"Why don't you join me?"
The demon possessing the body of the man spoke as he looked calmly at the people standing before him inside the chamber, showing not the slightest trace of worry or tension.
"I can grant you immense power beyond anything you have ever imagined if you join me."
He continued trying to recruit them, his eyes sweeping across the faces of the group one by one, carefully evaluating each of their reactions.
"You bastard... are you insulting us?"
One of Hinako's uncles shouted in obvious anger. His rage ran deep and was far more than a passing outburst, for the body this evil being now inhabited had once belonged to his brother , who had become nothing more than a vessel. Seeing that familiar face speaking with a different voice...
"Hmph."
The demon responded with a quiet snort, a faint hint of irritation disturbing his feigned composure. Then he quickly turned toward the figure that had appeared near the group, dressed in black robes with a black bow in hand.
"So... you're the one responsible for destroying my army."
Thorn did not answer with a single word. He simply continued staring at him from beneath the black cloth covering his face.
"What do you think? I can grant you tremendous power, enough to place you at the summit of the world, if you bow your head to me and serve me."
The demon addressed Thorn specifically this time, his tone implying that this offer was far more serious than the previous one.
At that same moment, in another dimension, Dan smiled while working inside his laboratory, with his daughter Hoshi conducting research beside him on a joint project. She noticed her father's smile from the corner of her eye, stopped writing, and turned to look at him.
What caught her attention was that although she saw him smiling, her keen intuition told her it was not a smile of happiness. There was something within it that resembled cold, restrained anger.
"What is it, Father? Did something upset you?"
Dan remained silent for a moment before replying in a flat voice devoid of emotion.
"It's nothing, little one. Just a minor annoyance from an insect that doesn't know its place."
Hoshi stared at her father for a moment after hearing that description. With her sharp intellect, she understood that someone or something had done something that had irritated him in a way he did not appreciate.
Meanwhile, Dan's thoughts followed an entirely different path.
Trying to recruit my child, are you, little insect? Very well... I'll remember this. And when your turn finally comes in my plan, when you become a chess piece placed exactly where I want you, I'll make sure that transformation is so agonizing you'll never forget it. Consider it a fitting punishment for this annoyance.
He then returned his attention to the manuscripts and equations before him as though nothing had happened.
Back inside the cave, Thorn turned toward Hinako's team, his voice carrying unmistakable irritation that he made no effort to conceal.
"Go on. Finish this quickly."
Hinako noticed the irritation in Thorn's voice and immediately turned toward her team.
"Everyone, move into the formation we agreed on."
The team responded without hesitation, quickly moving into the positions assigned to them beforehand in the strategy they had prepared specifically for this stage.
As for the demon, he remained seated before his small shrine, silently watching the group as they took their positions, observing their preparations to confront him.
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