CHAPTER 84: A MISSION OF ACQUISITION

My name is Ragnar Vhagar.

And I had found a new hunting ground.

The website, {Laplace}, was a den of liars, rivals, and monsters, all sharpening their metaphorical knives in the dark.

It was perfect.

But before I could dive into the glorious, backstabbing world of high-level Demon King politics, there was the small matter of my own backyard.

The northern territories were ripe for the plucking.

And at the top of my shopping list was a domain in the Udon-nada District, a place rumored to be ruled by two Demon Kings.

An old Devil-type named Yori, and his grand prize from the gacha machine of the gods: a unique, SSS-Rank shadow Ogre named Umbra.

I wanted her.

No, I needed her.

It wasn’t just about power. It was a matter of principle.

The universe had seen fit to bless some lucky old man with the single greatest gacha pull in history, while I was stuck with a C-Rank Ogre I’d had to name "Clobber."

This cosmic injustice could not stand.

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I gathered my core commanders in the main throne room of the Crystal Spire.

The holographic map of the city glowed over the central crystal table, a testament to our recent, bloody conquests.

"Alright, listen up," I began, my voice echoing in the vast, beautiful chamber.

I leaned forward, my hands flat on the table, feeling every bit the conquering king.

"Our next target."

I tapped the screen, and a single, isolated red dot representing the Udon-nada District pulsed ominously.

"Hazard Rank B, but we’re elevating it to A," I stated. "The intel suggests two Demon Kings operating in a single Domain. An old Devil-type, Yori, and his pet shadow Ogre, Umbra."

Isabelle stood with her arms crossed, her expression one of cool, professional analysis.

"Two rulers means a complex command structure, my Lord. Potentially unpredictable."

"It means one of them is the brains, and the other is the muscle," I corrected. "And I want both."

I straightened up, my long, dark coat swishing in a way I had been practicing. It was all in the hips.

"This is not a mission of annihilation," I declared, my gaze sweeping over my assembled Bloodkin. "This is a mission of acquisition. Our primary objective is to capture them. Alive."

A flicker of something...surprise? confusion? passed through Reina’s crimson eyes.

Fenris let out a low, questioning growl.

Even Isabelle’s perfect, stoic mask cracked for a fraction of a second.

This was new for them.

My usual orders ended with words like ’obliterate,’ ’disintegrate,’ and ’leave no trace but a lingering sense of existential dread.’

Only Chloe remained impassive, her expression unreadable, her loyalty absolute.

But I could feel a question simmering behind her amethyst eyes.

"You question the order, Chloe?" I asked, my voice soft.

She met my gaze without flinching. "I question the logic of preserving a threat, my Lord. An enemy Demon King left alive is a seed for future rebellion. A loose end."

"A loose end can be tied into a noose for someone else," I countered. "Yori is a known gacha addict with a god-tier lucky streak. Umbra is a unique subordinate the likes of which I have never seen. They are not threats. They are assets. Extremely valuable assets that I intend to add to our portfolio."

I let the cold, corporate logic of it sink in.

"Therefore," I continued, "your lives are the highest priority. If the mission goes south, you are to retreat. No exceptions."

I looked directly at Chloe, my voice hardening. "I will not lose another Bloodkin. If you must sacrifice the non-bloodkin fodder to ensure your own escape, you have my explicit permission to do so. Understood?"

"Understood, my Lord," she said, but her tone was stiff. I could feel her fanatical devotion wrestling with the order to retreat. It was a dangerous, volatile mix that I would have to manage carefully.

"Good. Now, for the command structure."

I pointed to Isabelle. "You and your Wrecking Crew will be the main assault force. I will be leading you personally."

Then I turned to Chloe. "Your Shadow Strikers will be our flanking and support unit. Your primary role is to corner the targets if they are separated. Keep them from escaping."

I reached into a pocket of my coat and produced a small, velvet pouch. I emptied its contents onto the table.

Fifty small, glass orbs tumbled out, each one containing a swirling mote of pure, white light.

"Chloe," I said. "For you. Flash Orbs. My alchemy department has been busy. Umbra is a creature of shadow. Let’s see how she likes a pocket-sized sun going off in her face."

Chloe took the pouch with a graceful nod, her eyes gleaming with a new, tactical understanding.

I then turned to Grunt, my massive Kobold Warlord, who was standing as still as a stone gargoyle.

I produced a familiar, rectangular device from another pocket. A smartphone.

"Grunt," I said, holding it out. "For you."

The hulking kobold looked at the phone, then at me, then back at the phone. He reached out with one massive, clawed hand and took it with a surprising, almost comical gentleness.

His sausage-like fingers, which could pulverize concrete, navigated the screen with a shocking dexterity.

He found the single, large icon on the screen - a stylized picture of my face...and tapped it, as if to test it. My own phone buzzed in my pocket.

"A direct line to me," I explained. "If you get separated, if you see something... unusual, you call me. No hesitation."

Grunt let out a deep, guttural bark of understanding and tucked the phone safely away in a pouch on his belt.

The plan was set. The roles were assigned. The tools were distributed.

My gaze fell upon Chloe one last time. Her fanatical devotion was a powerful weapon, but it was also a double-edged sword. She saw Yori and Umbra not as assets, but as threats to me.

Threats to be eliminated.