CHAPTER 1353: OLD AND NEW FAMILY 2

The next time Perseus and Father Black stepped through the portal, the world that greeted them was no longer the sealed chamber—it was the expanse of the heavens. Cold void stretched endlessly, but their focus was fixed on the horizon beyond Earth.

There it was.

From afar, what first seemed like a rogue planet revealed itself in staggering detail. It was nearly the size of the moon, its surface a jagged scape of metal plates and crystalline protrusions. A luminous ring of fractured spheres rotated around it, shimmering with shifting lights that bent gravity and space, like a halo built of broken stars. The deeper Perseus looked, the more he noticed—streams of energy weaving in and out of its hull like arteries, conduits glowing with unnatural life.

It was not a planet. It was a vessel.

And its approach bled dread into the marrow of every living thing on Earth. The air itself thrummed with foreboding. Already, the avatars of the gods had ascended into the skies above the world, radiating power like a defensive wall of divinity.

Demeter’s avatar appeared suddenly at Father Black’s side, her radiance trembling the space around them. "Husband," she said gravely, her eyes narrowing at the sight, "it would seem we already have invaders."

Perseus, however, gave a small chuckle. The sound was startling in such a moment. "Finally," he murmured, "they are here."

Father Black turned sharply toward him. "Who is here?"

Perseus’s gaze never left the looming colossus. "Oh... just other family members."

That earned him a look of stunned silence. Demeter, Father Black, and even Morgana exchanged wary glances. But Perseus only raised a hand, summoning a fresh portal. "Follow me."

Without hesitation, he stepped through. The others—members of the Lenny family save for Insect B—followed, though with caution etched on every face.

The portal opened directly into space, bringing them face-to-face with the massive construct. Up close, its sheer scale was overwhelming. Whole mountain ranges of black alloy stretched across its surface, carved with glowing symbols in alien tongues. Energy fields arced from its ring into the void like solar flares. It was a leviathan birthed not by nature, but by obsession.

Perseus placed a hand over his insignia, his voice resonating not only in sound but through the pulse of his bond. "Sister," he intoned, his words rippling through the void, "if you continue to draw this close, you will disrupt the ecosystem of Earth."

At once, the planetary ship slowed. Its momentum stilled until it hung just beyond the orbit of the moon, a looming sentinel against the void.

Father Black and the others exchanged guarded looks, suspicion etched deep in their expressions. Caution thickened in the air like frost. Father Black leaned toward Demeter, his voice low. "Do we have something that can take that thing down?"

Demeter’s lips pressed into a thin line, but it was Morgana who spoke first, her voice gravelly. "According to Clawed, not without grave losses. It would be... very difficult."

Before more could be said, a section of the colossal vessel peeled open. What emerged was a swarm—thousands of smaller ships, sleek and angular, each with glowing crimson underbellies. They swam through space like predators, weaving into formations that bristled with silent menace.

Then a voice thundered across the void, loud enough to vibrate in their bones.

"Perseus boy... I have missed you."

Father Black’s frown deepened. From the swarm, a single ship detached, and from it emerged a figure.

He squinted. No magic radiated from her. No divine pressure, not even cosmic resonance. She was a void to all his senses. Yet as she drew closer, her image sharpened against the starlight.

She was red from head to toe, her skin the color of blood under moonlight. A long, whip-like tail swayed lazily behind her, while two curved horns rose from her brow. Her eyes burned golden, playful yet dangerous, and her grin promised nothing but trouble. Her attire was bizarre—shredded jeans and a cropped top that barely covered her chest. She looked like she belonged in a neon-lit city, not the edge of space.

Father Black’s instincts flared. His hand tightened, readying a spell. "It’s a devil," he growled.

But before he could act, Perseus shot forward in a blur of motion.

The confrontation everyone expected... never came.

Instead, the devil’s arms wrapped tightly around Perseus, crushing him in an embrace. "Oh, look at you!" she laughed, her voice a melodic rasp. "You even have a beard now." Her hand immediately tugged at his chin, teasing the scruff.

Perseus chuckled, a hint of embarrassment in his tone. Noticing the stunned looks from the others, he gave an awkward cough as he pulled slightly away.

Floating back toward them, he gestured casually. "This... is Tomato. One of Lenny’s women. As you can guess, she’s a devil. But also..." He pointed to the glowing insignia etched boldly on her thigh, "...a member of the Lenny family."

Tomato floated in front of them, her yellow eyes mischievous and her grin wide, utterly unbothered by the divine tension thickening the void around them. She toyed with her devil tail like it was a whip, snapping it once in the air with a playful smirk.

But then, Morgana stepped forward.

Her crimson gown unfurled behind her as though carried by an invisible storm, each fold of silk rippling in defiance of the vacuum of space. Her heels tapped against nothing, yet her stride exuded authority. Even here, where mortals could not breathe, Morgana carried herself like a queen descending her throne.

Her red lips curled ever so slightly as her eyes locked onto Tomato, but beneath that veneer of elegance, there was venom. She circled the devil once, her gaze sweeping from horn to tail, deliberately pausing at the family sigil burned into Tomato’s thigh. The silence between them grew louder than the rumble of engines from the colossal moon-sized vessel.

"So..." Morgana’s voice cut through the silence like a blade of silk and steel. "One of his women, you said." Her words were for Perseus, though her eyes never left Tomato. "I suppose Lenny’s taste has always leaned toward the... common."

