Chapter 160: Calm Tony, Undignified Lucifer
Ren walked over to Lucifer and gently hugged her, as she was on the verge of exploding.
He knew very well that Lucifer was angry because of Tony Stark's earlier speculation about him—insinuating that Ren was some sort of packaged deal or that the establishment was a front for unsavory business—but Ren found it quite interesting.
Anyone who could deduce such an absurd, cynical plot with a genius mind in a matter of seconds must be an interesting fellow, albeit a rude one.
Lucifer buried her face into Ren's chest, her arms winding tightly around his waist like steel bands. She whispered, her voice muffled but vibrating with suppressed rage, "He got off too easy! My man is not something to be talked about just like that! I should have flayed his soul and used it as a coaster!"
The Queen of Hell was trembling. It wasn't from fear, but from the sheer indignity of it all. To be treated as a menu item? Her? The ruler of the netherworld? And to have Ren treated as a mere pimp or servant? The audacity of this mortal in the metal suit was boundless.
Ren smiled, a calm and soothing expression that contrasted with the demonic fury in his arms. He reached up and pinched Lucifer's cheek, pulling the soft, pale skin gently.
"Aren't you unable to use your power?" Ren teased softly. "You're currently in a restricted state, remember? Turning him into a coaster might be a bit beyond your current mana cap."
"Hmph!" Lucifer snorted, pulling back slightly to glare at him with crimson eyes that swirled with defiance. She looked less like a terrifying demon lord and more like a sulking girlfriend. "I can't use my full magic, that's true. But my body is not something humans can compare to! I possess the physical strength of a fallen angel! I can handle him with my bare hands! I could crush that tin can like a soda can!"
She paused, then gestured aggressively toward the nearby table where three identical girls were watching the scene with wide, curious eyes.
"And there's even a Cerberus here who can use power! We could have him mauled! Systematically!"
The Cerberuses tilted their heads in unison. Their fluffy white ears flopped to the side. They also didn't know why Lucifer was so angry just now. To them, the sight of the metal man flying backward and crashing into the wall was purely slapstick comedy. It was funny! Why was Lucifer so mad about a funny thing?
Because it was clearly Tony Stark getting carried away, and they found it quite amusing.
Cerberus naturally didn't know that Lucifer was full of dignity in all places except for being the Queen of Hell. When she was in Hell, she was the tired CEO dealing with paperwork. When she was with Ren, she was a pampered cat. But in front of strangers? She demanded absolute reverence. Tony Stark had stepped on a landmine he didn't even know existed.
Time passed slowly in the small restaurant. The silence was broken only by the hum of the refrigerator and the occasional groan from the corner.
After lying there for what felt like half an hour or an hour, Tony Stark finally regained his ability to move.
The Nano-suit, usually a marvel of responsive engineering, felt heavy and sluggish. His HUD (Heads-Up Display) flickered with static red warnings before stabilizing. System Reboot Complete. Life Support Active. Major structural integrity compromised in chest plate.
"Ugh..." Tony grunted, the sound echoing in his helmet.
Although he still felt as if his body was falling apart—his ribs aching with a phantom pressure that reminded him of the Hulk's punches—he managed to sit up. The servos in his suit whirred loudly, protesting the movement.
Tony Stark was not an unreasonable fellow; he had matured a lot after being kidnapped in Afghanistan, fighting aliens in New York, and creating Ultron. He knew when he was beaten. He knew when he was out of his depth. And right now, sitting on the polished wooden floor of a restaurant that shouldn't exist, he knew he had made a miscalculation.
He shook his head, clearing the dizziness. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the entrance he had come through.
The door was shimmering.
It wasn't just a wooden door anymore. The frame was bathed in a soft, ethereal white light that pulsed with a gentle rhythm, like a heartbeat. It defied physics. It defied the readings on his sensors, which were currently screaming ERROR: UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE.
Now, seeing the door shimmering with white light, Tony Stark said with some surprise, "Hey... what is this thing?"
Ren, while stroking Lucifer's silver hair to prevent her from launching a second, likely fatal, assault on the billionaire, looked over. He smiled—a professional, shopkeeper's smile.
"As Lucifer said before she threw you across the room," Ren explained, his tone light, "this is a restaurant from Another World~."
Tony Stark was stunned for a moment. The scientist in him overrode the pain. He struggled to his feet, swaying slightly, and stumbled toward the door. He reached out a gauntleted hand and traced the air near the frame.
The light was very warm. It didn't burn. It felt... welcoming.
"Readings are off the charts," Tony muttered to himself. "No radiation. No thermal spikes. Just... pure photonic density?"
Tony said with some excitement, turning back to the chef, "Hey! Wait! Sir, first of all, I apologize for my earlier conjectures. I was operating on... let's call it 'Earth-standard cynicism.' But this... is this really Another World? Is it the Another World I know of? Multiverse theory? String theory made manifest?"
