On the outskirts of the city.
The human adventurer team led by Yuuki remained hidden in the shadows, carefully observing the city from afar.
They spied in absolute silence.
And as their eyes adjusted to the scene before them, shock became inevitable.
That city… was overflowing with monsters.
It wasn't just the presence of orcs that drew attention—even if one completely ignored the orc race, the sheer number of monsters was still suffocating, almost overwhelming. Creatures of all kinds moved about naturally, patrolling, talking, living.
It was an absurd sight.
"G-Grandmaster Yuuki… we should retreat!" one of the adventurers whispered, his voice trembling, his body drenched in cold sweat. "This is madness…"
Before coming here, they had wondered what kind of confrontation Arthur might have had with the Orc Lord.
But reality surpassed every assumption.
Not only had the Orc Lord been defeated—all surviving orcs had been subdued and integrated.
Yuuki slowly nodded, agreeing with the suggestion.
His original plan had been to test Arthur's strength, provoke a reaction, and measure his limits. However, the very moment that thought surfaced, an instinctive alarm rang in his mind.
This was far too dangerous.
He couldn't act recklessly.
But at that instant, a figure suddenly appeared just outside the concealment barrier created by the adventurers.
"Since you're already here… why hide?" a calm voice said, laced with irony. "My master is quite hospitable toward humans."
Who else could it be but Souei?
"H-how is that possible…?" one of the adventurers murmured in shock.
That concealment magic was extremely powerful.
And yet, it had been discovered—not merely detected, but directly exposed.
Was he a monster specialized in perception?
Or worse…
Perhaps that monster's level exceeded A+.
If it was the former, there was still hope.
But if it was the latter…
A battle began right there.
---xXx---
Inside Arthur's tent, let's just say… things had developed in a strange way.
Far too strange.
Dangerously strange, depending on one's point of view.
"Father!!"
Angelica burst into the tent without any warning, clearly rushed and out of breath.
"There are in—vaders…!"
She started speaking loudly, but her sentence died halfway through.
Her eyes widened.
Her body froze.
Her brain… simply refused to process the scene before her.
Arthur was sitting absurdly close to Shizu, who was resting her head on his shoulder, wearing a calm and comfortable smile.
The blankets were slightly disheveled.
The air was far too warm.
And a suspiciously cozy—condemnably cozy—atmosphere lingered in the space.
Angelica blinked once.
Then again.
"… … …"
She brought a hand to her forehead and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Father… I know you're a scoundrel," she said, forcefully massaging her temples, "but you've known her for less than a day…"
She lifted her gaze again, analyzing the scene with an expression that blended absolute disbelief, silent moral judgment, and a weariness far too deep to be faked.
"…could you at least try to control yourself a little?"
Her tone was that of someone who had completely given up on trying to understand, accepting that the creature known as 'father' was, by definition, an unsolvable problem—even in the past, even before she was born.
'Father?' Shizu repeated mentally, her eyes widening slightly.
"It's not what you think, Angelica. And what's with this 'scoundrel' talk?" Arthur replied with a carefree smile. "I'm just a man faithful to his own desires." He added, clearly mocking the situation.
Without giving time for any retort, he lightly clapped his hands together and shifted the topic with unsettling ease.
"Now then, changing the subject… what happened?" Arthur asked.
"Ahh~ it's fine," Angelica sighed. "In short: a group of human adventurers started a fight at the city entrance."
"Human adventurers, huh?" Arthur remarked, already standing up. "Let's go."
"I'm coming too," Shizu said, trying to get up from the bed.
Before she could take even a single step, she was gently—but firmly—pushed back onto the sheets.
"You're staying here to rest," Arthur said with a calm smile. "You're still weak. I'll be back shortly."
Without waiting for a response, he left the tent, leaving only Angelica and Shizu behind.
"Shizu, I'm borrowing this for a moment." He stuck his head back into the tent, revealing that he was wearing Shizu's mask.
"Okay?" Shizu agreed, confused.
For a few seconds, silence settled in.
"Um…" Shizu broke the mood, averting her gaze briefly before looking at Angelica. "You're… really his daughter?"
"It's a bit complicated to explain," Angelica replied, scratching her cheek. "But in short… I am… and I'm not his daughter."
"I see…" Shizu murmured thoughtfully.
'I don't understand anything at all,' she added mentally.
