Playboy Cultivator in the Apocalypse

Rein and her group passed through the doors of the Luxe, waiting in line to go down the stairs.

There were about 50 people from the front, placing them at another five minutes. However, she was having a hard time making it that long.

"God, the guy says a few words and now everyone's talking about me." Rein scoffed, "I hate it!"

"Relax, at least you're not the Princess." Brad smiled mysteriously, "Kaze says she has crazy bad anxiety, but she can't walk five feet without getting drowned in gossip."

"The Princess? Who's…." She asked, trailing off when she saw the person she was there to protect that night.

A beautiful woman in a stunning black cocktail dress walked down the golden-railed stairs with grace.

Her hair was a soft pink color, layered with pitch-black roots. While it was usually straight, it was professionally curled to add a wavy texture, separating the colors in a gradient.

"Are they really dating?"

"Yeah, someone heard him confirm it in the Luxe today!"

"No way…."

"Yeah, now keep it down. You remember what she did at the wall, right? She's crazy."

"That's true, but damn, she's cute, doe."

"Shhhhhh! Don't let her hear you."

"Relax, the Emperor is about showing off his women like all emperors are."

"Shut up, idiot! You heard me, right? Don't let [her] hear you."

"Does she tell him?"

"No, she's crazy about the Emperor, man.

I heard she turned down a guy's offer to hang out at the Luxe because it didn't sell coffins.

When he asked why she wanted to go coffin shopping, she said he was terminally stupid for thinking she'd spend time with any man but Kaze and needed to die.

However, there weren't coffins for sale, and she didn't need more human ashes for her zen garden, so it had to wait."

"Wha…? Hah haha hahahaha!"

"No, that's nothing. The Princess overheard a woman say she wanted to make babies with the Emperor, so she asked for recommendations on the best marinade for the children.

Apparently, the woman hasn't talked about the Emperor since."

"These stories are ridiculous." Rein scoffed breathlessly, "They're like ghost stories."

"They sound like ghost stories, but it's probable she actually said those things." Brad chuckled.

"Are you serious?" She asked in horror, feeling icy chills crawl down her spine.

"Don't get the wrong idea; that's just how she talks." He laughed, watching her chin twitch involuntarily, "Just listen."

It occurred to her that she had never even talked to Kiera London Snow! Unlike most, Rein fought on the wall during the rapture and was exhausted when Kiera showed up.

As a result, she didn't hear her speak much. Now, she was there for a secret detailing mission with Kiera that night, and she knew nothing about her!

-

"Kazey… please don't leave me in this gossip-festered hellscape…." Keria said nervously, "I'll do anything. Toast your greatest enemy, spin a Breanna's meridians, or even wear heels again…."

-

Rein's expression crumbled, watching Kiera, Kaze, Jake, and Veronica pass to get to the stairs. She only needed to hear her speak once to understand she was fucked. "She just talks that way when she's mad and anxious, right…?"

"Nope." Brad laughed, "That's just how she talks. And even if it wasn't, she's quick to trigger if someone talks about Kaze. So focusing on what she's like when she's happy is like focusing on how nice the whether is in the eye of a hurricane."

Rein shivered, watching Kiera in a haze. The beautiful teen gazed at a new ring with a dreamy smile after Kaze reminded her about it. She looked enraptured, manic with overbearing grandiosity, thinking of a beautiful future in an instant.

It was sickly sweet, making the brunette feel slightly ill. However, it gave her hope that she could handle her. That hope died when they saw them at the bottom of the stairs.

The doorman was anxiously checking his entrance list, ostensively trying not to mess things up. As a result, he wasn't paying attention when the emperor and his group showed up.

"Excuse us, can we get past?" Jake asked nervously.

"I'll be with you in a moment." The ultra-buff man with a burly black beard said coldly.

"I suggest you look up." Veronica said with a vicious smile.

"Yeah, and I think you should stop acting so entitled." He replied, looking for another paper, "The Underground Bizarre follows strict protocol, and I follow it. If you have a problem, take it up with the Emperor."

"Oh, I think the Emperor will be okay if you make an exception." Kaze mused hypnotically.

"I'm sure he would, but I won't." The man said dryly, "So why don't—"

"Some think gods are ambivalent to the welfare of humans." A cute voice prefaced strangely, "But if that were true, I'd have administered a nuttercut so severe that you'd have puked up your jewels, and I have fed them to the mutant pigeons in the city."

