Max slipped back into IMP headquarters quietly, the way you do when you're technically not supposed to be there but also kind of live there.
Blitzø had been watching Loona and Millie like a paranoid hawk ever since catching them getting a little too close to Max. So subtle movements were required.
The office floor was empty. No arguing. No gunshots. No Millie humming while sharpening knives.
Peaceful.
"For once," Max muttered.
He wandered toward the sad excuse of a break area and stared at the coffee machine like it had personally offended him.
"You and I both know this is going to taste like burnt sin."
He poured a cup anyway and quietly activated [Master Chef].
The bitter sludge transformed mid-pour into something smooth, rich, and actually drinkable.
"Blessed skill."
Cup in hand, he headed toward his luxurious $300-a-month closet suite.
He opened the door.
Took one sip.
And immediately choked.
Sitting on his narrow mattress…
Was Loona.
Or—what looked exactly like Loona.
Same silver fur. Same heavy-lidded eyes. Same ripped leggings and crop top. Same faint scent of smoke and citrus.
She blinked at him.
Breathing.
Max stared.
"…Nope."
He stepped inside slowly and poked her shoulder.
The body reacted. Shifted slightly. A soft sound escaped her lips.
But there was no mind behind it.
"Raphael."
"Analyzing. Target is a pleasure construct. Origin: Lust Ring enchantment. Sensory feedback fully synchronized with original subject regardless of distance."
Max turned Raphael off instantly.
He rubbed his face.
"You have got to be kidding me."
He crouched in front of the doll and waved a hand in front of its eyes.
No intelligence. No awareness.
Just… responsiveness.
He gently pressed a finger against her chest.
The body shuddered in perfect reaction.
He withdrew his hand immediately.
"…Okay, that's dangerously impressive."
His mind ran through possibilities.
Loona bold enough to send something like this?
Maybe.
Millie bold enough to prank both of them?
Also extremely possible.
"Man," he muttered, standing up. "I've seen enough questionable human-world content to recognize this."
He folded his arms.
"As tempted as I am to test the craftsmanship…"
He exhaled sharply.
"…Not yet."
He snapped his fingers.
"[Dispel]."
The doll shimmered and vanished instantly, leaving behind a neatly rolled enchanted scroll on the bed.
Max picked it up carefully.
"Ah. Rental."
He slipped it into storage.
"They're definitely going to want that back."
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out his phone.
It flickered to life.
And as always, it connected to the present timeline.
One perk of his situation.
He scrolled through updates casually.
Then stopped.
"…Oh."
Future social media.
News reports.
Articles.
Apparently his relationship had gone public about a month before the engagement.
And apparently Millie + alcohol + hellfire torch at a fair had accelerated that reveal dramatically.
Max pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Of course it was Millie."
He kept reading.
Bee had ripped multiple bounty hunters in half.
Loona had personally hunted down a few.
Vaggie had joined in on the violence—though Charlie had spared several targets.
There were entire news columns dedicated to "The Overlord's Harem."
Max leaned back against the wall of the closet.
"So I'm bounty hunted."
He scrolled further.
Professional assassins.
Rival demons.
Opportunists.
"Maybe I should just come out as an Overlord early," he murmured. "Kill enough to establish dominance. That usually works."
He frowned.
"…Problem is Charlie."
She believed in redemption.
Believed everyone deserved a chance.
If he went full public Overlord slaughter mode?
That could fracture things early.
"Maybe selective enforcement," he muttered. "Bad demons only. The truly irredeemable."
He exhaled.
At least he could see the ripple effects in real time.
Most time travel scenarios left you blind.
This?
This was like managing a chaotic stock market of fate.
He closed the phone and summoned the rings.
They hovered in front of him.
Loona's glowed steady and warm.
Millie's shimmered bright, nearly complete.
Charlie, Vaggie, Octavia—steady but dormant for now.
Then there was Poppi.
Her ring was glowing.
Slowly.
Brighter.
And something about it felt… layered.
Max's eyes narrowed.
"…Damn it."
He hadn't asked her about her reincarnation gifts.
If she had complete immortality and no pain like she claimed, that was one thing.
But if she had something else?
Something hidden?
He dispelled the rings and leaned back on his tiny bed.
"So, let's recap."
He stared at the ceiling inches from his face.
"Win Loona and Millie fully."
"Handle Poppi."
"Then Bee."
"Then get stabbed in the ambush for Charlie and Vaggie."
"Then Octavia."
"All within a year."
He laughed quietly.
"Easy."
He rolled onto his side in the cramped closet.
Outside, IMP remained quiet.
Inside, his mind refused to.
As he drifted toward sleep, one thought lingered.
Poppi's ring wasn't just glowing brighter.
It was syncing.
And that meant she was moving pieces too.