While Slayer traveled in the company of the mortal known as the Black Swordsman, Alex was busy exploring the Warrior's Vault on Pandora. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea that Slayer had ended up in a grim world—one that Alex would have gladly burned to the ground.
If Alex had known that Slayer and Guts had joined forces to hunt down five members of the God Hand and were now tracking Apostles, he would've surely wanted to join them. Yet even without Alex's help, Slayer could easily have torn all five apart on his own.
Meanwhile, Alex continued studying the Vault, translating inscriptions on ancient tablets written in the language of the Mykr. Throughout his work, he felt an unsettling sense of unease—as though he was missing something truly important and thrilling. But suppressing that feeling, he focused on the main goal: understanding why the Mykr race had created the Eridians.
When he finished translating all the inscriptions, the answers turned out incomplete. Inside the Warrior's Vault, Alex had found only half the truth; the other half still eluded him. Still, even the revelation that the Mykr were the creators of the Eridians was an invaluable discovery.
Unable to find the answers he sought, Alex decided to head to the very Vault once opened by Lilith, Roland, Brick, and Mordecai. The women who had accompanied him in the Warrior's Vault didn't object—especially Tannis, who suspected that another Vault might be hidden within, holding even greater secrets.
The realization that someone had created the Eridians shocked her deeply. Tannis had spent years studying ancient artifacts and Vaults, and now her curiosity burned brighter than ever. The three Sirens—Lilith, Maya, and Angel—were also eager to uncover the truth. They hoped that, by staying close to Alex, they would finally learn who had created the Sirens and why. As for Moxxi—she simply enjoyed the adventure.
Lilith still remembered the exact location of the first Vault they had once opened on Pandora. Using her memories, Alex opened a portal directly to that place.
When they arrived at the entrance, Alex suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed so loudly that Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, Angel, and Tannis exchanged puzzled looks, wondering if he'd lost his mind.
The cause of his amusement was the false key slot. Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Alex finally explained the situation. Lilith raised an eyebrow when she heard that what they had found wasn't actually the Vault's entrance but a feeding chamber for the creature imprisoned at Pandora's core.
She hadn't expected that the Eridians would build such a trap to feed the monster they themselves had sealed deep within the planet. Alex added that the Destroyer—the one Lilith, Roland, Mordecai, and Brick had once fought—was merely a small fragment of the true Destroyer. Its purpose was to deliver "food" into the jaws of the real monster.
"If this is just a feeding chamber," Maya said thoughtfully, "does that mean there's a real Vault somewhere nearby?"
Alex smiled and, without saying a word, pointed to another key slot. When he inserted the key, the true Vault revealed itself before their eyes.
"As I said before," Alex explained, "the Eridians built other Vaults within their Vaults. The first ones served as bait for the greedy, while the true ones were meant for those who sought knowledge."
Even so, this Vault did not contain the answers he sought.
"Looks empty again," Maya sighed, leaning against the wall as Alex translated the inscriptions on another tablet.
"Not exactly," he replied. "Here, for example, it describes the entire process of creating Eridian artifacts. Though without a special machine, it's impossible to replicate."
"What process? What machine?" Tannis demanded, practically pressing her face to Alex's.
"First, step back," Alex said, gently pushing her away. "Ever heard of personal space?"
"Personal what? Can it be touched?" Tannis asked with genuine curiosity.
"Tannis, stop getting in the way," Lilith intervened, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her back. "With your antics, we'll never learn anything."
"In short," Alex continued, "eridium is a unique material. It served not only as a power source but also as the foundation for artifacts. Using a special machine, eridium was converted into energy, which was then used to inscribe runes onto objects. That's how an artifact gained its special properties—resistance to fire, cold, strength, and so on. Without the machine, the process is impossible."
"Maybe one of these tablets describes how to build such a machine?" Angel asked thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side.
