The elderly Beastman, "Christoph Gardos," no longer looked anything like the relaxed, easygoing man he had been that afternoon during his deal with Asagi Aiba at the restaurant.
Collapsed on the ground, he stared in terror at the gold ring Zeta held against his neck. Feeling the killing intent in her voice, Christoph's heart pounded wildly, and he barely dared to breathe.
"Zeta-san, please calm down. We're all part of the Black Death Emperor Front…"
Before he could finish, the gold ring at his throat pressed forward half a centimeter, slicing his skin as blood began to trickle down.
"All you need to do is tell me where Petos is."
Zeta's gaze was icy, her voice completely devoid of emotion as she looked at him.
"I, I, I don't know…"
"Hmm…"
Faced with death, Christoph froze in fear for a moment. But when he saw the indifference in Zeta's eyes, he snapped back to his senses and hurriedly spoke.
"But I've already made an agreement with him. He'll show up again once the plan succeeds. Even if something went wrong with this deal, for the sake of their interests, he'll definitely appear at the next transaction."
Zeta silently took in his words and analyzed them carefully. Her expression shifted subtly, but the gold ring remained pressed against his throat. Christoph didn't dare interrupt her thoughts and could only wait for his fate to be decided.
After a short while, Zeta withdrew the gold ring and turned away. One of her subordinates quickly pulled over a chair for her.
Once seated, Zeta looked down at Christoph from above.
"Explain your plan. I've been too focused on fishing to really look into it."
Whether you live or die will depend on your answer.
Zeta didn't know much about Christoph's plan. The moment she learned that the person sent by the Cult of Diablos to work with him was the very enemy who had slaughtered her entire family, she had already begun preparing an ambush.
But the Church duo had interfered, causing the ambush to fail. Petos had since gone into hiding, not daring to show himself. According to the intelligence she had, the only way to force him out was when the opportunity Christoph mentioned came to fruition. That meant she needed to understand the plan in detail.
Seeing the gold ring, capable of taking his life at any moment, move away from his throat, Christoph let out a breath of relief. But he quickly realized his life was still in someone else's hands and cautiously asked:
"Zeta-san… have you heard of the Fourth Primogenitor?"
Zeta raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"…I have."
Of course she had. It was said that the Fourth Primogenitor was even stronger than the three SSS ranked Vampire Primogenitors of World No. 2.
"Then it's easy to explain. The item I asked Zeta-san to transport is the legendary god slaying weapon, Nalakuvera. And I intend to use it to control the legendary Fourth Primogenitor."
At that, Zeta couldn't help but laugh. It sounded like a joke to her.
Christoph swallowed hard. He knew just how ridiculous it sounded.
Two years ago, he might have actually entertained the idea of using such a weapon to defeat a Primogenitor. After all, they hadn't made a move in a long time, and that had led many people to develop unrealistic expectations.
But after the worlds merged, when the three Primogenitors of World No. 2 displayed on the battlefield that each of them possessed the power to stand against an entire world, specifically the original World No. 2, who would still dare to cling to such naive thoughts?
By now, everyone understood that there was a vast, insurmountable gap between the Vampire Primogenitors of World No. 2 and everyone else in that world. It could even be said that these three Primogenitors were the very foundation that allowed World No. 2 to ally with the other two worlds.
The strength of these three SSS tier beings was already comparable to the top tier pantheons of World No. 1. If a single top tier pantheon from World No. 1 went to war against them, even in victory, it would end in mutual destruction.
And forming alliances between pantheons was out of the question. Everyone feared being exploited or betrayed by the others.
In that sense, these three Primogenitors were the nuclear deterrent of World No. 2.
By the way, World No. 3 is the weakest. In theory, even if the other two worlds didn't send any of their top fifteen fighters, they could still defeat World No. 3 with ease. It's the kind of situation where they could wage war, split the spoils, and still handle the pressure of the World Battlefield without any real difficulty.
The reason no war has broken out is simple. Everyone fears that the moment they make a move, their home base, the Pocket Dimension, will be wiped out by a single Magic Bullet falling from the sky.
