The week following the Battle of Shibuya was marked by an artificial lull. For the general public, the media played the exploits of the "Ice Queen" and the new "Saint of Mercy" on a loop. But behind the scenes at the Awakened Management Bureau, the atmosphere was electric. Kurogane had accelerated preparations for the B-Rank Gate expedition, located in the abandoned subway tunnels of Shinjuku.
It was there, in those concrete entrails, that the first great legend of the new Japan was to be born. And it was there that Kenji planned to break another future pillar of humanity.
[Current Status: Sato Kenji]
Level: 20 Harem: 2 (Rin, Maya) New Power: Domination Crafting (Allows the use of Boss Cores to create Binding Artifacts).
Using the "Heart of the Abyss," Kenji had discreetly forged two black leather collars, nearly invisible under clothing, which he had forced Rin and Maya to wear. These items did not increase their stats; they served as lightning rods for his will, allowing him to feel their emotions and intervene directly in their mana flow.
On the day of the expedition, the Shinjuku station entrance looked like a fortress. Kurogane had assembled the elite: twenty C-Rank Awakened, led by a man whose name was already making headlines: Takahiro Sora.
Sora was the archetype of a shōnen hero. Handsome, charismatic, and gifted with an A-Rank light manipulation ability. He was accompanied by his fiancée, Nanami Ai, an elite archer whose precision was legendary. In Kenji's past life, Sora had become a symbol of hope. But Kenji knew the truth: Sora was a coward who, in a future raid, would sacrifice Nanami to save his own skin.
"Sato-kun!" Sora exclaimed as he approached, a bright smile on his lips. "Kurogane-san told me you were the brains behind Mizuhara-san. Delighted to work with such a brilliant mind."
Kenji bowed his head, adjusting his sunglasses to mask the contempt in his eyes.
"The honor is mine, Sora-san. I am but a humble assistant. My two associates will do their best not to slow you down."
Sora cast a lingering look at Rin, then at Maya. His desire, caught by [Oppressor's Eye], was crystal clear: he wanted these two women in his own party. He saw them as just more trophies for his collection.
"Don't worry, kid," Sora said, patting his shoulder a bit too hard. "I'll protect everyone. Nanami and I will handle the front lines."
Nanami approached, her bow slung over her shoulder. She gave Kenji a polite nod, but her eyes showed profound exhaustion. She already seemed to be carrying the full weight of her fiancé's arrogance.
"Move in," Kurogane ordered from the command post. "The objective is the heart of the nest. Eliminate the Swarm Queen."
The group delved into the tunnels. Very quickly, the artificial light was replaced by a greenish, toxic mist. This was the "Dungeon of Whispers." Here, the monsters didn't just bite; they used ultrasounds to induce hallucinations.
"Stay grouped!" Sora shouted, illuminating the tunnel with a dazzling sphere of light.
But his light was too strong. It attracted the creatures. Dozens of Voracious Specters—ethereal entities with long, clawed fingers—began to emerge from the walls.
"Nanami, now!" Sora ordered.
Nanami fired light arrows with pinpoint precision, but the specters were too many. The C-Rank group began to panic. Sora, despite his leader-like appearance, stayed back, letting the others take the hits.
"Master..." Rin whispered, her hands already freezing the ground around them. "Should I intervene?"
"Not yet," Kenji replied in a low voice. "Let's wait for our 'Hero' to show his true face."
Suddenly, a piercing howl tore through the air. A specter more massive than the others, the Guardian of Whispers, lunged straight for Sora. Panicked, Sora used his light explosion—not to destroy the monster, but to create a smokescreen. In the confusion, he violently shoved Nanami toward the creature to gain a few seconds for his escape.
"Takahiro?!" Nanami cried out, losing her balance.
The specter's claws were about to tear into her back. Sora didn't even look back.
It was then that time seemed to freeze. A pillar of black ice rose from the ground, imprisoning the specter's arm. At the same moment, a wave of golden heat enveloped Nanami, instantly healing the sprain she had just suffered from the fall.
Kenji appeared at Nanami's side. He carried no weapon. He simply reached out his hand to her while chaos reigned around them.
"Your hero abandoned you, Nanami-san," Kenji said, his voice eerily calm amidst the screams. "But don't worry. I don't like wasting precious talent."
Nanami stared at Kenji's hand. She saw Sora in the distance, regrouping his bodyguards, ignoring her completely. The realization was like a knife twist. The psychological Netori had begun.
"Help me..." she stammered, tears in her eyes.
[Submission Attempt Detected: The Heart of the Forsaken Fiancée.]
[Condition: Emotional betrayal by current partner.]
"Come with me, and you will never be a sacrifice again," Kenji promised.
He pulled her toward him. Upon contact with her skin, he activated [Vital Share], but in a different way. He injected a massive dose of his dark mana, saturated with his desires for possession. Nanami let out a muffled cry, her eyes widening as Kenji's System rewrote her allegiances.
"Rin, Maya, form the triangle," Kenji ordered.
The three women took their positions. Rin on the offense, Maya on support, and Nanami—rallied by force and despair—at the rearguard. Kenji, at the center, acted as the conductor.
They didn't just repel the specters. They slaughtered them. Nanami's arrows, now imbued with Rin's ice and Maya's power, exploded into lethal frost shards.
