Jurim closed the message window, brow furrowed, and looked straight ahead.

Seizing the moment, Jeon Byeongho spoke.

“...Then, going back to the beginning... when you say the Inoue Series is a derivative work of the Amakusa Series, are you implying there was a breach in the contract between Japan and Amakusa Kazuki?”

When Kazuki had signed the contract to assign the Amakusa Series to Japan, he had set several conditions.

One of them was a safeguard against derivative works.

It was to prevent the Japanese government from stealing his technology and using it somewhere he didn’t want it used.

“Yes. Every item in the Inoue Series displayed at the special exhibition was created while the contract with Amakusa was still in effect.”

“What?! No, that can’t be. The Inoue Series was made in just three months. The Japanese government guaranteed that...”

“Well, that’s what our appraisers say.”

Kazuki smirked and stuck out his tattooed tongue.

“You can’t just take one side’s word like that...”

“You’re welcome to bring your own appraisers. The result will be the same. If Chairman Nam were in charge, this wouldn’t have happened. Pity.”

Jurim replied lazily, then calmly picked up his phone.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Jeon Byeongho gaped at him in disbelief.

Jurim ignored him and was already making a call.

“Yeah, it’s Dad. What’s this message about? Hengtai?”

Kazuki and Jeon Byeongho both turned their attention to Jurim.

Hengtai? All of a sudden?

“Mm. Oh, Bayi got kidnapped by a Hengtai?”

The ones startled by the word kidnapped were the two who weren’t on the phone.

The man actually taking the call asked casually:

“Then Guru’s okay?”

The child’s voice carried clearly enough to be heard from outside the receiver.

— Yeshhh, Gwuu’s wiff Oppaws.

“Alright. Stick close to them. Call me if anything happens.”

Considering she had called him because something had happened, his attitude was far from treating it like a serious matter.

— What about Bayi?

“He’ll be fine. Daddy’s working, so I’m hanging up.”

Jurim turned his gaze back to Jeon Byeongho.

***

After hanging up, Guru puffed her cheeks out in a sulk.

Haruna, looking troubled, patted her head.

“[Don’t worry, sweetheart. Once we take care of this mist, the Hyeonak Hunters will find your friend.]”

At Haruna’s warm reassurance, Guru hugged the baby rabbit tight and nodded.

Even with Jjapso gone and Guru appearing in her place, Haruna didn’t suspect a thing—she seemed to fully believe the story that she was just a younger sibling Gidan and Serhi had brought along.

They followed into the warehouse.

Inside, Gidan and Serhi had already subdued the gas-mask-wearing men and tied them up.

Serhi removed their masks one by one, then asked Haruna in Japanese:

“[Inoue, which one here is Yamauka Shun?]”

“You speak Japanese too?”

“Picked some up from Kazuki.”

He brushed off Gidan’s surprise, turning his attention back to Haruna.

Haruna quickly replied:

“[N-no, none of these are him.]”

“She says Yamauka Shun isn’t here.”

“Not here?”

Gidan rubbed his chin.

If they’d gone to the trouble of releasing mist, it meant there was something they wanted to do away from prying eyes.

The most logical guess right now—targeting Jjapso, the most important figure connected to the pop-up store.

But they shouldn’t know Jjapso’s identity.

Which meant... maybe they’d planted some kind of mass-destruction device to catch Jjapso.

“Could be a bomb?”

“Want to torture them?”

Both Serhi and Gidan looked at Guru.

“Not vewy famiwy-fwien’wy.”

“True.”

“So what do we do...”

***

What to do...

Veilach met Yamauka Shun’s gaze steadily, the man’s hand gripping his shoulder.

He didn’t understand the language, but that didn’t matter to him.

A predator doesn’t care about listening to its prey.

When Yamauka Shun saw the child’s pupils change into stars, he flinched.

“Doesn’t look like you’d taste very good—”

The child smiled, revealing rows of shark-like sharp teeth.

“—but I can’t have something like you by my master’s side.”

Tension prickled over Yamauka Shun’s skin as he drew [Kagehira].

In truth, everything had started because of this sword.

The Amakusa S+ Series was bound to Japan, which had allowed him to claim it as his own weapon.

