My na is Ragnar Vhagar.
And I had found a new hunting ground.
The website, {Laplace}, was a den of liars, rivals, and monsters, all sharpening their taphorical knives in the dark.
It was perfect.
But before I could dive into the glorious, backstabbing world of high-level Demon King politics, there was the small matter of my own backyard.
The northern territories were ripe for the plucking.
And at the top of my shopping list was a domain in the Udon-nada District, a place rumored to be ruled by two Demon Kings.
An old Devil-type nad Yori, and his grand prize from the gacha machine of the gods: a unique, SSS-Rank shadow Ogre nad Umbra.
I wanted her.
No, I needed her.
It wasn’t just about power. It was a matter of principle.
The universe had seen fit to bless so lucky old man with the single greatest gacha pull in history, while I was stuck with a C-Rank Ogre I’d had to na "Clobber."
This cosmic injustice could not stand.
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I gathered my core commanders in the main throne room of the Crystal Spire.
The holographic map of the city glowed over the central crystal table, a testant to our recent, bloody conquests.
"Alright, listen up," I began, my voice echoing in the vast, beautiful chamber.
I leaned forward, my hands flat on the table, feeling every bit the conquering king.
"Our next target."
I tapped the screen, and a single, isolated red dot representing the Udon-nada District pulsed ominously.
"Hazard Rank B, but we’re elevating it to A," I stated. "The intel suggests two Demon Kings operating in a single Domain. An old Devil-type, Yori, and his pet shadow Ogre, Umbra."
Isabelle stood with her arms crossed, her expression one of cool, professional analysis.
"Two rulers ans a complex command structure, my Lord. Potentially unpredictable."
"It ans one of them is the brains, and the other is the muscle," I corrected. "And I want both."
I straightened up, my long, dark coat swishing in a way I had been practicing. It was all in the hips.
"This is not a mission of annihilation," I declared, my gaze sweeping over my assembled Bloodkin. "This is a mission of acquisition. Our primary objective is to capture them. Alive."
A flicker of sothing...surprise? confusion? passed through Reina’s crimson eyes.
Fenris let out a low, questioning growl.
Even Isabelle’s perfect, stoic mask cracked for a fraction of a second.
This was new for them.
My usual orders ended with words like ’obliterate,’ ’disintegrate,’ and ’leave no trace but a lingering sense of existential dread.’
Only Chloe remained impassive, her expression unreadable, her loyalty absolute.
But I could feel a question simring behind her athyst eyes.
"You question the order, Chloe?" I asked, my voice soft.
She t my gaze without flinching. "I question the logic of preserving a threat, my Lord. An enemy Demon King left alive is a seed for future rebellion. A loose end."
"A loose end can be tied into a noose for soone else," I countered. "Yori is a known gacha addict with a god-tier lucky streak. Umbra is a unique subordinate the likes of which I have never seen. They are not threats. They are assets. Extrely valuable assets that I intend to add to our portfolio."
I let the cold, corporate logic of it sink in.
"Therefore," I continued, "your lives are the highest priority. If the mission goes south, you are to retreat. No exceptions."
I looked directly at Chloe, my voice hardening. "I will not lose another Bloodkin. If you must sacrifice the non-bloodkin fodder to ensure your own escape, you have my explicit permission to do so. Understood?"
"Understood, my Lord," she said, but her tone was stiff. I could feel her fanatical devotion wrestling with the order to retreat. It was a dangerous, volatile mix that I would have to manage carefully.
"Good. Now, for the command structure."
I pointed to Isabelle. "You and your Wrecking Crew will be the main assault force. I will be leading you personally."
Then I turned to Chloe. "Your Shadow Strikers will be our flanking and support unit. Your primary role is to corner the targets if they are separated. Keep them from escaping."
I reached into a pocket of my coat and produced a small, velvet pouch. I emptied its contents onto the table.
Fifty small, glass orbs tumbled out, each one containing a swirling mote of pure, white light.
"Chloe," I said. "For you. Flash Orbs. My alchemy departnt has been busy. Umbra is a creature of shadow. Let’s see how she likes a pocket-sized sun going off in her face."
Chloe took the pouch with a graceful nod, her eyes gleaming with a new, tactical understanding.
I then turned to Grunt, my massive Kobold Warlord, who was standing as still as a stone gargoyle.
I produced a familiar, rectangular device from another pocket. A smartphone.
"Grunt," I said, holding it out. "For you."
The hulking kobold looked at the phone, then at , then back at the phone. He reached out with one massive, clawed hand and took it with a surprising, almost comical gentleness.
His sausage-like fingers, which could pulverize concrete, navigated the screen with a shocking dexterity.
He found the single, large icon on the screen - a stylized picture of my face...and tapped it, as if to test it. My own phone buzzed in my pocket.
"A direct line to ," I explained. "If you get separated, if you see sothing... unusual, you call . No hesitation."
Grunt let out a deep, guttural bark of understanding and tucked the phone safely away in a pouch on his belt.
The plan was set. The roles were assigned. The tools were distributed.
My gaze fell upon Chloe one last ti. Her fanatical devotion was a powerful weapon, but it was also a double-edged sword. She saw Yori and Umbra not as assets, but as threats to .
Threats to be eliminated.
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