In front of the door to Cadis Eros's room.
The bearded man stared viciously at Kisho, who had appeared in front of him yet again. He spat on the ground, his face ferocious:
"Kid, how many times is this today that I've seen you?!"
He sneered, his voice carrying bone-chilling killing intent: "Which side sent you?! Are you fucking tired of living?!"
"But whatever, I don't even care who sent you anymore." The bearded man waved his hand, and the other three ordinary bodyguards slowly closed in, sandwiching Kisho together with the dining cart he had pushed over in the middle.
"You'll die right here!"
Kisho's gaze swept across the faces of the men closing in on him. Without changing his expression, he said calmly,
"I truly have something very important to discuss with Elder Cadis—extremely important. If you don't let me finish, and something goes wrong, I doubt you'll be able to bear that responsibility."
"If you've got something to say, say it now! If not, get the hell out!"
The bearded man slowly clenched his fists.
"Who the hell do you think you are, worthy of meeting the elder? Little brats like you who want to skyrocket in one step—I kill hundreds of you every year!"
"Then how about this?"
Kisho glanced at the three people surrounding him and, still expressionless, made a "sincere" suggestion:
"Why don't you go ask Elder Eros whether he knows someone by the name of Mire Eros."
He smiled. "What if Elder Eros really does know him? If this gets delayed, you'll be in trouble too, won't you?"
At the sound of the name "Mire Eros," the bearded man's movements halted.
He stared darkly at Kisho, signaling the other three to keep an eye on him, then turned and walked to the door, pulled it open, and went inside.
A moment later, the bearded man returned, standing at the doorway and saying viciously,
"The elder says you can go in."
Kisho cast a contemptuous glance at the people blocking his way, signaling them to get lost. He gave the bearded man a slanted look and walked into the room.
Provoked to fury, the bearded man cursed under his breath, but still carefully closed the door.
Kisho's gaze fell upon the young man sitting on the bed inside the room.
Although this young man's appearance was completely different from Amos's, both of them had chestnut-colored hair and black eyes.
Kisho met his gaze, then silently looked away, reciting his name in his heart: "Cadis Eros."
'He is… Amos's older brother.'
Cadis likewise looked Kisho up and down, curling his lips with interest as he slowly walked to a spot barely a meter away from Kisho.
"I heard from Jobert that you know the whereabouts of my younger brother who ran away from home?"
Kisho pretended to be flustered and afraid to meet his eyes, lowering his head.
"…That's right. I know him, and I've learned his identity. He is your—"
"That's great." Before he could finish, Cadis clapped his hands. "Then tell me quickly. My younger brother doesn't really submit to my guidance as his elder brother and ran away on his own. I've been worried about him for a long time."
Kisho lowered his voice. "…If I tell you, what can you give me?"
Cadis stared at Kisho with a smile, but the words he spoke sent a chill through the heart.
The corners of his mouth lifted.
"I can spare your life."
Kisho: "…"
He trembled slightly, returning silence at just the right moment.
"What right does a lowly outskirt trash like you have to bargain with me?" Cadis lowered his voice.
"Or should I hand you over to Jobert for some proper hospitality before you're willing to talk?"
A look of hesitation appeared on Kisho's face. As if after a difficult inner struggle, he finally spoke haltingly:
"All right…"
He raised his head, as though having made up his mind.
"I'll tell you Mire Eros's location. If you go now, you might still be able to find him."
"Excellent." Satisfaction showed in Cadis's eyes as he stared at Kisho and walked toward him. "Then speak. I'll decide, based on your answer, whether you live or die, and how you die."
Kisho was silent for a moment, then said, "The last time I saw Mire Eros was at—"
Kisho deliberately drew out his words slightly, then paused right at the critical point.
Cadis was extremely displeased by the pause and abruptly stepped closer.
"Where is he?"
Kisho lifted his head, hooked his lips, and smiled. "Right behind you—"
Cadis's pupils instantly dilated to their largest. He heard a loud "bang." Behind him, an entire wall shattered like it was made of paper, rubble flying everywhere.
...
While everyone was in a meeting, Kisho had slipped into the neighboring room under the pretext of "cleaning." He spent half an hour using rock-type Nen to dismantle the internal structure of the wall. That section of wall looked intact from the outside, but was actually like sand, easily kicked apart by Amos, whose strength was not particularly great.
All of it was for this moment—
The thunderous crash behind him, combined with the answer he heard from Kisho, made Cadis instinctively turn his head.
He saw a boy in a deep purple suit. Amid flying rubble and decorations falling from the wall, the figure lunged out from next door. In a flash, he was already right in front of him.
The boy looked at him with smiling eyes, lightly bit his small fang, the corners of his lips lifting as he greeted him: "Long time no see, big brother."
Cadis stared at him in disbelief, his brain overloaded to the point of freezing.
Yet in the instant of his daze, he felt an unbearable, searing pain surge from his back.
Kisho's fist, wrapped in Nen fire, broke through the aura protecting Cadis and sent him spitting a mouthful of blood, staggering forward.