Angelica then crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"By the way, don't be fooled by his charming demeanor. He's a first-rate scoundrel," she said with absolute conviction. "He probably already has at least five women by now."
"Hm?" Shizu let out a soft chuckle as she carefully sat up. "And you talk about your own father like that?"
"I love my father," Angelica sighed, "but I can't deny that fact."
Shizu brought a hand to her chest for a moment, thoughtful, her gaze lost in empty space—or perhaps caught on the image of Arthur smiling carefreely.
"…Even so," she said softly, almost distracted, "he doesn't seem like a bad person."
She smiled faintly.
"In fact… he's strangely reliable."
Angelica watched that expression for a few seconds.
Then sighed again.
"…It's already too late," she muttered to herself.
"Ahh~~ forget about it," Angelica said, shaking her head. "Shall we go see what's happening?"
"Let's go," Shizu replied, carefully getting out of bed.
---xXx---
In front of the city.
Souei narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the taut steel wire in his hand.
Initially, he had no intention of killing anyone.
However, after the initial exchange of blows, he felt a restrained shock.
The opposing team's coordination was frighteningly perfect.
Especially that of the Grandmaster—his strength bordered on the excessive.
No matter how fast Souei moved or how refined his stealth attacks were, the Grandmaster kept up with every step, always responding with precise and efficient counterattacks, as if he were already predicting his movements.
Up to that point, Souei had been unable to defeat a single one of them.
What he didn't know was that, on the other side, the adventurers were utterly horrified.
Rank S.
That Oni standing before them… could only be Rank S.
The air felt too heavy to breathe.
At that moment, several powerful presences silently appeared behind Souei.
A man with completely red hair, wielding a katana, with two black horns radiating pressure; a girl wearing a priestess's robe, with long pink hair and two white horns, whose gaze conveyed serenity and danger at the same time; another girl with long purple hair, incredibly large breasts, and a single horn, whose aura was dense and oppressive; and finally, an old man with white hair, sharp features, and eyes that seemed to pierce through everything before him.
How could so many monstrously powerful figures be gathered in one place?
And that wasn't all.
Even the surrounding monsters—including the goblins—were not weak.
Each possessed composure, presence, and combat discipline.
The adventurers instinctively pressed closer together, trying to maintain formation, but their hearts were frozen.
Even Yuuki felt the pressure piling onto his shoulders.
Should he reveal his true strength now?
If he did, his plans would become far more complicated.
Unless… everything here was simply erased.
However, before he could finish that thought, his mind went blank.
Metal chains abruptly emerged from multiple golden portals that opened around him and the adventurers.
The chains moved with absolute authority, wrapping around each of them without leaving any room to react—binding arms, legs, and even torsos, like insects caught by a bored predator.
A man slowly walked forward.
His steps were calm, almost lazy, yet each one carried an overwhelming presence.
Arthur looked at the adventurers as if appraising disposable pieces.
"Who are you," he asked in a serene yet domineering tone, "and why are you attacking my city?"
Yuuki's gaze then fixed on the mask Arthur was wearing.
"…That mask—where did you get it?" he asked coldly.
Arthur raised a hand to his face.
"This one, you mean?"
With a simple, deliberately theatrical gesture, Arthur removed the mask, revealing his true face.
Yuuki felt his blood run cold.
'What the hell is going on here…?' he thought, staring at the face before him.
'How is this possible? How did Gilgamesh end up in this world? And why is he leading a city of monsters?'
"I got it from a beautiful adventurer," Arthur said with a calm, almost amused smile. "She was truly an adorable girl."
Forcing himself to regain his composure, Yuuki clenched his teeth.
"Did you kill that adventurer?" he asked, his voice heavy with tension.
"Who knows? Maybe I did… maybe I didn't…" Arthur replied with casual disdain, as if the question wasn't worth serious thought.
A slow, dangerously sadistic smile formed on his face—not exaggerated, just enough to provoke.
CRACK!
The chains exploded under the force unleashed.
Yuuki shattered the metal and instantly lunged at Arthur, his aura finally revealed in full.
Arthur didn't move.
He simply watched, his eyes shining with genuine interest.
'Looks like my provocation worked…' he thought, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
Sometimes, acting arrogantly—and a little sadistically—was extremely useful.
(End of the Chapter)