Somewhere in southwestern M Country.
Demon Capital, on the other side of Blue Star, was still shrouded in night, while dawn was about to break here.
In a sprawling European-style manor, all the regular servants had been dismissed more than ten days earlier, and no one was allowed anywhere near the grounds.
At that moment, a man with a sinister gaze sat on a sofa in the lavish hall, staring grimly at the news from Demon Capital on the screen.
His hair was graying, and he wore nothing but pajamas. With his hooked nose and pale green eyes, there was no way to tell that another soul from the East lurked within this body.
"Master, all the cultists who fled here have been settled."
Behind him, a butler in tails bowed.
"The worst of the searches have been concentrated in China, in the East. Although our headquarters has been destroyed, many of our followers scattered around the world are still in hiding. But those Night Doctors have been hunting us in major cities across the globe, and we've lost contact with many of our cultists."
Charles raised his head and took a long swig of whiskey.
He exhaled heavily.
"How many cultists have we gathered?"
The butler said quietly, "Seventy-one in total, Master, including more than a dozen severely wounded and two senior members of our branches. They happened to be away from headquarters during the mass roundup, so they escaped the disaster."
Charles's sinister gaze flickered.
His fingers slowly tapped his glass. The entire room was dark and silent.
A long time passed.
He said grimly, "Dispose of them all quietly. Don't attract anyone's attention."
The butler shuddered. "Master, why would you..."
Charles's gaze darkened, coldness glinting in his eyes. "I'm not like them. They'll never be able to