"Possibly," Alex replied. "I've only translated about half so far. But it's already clear that the Mykr granted the Eridians their knowledge, and the Eridians revered them as angels and divine messengers. Their leader was Khan Maykr — the wisest and, as they wrote, 'majestic.' But some of the texts make me suspicious."
"What kind of texts, sugar?" Moxxi asked, leaning casually against a pillar and crossing her arms.
"For example," Alex pointed at one of the tablets. "Here it says multiple times: 'The answer lies where you least expect it.' And also, 'Everything was predetermined from the very beginning.' I know Khan Maykr. She's a real piece of work. So it's quite possible that the Eridians were created for a specific purpose. And Lilith's words about meeting an Eridian only confirm it. Khan Maykr clearly had grand plans for this universe — though what kind, I still don't know."
He lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke and calming himself a little.
"Can't you just open the main Vault where that Destroyer is kept?" Tannis suddenly asked.
Everyone turned to stare at her in stunned silence. Even Alex was momentarily speechless. He could have done it — but he wasn't sure he'd find any answers inside. After all, no sane being would leave a message on the walls of a prison meant to contain a monster capable of devouring entire worlds.
He exhaled irritably and lightly tapped Tannis on the forehead. She covered her head with her hands, looking at him like he was the worst villain imaginable.
"Fine," Alex said. "We'll visit one more Vault — on Elpis."
He turned to Lilith.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to."
Lilith took a step forward and smiled faintly."It's fine. I've already made peace with what happened there. But thanks, handsome, for worrying about my feelings."
Alex gave her a light smile as he prepared to open the next portal.
Lilith hadn't expected Alex to be so attentive to her emotions. After he had shared his memories with her, she realized he truly cared about those he considered family or close friends. That sense of warmth and care — something she had almost forgotten — filled her heart again. Overcome by a sudden impulse, she grabbed Alex by the collar and pulled him sharply toward her. Their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Alex didn't pull away — instead, his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer. Everything else ceased to exist. In that moment, they forgot about everything — the mission, the Vaults, and even time itself.
Maya, Angel, Moxxi, and Tannis, hearing strange sounds, turned their heads simultaneously — and froze. Alex and Lilith were kissing as if no one else in the world existed. Angel blushed furiously and turned away, pretending not to see anything. Tannis clicked her tongue in annoyance — not because she was embarrassed, but because she wanted to know what it felt like to kiss Alex herself. Maya just sighed and shook her head, while Moxxi smirked in amusement, thinking Lilith had simply picked the perfect moment.
"We're not interrupting, are we?" Maya asked dryly.
"Just a little. So give us a few more minutes… or a few hours. We'll catch up," Lilith murmured without breaking the kiss.
"How about no, sugar? Or are you planning to keep him all to yourself? Sharing is caring, you know," Moxxi teased, narrowing her eyes.
Lilith just smirked, crossing her arms and standing protectively in front of Alex, giving Moxxi and Maya a bold, teasing look. Before the banter could escalate, Alex cleared his throat and said calmly,
"Let's head to Elpis. Maybe in the Guardian's Vault, we'll finally find some answers."
Hearing no objections, Alex drew Yamato and opened a portal straight to the Guardian's Vault — the place known as Elezir.
The Vault was located just a yard beneath the surface of Elpis's moon and stood as a grand, awe-inspiring structure surrounded by a holographic projection of outer space. Three massive energy rings rotated around it. The Vault was divided into three levels: the lowest and widest consisted of corridors and floating platforms surrounding a colossal crystal. The central zone was split into four sectors that held the crystal in place, while the upper level served as a teleportation point for the Guardians.
Once inside, Alex immediately looked at Lilith. He wanted to see how she would react, knowing that this was the place where memories of Roland's death might resurface. But Lilith, noticing his gaze, simply smiled and gently squeezed his hand.
After examining the internal mechanisms, Alex came to a conclusion — Elezir was the core of the system that controlled the Key capable of opening the Main Vault. The Guardian who had fallen here long ago had once been the final defense, protecting that Key from the corruption of the Destroyer.
