SWISH!
The dark, liquid shadows surged upward, parting like heavy curtains as Chrites stepped out of the spatial void and onto the cold steel floor of the subterranean headquarters.
The bright, sterile lights of the bunker hummed quietly overhead.
Usually, the operations room was a hub of calculated activity, filled with elite mages monitoring digital maps.
Today, however, a suffocating, heavy tension filled the expansive chamber.
Silas stood near the main terminal, keeping his hands away from his holstered weapon, his face locked in an expression of intense caution.
Sitting perfectly relaxed at the head of the long black tactical table was an uninvited guest.
Chrites narrowed his glowing blue eyes behind his painted demon mask, instantly recognizing the imposing figure.
The man sitting there was none other than one of the absolute strongest fighters in the entire country.
It was General Korrigan, a universally recognized Legendary Master of the Glovis kingdom.
He wore a pristine, highly decorated military coat adorned with continental defense medals.
He was the direct father of Vaelora, the elite recruit who had confessed her love to Chrites just hours earlier.
Korrigan leaned forward, resting his scarred chin on his folded hands, looking deeply serious and observant.
“Oh, so you are the true leader of this hidden syndicate,” Korrigan remarked, his deep voice echoing calmly across the metal room.
“You do not really look mature.”
Beneath his terrifying mask, Chrites felt a sudden, massive jolt of pure shock.
His practical mind reeled, completely stunned by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
What the hell kind of day was today?
The entire sequence of events was incredibly surprising, pushing his usual calm demeanor to its absolute limit.
In the bright morning, the daughter had pulled him into a secluded courtyard for a passionate romantic proposal.
Now, in the quiet evening, her god-tier, Legendary Master father had successfully infiltrated his highly classified underground base.
Korrigan raised a gloved hand, offering a relaxed, agreeable smile.
“Do not be afraid.
I am not going to complain about your hidden organization to the government council.”
Chrites stepped forward, his posture instantly straightening as he released a dense, heavy wave of ambient mana.
He spoke coldly and confidently, refusing to yield an inch of authority.
“I am entirely not afraid of that,” Chrites countered firmly.
“If you dare complain about our syndicate to the corrupt politicians, or fool yourself into thinking you can do anything to destroy us, that would be completely impossible.
Even though you have achieved the absolute peak rank of Legendary Master, we have elite members standing in this very facility who can fight you easily.
We are not weak.”
Korrigan looked around the brightly lit armory, noting the glowing purple magic chains and the highly advanced weaponry.
He nodded slowly, looking genuinely impressed.
“Okay, okay, well, it is true,” Korrigan admitted, his tone shifting to a calm, business-like manner.
“I am not planning to complain or start a war here.
I just have a highly important deal for you.”
Chrites crossed his arms over his chest, his curiosity piqued.
“What exactly is the deal?”
“You know about the southern landmass, the Cebel continent,” Korrigan began, his sharp eyes locking onto the demon mask.
“The exact same continent where the main forces of DNT operate.”
“Yeah, we are well aware of Cebel,” Chrites replied calmly.
“And you know the supreme leader of that organization is Trcids.
So what?
Do you expect us to wage an open war against him?”
Korrigan shook his head, looking deeply troubled.
“No, open warfare against Trcids is not the objective.
The specific task I need your organization to do there is highly precise.
You just have to kill one specific man.
A high-ranking executive within DNT.
That man is an absolute disaster waiting to happen.
If he continues to live and conduct his research, he will definitely cause a catastrophic loss to our entire continent.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Who is the target?” Chrites asked, his voice dropping to a sharp, analytical register.
“He is none other than the Chief Secretary of the DNT organization,” Korrigan revealed, his expression turning incredibly grim.
“He is incredibly powerful, possessing immense political authority and holding a highly refined combat rank of Master.
But I know your organization is incredibly capable.
I know you have multiple Masters and even Legendary Masters operating within your ranks.”
Chrites tilted his head, feeling highly suspicious.
“Where exactly did you gain all of this classified knowledge about our forces?”
Korrigan sighed heavily, leaning back in his leather chair with a deeply disgusted, bitter expression.
“Even though I serve as a general in the Glovis military command, I do not believe in the government.
There are far too many corrupt ministers and greedy politicians running the defense units.
Because of their absolute corruption, I maintain a strict, heavy distance from them.
Keeping far away from those politicians is highly necessary to protect my own family.”
Korrigan gestured toward the secure blast doors.
“Furthermore, I did not track your magical base directly.
Your stealth barriers are flawless.
However, I spotted one of your elite operatives walking through the upper commercial district.
Because I recognized the unique obsidian coat and your organization’s insignia from classified border reports, I used my absolute maximum magical speed.
Moving faster than the eye could track, looking exactly like teleportation, I intercepted your operative purely to ask for a meeting.
Your personnel verified my identity and agreed to bring me down here.
That is exactly how we met.”
