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At the very same moment, in her upscale penthouse apartment situated in the west-central district of Itogami Island, Asagi Aiba suddenly felt a strange unease creeping into her heart as she descended from her bedroom to the kitchen for a glass of water.
She couldn't explain it, just an inexplicable premonition. Looking through the panoramic south-facing windows of her living room, all appeared normal: the sun blazing in a perfectly clear sky.
Still, she felt it strongly, a vague yet undeniable sense of impending danger.
Asagi turned carefully, her eyes scanning the familiar surroundings: the couch, the fireplace, the kitchen, the bathroom door, nothing seemed unusual or out of place.
'Must be my imagination…' she thought, releasing a small breath of relief.
Just as she was about to continue towards the water dispenser, her eyes widened at something unexpected. Her home's private elevator visible clearly from the living room was ascending rapidly towards her floor.
But... how?
Today was a normal weekday. Her father had left early for the office as usual, and her mother had told her she'd be spending the day with her girlfriends at the spa, not expected back until late afternoon. As for Bokue, that man never bothered with elevators; he always appeared directly inside her apartment with his mysterious teleportation.
Then who could be coming up here at this hour?
With a soft ding, the elevator doors smoothly slid open, revealing neither her sharply dressed father nor her gentle, elegant mother. Instead, what stepped out was a squadron of armed beastmen mercenaries, clad in heavy combat gear and aiming their black rifles straight at her.
"How did you—" she started to say, but two rifle barrels aimed directly at her head immediately silenced her.
"Don't make any sudden movements, miss," a deep voice warned coldly.
Within moments, the beastmen mercenaries fanned out in a coordinated maneuver, creating a five-meter radius ring around her. Stepping forth from their ranks, a grizzled old man with a prominent scar cutting across his face approached her, smiling politely as though meeting at a casual dinner party.
"Allow me to introduce myself—I am Christoph Gardos, the leader of the Black Death Emperor Faction and a revolutionary at heart. Please rest assured, Miss Aiba, we mean no harm. We merely need you to perform some translation work for us."
"Translation?" Asagi quickly regained her composure, managing a defiant tone despite her perilous situation. "Sorry, but you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm just a high school student. If you want translation work done, go find yourself a professional linguist—this isn't something I do."
"Oh, but we both know that's not true," Gardos countered gently, his smile deepening slightly. "After all, Miss Aiba, didn't you already provide us with your perfect résumé last night—remember the email?"
"Email?" She paused for a heartbeat, then felt her blood run cold as realization dawned.
"Ah, seems like you recall now," Gardos nodded approvingly.
"You see, we sent that very same email to over a hundred and fifty of the world's most talented hackers. Yet, out of all those, only you succeeded in decoding the stone tablet to our complete satisfaction—and in less than twenty minutes, no less."
"So what?" Asagi narrowed her eyes defiantly. "If this is a recruitment offer, let me give you my answer clearly—I refuse."
Her voice resonated with unwavering resolve, startling even some of the beastmen mercenaries surrounding her. Few people could remain so steadfast when held at gunpoint.
Yet Gardos merely chuckled dismissively. "No, you misunderstand. You will cooperate with us—willingly or otherwise."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her brows knitted anxiously, the ominous feeling intensifying.
With a casual snap of his fingers, Gardos signaled to a subordinate, who swiftly produced an open laptop, placing it respectfully into his hands. He turned the screen around to face her.
Displayed was an image of a monstrous machine, resembling a massive mechanical spider. On the corner of the screen, a clear indicator showed:
[Status: Activated].
"Nalakuvera," Gardos said quietly.
"The ancient weapons of the Gods themselves—tools that have erased countless civilizations from history. We've possessed these machines for some time but, due to their ancient scripts, we could never activate them. Until now."
He smiled coldly. "Thanks to you, Miss Aiba, we now hold Nalakuvera's activation command. All of the Nalakuvera units have now been awakened. Without proper control, these weapons will seek to destroy anything within their vicinity. Unchecked, they'll undoubtedly reduce all of Itogami Island to rubble."
"But here's your chance," he continued, smiling grimly. "Help us translate the remainder of Nalakuvera's instructions—allowing us to control them—and we shall immediately leave Itogami Island. We have no quarrel with Japan itself; our fight lies solely with the Warlord's Dominion."
Before Asagi could respond, a massive explosion suddenly rocked the far side of Itogami Island, the blast powerful enough to shake the entire building.
Turning instinctively to the panoramic window, Asagi could see thick black smoke and crimson flames spiraling upwards from the eastern harbor—the newly constructed floating island where the majority of the island's cargo arrived each day, and where Bokue and the girls had recently attended the ill-fated banquet.
"Ah, it seems things have begun ahead of schedule," Gardos remarked, unfazed.
"That was merely a single Nalakuvera firing a single shot. Imagine a full army of them. It would not take long to sink this island completely."
"So," Gardos concluded politely, as if offering her afternoon tea, "your decision, Miss Aiba?"
"She declines," interrupted a familiar voice calmly yet sternly.
Gardos whirled around, visibly startled; Asagi's eyes lit up instantly, joy flooding her features.
She knew Bokue wouldn't abandon her in her hour of need!
"...You?" Gardos snarled, recovering his composure quickly. "How disappointing. I had hoped Dimitrie Vatler would keep you occupied longer—but it doesn't matter. Battles aren't won by single individuals alone. Right now, your precious Cyber Empress is already ours—no matter how powerful you think you are—"
Bokue cut him off with chilling calmness. "All remaining Black Death Emperor forces, heed my command."
[Magnetic Field Rotation]
[Mind Domination]
Gardos sneered in disbelief, unbothered. "What nonsense—my soldiers would never..."
His voice abruptly ceased. Ice-cold metal pressed sharply against his temple. Slowly, incredulously, he turned his gaze toward it. It was the barrel of a pistol.
Wielded by none other than himself.
What… what's going on??
Mind control??
When did he activate it??
Gardos's mind raced frantically, trying desperately to pinpoint when he'd fallen under the enemy's influence.
Alas, it was far too late.
At the very same moment, every mercenary in the penthouse apartment turned their weapons toward their own heads, their faces contorted in pure horror as they found their bodies disobeying their every command.
In that suffocating silence, Bokue's chilling words echoed softly yet mercilessly through the room.
"Execute yourselves."
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