Once again, he felt a completely different air. Apparently, each world smelled different. The tall buildings resembled medieval ones, but he was sure that this was architecture he was encountering for the first time. The high pointed roofs made him feel as small as an ant. Rough, gravel streets led through the chaotic town. Passersby looked suspiciously at the newcomers. After all, the natives wore what could be described as primitive clothing. Some were wrapped in fluffy togas made of bear fur. It was obvious that colorful tracksuits would attract attention.

  "We have to find Halverdo!" Lesteria started running.

  "Stop!" He had expected this turn of events. He didn't want to inform him of an attack that wasn't going to happen. He just didn't want to fight with Sphinxpheres number 10. "We'll observe the situation from a distance."

  "I understand!" - She stopped running. "You want to take advantage of the situation and test his strength."

  "That's right. If he can't handle the Swarm's attack, he can't call himself number 10 Sphinxphere!" After shouting this, he realized that it sounded pretty awful. Still, seeing the sparkle in his companion's eyes, he was quite proud of the line. If he had such great authority, why not use it?

  "In that case..." He paled, realizing that his plan so far was only to come here. "What now...?" he stammered.

  "What now?" She repeated the question, as if she had heard him.

  "Let's find Halverdo's house," he decided. However, they hadn't even taken a step when the row of houses turned into ruins. A loud noise spread throughout the town.

  The residents began to flee in panic. The buildings were crushed by a huge blue paw. The Apostle looked at his companion. She was ready to fight. In her hand she held something resembling a pink machine gun.

  "Is it the Swarm?" she asked quietly.

  "Without a doubt..."

  How should I know!?

  He struggled to hide his fear. He impressed Lesteria because he didn't move an inch in the face of danger. However, she didn't know that he couldn't control his muscles because he was afraid for his life. The sky-blue bear lazily climbed onto the ruins of buildings. With a single movement of its paw, it increased the losses of the residents, destroying a nearby store.

  "So there are beasts like this in the ranks of the Swarm..." She hissed, aiming at the monster.

  "Yes. They control creatures from various worlds with a special virus." he didn't think long about the explanation. It kinda made sense in his head.

  "I see."

  She bought it!

  "Request permission to attack!" She didn't stop aiming. The Apostle didn't fully understand the scale of her power. Even knowing how strong she was, he couldn't allow this clash.

  "Don't you remember why we came here?" He interrupted her. "Let's just watch how number 10 does." He leaned against a nearby wall, pretending to be completely carefree. In truth, he did so because his shaking legs refused to obey him. Lesteria lowered her weapon, which immediately turned into a pink, shapeless mass.

  "Another bear cub!" - A powerful man fell from the sky. From the waist up, he wore only the red fur of some unidentified animal. Apostle had never seen anyone with such developed muscles in his life. Even the bodybuilders of his world could not compare to the warrior's physique. His long, red hair which was natural reached his shoulders as he bent his knees in readiness to attack. He didn't have time to jump, because the bear's paw struck with considerable force. For a moment, dust from the rubble mixed with the shock wave obscured the scene. When the curtain fell, the Apostle couldn't believe his eyes. Half guard. The hero covered himself with one hand, and the powerful blow did not move him even an inch. Halverdo did not wait for further attacks. He clenched his hand on the blue fur. With a slight movement, he threw the huge body over his shoulder.

  The bear fell unconscious, destroying nearby buildings in the process. It didn't take long for the cheers of delighted residents to be heard. The modest warrior just smiled, knowing that protecting civilians was his duty.

  "It's him... I have to fight him." The Apostle froze.

  "It's hard for me to tell if you accept his strength..." Lesteria replied, confused. "In my opinion, he is fit to be one of the leaders of Sphinxphere." It was clear that she was impressed by this display of power.

  "Do I accept it!?" If he had seen this scene in a comic book, he would have wondered how powerful number 1 was, since number 10 was already absurdly strong. In this case, he didn't have to wonder, because he was supposed to be the strongest. One blow from the strongman, and nothing would remain of the Apostle of Destruction.

  "I guess we can go back now." The girl began to create a return portal. "The Swarm has been defeated, and you have seen the power of Halverdo..."

  "No!" Only after the fact did he realize how desperate he sounded. "I have to... Um... Congratulate him on defeating the bear." He pointed to the lying beast. To his surprise, the hero was no longer there. "Take me to his house." He had to convince him somehow to cancel the sparring match.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  The hero's farm seemed quite modest. It was a small hut on a hill, surrounded by a few pens with animals. The apostle did not recognize any of the creatures as he walked between the pens. It seemed that each world had slightly different fauna. He was not yet mentally prepared when Lesteria knocked on the door.

  "Damn!" He realized that he hadn't yet assumed a "cool" pose. He hurriedly sat down on the fence. He managed to create a scene worthy of the Apostle of Destruction.

  A calm gaze, as if meeting a powerful warrior was routine. Unfortunately, he didn't know whether the fact that something resembling a goat was chewing on his pants commanded respect. Probably not, but he didn't have time to reprimand the animal because the door opened. The mighty Halverdo was now wearing a shirt that was definitely too small. At first, he was smiling, but in a moment he became serious. He just nodded toward the girl, then shifted his gaze to the young man.

