Chapter 361 – King of Greed (1)
The death of Azonne Vistas.
Arthur first spread word of the shocking event among the executives to shake their hearts.
In tis like this, you had to press forward aggressively to steer the atmosphere.
As expected, the fire in the executives’ eyes flickered with confusion.
“Wh-what? Assassinated? Azonne?”
“...Are you saying he’s really dead?”
“Who on earth did it?”
Arthur responded swiftly to their questions.
“The World Tree Union.”
“That can’t be...!”
Most of them reacted as though it was hard to believe. However, a few quickly accepted Azonne’s death, seemingly connecting it to the earlier report about the deaths of the Cleaners.
“Could it be the Union was targeting Aintrier from the start?”
“That’s not sothing to ask . Isn’t that information you should’ve found out yourselves?”
“M-my apologies!”
“We don’t know the Union’s exact intentions. But one thing is clear. The Union has begun a stake war over Aintrier.”
“A stake war, you say...?”
“It appears Azonne’s share has fallen into the Union’s hands.”
At the Master’s words, sighs of regret spread among the room.
With the Black Market already holding a portion of Aintrier’s stake, they had every reason to covet the position of Lord of Aintrier.
But if the Union had acquired Azonne’s entire share, they were a step too late.
“At this point, the Black Market is left with two choices.”
The executives nodded.
Just as the Master said, there were two optimal choices in the current situation.
One was to demand a hefty return in exchange for lending strength to the Union.
The other was to join forces with other factions and jump into the stake war for Aintrier anew.
However...
“The second option isn’t feasible.”
The executives were sowhat aware of that fact. The remaining stakeholders were Demtor and Pri Root.
To join the stake war, they would have to ally with both. But considering the history between the two, that was utterly impossible.
Pri Root had been ford in opposition to Demtor’s power. Since Pri Root’s founding purpose was the fall of Demtor, the two were like oil and water.
“Then, whose hand should we take for the Black Market’s benefit?”
The Master posed the question. But in truth, the answer had already been decided.
“The Union’s.”
“And what must we do?”
“We need to act before the other factions can make contact with the Union.”
The Union, which held the majority of the shares, only needed the support of one faction.
Once the Union controlled the majority, they didn’t have to care about the remaining shares.
Demtor and Pri Root were likely thinking the sa thing.
Upon realizing this, the executives began to feel the pressure.
“Master! Please give us your orders!”
“Master! Please give us your orders!”
“Master! Please give us your orders!”
Eventually, the room echoed with one unified voice. The executives awaited the Master’s command. At the sight, Arthur showed a faint, private smile.
Now that he had nudged things in the direction he wanted, the conclusion naturally flowed where he intended. With Azonne’s shares secured, the plan was unfolding smoothly.
Now that he had seized control of the mood, it was ti to act.
“I will issue orders to the entire Black Market.”
“From this mont on, all missions assigned to agents are suspended. Anything that could cause unforeseen variables must be reported to first.”
Arthur first assessed what instructions Azonne had left behind.
After that, he declared that the Black Market would side with the Union in the stake war and ordered his executives to make contact with key figures within the Union.
Information would go to Karl Bastain. Finances would go to Fenry Chaser. And for the matter of the witches...
“...You an Natasha?”
He instructed the executive in charge of the witches to et with Natasha, the Witch of Ten Thousand Ears, and the man’s trembling voice revealed how afraid he was of death.
“Why? Are you scared?”
“N-no! ...But will she even agree to talk with us? Especially Natasha—she’s shown extre hostility toward witch hunts.”
“If you et her right now, she won’t talk.”
“Then you an...?”
“We’ll begin coordination with the Union regarding stake division. Once that’s complete, you will et the individuals I’ve assigned to you.”
Coordination of the entire stake war?
With whom?
At that mont, the executives all thought of one person.
Alex Marcia.
Representative of the Union and its most influential figure.
So far, his na hadn’t been ntioned among the contacts.
“Then what about Alex...?”
“I’ll handle the coordination myself.”
“Y-you, Master?”
“This is a chance to devour the wealth of the richest man in Hell Gri. Of course I’ll go personally.”
“......!”
The executives reacted with surprise, but Arthur, sitting calmly in the Master’s seat, leisurely reviewed a blank certificate in his hand.
As he checked through the orders Azonne had left behind, he had discovered the certificate.
‘A blank check issued by Azonne.’
Depending on how it was used, it could legally empty Azonne’s entire fortune.
‘Looks like this blank check was Azonne’s justification for mobilizing the Black Market toward Aintrier...’
If he’d known tomorrow was Azonne’s death anniversary, he’d never have made that move. But since he had beco the Master of the Black Market, this situation had co about.
To Arthur, it felt like a mountain of gold had rolled into his lap.
If Azonne were watching from Hell, surely he’d be shedding tears of blood.
“I’ll offer Azonne’s fortune as part of the stake deal.”
“Do you think Alex will accept that?”
“Do you think I can’t make him?”
“N-no!!”
Arthur himself was the one conducting the trade—what was there to hesitate about?
He couldn’t help but wonder if all his executives were fools.
With a bitter smile, he thought of Azonne.
Azonne had always run the Black Market with a twisted pleasure in deceiving and toying with others.
‘No wonder he was the main villain.’