She spoke so, forgetting that once upon a time,she had mounted a devil for its power, and to prove her love and dedication to having Lenny for herself.

Tomato arched a brow, then laughed—an easy, sharp laugh that sparkled with mockery. "Common? Oh darling, if I’m common, then you’ve been starving for centuries..."

Perseus and Tomato had talked about this before, and one look at Morgana and Tomato could tell who she was in the Lenny family.

"...Tell me—" she leaned in close enough that the tip of her tail nearly brushed Morgana’s cheek, "—how’s that chase going? A hundred years of sighs and longing glances, and not even a kiss to show for it?"

Perseus cleared his throat and instinctively drifted backward, already remembering how catastrophic Morgana’s temper could be.

Even though without a doubt, he was stronger now, no smart man would want to be in the center of such a mess.

Morgana’s eyes narrowed, glowing faintly with a devilish yellow that mirrored Tomato’s own. Her teeth bared just slightly. "Careful, little devil. You may have laid with him, but bedding does not make you worthy of him. I wonder... did he remember your name the next morning?"

The smile on Tomato’s lips sharpened into a blade. As she shook her breath excessively "Oh, he remembered, sweetheart. In fact, he gave me my name. Said I tasted very SWEET. He Screamed it, actually. I can demonstrate if you like?"

The air around them crackled with hostile energy, Morgana’s gown fluttering violently while Tomato’s tail twitched like a viper ready to strike. The others shifted uneasily—Crusher looked intrigued, Demeter visibly irritated, and Father Black... finally had enough.

"That’s enough!" His voice thundered across the void, heavy with command of the Regent. His hand lifted and with it came a pulse of cosmic energy that physically pushed the two women apart. "This is neither the time nor the place for your petty rivalries. If you cannot control yourselves, I will control you."

The verbal sparring ceased, but the fire in their eyes did not. Both women glared daggers, their gazes locked like duelists refusing to sheathe their blades. Morgana’s irises still burned with that new devilish hue, a silent promise that this was far from over.

And then—another voice.

"It has been a while, Father Black."

Everyone turned.

From the shadow of the colossal ship, a figure descended, soft as drifting petals, yet commanding as a queen. She wore robes of radiant pink, each fold shimmering like dawn itself. Her eyes, however, were stranger—one deep green, the other pale gold—each carrying the wisdom of centuries and the weight of secrets untold.

These colors were not the colors her eyes used to carry, but no doubt successive breakthroughs had resulted into this.

"Lady Vinegar..." Father Black whispered, his breath catching. He floated forward, reverent, as though drawn by memory. "By the stars..." He bowed deeply. Even Perseus lowered his head, a rare gesture that spoke volumes.

Demeter frowned, confused by the sudden shift in reverence. "Who is this?" she asked, after all, she was a god, and her husband was taking a bow to one with foreign demon kind of magic.

Father Black straightened, his voice solemn. "Lenny Tales had many women... but if he were to have a queen, then it would be her."

The revelation silenced even Morgana. After Lenny had treated her, Perseus had sent her back to the high elves to recover. Then again, Lenny had been given reigns to their city as king.

Considering the kind of person Lenny was, he pushed aside that responsibility, dropping it once more on perseus shoulder.

The high elves had been living in peace all this while, and Vinegar had finally woken up after a long time.

Lady Vinegar’s smile was gentle, but there was an edge in her tone. "And there is someone I would have you meet."

From the maw of the great vessel, another figure descended, moving with quiet gravity. He was tall, broad-shouldered, his presence unmistakably regal. He wore the ceremonial armor of the high elves—gleaming silver etched with runes of authority—yet he was no elf. A jagged scar cut through one eye, giving him a weathered, battle-born edge. And then, there was the hair—brilliant white, cascading like a banner of legacy.

Every gaze fixed upon him. That face—those eyes—there was no denying the blood he carried.

Luca. Lenny’s son.

He landed with grace, lowering his head in a bow. Despite lacking the family sigil, every member of the Lenny bloodline felt their insignia stir, resonating in his presence.

"My mother has made me know," Luca said, voice calm yet commanding, "that I owe my life to you... from a hundred years ago."

Father Black’s lips trembled. He reached forward, placing a hand upon the boy’s shoulder. His vision blurred with tears he had long held back. "It’s good to see you again, godson." His voice cracked with a weight few had ever heard from him. "By the heavens... it’s good to see you alive."

Luca’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "It would interest you to know that I have done well. Amongst my children, I still have a daughter. If I am not mistaken... she will be arriving soon."

Father Black chuckled, brushing tears away, his heart lighter than it had been in centuries. "I would love nothing more than to meet her."

Crusher, still struggling with the enormity of what hovered behind them, raised his voice respectfully toward Lady Vinegar. "Forgive me, my lady... but how? How does one acquire such power—the force of a planet?" He pointed to the vessel larger than comprehension, looming like a second moon.

Tomato leapt at the chance to answer, twirling her devil tail like a baton. "Oh, that? Simple. Lenny won half a galaxy in a bet. I was sent to collect the debt."

"Half a galaxy!?" Father Black blurted, his composure shattering. Demeter, Crusher, even Morgana—all mirrored his astonishment.

But Tomato waved her hand dismissively, rolling her eyes. "Pfft. That’s nothing. I didn’t bring the ship the size of Jupiter because I didn’t want to mess with Earth’s little magnetic relationship with the sun."

Silence.

Then, all at once, the gods and their avatars turned to stare at her in disbelief.

Tomato only grinned wider...