Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1157 1157: The Living Canvas and the Canopy

Rudy and Alice sat together on the checkered blanket, enjoying the peaceful afternoon under the warm light of the custom-made sun. Alice happily chewed on the glowing, fruit-flavored candies from the pibata, leaning her head affectionately against Rudyʼs shoulder.

The horrors of the previous night felt like a distant dream as a gentle breeze swept through the manicured courtyard.

However, Rudyʼs cosmic senses picked up a subtle, cowardly movement deep in the vacuum of space.

The two remaining eldritch bosses realized their ultimate invasion had completely failed. Terrified by the reality-bending fate of their sibling, they were currently attempting to detach their fractured sludge dimension from Earthʼs orbit to quietly flee into the dark void.

Rudy wiped a speck of sugar from Aliceʼs chin and smiled. ”I am glad you are enjoying the sweets, but I need about two minutes to take out the rest of the trash. The last two bugs are trying to sneak away.”

Alice looked up at him and nodded, completely trusting his strength. ”Do not take too long. We still have half of these strawberry pastries left.”

”I will be right back,” Rudy promised, kissing her cheek.

He stood up from the blanket and vanished. Bypassing the physical distance entirely, Rudy materialized directly inside the fractured pocket dimension hidden behind the moon.

The realm was a disgusting swirl of cosmic rot and shifting purple sludge. The two remaining galaxy-sized horrors shrieked in absolute panic as the Overlord appeared right in their path, completely blocking their escape route.

Seeing no other option, the massive beast on the left lunged forward with millions of razor-sharp fangs, attempting to swallow Rudy whole.

Rudy did not even bother to raise his fists. He simply extended his hand and isolated the creatureʼs spatial coordinates.

Instead of crushing the monster, Rudy stripped away its third dimension. The towering, apocalyptic terror slammed into an invisible wall of reality and violently compressed. Its massive physical form flattened instantly into a perfectly smooth, two-dimensional plane.

The creatureʼs agonizing screams silenced as its twisted flesh and glowing red eyes transformed into heavy, textured oil paint.

In a matter of seconds, the supreme cosmic boss became a screaming, animated painting suspended in the void. Rudy casually grabbed the edge of the flattened monster and rolled the canvas up into a neat, compact cylinder to take home.

The final eldritch boss witnessed the horrific transformation and immediately turned to flee, desperately tearing at the fabric of space to escape.

Rudy tucked the rolled-up painting under his arm and aimed his free hand at the retreating monster. He fired a concentrated pulse of absolute telepathic dominance straight into the creatureʼs massive head.

The invisible wave of mental magic struck the boss and instantly severed its connection to the cosmic hive mind.

Rudy effortlessly bypassed the monsterʼs psychic defenses and completely rewrote its neural pathways. The beast stopped thrashing immediately. Its terrifying, glowing red eyes faded into a docile, empty blue.

The terrifying apex predator of the cosmos went completely slack, transformed into a perfectly obedient, mindless servant.

”Shrink down and follow me,” Rudy commanded, his voice echoing in the monsterʼs newly reprogrammed brain.

The creature instantly obeyed, condensing its massive form down to the size of a large patio umbrella. It floated obediently behind Rudy like a quiet, floating jellyfish.

With the ultimate cosmic threat permanently neutralized, Rudy teleported back to the bright, sunny courtyard of the Orcelona Keep. He materialized right next to the picnic blanket, dropping the rolled-up painting onto the grass before gesturing to his new, floating pet.

The docile tentacle monster hovered directly over the checkered blanket and spread its appendages wide, forming a perfect, sun-blocking canopy to provide a comfortable patch of shade for their lunch.

Alice looked up at the floating alien umbrella, then down at the rolled-up canvas, and finally at Rudy. A bright, genuine laugh escaped her lips.

”I thought the castle needed some new artwork,” Rudy explained casually, sitting back down beside her. He at the side. ”Lu Bela, send Safalius out here to pick up a new painting. Tell him to hang it in the main dining hall as a warning.”

”Right away, my Lord,” she replied instantly.

Rudy wrapped his arm around Aliceʼs waist and pulled her close, completely relaxed under the perfect shade of his new cosmic servant. He grabbed a fresh strawberry pastry from the wicker basket and took a bite, thoroughly satisfied with his productive morning.

Rudy finished his strawberry pastry under the pleasant shade of his floating, mind-controlled alien umbrella. He was just about to pour Alice another glass of orange juice when Lu Belaʼs crisp voice chimed through his earpiece.

”Pardon the interruption, my Lord,” she reported. ”A large human convoy has arrived at the southern perimeter. They brought several media vans, a dozen S-Class heroes, and high-ranking government officials. They are currently live-streaming a global broadcast outside the magical dome.”

Rudy sighed and set down the juice pitcher. He genuinely could not catch a break today.

”Stay here and enjoy the shade, Alice,” Rudy said, standing up from the picnic blanket. ”I need to deal with some noisy neighbors.”

He teleported directly to the southern border and stepped right through the blue barrier. A massive crowd of humans stood on the ruined dirt. Camera drones buzzed through the air, focusing their lenses on a group of brightly dressed, arrogant men and women wearing flashy superhero armor.

A muscular man in a tight spandex suit struck a heroic pose for the cameras. ”Citizens of Earth! It is I, Captain Justice! The S-Class heroes have successfully eradicated the alien threat and restored the sun! We have now tracked the residual energy to this rogue facility. We demand the immediate surrender of the ancient superweapon hidden inside!”

Rudy pinched the bridge of his nose. The sheer audacity of these glory hounds was almost impressive. They hid in deep underground bunkers during the entire apocalyptic invasion, only to crawl out the moment the sky cleared to claim all the credit.

”Lu Bela,” Rudy muttered into his earpiece. ”Hijack their broadcast. Lock the global feed directly onto me.”

”It is done.”