Meanwhile, on the other side of Tokyo, at Infinity Corporation headquarters.
This building, the tallest in Tokyo, had become a landmark of the city. Not just because it towered over even Tokyo Tower, but because it housed the global headquarters of one of the world's most famous companies. It was a dream workplace for countless workers, a place they would do anything to get into.
On the 32nd floor, inside the chairman's office, Ellen sat at her desk writing documents, while her younger sister Karen sat on the couch, reading through the materials Ellen had already finished.
"How many are left?" Ellen pouted slightly, looking tired as she asked her sister.
"Over three hundred, Sis." Karen picked up another document from the stack, scanned it without pausing, and answered.
"Argh!!! So many! I'm going crazy!!!" Ellen's expression crumbled the moment she heard the number, a pained look spreading across her face.
As the chairman of the corporation, handling official documents was part of her job. Every important paper had to pass through her signature. But for Ellen, this kind of work was pure torture. As the world's strongest magician and a warrior at heart, she would rather go out and fight a thrilling battle than sit in an office stamping papers.
She had even tried passing the work off to Karen, her more meticulous and capable younger sister. But Karen had refused. The reason was simple: Ellen was the chairman. Karen, even as her sister, couldn't overstep her authority. Though, if she was being honest, the real reason was that Karen didn't want Ellen slacking off.
"Then I'll just use the Infinity Gems and finish everything at once!" Ellen's eyes darted around as she muttered under her breath. She discreetly tapped into the power of the Infinity Gems, instantly stamping her signature onto every single document.
But Karen noticed. Sensing the power of the Gems, she stopped what she was doing. She pushed up her glasses and looked at her older sister with deep exasperation.
"Sis, that kind of shortcut isn't allowed." With that, Karen also used the power of her own Infinity Gems, erasing all the signatures Ellen had just added.
"Don't forget, Yuki gave me a set too." Karen smiled, tilting her head slightly as if showing off the delicate necklace around her pale neck. Under the light, the six Infinity Gems shimmered in six different colors.
"Tch." Seeing that Karen also had the Gems, Ellen clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "Why did Yuki have to give them to you too?!" she grumbled.
Karen just smiled. "Wouldn't it be strange if he only gave them to you and not me? Yuki loves each of us equally, after all. Or are you questioning his decision?" Karen's smile turned knowing, her words laced with implication. "In that case, I'll be sure to mention it to Yuki tonight."
"W-Wait! Don't! What objections could I have? None!" The moment Yuki was brought up, Ellen's expression immediately softened. She panicked and shook her head in denial.
She knew that if her little sister actually told Yuki about her complaining, she would be facing some "domestic discipline." Just the thought of that made Ellen's legs feel weak and her face turn as red as an apple.
Watching her sister instantly cave, Karen couldn't help but laugh. The only one who could truly handle Ellen was, indeed, Yuki.
"I love reviewing documents! It's the joy of my life!" Ellen's mood did a complete one-eighty. She suddenly looked serious and returned to her paperwork.
Karen smiled faintly and got back to work as well.
Another five minutes passed before Karen suddenly spoke. "By now, Artemisia should have reached her destination, shouldn't she? I hope she returns safely."
Her comment naturally caught Ellen's attention. Ellen paused her work, swiveled her chair around, and gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window behind her desk at the distant skyline.
"She arrived long ago. As for her safety... there's nothing to worry about. She's my disciple, after all. The greatest magician second only to me." Ellen's face was full of confidence not a trace of worry.
"I suppose you're right. I was just being overly concerned." Karen thought it over and realized her sister had a point. She dropped the subject and continued working.
Meanwhile, on the mysterious island in the Pacific.
After revealing his true form, the Barton alien disguised as the U.S. leader had the other Barton operatives kill the foreign leaders who had been lured there. The leaders' bodyguards didn't even have time to react before they were blown to pieces by Barton weapons.
In the end, the foreign leaders were killed like pigs being butchered, quick and brutal. Once they were dead, the Bartons transformed into the likenesses of the murdered leaders. After a brief adjustment to their speech and mannerisms, they became nearly indistinguishable from the originals.
"Fellow comrades, our plan to secretly infiltrate and take control of the world's nations is now mostly complete. We have the foolishness of Earthlings to thank for that." The Barton disguised as the U.S. leader, General Cabuno, smiled smugly, announcing their victory to his comrades.
"Indeed. All thanks to General Cabuno's brilliant strategy, using the humans' greed to feign cooperation while secretly infiltrating them. Truly brilliant! Long live General Cabuno!" The surrounding Bartons showed fervent admiration, shouting praises for their general.
"Hahaha! Well said!" The disguised Cabuno nodded proudly, holding his head high. "If those fools had stubbornly clung to their partnership with Infinity Corporation, our plan might have been much harder to carry out. But... who could blame them? Those greedy fools wanted advanced weapons and all the technology to go with them. So we just dangled a few weapon prototypes in front of them, and they dropped their guard immediately. They cut ties with Infinity Corporation and handed us the perfect opening."
As he spoke, General Cabuno's expression grew more serious, his eyes flickering with deep wariness. "That Infinity Corporation is a real problem. On a planet as primitive as Earth, a monster like that emerged out of nowhere. Their weapons and equipment are even more advanced than ours. Even if we mobilized our entire fleet, we wouldn't be sure of victory. That's why we were forced to resort to this method." Cabuno's expression soured.
"General, the process may be complicated, but things are heading in the right direction."
"Yes, General. In the end, we will succeed."
His subordinates tried to comfort him. Hearing their reassurances, the Barton general's expression improved slightly.
Just then, a Barton soldier disguised as a human came running in, panic written all over his face.
"General! Bad news, General!" The first words out of his mouth made it clear trouble had arrived.