Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 18: Looting and Departures

Several Hours Later

Just as the sun began to crest over the horizon, we got our first real glimpse of the island. Everyone else was still asleep, leaving only me and Ciel on deck. I figured we’d let them rest a while longer.

“Looks like we’ve arrived,” I murmured, my eyes scanning the shoreline.

Ciel, standing at my side, gave a small nod. “What’s your plan, Master? Will you leave a clone here to explain things like last time, while you and I head to the new world you’ve chosen?”

I thought it over for a moment. “Nah. This time I’ll just lead them straight into our Demiplane with a clone, then explain once they’re already in our world. That way the others there can help fill them in.”

“And us?” she asked.

“We’ll wrap up a few loose ends here, then ditch this place and head straight to the next world.”

Ciel regarded me with the most deadpan stare imaginable. “…So, in other words, Master is just going to dump his work on everyone else.”

I scratched the back of my head with a sheepish grin. “Yep.”

Her sigh could have powered a small wind turbine. “It seems Master picked up some unappealing traits when he fully absorbed Rimuru’s memories.”

“I am technically Rimuru,” I reminded her, “well, a blend of him and my original soul. I was bound to inherit a few things.”

And honestly? Passing work to subordinates wasn’t a bad thing in my book, it gave them experience and gave me less work. Win-win.

Of course, there was another trait I’d inherited.

Rimuru had been pretty obsessed with elves back when he was human. And I mean obsessed. And yet, what does the fucker do after reincarnation? Nothing. The guy was surrounded by beauties like Shion, Shuna, the Three Devil Girls, heck even some of the Goblinas were pretty cute, and yet he still never bothered to recruit some elves into his main team despite his love of them.

Unforgivable.

I would not make that mistake.

No, I would surpass him. Not only would I form an elf harem, I’d flaunt it in his face if I ever met him in some parallel version of Tensura.

‘Heh, imagine his face when he realizes I have both a working dick and an entire entourage of sexy elves.’ I smirked to myself only to feel a sharp poke in my ribs.

Ciel’s expression was pure disappointment. “Really, Master? The entire reason you want to go to the next world is your… strange elf fixation? Just so you can one-up your alternate self?”

“C-Come on, Ciel,” I groaned. “When you say it like that, it makes me sound petty and pathetic.”

“Master said it, not me.”

I ignored the jab, raised my fist in the air, and struck a triumphant pose. “But yes! All for the sexy elves! Viva la Elves!”

“…Haah. Master is beyond saving,” Ciel muttered, shaking her head.

=====

The moment we got close enough to the island, it became obvious we couldn’t dock. The water near the shore was too shallow for a yacht this size, and there was no proper pier. That meant small boats would be the only way to get everyone inland.

Since there was already a parallel version of me and Ciel waiting on the island, we made up an excuse to stay behind “to check a few things on the yacht” and sent the rest of the group ahead.

Now, standing at the stern, I waved as the two boats ferried everyone toward shore. Alice was the last one to stop waving, and the moment her little hand lowered, I turned and headed back inside with Ciel at my side.

“What now, Master?” she asked, her tone curious but knowing me well enough to expect something big.

A smirk crept across my face as I slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Now? We rob every major bank in the world, clean out a few thousand warehouses of food, tools, and clothing… and then go hunting for seeds. Every type we can find—grains, fruits, vegetables, herbs—the works.”

Food was going to be crucial once we headed to the Tensura world. My plans involved recruiting every single servant Rimuru ever had, and last I checked, the Jura-Tempest Federation’s population numbered in the millions. Better to grab it from a dying world where it would otherwise rot than leave it to waste.

“If we make enough clones, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours,” I added. “Then we’ll come back here, store the yacht in my inventory, and head out.”

Ciel tilted her head thoughtfully, her expression soft but sharp in that way only she could manage. “That is sensible. I also recommend stopping at a few… additional places while we’re here.”

I grinned. “Now there’s my brilliant Manas~ Don’t worry, Ciel, once we’re done with my errands, we’ll go wherever you want.” I gave her a playful squeeze.

Her cheeks tinted faintly, and she preened at the praise. “L-Leave it to me, Master.”

And with that, we simply vanished from the yacht as though we’d never been there.

First order of business: rob the world blind of every ounce of currency and precious metal it had left.

=====

Back in the Island—Parallel Selves

“W–Wha? How did you two beat us here!? Shouldn’t you still be back at the yacht?” Saya blurted the second she stepped off the boat, her eyes flicking between me and Ciel like we were hallucinations.

Yuriko stood right beside her, wearing the same tilted-head look of confusion, like a mother–daughter mirror image.

“Waah~ Akari-kun, Ciel-chan, do you two have identical twins?” Shizuka gasped, stars practically sparkling in her eyes.

“Whoa~ they really do look identical,” Alice added in open-mouthed wonder, Zeke barking as if in agreement.

