"Is that enough?' Allen asked with a frown.
"For now..." Lucifer replied with a half-smile.
Allen didn't look surprised. Despite Lucifer's words, saving Batman shouldn't be enough to satisfy him. The struggle to obtain half a fragment in Fairy Tail proved that Lucifer's demands were never simple.
"..." Lucifer looked toward the sea.
This is a quiet island, no one would suspect that such horrors were hidden under the ground.
"I've been looking around the world... discovering anomalies. One anomaly is that this Superman never lost Krypton."
Superman – ...!
Kara – Is that true?!
Lucifer smiled as if he could see Kara and Clark's reactions. "But perhaps that wasn't as good as you might believe... In fact, I like the sound of Absolute Bane. This universe fits that word well... Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, Absolute Flash, Absolute Martian Manhunter." Lucifer looked Allen in the eyes. "I even found an Absolute Wonder Woman..."
"..."
Diana – ...!
Lucifer shrugged when Allen didn't react. But it was normal—Allen had already expressed this long ago. There could be other Dianas in other universes, but Allen only loved his Diana. What sense was there in thinking about a woman he didn't know? Her past, personality, face, and even her voice could be entirely different. And even if she looked physically similar, she wouldn't be the Diana he met three hundred years ago, not the one who was his fiancée, not the one willing to go against her traditions for him.
Lucifer chuckled. "For a womanizer, you seem to love sincerely—at least in your own way."
"Are we really going to talk about this?"
Lucifer snapped his fingers, and the scenery shifted in an instant. They were now atop one of Gotham's skyscrapers.
"Allen, I can confirm someone created this world. And that someone wished to punish the superheroes. Batman was stripped of his money. Superman... no, that's not necessary for now. The truth is, you can go back home. It's just that I might call you to this world from time to time, if some of these heroes need a hand so they don't end up dead..."
Allen noticed that Lucifer was in a good mood, which was a relief. As long as this man remained interested in this world, the odds of being summoned for another gamble would stay low.
Allen glanced at the city. It was Gotham, yet it also wasn't—it had more skyscrapers and appeared "cleaner." Yet Allen saw through the illusion: Gotham's clean exterior masked its rot. The stench of blood and corruption was as strong as ever. No, even in Invincible, Allen didn't feel so much death.
"..." Allen turned around and a door appeared before him.
"See you, Allen," Lucifer said without taking his eyes off the view.
"Hopefully not soon," Allen replied without stopping.
....
It was late afternoon, the setting sun painting the sky red and orange. Being in New York City, there were sirens, car horns, and someone cursing in the distance. And yet, Allen felt a strange tranquility.
"I guess I'm home..." Allen breathed in once more the air of his own world. Of course, it was filled with pollution, but it didn't bother him.
It was strange—Only those who had traversed countless worlds could understand this comfort. The comfort of returning to the place where you were born.
Allen chuckled lightly. At that moment, a small doll settled on his head: Makima.
"You seem to have missed your world, even though you've been coming often..."
Allen shook his head. "It's not the same using a plush avatar as being here with my real body."
2B, Artoria, Wednesday, Jalter, Esdeath, Kurumi, Bocchi, Nokotan, Albedo, Harley, and Rebecca also appeared. Most girls took doll form, but Rebecca, Harley, and Albedo appeared human, clinging to Allen.
"Ah~ I missed this freedom! ❤️~" Albedo moaned sweetly, grabbing Allen's left arm and pressing it deep between her large breasts.
"Daddy, I felt so lonely ❤️~" whispered Harley, hugging him from behind and pressing her chest against him.
"Allen, I need you~" Rebecca said with a voracious look as she slipped her hand under Allen's shirt.
"Bunch of shameless women!" Jalter exclaimed, her face red.
"At the very least, I'd like you to think about where we are," sighed Esdeath, though her eyes carried the same hunger as Albedo's.
"I'm sorry..." Allen knew the girls hadn't liked the previous situation—being limited to only appearing occasionally and in spirit form had been terribly unfair to them.
Allen's apology brought them back to reality. It hadn't been his will that things turned out that way; it was the result of his failure to defeat Lucifer.
