Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1113: SRLE (13) | Ruby Ross

Rudy reached out. He didn’t touch the wheel. He touched her hand, his fingers brushing against her knuckles.

ZAP.

A spark jumped between them. It wasn’t static electricity, but a resonant pulse of soul energy. Ruby gasped, jerking her hand back as if she’d been burned. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

’What was that?’

For a split second, she didn’t see a stranger in a stolen suit. She saw a flash of a different life—a warm car, the smell of rain, a man laughing as he handed her a winning ticket. She felt a phantom weight on her ring finger.

"Who are you?" Ruby whispered, her voice trembling. "Why do you feel... inevitable?"

"Focus on the game, Ruby," Rudy smirked, his eyes glowing faintly. "The ball is dropping."

Click-clack-click...

The mana sphere slowed. It bounced over Black 20. It skittered past Red 14.

Ruby forced herself to look down. She activated her ocular ability, The Dealer’s Eye. She could see the trajectory. It was going to land on Green 0. The House wins.

"You lose," Ruby said, regaining her composure. A cruel smile touched her lips. "It’s hitting Zero. You belong to me."

"Look closer," Rudy said.

The ball hit the fret of Green 0.

But it didn’t settle.

Just as gravity should have claimed it, the ball vibrated. It reacted not to the wheel, but to the sheer, overwhelming presence of the man standing five feet away. The universe itself seemed to hiccup, bending to accommodate his passive reality-warping luck.

The ball defied physics. It hopped out of the Zero slot, bounced once on the rim, and settled with a decisive thud into the slot directly beneath Rudy’s hand.

Red 7.

The color of the Iron Blood Clan he had sacrificed.

The runic lights on the table flashed crimson. A holographic banner exploded overhead: WINNER.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Rudy straightened his tie. "Looks like I own the House."

Ruby stared at the ball. Her mouth opened, then closed. She looked up at Rudy, her mind reeling. Her ’House Edge’ was absolute. It was a law of reality in this district. He hadn’t broken it; he had simply ignored it.

"That’s impossible," she breathed.

"I get that a lot," Rudy said. He walked around the table, the crowd parting for him like water. He stopped in front of her.

He didn’t gloat. He reached out and tucked a strand of her blue hair behind her ear.

"The deal was simple," Rudy said, his voice dropping to an intimate register that made her knees weak. "I win the Pot. And I win the Queen."

He leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear.

"So... are you going to pay up? Or do I have to collect my prize the hard way?"

Ruby shivered. The killing intent she usually projected crumbled. In its place was a confusing, overwhelming desire to submit. It was an instinct she hadn’t felt since the day she met him in the timeline she couldn’t remember.

"You..." Ruby grabbed his lapels, pulling him down. Her eyes were fierce, burning with conflict. "You cheated. I don’t know how, but you cheated."

"Prove it," Rudy challenged.

"I can’t," she admitted, her voice husky. "Which means..."

She looked at Maria, who was watching with a smug, knowing smile. Then she looked back at Rudy.

"Which means I’m yours," Ruby finished. "For now."

"Forever," Rudy corrected.

He turned to the stunned crowd of warlords and criminals.

"The show’s over!" Rudy announced. "The Obsidian Ross Syndicate now runs the Neon District. Anyone who has a problem with that can file a complaint with my secretary."

He pointed at the S-Rank Demon, Lilim, who cracked her knuckles and grinned, exposing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.

"Any takers?" Lilim asked sweetly.

The room cleared in ten seconds.

—

-

.

The penthouse of the Diamond Spire was even more opulent than the casino floor. The walls were lined with rare artifacts, and the view of the toxic, neon-lit city was breathtaking.

Rudy sat on Ruby’s throne—a massive chair made of gold and red velvet. Ruby stood before him, arms crossed, trying to maintain her dignity despite having just lost her entire empire in a single spin.

Maria was busy looting the mini-bar. Lilim was inspecting the security feeds.

"The Mythical Item," Rudy said, extending his hand. "Hand it over."

Ruby hesitated. She reached into her cleavage—using her spatial storage ability—and pulled out a small, jagged fragment of metal. It pulsed with a faint, golden light.

The Key of Solomon (Fragment).

"This is what you wanted?" Ruby asked, tossing it to him. "It’s useless. It doesn’t open anything. It just buzzes when you get near a Dungeon."

Rudy caught it. The moment his skin touched the metal, the fragment flared. The hum turned into a song. The runes on the metal aligned with his energy.

"It’s not a key for a door," Rudy said, pocketing it.

He looked at Ruby. "Come here."

"I’m not a dog," Ruby snapped. "Just because you won the bet doesn’t mean I—"

"Ruby," Rudy said. He just used that Name. The tone. The specific inflection he used when she was being stubborn about betting on a losing horse.

Ruby froze. Her breath hitched. Her body moved before her mind did. She walked over to the throne.

Rudy grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hey!" she yelped, her face flushing bright red. "What do you think you’re—"

"Shut up and look at me."

He held her face in his hands. He looked deep into her electric blue eyes, past the bravado, past the warlord persona, down to the girl who just wanted someone to bet on her.

"You asked how I cheated," Rudy whispered. "I didn’t. I just knew the outcome."

"What are you talking about? Do you have the ability to see the future or something?" she asked with a curious look on her face.

"No..." he shook his head. "We know each other."

"What...?" Ruby whispered back, though her resistance was melting. "I’ve never met you."

"You have. You were the one who taught me how to play Poker. You were the one who told me that ’Love is the only gamble worth losing’."

Ruby’s eyes widened. "I... I say that to myself. In the mirror. How do you know that?"

"Because I was the one you said it to."

Rudy leaned forward and kissed her.

As their lips touched, Rudy released the mental block.

FLASH!

Ruby saw herself in the old world. She saw the underworld casino. She saw Rudy walking in, looking like a lost puppy.

She saw herself trying to seduce Maria’s— who she thought was her aunt— lover. How she lost her first kiss to him to make Maria jealous. And how often she flirted with him behind Maria’s back.

The kiss deepened. Ruby melted. Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. The cold, hard shell of the ’Gambling Queen’ shattered, revealing the passionate woman beneath.

She broke the kiss, gasping for air, her eyes wet with tears.

"You..." She punched him in the chest. Hard. "You asshole! Why did you leave us back then?!"

"I was busy saving the world," Rudy grinned, rubbing his chest. "Ow. You still hit like a truck."

"I should kill you," Ruby sobbed, burying her face in his neck.

"I’m here now," Rudy said, holding her tight. "And I’m staying."

Maria walked over, holding two glasses of champagne. She looked at her sister—really looked at her—and smiled. The rivalry was gone and the sisterhood was back.

"Welcome back to the family, Ruby," Maria said softly.

Ruby looked up, wiping her eyes. She glared at Maria, but there was no heat in it. "Shut up, Maria. You still owe me ten thousand cores."

"Put it on his tab," Maria pointed at Rudy.

Rudy laughed. "Of course. My money is your money."

He looked at the Key fragment in his pocket, then at the three women surrounding him. The Syndicate was secure. The Family was back together.

"Alright," Rudy said, standing up and lifting Ruby with him. "We have the Neon District. We have the Underworld. What’s next on the agenda?"

Ruby smirked, her old confidence returning, but now tempered with warmth.

"Well.." she purred, tracing a finger down his chest. "You just conquered a city block. Usually, that warrants a celebration. A private one."

Lilim locked the penthouse door.

"Way ahead of you," the demon said.