It was the boy who had been standing behind him—
Cadis's pupils shrank violently. His brain reacted: this was a premeditated assassination—but it was already too late.
The intense pain made it impossible for him to adjust his falling body, and he could no longer spare the focus to gather his Nen again for a counterattack. He could only watch helplessly as the so-called younger brother he had never once taken seriously walked straight up to him, flipped his wrist, and without the slightest hesitation or pause, plunged the dagger into his heart.
Cadis slowly lowered his head, watching blood gush out in streams, dyeing the hand that gripped the dagger a deep red—still unable to believe it, still unable to understand it.
Why had everything turned into this in an instant?
He raised his head again to meet Amos's eyes, staring at his "younger brother." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but with that movement, a large mouthful of blood poured out, blocking everything he wanted to say.
In the end, the words Cadis never managed to speak condensed into a thin, self-mocking smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
Amos pulled the dagger out and took half a step back. With a dull "thump," Cadis's corpse fell to the floor.
He did not even glance at it. Instead, he stared viciously at Kisho, anger surfacing on his face as he said,
"Why didn't you kill him directly? Didn't I give you a weapon?"
Kisho froze. "—He was your enemy. Shouldn't he have been left for you to deal with personally?"
"Idiot, where did you learn that twisted logic?" Veins bulged on Amos's forehead. "As long as he can be killed, who does it makes no difference!"
Kisho had no reply and shrugged.
Meanwhile, the people guarding outside had already arrived at the noise.
When they saw Elder Cadis lying in a pool of blood, intense shock and fury showed in their eyes.
Yet not a single one rushed forward to deal with these two assassins—who didn't look like assassins at all—to seek justice for the dead elder. After all, the man was already dead. No matter how much they tried to curry favor, there would be no benefit to gain.
Moreover, the elder Cadis, whose authority had weighed heavily on them, had died right beside them. Who knew whether it was these two kids who killed him, or some hidden figure lurking in the shadows?
No one would be foolish enough to stand up for a dead man at a time like this.
Amos's gaze swept across the crowd as he slowly straightened up and spoke:
"Since you were all brought here to attend the meeting by my brother, you should all know about me."
The crowd remained silent.
"Regarding the death of the former elder Cadis Eros, I feel very regretful." Amos shrugged, as if he truly felt regret.
But in the next moment, he smiled. "So now, I, Mire Eros, will inherit his position."
He spoke on his own, not seeking permission, but announcing a decision.
The silent crowd wore different expressions, each harboring different thoughts.
Amos's gaze passed over their faces as he spoke indifferently:
"Everyone, the West District is already very chaotic. If it becomes even more chaotic, then what you can obtain, and what you already possess, will all be affected, won't it?"
The crowd: "…"
Amos's words struck right at their weak spot—who became elder didn't matter, but having their own interests affected was absolutely unacceptable!
Amos smiled. "If you're still willing to continue serving the Eros family, then all existing powers will remain unchanged. I can swear on the Eros family name."
The crowd looked up in astonishment, their faces openly showing surprise and delight.
With Elder Cadis already dead, even if they returned to the West District, they would be labeled as failures and deserters who failed to protect the elder, and would surely be attacked by others in the West District taking advantage of the situation.
It would be better to change allegiance. After all, both were members of the Eros family, and this one was just a kid—certainly easier to deal with than the previous one.
Thinking this way, the crowd one after another lowered their heads toward Amos in apparent submission.
"Your subordinate is naturally willing to continue serving the Eros family."
"That's great." Amos curled his lips and thought for a moment. "Hmm, I wonder where Mr. Raul has gone?"
"Mr. Raul went to inspect the vehicles for tomorrow's return trip."
The bearded man, Jobert, spoke up first.
"So he's not here. What a pity. In that case, there's no need to let him take part in what comes next."
Amos said regretfully, "After all, Mr. Raul has been in office since the elder before last. It's about time he retired."
As his words fell, subtle changes appeared on the faces of those in the room.
In the silence, the Nen user who had been hiding in the shadows all along finally spoke:
"Your subordinate understands. I'll go handle it right away."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Mr. Raul's duties will also be taken over by you from now on."
A barely concealed look of joy appeared on the man's face as he hurriedly left.
Amos then looked at the bearded man.
"Mr. Jobert, for matters I'm not in a position to explain personally next, I'll have to trouble you to explain them on my behalf."
A glimmer of light flashed through Jobert's dim eyes, darkened by having missed his chance. He nodded in acknowledgment. "Understood, Lord Eros."
There was no trace of impatience left on his face as he ingratiated himself.
"My lord, would you care to move to another room to rest? We'll take care of things here."
Hearing the way he addressed him, Amos first froze, then let out a cold laugh. Yet it was hard to tell whether it was a mocking laugh or a pleased one.
His gaze shifted to Kisho's face. Kisho noticed and met his eyes, blinking at him.
Amos smiled.
The heart that had been left hanging, feeling too unreal because the plan had succeeded, finally settled at that moment.
To obtain what he wanted, he had to lose something—but fortunately, he had not lost what he cherished most.