And yet, in a situation like this, Christoph actually claimed he would use some unknown god slaying weapon to control the Fourth Primogenitor, who was said to be even stronger than the Three Great Primogenitors. There's a limit to how ridiculous a joke can be.
An invisible, chilling killing intent pressed down on Christoph once more, making his breathing grow heavy. He knew that if he couldn't provide a convincing explanation, his head would be gone in the next second. Thinking back to the intelligence he had obtained, he clenched his teeth.
"Don't be so quick to judge, Zeta-san. The Fourth Primogenitor is weaker than you think. The current Fourth Primogenitor can't even defeat a single Armed Apostle."
"Hmm?"
The killing intent eased slightly, and Christoph hurried to explain.
"I was just as shocked when I first received this information. But after investigating, I confirmed it. The current Fourth Primogenitor really is that weak."
At that point, a trace of excitement flickered in Christoph's otherwise lifeless, aged eyes.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The current Fourth Primogenitor has immense Magical Power and Beast Vassals, but doesn't know how to use them. If we seize this chance, we can control the Fourth Primogenitor."
As she listened, Zeta completely withdrew her killing intent, a look of interest appearing on her face.
"Heh, interesting plan. But how exactly do you intend to use that weapon to control the Fourth Primogenitor?"
"That's part of my cooperation with the Cult of Diablos."
"Alright, alright. Since it involves technology from the Cult of Diablos, I won't pry. Let me ask something else.
That ship carrying Nalakuvera is still anchored in the waters around Itogami Island. You said earlier that once it reached the designated location, you would handle getting it onto the island. How do you plan to get past inspections? This isn't like before. Something that big isn't easy to hide."
"Ah, that problem? Someone already solved it for me. In fact, they came to me first…"
"Interesting. Who?"
"An organization from Japan called the Lion King Organization."
Even in a life or death situation, a mocking smile couldn't help but appear on Christoph's aged face as he said this.
"Hm?"
Zeta paused. Although Shadow Garden now operated more independently, intelligence was still shared. She remembered seeing that name in the reports Gamma had given her. If she recalled correctly, wasn't that an official Japanese organization?
"The Lion King Organization is Japan's special operations agency. To make their work easier, most of their members carry credentials that exempt them from inspections.
After I swore on the Magic Network and promised not to deliberately harm their personnel, they provided me with information, location, and movement patterns of one of their members on this island who carries such credentials."
Seeing the confusion on Zeta's face, Christoph continued his explanation.
"Zeta-san, it's normal that you don't know much about them since you're from World No. 3. But this organization is quite famous.
Despite having considerable strength of their own, they like to send the disciples they train into the beds of powerful individuals under the pretense of protection or surveillance.
Even in Europe, I've heard of their reputation as a top tier matchmaking agency. The girls they send out have a rather unique appeal.
It's said that when they're first forced into bed, most of them would rather die together with their target. But afterward, bound by the duties instilled in them, they can't take their own lives to escape the chastity they were taught to uphold. In the end, they have no choice but to accept their fate and become the mistresses of the very people they were meant to monitor or protect. They really know how to play their game."
The sarcasm on Christoph's face was almost overflowing as he spoke.
Zeta understood perfectly, because her own disgust toward this organization was nearly spilling over as well.
A matchmaking agency? What a joke. Put nicely, it's a brothel. Put bluntly, it's a whorehouse.
If you're not chosen, then fine. But once you are, becoming a mistress is inevitable. Becoming a wife is out of the question. With your status, you'd be lucky just to be kept as a concubine.
Anyone with even a bit of status wouldn't take chastity seriously. Only naive, inexperienced youngsters who foolishly treat it as something important would marry an agent from another faction, someone who answers to a different organization, as their wife.
(Just look at the small-nation princesses sent aboard Dimitrie Vatler's ship to "serve" Kojou Akatsuki. For them, simply being used meant success.)
