"Kneel!"
Boom! Boom!
As that absolute command hammered their eardrums, it felt as if thousands of invisible silk threads tightly bound their entire bodies. Instantly, both guards acted beyond their own control.
They dropped to their knees with a jarring thud, foreheads hitting the ground with a dull sound, assuming the most humble posture imaginable.
What is happening!?
A fear they had never known gripped them. Inside, they screamed hysterically, yet not a single word could escape their constricted throats. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, horror flooding their senses.
The man in the suit strode past them with chilling composure, as if the two guards were merely inanimate furniture. He pushed open the thick door and sauntered into the bunker, his aura so heavy it pressed down on the surrounding air.
"Who's that!?"
"What happened!?"
A slight commotion erupted from the corridor inside, but the voices quickly died down, replaced by an eerie silence.
Though they didn't see it directly, the two guards at the gate could imagine the scene within: all the secret guards who had noticed the intrusion had no time to resist. They must have knelt under the man's verbal command, utterly helpless.
And that premonition was true.
The man in the suit continued walking along the corridor, and every guard who appeared before him automatically bowed their heads, their knees hitting the floor, until he went deeper into the heart of the stronghold.
Finally, he arrived at a relatively open room, spacious enough to accommodate dozens of people without feeling cramped—the main hall of the Six Arms' headquarters.
The man in the suit stopped walking, facing the six figures who now stood before him.
"Who are you? How dare you break into our Six Arms stronghold alone like this!"
The bald man in the center, Zero, the leader of the Six Arms, wore a grim smile. Yet beneath that smile was a powerful sense of self-confidence, a conviction rooted in the strength he possessed as the "Fighting Demon."
Perhaps that was why Zero showed no hint of fear, even when his eyes saw the inhuman tail dangling behind the man in the suit. His eyebrow merely twitched, more from curiosity than trepidation.
"It seems you are the leader of this organization?"
The man in the suit's voice was elegant, smooth, and subtly held a hint of condescending amusement hidden behind his mask.
Zero frowned, displeased.
Although the man was masked, Zero could feel a gaze that looked upon him and his members as mere playthings. The deepest form of insult.
He held a certain respect for the strong, but if the other party intended to humiliate him or the Six Arms—Eight Fingers' security department—that was an entirely different matter.
"You managed to come here unscathed, so you must have some skill. But it's truly unfortunate that all of us, the Six Arms, are here today. I'm afraid you'll die here." Zero said, his voice laced with veiled threats.
As Zero finished speaking, the other four members, including the recently rescued Succulent—still looking a bit pale—all showed wicked smiles on their faces. Their eyes glinted with amusement, envisioning the intruder's destruction.
However, the man in the suit appeared calm and collected, utterly unfazed. "It's fine if you wish to resort to violence. It will give me an opportunity to see if you are worthy of being subjugated." His tone was flat, yet held an absolute authority that sent shivers down the spine.
"Hmph! You're incredibly arrogant! In that case, let me show you the might of our Six Arms!"
Zero snorted coldly, crossed his arms over his chest, and winked at the five men beside him. This was the signal to attack.
The five men immediately understood and stepped forward, their positions perfect for overwhelming an opponent.
Logically, if you have a numerical advantage, the best way to fight is to block the opponent with an encirclement formation.
However, they did not do so, which showed that they were supremely confident in their own strength as Adamantite-tier adventurers among the underworld criminals. They wanted to demonstrate dominance.
"Although you are not human, you deserve to hear the name of the one who kills you."
The Six Arms member wearing a matador's gown and vest—Thousand Killer Malmvist—slowly drew a rapier from his waist, the slender blade adorned with a beautiful rose hilt. "I am one of the Six Arms—Thousand Killer Malmvist!"
"One of the Six Arms—Space Slasher Peshilian!"
"Blood Dancer Edstrom!"
The five Six Arms members proudly announced their names and epithets, while simultaneously drawing their weapons and assuming combat stances. They were the pinnacle of the capital's underworld might.