Sora, seeing his fiancée fighting with Kenji's group, rushed back toward them, furious.
"Nanami! What are you doing? Get back here right now! Sato, what did you do to her?"
Kenji turned toward him, a provocative smile on his lips.
"She simply realized who the real leader is here, Sora. You pushed her toward death. I gave her a reason to live."
"You little bastard!" Sora raised his hand, ready to cast a light spell at Kenji.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Rin intervened, pointing an ice spear at Sora's throat. "The Master is under my protection. Touch him, and I'll freeze your blood before you can blink."
Sora recoiled, deathly pale. He looked at Nanami. "Nanami, say something!"
Nanami didn't even look at him. She knelt before Kenji, adjusting her bowstring.
"I no longer have a fiancé," she said in a voice devoid of emotion. "I only have a Master."
[Bond established: Nanami Ai (Rank 1 Slave - The Fallen Archer).]
[Submission: 40% (Traumatic Love at First Sight).]
They finally reached the Swarm Queen's chamber. It was a massive room covered in glistening cobwebs. The Queen, a creature half-woman, half-insect, sat on the ceiling, laying eggs that hatched in real-time.
"Everyone, attack!" Sora yelled, desperately trying to regain control so as not to lose face before Kurogane, who was watching via helmet cameras.
The C-Rank group charged, but the Queen spat corrosive venom that melted their armor. Sora, true to form, stayed safe behind a pillar.
"My turn," Kenji whispered.
He activated [Sovereign's Domain]. The air in the room grew heavy, almost solid. The C-Rank Awakened fell to their knees, unable to withstand the pressure. The Swarm Queen herself let out a cry of agony, feeling her authority over her offspring crumble.
"Nanami, pierce her central eye. Maya, amplify the arrow. Rin, seal her escape."
The execution was surgical. A black light arrow, boosted by the mana of three women, crossed the room and lodged itself in the Queen's brain. Rin instantly froze the creature's body to prevent it from self-destructing.
The dungeon began to dissolve.
Kenji approached the Queen's corpse and pulled out a deep emerald-green crystal.
"Mission accomplished," he said calmly.
As they made their way back to the surface, Sora tried to intercept them one last time, blocking Kenji's path in the exit tunnel.
"You won't get away with this, Sato. I'm going to tell Kurogane you used forbidden magic to hypnotize Nanami. You're going to rot in prison."
Kenji stepped close to Sora until their chests touched.
"Do that, Sora. And I'll tell everyone—with video proof, because Rin recorded everything—that you used your fiancée as a human shield. I wonder what your fans and sponsors will think. Not to mention Nanami's family, who are quite influential, I believe?"
Sora turned white as a sheet. He lowered his eyes, his fists trembling with helpless rage. Kenji walked past him, followed by his three women.
"Oh, and Sora… don't worry about Nanami. She's in good hands. Much better than yours."
At the subway exit, the spectacle was complete. Journalists saw Kenji emerge first, with Nanami walking just behind him—head down but with a steady pace—alongside Rin and Maya.
Kurogane approached, a cigar in his mouth. He looked at Nanami, then at Kenji.
"You've surprised me again, Sato. You've taken Sora's trump card."
"An exchange of resources, sir," Kenji replied. "Sora wasn't capable of managing such potential. I simply optimized the unit."
Kurogane smiled, though his eyes remained cold. "Optimize all you want. But don't forget who pays the bills."
Night of September 10th. Kenji's new suite.
The room was vast. Nanami sat on the edge of the bed, still dressed in her torn combat gear. She stared at the floor, her mind in tatters. The shock of Sora's betrayal and the forced submission by Kenji's system created a storm within her.
The door opened. Rin and Maya entered, carrying trays of food and new outfits. They looked at Nanami with a mix of pity and superiority.
"Welcome to our world," Rin said, placing a hand on the archer's shoulder. "Don't fight it. It's easier when you accept that you're nothing more than an extension of him."
Kenji entered in turn. He sat in his armchair and observed his three masterpieces.
"Nanami, come here," he ordered.
The archer obeyed mechanically. She stood before him.
"You feel betrayed by Sora, don't you? You wonder how he could do that to you after a three-year relationship. The answer is simple: he never loved you. You were an accessory for his hero image. Me? I see you for what you truly are: a devastating weapon."
He pulled out the leather collar he had prepared for her.
"Put it on. And prove to me you're ready to erase every memory of him to serve me."
Nanami took the collar. Her hands shook, but she didn't pull back. She buckled it around her neck. The moment the clasp closed, a surge of black mana traveled down her spine, sealing her bond with Kenji.
[R18 Scene Initiated: The Fiancée's Initiation.]
[Total Domination in progress...]
That night, Kenji did not settle for possessing Nanami physically. He used his position to force Rin and Maya to participate, creating a group dynamic where he was the sole center of gravity. Nanami discovered that beneath Kenji's coldness lay an intensity she had never known with the vain Sora. She lost herself in pleasure and pain, finally accepting that her past life had died in that subway tunnel.
By morning, Kenji had reached level 25.
The world was beginning to realize that the Gates were not the only danger. A new power was emerging from the shadows, and it didn't wear a hero's cape.