teach the deer girl how to swim, which was rather peculiar, considering one of them had once been a witch born for vengeance, while the other was a sucubus who despised humanity.
When Allen arrived at the large living room, he saw Rebecca and Amanda playing video games. It was unexpected that the two girls got along so well. However,gh considering they tended to have similar tastes, were naturally rude, and shared a deep grudge against large breasts, it was only natural they formed a camaraderie.
Allen smiled. While the apartment made him feel more comfortable, being in the house where he had lived for many years, what truly mattered to him wasn't nostalgia, but these girls.
It was a house large enough to hold fifteen people without issue. Though honestly, space was never really a problem when you could literally turn a shoebox into an infinite void just for laughs.
"Allen, can you help me?" Esdeath approached Allen with a chessboard.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just boring."
"Well, chess isn't exactly known for being a high-risk adrenaline sport."
"I know. Can't you bring the pieces to life or something?" Esdeath leaned closer and whispered, "I'll thank you in the way you already know~"
It was a difficult decision. On one hand was the cruel fate of those poor chess pieces, but on the other was Allen's happiness.
"..."
....
[You are weak -_-]
The system looked at Allen with contempt as he sat in the living room with Esdeath on his lap, dressed in a maid outfit... though it was more like a bikini version.
"Don't ask me to stop being a man," the shameless one said while watching the match.
In front of Esdeath was Kurumi, who smiled as she looked at the chessboard.
Esdeath ordered her knight to move, and it did so on its own. The rider drew a sword and mercilessly pierced a poor soldier (pawn).
"Haha, now this is fun!~" Kurumi said while wiping away tears of laughter, unconcerned about losing a pawn.
"Keep enjoying yourself and you'll lose," Esdeath smiled.
She was equally satisfied. Her current life with Allen was highly fulfilling, especially because she was with someone she loved and who loved her in return, but sometimes she missed being a general and commanding troops to commit massacres.
Allen knew these dolls had their sadistic sides, but as long as he was around, he could keep them under control.
"Go, my queen!" Kurumi ordered.
The queen moved across the battlefield and pierced a bishop with her sword. She didn't stop there—she split it in half. Esdeath's black pawns were terrified and retreated to the limits of their squares on the board.
Kurumi held her cheek with a sadistic smile.
Esdeath smirked mockingly. "Oh, as expected from the strongest piece. But aren't you getting carried away?"
Kurumi's smile vanished as she noticed her queen was directly in the line of Esdeath's rook.
"Go..." the ice queen ordered coldly.
The rook, being the largest piece, advanced across the board like a bulldozer.
"Hold on!" Kurumi shouted.
Her queen used her sword to block the rook, making a monumental effort.
'This isn't even chess anymore...' Allen thought.
But at that moment, Esdeath shifted her hips as if telling him not to interrupt the fun.
'Kuh, bribing me with flesh won't always work!'
[...You know it always will]
Kurumi's smile returned when she saw her queen resisting the rook's assault, but Esdeath also smiled with murderous intent.
"Finish her..."
The rook seemed to receive steroids and began to grow, overpowering the queen.
"Protect the queen!" Kurumi ordered.
The white pieces seemed to receive an adrenaline rush. The pawns abandoned their positions and helped the queen bear the rook's crushing weight.
[Hey, did you really give them life?!]
'No, I just enchanted them so they could move... Don't tell me the spell became stronger because I have no restrictions in this world?'
The pieces and queen managed to resist for a moment, but Esdeath laughed wickedly. It seemed this had been her plan all along.
"Now!"
From behind Kurumi's white queen appeared Esdeath's black queen. Without hesitation or mercy, she attacked.
"Coward! Attacking from behind!" Kurumi pointed at Esdeath.
"You're naive, child. This is war!"
'No, it's chess...' Allen mentally corrected, though he was no longer certain.
Kurumi's queen, seeing her end approaching, smiled kindly at the pawns who had fought for her. Before they could stop her, she threw them away.
In the same motion, she turned and charged at the black queen.
Esdeath's queen, surprised, impaled her with her sword.
But this had been Kurumi's queen's plan all along. She smiled as she embraced Esdeath's queen.
"Don't tell me!" Esdeath exclaimed as she realized the plan, but it was too late.
The rook was already above them.
It crushed both queens.
"Damn it!" Esdeath clenched her jaw. "You did something unnecessary, White Queen!"
"Queen..." Kurumi looked away at her queen's sacrifice.
At that moment, Allen felt something strange about the enchantment he had used. It had been far too powerful and had given the chess pieces souls.
[Stop them!]
Before Allen could intervene, a slam echoed across the board.
It was Kurumi's king.
He picked up the sword of a fallen knight, and while opening his mouth as if screaming, he charged toward enemy territory in a frenzy of rage and grief.
