Chapter 181
Kay's face turned pale at Zeke's words.
She wanted to say something, but Zeke, who was standing in front of her, covered her mouth, preventing her from speaking.
Zeke continued in a cold voice,
"Kay, I never forgive traitors."
"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"
Kay struggled violently, trying to say something.
But Zeke, with a cold expression, tightened his grip on Kay's shoulder and injected Hydra's poison.
Ssssss-
Hydra's poison seeped into Kay's body, paralyzing her nerves.
Kay's eyes were bloodshot as she trembled.
She could feel her body stiffening, starting from her fingertips.
Zeke didn't stop there and used the lightning skill on her as well.
Crackle!
Electricity flowed into Kay's body through the chains.
Kay trembled in pain, but Zeke didn't stop and intensified the electric shock.
Crackle!
The electricity surged through Kay's body.
That's when it happened.
Zeke's eyes gleamed.
'Found it.'
He had found the parasite cleverly hidden inside Kay's body.
He increased the output of the electric shock and focused on burning the parasite.
Crackle!
The parasite attached to her body couldn't withstand the electric shock and squirmed, trying to escape.
But Zeke didn't let the parasite escape.
He increased the output of the electric shock even further and concentrated on burning the parasite.
Crackle!
The parasite, hit by Hydra's poison and the electric shock, desperately tried to escape Kay's body.
Crack!
As the parasite tried to break through the skin and escape, Zeke's movements became frantic.
He had to kill the parasite before it completely emerged.
Crackle!
As he concentrated the electric shock, the parasite, just before breaking through the skin, was scorched black and completely killed.
Zeke, after confirming that the parasite had completely stopped moving, finally relaxed his tense expression.
He sighed and took out a dagger, cutting Kay's skin near her shoulder.
Then he pulled out the parasite, limp and dead.
He placed the dead parasite in a prepared glass bottle and sealed it.
Then he quickly took out Agamemnon's mask and used the power of purification.
Tsssss-
A golden aura flowed from Zeke's hand, purifying Kay's body.
The power completely eradicated even the remnants of the parasite that were attached to her body.
Zeke finally released the chains and healed Kay's body.
"Gasp!"
Kay opened her eyes, taking a deep breath as if she had come back to life.
She got up and shouted at Zeke angrily,
"We made an oath! How could I betray you?!"
Zeke nodded at Kay.
"I know. Thanks to that, I was able to find the traitor."
He showed her the parasite he had extracted from her body.
Kay was horrified to see the grotesque parasite in the glass bottle.
"Wh-what is that?"
"I told you. The traitor. This was staying in your body and stealing information."
"What? How is that possible?"
As she said, it was beyond common sense.
Even Kay, who operated in the underworld where all sorts of methods were employed, had never heard of implanting parasites in the body to steal information.
Zeke returned to his seat and clicked his tongue as he looked at the parasite in the glass bottle.
"It's the work of those Narak bastards. It's not a creature of the physical realm. They must have summoned a creature from the demon world and used all sorts of black magic to create this."
Zeke mentioned that the youngest disciple of the Murderous Blade also had this kind of parasite in his body.
Kay shook her head and sighed.
"Oh my god. Even in the Murderous Blade... Those Narak bastards. Just what kind of people are they?"
"They're involved with Abel, Siemens, and even the Empire. At first, I thought they were just an unknown black magic clan, but it seems they're bigger than I thought."
Kay looked at the dead parasite and asked Zeke,
"When did that thing get into my body?"
"There are many ways. They could have put parasite seeds in food or implanted it through contact."
"That's true... But it could be implanted in others besides me, right?"
"I gave out various pieces of information and checked where the leak was coming from. At first, I suspected Paynun, but after checking, it wasn't him. You were the only one left, Kay... As you said, we made an oath, so I knew you couldn't have betrayed me."
Kay breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's a relief. I almost got branded a traitor for nothing."
"Don't worry, I knew you wouldn't betray me."
Zeke knew Kay well, as they had a connection from his previous life.
The biggest reason she was able to become the Empress of the Underworld was that, unlike others, she trusted her comrades.
For Zeke, who had been betrayed by his comrades several times, Kay's trust felt burdensome at first.
However, after realizing her sincerity, he also opened up to her.
Although they weren't romantically involved, they were practically the only friends who could confide in each other.
Zeke looked at Kay and said,
"Kay, from now on, you're dead."
Kay looked surprised at his words, then slowly nodded.
"You mean we'll deceive the enemies by making them think I was eliminated as a traitor?"
"Yes. The Syndicate is one of the core pillars of my forces. Seeing the parasite dead, they'll think I purged you. I think it's a good opportunity to reorganize the Syndicate."
After Don Juan's death and the absorption of the McCain Cartel, the Syndicate had grown rapidly.
Fortunately, Kay was leading the organization well, but the problem was that as the Syndicate grew, covert operations inevitably became more difficult.
Following the Nostra clan, Red Eye, and Crosstel, the Syndicate also began to be recognized as a large organization.
As the organization grew, its activities could become restricted.
Kay, the boss of the Syndicate, was also concerned about this, so she agreed with Zeke's words.
"I understand what you mean. So how are you going to reorganize the organization?"
"Let's minimize our influence in the Central Continent and move our base to the south. I'll also have the Cusco Kingdom absorb the McCain Cartel's forces."
Kay was surprised by Zeke's words.
"The kingdom will absorb the cartel's forces?"
"Even after the McCain and Pavela Cartels disappeared, small and medium-sized cartels are still rampant. To regain its strength, the Cusco Kingdom needs to stabilize the Southern Continent."
"As long as Soma is produced in the Southern Continent, the cartels won't disappear."