However, as the man in the suit heard the name of one of the members, "Immortal King Divanok," an indescribably terrifying aura erupted from him, filling the entire room. The aura was so dense, as if it pressed down on the soul, instantly causing everyone's faces to change color. Divanok himself seemed frozen in place.
"There is only one person in this world who deserves to bear this title. A lowly undead like you is merely overestimating your abilities. Forget it. I am no longer interested in you." The tone of voice suddenly changed, becoming cold, filled with contemptuous malice.
Eh?
Just as Zero and the others were secretly on guard, an invisible wave quickly spread, along with the man in the suit's shouted command, "Kneel!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They all made uniform movements, as if their bodies had a consciousness of their own, detached from their control. With a crash, they knelt down in prostration to the man in the suit. The force that pressed upon them was so immense that it even shattered the bricks beneath their knees, leaving a trail of destruction.
How is this possible!?
Zero and the others were horrified, their minds a chaotic mess. They tried with all their might to resist this invisible force, but the result of their struggle was only a slight trembling of their bodies. They couldn't even stand. A bitter despair enveloped them.
The man in the suit looked at the five kneeling figures—ignoring Divanok who was still standing—and finally his gaze settled on Zero.
"It's you. Use all your strength to kill this lowly undead!"
The power of a master's command enveloped Zero. With stiff, uncontrolled movements, he slowly stood and stepped forward in front of Divanok. His expression was blank, yet his movements were filled with murderous intent.
Sensing the coming of deadly danger, Divanok screamed loudly: "Wait... wait a minute! Master! Please spare my life!" His voice cracked, full of panic and desperate pleading.
His plea for mercy was useless. The man in the suit remained utterly unmoved, his expression behind the mask calm, as if watching a performance.
At this moment, Zero had arrived before Divanok and launched a blow.
[Leopard's Foot]!
[Falcon's Return]!
[Rhinoceros' Wrist]!
The animal tattoos on Zero's body glowed faintly with each Martial Art he activated. The power gathering in his hand was immense, the air itself vibrating.
The other five Six Arms members watched with panic in their eyes. They knew that this was Zero's signature expertise, a lethal, unstoppable attack.
Zero, who held the profession of [Shaman Mentor], could allow animal spirits to attach to him, gaining extraordinary physical fitness from these animals, allowing his physical abilities to reach beast-like levels.
After completing his body reinforcement, Zero also activated another profession's ability, gathering all his strength into his right hand. His muscles bulged, ready to explode.
As the man in the suit requested, this was Zero's strongest attack!
"Boss! Don't—ah!"
Amidst Divanok's panicked, truncated scream, Zero punched him in the face with all his might. The terrifying force instantly shattered his entire head. Blood and bone fragments splattered in all directions, a gruesome and sickening sight.
The headless undead fell to the ground with a thud. Zero, who had delivered the blow, stared blankly at his comrade's corpse, feeling an overwhelming wave of fear and horror at what he had just done, against his own will.
"Return to your freedom."
The power controlling his body vanished without a trace, and the caught-off-guard Zero stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
At this moment, the man in the suit's voice sounded again from behind, his tone heavier, full of undeniable threat. "Are you willing to die, or choose to become my slave?"
"I am willing to surrender!"
"Me too!"
Zero suddenly turned and saw that although the other four Six Arms men had regained their movements, they were still so terrified that they remained kneeling on the ground and dared not move. They also declared their surrender to the man in the suit, their voices full of despair.
A pair of eyes fixed on him. Zero hesitated for a moment, weighing the consequences of each choice—and realizing there was no real choice. He slowly bent his knees. "I... I surrender." His voice was barely audible, a whisper of submission.
"Very good."
The man in the suit nodded to everyone with satisfaction, a small smirk etched behind his mask. Then, he said, "My name is Demiurge, and from now on, all of you are my slaves." A cold, absolute declaration of ownership.
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