Max moved quickly through the chaos of the Extermination.
The sky burned red while angelic spears rained down across Pentagram City. Explosions echoed constantly in the distance as terrified sinners fled through collapsing streets.
Dozens died every minute.
Max's expression stayed calm.
Cold.
Focused.
Any angel that attacked him was instantly caught in Stasis—frozen completely in space like statues.
Unable to move.
Unable to escape.
But also unable to be harmed.
Max wasn't interested in wasting time fighting Heaven's soldiers right now.
He had something more important to deal with.
Octavia.
He arrived near the Stolas mansion just in time to hear shouting nearby.
Max immediately followed the sound and found Octavia running through one of the outer courtyards while several angels chased after her.
She looked terrified.
And worse—
She was trying to cast portal magic while panicking.
That was very bad.
"Come on… come on…" Octavia muttered shakily while trying to form the spell.
The portal started opening—
But the symbols were wrong.
Very wrong.
Max's eyes widened slightly.
"…Oh, that could end horribly."
One of the angels raised their spear.
"Aren't we only supposed to kill sinners?" one asked hesitantly.
The second angel shrugged casually.
"Why not kill her too?"
"No way they can prove it was us."
He grinned cruelly.
"And Azazel wanted her dead."
"Think of the reward."
Octavia's portal finally opened—
Wild and unstable.
Max immediately recognized the destination.
"…Reverse Eden?"
Well.
That was concerning.
Before Octavia could step through, Max appeared beside her and grabbed her shoulder gently.
"That's not a good idea."
He snapped his fingers.
The pursuing angels froze instantly in Stasis mid-attack.
Octavia jumped backward immediately, clearly unsure whether Max was safe or not.
Max walked calmly over to the unstable portal and closed it with a wave of his hand.
"…Interesting choice of destination though."
Octavia stared at him cautiously.
"Who are you?"
Max turned toward her.
"Relax, okay?"
"My name's Max."
He gave a small bow.
"Overlord from Pentagram City."
"I'm here to help."
Octavia still looked nervous.
"…Can you get me home?"
The moment the word home left her mouth, she visibly winced.
Then immediately shook her head aggressively.
"No."
"Anywhere but there."
Max paused.
Then sighed softly.
"…Yeah."
That told him everything he needed to know.
He opened another portal.
"Well then."
"Follow me."
Octavia hesitated for a moment before stepping through after him.
The other side opened onto a quiet island beneath a clear night sky.
The sound of the ocean replaced the screams of Hell instantly.
Octavia blinked in surprise.
"…The human world?"
"Not exactly," Max corrected.
"This island's completely isolated."
"No humans."
"No cities."
"Just peace."
He led her further inland until the massive white mansion came into view.
Octavia froze.
The building was beautiful.
Large enough to feel luxurious without being overwhelming. Warm lights glowed through tall windows while the surrounding gardens swayed gently in the ocean breeze.
And somehow—
The place felt oddly personalized.
Comfortable.
Safe.
Like it had been designed specifically to make every guest feel at home.
"Wow…" Octavia whispered.
Max rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Just made it recently."
"With a little help."
Technically a lot of help.
But details weren't important.
Octavia slowly relaxed as they entered the mansion.
"This beats staying with my dad right now," she muttered quietly.
Then she paused awkwardly.
"…Thanks."
She looked toward him.
"I'm Octavia."
Max smiled faintly.
"I know."
Then quickly added—
"I mean—you're kinda important in Hell."
Octavia gave him a suspicious look.
"…Right."
Max pointed at her seriously.
"You can only stay for a day though."
"Your dad would probably murder me if he knew I helped you run away during the Extermination."
Octavia looked down slightly.
"…You know my dad?"
"Not personally."
Max started walking toward the kitchen.
"But I keep track of important people in Hell."
He paused briefly.
"…No offense, but your parents are kind of a disaster together."
Octavia flinched slightly at that.
Not because it was wrong.
Because it was true.
Max noticed immediately.
"…Sorry."
He quickly changed the subject.
"You look great, by the way."
Octavia blinked.
"…That was a weird recovery attempt."
"Yeah, I know."
A little while later, Max finished cooking dinner.
Fried chicken sandwiches.
Fresh fries.
Drinks.
Simple comfort food.
Octavia took one bite—
And immediately looked shocked.
"…This is actually amazing."
Max grinned slightly.
"Glad you like it."
For a while they ate quietly.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable though.
Just peaceful.
Eventually Max pointed downstairs.
"There's a library in the basement."
Octavia's eyes immediately lit up slightly.
"I figured your family probably likes books."
He leaned back in his chair.
"There's also music streaming set up down there."
"And honestly…"
He shrugged.
"Just yell if you need anything."
Something about that hit Octavia harder than Max expected.
Not the mansion.
Not the food.
Not the safety.
The fact that someone was simply… letting her exist peacefully without demanding anything from her.
Max noticed the look in her eyes and immediately understood.
"…Yeah."
This was going to take time.
Octavia would probably be the hardest person for him to truly get close to.
Not because she was cold.
But because growing up in a broken family made trust incredibly difficult.
Much less love.
Which meant—
He had to take things slow.
Very slow.
[A: While he is in the time travel arc, he has unlimited time out of hell. After all, he already spent tgat time when he had much more power that persists across time so... Anyway enjoy]