"Can you tell me why you killed all those people?"

Henry just wanted a reasonable answer. Even a single line he could hold on to. He needed something that would make him and all Humans feel safe, a fragment of logic amidst the madness of Adyr's actions.

Adyr knew this question would come.

This situation was almost identical to when he raided Cannibal's territory and killed dozens of people; at the time, the Player Headquarters dispatched an expert to assess his psychological state, observing every word and reaction to ensure he wasn't a mindless killer.

At that time he had explained the situation by claiming that the carnage was the result of necessity and survival in a desperate environment.

He had also made it clear he felt deep regret for all the deaths and that he understood his mistake and the importance of human life. In the end, psychiatrist Conrad had defined him not as harmless, but as beneficial. A dangerous tool pointed in the right direction.

But this time he didn't need to play the good guy. He didn't need to deceive anyone.

He opened his eyes and raised his hand.

A small blood-red cube materialized on his palm, its surface faintly gleaming, liquid light seeming to flow beneath its edges.

"To charge this thing with blood."

With Henry's attention fixed on the eerie cube, Adyr continued. "This is the treasure Sevrak used to turn his Black Dragon into that Blood Dragon. I found it by luck, and now I want to use it for myself."

Henry finally understood the reason.

It was cruel and difficult to accept, but understanding still brought a kind of relief. He let out a long breath while some of the tension drained from his shoulders.

He had personally watched the recordings and seen how powerful the Blood Dragon was, how a single attack was enough to change the landscape.

If Adyr could gain a power equal to that, it would at least be a worthwhile trade for all the lives lost, as long as they ignored ethics and questions of right and wrong, judging only by survival and the cold numbers of war.

Adyr didn't stop there.

The cube vanished from his palm. He pushed himself up from where he was lying, then stretched out his hand with his palm facing the floor.

The next moment, a body materialized on the ground and hit the floor with a dull sound that echoed faintly through the room.

"This?" Henry stared at the dead body sprawled at their feet, and recognition hit him a heartbeat later.

The body was deformed with black stains creeping along the skin and clear signs of blood loss. Despite that, the silver hair and the pure fair skin made it obvious the corpse belonged to a Lunari, one of the races now walking their halls as guests, sharing their tables and meetings.

"You killed a Lunari? "

With the Lunari ruler currently in their city, using their most important devices to grow stronger, Adyr calmly showing him a dead Lunari body was madness beyond reason.

Henry didn't know what to think. His thoughts kept tripping over the implications and the possible fallout.

And then Adyr added, piling madness on top of madness, "Actually, I killed 5 Lunari and took all their blood to charge the cube."

He began to recount everything that had happened to Henry, laying out the events one after another without trying to soften them.

He revealed that the five people he killed were all Lunari ancestors, that they had been facing a bloodline curse for a long time, and that he had deceived Zephan and the Lunari people by pretending to help them, turning their salvation into a carefully wrapped lie.

As Henry listened, his expression shifted.

First there was raw shock, muscles tightening around his mouth.

Then wariness settled in, the lines on his face growing sharper.

At last, what remained was a heavy acceptance of the kind of man Adyr was now. He was someone who no longer fit into any simple category.

"Were you always like this, or did you actually change? I can't tell." His voice was low and heavy as he looked at the face he could no longer feel familiar with, as if he were staring at a stranger wearing Adyr's features like a mask.

"Does it matter?" Adyr laughed. The sound was brief and empty.

He himself had started to question who he was lately.

He kept thinking about the kind of person he had been before, trying to keep the changes in him small enough that he wouldn't lose himself and forget who he was once all the evolutions came and reshaped his mind and body.

"Give the bodies to the researchers. Even though they are dead, they might still carry good information about the blood path, something we can use to increase the power of our soldiers. We need every potential power on our side for the future."

Adyr spoke while he slowly rose from his seat, his movements still carrying a faint heaviness of fatigue.

He summoned all five bodies, making them lie neatly on the floor before turning toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Henry looked between the bodies and Adyr's retreating figure, his voice carrying a mix of concern and confusion.

Adyr's tired eyes and stiff posture showed that he still needed rest. But apparently, he wasn't planning to rest at all.

Adyr put his hand on the doorknob and spoke before opening it. "I want to spend some time with my family. Before I start my evolution to Rank 4."

Then he left the room without looking back, leaving Henry standing there with five deceased Lunari ancestors for company.

—

"And this place is currently the most visited area in the city, where traders from other races usually come to sell and buy."

Vesha pointed toward a crowded square bathed in daylight. Her lovely, smiling face fit naturally into such a lively scene.

Marielle, Niva, and Vivienne stood a little behind her while they watched the huge, bustling square, their eyes full of interest and quiet shock as they took in the noise, movement, and colors.

They had seen the trade square before from the high floor of the Headquarters building, when it had been nothing more than a distant patch full of tiny moving dots.

Now, standing in the middle of it, surrounded by a sea of people and the murmur of countless voices, they suddenly felt tiny.

It was a vast open market area with stalls and shops lined up everywhere. Humans walked around carrying bags and crates.

Mixed into that flow were many different kinds of humanoid people moving through the space like a living river.

They saw people with blue skin and fishlike features, their gills faintly visible.

Fluffy, furry dogs walked on 2 legs, chatting with each other in relaxed tones.

Nearly 3 meters tall, green, terrifying ogres towered over the crowd.

There were even walking stones, whose rocky bodies shifted as they moved, causing the women to wonder how their limbs could function without breaking apart.

The Earth Shelter Cities had never had a trade square like this before, making the entire experience feel all the more unique and unexpectedly enjoyable.

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