The man's heart pounded violently, hearing a voice scarred into the minds of most Immortals after the rapture. He cranked his head up with the choppy fluidity of a rusty cog.

"But rejoice!" Kiera said cutely, making eye contact with the terrified man, "You stand before an exalted softy who stands between you and what you deserve. Congratulations."

His neck slowly turned to the side until he was face to face with an amused, smirking expression. "E-Emperor Lexicon!"

"It is I, Emperor Kaze." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "I appreciate you being thorough. However, your strength is irrelevant if your enemies can administer a [nuttercut] without you noticing it, yes?"

His sarcastic rebuke made the man tremble. "Y-Yes, Emperor Lexicon. I will ensure that… no one can nuttercut me in the future."

"Excellent." The emperor smiled, glancing at the door, reminding him to open it.

CLANK!

After using a special technique to unlock the Soul Qi-reinforced door, the man opened it.

As soon as he did, loud music and neon lights shot through the staircase tunnel. There were hundreds of people inside already, traveling between rooms freely.

"E-Enjoy your stay, Emperor." The man said.

"You too." Kaze smiled, walking through the door.

"Enjoy~your~life." Kiera said charmingly, glaring at the man murderously, "Make sure to thank your exalted leader later for gracing you with it."

-

"Why is Kaze okay with that behavior?" She whispered in shock, "Is he into that type of thing?"

"Who wouldn't be?" Larkin laughed, "She's hot as hell, strong and protective, and willing to do literally [any~thing] for him. Men accept a Beckys for only one of those three things.

Ah shit, if Beckys become Karens after having children, what's the Princess gonna become? She has to be the unbeatable boss of a second-gen rom-com."

"Dude, shut up." Brad panicked, "Just because she's not here doesn't mean you can say things that'll get us killed."

"Bruh, both of ya'll need to ch~ill" The lanky brown-haired man said, "You got'er all wrong; she only cares what you think of Emperor Scrawn.

If you say, day~em! Emperor Scrawn's such a baller that he gets the hottest tail of all time! She'll get all blushy; if she heard me imply they'll have kids, she might have a heart attack. I've confirmed it."

"Only you're stupid enough to confirmed something like that…." Rein shivered, "But I'd still be careful." fre𝙚𝓌𝒆𝚋noѵel.c𝚘m

"Why?" Larkin asked in confusion.

"Because Kaze is equally terrifying." Rein shuddered.

"When you put it like that, it makes sense why they're together…." Brad chuckled nervously, "I guess we have our answer now."

Everyone gulped and walked up to the doorman.

"N-Name and rank please!" He said loudly, so attentive that he couldn't think.

"Uh…." Rein said dumbly, caught off guard, "My apologies. I'm a bit stunned after what I just saw."

"That's okay, miss, take your time!" The man replied with equal zeal, "I will check you in without question when you're ready! Just be respectful to the people behind you!"

She looked into his eyes and saw they were the size of pins, proof that he was running on extreme adrenaline and panic. As a result of the low aperture, she imagined that his entire world was dark and he could barely see in the neon blue lighting.

"Rein Joyfall, rank Elite." Rein grimaced, wishing he could've kept the latter secret.

"WELCOME ELITE JOYFALL, MAM!" The man saluted with extreme stress flickering in his bloodshot eyes.

"I can't take this." She muttered, waving her hand. His body radiated a cool light, and his pupils dilated to a normal level again, "It's okay; relax."

The bearded man took a deep breath in gratitude after she used the Calming Heart tranquility technique on him. "T-Thank you, I didn't realized how panicked I was until that moment."

"You shouldn't worry that much." Rein replied, "The Emperor won't let people hurt others needlessly. He's super self-conscious about his image, and it's in your favor."

"Y-You don't understand…." He gulped nervously, sweat dripping from his brow, "When she got angry… I can't explain it, miss. It's like the Qi around me became evil and fought with my meridians.

I felt like I was standing next to a ghost, and making her angrier would've destroyed my meridians and tore me apart from within."

"I'm not her bodyguard...." Rein shuddered, realizing the nightmare she found herself in. "I'm everyone else's bodyguard. The part I signed up for is the worst."

The atmosphere fell still, and the anxiety in the atmosphere became overbearing for most.

"Hot, damn!" Larkin cried, shattering the silence, "No wonder he's about the Princess. That lady's a bad bitch!"

The jester's unforced enthusiasm crashed through the anxiety-stricken wasteland, turning the entire staircase into an awkward nightmare.