In a room lit only by candlelight at the corners of the walls, there were several mysterious people gathered.
The dim light coming from the candles created the shadows of those people.
Then one of them began to speak,
"Codename 'NINE' reported that the city of Geaz has been taken over." He said. With that heavy voice, he broke the silence in the room.
"Who has taken over the city of Geaz this time?" Someone asked, not sure to whom it was directed.
"Reigh Asteion." Replied the one who spoke first.
"Ah," One of them chimed in, "That child who was reported, right." He said indifferently.
*Tsk. Someone clicked their tongue, "Reigh Asteion?!" He snorted. His tone mocking.
"I don't care who he is, is he on our side?!" He added.
"Don't know," Replied the man who had been speaking from the beginning.
Presumably, he was their leader. Because his aura of presence was very different from everyone else in that room.
The others were each suppressing their presence, showing that they were all very professional in combat as well as espionage, but that man was truly different.
His presence was completely gone, only his voice could be heard. Likewise his chair, not a single person could be seen sitting on that chair.
"However," He continued quietly, "According to the report, he did free the slaves."
"So Nine has been neutralized?" Someone asked, cutting the momentary silence.
"Yes." The leader replied shortly.
"Hmph!" Someone snorted, "That old woman was the weakest." He scoffed.
Those words were immediately met with a sharp glare from one of the other members. "Watch your words, bastard." He said, "You're strong because you were trained by her too." He grumbled irritably.
The man who underestimated Nine raised both of his hands. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry."
Silence again enveloped the room.
"What's next, Sir?" Someone asked the leader. "Save all of them in that mansion?"
"No need," A cold reply came from the leader, "That Reigh won't possibly kill them."
Someone frowned, "The reason?" He asked, "They weren't killed because he wanted to extract information about us, right?"
"Yes, that's true." Their leader replied, "Besides, it doesn't matter if they leak it."
The leader smiled faintly, the aura in the room suddenly dropped drastically.
Even though his body was not visible at all, everyone in the same room could feel that oppressive presence.
"Now..." He murmured softly, "What will he do..." That smile changed into a sharp grin, "Once he gets information about us... Fight us? Or... Join us?"
The view slowly moved away. Away from that room, toward one of the rooms inside the mansion of the city of Geaz.
Now, Reigh was sitting on a chair right in front of all the Assassins who had been detained.
He snorted sharply, tilting his head, "Hey, bunch of losers, why are you all so stubborn?!" He said in an unhappy tone.
He stood up from his chair after the Assassins remained silent and did not answer Reigh's words, "Come on." He said, as he stepped in front of the middle-aged woman.
Squatting in front of that woman, "Do you think death is better than your damn information?!" He snorted, staring at the woman's eyes with a sharp gaze.
The middle-aged woman's eyeballs trembled, staring at the eyes of the young man in front of her who was very terrifying.
Reigh's followers also felt confused by Reigh's attitude which was now confident and full of intimidation.
At first, they thought that Reigh was the type of man who was always calm and awkward.
But now, he looked like a completely different person. As if the leader they knew was already gone.
It was only natural that they felt something was different about him, because the one currently using Reigh's body was Guiver.
With a stiff smile, the middle-aged woman in front of him began to speak, "What will you do with our information?" She asked. "What is your goal?"
Guiver straightened his body, still squatting. "That depends on whether your information is interesting or not." He replied, "If it's interesting, we can work together, and if it's not interesting," He sat cross-legged, grinning. "I will hunt you down."
Suddenly it became silent, without a single sound coming from the people in that room.
Guiver was still relaxed, he leaned his body back with both of his hands touching the floor. "Well... About my goal..." He said, half murmuring.
He looked at the ceiling with an enthusiastic gaze as if someone who was truly waiting for that day to come, "To slaughter all the bastards in the Inner Dominion." He yelled confidently.
Hearing that, the middle-aged woman replied to Guiver's words, "Even children and innocent people?" She asked.
"Hm?" Guiver replied, looking back at the woman in front of him. "Of course, right?" He said, "Everyone who lives in the Inner Dominion is clearly guilty."
"If they weren't guilty, it would be impossible for them to live in the total domination area and let the Outer Slums suffer."
The whole room became extremely tense when he said those words while releasing a very thick killing intent.
Suddenly, something spoke from within him. "Guiver you bastard! Crazy psychopath!"
