Inside the private room of Jinbi Huihuang Hotel—
The scene had turned into hell.
The burly man and the others writhed violently on the ground, their faces twisted in agony.
They rolled.
Struggled.
Screamed.
The demonic blood surged through their bodies—
Eroding.
Rewriting.
Destroying.
Rebuilding.
Their flesh trembled.
Their veins bulged.
Their minds cracked under the pressure.
Mammon sat calmly on a chair, holding a glass of blood wine.
His expression was indifferent.
As if he were merely watching a trivial experiment.
"As long as you accept this blood…"
His voice was steady, almost gentle.
"You, too, can become ability users."
"You should be thanking me."
Mr. Dai stood before the burly man, looking down at him.
The man's eyes were filled with pain—
Hatred—
Struggle.
Dai sighed softly.
A trace of helplessness appeared on his face.
"Such foolishness…"
"This is a heaven-sent opportunity to change your fate…"
"And yet you resent me?"
He shook his head slightly.
Being misunderstood—
Was truly exhausting.
Then—
A scream tore through the room.
One of the thinner middle-aged men suddenly let out a shrill, desperate cry.
His body began to swell.
Expand.
Distort.
Then—
Slowly—
He collapsed inward.
Turning into ash.
Bit by bit—
He disintegrated.
Until nothing remained.
No corpse.
No bones.
Nothing.
The bodyguards' pupils shrank violently.
Their faces turned pale.
Watching a man—
Disappear into dust—
Right before their eyes—
If not for the crushing pressure pinning them down—
They would have already fled in terror.
"What a pity…"
Mr. Dai looked at the fading ashes.
His tone was calm.
Cold.
Without a trace of genuine sorrow.
"Mr. Huang… actually died."
Useless.
Time passed.
Slowly.
The remaining three—
Gradually calmed.
"Three survivors…"
Mammon glanced at them briefly.
"Not bad."
One had died.
Three had lived.
Acceptable.
The amount of blood he gave them wasn't much—
Roughly the same as what Chen Jun had received.
For ordinary humans to endure this—
Their aptitude was already considered decent.
Mammon stood up.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Mr. Dai."
He had no interest in staying.
Three newly born demons—
Were not worth his attention.
"Yes, my lord."
Mr. Dai bowed deeply.
"Please take care."
Mammon left with Nakime.
After a while—
The three survivors finally managed to stand.
"Damn it… that hurt like hell…"
The burly man rubbed his head, cracking his neck as he cursed.
But—
He had changed.
His body had grown larger.
Stronger.
More monstrous.
Two blood-red markings stretched across his cheeks—
Ferocious.
Terrifying.
"…But this power…"
He clenched his fist.
Muscles tightened.
Strength surged through every inch of his body.
A savage grin spread across his face.
"It's incredible."
"I've never felt this good before."
"Power always comes with a price."
Mr. Dai smiled faintly.
"But if you can obtain strength in exchange…"
"Isn't it worth it?"
"You're right."
The bald man took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.
Then he looked at Dai.
"So… what's the plan?"
The moment the blood entered their bodies—
They understood.
Who Mammon was.
What they had become.
Mr. Dai wasn't doing this out of kindness.
The bald man knew that clearly.
Meanwhile—
The woman in the red dress was completely absorbed in her own power.
A ribbon floated around her—
Dancing.
Alive.
Then—
Without warning—
The ribbon sliced across a bodyguard's neck.
Shk—
The head separated cleanly.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The room fell silent.
But instead of fear—
The woman's eyes lit up.
Excitement.
Joy.
She smiled.
Beautiful.
Mad.
"I like this…"
"Only if we satisfy him…"
Mr. Dai spoke calmly, ignoring the scene.
"Will we be granted more blood."
His gaze swept across them.
"You understand what that means."
A brief silence followed.
"Next…"
He continued.
"We consolidate our forces."
"I'm in."
The bald man nodded after a moment.
Whether they liked it or not—
They were already part of Mammon's faction.
There was no turning back.
"What a pity about Mr. Huang…"
The woman retracted her ribbon, smiling playfully.
"He had quite a few people under him."
"Hmph."
The burly man sneered.
"A waste of blood."
He dragged over the headless corpse.
And began to eat.
Because—
Only by devouring flesh—
Could they grow stronger.
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time—
Mammon remained in the villa, browsing through information from various regions via electronic networks.
Especially—
About a city that had appeared from another dimension.
Midgar.
Sephiroth.
Cloud.
Tifa.
All of them—
Caught his interest.
Especially—
Sephiroth.
If he was still a SOLDIER under Shinra—
Then—
Mammon might have the chance—
To turn this future world-ending entity…
Into a demon.
A one-winged angel of destruction—
Under his command.
With Jenova cells—
If Sephiroth became a demon—
His potential would be terrifying.
Without a doubt—
Upper Rank material.
Even setting him aside—
Cloud and Tifa were also exceptional.
Cloud—
Had also been injected with Jenova cells.
Tifa—
As a core companion—
Possessed outstanding combat instincts.
Unfortunately—
Midgar had appeared too recently.
Information from the Human Alliance—
Was limited.
Mammon still couldn't determine—
What point in time that world was currently in.
Then—
The call came.
"My lord…"
Mr. Dai's voice sounded from the phone.
"They've begun to move."