Chapter 432

Chapter 432
## Chapter 432

Lycoris (2)

In the vicinity of the peak of an isolated mountain situated within Bangladesh.

A warrior dressed in a woodland-patterned ghillie suit lay flat on the ground, regulating his respirations.

He squinted through the optic of the immense anti-materiel rifle cradled in his grip and triggered his supernatural trait.

There he is.

His consciousness felt drawn straight into the glass of the scope as though yanked by an unseen gravitational pull.

Even when pushed to its absolute limits of magnification, his sight extended an impossible distance, ultimately bringing a location over ten kilometers away into flawless, vivid focus.

Rumble—Boom!

The sensory input was far more than just a video stream.

The auditory vibrations echoing from that distant battlefield reached his ears with the exact same clarity as if he were positioned right in the center of the fray.

Has it concluded already?

Amidst the thunderous echoes, a grand structure collapsed inward, throwing thick plumes of dark smoke up into the sky.

The entire surrounding grid appeared as though an entire squadron had carpet-bombed it into absolute nothingness.

Right there, at the dead center of the destruction, the marksman caught sight of his quarry leisurely wading through the debris—the precise target he had traveled across continents to eliminate.

What an absolute monstrosity.

It felt like mere moments ago when word reached him that the target was making an approach toward the stronghold.

Because he had arrived well in advance, his own defensive preparations had been finalized swiftly, but to think the entire enemy garrison had been wiped out in this span of time? It defied belief.

“Hoo.”

He suppressed his accelerating heart rate—which had spiked from sheer tension—by drawing in slow, measured breaths, forcing himself back into a state of absolute stillness.

For a long-range marksman, emotional instability was a fatal vulnerability.

“Target locked. Beginning the execution phase.”

[Are you entirely certain about attempting this? The individual is a lethal hazard. Not a single fighter who has pursued him has ever returned to tell the tale.]

“Ha! Regardless of his reputation, he is ultimately composed of sinew and bone. Once his vital functions cease, he will rot exactly like any other corpse.”

Trading concepts via mental telepathy, he slipped a hand into his tactical vest and retrieved a palm-sized projectile.

The massive round shimmered with an unsettling, obsidian radiance, detailed with intricate golden glyphs engraved along its metallic casing.

It resembled an explosive mortar shell far more than a standard firearm round.

Staring at the object for a fleeting moment, the marksman smoothly slotted it into the breach of his heavy firearm.

Naturally, the firearm itself was far from a conventional weapon.

The Giant Slayer that had shattered the skulls of innumerable colossi. The unadulterated, instant-death projectile that had even brought down a Giant Champion. Can you possibly survive a hit from this, you rabid animal?

On account of its exceedingly scarce components and highly sophisticated smithing process, munitions possessing this degree of purity were strictly kept for the most desperate crises back in his native realm.

They were mythical relics that permitted the remnants of mankind to secure sovereign territories against the overwhelming waves of invading giants.

And this specific marksman was the celebrated champion who had put an end to the tyrannical Giant Champion with that very bullet, preserving his entire motherland.

He leaned back into the optic, re-establishing his sightline on the quarry.

…An oppressive aura. Even when perceived from this immense distance.

Spanning over ten kilometers away.

A gargantuan form walked unhurriedly away from the skeletal remains of the vaporized facility.

The entity that designated itself as “Lion Mask.”

His uncovered upper torso bulged with fibers of muscle that practically arrested the viewer’s breath, with predatory markings etching his skin to amplify his terrifying visage.

He wore the severed skull of an unclassified predatory beast like a grim crown.

Set against the panoramic view of total devastation, he appeared to be the literal manifestation of catastrophe brought down upon the mortal realm.

…There is a genuine chance I might fail.

Even he, a veteran who had survived countless apocalyptic warzones, found himself unable to dismiss that terrifying premonition.

Yet retreating at this juncture? That was out of the question.

His current firing position was separated by more than ten kilometers from the quarry—providing him more than enough time to flee the sector before the entity could ever close the distance.

Thump—Thump—

His pulse rhythm slowed to a crawl.

