"Found it."
The voice crackled through the radio, static-filled but undeniable. "Dragon Bone. Large. We need tools."
Madame Gao stood outside the bronze gates, her hand resting on her cane. A rare smile touched her withered lips. Behind her, Murakami sheathed his katana, his eyes gleaming.
"Finally," Murakami whispered. "Immortality."
The discovery of a single bone fragment would have been a victory. But this? An entire skeleton? It was enough Resurrection Substance to keep The Hand alive for centuries. It meant they no longer had to fear death. It meant they could rule from the shadows forever.
Gao looked back at the corner of the cavern. Daredevil was still fighting The Black Sky.
It was a stalemate. Matt Murdock refused to hurt the woman he loved, pulling his punches, deflecting rather than striking. Elektra had no such mercy. Her sai sought his throat with mechanical precision.
"He is wasting time," Gao muttered. She nodded to Murakami.
The Japanese master didn't speak. He simply vanished into the shadows, moving with the silence of a ghost. He reappeared behind Matt, his blade swinging in a lethal arc.
Clang.
Matt didn't even turn around. He raised his billy club over his shoulder, blocking the strike perfectly.
"Predictable," Matt grunted.
To his radar sense, Murakami was loud. His heartbeat, the friction of his clothes, the displacement of air—it was all a map. But now, it was two against one.
Elektra lunged low. Murakami struck high. Matt parried Elektra's kick, then ducked under Murakami's blade, delivering a sharp elbow to the man's ribs.
Crack.
Murakami grunted, stumbling back. But he didn't retreat. He shifted tactics. He began to use Elektra as a shield, hiding in her blind spots, striking only when Matt hesitated to hit her. It was working. Matt was forced on the defensive, his stamina draining.
Gao watched with satisfaction. It was only a matter of time.
[The Wilson Building - Kingpin's Office]
Wilson Fisk stood by the window, staring down at the city that rightfully belonged to him. Behind him, Bullseye cleaned his fingernails with a playing card.
"The Hand's goal is the Rand Estate," Bullseye reported, his voice bored. "They found it. A complete skeleton of a Dragon. The fighting inside is intense. The Devil and his friends are losing."
Fisk turned slowly. "A complete skeleton," Fisk rumbled.
His heart beat faster. He knew the value of Dragon Bone. The Hand used it to cheat death. But more importantly, his new masters desired it. 'Gather intelligence. Search for transcendent items.' Those were the orders from the Supreme Being.
Fisk walked to his desk. He didn't hesitate. He raised his hand, and the ring on his finger—a gift from Nazarick—flared with purple light.
[Spell: Message]
A holographic screen manifested in the air. Bullseye stopped cleaning his nails. He stared at the magic, his eyes wide. He had seen strange things, but this... this was power.
The image on the screen wasn't the skeletal overlord Fisk expected. It was the demon in the pinstripe suit. Demiurge.
"Oh?" Demiurge pushed up his glasses, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Mr. Fisk. Seeing me... you seem a bit disappointed?"
"Not at all," Fisk bowed his head slightly. "Seeing you is an honor, Lord Demiurge."
"The Supreme Being is occupied," Demiurge said smoothly. "Report to me."
Fisk relayed the intelligence. The Hand. The Dragon. The location. He didn't offer a plan. He didn't ask for permission. He simply presented the facts. He knew his place. He was a tool, and a tool does not tell the craftsman how to work.
"Wait a moment," Demiurge said. The screen vanished.
Fisk turned to Bullseye. "You have questions," Fisk stated.
"A few," Bullseye smirked, flipping the card. "New bosses? Magic rings? Do they pay well?"
"They pay in life," Fisk said coldly. "And death."
He looked at the assassin. "Do not think of testing them, Benjamin. They are not mutants. They are gods. If you cross them... I will not be the one to kill you. I will simply watch you scream."
Bullseye's smirk faltered. He nodded slowly.
[The Great Tomb of Nazarick - The Throne Room]
The Tomb was no longer empty. Ainz Ooal Gown sat on the Throne of Kings, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown in his hand. Standing at the base of the throne were the new arrivals.
Mare Bello Fiore and Aura Bella Fiora. The Dark Elf twins.
And standing in formation, the Pleiades Seven Sisters: Yuri Alpha, Lupusregina Beta, Narberal Gamma, CZ2128 Delta, Solution Epsilon, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta.
The tomb felt alive. Demiurge walked into the hall, his tail swaying behind him. He bowed deeply.
"Ainz-sama," Demiurge announced, his voice echoing in the vast chamber. "Our vassal, Wilson Fisk, has sent word. He has located a source of immense magical energy in New York. The remains of a Dragon."
The red flames in Ainz's eye sockets flared. "A Dragon?"
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