And so, on Infinite Manor's harmonious, flower-fragrant lawn, two groups of top-tier beauties from different universes faced off across a dozen meters of distance.
The air was thick with the atmosphere of a battlefield—gunpowder and competitive spirit mingling into an epic showdown.
Cloud, watching all of this unfold, felt cold sweat beginning to trickle down his back.
He was starting to think he'd made an extremely poor decision—perhaps he never should have put all these "nuclear weapons" in the same armory.
"Ahem!"
As the man of this house, Cloud knew he had to step up and break this awkward, dangerous standoff.
"So, uh... everyone, I'm back!" He forced what he hoped was his most natural smile. "Let me introduce you—these four are... um... new friends I made while traveling!"
The words "new friends" came out extremely unconvincingly.
Then, steeling himself, he began the "cross-server" introductions.
"This is Natasha Romanoff, a very capable agent who specializes in... uh... housework?" (Natasha shot him a murderous glare.)
"This is Wanda Maximoff, a very talented magical girl who's good at... baking egg tarts?" (Wanda shyly lowered her head.)
"This is Diana Prince, a... um... history enthusiast with extensive knowledge of ancient Greek mythology." (Diana's mouth twitched.)
"And this one..." He pointed at Harley, still clinging to him like a koala. "Harley Quinn, a, uh... cheerful cheerleader!" (Harley proudly waved her Devotion Hammer.)
After hearing this spectacularly off-base introduction, the expressions on the "natives'" faces grew even more colorful.
"Oh? 'New friends'?"
Mai Shiranui was the first to step forward. She sauntered over to Diana with steps that could give any man a nosebleed, stopping directly in front of the Amazon.
She said nothing. She simply thrust out her proud chest—one capable of making any woman despair—and then looked Diana up and down with the gaze of a head wife inspecting a new concubine.
Diana refused to back down. She similarly thrust out her own chest, filled with divine pride.
Two stunning beauties with weapons-grade figures faced off in the most primitive, most direct manner possible—a silent but fierce exchange of firepower!
The air seemed to crackle with invisible pink sparks.
On another front, Chizuru Kagura slowly approached Natasha. She remained elegant and composed, offering a polite yet meaningful smile.
Neither spoke. They simply engaged in a ten-second staredown.
In those ten seconds, their eyes exchanged at least ten thousand pieces of information—from "the manor's financial statements" to "Cloud's daily schedule," from "how to manage this increasingly chaotic harem" to "how to prevent that crazy girl named Harley from wrecking the house."
After ten seconds, both nodded simultaneously, as though they had already reached a tacit, unspoken strategic alliance regarding "the manor's future management rights and division of responsibilities."
They had both recognized in each other that same damned quality of a natural-born manager and schemer.
The most interesting encounter, however, was between Kula and Wanda.
Kula, the "Ice Princess" who seemed like she'd never grow up, took immediate interest in Wanda the moment she saw her.
She teleported in front of Wanda and extended her pale, perpetually cool finger to curiously poke Wanda's cheek.
"Hmm... soft."
Then she pointed at the tendril of scarlet chaos magic flickering nervously at Wanda's fingertips.
"What does your magic taste like? Is it strawberry-flavored? Can you make it into something edible like my ice cream?"
Wanda was completely thrown by this wild line of questioning.
But looking at this pink-haired girl who was even more adorable and innocent than herself, Wanda felt her perpetually anxious heart miraculously relax. She seemed to have found a friend who could discuss desserts and magic with her.
As for Harley Quinn—she had just hopped off Cloud to properly greet her new sisters when she spotted Shermie, Mature, and Vice: the femme fatale trio from the Orochi bloodline, sauntering toward her with elegant yet deadly grace.
Shermie flashed a smile so sweet it could rot teeth: "Oh my~ So this is Cloud's new toy? She looks like fun to play with~"
Vice crossed her arms and surveyed her with queenly disdain: "Hmph, just a little girl who only knows how to swing a hammer around. How tasteless."
Mature reached out with her long, crimson-nailed fingers and gently tilted Harley's chin upward.
Her voice dripped with mature, fatal allure: "Tell big sister... what kind of 'interesting' games do you know how to play?"
Surrounded by these three completely different yet equally dangerous and oppressive auras, Gotham's crime princess Harley Quinn felt, for the first time, what it meant to be at the bottom of the food chain.
She clutched her now-holy-attribute "Devotion Hammer," instinctively retreated two steps, then with a whoosh darted back behind Cloud. She only dared peek out with her trembling yet curious eyes at those three big sisters smiling like enchantresses.
Watching this epic scene of culture shock, firepower exchanges, strategic alliances, foodie bonding, and food-chain domination unfold before him, Cloud—the omnipotent Dimensional Sovereign who could fry Celestials as appetizers—let out a sigh in this moment.
A sigh more despairing than being hit point-blank by Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet.
...A happy sigh.