Three weeks later...
Footsteps echoed through the long white hallway of the Dediurity Foundation. Gorgo passed a couple of businessmen, who greeted him with kindness and respect.
He stopped in front of an office door and raised his fist to knock. Before he could do so, a voice told him to come in.
He opened the door and saw Do'cientos sitting behind his desk, staring at the monitor.
"Hello, sir... Do you need anything?" Gorgo asked in a low, respectful tone.
"Greetings, Gorgo. Come in, sit down... I need to talk to you."
"What's going on?" Gorgo asked as he sat down in the chair in front of the desk.
Do'cientos remained silent for a moment, staring at the screen and jotting down a few things on a piece of paper.
"Do you remember... when I mentioned that my agents were having problems with an old man and his land?" the boss finally spoke.
"Yes, I remember." That was when you mentioned that a 15-year-old boy beat them all up... What's going on with that?
"It's not the first time... This was the fourth time I sent agents to offer the old man money to sell us his land and find another life," Do'cientos explains, "but he clings to it and rejects the offers..."
"I see... And why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want you to travel to Japan... find him and kill him... him and anyone who accompanies him..."
"Me? Travel to Japan?"
"Exactly... His name is Baldur Brauner..." his boss continues to explain coldly. "He lives in Kyoto and owns the 'water school' dojo... He's a highly skilled martial artist, but that shouldn't be a problem for you..."
"Wait... you're giving me details without giving me a break... Why do you need that old man's land?"
"I'll tell you because I trust you, Gorgo. Maybe these details will help you when you're working..." Do'cientos said seriously, stopping what he was doing to look at him intently. Six years ago, a meteor fell on that old man's land. We sent research teams to check the impact zone, but there was nothing: no crater, no meteor, no trace whatsoever. We want that land to search the area and find that rock. It's worth billions... plus, we could use that land to build a luxurious five-star hotel and boost our profits.
"Is that all?" asked Gorgo, frowning. "That information doesn't seem confidential enough to justify the story you made up..."
"That's not my whole plan either..." added Do'cientos with a calm smile but a serious voice. "Gorgo, your work with Sander was excellent. You must have noticed that I've been sending Richarzon and you to collect from several debtors before his accident.
"Yes, I've noticed... what's going on?" asked Gorgo cautiously.
"The heroic figures who are being backed by the Dinero corporation refuse to do this dirty work. It's too risky for their reputations... and also for Dediurity's," his boss confessed. "Besides, the heroes are not under my jurisdiction, I can't give them orders. The problem is that without these jobs, we are losing power in the underworld. Criminal groups and mafias are getting too smart because they know the heroes won't pose a threat to them.
"What are you going to propose to me?" Gorgo asked cautiously.
"Gorgo..." said Do'cientos in a firm voice, raising his fist and clenching it tightly. "I want you to be the first villain of the Dinero corporation. I want you to be the monster the company needs to dominate the underworld and make everyone fear us."
Gorgo's eyes widened in surprise, unable to hide his shock.
"Think about it..." Do'cientos continued in a low, somber tone. "Before I met you, you were nothing... a pathetic nobody. You started working with me and your reputation grew, along with your quality of life. Now, imagine that multiplied by ten..." He paused, holding his gaze. "Be my villain."
Gorgo swallowed hard. He felt a lump in his throat, and his lips trembled as he searched for a response. The world seemed to slow down.
"Become a monster..." A decision that went far beyond anything he had done before. Yes, he had killed before, but always for work, never out of a need to be feared. Now, the proposal changed everything.
"It's true... before this life, I was a pathetic nobody," thought Gorgo. "This job changed me for better and for worse. But being feared and being respected are two different things..."
The memory of his boxing victory against Richarzon crossed his mind: a losing streak that had made him a laughingstock and a victory that had brought him betrayal and repudiation. Perhaps... being feared didn't sound so bad compared to what he had been.
He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. With a calm look and a cold voice, he finally replied:
"I accept..."
"Excellent..." said Do'cientos with a placid smile. "The ticket is for two days from now. Get your things ready and go on a killing spree, Great Gorgo."
"It shall be done..." replied Gorgo, frowning and looking at his boss with confidence. "Since I'm going to kill an old karateka, I'll devote myself to annihilating martial artists to prove that even the most advanced combat skills won't be able to stop me..."
"I like that idea," murmured the boss, smiling even more. "Go and show off, big guy."
Do'cientos leaned back in his chair, smiling with satisfaction, while Gorgo walked away with determined, heavy steps, as if the ground were shaking beneath his advance.
<< His perception of himself had changed dramatically. Gorgo mentally prepared himself and built a new personality with which to shine as the villain he set out to be. He just had to do one last thing to establish himself as the Great Gorgo that Do'cientos wanted him to be... >>...
People were shouting and cheering on two boxers who were trading blows to decide who would take the victory.
Gorgo had returned to the gym of his past, the place where he lost his life before being rescued by his new boss. He walked behind the crowd, listening to the shouts and smelling the repulsive odor that filled his nostrils.
The man entered the locker room, where he found a man accompanied by a young man.
As soon as he entered, the older man turned around and was surprised to see Gorgo.
"Gorgo?" asked Hector, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"Hey, Hector... it's been a long time..." replied Gorgo in a low voice.
"Wow! Look at you! How have you been? Look how much you've changed!" exclaimed Hector, smiling as he looked at his old friend's physique. How have you been? Sorry for repeating myself... I'm just so surprised to see you again.
"Don't worry... it's okay," Gorgo replied with a cold stare. "I'm fine... I got a good job and now I have a good life. I have everything I need."
"Hahaha! We're the same!" said Hector, laughing and pointing at the young man. Since we parted ways, I got a real job, paid off my debts, and came back to enjoy my free time doing what I love... boxing.
The young man greeted Gorgo respectfully.
"This is my new partner. I represent him so he can fight. He's good... almost as good as you were when you started.
"I'm happy for him..." said Gorgo without much enthusiasm.
"Why did you come? Are you planning to return to boxing?" asked Hector, excitedly. "Although, with the physique you have now, you should be in professional heavyweight boxing..."
"No... nothing like that. Actually... I came to erase my past," replied Gorgo coldly.
"Erase your past?" asked Hector, confused. "What do you mean...?"
In response, Hector received a powerful blow to the face. The sharp sound of his skull cracking echoed through the locker room. He fell to the floor with part of his face caved in, motionless.
The young man froze at what he had just seen. He didn't have time to react before Gorgo struck him too, with the same brutality, leaving his body as mangled as his manager's.
Gorgo looked at the two corpses in silence. The sensation running through his body was different from before. Pleasure. The sweet, incomparable pleasure of killing for the sheer desire to do so, for his own satisfaction. He felt that nothing could stop him.
That same night, local news reported that the police had to call in the fire department to open the locked door of an underground gym.
Inside, they found 56 bodies. They were the spectators of the evening and the boxers.
<< That night, Gorgo Garilla destroyed himself to give way to the birth of the Great Gorgo. >>