Environmental variables sharpened in his mind: the atmospheric temperature, the moisture levels, the crosswinds, the minute shifts of the quarry’s posture.

And the moment his cardiac rhythm dropped into absolute stillness…

The magically-attuned rifle discharged.

The augmented projectile crossed the vast expanse to its destination in a fraction of a single second.

Whoosh—

A massive kinetic shock struck Lion Mask, causing his massive frame to lurch backward.

His spine bent back aggressively from the sheer momentum of the impact, nearly driving him to the earth.

Though the distance blurred his vision slightly, the marksman felt absolute certainty.

A direct hit!

Right in the cranium.

The moment that round made contact, the struggle was decided.

The absolute mortality enchantment, focusing its payload directly on the cerebrum—one of the primary weak points of any living organism—would rapidly colonize the target’s entire system, rendering even high-tier, pseudo-immortal cellular regeneration completely useless…

“What?”

Yet that absolute conviction evaporated in an instant.

Just as he let out his breath in relief, his muscles unknotting, his lens recorded the entity steadily restoring its posture.

Crunch—Crunch—

The sound of mastication.

The unmistakable silhouette of the magical bullet was being ground between teeth beneath the predatory visage.

A pair of shimmering, mismatched Odd Eyes locked directly onto his exact location.

It was an impossible distance for any living being to establish eye contact—and yet the sensation was terrifyingly authentic. A wave of ice shot straight down his spinal column.

“…Mission compromised. My firing position has been detected.”

[Curse it all! Abandon the post immediately! That creature is an anomaly. Even at that distance, closing the gap to your position will only take hi—…]

The telepathic channel crackled with frantic warnings, but he possessed no remaining seconds to listen to them.

He caught it? With nothing but his jaws?

A projectile launched from over ten kilometers away, accelerating past Mach 30?

An impact strong enough to pierce armored titanium plating as though it were parchment—where had that immense kinetic energy vanished to?

Setting aside his sheer bewilderment, his physical form reacted entirely on muscle memory.

His combat gear dissolved into a pocket dimension in a split second. He scrambled to his feet.

He cast a final look at the quarry while igniting his customized thruster pack.

The situation is far more aberrant than I calculated. There is no alternative—I must retreat first—Wait?

An emerald luminescence completely saturated his field of vision.

Splat!

His cognitive processes dissolved into absolute darkness.

[…#%$@?!]

The faraway telepathic operator desperately bellowed through the link, but the connection rapidly dissolved into dead silence.

A decapitated torso was incapable of processing incoming transmissions.

—

“Ngh! Did that connect?”

Hal rubbed his scalp, narrowing his gaze while attempting to maintain a cool posture behind his headpiece.

He had spat out the metallic fragment he had been chewing on and launched it back utilizing his maximum physical power—but because the distance was so immense, he couldn’t verify the outcome with absolute certainty.

“Eh, it most likely did. I hurled it straight back along the trajectory it arrived from.”

Gem Eye: Compel—the art of overriding atmospheric energy to bring supernatural phenomena into reality.

It was a highly intricate technique to employ on an Earth devoid of ambient mana, but the bullet’s own colossal kinetic reservoir made it incredibly simple to commandeer.

Particularly after he had ground it to a pulp with his teeth, neutralizing its underlying magical attributes.

This was the final outpost in this sector, but the actual spoils are rather disappointing. These rats are far quicker at abandoning ship than I anticipated.

Massaging his lower jaw while making his way toward the origin point of the sniper’s shot, Hal fell into deep thought.

He had been traveling through the regions of Southeast Asia, systematically demolishing the surviving strongholds of the Oath of Reverse Heaven one after another.

In stark contrast to his highly productive fellow incarnations, his specific skill set was restricted to pure annihilation.

Consequently, he had simply been flattening every exposed base he could uncover in order…

Damn it, those cowards are absolute experts at concealing themselves and retreating.

The vast majority of these facilities had been vacated long before his arrival.

The left-behind troops were nothing more than worthless decoys meant to stall him.

