While Rafael was heading to Tacloban, the ASIB branch in Japan assembled a small army of operators from the High Table and Glory. Their plan was instantaneous: to send a message. They headed directly to the Keiro Clan's estate, located near the Ido Clan's estate, which was meant to quickly support the Godfather. Now, it was destined for their extinction.
That night, operators swarmed the estate and their houses, systematically eliminating the clan members. Across the world, clan members out on missions were ambushed, executed, and their bodies sent to Japan as part of the message.
An hour later, the clan head knelt on the ground. Around him lay the bleeding, dead bodies of his personal guards. Two Atlas operators from the Wardens stood, guns aimed at his back, while to his flanks, a Glory assassin and a High Table hitman flanked him. One was armed with a sashimi knife, the other with a Glock pistol and an axe.
"May I know why you attacked my clan?" the clan head asked. He reasoned that if he survived, he could replace the lives lost, as his clan didn't recruit for purity; they were a private army created for the Godfather's wars.
"You recently attacked someone under the pretext of testing him," the ASIB branch head said. The clan head recalled sending all remaining resources in Leyte to attack Rafael, even dispatching two fixers. It had been a total failure, which he'd written off for study and to ensure it never happened again.
"Yes," he replied. The branch head turned to the commander of the Atlas operators and gave a signal. All remaining living clan members were dragged out, and a few minutes later, screams of pain and mercy echoed through the night.
The next day, the two fixers arrived at the front door, the girl supporting the older man. The guards were shocked by their state and immediately brought them to the Godfather, who was eating breakfast with his commanders and daughter.
"What happened?" he asked, also trying to understand the extent of their injuries.
"It's the Villanueva boy, sir. He's a good fighter, and his security team is almost military-level trained. He was able to summon the Atlas military to storm our last HQ in Leyte and captured us both. He released us after a few hours," the older fixer said, coughing drops of blood.
"Call a doctor and get him treated!" the Godfather's second-in-command, his right-hand man, shouted. Two guards carried the fixer to a room.
"Godfather, the boy wants to send a message. I think it's best to check the Keiro clan; they might already be dead," the man said before passing out. The female fixer stared at the floor, simmering with anger. Sensing something wrong after the warning, the Godfather gathered his guards. His daughter followed as they headed to the Keiro clan's estate.
Twenty-five minutes later, their convoy arrived near the Tori gate. The first guards to see it vomited. The sight was too gruesome.
"My God," the right-hand man commented, seeing the clan head nailed to the Tori gate, almost like a crucifixion. Other clan members hung from the gate, blood dripping down onto the flat grass plain below, where more clan members had been crucified. Moving through the courtyard, only the guards who could stomach it shielded the young lady, who was visibly shaken. The female fixer held back her anger and frustration.
Nearing the main house, they saw the man who had been the Keiro clan's branch head in the Philippines, the one he'd contacted to test Rafael. He was crucified, his chest open, and something was written in perfect Japanese:
'Let this be a warning that Rafael Villanueva doesn't play by the rules. Anyone who dares test him will face righteous anger and extinction.'
The Godfather massaged his forehead, then turned to his second-in-command. "Take them down and bury them. At least he didn't kill the children and women," he said, noting that no children or women of the clan were crucified. In reality, Rafael had ordered them captured, planning to brainwash them to attack the Godfather if war erupted.
Meanwhile, Rafael watched the reaction from a UAV in his office, with Michael and Graves behind him. He turned to them.
"Should we fire?" Michael asked, referring to a Hellfire missile that could eliminate the problem.
"No. The long-term complications would cause a massive bloodbath in Japan, and Glory and the High Table can't control the fallout," Rafael said, shaking his head. Though tempted, he knew the long-term chaos wasn't good for business.
"Well, one more month, and we're done with this school. I've already prepared my application to be an official 'representative,'" Rafael said, planning to forgo college and manage Atlas while acting in an official capacity.
"Okay, for now, Rafael, the infantry division battalion will be called back and replaced with the 1st Mechanized Brigade, 4th Battalion. The transition will begin in the next three days," Michael said. Rafael nodded; keeping them longer might raise too many questions externally.
"So, in the aftermath, the Godfather had his men here in the Philippines go into hiding?" Rafael asked, reading through the after-action report.
"Yes, but we're keeping tabs on them, specifically on the source of their weapons and gear. Currently, our channels reported that the weapons were sourced from Chinese and Vietnamese black markets, tied to a large Chinese arms trading family and a Russian family," Michael said, pulling out a folder containing information on that deep network.
"So Glory was able to trace it?" Rafael asked in surprise.
"Yes, and in another channel, in exchange for something," Michael said cryptically. He had, in fact, given her a photo of Rafael, which he'd copied from a female Overseer Councilman's collection, for just such a barter.
