Lazarus Pit

"This is the legacy of the League of Assassins. Cold weapons are also more suitable for assassination." A cold voice rang out. The instant they heard it, all the assassins stopped moving.

Venom, however, paid no attention. She shot two more in the head, then stopped in boredom when she saw all the assassins standing motionless.

She looked toward the black-haired middle-aged man at the mountaintop.

"Ra's al Ghul."

"That's me. Why have you come?"

Ra's al Ghul looked at Venom, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

"My name is Kino. I came for you. How about becoming my subordinate?"

Kino revealed his human appearance. He had originally only intended to take the Lazarus Pit, but after seeing Ra's al Ghul, he had another idea.

Yū was responsible for the demons' missions and activity areas. For now, she only needed to open up more land.

Frank, meanwhile, was so busy he was running around like a headless chicken—transporting supplies from Hell, establishing a new company, recruiting retired soldiers...

Even Banner had been dragged over to help him deal with various matters.

Coulson was still alive, so Kino couldn't use him for the time being.

Thus, he turned his attention to Ra's al Ghul. After all, Ra's al Ghul had money and manpower, and his seven hundred years of experience could handle most affairs. He was an ideal source of support.

A murderous aura instantly burst from Ra's al Ghul's eyes. He suddenly drew a katana, its blade flashing coldly.

"You want the entire League of Assassins? Do you have what it takes?"

As Kino watched Ra's al Ghul charge at him, he felt helpless. Had this guy's brain been soaked rotten?

However, the martial arts Ra's al Ghul prided himself on having trained in for seven hundred years was completely useless before Kino.

After just a few exchanges, Ra's al Ghul was knocked to the ground by Kino, kicking up a cloud of snow.

When the surrounding ninjas saw Ra's al Ghul knocked down, they charged over without hesitation. Each of them held a sharp blade, their eyes cold.

This time, Kino acted personally. He killed no one, instead relying on precise control of his strength to knock them all unconscious.

"Let's make a deal. Do you have any wishes? I'll help you fulfill them. In return, I want the entire League of Assassins." Kino spoke while staring intently at Ra's al Ghul.

"A wish? My wish is to exterminate all of humanity and establish an ideal world." Ra's al Ghul's expression was filled with madness.

"I could also interpret that as me giving you a world without humans, where you start from scratch and build a world filled with birdsong and flowers. What a coincidence—I have a similar dream." Kino's eyes lit up. He felt that he had encountered a kindred spirit.

[A kindred spirit, my ass. Your dreams are worlds apart.]

"So what if I do? Do you have the ability to make it happen?" Ra's al Ghul said. Although the latter part was different, the first part was more or less the same.

"Then here are the terms of the deal: I'll give you a world without humans and let you start from scratch to build a world filled with birdsong and flowers. In return, you'll hand the League of Assassins over to me."

The moment Kino finished speaking, a rune appeared in Ra's al Ghul's palm.

"What is this?"

"Just a little something. Don't worry about it. Let's go to the new world!"

As soon as Kino finished speaking, a door radiating an eerie light suddenly appeared beneath Ra's al Ghul's feet. Before Ra's al Ghul could react, he instantly fell through it. Kino followed close behind, and the two vanished in the blink of an eye.

Ra's al Ghul felt his eyes open and close. When he could see again, he had already arrived at a volcanic crater, with scorching lava flowing everywhere across the ground.

Not far away stood a black palace. Several figures as large as small mountains walked across the land nearby. Wherever they passed, the lava vanished.

The Mountain Demon was clearing away the lava.

"This is... Hell!"

Ra's al Ghul couldn't help exclaiming, his gaze dull. But he had seven hundred years of experience, after all, and quickly regained his composure.

"That's right. This is the world without humans you wanted. You can start from scratch and build a new world. I have a dream similar to yours—to transform Hell into a world filled with birdsong and flowers."

Kino excitedly waved his arms, as if he had already seen a beautiful future.

The corner of Ra's al Ghul's eye twitched. The same dream? If his dream was to start from zero, this was a hellish start.

Transforming all of Hell? He's even crazier than I am!

"Don't think about refusing. Our contract is already complete."

Contract?

Ra's al Ghul looked at his palm. The originally dim rune glowed, then vanished without a trace.

The plan Ra's al Ghul had held deep in his heart to kill Kino instantly disappeared completely. At that moment, the only thought left in his mind was submission.

"Master, who exactly are you?" Ra's al Ghul's voice was filled with reverence.

"I am the Demon King of this Hell! Kino!"

The Demon King had come to him and demanded the entire League of Assassins. Was this an honor? Ra's al Ghul asked himself. The answer was yes.

In the face of such a powerful existence, perhaps being subdued by him really was a stroke of luck.

Ra's al Ghul lowered his head and knelt on one knee. "Master, Ra's al Ghul is willing to serve you."

Kino and Ra's al Ghul returned to the real world. The assassins who had regained consciousness immediately charged at Kino, each of them wearing a ferocious expression and overflowing with killing intent.

"Stop! From now on, Master is the new leader of the League of Assassins!" Ra's al Ghul shouted.

When the assassins heard Ra's al Ghul's announcement, they froze for a moment before sheathing their blades in unison. They knelt on one knee and shouted together, "Greetings, Leader!"

Seeing this, Kino couldn't help sighing inwardly. Whatever else could be said about Ra's al Ghul, his control over the organization was truly first-rate.

"When you have time, have Yū learn from you." Kino turned to Ra's al Ghul.

"Yes, Master." Ra's al Ghul responded obediently. He was now completely loyal to Kino, without the slightest intention of resisting him.

[Why don't you learn yourself?]

"Because I'm lazy." Kino answered crisply and decisively, completely justified and without the slightest hesitation.

[...]

"Ra's al Ghul, take me to the Lazarus Pit." Kino stopped wasting words and issued a direct command.

Ra's al Ghul nodded in agreement, then led Kino into the castle. The interior was dark and damp, filled with a mysterious atmosphere.

They followed the winding passageways forward, avoiding one hidden mechanism after another.

At last, they reached the depths underground.

Kino followed Ra's al Ghul deep underground. Before them appeared a pool of blue liquid, its surface glittering as mysterious energy radiated from it.

Kino's gaze was drawn to the two people beside the pool. One was a fit, beautiful woman carefully scooping out a little of the pool water, pouring it onto some medicinal ointment, and then gently applying it to the knife wounds on the child before her.

The child's face was expressionless, and he didn't make a sound, as if he had long since grown numb to the wounds on his body and become accustomed to them.

Excessive use of the pool water would turn a person into a lunatic. But if the dosage was controlled properly, it was the best medicine for wounds in the world—and wouldn't affect tomorrow's training in the slightest.

That's right. Every one of these wounds had been personally inflicted by the woman before them.