"Don't worry, darling~" Rebecca smiled warmly.
Albedo even cried—seeing her master suffer hurt her more than any torture. As for Harley, she hugged Allen tightly, expressing that she would stay with him until the end.
Allen hadn't dwelt on it, but he would inevitably face Lucifer. And that would be the final battle—either he won and became omnipotent, or he lost and died.
"Thank you," Allen smiled slightly, his eyes filled with affection.
Feeling the warmth around him, he knew he wouldn't have to face it alone. That comforted him, but at the same time, it terrified him. No matter if he won—if he lost even one of his women, he would never again be able to smile in full happiness.
Those words flushed the girls' cheeks, even Artoria's faintly reddening. How could they not know, spending all their time with him, that those words came from his heart?
"For now, the best option is to continue betting..."
There was a dangerous gleam in Allen's eyes. He would never forgive Lucifer. They would never be friends. This forced relationship could only end with one of them dead.
....
Allen took his dolls home. On the way, they stopped at a bakery, a candy shop, a café, and the supermarket to buy some gifts for the women at home. Of course, he also bought gifts for his dolls.
He bought a box of tea for Artoria, who appeared in her mature form and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you..." said the beautiful emerald-eyed woman before vanishing, leaving behind her sweet fragrance.
Allen cleared his throat, masking his unease. He had always been weak to this older sister figure—she could draw from him something relatively close to shame more easily than anyone else.
At a shop, Allen bought a jar of imported black coffee for Wednesday.
"Is this some kind of emotional manipulation tactic?" Wednesday asked, but soon accepted it. Without warning, she created a black curtain that hid them from the other girls. A minute later, when the curtain faded, Wednesday was gone, leaving Allen standing there with a smile.
A bunny-shaped pie for Bocchi. The simple girl smiled and thanked him several times before panicking under the stares of the others and running off.
He bought a pack of deer crackers for Nokotan. Allen was surprised they even sold them here, but soon realized the truth: everyone knew Allen had a half-deer girl who loved those cookies. Indirectly, it had made the product popular.
Albedo received a small cake that she insisted had to have Allen's face on it. Since the baker was in trouble after such a dangerous-eyed beauty's request, Allen borrowed the kitchen and made it himself. Albedo was so happy that Allen was certain the cake would never be eaten. She would place it on some altar.
Esdeath was smarter—she only wanted strawberries, but she demanded that Allen feed them to her, sparking envy among the other girls.
Rebecca boldly asked to be covered in chocolate for Allen to savor. Harley, more shameless, she wanted to use whipped cream on Allen's younger brother.
Kurumi, despite her teasing comments, was still a maiden, so she blushed, and Allen ended up buying her cookies. Meanwhile, Jalter was about to explode with rage at the other girls' ridiculous requests, but Allen calmed her down by buying her some hamburgers; she had a weakness for fast food.
Lastly, 2B claimed she didn't want anything, but Allen knew her well enough to buy her a strawberry tart and whisper that she should help him eat it. For the white-haired girl, there was no greater gift than serving him, so she smiled instantly.
Allen was so focused on pampering his girls that he didn't notice the shocked and panicked glances from the people around him. Of course, everyone knew who Allen was, and who the beautiful women always surrounding him were. Naturally, no one dared to interfere.
....
Allen returned to his apartment. Even though he had a house on the outskirts, he still used this place often—it was like the starting point of everything.
As he opened the door, Gwen, Felicia, and MJ rushed to him. Being the man he was, Allen had enough room to hug all three at once.
"I missed you…" Gwen whispered, burying her face in his chest.
"You're so reckless," Felicia scolded, her voice trembling.
"…" MJ said nothing, but clung to him tightly, trembling.
It was his first return in person since leaving. Even if his presence had been there in spirit, this warmth and familiar scent were things that couldn't be imitated. The girls, who had endured his absence all this time, couldn't help but release all their tension and allow themselves to be vulnerable the moment they saw him.
Allen didn't apologize or promise all would be well. He knew his first words needed to be different—words from the heart... words that would warm their hearts.