Alex quickly figured out how to activate the mechanism that could begin the unlocking process, but one thought wouldn't leave him alone — why even create a key to the prison of such a dangerous being in the first place?
"Wouldn't it have been easier to make a cage without a lock?" he thought. "At least that way, no idiot would ever try to open it."
While he was lost in thought, Maya called out to him. The girls had been thoroughly searching the area, and judging by her tone, she had actually found something. Alex walked over and saw a floating tablet. On it were depicted six figures — six beings marked with Siren tattoos. Above their raised hands hovered six keys.
Raising an eyebrow, Alex studied the inscriptions carefully. Soon the others — Lilith, Angel, Moxxi, and Tannis — joined him. The more he translated, the more astonished he became.
"Huh... now this is interesting," Alex murmured when he finished reading.
"So what does it say?" Maya asked, pointing at the image. "It's connected to our powers, isn't it?"
"More than connected," Alex said, taking a drag on his cigarette. "It explains why the Sirens were created in the first place — and why all of you are drawn to Pandora."
"And why is that?" Angel asked curiously.
Alex traced his finger along the engraving."Take a close look. Six Sirens, each holding a key above her. That's not by accident. The Eridians created six Vaults, all linked to one another. Each Siren is the guardian of her respective key. Your powers were given to you specifically to protect those keys."
"And why would we need to protect them? And what does Pandora have to do with it?" Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The six keys aren't just keys to the Vaults. Together, they activate a seventh — the one that opens the Destroyer's prison. Four are needed to seal it, six to release it. Your powers are a built-in program, designed to defend the keys. That's why you can sense where they are. Why Maya was born on Athenas, where one of the keys rested. Why Angel appeared on Pandora. Why both you and Maya ended up here. Everything is connected — six Vaults, six Keys, six Sirens."
Lilith, Maya, and Angel hadn't expected to learn that the power they were born with was originally created to guard the Keys to the Vaults built by the ancient Eridians.
Alex continued translating the ancient inscriptions so the women could understand where the Sirens' power truly came from and what its real nature was. He also explained why this power chose its hosts.
According to him, the power of the Sirens originated from a fragment of a divine soul — a shard the Eridians had received from Khan Maykr herself. The first Sirens had existed long before the Destroyer appeared in the universe. At the beginning, they weren't guardians at all — they were weapons, living demigods created for war. Their power could pass from one host to another when the previous one died or could no longer fight.
Over time, the Sirens stopped being just weapons and became something akin to guardians. After the war ended, they took on a new role — to protect the Keys to the Vaults. But when the Destroyer invaded their universe, the Sirens became more than mere keepers; they became the last barrier preventing its release.
"I thought the origin of the Sirens would turn out to be a lot more mysterious," muttered Tannis, sounding disappointed. "And in the end, they were just weapons of war that were later told to guard keys."
"I'm more interested in something else," Lilith cut in, staring intently at the slab depicting the six Sirens. "Why were the Eridians even fighting each other? If they were created by those… what were they called again… the Maykr, shouldn't they have obeyed their masters?"
Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I have a theory. On all the tablets, there were mentions of the 'Turned Away' or the 'Forsaken' — hard to say which translation fits better. But the meaning is clear: some of the Eridians didn't want to stay on a leash under the Maykr's control and started rebelling."
"So they fought for their freedom?" Angel asked softly, tugging gently on Alex's sleeve.
"Possibly," he nodded. "Most likely, they realized they were doomed to one inevitable fate — to fulfill their purpose and then be destroyed. Khan Maykr doesn't see her creations as individuals, only as tools. All she cares about is the outcome. She followed a simple pattern: help some, annihilate others. And she did it rather elegantly — first, she'd send demons to destroy a world, then 'save' it with her forces. That way, she gained not only Argent energy but also devoted servants."
"Yeah, we already figured out your Khan Maykr's quite the bitch," Lilith grumbled, patting Alex on the shoulder. "But what about the Destroyer? I don't like the thought that there's some creature under our feet that could devour everything alive."
