Inside a luxurious mansion stood Herohero's foothold in the Kingdom.
Tonight, the maid corps of Nazarick had gathered here to carry out the mission entrusted by the Supreme Beings.
At the head stood the battle maid captain, Yuri. All members of the Pleiades were present, along with the butler Sebas and Guardian Shalltear.
"According to the instructions of the Three Supreme Beings, I will be in command of this operation. Does anyone have objections?"
Yuri adjusted her glasses. Combined with her serious expression, it gave her a distinct sense of authority.
"Well, of course not. You're the best at this sort of thing, Yuri."
Lupusregina spoke with a playful grin, hands clasped behind her head.
"I have no objections."
Nabe replied expressionlessly.
As a being created by the Supreme Being Yamaiko, Yuri was indeed the most suitable candidate.
Entoma, CZ, Solution, and the other maids nodded in agreement.
"Of course not."
"Everything is for the sake of my beloved Supreme Beings."
Sebas and Shalltear voiced their agreement as well.
"Good. Then let's begin assigning tasks."
"Sebas-sama, please act alone and proceed directly to eliminate Eight Fingers' main headquarters."
"No problem."
"Solution, CZ, Nabe, and Lupusregina, you will accompany me to uproot all Eight Fingers strongholds. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Entoma, you will be responsible for transporting Eight Fingers' resources after the strongholds are cleared."
"Mm, got it, Onee-sama."
Entoma nodded obediently.
Though it was never stated outright, Yuri and the others regarded Entoma as the youngest sister and gave her appropriate protection.
"As for Shalltear-sama, please oversee the operation from the side to prevent any unforeseen accidents."
Yuri treated this mission with utmost seriousness.
Before setting out, Demiurge, upon learning of the operation, had specially returned to Nazarick to speak with her.
In Demiurge-sama's words, this operation was merely the beginning.
It contained the profound deliberation of the Supreme Beings, layered considerations, and deeper meanings that even he could not fully comprehend.
Those words placed tremendous pressure on Yuri. Because of that, this mission had to be flawless.
"This operation must succeed. The Three Supreme Beings are watching us. We must satisfy them. I repeat, failure will not be tolerated!"
"Yes!!"
...
"How could this happen? How dare the Royal Family!"
In a pitch-black room, an enraged voice rang out.
An aging figure slammed his fist against the table. His face was filled with anger, mixed with unmistakable fear.
As several strongholds lost contact one after another, Eight Fingers' upper management immediately sensed something was wrong and convened an emergency meeting.
But the situation was far worse than they had anticipated.
To begin with, not all managers were present. Of the dozens who once held positions of authority, only a handful remained.
Worse still, the one who absolutely should not have been absent, Zero, the manager of Six Arms, Eight Fingers' strongest security division, had also lost contact.
After sending people to investigate, they received intelligence suggesting that all members of Six Arms had been killed, and the entire stronghold had already been occupied by Kingdom soldiers.
"Could the intelligence be wrong? That's Zero we're talking about... and all of Six Arms were there. Who could eliminate them without anyone noticing?"
After a moment of hesitation, someone finally spoke, disbelief evident in his voice.
As managers of Eight Fingers, no one understood Zero's strength better than they did. In their eyes, Zero was unquestionably a powerhouse on par with Gazef.
Even if Gazef and Blue Roses had attacked together, with Six Arms assisting him, Zero should have been able to break through and retreat.
"I also hope the intelligence is wrong. But if Zero is still alive, why hasn't he contacted us?"
"If we've lost contact, that's no different from being dead."
The room immediately erupted into discussion. Though the various departments competed with one another, they were still part of the same organization.
Six Arms might have been greedy, but they had genuinely safeguarded everyone's security.
Now, with Six Arms seemingly wiped out, the loss was beyond imagination.
"It seems the royal family has finally made up its mind to eradicate us in one sweep."
Hilma, who oversaw the drug trade, let out a sigh. The usual laziness in her tone was gone.
"We've also lost contact with the nobles. We're truly isolated now."
Eight Fingers had been able to openly sell drugs and traffic people within the Kingdom only because of noble support.
But now, those once cooperative nobles had all gone silent. For Eight Fingers, it was another fatal blow.
"In any case, until we survive this crisis, we must set aside all grievances and unite against the outside."
"Agreed!"
"Sigh. There's no better option."
"Once we get through this…"
"Fine!"
...
None of the Eight Fingers managers objected. They weren't fools. At a time like this, personal conflicts had to be put aside.
"Then let's begin preparations. Next, we…"
Seeing this, the elderly figure nodded. Just as he was about to lay out the next battle plan, a piercing alarm cut him off.
The meeting room doors burst open as a mercenary rushed in, panic written all over his face.
"I-it's bad, sirs! Someone's broken in!"
The managers exchanged glances, their hearts sinking. Even this place had been exposed?
"Who is it? How many enemies? Is it Gazef or Blue Roses leading them?"
They spoke one after another, drawing their weapons in preparation for a fierce battle.
"N-no… neither. It's… it's just one old man!"
"An old man?"
The managers, who had been bracing themselves for a major assault, froze in confusion. A single old man had fought his way into Eight Fingers' headquarters?
Was this some kind of sick joke?
Just then, clear footsteps echoed down the corridor. The meeting room doors slowly opened.
"My apologies for the intrusion. I assume you are the managers of Eight Fingers?"
An elderly man in a butler's uniform stepped inside. His hair was streaked with white, and he exuded an air of refined elegance. After calmly surveying the room, he spoke in an unhurried tone.
It was Sebas.
"Who are you? Barging into Eight Fingers' territory like this. Are you tired of living?"
After a brief silence, one of the managers stood up and spoke with a grave expression. His instincts told him this old man was not normal.
If the mercenary hadn't lied, this man had fought his way in alone?
But that made no sense. There had been no screams, no signs of battle outside.
And if he had been sent by the royal family, why would they send only one person?
Eight Fingers wasn't some powerless group. Charging into their base alone would be madness.
"I am here for only one purpose. For the sake of the Three Supreme Beings, may I ask you all to die?"
Sebas spoke calmly, without a hint of emotion. His voice was soft, yet every word was heard clearly.
"Something's wrong. All of you, attack! Kill this old man!"
The elderly manager shouted immediately. Sebas' words had stirred a deep sense of unease within him, as though something terrible was about to happen.
The surrounding managers closed in on Sebas, preparing to capture him.
In the next instant, the air seemed to stiffen.
Before anyone could react, they collapsed one after another, their eyes vacant as they fell to the floor.
[Dragon Aura]
As a Dragonoid's passive skill, Sebas rarely used it. But that did not mean he couldn't.
"Y-you… what did you do?"
Those who hadn't yet moved cried out in disbelief, pointing at Sebas, unable to understand what had just occurred.
"Guards! Get in here!"
Someone shouted, but no one answered.
"I will try to make this as painless as possible."
Watching the growing panic, Sebas let out a soft sigh. It wasn't sympathy for Eight Fingers. He simply disliked unnecessary cruelty.
His figure blurred like a passing breeze and vanished from sight.
He moved through the crowd in an instant. The managers did not even have time to scream before a single punch shattered their brains.
Three seconds later, Sebas withdrew his fist.
The floor was covered in corpses. Every single one had died from a single blow.
Taking out a handkerchief, Sebas wiped the blood from his hand and activated [Message].
"Entoma, you may come in now."