[Timeline returns to the day Vivian was captured by Tendo]
[Night, Steam City Core District, a secluded villa]
Under the dim glow of the chandelier, Andromeda, Scorpio, and Hydra, three Hidden Star Society executives, each occupied a corner of the grand hall. Unlike their usual habit of wearing masks to conceal their true faces, today their faces were exposed, as if they had shed a layer of disguise, yet simultaneously put on deeper shackles.
Scorpio swirled the red wine in his glass, the crimson liquid drawing an alluring arc against the crystal. This elegant middle-aged man's brow was deeply furrowed, and the 'Gear Family Crest' on his chest, symbolizing one of Steam City's Twelve Brass Nobles, gleamed coldly in the light. In stark contrast to Scorpio's aristocratic bearing was Hydra–Tarn. Although he wore a well-fitting suit, his plump, middle-aged beer belly and his ravenous devouring of steak at this moment made him seem utterly coarse, like a starving ghost from the Lower District who had never tasted good food. Interestingly, as each bloody piece of steak was swallowed, the purplish bruises on his face visibly faded.
"Hydra, did that Calamity from Wudou Heaven truly not see through your identity?" Scorpio's voice first broke the silence in the hall.
Hearing this, Hydra, who was feasting on steak at the dining table nearby, looked up.
"Don't worry." Hydra, his mouth full of beef, waved a greasy hand. "When it comes to concealing my aura, I'm among the best of the executives. That one at most discerned that I was deliberately hiding my strength."
"But my true identity, that one absolutely couldn't see through. After all, from an aura perspective alone, there's no difference between a Star Core and a Star Source."
Speaking of this, Hydra put down his knife and fork, sucked the grease from his fingers, and dropped the cynical expression from his face. "But compared to that Calamity who's about to leave, I think the demon blade from the Blazing Sun family is more troublesome, isn't it?"
"After all, from the looks of her, she shows no signs of leaving Steam City anytime soon. Not only that, she actually seems to have caught some of our traces recently, to the point where I don't even dare to casually visit my favorite restaurant anymore."
At this point, Hydra, who had consumed half a table's worth of food and whose wounds on his face had completely healed, picked up a napkin, wiped his face, and chuckled: "But let her investigate, anyway. Once the plan is complete, we'll withdraw, and she won't find anything."
"Yes, we'll be leaving soon..." Scorpio–Leyton's tone was complex, his expression somewhat lost in thought.
Seeing this, Andromeda, who was leaning by the window, filing her nails with a silver file, suddenly looked up and spoke abruptly. "Leyton, it seems you've worn that mask for so long you can't take it off."
"Don't forget your identity, and the fate of that one thirteen years ago."
"Humans... are the least trustworthy."
Hearing this, Scorpio–Leyton's expression hardened. He turned to Andromeda, his voice cold: "Euphemia, those words should be for you."
"After all, you seem to be enjoying your role as the Holy Maiden quite a lot."
"If I didn't know your true nature, I'd almost believe you were a devout believer of the Machine God cult."
Andromeda–Euphemia silently put down her file. She raised her hand to the moonlight outside the window, admiring her slender fingers and their neatly filed, jade-colored nails. However, unlike her current actions, which resembled a little girl indulging in vanity, her voice... was filled with an eerie wickedness.
"Leyton, don't compare me to yourself."
"After all, I'm not like you, who would get lost in playing house with weak humans."
"To me, pets are pets. But if a pet climbs onto the table..."
"Then I will personally break their paws placed on the table."
Upon hearing Euphemia's words, Scorpio–Leyton seemed to have had a sensitive spot touched. He crushed the red wine glass in his hand, and the star-mark on the back of his neck abruptly lit up. The next second, a Scorpio tail, emanating a chilling purple light, suddenly shot out from his spine, resting against Euphemia's long, slender, pale neck.
"Euphemia, do not lump me in with those weak humans."
"Weak humans?"
Before Euphemia could answer, a mocking voice suddenly came from outside the villa's main door. Hearing this voice, the three Hidden Star Society executives immediately turned pale with fear, all turning to look towards the entrance.
"Leyton, come, say those words again to my face."
Tendo slowly walked into the hall, the hem of his black trench coat sweeping across the gear-patterned tiles of the villa floor as he moved. At this moment, Tendo was clearly smiling, but his azure eyes... held not a shred of warmth. Simultaneously, before Leyton could respond, Tendo's Star Energy transformed into a peculiar black tide, instantly enveloping Scorpio.
"Ugh!"
Leyton was enveloped by this black Star Energy, his body slowly floating into the air. He futilely clawed at the black Star Energy coiling around his neck, his expression pained, tiny beads of blood seeping from his clenched fingers. Seeing that a life was about to be taken, Andromeda–Euphemia, who had been at odds with him, surprisingly played the mediator.
"Lord Tendo, Leyton was merely speaking thoughtlessly. Please do not hold it against him."
"Euphemia, are you telling me how to do my job?"
Tendo's gaze shifted to her; his calm stare made Andromeda tremble all over. She opened her mouth, but ultimately dared not speak again. Because she was well aware of Tendo's strength, and the undeniable dominance hidden beneath that strength.
Fortunately, Tendo did not truly intend to take Leyton's life. The moment Leyton's consciousness was about to fade, Tendo's ink-colored Star Energy abruptly receded.
Thud!
Leyton's body dropped to the floor. Having narrowly escaped death, he began to gasp for breath. Tendo, observing Leyton kneeling on the ground, covering his neck and coughing violently, adjusted the collar of his trench coat and spoke in a flat tone: "Leyton, next time you have such words, be sure to find a corner where I can't hear you."
"After all, rather than being a group of beasts dominated by desire, I, for one, identify more with my humanity."
"Not to mention, in my eyes, there's no difference between you and the ordinary people outside, anyway."
Hearing this, the three executives fell silent, terrified. The fear, apprehension, and even reverence in their eyes when they looked at Tendo were palpable, but there was no hatred. Because, just as a lamb does not resent the claws of a lion, to the intelligent Star Beasts who believe in the law of the jungle, the strong... are rightfully meant to dominate everything.
Ignoring the thoughts of these three, Tendo, accompanied by young Danica behind him, walked directly to the center of the hall and sat on the largest sofa. He lightly tapped his finger on the armrest of the sofa, the crisp sound reverberating amidst Hydra's chattering teeth, Euphemia's flushed face, and Leyton's soft coughs.
After a moment, Tendo spoke again.
"The matters I entrusted to you... how have they progressed?"
The moment his voice fell, the air in the entire villa seemed to solidify. Under the dim chandelier, Tendo's expressionless face transformed into an invisible pressure, heavily bearing down on Leyton and the other two. Although he claimed to be human, his every word and action, in the eyes of Leyton and the others, made him seem more like a superior being among Star Beasts. Because in Tendo's azure eyes, they could discern no trace of human compassion. There was only a pure, emotionless indifference.
It was as if, in his eyes, both ordinary people and intelligent beings like themselves were merely toys for his amusement and manipulation. If Leyton and his kind considered themselves a more advanced intelligent species than humans, then Tendo was a deity seated high above the heavens, equally disdainful of everyone below. Yet, for some reason, Leyton and his intelligent kin found this approach highly effective.
Therefore, upon hearing Tendo's inquiry, Leyton, who had just nearly died at Tendo's hands, was the first to speak.
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