Rafael noticed the tone but didn't care, focusing instead on the report. After reading, he moved to the next subject of his office work.
"Any idea how to break my engagement in South Korea?" Rafael asked, having tasked ASIB with finding a solution.
"Currently none, sir. But they are backtracking any hidden laws or policies, and maybe something in the constitution. So it will be a while before any solution comes up, sir," Michael replied, and the two continued discussing future announcements and emails from Canute. One caught Rafael's interest: a smartwatch tied to a program still under development.
"The 'Lifeline Program' – an interesting title, and the summary of it is quite interesting," Rafael said. Michael also read it and spoke.
"Yeah, they're still testing it. Once tests are concluded, they're going to start building the necessary facilities across the world and announce its launch in the new year," Canute said. Rafael nodded approvingly.
"Nice and perfect as well. Alright, this is a good announcement. How about the vehicle category?" Rafael asked.
"Well, they are researching the use of hydrogen engines for heavy vehicles. For electric vehicles, yes, we are releasing a cheap model that appeals to supercar owners and to people wanting to avoid excessive electricity costs, since they can recharge from free charging sites," Michael said, noting that the system was still unorganized.
"Okay, and so now it's a waiting game for our men," Rafael said, and Michael nodded. Soon, another file Rafael pushed concerned a voting system. After taking over a city, the mayor would keep their position for five years. During that time, there would be an office transition as Atlas selected workers native to the city to take over and work for the betterment of both the city and Atlas. After five years, the mayor's office would be abolished, and an administrator selected by Atlas would manage the city. They would only place policies when the city council, which was not yet formed, was in place – which was why Rafael was pushing this file.
"So you want to establish a city council?" Michael said, reading the file.
"Yeah, I got inspiration from the Overseer Council, but they won't hold any positions. They'll just be city councilors, and their job is mainly to vote on policies and try to bring up issues that need to be solved. And not just anyone can get in, since we don't want people to just take advantage of the position," Rafael paused and pulled out a paper.
"That's why the covert inspectors from ASIB, who only answer to you, Canute, and me, are hidden within the local government. They'll witness the council, and if anyone tries to take advantage, a report will be sent to the HQ of the Administrative Authority. There will be no bureaucratic bullshit, and they'll send real people to investigate and soon remove the person from power," Rafael explained. The inspectors would be from that city, passing certain requirements, and the same applied to councilors: not just anyone could run for it.
They needed to show their achievements, attitude, and experience. To ensure no political families formed, there would be an age limit, and a family member couldn't run for that position if another member was already in office, nor could they run for the next three years after that member had stepped down. Councilors also couldn't donate to any charity, and even before taking office, they must resign from any earning positions, as they would earn a salary from Atlas.
Rafael focused on new faces and effectiveness, so he might try to pull some strings, but if they crossed a line, he wouldn't tolerate it. After that thought, Michael read the entire thing and agreed with Rafael. After the two left, they boarded a plane where they met with Gabriel, who had changed his attire and applied makeup to make himself less recognizable to the public.
Manila: Atlas-Owned Bar, Tagay Point
It was night, and the three friends enjoyed drinks in a semi-open room. Graves and the head of the president's security detail stood near the entrance, while their other guards remained hidden within the civilian crowd.
"Rafael, tell me, how's the love life?" Gabriel said, smirking as he sipped his beer.
"Well, Race over here has been taking care of them, and it's only a matter of time before he gets called to South Korea," Michael said. Rafael sipped his beer, and after finishing, asked for another.
"Well, how's yours, Gabriel?" Rafael asked.
"Well, when your wife is a goddess of the underworld and an assistant to its ruler… oh, to say it's just great," he said with a hint of sarcasm. His love life was stable, but he did get cold feet when she was in her entity form.
"Well, you get used to it. It was a nice pairing from the treaty," Rafael said, recalling that Gabriel's marriage was due to a treaty Rafael had brokered that almost led Atlas to begin exterminating the supernatural realm of the Philippines.
"Screw you, at least you're getting the same treatment as me, and that's karma," Gabriel said as the alcohol started to affect him.
"Well, at least I can reverse this fate of mine," Rafael said, sipping his drink.
"Well, yeah, but the mayor of Manila was just arrested recently. The supernatural department in my government investigated, and he sacrificed his wife to get a slim chance of winning, and he had dealings with the Aswang clan in Tondo."
"Wanna go and eliminate them?" Rafael asked. He recalled from the archives that he'd signed treaties with a few clans in Manila, but there was one he'd never signed – one dealing with death row inmates delivered to them. However, those clans were mainly outside Manila, not within.
"Sure. We need to bring some order to the streets, not that supernatural girl exorcist will interfere," Gabriel said.
