"Bring it on," I said.The doors opened.If Runa was a blade and Sae was a chain, then Ayaka Saionji was the entire vault.She didn't walk down the aisle. She glided on a carpet of golden light that materialized beneath her feet with every step.Her dress wasn't fabric. It was woven from light-refracting diamonds and spun gold. It was heavy, opulent, and blindingly bright under the Tokyo sun. The train of the dress was ten meters long, carried by a fleet of small, automated drones that dusted the path behind her."Show off," I whispered, but I couldn't stop smiling.She reached the altar. She didn't kneel. A Sovereign's Queen does not kneel.She stood before me, radiating an aura of absolute worth."Renji Amagiri," she said. Her voice wasn't emotional. It was the calm, confident tone of a woman closing the biggest deal of her life."I have bought countries," she began, her golden eyes locking onto mine. "I have bought servers. I have bought the concept of 'Tomorrow' from a time travel

"Who wants cake?"The question was answered by a roar of approval that shook the floating island.The reception hall of the Sovereign's Palace was a masterpiece of interdimensional architecture. Long tables groaned under the weight of hydra steaks, cyber-sushi, and ambrosia wine. The music was a fusion of elven harps and heavy metal bass lines provided by a DJ from Server 2.I sat at the head table, surrounded by my wives.Ayaka was feeding me grapes (peeled, of course). Runa was guarding my fork. Jessica was arm-wrestling the Elf Queen Eco (and losing, surprisingly)."Peace," I sighed, taking a sip of nectar. "Finally."SPLASH.A sound cut through the laughter.At a table near the center of the hall, a drunken Orc Warlord had just tripped. He stumbled, his mug of ale flying from his hand.The ale hit the guest sitting opposite him.A Dragon Lord in human form. Wearing a white tuxedo.The ale soaked the dragon's lapel.Silence rippled outward from the table like a shockwave. The music

"We're going back to work," I had said.But honestly? I was hoping for a short shift.The Golden Wing II dropped out of hyperspace above Earth. The planet was still blue, still spinning, still mostly intact. But a small red dot on the tactical map in Neo-Tokyo was blinking."It's the Neo-Syndicate," Elara announced, her fingers flying across the console. "A splinter group. They think that since the Sovereign is on his honeymoon, the throne is empty.""Cute," Ayaka said, sipping champagne. "Who's leading them?""A guy named 'Viper II'," Elara sighed. "He claims to be the successor to the original Viper. He has a megaphone and a very loud opinion about your tax policies.""Viper II?" I rubbed my temples. "Didn't we already do this arc?""It's a spin-off attempt," Lumi critiqued. "Low budget."I stood up. I was wearing swim trunks (gold, gift from Ayaka), an open Hawaiian shirt, and sunglasses."Renji," Jessica asked, eyeing my attire. "Are you going to change?""No," I said. "This isn't

"It starts with a lie."I sat on the floor of the Saionji Villa foyer, surrounded by the chaotic legacy of my conquests."A lie?" Leo asked, hovering two feet in the air thanks to his stabilizers. "Like... a bluff? Did you bluff a dragon?""I bluffed the universe, kid," I said, catching him by the ankle before he floated into the chandelier. "And stop flying in the house. Your mother will kill me if you break the light fixtures.""I am practicing aerial superiority!" Leo argued, crossing his small, armored arms."You are practicing for a time-out," Jessica called from the kitchen. "Listen to your father, Leo, or I'm turning off your thrusters!"Leo grumbled, deactivating his pack and dropping to the floor."Daddy," Mari tugged on my sleeve. She held up her toy calculator. "If you bluffed the universe... what was the profit margin?"I looked at Ayaka's daughter. Platinum blonde hair, sharp eyes, and a terrifying grasp of economics at age five."The profit," I said, booping her nose, "w

"Die, vegetable!"THWACK.The sound of a blade hitting a cutting board echoed through the kitchen of the Saionji Villa like a gunshot.I stood in the doorway, holding my morning coffee, watching the carnage.Runa Yozakura stood at the counter. She wasn't wearing her combat gi or her kimono. She was wearing a frilly pink apron that said KISS THE COOK over a simple t-shirt and shorts.But her posture was pure warrior.She held a kitchen knife in a reverse grip. Her eyes were narrowed, focused on a defenseless carrot."You think you can resist?" she growled at the root vegetable. "Your armor is thick, but my will is sharper!"She raised the knife."Sovereign Style: Vertical Cleave!"WHAM.The carrot didn't just get sliced. It exploded. Orange shrapnel flew across the counter. The cutting board cracked down the middle."Victory," Runa breathed, wiping sweat from her forehead."Runa," I said, stepping into the room. "The carrot wasn't fighting back."She spun around, knife raised. "Master!