Fabian Russell shifted the gun in his hand, his fingers lingering on its cold surface before setting it on the table. “I’m not stupid, Zero. Whether you’re truly immortal or not, if I shoot, you’ll still find a way to kill me.”

Zero’s voice came as cold as the steel weapon. “If you don’t shoot, I’ll still have a way to kill you.”

The tension in the air thickened like a storm cloud.

So this is it. Fabian thought, his pulse quickening. He’s finally showing his hand.

“Zero,” Fabian pressed, his tone calculated, “since you’ve gone this far, you might as well lay it all bare. The previous four managers—how did they really die? You’re the only one who knows.”

He leaned forward, his words precise and sharp. “Let’s skip the games. Get to the point.”

Under the table, Fabian’s hand moved discreetly, activating a miniature recorder concealed in his sleeve.

Zero’s eyes flicked toward the subtle movement. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “My son used to enjoy tricks like that… back when he was thirteen.”

Despite noticing Fabian’s ploy, Zero sat down, making no effort to stop him.

“It seems I’ve cast too many lines into the water this time,” Zero mused, his voice low but unshaken. “By my estimation, they should’ve arrived yesterday. And now… it’s time to act.”

Bang!

The door to the meeting room flew open with a resounding crash.

Before Fabian or the others could react, a swarm of figures surged into the room, their movements blindingly fast, their presence suffused with an otherworldly menace.

A dozen forms, blood-red eyes glowing and fangs bared, stood before them. Claws gleamed like polished blades, and their breaths carried a predatory growl.

“Vampires?!” Fabian’s voice was a strangled whisper.

“How?!” Yun Gongmin gasped, his face pale with terror.

Zero remained motionless, his fingers interlaced before him. He didn’t so much as flinch at the vampires’ intrusion.

“Just like you,” Zero said, his tone casual as if discussing the weather, “I was gone for a single day. And like a pack of starving dogs circling their meal, they came sniffing around the moment their master turned his back.”

Yun’s voice broke with desperation. “You let the vampires in? Are you insane, Zero?!”

“You think you can use these monsters to kill us?” Fabian barked. “And what about you?!”

Before the question could hang in the air, a vampire moved. A mere blur, she appeared beside Zero in an instant.

She was strikingly beautiful—a statuesque woman with golden hair cascading over her shoulders, her crimson eyes alight with intelligence and deadly charm.

“Chief Zero,” she purred, her voice as smooth as silk. “A pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Shar Thiste. I’m a royal vampire.”

Zero extended his hand slowly, deliberately. His palm was an unnatural black, as if it had been consumed by decay or some insidious force.

Nestled within that hand was a metallic device that shimmered with a dangerous, thunder-silver hue.

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“Allow me to introduce you,” Zero said, his voice calm but charged with an edge. “This is our Kitsune experimental team’s latest creation: the Mithril Fragment Grenade. It’s still in the testing phase, so the power is... not what it could be.”

Shar’s confident demeanor faltered, her eyes fixed on the device in his hand.

He’s holding Mithril? Barehanded?

Her mind reeled. Is he mad?

Zero’s hand remained steady, the grenade poised like a silent promise.

And then, realization struck her—a grenade like that, even in its prototype stage, could unleash devastation. No one in this room would escape unscathed. Even a royal vampire like her wouldn’t walk away without her skin torn to ribbons.

Shar instinctively pushed her chair back, her voice trembling with a mix of urgency and caution. “Chief Zero, we only want to bring back the True Ancestor. For you, this might just be another mission—another order from the higher-ups. You don’t need to risk your life for this.”

She leaned forward, her gaze steady, trying to sway him. “Tell us where the True Ancestor is. If you cooperate, everyone will be at peace. No need for violence.”

Zero toyed with the Mithril Fragment Grenade in his hand, his eyes cold and calculating. “People, once they’ve learned certain truths, doing things becomes… easy.”

He paused, letting the words sink in, his eyes sweeping over Yun Gongmin and the others. “For instance, compromise. Once there’s a first time, there will be a second, a third, until finally, it becomes second nature to compromise.”

The undercurrent of his words didn’t escape them. Zero glanced at the others one last time before pulling the pin from the grenade.

“If I die, I’ll be going straight to hell. So please, go ahead of me. I’ll be there soon enough.”

It happened in an instant.

Shar didn’t hesitate. With blinding speed, she grabbed one of the vampires, shoving him forward to shield her from the blast.

Boom!

The grenade detonated with a thunderous roar. Mithril shards sliced through the air like a deadly storm, scattering in every direction.

The vampires screamed in agony as the shards struck them, their bodies turning black, white smoke curling from their skin. The pain was unbearable.

“Aaah!!” one vampire screamed, clutching his now-ash-covered hands.

Another fell to the floor, his body crumpling in an instant, his life snuffed out by the blast.

Fabian Russell and the others were not spared. Mithril fragments pierced their flesh, embedding themselves into their bodies. Though not immediately fatal, the pain was excruciating, and they knew the clock was ticking.

The poison would spread rapidly. If they didn’t remove the shards soon, their organs would rot from the corrosive metal.

Ten minutes. That was all they had before death came for them.

At the center of the explosion, Zero stood, his body pierced by countless shards, blood pouring from the wounds. He had been the closest to the blast. His form was a grotesque mess of torn flesh and exposed bone, yet he was still standing.

After what felt like an eternity, Shar, still reeling from the blast, dragged away the lifeless bodies of two fallen vampires.

“What a madman,” she muttered under her breath.

She turned to her remaining comrades. “Keep searching for the True Ancestor. Be careful of their Mithril weapons. If you encounter the ‘dog,’ run. Don’t hesitate.”

...

Outside Kitsune's Headquarters, in a towering skyscraper, Zero sat at ease, calmly preparing tea.

Beside him stood the Master of Flesh, his expression tense. Without warning, he spoke. “Chief, the clone is dead.”

Zero took a slow sip of tea, his demeanor unchanged. “As expected.”

Master of Flesh’s confusion was palpable. “Chief, I don’t understand. The clone—he could inherit your memories, yes, but they’re still independent lifeforms. They don’t just die because we tell them to.”

He hesitated, then pressed on. “Every living thing fears death. That’s the way of nature. The only way to stop it would be to implant an absolute loyalty imprint in the clone’s mind.”

Zero turned, meeting his gaze, the faintest smirk curling his lips. “Did you think the clone didn’t understand his mission? His death was a part of that mission. A clone of mine doesn’t need an imprint to know what must be done.”

Master of Flesh was still struggling to grasp the full picture. “But… if you were to die now, would the clone die with you?”

Zero’s eyes locked onto his. “As long as you don’t die, I won’t die. As long as you continue to exist, I’ll continue to exist. Even if that ‘Zero’ isn’t me.”

Master of Flesh was struck silent, his mind unraveling the implications of those words.

Zero was telling him that if the original Zero perished, he could simply create a new clone, one that would continue to lead the Kitsune. It didn’t matter if the new Zero lacked the abilities of the original—he would still sit in the seat of power.

If Zero himself ever became corrupted, Master of Flesh would simply kill him, erase his memories, and create another.

Master of Flesh’s thoughts were a whirlwind of terror. The implications of Zero’s plan were beyond his understanding.

To do this for humanity… It wasn’t mere willpower. It was madness, a kind of self-imposed hypnosis, an endless cycle of renewal.

Zero placed his teacup down with deliberate calm and then reached for a custom-made communicator.

“The big fish has taken the bait,” he said, his voice steady. “The troops have been deployed. It’s time to reel them in.”