If he truly desired to pull this organization out by its roots, he would have to strike directly at the leadership.

The mastermind coordinating global strategy far above these local cell leaders.

The Oracle…

Hal shifted his gaze toward the western horizon.

A massive territory bordering Bangladesh, representing one of the most populated nations on the globe.

India.

“Tch. Regardless, the pressing matters in this immediate sector are dealt with… What should I occupy myself with next?”

There was no real reason to rush back to headquarters.

Unlike the other avatars, his role was purely symbolic—he carried no administrative responsibilities.

His associates had long since grown accustomed to his sudden disappearances.

“…Hmm. What if I look into some temporary employment?”

A wide smirk spread across his lips as he contemplated the concept.

The timing was actually flawless—there was a specific matter of concern lingering in the back of his mind.

It would be far better to observe the situation from a close vantage point to be absolutely certain.

Was it a complete overreaction to send someone of his caliber for such a task? Perhaps, but it wasn’t as if he had anything better to do with his free time.

As an added benefit, he could intercept potential terrorist operations while managing his personal territory.

“Kuhaha! Very well, time to move—Oh, that reminds me. I should inspect that marksman’s perch before I leave.”

And a brief moment later.

Hal disappeared entirely from the mountaintop, his pockets filled with an assortment of unexpected, abandoned military gear.

—

“Wh-what in the world…?”

Jin Soran’s gaze wavered as her voice trailed off into nothing, her jaw dropping open in sheer astonishment.

Having once dedicated a significant portion of her life to pursuing this exact artistic path, she immediately recognized the sheer brilliance of the composition.

“What are your thoughts on it? It blows the previous track completely out of the water, doesn’t it?”

“Blows it out of the water? This is lightyears beyond that…!”

The echoing remnants of the arrangement forced an involuntary shout from her throat before she hurriedly clamped her hand over her mouth.

Her cognitive faculties returned, reminding her exactly of the powerful individual lounging right in front of her.

Where on earth did he procure a masterpiece like this? In such a minuscule window of time? Was it already prepared beforehand? But this specific piece…

Completely dumbfounded, Jin Soran stared back and forth between Heinz and the enchanted device resting in her palm, entirely lost for words.

It was impossible to blame her for looking so utterly discomposed.

How is this even possible? It feels as though it was meticulously engineered specifically for the vocal ranges of those girls!

Immediately after she had played the rough vocal track for Heinz, he had departed only to return a few hours later bearing this specialized magical artifact.

A portable audio recording and playback device.

It wasn’t a particularly mainstream item back at Howard Industries, given that standard commercial recording equipment served as readily available substitutes.

However, it was incredibly valuable within zones suffering from electromagnetic pulses or electronic jamming.

Yet the true marvel wasn’t the device itself; it was the audio file stored within it.

Ha, this is truly…

An upbeat, highly energetic rhythm characteristic of modern pop music served as the foundation for an otherworldly, hauntingly gorgeous vocal melody.

And yet, an inescapable undercurrent of darkness drifted just beneath the surface.

Sinister shadows lurking right behind the optimistic chords.

A highly seductive, blood-scented allure hidden within a landscape of peril—an entirely intoxicating attraction.

It felt exactly like the hypnotic manipulation of an exquisitely beautiful vampire.

To convey such a complex narrative utilizing nothing more than instrumental arrangements?

Jin Soran swallowed hard, her throat dry.

This wasn’t just cheap auditory indulgence.

The piece had been intricately calculated to bypass the psychological defenses of any listener—irrespective of their age group, biological sex, or cultural background—without triggering a single note of cognitive dissonance.

This is the one. It is absolutely flawless for the grand unveiling of Lycoris. Every single piece of music they had been reviewing previously was instantly wiped from her memory.

Those were incredibly costly commissions ordered from elite musical minds—pieces capable of dominating the national broadcasting charts.

Yet they held absolutely no candle to the masterpiece she was listening to right now.