If Gram of the Black Tower was the central villain of Chapter 2 who led the “Witch Massacre,” then Azonne was the key villain of Chapter 3, orchestrating the fall of Mad Butcher Kal Blazer’s faction.
Co to think of it, when Kal vanished, Arthur and the Union had taken his place, and Azonne had shifted his target from Kal to the Union.
‘As the story changed, the target changed too, huh?’
Had Azonne not been removed today, he would have convinced Demtor and Pri Root to lead the downfall of the Union.
Killing Azonne today was like averting a major catastrophe looming over the Union.
“The contact will happen in three days. et your assigned person and respond to their demands accordingly.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Black Market executives would move to fulfill requests—more like commands—from the Union.
On the surface, it looked like a simple trade, but in truth, the Black Market was being subordinated to the Union.
‘This should be enough.’
Now that the Black Market was moving in the direction he desired, the details could be finalized once the executives t with their respective contacts.
“This eting is adjourned.”
Arthur stepped back a few paces from the eting space.
Golden flas floating in the air slowly faded.
As the Master vacated the seat, the surrounding braziers began to go out one by one.
Arthur gradually withdrew, blending once again into the darkness.
Beyond that darkness lay the path outside. Just as he quickened his steps—
[Be careful.]
“......?”
Retonicalus’s warning echoed in his mind as the ground beneath him started to shift.
With nothing visible in the pitch-black surroundings, he couldn’t tell what was changing.
Suddenly—
The floor beneath his feet collapsed, and he felt weightless.
Falling...?
Startled, he quickly tried to regain his posture and prepare himself.
—Who are you?
A strange voice rang out in his mind. The sense of floating vanished, and a new space opened before him.
In the center of a space filled with darkness, radiant light poured down from above, revealing a lavish golden throne.
Seated languidly upon it was a middle-aged man.
A golden crown.
Golden armor adorned with jewels of all five colors.
An ornate staff crafted with exquisite detail.
Between the hands resting on the staff, golden eyes glead like a beast’s.
The pinnacle of extravagance. Yet, rather than feeling excessive, it suited him eerily well.
Arthur clenched his teeth as he stared at the figure before him. He had never seen him before, but just from the atmosphere, one being ca to mind.
Makibeldor, the King of Greed.
An absolute being who existed beyond the borders of this world had summoned Arthur.
But how?
Arthur instinctively looked at the bracelet on his wrist.
An artifact that allowed absolute spatial connection, regardless of distance.
It was a gift Azonne had received from none other than Makibeldor.
‘Don’t tell ... was the “Sanctuary of Shadows” part of Makibeldor’s domain?’
If his guess was correct, then this space now belonged to Makibeldor.
“This is the worst-case scenario...”
He never imagined he’d face an absolute being here—especially the one who supported Azonne. What made it worse was Makibeldor’s nature: greed incarnate.
As he gazed up at Arthur, a smile crept across Makibeldor’s lips. It was anything but friendly.
—I don’t want to ask the sa question twice.
Makibeldor straightened his back and looked down at Arthur, snapping his fingers lightly.
Snap—
“Ghh!”
A horrible pain pierced Arthur’s heart, as if soone was crushing it in their fist.
—Who are you? How did a re human kill my contractor?
Snap— Snap—
Makibeldor snapped again, and Arthur coughed blood and collapsed. It reminded him of the Greedy Arbiter technique Azonne had used.
The pain was just like that—his heart felt as if it were being torn to pieces. If Makibeldor was the true “arbiter,” it explained the similarity.
“...I, I... kuhh!”
He tried to speak, but each ti, Makibeldor silenced him with another snap, tornting him with unbearable pain.
Eventually, Makibeldor reclined on his throne again and sneered, prompting Arthur to tightly shut his mouth.
He was being tortured purely for amusent—the man had never intended to listen in the first place.
This perverse tendency... it resembled Azonne. Or rather, had Azonne taken after Makibeldor?
—Already giving up? I thought soone who killed my contractor would have sothing interesting. What a waste of precious gold.
Even an absolute being couldn’t summon soone from another realm without a price.
—Still, I paid in gold, so I should take sothing in return.
Makibeldor slowly rose from the throne and approached Arthur, who was writhing in pain.
And then—
[Break the wall.]
“What...?”
[You must break the wall to survive.]
Retonicalus’s urgent voice echoed in his mind as his consciousness dimd.
Break the wall?
He didn’t understand.
But there was nothing Arthur could do against this absolute being.
Break the wall...
How?
[You need permission.]
“...Permission??”
At that mont, Makibeldor reached Arthur’s side.
For so reason, unlike before, his gaze now carried a hint of curiosity.
—Doesn’t seem like you’re just talking to yourself. Do you have a contractor? Depending on the na, I might spare you.
Makibeldor stepped on Arthur’s head. Arthur glared up at the King of Greed with a face twisted like a demon.
“...You son of a bitch.”
—What...?
In that instant—
Flash—
.....!
Makibeldor flinched and stepped back. A chilling sensation unlike anything he’d felt before.
Looking ahead, Arthur was now on his feet, staggering like a puppet. A mont later, as he lifted his head, his eyes glowed bright red.
“Ggeaaahhh!”
With Arthur’s scream, sothing inside his mind snapped.
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