Ren nodded, his expression calm amidst Tony's frantic intellectual awakening.
Beside him, Lucifer snorted coldly, crossing her arms and looking away. She wasn't ready to forgive the "menu item" comment just yet.
Although Tony Stark had no ill intentions earlier, he was a man who owned his mistakes. He retracted his faceplate, revealing a face bruised by ego but lit up with curiosity.
He apologized, bowing his head slightly—a rare gesture for the man who privatized world peace. "I'm sorry, Lady Lucifer... Wait... Lucifer?"
Tony paused. His brain caught up with his mouth. He stared at the silver-haired woman in the suit. The horns. The tail. The name.
"Lucifer?" he repeated, his skepticism warring with the evidence.
Ren smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes~ It's the Lucifer you imagine. Lucifer, the Queen of Hell. The Morning Star. The CEO of the Underworld."
In fact, once Tony, the genius, accepted the fact that this was Another World, he became extremely excited.
For a scientist, nothing was more thrilling than exploring the unknown. He was a futurist. He built things that didn't exist yet. Discovering a new element was a Tuesday. Discovering a new dimension was a birthday present.
But he liked to research the unknown, not the supernatural!
This was no longer within the realm of science. Or rather, it was science he hadn't deciphered yet.
Science could achieve time travel—he had theorized about it. Science could build A.I. Science could make a man fly. But science couldn't create Lucifer! Theology and particle physics were not supposed to mix this blatantly!
Lucifer, seeing the doubt in his eyes, decided to assert her dominance. She still held Ren, clinging to his arm like a lifeline, but she puffed out her chest, saying proudly, "Yes! I am the legendary Lucifer! The Queen of Hell! Kneel before me, Mortal! Or at least show some respect!"
How to describe Lucifer's feelings towards Tony Stark? She didn't like him. He was brash, rude, and smelled of ozone and arrogance. But she wasn't completely annoyed anymore. Seeing a mortal so thoroughly confused and humbled was... satisfying.
At least, that was the case an hour later. If Ren hadn't kept Lucifer calm during that initial recovery period, Tony Stark might be gone by now—reduced to his component atoms.
However, Lucifer didn't know that in her current state, speaking proudly made her completely devoid of any dignity.
Imagine the Devil. Now imagine the Devil wearing a business suit, pouting, and hugging a chef for emotional support while shouting about how scary she is. It didn't scream "Ruler of Damnation." It screamed "Tsundere girl acting fierce because she had a boyfriend to back her up."
Tony Stark swallowed hard. He looked at the woman, then at the chef, then back at the woman.
He closed his eyes and said in disbelief, rubbing his temples, "The legendary Lucifer... logically speaking, in an infinite multiverse, she might exist in Another World. But... you're very... modern? And not... red?"
Lucifer narrow her eyes. The air temperature dropped ten degrees instantly.
Crunch.
The next moment, Tony felt his whole body tighten as if squeezed by a giant, invisible hydraulic press. His suit groaned. The lights on his chest piece flickered violently. It wasn't telekinesis; it was pure, suffocating malice focusing on his diaphragm.
"Guh—!" Tony gasped, his eyes popping open.
Tony Stark quickly shouted, his hands raising in surrender, "Lady Lucifer! I didn't mean to question you! I believe you! 100%!"
As soon as he said that, the feeling on Tony Stark's body vanished without a trace. The invisible hand released him, and he took a deep, greedy breath of air.
Lucifer chose to use a tiny bit of magic to suppress Tony Stark. Just a flex of her spiritual pressure.
She would never show her tail—her real, monstrous form—in front of Ren! The consequences would be unimaginable! What if Ren thought she was ugly? What if he stopped patting her head? No, absolutely not.
For Lucifer, he was just a mortal anyway; a little magic suppression would suffice to teach him manners. After all, Hell wouldn't detect such a tiny bit of magic leaking into this dimension.
Seeing Lucifer still looking completely undignified—adjusting her hair and huffing like a spoiled princess—Tony Stark couldn't help but believe. The power was real. The attitude was real.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand and said, looking towards the other table, "Then these three are... if she is Lucifer, then you must be... Leviathan? Asmodeus? Or..."
The three girls sitting on the bench straightened up. They placed their hands on their chests.
"We are Cerberus~"
The answer came not as a single voice, but as a chorus. Three voices layered perfectly on top of one another, creating a harmonic resonance that was both adorable and deeply unsettling.
"Huh?"
Tony Stark felt his brain short-circuit again.
He had already experienced a world-shattering revelation when he thought the legendary Lucifer was a beautiful woman with a partner. Now he was being told that the monster with three heads in all the legends—the Watchdog of Hades—was actually these three cute girls in front of him?
"Cerberus?" Tony stammered. "The dog? But... there are three of you. Separate. Bipeds."
"One soul! Three bodies!" The Cerberus sisters chirped, flashing peace signs.