“Who produced this?! Who is the mind behind this arrangement?! Ahh! If I had been made aware of this individual’s existence earlier, I wouldn’t have squandered so much critical time. You never fail to amaze, My Lord! I am truly still an amateur compared to your resources. Is it possible for you to grant me an introduction? I desperately require more compositions from them…!”

Her face flushed crimson as she poured out her admiration in a frantic torrent of words.

Heinz shifted his weight back slightly, stroking his jawline patiently until her frantic energy finally began to subside.

The response was even more enthusiastic than he had anticipated. Then again, she belonged to the vampire race as well—making it far easier for her to resonate with the underlying dark undertones.

This wasn’t merely a track reminiscent of the Elven Kingdom’s aesthetics.

It had been meticulously constructed utilizing the vast database of Earth’s musical evolution compiled during previous psychological operations, blending the two musical traditions seamlessly.

Harris had personally directed the entire production process, tapping into the creative reservoir of Heinz 2nd whenever necessary…

“It is completely reasonable that his identity remains unknown to you. He does not publish commercial work—he composes purely for personal amusement. You cannot contract his services.”

For an entity of that caliber, throwing together a composition like this in a single afternoon was second nature.

“…Hoo, I completely lost my composure for a moment. He must be a close associate of yours, My Lord… In that case, what pseudonym should we attribute to the writer?”

Detecting his unwillingness to share further personal details, Jin Soran adjusted her line of questioning with immense care.

Possessing no desire to conceal the creator’s identity, he answered in a perfectly indifferent tone.

“Harris.”

“Harris…?”

“Correct, Harris.”

Thus, the mysterious, faceless master composer—Harris—made his unannounced entrance onto the cultural stage of Earth.

—

Following the sudden replacement of their primary debut arrangement, the entire organization shifted into overdrive.

The individual idols of Lycoris were subjected to a far more grueling regimen of physical and vocal choreography, yet not a single complaint arose from the lineup.

They had all been completely captivated by the new arrangement from the very first playback.

“Hmm, should we perhaps extend our arm movements a bit wider during this transition?”

“Unnie! Let us attempt to coordinate this specific sequence one more time.”

“Understood, that feels much better.”

In stark contrast to the previous, ill-fitting track that felt incredibly unnatural, this new composition wrapped around them like a perfectly tailored gown.

There were no awkward transitions or superfluous segments.

All they had to do was project their voices naturally and perform with genuine enthusiasm—and every single element locked into place. The typical anxiety associated with mastering new material evaporated entirely.

“Cut! Accelerate the pace! Transition to the editing suite immediately—we need to conclude the remaining recordings before sunset!”

“What did you say? A scheduling conflict with the studio? Inform them we will double their standard compensation rate—no, grant them whatever sum they request! If they refuse to cooperate, escalate the matter directly to me. I will personally oversee the cancellation of their prior arrangements.”

With Heinz—the supreme sovereign of the Blood Alliance—personally managing the logistics, the entire project was propelled forward by an unstoppable momentum.

With endless networking channels, elite talent, and a bottomless treasury backing them, they encountered absolutely no bureaucratic friction.

Imminent deadlines? Any scheduling crisis was simply crushed under the weight of pure capital investment.

“Excellent! Phenomenal performance from everyone!”

“Phew, fantastic. Conduct a thorough audit to guarantee not a single detail has been overlooked!”

In this frantic manner, the days slipped by.

The long-awaited day of their debut arrived on the horizon.

On one specific afternoon, the members of Lycoris were introduced to a completely new talent manager.

An individual who was entirely new to the industry, yet held the prestigious designation of “Director.”

It was a glaringly obvious instance of nepotism—yet given the current atmosphere, no one dared to raise an objection.

“Uhahaha! It is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance! You may all refer to me as Director Hal.”

“Hal…?”

“Ahem! Your vocal inflection is slightly incorrect. The name is Ha. I look forward to working with you all!”

An immense mass of hyper-developed muscle threatened to completely rip apart the seams of his tight formal suit, while a pair of pitch-black sunglasses rested firmly on his face.

He carried the distinct aura of an organized crime boss far more than a corporate talent manager—ensuring that not a single soul in the room possessed the courage to question his presence.