"Come back, King!" Kurumi exclaimed, but he did not listen.
"Haha, kill him!" Esdeath shouted.
The pawns advanced one after another.
The king was one of the weakest pieces, but what happened next left everyone speechless.
Like a master swordsman, the white king cut down pawn after pawn. No one could stop him.
No... that wasn't right.
Along the way, the king suffered wounds, but nothing stopped him, as if he were possessed.
The black knight prepared to face him, but Esdeath's king raised his hand.
"What are you doing?!" Esdeath looked coldly at her black king's actions.
But he turned to her with a gaze full of firmness and will.
He wanted to face the brave white king with honor.
"I see," Esdeath smiled and ordered, "Win, King!"
Esdeath's king smiled and charged.
The two kings clashed swords in the center of the chessboard.
Strike after strike, sword against sword, both clashed their wills as the sound of metal echoed through the living room.
At some point, the rest of the dolls came to see what was happening and were left stunned by the battle between chess kings.
But like all battles, this one had an end.
The arm and sword of Esdeath's king were sent flying.
However, just when everyone thought Kurumi's king had won, he collapsed to the ground.
There was a hole in his chest.
Silence followed.
The black king looked at his rival and paid his respects.
He knew the truth—he had only won because the white king had consumed too much energy reaching him.
Kurumi sighed. "You did well, White King."
"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Black King. You faced him with honor!" Esdeath declared.
The black king bowed to Esdeath, then walked toward the rook that had crushed both queens.
Beneath it, he could see his queen's hand.
"Wait!"
The black king took his queen's sword and plunged it into his own chest.
Everyone was left in shock.
Despite winning, the king had intended from the beginning to die beside his queen.
Several girls cried at this act of loyalty, but Allen was sweating.
His enchantment had shattered all logical barriers and given true life to chess pieces.
"Reparo!"
Allen immediately reconstructed all the pieces.
Both kings embraced their queens and then turned to Allen to thank him for his mercy.
Seeing everyone alive once more, the girls sighed in relief.
"It is forbidden to play with that chess set..." Allen said.
All the girls agreed, even Esdeath, because in their eyes, the kings and queens had earned their respect.
....
Later, Allen traveled through the New York City subway alongside Felicia. They were on a date; however, his mind was elsewhere.
His magic had gone out of control. He was beginning to suspect he had some kind of curse on him or something. It simply wasn't possible for his luck to be this bad.
"Mmm, is my company really so bad that you'd pay attention to other things?" Felicia purred while holding his arm, seeking attention.
"Sorry." Allen caressed Felicia's cheek. "You're right. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if the world is becoming strange. I should just focus on you all, because you're what matters most to me."
Felicia blushed before moving her face closer. "You really know how to make me feel good. How about we go to a motel and make kittens?"
The people watching this cursed Allen. How was it possible that such an average guy had such a beautiful girlfriend?!
Felicia laughed. Allen was a shameless cheater. Not only did he use his same face without altering anything, but he also used his real name. And people all over the world knew that a girl named Felicia was Allen's girlfriend, yet despite all that, Allen's power prevented anyone from connecting this ordinary Allen and this Felicia to that other Allen Walker.
"How about we make them even more jealous?❤️~"
Felicia leaned in with the intention of kissing him.
Allen didn't hold back. He wrapped an arm around her waist, declaring that this beautiful girl was his before kissing her.
This made all the men glare with displeasure and envy, though only for a moment before a chill ran down their spines as if their mothers had scolded them back in school.
"You're so bad~" Felicia purred even more flirtatiously.
Allen chuckled mockingly. "That's what they get for sticking their noses where they don't belong."
Boom
Allen's smile vanished when he saw that every person on the train seemed to enter a trance. It didn't look like they were hearing something.
"...?"
"What's wrong?" Felicia asked, slightly dissatisfied that her pampering time had been interrupted.
....
(Times Square)
The famous avenue was filled with screens, advertisements, and people from all over the world walking through this iconic place.
However, something peculiar had happened.
There was someone on the street who was impossible to ignore.
It was an old man with long, messy white hair floating as though defying gravity.
His face was marked by deep wrinkles that looked like cracks in space-time itself. He wore an ancient black-and-gold robe, worn down but emanating an oppressive aura. His eyes were two purple-black abysses that made anyone who looked into them feel as if their soul was being devoured.
This old man had his hands behind his back as though the entire universe were his backyard.
"Mortals!"
The old man did not raise his voice, yet it reached every person not only in Times Square, but across the entire world.
"My name is Xuan Mie Tianzun, the Eternal Annihilator, Patriarch of Absolute Extinction, and in this case... your inevitable doom!"
Fury immediately began moving the moment this happened, contacting the Avengers and Natasha, but she had fallen asleep in her office, so he tried Maria Hill instead.
