A full year passed.
Not quietly.
Peacefully.
But with a steady, calculated rise that left the Lust Ring whispering the same sentence everywhere from gambling dens to bureaucratic offices:
"Ouroboros isn't a gang anymore."
It was a force.
A structure.
Shadow empire spreading through rings most organizations couldn't survive in for more than a week.
And at the center of it, Malerion stood in his dimly lit strategy hall, looking over the newest territorial maps spread across the table.
Red markings Ouroboros.
Black independent gangs.
Grey dead zones, recently vacated after the Paimon panic.
Almost all the black patches had shrunk.
Almost all the grey patches had turned red.
It had been a good year.
THE INNER CIRCLE OVERLORD TIER, EACH IN THEIR WAY
"Report," Malerion said calmly.
His core members filled the room.
DREG mid level Overlord tier (physical dominance)
He leaned against a steel beam that sank under his weight.
No one commented.
Dreg's presence alone felt like a pressure wave.
His muscles were dense enough to distort the air when he moved.
"We finished absorbing the Iron Vipers," Dreg said. "Didn't even take a fight. They took one look at me and folded."
Rafe snorted.
"Yeah, because nobody wants to fight a walking natural disaster."
Dreg smirked.
"You're welcome."
LIZA low Overlord (assassination / stealth)
Liza slid a small hologram onto the table new infiltration routes across the entire Lust Ring, and two into Wrath.
Her voice was cold, focused:
"All major clubs, supply lines, and smuggling rings now have blind spots we created. Only us."
Her shadow twisted lightly behind her.
Not magic.
Skill.
SKIT & BIT low Overlord (mobility & disruption duo)
The twins appeared simultaneously one from under the table, the other from the ceiling.
"Wrath-side operations stable!" Skit said.
"No ambushes in six months!" Bit added.
Rafe groaned.
"That's not something to celebrate. That's suspicious."
Bit blinked.
"…Oh."
They were Overlord tier in teamwork, not intelligence.
But they were perfect for what they did.
QUILL low Overlord (technology & resonance analysis)
Overloaded with tools, goggles, and three unfinished prototypes strapped to him.
"We're ready to open two permanent stations," he said.
"Wrath and Envy. Lust is already saturated. Information flows clean, thanks to the signal amplifiers."
He adjusted his goggles.
"And… your domain fluctuations haven't leaked once."
Malerion nodded approvingly.
RAFE low Overlord (strategy, economics, soft power)
Rafe tossed a stack of documents on the table.
"In the last twelve months, we doubled our revenue, bought out three fronts, and forced two minor nobles into debt."
Bit gasped.
"…We're criminals and landlords?!"
Rafe slapped the back of his head.
"Shut up."
DOONIE low Overlord (emotion illusions + finance)
Doonie entered last, adjusting his tie.
Where Rafe handled strategy, Doonie handled the room.
People.
Crowds.
Markets.
His illusions were subtle enough to sway negotiations, alter moods, pacify riots, or ignite them when necessary.
"We secured new trade partnerships in Sloth," Doonie announced.
"Their treasury minister believes they came up with the idea."
"What did you do to him?" Rafe asked slowly.
Doonie shrugged with total innocence.
"Nothing unethical."
Pause.
"…Emotionally."
Everyone groaned.
Malerion only nodded.
Doonie was frightening in his own right.
OUROBOROS EXPANDS BEYOND LUST RING
Malerion tapped the map.
Lines stretched outward branching routes, supply networks, messaging channels.
"Our footholds in Wrath and Envy must become self-sustaining by next quarter," he said.
"Sloth will follow. Gluttony after that."
"And Pride?" Bit asked quietly.
Silence.
Even Dreg shifted his weight.
Pride wasn't a ring
It was a mountain of politics.
And after what Paimon did… everyone treaded carefully.
Finally Malerion answered:
"Not yet. But we'll prepare."
Everyone nodded.
VEROSIKA A YEAR OF CLOSE CONTACT
Rafe smirked.
"And what about your little project?"
Malerion raised an eyebrow.
"Verosika?"
The room got quiet in the "we're pretending not to listen but absolutely listening" way.
Liza rolled her eyes.
"You've been visiting her more often."
"It's strategic."
"Uh huh," Rafe said sarcastically.
Doonie giggled.
Bit whispered,
"Is that romance?"
Skit slapped him.
"Shut up."
Malerion ignored all of them.
His expression was steady, but his voice carried a hint of something softer.
"She's been useful. She knows the entertainment circuits better than anyone. And… her growth this year was impressive."
Liza's eyes narrowed in amusement.
"You mean her career."
"Yes."
"And not her legs?"
Liza.
She smirked.
The teasing faded, replaced with sincerity.
"Just don't let her distract you."
She won't.
THE NEW YEAR APPROACHES
Malerion looked around the table.
His inner circle
not demons now,
but pillars.
Every one of them had crossed into Overlord-tier strength within their specialty.
Not by accident ir luck.
But because of malerion help and domain exposure, and the unified will of Ouroboros. some of them even developed unique skills born of directed evolution.
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"In this next year, we'll formalize our presence across three rings. Expand our intelligence network. Strengthen our footholds."
Everyone straightened.
"And," Malerion added,
"we prepare for whatever comes next."
Dreg cracked his knuckles.
Liza sharpened her knives.
Quill's tools hummed.
Rafe smirked.
Bit and Skit saluted in opposite directions.
Doonie smiled, already planning ten manipulations ahead.
Ouroboros was no longer a rumor.
It was an inevitability.