Chapter 676 Two Sides Of Madness
There was silence on both ends.
On one side were the Otherworlders known as deserters—the ones who abandoned the Royal Estate and the selfless cause to save humanity. Their true status was, naturally, not known to the public… but that didn't matter here.
Lyvia, Byron, Devin, Cayden, and their leader Felicia, all sat on a particularly large and comfortable sofa. The exquisite design of the furniture only reflected the extravagant state of the lounge they occupied. The carpets were made of only the best of materials, and the walls were adorned with only the most elegant designs.
The chandelier glowed with sheer beauty, and everything oozed luxury.
The Otherworlders seemed to be using all their strength to restrain themselves from reacting to the scenery around them. Even the Nobles didn't have lounges that was so well-designed and ozed a taste of perfection.
Before them was a table of pure glass—almost shining like diamonds—and on the other side of the table were the people the Otherworlders had to deal with.
The man who sat comfortably on the sofa was a stranger—one they hadn't seen before.
He had dark ebony skin, with white hair and crimson eyes. There was something exotic, nearly forbidden, about his countenance. Even though he had a smile on his face, malice seemed to seep out of the mask.
Standing behind him was Rebal Blanc, the purported leader of the Reaper Group.
Now that they had finally encountered the true mastermind behind the Reaper Group, and knew of the sinister plans they had under wraps, the Otherworlders knew the one who sat before them was the real deal.
There was a reason why he was the one seated and Rebal merely stood.
That wasn't all, though.
Kneeling at the man's feet were two exotic-looking women—naked and in chains. They looked filthy and absolutely disheveled. Their horns stood out from their dirty hair, and their tails slithered on the carpet. Their soft-looking bodies were sullied by dirt of some kind, and their necks were tightly cuffed with chokers that had chains linked to them. Like dogs, they were placed on leashes, and the one who had control over their chains was the seated man.
He was their Master, and they were absolutely submissive to him.
"We meet at long last, Otherworlders. Names are unnecessary, so I will skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point."
Each word the man spoke carried authority.
The Otherworlders, despite supposedly being much stronger than the humans of this world, found themselves increasingly wary of this man.
Perhaps it was how he spoke… the way he carried himself… it was reminiscent of one who had absolute power and confidence at his disposal.
It also didn't help that he had two Dragons on his leash.
Felicia and her friends still found it a mystery as to how he was able to capture the Dragons, but they reckoned now wasn't the moment to indulge in their curiosity.
They had chosen to enter into the rabbit hole of conspiracy in order to further push their own plans, and now they were in too deep to have second thoughts.
The Otherworlders, allied with the Reaper Group, were going take over the entire United Human Aliance.
"I trust that Rebal here has already given you the brief rundown on what we intend to do. I will go over things in greater detail, but only after we sign an arrangement of non-disclosure and non-interference. If, after hearing everything, you still refuse to join hands with us… then I need to be sure you won't ruin things for our end."
All things considered, the man's words made sense.
His caution was befitting of someone of his caliber, and the condition he was imposing was even mild considering just how much leverage he possessed.
Felicia stole one glance at her friends and they all exchanged nods.
So far… things were looking good.
"Excellent! Since we're all on the same page, let's get the whole paperwork done so we can finally get to the juicy bits!" He exclaimed with such aggressive grace, yet tender intensity that seemed contradictory… but strangely perfect.
All through this while, everything seemed to become a blur.
Still, even with everything that was happening, all of these deserters had one thought on their mind.
'We're going to use this opportunity and make a deal with the Reaper Group to get what we want. Once we no longer need them… we'll turn against them!'
Yes, this cliche logic was what ran through their inner layers.
And who could blame them?
Just as with what they had experienced with the Nobles of this world, and the lowlives they had to deal with to get to their current positions, this mentality seemed to work just fine.
And, with enough power and planning, they could actually achieve it.
'In the end, we're going to win!'
*************
"Seems like we've already won." Kat'erin grinned widely as she looked at the dazed audience around her and her partner, Shai'ya.
Everyone had fallen under the affliction of her [Dragon Voice]. Both the head of the Reaper Group, and the five Otherworlder Deserters, and even the incredibly attractive human Reta—though the latter was already under the Skill prior to this moment.
All of them were now Kat'erin's to command.
"Now, they'll do whatever we tell them to do, right? So we can tell them to simply destroy everyone and everything, right? Or to—"
"No, you idiot." Kat'erin chopped Shai'ya on the head before the latter could complete her naive-sounding suggestion. "It's not that simple."
The cute Dragon Girl made a cute shriek, holding her head as she stared at Kat'erin with a slightly betrayed look. Both of them soon burst out laughing, though.
There was no need to hold back in any way.
Everyone in the room was in a daze, so they could be free and true to themselves.
"None of these Otherworlders seem the least bit attractive, though. I would have expected them to have the same quality of appearance as Reta, but they're all ugly and filthy. Pfft… it's almost pathetic."
"Right? Still… they will be useful for the plan."
"Oh yeah! What's the plan again?" Shai'ya's airhead attitude surfaced as she cocked her head and looked at Kat'erin with curiosity.
The latter couldn't resist her sigh as she explained.
"We will have to consult the Master before we conclude on anything, but the most likely thing that will happen is to encourage them to go on with their plans so they can speed up the self-destruction of the Capital."
They didn't need to lay a single finger on the city itself, or even order the humans to do anything outside of their scope or intentions.
No… that would be a tad excessive.
"Since they're pretty much going to achieve something similar with their current plan, we just need to judge them a little…"
"Haha! As expected of you, Kat'erin… you figured it all out!"
"Pfft! Please, Shai'ya… I'm sure Master will have a more intricate plan than this in store once we inform her of the situation."
"True true. But you're still amazing, Kat'erin!"
"Awww! Thanks. I think you're amazing too." The two hugged after this, both their moods elevated by the current success they were experiencing with their mission.
What they both thought would be a series of boring and long investigations, due to their orders to remain lowkey and not cause any trouble, was now moving smoother than they had ever expected.
Even in the best of scenarios, things would not have aligned in such a perfect way.
"I guess we're just that good!" Kat'erin smiled as she nodded proudly at the whole situation.
More than anything she felt a sense of fulfillment.
'Master will be pleased!'
************
'Master will be pleased indeed…' Ater thought to himself as he watched the whole thing play out, his hands behind him.
The Otherworlders were signing something they thought to be a non-disclosure agreement, but was something completely different. They also had a particular air of false confidence around them that was particularly amusing.
Especially Felicia. The girl must have thought she had some measure of control or calculation over the entire scenario, but she couldn't be more wrong.
Her lackeys had the utmost faith in her, without realizing what kind of awful mistake they were making. She was leading them to the guillotine, and they gladly followed.
But what about the other side? The Dragons.
The two girls were celebrating like idiots. They had gleeful expressions on their faces, acting incredibly relaxed despite being surrounded by eyes.
This was because of their illusion, and Ater was aware of that, but he still found it funny that—despite being completely naked, filthy, and left in an utterly shameful state, they were being so cheerful.
As their breasts flapped around and their bodies smacked against each other, Ater's smile only broadened.
He ignored the appalled Rebal and allowed himself to sink into his own thoughts.
'Phase complete. Now it's time for the next one."