"Silver King, it's an honor you came."
When Asahi stepped out of the car, a group of people was already standing at the end of the red carpet, bowing deeply and shouting respectfully. He paid them no mind, simply walking while the crowd parted to clear a path for him to proceed.
As Asahi entered the building, he saw the interior was like a banquet hall in the mansion of some noble or royalty. Sparkling chandeliers, ornate architecture, and lavishly set tables. In this post-apocalyptic era, the upper class remained the upper class.
Everyone in the room turned to look at Asahi as he entered, appearing incredibly reverent, seemingly genuinely treating him as a superior. Yet, the expressions in their eyes revealed conflicting emotions.
Fine, he was interested in seeing what game this group was trying to play.
"Silver King, it is truly an honor you came."
A bald man stepped out from the crowd. All the individuals here subtly deferred to this man as their leader.
"Are you in charge?"
"Sir, I am. Do you like this place? I thought that only a venue of this caliber would be suitable for a monarch like yourself..."
"No need for pleasantries. Get to the point."
Asahi cut him off, casually slouching onto a chair as if no one else mattered. He wasn't interested in listening to empty formalities.
This action caused the bald man's expression to stiffen, his face flushing as if slapped.
As a high-ranking manager of the IISO in the Tokyo Area, the area's ruler, the heads of major families, leaders of the underworld, police, and even the Civil Security all had to treat him with respect. As for the common folk, they didn't even have the authority to know of his existence. No one had ever dared to treat him like a pawn to be casually bullied.
Furthermore, the person committing this act was a self-proclaimed king, neither human nor ghost, who was disrupting his business. This had caused the bald man to suffer no small amount of criticism from his superiors.
However, he could only swallow his anger, even forcing a smile as if nothing happened.
"You speak wisely, Silver King. It is my fault for not being considerate. I beg your forgiveness."
The bald man spoke sincerely, showing no trace of anger. To have climbed to this position, emotional management was a necessity.
"I allow you to speak."
"I sincerely thank you for your grace."
"Forgive me for speaking plainly: you need more manpower to develop your faction, but we also need manpower. You know, the IISO. So, why don't you join the IISO? Power, territory, wealth—all according to your will."
"Oh, so you are willing to yield your leading position?"
Asahi smiled coldly. The bald man stiffened instantly. He was certainly not willing to yield the position he had spent nearly half his life securing, but the IISO headquarters, his big bosses above him, had ordered him to recruit the "Silver King" into their faction at all costs.
In truth, the dispute over the Cursed Child resource was secondary. The only thing the IISO truly cared about was the drug that could inhibit the Gastrea virus erosion. Holding this drug meant holding the lifeline of the Cursed Children, which was why this organization could wield such immense global power.
Now, Asahi had not only gathered a large number of Cursed Children under his banner but also possessed a similar drug. This was nothing less than shattering the monopoly the IISO had established, and that was the most dangerous aspect.
They needed to know the source of this drug, then monopolize it; if they couldn't monopolize it, they would destroy it.
Although Asahi didn't fully comprehend the plan, he could guess part of it. Thinking of this, he merely continued to smile.
"How long do you think it would take me to become the king of the entire Tokyo Area?"
"Sir... sir, I don't understand the question..."
"I am asking, if I wanted to become the king of Tokyo, how long would it take?"
Sweat began to drip down the bald man's forehead. He reluctantly replied.
"According... according to the current rate of development of the Silver King's Dominion, perhaps... a year? Sir, that is my answer."
Asahi shook his head slightly, then raised his hand, spreading all five fingers.
"Five... five months, sir?"
The man stammered.
Asahi still didn't move.
"Five, five weeks, sir..."
"Five seconds."
He ended the boring guessing game.
"Only five seconds."
The bald man was silenced. The rationality in his mind screamed that this was all fake, that the freak in front of him was just posturing, trying to scare him to gain the upper hand in this negotiation. But deep within his psyche, beyond ordinary reason, a voice seemed to be howling in madness, that it was the truth, that the man could collapse everything in just five seconds.
"In five seconds, I can rush from here to Seitenshi's residence and take her head easily. Any resistance from you, whether before or after, would be futile, merely a mantis trying to stop a carriage."
"In this era, beings need someone who can protect them and ensure their safety more than anything else, so they can sleep soundly every night and wake up every morning without fear of Gastrea breaking into their homes and tearing them apart. Therefore, the people will naturally follow me."
Hearing those words of extreme arrogance, the bald man wanted to laugh, to mock him for not knowing his own limitations. But he couldn't utter a single word from his throat, only felt profound dread in his core. He was terrified, because if the Silver King had the audacity to kill the entire governing apparatus to take its place, then who was he that the Silver King wouldn't dare kill?
All calculations, all conspiracies, seemed to collapse. Only now did he realize what a colossal mistake it was to invite this madman here. He thought this would be a negotiation, thinking that both sides would be two leaders exchanging based on interests and reason. But he himself, he had led a wolf into the house. Only now, when the only thing facing his vision was the wolf's dark throat, did he realize it.
In the vast banquet hall, with dazzling lights, the smell of fine food and wine, and the lively chatter of the privileged individuals of the IISO elite—officials whose one decision could influence the direction of an entire area—none of it seemed to affect the central area where Asahi and the bald man were conversing. The man was sinking deep into the terrifying delusion of his mind.
Of course, Asahi was "acting." Otherwise, a few mere sentences couldn't make a normal person so terrified they nearly lost consciousness.
"Therefore..."
Thanks to Asahi's voice, the illusion before the man shattered. He returned to the real world, feeling only a sense of vagueness due to the time difference between reality and imagination, along with the sticky, sweat-soaked clothing clinging to his back.
"Sir... therefore..."
"You fundamentally don't understand what I want."
The moment he finished the sentence, a silvery afterimage seemed to flash in a fraction of a blink.
And that was the last image of the IISO manager, before he plunged into darkness.