Two hours later, in one of Manila's most dangerous suburbs, Rafael, Michael, Gabriel, and the two guards stood in an abandoned building. They were all armed, as inside was a clan hive.
"You sure?" Rafael asked, pulling out a Spanish knife coated in holy water. Michael drew two silver pistols, while Gabriel drew a minasbad blade coated in garlic oil.
Graves, equipped with an MG42 that had a flamethrower attachment, wore improved armor that even sharp claws couldn't penetrate. The president's bodyguard donned a mask. He was a demonic creature sent to protect Gabriel by his wife, and after a pact was forged, he served Gabriel as his protector and hunter.
"Let's hunt, you @#@%@#@," Gabriel said, speaking his name in a demonic language. Soon, his bodyguard placed a dark, plain mask over his face and drew two revolvers from his hips.
Rafael took the lead. As he entered, he threw a smoke grenade that smelled of garlic. When the smoke spread, they heard growls. Graves stepped forward and began firing the MG42. In the burst of light, they saw monsters rushing at Graves but were shot down. The group began advancing.
Some creatures jumped down from holes in the ceiling or walls but were wrestled down and stabbed to death. Rafael even grabbed one's head and smashed it against the wall, then "gently" placed it on the ground and stomped its head, crushing it with brain matter spread around.
"Not my first time," Rafael said cryptically. After a few minutes, they pushed through the hallway and arrived at an open arena, strewn with blood and pale corpses on tables.
"Seems like they had a feast. The only treatment for this is to burn it, but we can't," Rafael said, turning to Gabriel.
"Tie all these bodies to that mayor," Rafael said. Soon, they heard growls in the dark. Rafael began speaking.
"In accordance with the treaty with the goddess Ibu, you are hereby called to extinction for breaking and not signing the treaty." After a few seconds, all the remaining creatures lunged at them, and all hell broke loose.
Michael began firing and wrestling at the same time, reloading his pistol mid-fight. Graves used the machine gun and flamethrower simultaneously, while Gabriel and his bodyguard began a massacre. Gabriel, a former assassin turned criminal boss, knew how to wield a gun, and after lessons from Rafael and Michael, he could fight like a maniac, an adrenaline junkie now wielding his sword like an executioner.
Five hours later, bodies were strewn across the arena, and the lifeless Aswangs were slowly turning to ash. Their leader held his mangled arm, shivering in fear, as Rafael held Gabriel's sword, half of his face covered in blood, though not his own.
"They will demand answers," the leader said in ragged breaths.
"Then Atlas will answer it with a bullet of extermination," Rafael said and turned to walk away, but not before swinging the blade around with full force.
Thud!
The blade went through the concrete behind it. Gabriel, who was on a call with the supernatural department unit tied to the NBI, ended the call as Rafael approached him and handed the blade back.
"We're done here. Let's visit their market to make sure the message was clear," Rafael said and left the room. The others just looked at his retreating back. After reaching the exit, he saw a woman, shorter than him, though they were the same age, with two tall, almost identical men in suits standing behind her.
"It's under government jurisdiction. Nothing can change it already," Rafael said, as Gabriel, Michael, Graves, and the bodyguard stood behind him.
"Oh, Miss Trese, nice to meet you," Gabriel said, recognizing Alexandra Trese, the current head of the Trese family despite being the youngest. She wielded a dagger made of a special ore Rafael had tried, unsuccessfully, to acquire.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, turning to Rafael, who had begun walking away. Gabriel smirked, as did Michael, since the two didn't really like each other, even from their first meeting.
"That's what I thought," she said, crossing her arms and looking at Rafael's retreating back. Rafael paused and turned to her.
"So, that's what you thought? Oh well, I respect your opinion," Rafael said and walked away.
"You're not going to take responsibility?" she asked, her voice clear. Everyone heard it. Rafael paused again and turned to her.
'The half-virgin,' everyone thought. Most had heard the rumors, but Michael, ever the investigator, knew the origin of the title. It was from the celebration after the treaty was signed: in the aftermath, Rafael was found inside Alexandra's room, both nearly naked and passed out drunk. Michael, the first on the scene, just smirked and took a picture of the two, with Alexandra's leg around Rafael's neck and Rafael sleeping like a rock against the wall.
"Well, it's yours to begin with, Alexa," Rafael said and walked away. Gabriel snickered and walked away, followed by the rest, but Michael spoke one more thing:
"You remember, Miss Trese, that it was your room, and I had footage to suggest that you dragged Rafael to your room?" Michael said, leaving more unsaid, and departed with the group.
Later that night, the supernatural community was rocked to its core by the news that the oldest Aswangs had been brutally killed in their capital—a market which was later discovered to house clans that largely didn't follow the treaty. The person who caused the massacre had not yet been discovered.
To be continued.