Byron closed his eyes, his expression growing serious, hinting at the weight of his revelation.
Whatever he was about to disclose seed like it could shatter Reign's and Black Cat understanding of the world.
"You can't tell anybody about this, even those you trust," he cautioned, his tone firm and serious.
"What happens if I talk too much?" Reign inquired in a joking manner.
Now that he was more powerful than Byron, he felt more comfortable speaking more casually.
Byron let out a soft chuckle, noticing Reign's confidence in his own abilities. He didn't mind it at all; those who had the capability had the right to act arrogant.
"Depends on how much you say. But in the off chance that your words create mass panic, then the governnt will hunt you down like a dog," he added .
"I'm not afraid of the governnt, thou," Reign responded with a nonchalant tone, testing the waters to see how much Byron feared the governnt power.
"Good guts kid, but you better not announce that opinion of yours. There's a saying "Things only exist because the governnt let them be , and that's including us,"
Reign pondered silently. 'So it's true... That's why that Scorpion guy said that the Veiled Nights were governnt dogs,' he thought to himself.
'I can't rely on this organization for too long,' he muttered to himself.
As he grew stronger, inevitable clashes with the governnt would beco unavoidable.
His main source of power involved devouring humans, and once he beca strong enough to not worry about the governnt , he would inevitably destroy cities just to beco even stronger.
This was his innate nature; he might be acting like a human now, but deep down, he never considered humans as equals. Even George and lissa were rely tools to him.
But for now, the organization was still useful for him, so he would just play his part while gaining more power.
He knew too little about the influence of the Governnt and the Hunter Association, so he couldn't afford to be on their radar just yet.
"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Reign agreed.
Satisfied that he had effectively conveyed his warning, Byron tapped his desk, signaling his intention to continue with his story.
"Let's start from the beginning .A few centuries back," he started, his tone neutral,
"A black miasma began to spread across the world, creating creatures known as the Corrupted. Unlike demons, these monsters are devoid of reason or purpose beyond destruction. "
"They don't even consu their victims; they just slaughter everyone. And no matter how powerful they beco, they lack the ability to communicate. They're basically mindless beasts, driven solely by their instinct to destroy like a virus."
Reign remained quite and let all those information sink in.
At the sa ti, he began making his own guesses and hypothesis.
Reign turned towards Byron, his deanor serious as he pieced together the implications.
"These Corrupted also target demons, don't they?" he concluded.
It dawned on him that if humans and demons had ford so sort of a deal, it could be because they had a common enemy that threatened both side.
It was the only reason he could think of for such two different beings to actually have so sort of agreent.
"You're really smart," Byron nodded in acknowledgnt of Reign's insight.
With just a few words, he was able to co up with his conclusion almost instantly. This trait of Reign made him more dangerous than his actual combat power.
"No need to state the obvious," Reign replied , his voice neutral but it ca out sounding arrogant because of his choice of words.
Byron just chuckled and took Reign's words as a joke.
"Tell , how can we even differentiate Demons from Corrupted?" Reign asked, taking this opportunity to get more information.
"It's pretty easy, really, once you see one. Here, take a look at this," Byron said, taking a picture from his desk and handing it to Reign.
In the picture, a figure reminiscent of a bear stood on its feet, its form defied conventional expectations.
Rather than a traditional coat of fur, its exterior appeared to consist of a glistening, dark jelly substance.
Surrounding it , the ground appeared lifeless and barren, devoid of any signs of vitality. Its surface was cracked and parched, resembling a desolate wasteland.
No plants grew, and the soil was dry and dusty, lacking any hint of moisture. It was as though all life had been drained from the earth.
"Can I see it?" Black cat spoke up with a soft voice, her tone neither commanding nor overbearing, so even Reign had no reason to act snobbish.
He handed her the picture and refocused his gaze on Byron.
"These things kill everything around them. Let guess," Reign continued, his mind racing with possibilities.
"So the intelligent demons and humans are working together against them because, one, demons need humans to survive in the long run, so the extinction of the human race is not an option. But this place is safe, so I assu there is so kind of barrier protecting it.
And each city has its own barriers, so in order to travel, we actually need to pass through these Miasma, which are filled with corrupted," Reign concluded, connecting the dots.
"You've already figured out everything. " Byron chuckled, impressed by Reign's deduction skills.
The governnt had long been notorious for giving false humor and gossip among the public, cleverly interweaving and twisting the truth. So Byron believed that Reign couldn't have been aware of this information beforehand.
"But that doesn't answer so of my questions. Summit City is just Tier 4 , so why are you sending us two? Isn't it more beneficial for you to keep us here just in case of an ergency? And even without the Corrupted, unintelligent demons still exist in this place," Reign probed further.
Reign lacked a lot of knowledge about this world, so he wanted to learn more whenever he had the chance. The better he understood this world, the better he could co up with his future plans.
After all, knowledge is power.
Byron leaned back in his chair before answering.
"The Hunter Association can handle the low-rank demons just fine, but to answer your question about why I want to send you there, it's about the location," he began explaining.
"Summit City is located far from the front line where much stronger Corrupted exist, actually most Tier 4 cities are. Tier 1 cities are located much closer because they have the most manpower and resources to stop the Corrupted. Of course, so gaps from ti to ti cannot be completely avoided, where powerful Corrupted directly attack lower tier cities," he explained.
"I understand your point, but it still doesn't answer why I have to go there. I an, I'm perfectly safe in this place," Reign raised his concern.
If he were a normal human who had gained superpowers, he might have felt a sense of duty to fight the Corrupted for his own survival.
However, as a monster, he had no obligation to help others, and this situation might actually be beneficial for him.
If there really was a Miasma separating each city, then he could just wreak havoc in Summit City after figuring out the strength of the strongest person here.
Why bother transferring to another city if he could just destroy one and have an all-you-can-eat buffet?
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