"It'll be difficult to eliminate them all at once from the beginning. I'm not thinking of getting rid of Soma itself. It's an important livelihood for the people of the Southern Continent. Once the Cusco Kingdom stabilizes, we'll control the Soma farms, produce it as medicine, and sell it. As I said before, if Soma can be used as a medical ingredient instead of a drug, its value will increase. The research is taking longer than expected, but there will be results."
"That's true. But... will that really be possible?"
"Kay, I'm entrusting this to you because I trust you."
Kay was flustered as her heart pounded at Zeke's words of trust.
It was the first time her heart had ever fluttered at the words of a man younger than herself.
'Get a grip. Get a grip.'
It was Kay's principle to never let personal feelings interfere with work.
She pulled herself together and nodded.
"Alright. Then I'll go to Cusco for a while."
"Good. Let's minimize the activities of all Syndicate organizations for the time being and spread information as if there's internal discord."
If Abel and Narak thought there was something wrong with the Syndicate, one of Zeke's forces, they were likely to seize the opportunity and attack first.
Zeke intended to use that attack to his advantage.
'No matter what they do, I'll counter them.'
Zeke's eyes gleamed sharply.
***
Thud, thud-
The carriage carrying William Siemens stopped in front of the Siemens main house.
An old mansion located deep in the mountains.
William got off the carriage and looked up at the mansion after a long time.
It was small for the main house of the Siemens family, the most powerful bloodline allied with the Drake family.
William entered the main house and went down the basement stairs, guided by a servant.
After descending for a while, William had to wait.
Soon, the iron door in front of him opened, and surprisingly, a portal magic circle was installed inside.
The true main house of the Siemens family existed beyond this portal.
William stood on the portal magic circle.
Soon, a red light emerged from the magic circle.
Woooong!
As the portal activated, William held his breath for a moment.
Whoosh!
The energy surrounding him disappeared, and when William opened his eyes, the scenery had changed.
The space, with old relief murals engraved on the walls, was dimly lit by mana lamps installed throughout.
William caught his breath, stepped off the magic circle, opened the door, and came out.
A labyrinthine corridor, built long ago like an ancient ruin, appeared.
Even William, a direct descendant of the Siemens family, didn't know the exact location or the overall structure of this labyrinth.
Only the head of the Siemens family knew the secret of this labyrinth.
William started walking to meet the head of the family, who was preparing for his baptism.
But just then, a figure in a black robe slid out from the darkness.
He bowed to William and said,
"Master Abel is calling for you."
Abel was also in this labyrinth, undergoing training for the day of his baptism.
For Abel to summon him while he should be busy preparing for his baptism meant something was wrong.
William hesitated for a moment, then followed the robed figure towards Abel's location.
The paths in the labyrinth changed constantly according to a set time.
Therefore, if someone who didn't know the rules entered, they could never escape.
William followed the guide, walking for a long time before finally reaching the sanctuary where Abel was staying.
The robed figure opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, a strong smell of blood wafted from inside.
"William, come in."
Abel was standing naked in a huge bathtub located in the center of the sanctuary.
Surprisingly, the bathtub he was standing in was filled with red blood.
Abel slowly stepped out of the blood bath.
Red blood dripped from his sculpted body.
Soon, servants approached and wiped Abel's body.
Wearing a light gown, he offered William a seat.
Servants brought wine and glasses to the table.
"Would you like a drink?"
William shook his head.
Abel shrugged and wet his throat with blood-red wine.
William looked at Abel and spoke,
"Abel, I know you're busy preparing for the ceremony... but I have something to say about Zeke Drake."
Abel smirked and replied,
"What a coincidence. I have something to say about Zeke too."
Abel put down his wine glass and said,
"I've already heard that Dario testified in court."
William was surprised at his words.
Even though he was in the labyrinth, cut off from the outside world, he already knew everything.
William was once again reminded that Abel's influence within Siemens was stronger than his own, despite being a direct descendant of the family.
'Is this the difference in our class?'
This was why William had given up on competing with Abel when he was young.
William, who was level-headed and intelligent, realized early on the insurmountable gap between himself and Abel.
So he decided to become Abel's first vassal and most trusted friend.
And that choice was right.
Abel had the ambition to swallow not only the Drake family but also the Empire, and he had the class to match it.
William felt a sense of awe and fear at the same time as he watched Abel gradually transcend human limitations.
Abel looked at William and spoke,
"The Rat was caught by Zeke."
William's face hardened.
"What do you mean?"
Abel snapped his fingers, and the robed figure brought something.
It was a glass bottle, and inside, a parasite was lying limp and dead.
It was from the same egg as the parasite implanted in Kay's body.
The way it worked was that when the parasite implanted in the body sent information, the paired parasite would tap on the glass wall to signal and relay the information.
Abel looked at the dead parasite and said,
"After analyzing the last signal it sent, it seems Zeke eliminated that woman. He fried her with electricity. Branded her a traitor. Thanks to that, the Rat in her body died as well."
"He already noticed?"
"I told you. Zeke is not ordinary. He's more thorough and fearsome than Cali."
Abel clicked his tongue, took a sip of wine, and smiled.
"But this time, it seems Zeke made a misstep. He killed that woman Kay too hastily."
William responded to Abel's words,
"You mean her death will create a rift in the Syndicate?"
Abel nodded and got up from his seat.
"The Syndicate was Zeke's eyes and ears. And it was that woman Kay's ability that allowed him to maintain that power."
He placed a hand on William's shoulder and said,
"The poison of betrayal is more fatal than you think. Having eliminated the person he trusted most with his own hands, Zeke will no longer be able to trust anyone."
"The organization will crumble from within."
"Yes, it will crumble like a sandcastle built in haste."
Abel gave a cruel smile.
"Now is the perfect opportunity to destroy my youngest brother, William."
He whispered in William's ear,
"Let's lure him in this time and crush him completely."