Reborn With the Infinite Gods System

"Damnit! I don't know what happened, but I sensed more than two massive energy signatures, plus Loki's... But then all three vanished—so perfectly," Thor muttered, his voice strained as he placed a hand over his eyes, gritting his teeth in frustration. How had it come to this? How had he grown so weak? "I can't believe I lost Loki!"

Commander Asher stood frozen, swallowing hard as he glanced toward his alien companion, who seemed as clueless and speechless as he was.

"Shit... They can't be dead, can they? How the hell are we supposed to explain two SS-rank hunters going missing alongside someone who could trick a dog into thinking it's human?!" Asher slammed his fist against the nearest wall, the impact sending a dull thud echoing through the command room. He should have known something like this would happen—an unexplored planet with layers of unknown dangers.

Something powerful was out there, powerful enough to snatch them without a trace.

"Permission to go out there and search for them!" Trisha's voice rang out, brimming with urgency and defiance.

"Not in your modest life will I give you permission to do so!" Commander Asher shot back sharply, glaring at her.

Trisha refused to back down. "No! I won't let this slide. We *have* to find Axel, Josh, and Loki! They could be in danger!" Her eyes burned with intensity—after everything she had been through with Axel, she wasn't about to leave him out there, not like this.

Williams snickered from the corner, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How are we even sure they're still alive? Being high-ranked doesn't make us invincible, you know." His tone was casual, almost mocking, which instantly set Trisha's blood boiling.

"Shut the hell up! Or I'll kill you!" Trisha snapped, turning her fury on him, her hands twitching, ready to strike.

Williams shrugged nonchalantly. "Or what? Why should we stupidly walk out there in the dark? We've all seen the movies—the worst things come at night. Even if those idiots *are* alive, with the overwhelming number of monsters out there, they'll be dead by dawn." His dismissive words hit like a sledgehammer, erasing whatever patience Trisha had left.

In an instant, she lunged forward, grabbing Williams by the collar and slamming him into the wall. The impact rattled the room as her voice dropped to a menacing growl. "Say that again, you bastard! I *dare* you!"

Before the situation could escalate further, Sarah stepped in, tugging at Trisha's wrist, her eyes flashing with venom. "What are you so paranoid about, you slut? Just find other men. Don't tell me you're also screwing Josh and Loki too. You must have—"

Sarah's words were cut off mid-sentence by a sudden, brutal punch to the face. She collapsed onto the floor, the room falling into stunned silence. The source of the strike wasn't Trisha, though—Andre stood over Sarah, his fist still clenched, his eyes dark with anger.

"Sorry," Andre muttered, almost casually, his tone betraying no remorse. "My body moved on its own." He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it up as he exhaled smoke through his nose, the tendrils of smoke curling around him like a dark aura.

"You're all making too much noise," Andre said, voice low but sharp, cutting through the tension like a knife. "I'll call the shots now that the two strongest are out there—getting stronger."

He pointed directly at Sarah, who was still on the floor, nursing her bruised face. "Don't talk to my high school roommate like that again. She's part of this team, and she cooks well, so respect her for that. And Williams..." He turned his gaze toward the man still pinned to the wall by Trisha. "Stop being a douchebag. I'm sick of your jealousy.

Every damn day."

"You damned idiot! How dare you hit me!" Sarah spat, scrambling to her knees, rage boiling up as she prepared to retaliate.

But Andre's cold, piercing stare killed any fight she had left. His eyes were devoid of warmth, and the pressure in the room thickened. "Just because I haven't killed you doesn't mean I can't," he whispered, his voice taking on a darker edge. "Don't forget—I'm the lunatic who nearly took your life once. My therapist said only to go after people who break my rules."

His threat hung in the air, palpable and suffocating. Trisha released her grip on Williams, backing away. She was furious, but Andre was a force no one wanted to provoke—especially not when the two strongest hunters were missing, and he had just seized control of the situation.

Andre exhaled another puff of smoke, turning toward the group, who remained tense and silent. "Now, let's all quietly head to bed. In the morning, we'll start the mission." With that, he walked toward an attendant, ordering them to lead him to a room to rest, as though nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Ryoma, one of the alien companions, had been watching the entire scene unfold with increasing confusion. "Why is everyone so tense? What's wrong? Is he the leader now?" Ryoma asked, his voice low, unsure of what to make of the volatile shift in the group's dynamics.

Haze, standing nearby, let out a soft chuckle, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "No... He's the 'sleeping lunatic.' He's crazy and can't be restrained. The only way to keep him as a side character without anyone getting hurt is to follow whatever rules he makes, thanks to his therapist."

"Then why not handle him with the SS-rank hunters?" Ryoma's confusion deepened. Keeping someone like Andre around seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Haze shook her head. "That's the thing about Andre. The stronger his opponent, the stronger he becomes while fighting them. Josh Roark managed to stop him once—ended up destroying half of Kyota's capital in the process. Axel could probably hold him down too. But apart from that..." Haze's voice trailed off, her eyes narrowing.

"If that guy goes loose, we're all dead."

The group remained silent, each of them grappling with the weight of the situation. The night ahead felt impossibly long, filled with unanswered questions and an unsettling tension that gnawed at the edges of their sanity. Outside, the planet remained shrouded in darkness, and whatever had taken their strongest was still out there—lurking, waiting, biding its time.