And the crucial part was that there were three of them?! And they looked like pop idols?
After Ren explained a bit about their ability to separate and their nature, Tony Stark finally closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Hahhhhh..."
If one listened closely, that sigh was trembling. It was the sound of a man realizing that everything he knew about biology, physics, and mythology was being rewritten in a ramen shop.
The Cerberuses didn't pay much attention to the existential crisis of the man in the iron suit. They suddenly remembered their own crisis.
They turned their heads to Ren, their eyes wide and pleading.
"Master! We still haven't remembered!"
"Master! The memory is gone!"
"Master! Help us!"
The exclamation rang out in a chaotic, overlapping wave of sound. They spoke simultaneously, their voices weaving together in a panic.
Ren also said somewhat helplessly, shaking his head, "Then let's think about it later. The memory isn't going anywhere, and neither is the ice cream."
He turned his attention back to the guest. The atmosphere had shifted from hostile to transactional.
"So, Mr. Tony Stark," Ren said, his voice professional. "Do you choose to rest for a while and go back through that door? Or would you like something to eat? You look like you could use a meal."
Tony Stark snapped out of it. The scientist retreated; the pragmatist emerged. He shook his head, the metal collar of his suit clicking.
"Boss," Tony said, his voice dropping to a serious register. "I have something I'd like to understand from you right now. Before anything else."
"Please speak."
Tony Stark looked at the chef, then at the glowing door, then back at the chef. He said very seriously, "Boss, I now believe that this is Another World. The evidence is overwhelming. So... how can I go back? Or rather, what is the cost?"
His eyes narrowed. "Is there a toll? A soul tax? A piece of technology left behind? I need to know the exit clause."
Tony's question was the most practical one asked by any guest so far, and also the one from the most calmly analytical person. Most guests either panicked, cried, or immediately accepted the magic. Tony Stark looked for the catch. He looked for the fine print.
This made Lucifer nod as well, a glimmer of respect appearing in her eyes.
Calmness is a trait shared by all high-ranking races. Whether angel, demon, or genius human, the ability to assess a situation without losing one's head is vital. This trait can prevent you from falling into an abyss, and also from setting yourself on fire.
Ren shook his head, wiping the counter with a cloth. "There's no cost needed. No souls. No tech. This is just a place where guests from Another World can dine or rest. When you are done, you just need to walk out of the shop door. You will return to the exact moment you left."
Tony Stark stared at him, analyzing his micro-expressions. He found no deceit. He didn't doubt its authenticity, because he had entered through that very door, and his sensors had recorded the transition.
Tony Stark said in a deep voice, "Second question. Can I come here again?"
"Of course," Ren replied easily. "And you can bring your friends with you. However, the door is selective. Guests who haven't received your invitation—meaning they aren't physically with you or invited by you—will either be randomly selected to come, or they won't be able to come here at all. They won't even see the door."
"They can't come without my invitation, huh..." (Cough cough cough...)
Tony rubbed his chin, a plan already forming in his mind. A safe house. A neutral ground. A place outside of SHIELD's surveillance, outside of Hydra's reach. The strategic value was immeasurable.
Ren looked at the pensive Tony Stark, whose mind was clearly racing miles ahead. "Mr. Tony Stark, do you have any other questions?"
"No," Tony sighed, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. He stood up straight. "I apologize again for my previous assumptions, and to Ms. Lucifer. I was rude."
Tony Stark's attitude made Lucifer nod. It was a proper apology. She still turned her head away proudly, nose in the air, but the killing intent was gone.
Tony Stark looked at the clean little shop. It was modest, warm, and smelled of timber and spices. He climbed onto a wooden stool in front of a table and sat down.
"Ouch..." he winced.
Ren hadn't used lethal force or injured him permanently, but it just hurt. The impact had rattled his bones, and it wasn't an ordinary pain—it was the ache of being swatted by a force of nature.
Tony sat on the chair, rubbing his stomach where the invisible gravity had crushed him. He exhaled slowly.
"I was originally going to the kitchen to find something to eat and then continue my research," Tony admitted, looking at the menu board which seemed to change languages as he looked at it. "But plans change. Boss, your place looks like a Chinese restaurant, but you have Japanese decor. Can you make anything to eat?"
"As long as there are ingredients, anything is possible," Ren assured him, stepping behind the cooking station. "Chinese food, Japanese cuisine, French cuisine, Italian... all can be made."
Tony thought for a moment. He needed something simple. Something grounded. Something that reminded him of the top of the food chain.
"Then please," Tony said, placing his order with the confidence of a billionaire. "Give me an A5 Kobe steak. Just with salt. Don't ruin the meat with sauce. And an iced coffee. No sugar, a little less milk. I need to wake up properly, thank you."
Ren's eyes lit up. He tied his apron tighter.
"Alright. Please wait a moment."
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]