"Ugh…"
With a muffled groan, Flame of Impure Ardor's eyes rolled back, his consciousness rapidly fading amidst the intense pain.
He crumpled like a puppet with cut strings, his twin blades clattering to the ground.
Han Sen effortlessly lifted the unconscious ninja with one hand, slinging him over his shoulder as easily as carrying a small chicken.
He glanced around; aside from the Vest Vegetarian Faction member still unconscious on the ground, there were no other survivors.
The demonic, pitch-black figure flashed, instantly vanishing into the shadows.
The abandoned unfinished building returned to its usual tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.
...
...
Z City.
Underground, the Monster Association's lowest level.
With a dull thud, a dark figure was carelessly thrown onto the cold marble floor, rolling two messy turns and emitting a barely audible groan of pain before falling still.
In the darkness, Great Eyes' massive, pinkish-purple body slowly emerged. Its large, bloodshot single eye stared incomprehensibly at the almost unrecognizable figure on the ground, and three question marks slowly appeared above its head.
???
Heavy footsteps echoed on the cold marble floor. Through Great Eyes' perspective, Psykos, in the underground secret room, looked at the slowly approaching pitch-black figure and couldn't help but frown: "Bug God, what is this?"
Han Sen, back in his Monster form, clapped his hands as if he had just discarded a large bag of trash, then bowed slightly with an unusually respectful posture: "My Lord, I have not failed your trust."
"I brought the newcomer back; the one lying on the ground is him."
Psykos: "..."
Convex Convex
In the underground secret room, Psykos felt a vein throbbing on her forehead, a mouthful of complaints stuck in her chest, unsure where to begin.
Great Eyes was silent for a moment, its Dio-like voice sounding slightly weak, yet with a hint of gritted teeth, saying: "I asked you to bring back a new powerful combatant, not a dead person."
Han Sen: I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!
"My Lord, please don't be angry! It's no wonder you misunderstood; indeed, this subordinate did not handle it properly."
Psykos: ???
(゜-゜)?
As soon as Han Sen spoke, he sounded like an old schemer, causing Psykos, behind the scenes, to shiver unexpectedly.
"...You speak properly!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
Han Sen immediately lifted his foot and lightly kicked Flame of Impure Ardor, who was playing dead on the ground, explaining: "This guy isn't dead, he's perfectly fine. It's just that the external injuries look scary, and this subordinate has repeatedly confirmed this on the way back."
Just as Psykos was about to explode, Han Sen didn't give her a chance to speak. Instead, he preemptively complained: "Great Eyes, My Lord, you don't know! This subordinate went out on this mission, enduring wind and rain, working diligently, and narrowly escaped death!"
"It's all because this guy was committing crimes everywhere, and this subordinate only tracked him down almost at the last minute!"
Psykos: "..."
Alright, I believe it.
Great Eyes tilted its head, a look on its face that said, "Let's see what other stories you can cook up."
Han Sen naturally followed suit, continuing righteously: "And his current half-dead state is entirely his own fault; you can't blame me!"
"What's more, this guy almost caused a huge problem for the Association!"
Seeing him speak so seriously, Psykos became somewhat interested, her tone softening: "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Han Sen didn't exaggerate, simply concisely recounting what happened at the unfinished building, especially the appearance of the Vest Vegetarian Faction, Flame of Impure Ardor almost leaking the Monster Association's intelligence, and his own decisive handling of the situation.
"My Lord, as you know, that Vest Hero is a member of the Vest Army, the subordinate of S-Class Hero Vest Sage."
"Killing him would be equivalent to directly provoking an S-Class Hero of the Hero Association, and one known for being extremely protective of his subordinates."
"This subordinate judged that the Monster Association is not yet ready for an all-out war with the Hero Association."
"...Therefore, to consider the overall situation and avoid unnecessary escalation of trouble, I could only slightly 'educate' this newcomer, to make him understand what organizational discipline is, and what respect for seniors means."
Han Sen concluded his statement with righteous indignation, his words conveying—
Loyalty!!
Psykos: "..."
Putting aside everything else, indeed no one in the entire Monster Association understands "respect for seniors" better than you.
(First Generation Bug God: Yes, they respect them so much the grass on their graves is three feet high, they don't even have a number anymore!)
However, just like several times in the past, Psykos still couldn't find any fault with Han Sen's logical reasoning regarding this matter.
After all, from the results, he indeed stood on the side of the Association, defusing a conflict that could have erupted prematurely.
"Now is indeed not the best time for an all-out war with the Hero Association."
Great Eyes' single eye gazed at Han Sen, with a hint of complexity in its look: "On this matter, you... did well."
See, she still has to praise me!
Han Sen lowered his eyes submissively, but didn't miss the opportunity, immediately climbing the ladder: "Then, My Lord, since I have averted trouble for the Association, shouldn't there be some substantial reward?"
Psykos: "..."
No expression could be seen on the pitch-black mask, but the fierce older sister behind Great Eyes could tell with her toes how brilliant the smile in this guy's heart must be.
Damn it... This bastard, he really doesn't let go of any benefits!
In the silence, a light blue Psychokinesis suddenly rose and moved towards Han Sen.
Han Sen didn't know Psykos's intention, but he didn't sense any killing intent, and the strength of this Psychokinesis was indeed limited.
"Relax."
Great Eyes' Dio-like voice sounded again: "As everyone knows, I can help other Monsters determine their disaster level. Didn't you say before you left that you had touched the threshold of Dragon-level? Let me see how much you've grown in the past week."
Han Sen suddenly understood upon hearing this. He stood calmly in place, allowing the pure Psychokinesis to completely envelop him.
"Oh ho ho ho ho~~"
Before long, a sharp villainous laugh rang out: "I originally thought that after becoming a Demon-level Monster, your growth rate would slow down accordingly."
"I didn't expect that in just one week, you have already surpassed your former predecessors and reached the peak of Demon-level Monsters."
"You are only one step away from that true boundary."
Feeling the Psychokinesis covering his entire body recede like a tide, Han Sen offered a humble yet flattering remark: "That is because of My Lord's careful cultivation and great favor, providing ample resources and trust. Only then was this subordinate barely able to live up to My Lord's expectations!"
"Oh ho ho ho ho~~ You certainly know how to talk." Great Eyes chuckled for a while, then mused, "In that case, it would be truly unreasonable not to reward you."
"How about this, I will apply to Lord Orochi again to additionally reward you with ten days' worth of Monster Cell."
"For the next period, focus on improving your strength. I hope that when we meet next time, the Monster Association will have another true Dragon-level cadre!"
Hiss—
Han Sen secretly took a sharp breath, causing the temperature in the palace to drop by a degree or two.
Indeed!
When a rich woman makes a move, you know it!
At this stage, Psykos is truly his biggest angel investor, the undisputed S-Class Rich Woman, without a doubt!
King...
Let's not contact each other for now. I'm afraid Psykos might misunderstand!!