"Shut up, Kid!" Guiver replied, directed at Reigh.
Guiver had his own reasons why he hated the Inner Dominion as well as the Sezavield Rateil empire inside it so much.
"Finally I had a family... But in the end, my family was tortured for 7 years because of this rotten world system..." He grumbled in his heart, unheard by Reigh even though he was inside his own body.
Guiver was a man who was born into a complete family. However, that didn't mean happiness enveloped his days.
Every day, he was always beaten mercilessly by both of his parents. Every day, while beating him, his parents always yelled at him as if they truly did not want his existence in this world.
"The smell of alcohol and blood mixed in the air always stabbed my nose every time those big hands landed all over my body." Clenching fists.
Until finally, both of his parents were arrested by the authorities and imprisoned for life when Guiver turned 15 years old.
Even after both of his parents were arrested, he still did not get the happiness he wanted.
Not a single family wanted to adopt him because of his habit of always talking to himself while apologizing to who knows who.
He had to support himself in the midst of that despair. Making use of the assistance from the government that was sent to him in a very small amount, he still had to work for his own school expenses.
But he was a genius man.
When he turned 16 years old, he had already graduated from high school. And during his high school years, he had already mastered college subjects that were even difficult for college students themselves to do.
Making him noticed by influential people.
Until when at the age of 21, he succeeded in becoming the most genius young scientist among all scientists.
He became a scientist not because of revenge toward his parents, but revenge toward the world, 'Why was I born if no one wanted me?' That question always haunted his childhood until he grew up.
Even when he was beaten by his parents, it kept being carried into his dreams even after he had become a scientist.
As a result of that, it made him very ambitious to create a weapon of mass destruction, namely 'Nuclear'.
Because of his overly large ambition, that was what made him die when he turned 29 years old.
Reigh also knew Guiver's past because they shared the same body and their memories were intertwined.
But Reigh decided not to bring up Guiver's bitter past too much in order to respect him.
His clenched fist tightened even more, "I will slaughter all those who made my family suffer." He murmured in his heart.
And what Reigh did not know was that Guiver, who had always acted cynical, as if he didn't care about him, annoying, and so on. All this time inside his body, Guiver had already considered him family and his only little brother who must be protected.
Guiver's attitude that was always harsh toward Reigh like a terrifying teacher, was intended so that Reigh would no longer have to fear anything in the cruel world they lived in.
All of that, so that Reigh could laugh in the world that had once made Guiver stop believing in happiness.
"Ghehehe..." Suddenly, the sound of laughter broke the silence, "Why does your face suddenly look so tense?" The woman in front of him mocked, "Are you scared when thinking of the Quiet Guardian as a fanatical army?!"
Guiver inside Reigh's body snorted, "Hah?!"
He squatted down again, bringing his body closer. "Realize your position, old woman." Grabbing her neck, "Whether it's the Quiet Guardian, the Nasty Guardian, or even a Damn God, it won't make me flinch." He said confidently.
The grip on the woman's neck tightened as those words were spoken.
*Hakh... The woman groaned in pain.
"Look into my eyes, bastard!" Guiver yelled.
Seeing their leader's neck being grabbed, the woman's subordinates immediately begged. "R-Release her!" He shouted.
Guiver immediately turned his head, "Hah?!" He replied. "You waiting for your turn?"
In fear, the subordinate answered, "Y-You want information, right?! D-Don't kill my teacher!"
Guiver released his hand from the woman's neck with an unhappy face.
*Gahk! Huk... Uhuk... The woman's breath gasped due to Guiver's chokehold using Reigh's body.
Even though Guiver showed an unhappy face, in his heart he felt pleased. "Nice... Good, Miss." He murmured in his heart. "I knew you all must have a deep relationship with her."
With hands and feet tied, one of the woman's subordinates approached the woman by scooting. "A-Are you okay, Teacher?!"
*Hukh. Hukh.
Guiver stood up, only looking at the middle-aged woman who was coughing heavily due to lack of breath.
Glancing at Zero, "You all get out." He commanded his followers who were in the same room.
"Yes, Sir." Replied Zero who immediately left the room. Followed by a few others.
*Kreett... The door opened, *Kreottt... Closed again.
Guiver sat on the chair in a relaxed style. "Now..." Taking paper and pencil from the table, starting the conversation, "It's time for the second round." He said flatly, ready to take notes.