  "Apostle of Destruction." The boy didn't know what to say. The situation was surreal. He saw genuine admiration in the warrior's eyes. Someone so strong treated a fraud as an equal. No, it wasn't equality. Halverdo considered himself a being far inferior to the Apostle.

  "Hello..." He didn't have time to finish as the goat pulled him by his pants, throwing him into the pen. He fell with a thud into a puddle, getting himself very dirty. Lying there, he looked up at the blue sky.

  What a great first impression. The animal licked his face triumphantly. How am I supposed to win against him when I lost to his goat?

  He shook the mud off his pants. Standing at the door, they waited for some explanation for his trip into the puddle and back, but the Apostle did not refer to it. He simply jumped over the fence. Even he was not creative enough to reasonably explain what had happened.

  "I heard you're eccentric." Halverdo smiled from ear to ear. They shook hands at the doorstep, and then the visitors were invited inside.

  The interior of the cottage was equally modest. The guests took their seats by the fireplace. Without a word, the man began to boil water for tea.

  "Do you live here alone?" Lesteria spoke first, as her companion was still wondering how to carry out his plan.

  "Oh no. My son is playing outside. My wife has gone on a trip..." He lifted a teapot that looked comically small in his hands. "You see, everyone has a hobby. She collects the scales of slain dragons." He pointed to a beautiful, colorful wall, which was the only element of decoration that was not modest. The Apostle whistled in admiration, as he had only just noticed the exhibit. Halverdo handed the guests cups and then sat down next to them.

  "It's an honor to meet you in person..." He turned to the boy. "I've heard many legends about you."

  Where from!?

  "Let's skip the pleasantries." He tried to sound as epic as possible. "I saw your fight with the bear. A truly impressive display of strength." At these words, the warrior smiled awkwardly.

  "At least one bear attacks every day." He scratched his thick beard.

  Damn it!

  "..." He frantically thought of a way out of the awkward situation.

  "It wasn't just any bear. It was from Ro..." He interrupted Lesteria with a wave of his hand.

  You're making it worse! He took a sip of bitter tea.

  "It's not about the enemy's strength..." He explained slowly. He tried not to let his tongue get tangled. "I can judge strength even when someone is fighting a small fry like this bear. You are truly strong, Halverdo."

  "That's why I joined Sphinxphere." He smiled sadly. "I miss challenges in this world. Before I start working with you, I'd like to face the other nine... Starting with you." The Apostle swallowed nervously.

  "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about..."

  "Sorry!" Halverdo shouted so loudly that the whole house shook. The hero lowered his head and continued. "We'll have to cancel the sparring..."

  Yes! Fate has smiled on me he thought, struggling to suppress a triumphant laugh.

  "Why?" The apostle did not abandon his calm tone. "I was eagerly awaiting our clash." he lied

  "As you can see, I'm currently living here with my son." He looked out the window. "I can't leave him alone. Especially since it's his birthday tomorrow."

  "Well, there's nothing we can do about it..."

  "You accepted it faster than I thought..." - The man did not hide his surprise.

  Damn!

  In response, the Apostle put on the most serious expression he could muster. Standing up, he turned to his interlocutor.

  "Halverdo... Let me tell you something." After a meaningful pause, he finished his sentence. "Family is the most important thing." After these words, there was silence.

  I can't believe I sold him such a cliché...

  He smiled nervously. Despite the prosaic nature of the statement, it came from the heart. Only now did he realize that it might not suit the powerful Apostle of Destruction. He was snapped out of his reverie by the sight of Lesteria breaking down. Apparently, the short life lesson had touched her heart.

  "You're right," Halverdo was moved as well.

  Leaving the hut, the boy couldn't help but smile broadly. Halverdo decided to spend tomorrow with his son. They were nodding at the green hills when Lesteria broke the silence.

  "I'm sorry," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "You were so looking forward to this sparring session."

  I've been waiting for him for so long, and I only found out about him an hour ago... Huh?

  "There's nothing we can do about it..." He noticed a boy playing in the distance. He was holding a big axe in his hand. The Apostle decided to say hello to the kid. After all, his existence had saved his life. As he approached, he noticed that despite his young age, the child had impressive muscles. He certainly looked more dangerous than the Apostle himself. His eyes widened as he watched the boy knock down a huge tree with a single blow.

  I guess it runs in the family.

  "Who are you?" the kid asked suspiciously.

  "The Apostle of Destruction," he introduced himself briefly.

  "Assistant, Lesteria," she bowed low.

  "Number 1 Sphinxphere!?" The child's calm face contorted in anger. "I don't like you!" he complained sincerely.

  "If it's because your father will be sparring on your birthday, then you can like me already..." He smiled triumphantly. "Because I convinced him to spend the day with you!"

  "Really!" - The boy smiled back, but after a moment his face clouded over. "But Dad was so looking forward to sparring..."

  Is it even possible to please you!?

  "Don't worry about it." He turned on his heel. "Happy birthday."

  Returning, the Apostle of Destruction did not hide his satisfaction. Not only had he managed to avoid sparring, but he had also saved his family. He could proudly continue his day. He didn’t know then things would soon get complicated.