"Wait, hold on! Don't kill me!" Radley raised her hands, pleading as Roy's intent seemed serious. "I'm worth more alive!"
"Like what?" Roy asked.
"I know Takanotsume remnants' hideouts and unrecorded secrets," Radley said.
Roy shook his head. "I can get that from your head after you're dead."
Radley froze. "…True."
Cold sweat slid down her brow. Death felt closer than ever.
Then, a spark of inspiration hit. "I can help you control MAR, keep it running without Shavliar!"
"I can do that myself," Roy said.
"No, you can't!" Radley countered, finding her nerve.
"Red Dragon Emperor, you don't grasp what MAR means to the human world."
"Arms, medicine, food, real estate—MAR's in every profitable sector."
"Some nations' economies partly rely on MAR."
"It's too vast. Even with my memories, you couldn't take over quickly."
"Once word spreads you've seized MAR, some will defect to other factions."
"That'd destabilize MAR, affecting billions. Worst case, it sparks wars."
"With me, that won't happen. I can manage everyone, keep branches stable without Shavliar."
"Your attack's fallout stays minimal, and no faction will call you out."
Silence fell.
Radley, watching Roy's unreadable expression, threw her final card. "I can open the gates to Hueco Mundo and help you catch Shavliar."
"Great sister you are," Roy quipped, squinting.
"I just want to live," Radley said. "If our roles were reversed, Shavliar'd be crueler."
Her tension eased as Roy spoke, her expression relaxing.
"Red Dragon Emperor, I'm far more useful alive."
"Beyond that, I can manage your forces or develop new tech."
"You've made your case. I'll spare you," Roy said, raising a fist. "But you messed with me. There's a price."
"W-What—" Radley stammered.
Roy's fist slammed down.
Boom!
Radley flew back, embedding in the wall.
Agony surged through her, leaving her critically injured, on death's door.
Worse, Roy's punch infused natural energy, healing her to prevent unconsciousness while tampering with her life essence.
Pain and comfort clashed in her mind, drawing a scream as she grasped true suffering.
Meanwhile, Roy, the instigator, checked his gains.
[Congratulations on defeating Radley. Acquired Purple Entry: Takanotsume Bloodline]
[Takanotsume Bloodline (Purple): +200 psychic power, +400 training speed, greatly extended lifespan. Effects halved and cause severe harm under sunlight.]
Decent effect, harsh drawback.
A weak Entry, useful indoors or at night.
Closing the vault, Roy glanced at Radley, still screaming.
With time to spare, he'd test the enslavement magic Meredith taught him.
---
MAR HQ outskirts.
Vali yawned lazily, eyeing the eerily calm MAR HQ. "This is boring. Are all your missions like this?"
"No, this is an exception," Suzuki Ichiro, beside him, replied, channeling energy into the isolation barrier.
"Usually, we're abroad, and the leader rarely shows."
"Major ops led by him? Only twice. This is the second."
"First was when he beat me?" Vali asked.
"…Yeah," Suzuki said, nostalgic. "Back then, he wasn't this strong. I could trade a few blows."
Reflecting, Suzuki realized it'd been barely twenty days since facing Roy.
Yet it felt like ages.
Roy's growth was freakishly fast.
From their first clash to Suzuki's defiant rematches, Roy improved visibly each time.
"I heard you're the strongest White Dragon Emperor ever," Suzuki said. "Tough luck, huh? In another era, you'd be a legend."
"Fame doesn't matter. Fighting does," Vali said.
He cared little for glory. Only enemies mattered.
A rival stronger and growing faster than him? That was the best news.
Right now, his main goal was to get stronger and beat Roy fair and square.
"Still thinking about fighting? Forgot about us?" a voice called.
Vali and Suzuki paused, turning to see approaching figures.
"Bikou? What're you doing here?" Vali asked, puzzled.
"Saving you, obviously," Bikou said, hefting his staff, grumbling.
"You're living it up, working for the Red Dragon Emperor after losing."
"Got time to chat but not to update us?"
"We thought you were rotting in a cell until Arthur got intel."
"Uh, my bad," Vali said, sheepish.
He'd genuinely forgotten his teammates.
Without their approach, he'd have remembered post-op at earliest.
"Vali, stop wasting time," Arthur cut in, refocusing. "Kuroka's recon says Roy's aura vanished from MAR."
"No clue where he went, but we need to bail before he's back."
"Bail? Can't. That'd break the rules," Vali said, shaking his head. "I promised Azazel I'd join Akatsuki. No deserting."
"What?!" Kuroka snapped, frowning.
Bikou gaped. "Vali, you serious?"
"You rallied us with grand plans, and now you're bailing?"
"My fault," Vali admitted. "But I betrayed Azazel once with the Brigade. Can't do it again. I'm staying."
"Now what?" Bikou asked.