The woman had been confused because suddenly all of SHIELD's personnel had stopped moving as though they had heard something.
At the X-Mansion, Professor Xavier's face had gone pale. This person's telepathy surpassed his by entire galaxies.
Dr. Strange and the mages of Kamar-Taj also heard him.
Even Magneto, despite wearing his helmet capable of blocking Xavier's telepathy, heard him.
Even Jean Grey with the Phoenix Force was no exception.
Gods like Thor, demons like Mephisto, ancient entities like Apocalypse, even Dormammu from his own dimension, and Arishem as well all heard him.
The only exceptions were Allen and the women with pendants.
Returning to Times Square...
The old man continued speaking in an arrogant, superior tone as though everyone in the world were insects.
"In this insignificant world exists something that has caught my attention. Unfortunately, this artifact has hidden itself... While I could destroy this world and simply retrieve it, today I am in a good mood, so mortals, I shall give you one year to bring me that object."
One year?
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
Apparently, the old man was very patient.
Noticing the disturbance among the people, Xuan Mie decided to examine the memories of several hundred individuals.
At that moment, he realized that one year was actually too much.
This old man measured time in millennia, so one year for him would merely be a breath, perhaps even less.
"I correct myself. You have one day. Otherwise, I will DESTROY your tiny world!"
"A grumpy old man... just what I needed..." Allen said from behind the old man.
"...!"
Xuan Mie turned around, instantly entering combat mode upon realizing someone had approached him without notice.
But when he saw Allen, a mere mortal, he calmed down.
"Hello," Allen said casually.
"I see... You are so insignificant that I cannot even perceive your existence..."
"Wow, that's rude." Allen shrugged. "What if I'm just hiding my presence, which is why I could approach you?"
"Impossible! I, Xuan Mie Tianzun, Patriarch of Absolute Extinction, possess the Mystic Eyes of Absolute Truth! No god, entity, or mystery can hide from me!"
"Come on, old man. You really shouldn't go out without your medication."
In Allen's eyes, this old man had to be some mutant or something who had escaped from an asylum and was now delusional.
[Allen, this old man is...]
Allen pointed at him.
"Look, I get that you're searching for something, but you should ask nicely. Don't you know it's rude to show up demanding things?"
Xuan Mie Tianzun's face slowly contorted with anger.
How dare this mortal treat him like a senile old man?! How dare he speak to him this way?! How could such a miserable insect even dare address him?!
The earth, the sky, the universe itself began to tremble.
Everyone felt it. An intrinsic fear deep within their souls.
At Allen's apartment, the Evil Infant panicked. She had never felt such immense power. Perhaps only the creator of her world possessed something like this.
"Could it be the Ancestral Goddess?! No, it's not her, but it's someone just as powerful—or even more so!"
For a moment, the girl smiled, thinking it would be better to escape this world. But for some reason, she didn't. Against all common sense, she headed toward Madison Square.
Meanwhile, the old man seemed to transform into a mystical entity as his golden robes began reflecting universes within themselves, and his eyes became the absolute abyss.
"I am Xuan Mie Tianzun..."
Allen interrupted him.
"You already said that. You really like saying your own name."
Not only had he interrupted him, but he also shook his head in exasperation without being affected by the old man's terrifying power.
In fact, many noticed Allen didn't even seem aware of such overwhelming power, as if it didn't exist.
The old man ground his teeth.
In over three billion years, no one had ever irritated him this much.
"I! The ruler over the end of all things, condemns you to absolute destruction!"
This was not an attack.
Not a technique.
Not a power.
His words were law.
His will was absolute.
From the moment he decided to end someone, neither immortality nor power could prevent it.
The absolute end.
Beyond powers.
Beyond destiny.
Beyond everything.
The old man slowly returned to normal and the universe stopped shaking.
At the same time, he felt he may have done something excessive.
Using the power of the end of all things against a mortal simply because he had been angered was childish.
"Mortals! You have witnessed my power and magnificence! Do as I command, and I shall let you live, or you shall share the same fate as that mortal!"
As the old man made his declaration, he realized something strange.
He had been unable to read this mortal's mind.
But it no longer mattered.
"...?"
The old man noticed no one around him was moving.
In fact, they were looking at him strangely, as if he were a crazy old man.
"What is this?!" The old man began to grow irritated.
"Well... you know, it's kind of hard to take someone seriously when they're wearing such ridiculous robes."
"Huh?!"
Xuan Mie Tianzun turned around once more to see Allen standing in the same spot, arms crossed as he watched him.
"Hello," Allen said.
It wasn't mockery.
He genuinely believed the old man had Alzheimer's or something, so he politely introduced himself again.
The old man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his jaw dropped like a One Piece character.
"EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!"
====
A/N: I can think of a few interesting destinations, but I'm not sure yet.
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen