Beyond Netero was cautious, prudent, patient, cunning, and ruthless.
And even more greedy.
Decades ago, ignoring his father Netero's warnings, he secretly collaborated with "V5" to explore the Dark Continent.
The result was not only massive sacrifices but also bringing back a catastrophe.
He was utterly defeated.
But the word "surrender" never existed in his dictionary.
Seeing his refusal to give up, Netero placed a shackle on him, forbidding him from ever returning to the Dark Continent.
Only after Netero's death would this shackle be released.
Beyond did not resist Netero at the time.
Not because he didn't want to, but because he was simply no match for Netero back then.
So, bearing this seemingly unsolvable shackle, he came to the Kakin Empire, which had not yet undergone its transformation.
He lay dormant there, beginning a plan that would span several decades.
Around thirty years ago, the Kakin Empire underwent what was called the "most peaceful revolution in history," the Zhenlinguan Incident, transitioning from imperialism to democracy and removing the royal family's name from the country's title at that time.
Beyond was involved in this revolutionary event.
Through his contributions, he reached a mutually beneficial agreement with the Kakin Emperor, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou.
Thus, when the Kakin Empire restarted as a democratic nation, with Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's tacit approval, Beyond gradually accumulated fame under the slogan "Kakin Unifies the World" and gained the support of many fanatics.
It was from that time onward that Beyond, who had already infiltrated the core of Kakin's power, took the first step in his long-term plan.
He continuously sought out young high-ranking Kakin soldiers, arranged for them to enter into sham marriages, and then had children with these soldiers' fake wives.
In this way, the children born into these military families, who carried Beyond's bloodline, would be enrolled in the Royal Military Academy once they reached the appropriate age.
Most of those who graduated from the Royal Military Academy would become the personal guards of the princes.
The reason Beyond went to such great lengths was precisely because these descendants who carried his bloodline but knew nothing of the truth.
In his eyes, they were nothing more than pure curse-killing tools.
Living weapons tailor-made for the princes of the Kakin royal family.
To ensure his requirements were met, Beyond "manufactured" a large number of pawns (descendants).
All of this was in preparation for the future "Succession War" in Kakin.
For Beyond now, only two things mattered.
One was ensuring the start of the future "Succession War," and the other was removing the shackle Netero had placed on him.
In the process, he also recruited top-tier experts with various specialized skills.
Sawa was one of them.
"Twin Flower Crossing"
This was her Specialization ability.
One of its effects was that, under certain conditions, she could implant an invisible Flower Seed into a target.
When the target faced a life-threatening crisis, the Flower Seed would bloom, activating the ability.
Once the ability was activated, Sawa would bear the Limitation, sharing the fatal damage with the target.
Apart from this ability, the most practical function of Twin Flower Crossing was its capacity for transmission and storage.
This type of spatial ability is one of the essential conditions for exploring the Dark Continent.
The "Flower Seed" implanted by Sawa in Tserriednich had bloomed.
This indicated that Tserriednich had suffered a fatal blow.
Gurgle.
Blood suddenly streamed from the corner of Sawa's mouth, and her complexion visibly paled at a rapid pace.
Yet her expression remained unchanged.
Beyond's brows furrowed even deeper, and he immediately called out toward the room's entrance, "Summon Marione at once."
"Yes!"
A respectful reply came from outside the door, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps fading into the distance.
—--
Inside the room.
Blood continued to spill from the corner of Sawa's mouth, but her expression was unusually calm, her gaze indifferent as she looked ahead.
A mass of aura detached from her body, then slowly coalesced, soon materializing into a vibrant crimson flower bud.
Beyond's brows relaxed slightly, but his eyes grew even more terrifying.
He stared at the flower bud, watching as the tentacle-like red petals peeled away one by one, revealing the barely breathing Tserriednich inside.
"Although we were fully prepared..."
Beyond's right hand clenched the armrest beside him, and with just a gentle squeeze, the sturdy wooden frame shattered into dust in his palm.
"...seeing an unexpected occurrence still makes my heart race after so long."
He had spent decades laying the groundwork, secretly planting countless pieces on the board, all in anticipation of the "ship's departure" and the "Kakin Succession War."
Especially the succession war; it must begin "perfectly" and conclude "smoothly."
Only then could he seize this nation.
Unexpectedly, just as the "timing" was nearing maturity, one of the princes had encountered trouble at this critical juncture.
Tap, tap.
A soft footstep sounded outside the room.
A "child" with a short stature, large round eyes, and a mushroom cap covered in white spheres of varying sizes entered the room.
"Marione, heal Sawa."
Beyond stood up, glanced at the hastily arrived Marione, issued the order, and then immediately turned his attention to the severely injured Sawa.
"Sawa, send me and Marione to the 'event coordinates.'"
"Understood."