"Join Akatsuki," Vali suggested.
"Hell no! I didn't escape home to work for someone!" Bikou barked.
Silence fell.
Vali and the others' expressions turned odd, staring past Bikou.
"What's with you guys?" Bikou asked, sensing something, turning.
A familiar yet chilling figure loomed, making him shudder.
"Joining Akatsuki sounds fine to me!" Kuroka chirped, stepping back to Vali's side, standing at attention.
"Same here," Arthur said.
"Me too! Like Brother!" Le Fay added, mimicking Kuroka, shielding Bikou.
"Smart. I like people who know their place," Roy said, nodding, eyeing Bikou. "Last words?"
"Uh, well…" Bikou's face twisted, near tears.
When did Roy get back?
Why'd no one warn him?
"Guess you've got nothing," Roy said, stepping forward, fist raised.
Bikou drew his Ruyi Staff to fight.
Fist met staff mid-air, a crushing force slamming down.
"So heavy!" Bikou gasped.
Boom!
His feet sank into the ground, shock on his face. "No Balance Breaker, and still this strong?"
"Because I'm stronger. That's it," Roy said, now behind him.
Bikou's pupils darted, dodging sideways.
But black liquid metal surged from the ground, binding his feet.
Roy's fist slammed down again.
Boom!
Bikou screamed, cratering the ground, out cold.
[Congratulations on defeating Bikou. Acquired Purple Entry: Staff Master]
[Staff Master (Purple): +400 staff talent, slightly boosts staff combat power.]
A combat Purple Entry. Mediocre.
Tossing it into the vault, Roy turned to Vali. "What to do with him?"
"I can convince him to join Akatsuki," Vali said. "Bikou's strong, with growth potential."
"Like Kuroka, he's skilled in Senjutsu, great for tracking enemies."
"Keeping him helps you hunt more spirits, right?"
"Not bad. You've done your homework," Roy said, not objecting.
Unlike other foes, Bikou had no real conflict with him, nor had he caused trouble.
If not for his earlier lip, Roy wouldn't have bothered.
Sparing Bikou, Roy pulled a crystal orb from storage. "Vali, heard of Hueco Mundo?"
"A bit," Vali said, thinking. "A thousand years ago, Takanotsume came here, fought Biblical factions."
"For unknown reasons, they pissed off the Biblical God, who wiped out most of them."
"After, Takanotsume fled to the dimensional gap between the human world and Underworld, building a city in a pocket dimension—Hueco Mundo."
"It uses special tech, existing between both realms."
"Entry requires Takanotsume opening gates, or you'd need to pry open anchors in both worlds simultaneously."
"Roy, you planning to hit Hueco Mundo?" Vali asked.
"Yup," Roy said.
"Because Shavliar crossed you?"
"Part of it. Also, I got some juicy intel," Roy said, snapping his fingers.
A projection appeared—a massive mechanical warship cruising a starry sea.
"Know what this is?"
"Looks like a sci-fi starship," Vali said.
"Ditch the sci-fi part. It's a real starship, a dimension-hopping warship," Roy said.
"No way! Takanotsume's got that kind of tech?" Kuroka gasped.
"They're from another world. Not surprising," Arthur said, thoughtful.
"So, you're targeting Hueco Mundo for this starship?" he asked.
"Exactly," Roy confirmed.
With his growth rate, he'd hit the world's peak soon.
An eternal life on one planet? Too dull.
"Vali, if you became the world's strongest with no rivals, how'd you feel?" Roy asked.
"Bored. Might as well die," Vali said.
"I'm not that extreme, but I'd find it dull too," Roy said, pointing at the projection. "If otherworld beings can come here, we can go to their worlds."
"Now you get why I'm targeting Hueco Mundo."
"Crystal clear," Vali said, grinning, pumped. "What's my role?"
"Take this and find Hueco Mundo," Roy said, handing over a crystal orb.
Fresh from Radley's memories, it held Hueco Mundo's rough coordinates and entry methods.
"Lead Arthur and Bikou. Form a special team to locate the seventeen Hueco Mundos between the human world and Underworld."
"Each one found earns you 500 contribution points. Questions?"
"What're contribution points for?" Arthur asked, adjusting his glasses.
"Redeem rewards in Akatsuki. Awakening slots included," Roy said.
"What's awakening?" Vali asked.
Back at Akatsuki's rally, Shimasaki mentioned it, but they got cut off.
"Awakening unlocks your potential, making you stronger. Le Fay's done it—ask her," Roy said.
"Le Fay, you know the Red Dragon Emperor?" Kuroka asked, surprised.
Le Fay nodded. "We made a deal before, and I got awakened."
"How's it feel?" Kuroka asked.
"Amazing. I transformed inside and out, got way stronger," Le Fay said.
Kuroka paused, intrigued but lacking points.
Staring at Roy, she hatched an idea.
---
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