“Akari-kun… is that really you?” Rei asked cautiously, tilting her head the same way Yuriko had.

Saeko’s gaze was quieter but sharper, lingering on our hips where our usual weapons were conspicuously absent. She didn’t say anything yet, but I could tell she’d already filed that detail away.

Yuuki and Kyoko stayed silent, though I caught Yuuki sending me a subtle, flirty wink.

We’d been waiting for them on the beach the moment they arrived, their shock exactly the reaction I’d expected.

“Hahaha, relax everyone,” I said with a chuckle, raising a hand in greeting. “It’s really us. The how and why… I’ll explain later. But before that—” I stepped aside with Ciel. “I think there are some people here who’ve been waiting for you.”

From behind us stepped Rika and Kiriko, Rei’s mother.

“Rika!” Shizuka’s voice burst with joy.

“Mom!” Rei’s voice cracked with emotion, her eyes already glassy.

The two pairs ran to each other, embracing tightly. Between Rika and Shizuka’s assets and Rei and Kiriko’s, the hug turned into the kind of light ecchi physics moment this world seemed to specialize in.

I raised an eyebrow. Seriously, why does this universe do this every time people hug? Not that I was complaining of course.

Once the reunions wound down and Asami had been introduced to everyone, I took the lead toward the wooden house visible down the beach. Conversation buzzed happily behind me until a familiar presence slipped up beside me.

Saeko.

“Are you really Akari?” she asked in a low, serious voice. “Neither you nor Ciel-san are carrying your weapons. And… even if I believe you could move quickly, arriving before us feels…” She trailed off.

I smiled softly. “You’ve always had sharp eyes, Saeko.”

Her brow lifted slightly, right before I leaned in close to her ear and whispered:

“Live for me.”

Those words, the same ones I’d murmured to her in that intimate moment we’d shared, hit instantly. A blush bloomed across her cheeks, flooding down her neck. Her shoulders eased, her eyes softened.

“O-Okay… I believe you,” she whispered back.

I gave her a brief peck on the lips, just enough to keep the blush alive, and we kept walking.

At the cabin door, I stopped and turned to face everyone. My expression shifted serious.

“I know you all have questions, more than just how Ciel and I got here first. I will answer them. But before that, I’m asking for one thing: trust me one more time… and step through this door.”

I reached behind me and opened it.

Instead of a dim wooden interior, an endless expanse of green fields stretched beyond, a vibrant world under a bright, impossibly clear sky. The wind blowing from it the cleanest they had ever smelt.

I had Ciel establish a connection to our world earlier through this door, connecting the two worlds together. Normally I would just create a portal in midair but thought that this was more appropriate and slightly less shocking.

Gasps rippled through the group.

“H-How is this possible!?” Yuriko demanded, eyes darting from the impossible scenery to me.

Some were struck speechless. Others, like Alice, Shizuka, and Asami, the most innocent of the group, were already smiling in pure wonder, tossing out wild theories.

“Like I said… all answers will come after you step through,” I assured them with a calm smile. “What I can tell you now… is that the place beyond this door is completely free of the undead.”

For a moment, no one moved. Then Saeko stepped forward first, her trust written plainly on her face. She was followed by Shizuka, Alice (Zeke trotting beside her), Rika, and surprisingly Kyoko.

The rest trickled in behind them until only Saya remained. She fixed me with a pouty glare, hands on her hips.

“I hope you know,” she huffed, cheeks pink, “that you have a lot of explaining to do later, mister.”

Then she leaned in, pressed a quick kiss to my lips, and strode inside before I could respond.

“A tsundere to the end…” I chuckled under my breath.

Ciel gave me a sidelong look of affection before vanishing, rejoining her original self.

I took one last look at the shoreline, the waves lapping quietly at the sand. “Time to face the music. Hopefully the others are not too mad about this little trip I didn’t warn them about… or the following one.”

With that, I stepped through and the door, and the world behind it, vanished.

=====

Back in HOTD World

We split up instantly.

Well… technically we multiplied first. In a matter of seconds, dozens of parallel selves of me and Ciel flickered into existence across the globe, each with a list of targets and a strict timer.

First stop: the banks.

A normal thief might sneak in under the cover of night, cut cameras, and crack safes. I just walked in, phased through the walls, and absorbed everything—cash, gold bars, bearer bonds, rare coins, even the bank manager’s “secret” stash of foreign wine in the staff lounge. All of it was whisked into my inventory in less than a second per location.

By the time I left my tenth vault, the world economy had probably just gone into cardiac arrest. Not that it mattered, this place wouldn’t have an economy for much longer anyway.

“Master, Tokyo’s bullion reserves are cleaned out. Should I also take the platinum stockpiles?” Ciel’s voice echoed in my mind, sounding a bit excited even if she tried to disguise it with a calm voice.