Those girls who are sent over have it the worst. Bound by duty, even if they're pinned to a bed, they can't harm their partner, because their chastity isn't considered important enough to justify an attack. Afterward, even if they want to kill themselves, the responsibilities drilled into them force them to keep monitoring their target. Their indoctrinated views on chastity, combined with the Lion King Organization's persuasion, leave them no choice but to stay by their partner's side.
This… is truly disgusting.
Zeta had already figured out what Christoph meant when he said the Lion King Organization came to him on their own. It was nothing more than hypocrisy, wanting the benefits while keeping their hands clean.
Most likely, the Lion King Organization planned to use Christoph for something. For example, they might have him attack one of their own operatives, the one who provided the intel. Then, the person being monitored or protected by that operative would step in as the "hero," saving the day and winning that operative's heart.
And throughout all of this, the Lion King Organization would remain completely uninvolved. They never gave Christoph any exemption pass, nor did they instruct him to attack that operative. They simply told him that the operative carried such a pass and handed over their personal details, address, and movement patterns.
This really… is disgusting.
As expected, this world is far too filthy. Only Master, only if Master rules this world, can tragedies like this be prevented. Everything I've done is right.
Another filthy tragedy only strengthened Zeta's resolve.
She glanced at Christoph, who was still rambling, and flicked the golden ring in her hand. It grazed his face before embedding itself into the wall, instantly drawing a sheen of cold sweat across his forehead.
Pulling it free, she pressed it against his throat again.
"I'm not in the mood to keep listening to you. So you'd better make sure your plan can draw Petos out when it succeeds. Otherwise, even if you manage to control the Fourth Primogenitor, I'll still kill you.
Also, organize every step of your plan and have it ready. I'll send someone to collect it later."
Leaving another bloodied cut as a warning, Zeta turned and waved for the others to leave. Before walking out, she added,
"We didn't kill all your men. We left you more than a dozen. Make sure you carry out your plan properly and lure Petos out."
At this point, the number of Beastmen in the building had fallen from nearly a hundred to just over a dozen. One or two were already rapidly fading, likely to die within minutes.
Stepping over the corpses, Zeta continued thinking about the information she'd just learned about the Lion King Organization. Then, her stride suddenly halted.
In the intel Gamma had given her, it mentioned that not long ago, her Master had rescued a girl from the Lion King Organization.
Thinking about it now, that girl was probably one of those sent out under the pretense of surveillance or protection, nothing more than a bedmate. And after meeting her, her Master had helped her escape that fate…
No, Zeta. Think more carefully. Master isn't someone who acts on a whim. Every move he makes is deliberate. There must be a deeper purpose behind it.
Lost in thought, Zeta reached the first floor, still unable to grasp her Master's true intention, until she caught her own reflection in a metallic surface.
Looking at that blurred image of herself, Zeta finally understood, and a quiet realization escaped her lips.
"Master… you're truly too gentle."
The answer was simple.
Just like how they had been persecuted by the Cult of Diablos, and their Master had given them power, pulling them back from the darkness, those girls had been deceived and oppressed by the Lion King Organization. So he saved that one girl and guided her, hoping she would one day save the others.
God does not save those who abandon themselves. God only saves those willing to save themselves.
That's the kind of person my Master is, someone who cannot stand injustice. Even when it has nothing to do with you, you still choose to act for others.
Truly… you're too gentle.
Being by your side only makes me feel even more filthy.
That silent thought sealed the fate of the Lion King Organization member who had been handed over to Christoph.
Zeta couldn't cast aside her personal desires the way Cid could. She needed Christoph's plan to succeed, to draw out Petos and complete her revenge. So she had no choice but to abandon that Lion King Organization member.
"Zeta-sama, do you trust him?"
Her expression instantly composed, Zeta looked at Victoria and answered with unwavering confidence.
"Of course not. Everything he said is true, but he's hiding the most important part."
"Then should we…"
Victoria made a throat-slitting gesture.
"No need. I don't care."
As long as it draws out Petos.
Zeta tightened her grip on the golden ring as the thought settled firmly in her mind.