But now that Amakusa Kazuki had changed nationality, ownership was set to be reassigned.

Yamauka Shun gripped the sword tightly.

“I’ve thought for a while—it’s a fine blade. But it’s incompatible with me.”

Crack—

Veilach’s right arm blackened, morphing into the massive, gnarled arm of a monster.

Mephisto swayed, and Veilach caught the little bird on his head with his other hand, pressing it down.

“Piiit!”

“Hold tight, you treacherous chick.”

“Ppyeeeii...”

Mephisto let out a pained whimper.

Then Yamauka Shun struck first.

The blade flashed out of the scabbard, cutting diagonally in front of Veilach.

A strike that cleaved even space—the power of Kagehira.

“But no matter how fine the tool—”

Veilach swiped his hand as if swatting away a bothersome gnat. A gust of wind shattered the sword’s flash into fragments and blasted toward Yamauka Shun.

“—if its wielder’s like this.”

Shhhrrrakkk—!

“[Kuh!]”

Caught full-on in the gale, Yamauka Shun drove his sword into the ground to anchor himself, but was still forced backward.

As he tried to recover his stance, the child appeared right in front of him.

Star-filled eyes locked on his. A cold chill raced down his spine.

Yamauka Shun swung down in a hurry, but Veilach dodged nimbly and closed in again.

At his nape, Veilach’s mouth opened wide.

The corners split long, revealing jagged teeth that gleamed grotesquely.

Chomp!

Crack.

“[Ah...]”

Yamauka Shun staggered back a step, clutching the bleeding wound at his neck.

How could it be this fast?

Even as an S-Rank, boosted by Kagehira’s options, his speed was utterly surpassed.

It was a stat line unbelievable for a so-called crafting-class.

But the thought didn’t last long.

Chhhrrrk—

The last thing Yamauka Shun saw was a massive black maw filled with rows of razor teeth.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Veilach landed on the ground.

“Tch. Ruined my palate.”

Just then, Mephisto flapped his wings as if giving a signal.

“I know. You can come out now.”

Mephisto struck a crane pose, wings spread threateningly, while Veilach cocked his head at an angle.

From a pocket dimension, the man who had been watching them slowly revealed himself.

Even after seeing Veilach devour Yamauka Shun, he was unruffled—he even smiled faintly, as if admiring a painting.

Naturally. He ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) wasn’t human.

By Earth’s classifications, he was an SSS-Class boss monster.

Once, he had been among the Guardians alongside Veilach, a blood relative of Sheir.

“Karmirach Nognir.”

At Veilach’s call, the man replied:

“Please call me Dominic for now, Lord Veilach.”

“So even with the world changed, you still enjoy wearing the husks of the dead.”

Karmirach Nognir—of the Mist Bloodline. Fourth Seat Guardian of the Hesed Order, Sheir’s royal guard.

Dominic bowed low.

“You haven’t changed either, Lord Veilach.”

He grabbed Yamauka Shun’s lower half, and the remaining corpse crumbled in his grasp.

Dominic licked the blood from his hand and grinned.

Mephisto shuddered and scrunched his brow at the sight.

Ignoring him, Dominic looked at Mephisto with a sly smile.

When he licked his lips, it felt as though he might gulp Mephisto down in one bite. Eyes wide, Mephisto burrowed into Veilach’s head.

Veilach glanced up at him.

Even if Mephisto bore the title of Lord, he hadn’t regained his full power, and Karmirach was SSS-Class.

It was entirely possible Karmirach could devour Mephisto and steal the Lord’s title.

'Wouldn’t put it past him. He’s always been the kind who can’t resist strong prey.'

He’d always been that way.

Hiding his wariness, Veilach crossed his arms and asked with feigned casualness:

“Karmirach, or Dominic—why did you follow us?”

As if waiting for the question, Dominic flushed and dropped to his knees.

“Lord Veilach!”

“Mm.”

“Don’t you want to return to your original form?”

“Well, of course.”

“I can help you.”

Hooh? Veilach arched one brow.

But then his mouth stiffened in disbelief.

“And let’s rebuild the Tower!”

...All of a sudden?