“Yes, and the rare gemstone vaults. Basically, if it isn’t nailed down or literal trash, were looting it.” I replied without hesitation.

Next: the warehouses.

Imagine an army of me sweeping across industrial districts like a silent tidal wave. Rice bags, canned goods, bottled water, pasta, sugar, salt, flour—gone. Heavy-duty tools, construction equipment, clothing by the ton—gone.

One clone even raided a warehouse full of luxury goods, handbags, jewelry, high-end fabrics. I wasn’t exactly sure if we’d need them, but Tempest could always use trade stock, and I wasn’t going to say no to silk sheets.

And then… the seeds.

Botanical gardens, agricultural research centers, seed banks, it didn’t matter where they were, we took everything. Wheat strains from Australia, rice cultivars from Japan, medicinal herb seeds from Europe, rare tropical fruit seedlings from greenhouses in South America. If it could grow, it went into my storage.

“You’re enjoying yourself far too much,” Ciel noted dryly as we reconvened above the Atlantic, both of us hovering in midair while watching the sun climb higher.

“Of course I am,” I said, flashing her a grin. “We’re literally stealing the future of an entire world, gift-wrapping it, and taking it home. This is what I call responsible villainy.”

Ciel’s lips twitched like she was fighting a smile. “You mean efficient villainy.”

I gave her a finger-gun. “Same thing.”

With the last of our parallel selves reporting in—missions complete, targets stripped bare—we returned to the yacht, invisible as mist to anyone and stored it too. By the time the others were done settling in, the world we’d just left behind would be a lot lighter in resources… and we’d be a lot richer in every way that mattered.

“Well… that was easier than expected,” I said, stretching my arms high toward the gray, cloud-scattered sky.

Beside me, Ciel stood perfectly still, her gaze unfocused. Knowing her, she was running a full mental audit of everything we’d looted, already calculating the most optimal way to store, allocate, and use it all.

“No point lingering in a dead world,” I decided aloud. With a snap of my fingers, a shimmering portal bloomed in the air before us. Its edges rippled like liquid glass, the world beyond tinted with the light of another sun.

That snapped Ciel from her daze. Her sharp gaze locked on the view through the gate, the distinct architecture, the subtle feel of the mana, and she blinked before turning toward me with an exasperated look.

“Of all the worlds with elves… Master had to pick this one?”

“Of course~.” My grin was immediate. She’d recognized it instantly, just as I knew she would. “I’m a little bored of having to hide my power all the time, and this world will let me let loose a bit without raising any eyebrows.”

Ciel’s sigh was long-suffering but accepting. “Fair enough. Master is like a child sometimes, incapable of sitting still or avoiding a chance to show off. I should have expected this.”

“Blame my upbringing.” I shrugged, grin widening. “You can take a tiger out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the tiger… or however that quote goes.”

“Master forgets he was human in his first life,” Ciel teased lightly, before fading from sight entirely. A moment later, I felt her settle into the familiar space within my soul.

“Hmph. My Ciel’s getting cheeky lately,” I said with a mock pout, stepping toward the portal. “Better watch herself, or I might have to punish her.”

“Master wouldn’t dare,” her voice echoed inside my mind, smug and warm. “Or has Master forgotten who manages most of his skills?”

“Now you’re just being a bully~,” I replied, exaggerated pout deepening as I stepped through the threshold.

The world behind us fell away without a backward glance. Ahead lay our next adventure, one that promised both trouble and the pointed ears I’d been craving.

=====

Arrival in the New World

For a moment, everything blurred, colors bending, air humming, gravity shifting, and then my boots met solid ground.

Cool stone underfoot. The faint scent of rain-washed air. A breeze carrying with it a strange essence, one I hadn’t felt before but feeling just as rich and pure as back in the Naruto World.

I straightened and took in our surroundings.

Slender towers rose in the distance, their spires catching the pale morning sun. The architecture was both regal and old, ornate carvings twisting around pale walls, rooftops dark and steep. I could hear the muffled clatter of hooves on cobblestone somewhere beyond the narrow street we stood in, mingled with the murmur of early voices.

Life moved here at a brisk but unhurried pace, footsteps tapping along walkways, a distant bell tolling the hour, a group of uniformed youths rushing past with a sword of all things at their waist. There was magic here, woven into the rhythm of the city itself, subtle, but constant.

Ciel’s voice echoed softly in my mind. “The air here… it’s somewhat potent. This place will allow Master far more freedom than the last two.”

A faint smile tugged at my lips. “Good. I plan to enjoy myself this time.”

We didn’t linger in the open. Whatever this city was, it had eyes, some watching openly from balconies, others hidden in shadows. Secrets swirled here, and the streets felt like they were holding their breath, waiting for something to happen.

Perfect.

With Ciel’s quiet amusement warming the back of my thoughts, I adjusted my coat and stepped into the crowd. This world didn’t know me yet, but it soon would.

“Let the slaughter commence.”