In the Darkness

Leaping from the top of Lantehe Building, his solid muscles displayed the powerful beauty of lean, streamlined contours. A faint sheen of scales glimmered as a figure fell into the night, then activated the device concealing his form in some shadowed corner. When he reappeared on the streets of London,

he was already dressed in a black overcoat and gloves. His air of authority and unapproachability could be felt by passersby. Less than a minute after he waited by the roadside, a black Ascari pulled up before him.

"Back to the manor."

He gave the order coolly from the back seat. The sunglasses-wearing driver started the engine, and the black Ascari merged into the traffic of London's Financial City, speeding toward the wealthy district in northwest London before finally stopping at a small manor near the edge of the city.

Beyond the limited number of servants, there were more men dressed in black who looked dangerous. The manor, roughly the size of a residential complex, contained only one circular villa building at its center.

The people guarding the entrance opened the manor gates for him. The splendid chandelier and classical carpets inside seemed only natural. After heading up to his room on the fourth floor, taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack, he sat back down at his desk.

He took out a mechanical cube with icy edges and sci-fi blue light. Releasing it from his palm, he activated a designated conference channel.

Then, as the projection expanded the next second, the scene in his room seemed to be replaced by another location. Five other figures appeared out of thin air, each seated in a corner of the space, and every single one of them

exuded the most powerful aura among B-ranks.

They had practically proven to