"I don't know," Alex sighed, stretching. "But I think it's time to head back. It's already evening, and I'm starving. We've gone through three Vaults without a break — I'd say we've earned some rest."
No one objected. Everyone felt exhausted and hungry. Summoning Yamato, Alex opened a portal back to Sanctuary — more precisely, to the Crimson Raiders' headquarters.
And the moment they arrived, they were greeted by quite a strange sight. A group of guys were playing a board game — the very one Anya, Nyarlko, Jinx, and Tiny Tina usually played. And, surprisingly, even Mordecai, who always refused to join in, was sitting at the table, rolling dice.
"Oh, you're back! Where the hell have you been?" Brick asked, sitting at the table wearing a pair of pink bunny ears.
"Visited three Vaults, found out why the Sirens were created. You know, just another normal day on Pandora," Lilith replied lazily, shrugging.
At her words, Mordecai's hand twitched, and the dice rolled wrong. The whole group — Brick, Mordecai, Axton, Salvador, and Zer0 — turned toward Alex and the girls, waiting for an explanation.
Alex briefly summarized what they'd learned: that inside each Eridian Vault was another inner chamber that contained the history of their civilization. The guys immediately grew excited, but Alex left the task of decoding it to Tannis — he had other things on his mind.
He was going to cook dinner and think everything over calmly. He had found answers to many questions, but some still lingered in his thoughts: why did Khan Maykr bring the Destroyer into this universe? Why did she create the Eridians? And why did one of their projections speak of the end of the world?
After dinner, Alex made himself a cup of coffee and stayed at the table, resting his forehead against the surface. The others watched with mild amusement as he sat motionless for nearly an hour, occasionally letting out a heavy sigh.
"Maybe you should stop torturing yourself and just let it go?" Maya asked, resting her head beside his.
Alex suddenly lifted his head, exhaling in frustration.
"To hell with it! I know who'll give me the answers. I'm done waiting!"
He had been sitting for an hour, racking his brain over the puzzle, but it was all in vain. And now he understood — there was only one left who could know the truth, besides his father. An artificial intelligence with access to the information he needed.
"And who do you think that is?" Lilith asked with a smirk, leaning on his shoulder. "All the Maykr are dead, the Eridians too. There's no one alive who could answer."
Alex lifted his head, a dangerous smile spreading across his face."Heh… someone did survive. You'll see for yourself soon. And when I get all the answers — the Destroyer will pay in full."
When Alex smiled, it was that same mad, predatory grin, and everyone nearby unexpectedly felt… pity. Pity — not for him, but for the Destroyer. Especially the girls watching through the broadcast — they recognized that look. The look Alex got when he had spent too long without answers and began descending into the abyss of his own extremes.
Yet despite the unease, they were curious about who exactly he meant — the one capable of answering his questions. Their first thought was the same name: the Creator, Alex's father. If anyone knew the truth, it would be him.
Alex pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and stopped at the correct number. Within seconds, the screen displayed the name: VEGA — the very artificial intelligence now serving as Doombringer Slayer's assistant, guiding him on missions and giving advice.
Dialing the number, Alex placed the phone on the table, activating the holographic projection. Before them appeared a glowing blue orb — VEGA incarnate. Everyone present examined the hologram with curiosity, then shot suspicious glances at Alex, who seemed to seriously believe this orb could answer questions about the origin of the universe.
"How may I assist you, Sir Demon King?" VEGA's calm, mechanical voice intoned.
"Hello, VEGA. Am I interrupting?" Alex asked with a slight smile.
"Sir, I am an artificial intelligence. The concept of 'being interrupted' is foreign to me. I operate continuously. Even now," VEGA replied emotionlessly.
"Hmm… and what are you doing at the moment?" Alex asked with interest.
"At this moment, sir, I am monitoring Slayer's journey in the company of the Black Swordsman," VEGA reported in the same calm tone.
Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise."The Black Swordsman? Guts, you mean? What is William doing in that cursed world?"
"Correct, sir," VEGA confirmed. "Slayer is carrying out a mission to eliminate the God's Hand and their Apostles. His task is to cleanse this world of demonic corruption."
A strange expression appeared on Alex's face — a mix of astonishment and… delight. A moment later, he simply exhaled softly and shook his head."Poor demons…" he muttered, covering his mouth with his hand to hide the bloodthirsty grin.
But he couldn't hide it. Fire flared in Alex's eyes, a gleam of mad ecstasy. He imagined Griffith, that self-satisfied godlike man, feeling real fear for the first time when he faced Slayer.
"Heh… if only you knew the spectacle I'm missing," Alex whispered, unable to resist laughing. "I'd give a lot to see Griffith's face when he realizes who he's up against. It'll be glorious… ha-ha-ha! That God's Hand quintet, always looking down on everyone… they'll find out who's the hunter and who's the prey. Even the Idea of Evil itself won't save them from Slayer."
Lilith, Maya, Moxxi and Angel — who were sitting closest — saw his smile twist into something unnatural. His lips stretched back, revealing sharp, almost bestial teeth. There was more than just excitement in his voice — it was a predatory thirst.
Even Moxxi, who thought she'd seen everything, was taken aback. A dangerous, primal energy radiated from Alex — a mixture of exhilaration and madness.
Meanwhile, the girls watching the stream started looking up information about the world Alex had mentioned. When they found data about the world of Berserk, it became clear why he was so thrilled. This was not a story about heroes and hope — it was unrelenting darkness, a place without light, only suffering, death and eternal struggle. A world where salvation is impossible.
VEGA, for its part, patiently waited while Alex literally "dropped drool" over the prospect of the upcoming bloodbath.
Alex cleared his throat and slapped his cheeks, trying to regain composure.
"Sorry, VEGA… I got carried away," he rasped. "Anyway, I have a couple of ideas about how to deal with the problem in that world."
"I am listening, sir. I need to collect data for analysis," VEGA replied.
"Let's start with the basics. The world Slayer is in now is physical. But it touches the astral, where the God's Hand dwells. Getting there requires a special ritual," Alex explained.
"What ritual exactly?" VEGA asked.
"To begin with, you need to find an Apostle who possesses a Beherit — a stone with an eye and a mouth. You drive him to despair and then smear the Beherit with his blood. The artifact activates and opens a passage to the Rift — the place where the physical and astral worlds intersect. But each Apostle has their own Beherit, and not all of them keep it. So you have to rely on luck," Alex explained calmly.
"Are there any additional recommendations, sir?" VEGA asked, logging the data.
Alex was silent for a second, then, utterly emotionless, said:
"Even if you destroy all the Apostles and the God's Hand, that won't change anything. You have to kill the Idea of Evil itself — the entity born from the darkness in human hearts. And the simplest way to do that is to erase all life in that world. Total extermination. No people — no fear, no evil. Over time the Idea will simply die."
"What…" Lilith sprang from her chair. "Alex, have you gone mad!? What the hell, genocide of an entire world!?"
All the girls looked at Alex with strange, even stunned expressions — especially Lilith, Maya, Moxxi and Angel. Angel was probably the most shocked: she couldn't imagine Alex not just thinking such a thing but voicing it aloud. Seeing their faces, Alex only sighed heavily. He understood that neither the girls nor even the guys grasped why he had said what he said. So he decided to explain what had led him to propose such a brutal — at first glance — option.
But before getting to the point, Alex wondered: "Do the others even need to know who I really am?"
In short, he decided to tell those who didn't know a bit about himself — who he was — and then spent a full hour explaining in detail what the world of Berserk was like and why wiping out all life there seemed the most rational solution.
He described that world as a bottomless pit, soaked in darkness and suffering. A world where mere existence was torture, and human souls were fundamentally broken. A world where its inhabitants had created the Idea of Evil to justify their own sins and suffering.