"I'm home…"
The girls' eyes lit up instantly, filling with tears, but they still managed to smile.
"Welcome home!"
Allen spent a few minutes with the three before asking for permission. Knowing they had to give the others a chance, they stepped aside. Allen walked forward and saw Natasha, who had raised him when his mother no longer could.
"I'm glad you're safe…" Natasha said, pretending to be composed, but Allen knew it was a façade. He gently hugged her.
Natasha's mature act crumbled, and she broke down crying like a little girl. Only God knew how much fear and despair she had endured, watching Allen lose to Lucifer and being forced to stay away from him for so long.
She cried for almost ten minutes before finally falling asleep as the tension faded. Allen carried her to her room, then returned to the living room, where Diana, Tearju (Mystique), Emma, Kara, Cate, Annie, Unohana, Rukia, Eve, and Amanda were waiting.
Allen already knew the girls had arranged among themselves who would see him first. He didn't complain—he was aware this was because he was an incurable womanizer, and that tomorrow, an even larger group of women would be knocking on his door.
"I'm sorry…" Allen said, feeling a bit guilty for keeping women who loved him waiting. But none of them blamed him—his mother had to come first.
Allen went on to hug each one of them.
Diana shed no tears, certain Allen would always return. With Tearju, he shared a kiss and a hug. Annie jumped onto him, expressing just how much she had missed him. With Emma, there was a deep kiss that made some of the others blush—this woman, too, believed the man she chose would always come back to her.
After that kiss, things escalated. Kara, who had intended to simply express her longing, felt threatened by Emma's confidence and sex appeal, so she kissed Allen with even greater passion. Eve refused to lose either and even kissed Allen's neck. Amanda, frustrated, went as far as to slip her hand inside Allen's pants, only to be scolded by the others.
The girls refused to let jealousy mar their reunion. With that settled, Rukia timidly approached. Their relationship was still pure, as they hadn't gone beyond a kiss, but she hugged him while conveying her concern, relief, and love.
Allen hugged Rukia and took the initiative to kiss her. Of course, he didn't push it further—Rukia would have fainted otherwise. Finally, Unohana Yachiru stood, walked over to Allen, and pulled him against her ample chest. For a moment, they thought the mature woman was taking advantage of the situation, but instead, she gently stroked Allen's hair.
"Don't worry, darling. Rest… here, you can be at peace… We'll take care of you."
Allen's eyes widened in surprise, but soon they gave way to exhaustion, and he fell asleep in Unohana's arms.
The other girls blushed. They had always leaned on Allen as their pillar, but never stopped to think that in this moment, they should be the ones supporting him.
"Don't worry, it's normal," Unohana said with a smile. "After all, Allen wants to take care of all of us—he sees it as his duty as a husband, a boyfriend, and a lover. As his woman, I would never shame him for that. But I believe it's okay for us to be there for him every once in a while, too…"
The girls were deeply impressed. But what could they say? The beautiful sister had lived for over a thousand years. Compared to girls barely past twenty—or even Diana, who had three hundred years—this black-haired beauty still had far more wisdom than any of them.
Allen, who had originally planned to spend the night with his women, ended up sleeping peacefully. It was the first time in many nights that he felt so relaxed—maybe because his family was close and he could protect them, or perhaps because he could hold them once more.
Time passed, and morning came…
In the kitchen, Mirajane and MJ were cooking. For a moment, he was surprised, but then remembered the system had said it would connect this world with Fairy Tail.
"Good morning," Allen greeted the two girls who seemed to be getting along well.
Both of them smiled, "Good morning!~"
...
A month flew by as Allen cherished his loved ones. He also made time to visit his friends, returned to campus, went to the X-Mansion, visited other worlds, and enjoyed some well-deserved vacations.
He knew Lucifer could show up at any moment to send him to another world, but for now, all that mattered was making everyone around him smile.
====
A/N: For those who wanted more from the Absolute Universe, there will be more, but since many find this universe somewhat heavy, I will write them in mini-arc format, like Ragnarok 🍷🗿
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen