Kaito stood in the center of the hall, looking at Lilith with sharp focus.
She was sitting firmly behind her black desk, a calm smile on her lips that did not reach her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, then looked toward a dark corner of the room.
Kaito felt his instinct stir.
There… bound by heavy red chains, was a completely mutilated man, naked, trembling like a hungry dog. He was no longer human. His skin was cracked, and his eyes were hollow.
Kaito raised an eyebrow, his dark silver-gray hair falling across his forehead.
"You know that I am not from this world, yet you showed no surprise. A stranger suddenly falls before you, and you act as if this happens every day."
Lilith smiled, but her expression never reached her eyes.
"In our world, strangeness has become the first rule. Monsters appear every day, and humans turn into distorted creatures. Someone falling from another world… is nothing exceptional."
Kaito paused for a moment.
He felt something else…
Not fear…
But a subtle pressure in the air.
He took two steps toward her until he stood directly in front of the desk.
"So do you know who I am? Where I came from? And why I am here?"
He lowered his voice slightly.
"And more importantly… all I remember is that I died. I died in a brutal, swift way. Someone managed to kill me… or at least that's what I believe. My memory is blurry."
Lilith looked at him with cold calmness.
"Your death does not interest me much. Your world and its laws are different. Here… you exist. And your existence will be useful to me."
A faint smile curved her lips.
"And you know that I am the highest authority here."
Kaito gave a short, mocking laugh.
"The highest authority? Meaning you want to use me."
"Everyone is used here."
Lilith stood up and walked around the desk until she stood in front of him. The sound of her footsteps was quiet… too quiet.
"The question is: will you be used willingly… or shall I force you, my dear?"
She raised her hand slowly.
The bound monster crawled on its limbs, trembling until it reached beneath her feet. It made faint sounds… closer to pleading.
Two weeks ago, he was an ordinary employee. Then his fear of illness took control of him… and he became this.
She looked at him with a gaze of disgust.
"Now he is just a pathetic monster with no cure."
Then—
Lilith simply stepped on his head.
The head exploded, scattering flesh and blood.
A drop of blood fell on the edge of Kaito's shoe.
Silence.
Kaito watched the scene with absolute coldness… without even blinking.
But inside him, the "Separation Boundary" shook for a brief moment… as if it responded to something.
He slowly raised his eyes toward her and smirked.
"I expected the highest authority to be more creative in killing a weak creature."
A crooked grin appeared on Kaito's face.
"An interesting way to end a meeting. Congratulations… you have earned my admiration."
He looked at the blood on his shoe, then at her.
"Do you do this with every new guest, or did I get special treatment?"
Lilith let out a cold smile as she looked at him.
"You do not seem like the type to be affected by this scene. Your cold gaze and your lack of intervention to stop me tell me a lot… you are accustomed to killing, aren't you? I am sure you were the villain in your world."
Kaito did not answer directly.
Instead…
He felt the power of the "Separation Boundary" moving within his soul, as if it wanted to expand… to swallow… to separate.
But he held it back.
"Not now..."
He whispered to himself, a cold grin forming on his face.
"I won't kill her… yet."
He finally said in a calm voice:
"Alright… assume I agreed to stay temporarily. What exactly do you want from me?"
"I want a monster the world has never seen the likes of, to obliterate monsters like him. And you seem suitable for this role."
Kaito smirked, his expression full of defiance.
"So you want a dangerous guard. This seems more dangerous to you than it is to me."
"Perhaps," Lilith replied with a slight smile. "You might turn on me… but risk is necessary sometimes."
At that very moment — the hall suddenly shook.
The sharp sound of an alarm pierced the place.
The lighting changed for a moment, turning into a dim red color.
An automated voice echoed throughout the room:
"Warning. Warning. Mass slaughter has been detected in Sector C-17.
Classified Entity: Cockroach Monster — Disaster Level.
Estimated number of casualties: exceeded a thousand within minutes…"
The message stopped for a fraction of a second… then:
"The situation is out of control."
Silence reigned.
Kaito looked toward the ceiling for a moment, then slowly let out a faint grin.
"It seems your world… is not as boring as I expected."
As for Lilith she did not smile this time.
"It was previously contained…" she muttered in a low voice. "How did it get out again…?"
For the first time…
A trace of anxiety appeared in her eyes.
Then she turned toward him quickly.
"Come with me."
She headed toward the door and opened it without waiting.
"I will show you your temporary room and give you some basic information about the organization. Tomorrow the real work begins."
Kaito followed her out of the hall.
There was a clear tension.
Employees running.
Intermittent sounds from communication devices.
Pale faces.
They passed by a large screen displaying blurry footage—
Black shadows moving with unnatural speed…
Torn bodies…
And the sharp sound of friction… like something crawling inside the prisons.
As he walked behind her, he couldn't help but think—
Lilith knew a lot about him…
As if she had been waiting for him.
Or as if there was someone else who told her about him.
At the end of the corridor, she stopped in front of a room door without a number.
"Rest here tonight. Tomorrow we will talk more."
Kaito entered the room. It was simple but comfortable. He closed the door behind him and sat on the bed.
"A new world… monsters… and a dangerous woman I do not understand."
He sighed quietly.
But this time, he was not alone in the room.
He felt something…
Right behind him.
Very slowly, he raised his head.
A faint reflection on the glass…
Something moving.
It was not an ordinary shadow.
It was not a human.
Kaito gave a faint grin, his eyes gleaming with dim madness.
"It seems I am not alone… things will be more complicated than I expected."
Outside the room, in the dark corridor, Lilith stood there for a brie
f moment.
A slight smile appeared on her lips, and the golden circles flashed in her eyes before disappearing.
"It seems I'm going to enjoy this..."