Alex repeated several times:"The world of Berserk is not Pandora. It's worse. Much worse. Pandora is just a slightly crazy planet. That world… it's plunged into eternal darkness. People there live without ever seeing the light."
To make his point undeniable, he asked VEGA to show the recordings from Slayer's helmet. That was enough for everyone to understand why Alex had chosen such a radical path. Scenes flashed across the screen that even the strongest paled at: endless wars, monstrous Apostles devouring humans, betrayal, and agony. Angel couldn't bear it and turned away, clenching her hands. Even Moxxi, who had seen plenty of bloody spectacles, couldn't watch calmly.
After a long silence, Maya was the first to speak, frowning:"Maybe… there's another option? No matter how horrible this world is."
Alex thoughtfully ran a finger along his chin:"There is," he replied after a brief pause. "As I said, you have to reach the Rift, destroy the God's Hand, and descend into the depths of the Astral World. Or… wait for one event."
"And what event is that, sir?" VEGA asked, showing interest.
Alex sighed, curling his lips into a smirk:"Well… that idiot Griffith hasn't given up on his dream of becoming king. He will materialize in the physical world, and during a single battle, he'll destroy the barrier between the Astral and Physical worlds. This will trigger a collision of worlds. Astral beings will start living among humans. Casualties will be inevitable… but that will be the moment you can reach the very abyss, down to its bottom — where the Idea of Evil resides."
He tapped the table with his finger and continued:"So advise Slayer to follow the first plan, with adjustments. If he doesn't make it in time — activate the third. The second… well, you know how to reach me."
"Understood, sir," VEGA replied, softly glowing. "But perhaps you could explain the reason for your call?"
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot," Alex chuckled, slapping his forehead. "Do you still have access to the Maykr archives?"
"All data is preserved in my database, sir. Do you want the full archive or something specific?"
"Specific. I've found traces of the Maykr in this universe. Especially Khan Maykr. I need all information related to the Eridians, Pandora, the Destroyer, and the Sirens. Including Khan Maykr's personal records. Send everything to my phone."
"Executing, sir. Data transfer complete." VEGA responded calmly, and the connection ended.
Alex's phone immediately chimed. He rose from his chair, walked to the big screen and connected the device. A flood of data poured in. Alex exhaled heavily — the volume was colossal, but unsurprising: the Maykr had been observing this universe for whole epochs.
He launched a filtering program, sat back down and began tapping his finger on the table as thousands of lines scrolled across the screen. Time dragged. When the needed information finally appeared, Alex frowned.
The material showed that the Eridians had been created not merely as an experiment but as preparation for this universe. Within their race there had been an opposition — those who refused to submit to the will of their creators, the Maykr.
And Khan Maykr... she had gone even further. The Destroyer had been her personal experiment — an attempt to create her own Icon of Sin. But the experiment had spun out of control. The Destroyer devoured everything in its path, leaving only emptiness behind. Judging it a failure, Khan Maykr simply left, abandoning the Eridians to their fate.
The Eridians were forced to deal with a Destroyer they could not kill, only seal. And in the process of sealing the Destroyer, the Eridian race met its end, leaving behind their legacy.
That apocalypse the Eridian projection had warned Lilith and the others about was the harvest Khan Maykr had intended to begin. In the archives Alex saw that Khan Maykr still had plans for this universe — especially after life in it had spread across many planets.
As for the others sitting nearby, they were, to put it mildly, in total shock at what they had seen. Nobody could have imagined that, barring fortunate circumstances, only one end awaited them.
Alex stretched slightly and lit a cigarette. They stayed up until morning, and none of them seemed inclined to sleep after everything they'd witnessed. Alex was even a little surprised that his identity as the Demon King was less shocking than the realization that this universe might be destined for a rather grim fate. Smoking, he thought that all that remained was to kill the Destroyer, take Helios, and then matters in this universe would be settled and he could return to his primary work.
To be continued...
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