Chrites listened silently, processing the general’s clever tactical maneuvering.
“Okay, well, whatever methods you used, killing the Chief Secretary is not a simple favor,” Chrites analyzed, speaking with a deeply cautious, strategic tone.
“Executing a common thug is easy, but taking out DNT’s top executive will create a huge, chaotic mess for my organization.
Trcids is not a highly passive leader.
He is incredibly popular, fiercely protective of his assets, and incredibly dangerous.
Defeating his primary forces directly inside his own home continent is almost impossible.”
Chrites leaned forward, resting his gloved hands on the table.
“Why exactly do you want the Chief Secretary dead?”
Korrigan’s face tightened, his eyes flashing with raw, protective anger.
“Because that man is an absolute villain to my household.
He launched multiple covert assassination attempts against innocent members of my family purely to force my compliance in the military council.
He is incredibly risky to leave alive.
Furthermore, my daughter Vaelora is traveling to the Cebel continent this Sunday purely because her academy classmates invited her on an observation deployment.
I am absolutely not asking your organization to act as ordinary bodyguards or hold her hand.
I am asking you to execute the Chief Secretary so my daughter’s safety can be permanently maintained.”
Korrigan paused, his voice dropping to a hushed, terrified whisper.
“But protecting Vaelora is only half the reason.
The Chief Secretary is actively designing an ultimate weapon.
You remember the terrifying continental destruction weapon the Rint continent developed?
I do not know where that specific weapon went after the invasion failed.
But DNT is building something worse.”
Chrites stood up straight, his posture completely relaxing.
A highly amused, confident tone returned to his voice.
“Oh, are you talking about this specific weapon?” Chrites asked casually.
SWISH!
Chrites walked over to a massive, towering platform situated in the corner of the operations room.
CLACK!
RUMBLE!
The heavy cloth fell away, revealing the breathtaking, complex metallic hull of the stolen Rint continental destruction weapon.
The massive bomb hummed with dense, highly stabilized mana, radiating a world-ending pressure that filled the entire room.
Korrigan instantly leaped out of his chair.
His face drained of all color, looking absolutely scared, surprised, and amazed.
He trembled violently, staring up at the national-level weapon sitting casually inside a vigilante basement.
“How the hell did you get that weapon?!” Korrigan shouted, his voice cracking with pure, unadulterated shock.
“Are you completely insane?!”
“Oh, we just secured it last week,” Chrites shrugged, speaking with an incredibly nonchalant, easy tone.
“It is nothing much.
Just picking up some loose hardware.”
Korrigan swallowed hard, quickly bowing his head with a deeply humbled, apologetic expression.
“I absolutely will not underestimate your organization ever again.
You guys are genuinely, terrifyingly powerful.
I am deeply sorry for my misunderstanding, and I apologize for any perceived insult.
Securing a weapon this strong is a miraculous feat.”
Korrigan straightened his coat, looking back at the bomb.
“The Chief Secretary is designing a weapon far more powerful than that one.
He wields rare, highly lethal elemental magics, giving him total authority over the construction.
If he finishes it, our entire continent will be erased.
I know your syndicate is not an evil group of psychopathic killers.
You formed this alliance purely to stand against corrupt politicians and protect the innocent.
You are the good ones.
So, please, can you help me?
I can pay your organization massive amounts of military credits.”
“I do not need your money,” Chrites rejected smoothly.
“Funding is not a complicated issue for us.
But if I take this mission, I require a highly binding, absolute contract.”
Chrites pointed a finger directly at the general.
“Whenever I require official military support, I want your guaranteed compliance.
Not for direct combat assistance, but for official military deployments.
Whenever I command it, you will deploy your defensive forces exactly where I tell you to.
Because the regular military lacks proper intelligence, they do not know the perfect strategic coordinates to secure.
When I give you a location, you will deploy your troops there immediately without asking a single question.
Do you understand?”
Korrigan analyzed the terms carefully, recognizing the immense tactical value of having an omniscient shadow strategist guiding his troops.
“Okay, I accept your deal,” Korrigan agreed firmly.
SCRATCH!
Korrigan pulled a specialized pen from his coat and quickly signed the physical and digital contract documents laid out on the terminal, officially sealing their alliance.
With the professional business concluded, Korrigan’s stern military posture softened completely.
Looking deeply emotional, speaking purely with the gentle, desperate request of a loving father rather than a high-ranking general, he handed Chrites a secure data drive.
“This drive contains Vaelora’s exact travel schedule, her civilian identification numbers, and the precise Cebel command base where her division will be stationed,” Korrigan whispered softly.
“Please ensure that no operatives from DNT harm her.
This is not a military command.
It is just a father’s request.”
Chrites took the data drive, smoothly sliding it into his obsidian coat pocket.
He offered a respectful, absolute nod, fully accepting the fatherly plea as the heavy steel doors slid open to let the Legendary Master depart into the night.