Sawa nodded slowly.
Event coordinates referred to the location where the Flower Seed had bloomed.
Beyond shifted his gaze slightly, sweeping over the barely conscious Tserriednich.
"After I leave, instruct Pariston to prepare for accelerating the plan. Tell him... I intend to prepare a nutrient package for that 'Chimera Ant Queen.'"
If his decades-long, meticulously laid plans with numerous hidden pieces were meant to seize the Kakin Empire, then the extraterrestrial creatures from the Dark Continent were his means to break free from his shackles.
Originally, he was in no hurry.
After all, he had waited for decades.
But the occurrence of this "incident" made him sense a hint of crisis.
To challenge the Dark Continent once more, he could not permit any variables to exist.
—--
The night in the wilderness was thick as ink.
Fate quietly turned its gears in the darkness.
In the back seat of the car, Morena tilted her head to gaze out the window at the deathly stillness of the night.
After waiting for an unknown length of time, Dogman's figure finally emerged from the darkness.
His leisurely, swaying demeanor suggested he was in no hurry to return.
"Hah."
The corners of Morena's lips had just curled into a faint smile, but it froze instantly when she clearly saw the approaching figure.
She saw Beyond, holding Dogman's head, walking steadily through the night toward her.
With each step he took, Dogman's limbs hung limp like rags, dragging swaying shadows across the moonlight.
"Waiting for him?"
Beyond flung Dogman toward the car with a casual toss.
Thump.
The body rolled to a stop against the vehicle's side.
Morena's face stiffened, but she quickly regained her composure.
She opened the car door and stepped out, her gaze sweeping over Dogman's lifeless form as she glanced down.
The night wind carried the scent of blood into her nostrils; it seemed to be the very smell of death.
Morena lifted her eyes to meet Beyond's.
Darkness churned in the depths of her gaze, yet her expression remained remarkably calm as she said, "Why would Kakin Empire's hero..."
"Shut up. I don't have the habit of listening to nonsense."
Beyond cut off Morena's words, digging in his ear with his little finger while glancing sideways into the darkness.
Morena's heart was instantly shrouded in gloom. Following Beyond's gaze, she too looked into the darkness.
In her vision, she could see a powerful, brilliant aura emerging from the shadows.
It was a girl wearing a flower hairband and a sailor uniform.
No, to be more precise, it was a mechanical girl.
"..."
Morena watched the formidable aura swirling around the mechanical girl, then lowered her gaze once more to Dogman's cold corpse.
Her eyes lingered on the body for a moment, breeding unwillingness in her heart.
"She's a Manipulation user, isn't she."
Morena sighed with what seemed like regret and pity, shifting her gaze to the mechanical girl before turning back to Beyond, speaking calmly: "And this is your capital for telling me to 'shut up.'"
"..."
Beyond didn't respond, looking at Morena as if she were an insect.
Perhaps because she realized escape from death was impossible, Morena suddenly stirred her aura, preparing for battle.
And her action was directly interpreted by Beyond as a signal.
Thus, Beyond abruptly opened all his aura nodes.
In the blink of an eye, a terrifyingly dense aura surged from his body.
Morena froze.
She had never witnessed such an overwhelming, astonishing scale of aura amount.
With just one glance, she found she couldn't muster any will to resist.
This was Kakin Empire's hero, a world-class powerhouse...
Beyond glanced at her.
Without making any movement, the aura swirling around him rippled with change.
The next moment, a spray of blood mist erupted without warning from Morena's waist.
There appeared a large, gaping wound in her flesh, looking as if it had been savagely torn by some unknown beast.
Only when the pain registered did Morena react with shocked realization.
Simultaneously, the mechanical girl named Marione had silently appeared behind Morena, preparing to use her Manipulation ability to extract information.
Morena had no means of resistance.
After a long while, Beyond's laughter echoed across this suburban wilderness.
"Your ability is quite interesting, but... destroying the world?"
Looking down at Morena's dazed eyes, Beyond said flatly: "Utterly boring."
Morena struggled to lift her eyelids with great effort, but the ensuing drowsiness made it impossible for her to keep her eyes open no matter how hard she tried.
She could only wait with unwillingness and resentment as darkness descended before her eyes, obscuring Beyond's figure from top to bottom.
—--
"Crack, crack..."
When Morena regained consciousness, a faint line of light began to pierce through the darkness before her eyes, while the sound of what seemed like chewing flesh echoed in her ears.
She tried to open her eyes.
The line of light instantly widened.
What met her gaze was an ant's head with human-like features.
Below that head, only a fragmented portion of a body remained...
Yet it was somehow still alive.
It was soaking in what appeared to be a nutrient fluid.
No, I am soaking in it too.
And this creature before me is eating me...
Morena stared fixedly at the chewing mandibles.