A bitter, dangerous smile crossed Merc Assault's face as realization settled over him. "But Chronus made a mistake. A fatal mistake. He crippled me, yes. Reduced me to half my former power. But he forgot something crucial—I'm still a legendary assassin at my core. And I know things. Secrets. Information about demon lord activities that would cause chaos if revealed. Three centuries of accumulated leverage that he never considered."

He moved to a locked cabinet, his trembling hands working the combination. Inside lay his insurance—documents, crystals containing recorded conversations, artifacts tied to various demon lords' secrets. Material he'd collected over centuries, never expecting to need it.

"You want to use me as a disposable tool?" Merc Assault's voice dripped with venom. "Fine. I'll show you what happens when you throw away someone who knows where all the bodies are buried, Chronus."

His smile grew colder, more calculated as he began pulling specific items from the cabinet. "And as for Satou... that's personal now. Not because of your contract. Not because you want him dead. But because he made me lose half my powers. Half of everything I've built over three centuries."

Evidence of Chronus's violations lay before him—forbidden temporal experiments, alliances with Humans that should remain unnamed, manipulations of the demon lord hierarchy that would outrage the other seats.

"I won't tell anyone about Satou's consuming ability," Merc Assault decided, his voice carrying deadly certainty. "That information is mine now. My advantage. My weapon. Let that bastard Chronus think his little test subject is still a mystery. Let him send more assassins, more probes, more disposable tools to test Satou's capabilities while remaining ignorant of what really makes him dangerous."

He carefully organized the materials, his tactical mind already planning. "And while he's wasting resources, while he's underestimating what Satou can really do, I'll be preparing. Gathering my own forces. Building my own plan. Not for the client—fuck the client and his contract. For me. For revenge against both of them."

Merc Assault's expression turned vicious. "They'll both learn what it costs to betray me. Chronus will lose everything he values politically. Satou will watch his settlement burn. I'll destroy them both—just not in the way anyone expects."

He moved to a different communication crystal—one not connected to any official network. His personal contacts. People who owed him favors accumulated over three centuries. People who wouldn't report back to demon lord councils or political networks.

"One month to recover," he muttered, activating the crystal. "Thirty days to restore enough power to function in combat. During that time, I gather forces quietly. No official channels. No contracts. Just old debts being called in."

His voice—still weak but carrying unmistakable authority—echoed through the private network. "This is Merc Assault. I'm calling in personal debts. Not for a contract. Not for a client. For me. I need soldiers, specialists, anyone who owes me enough to answer without asking questions. Respond within the hour if you're interested in settling accounts."

Responses filtered back almost immediately. Three centuries of operations meant three centuries of people who owed him. Lives saved. Information provided. Operations assisted. Now he was collecting.

"Target location will be provided later," he continued. "Payment will be settled through debt cancellation plus additional compensation from alternative sources." He glanced at Chronus's secrets. Those would be worth a fortune to the right buyers—or the right rival demon lords. "This is a personal operation. No demon lord backing. No official support. Just me and those willing to stand with me."

More responses came—some curious, some concerned, but all acknowledging debts owed. Personal operations from legendary figures weren't undertaken lightly.

"We're going after someone who wronged me personally," Merc Assault explained carefully, not revealing Satou's identity or abilities yet. "Someone who took something from me that can't be returned. This isn't about money or reputation. It's about making sure certain violations have consequences."

The network responded with understanding. They could hear it in his voice—this wasn't business. This was personal.

"The attack happens in thirty days. Use that time to prepare. Gather gear. Settle affairs. When I call again, I'll provide full mission details. Until then, just know that your debts to me are being called due. Be ready."

Merc Assault disconnected and slumped back, exhausted from even that much effort in his diminished state. But satisfaction mixed with his exhaustion. He was building something—not for a client, not for money, but for himself. For revenge.

"One month," he muttered, moving to the cabinet containing healing draughts and power restoration elixirs. He began consuming them methodically, feeling slight improvements with each one. "Thirty days to recover, to plan, to prepare my revenge against both the demon lord who betrayed me and the provisional demon lord who violated me."

His laughter started quiet, then grew—a sound equal parts amusement and madness. "When I'm done, Chronus will wish he'd never tried to play me like a disposable pawn! And Satou... Satou will wish he'd never been born!"

The laughter echoed through the chamber, bouncing off walls and carrying a promise of violence to come.

He moved to a planning table where blank maps and intelligence reports lay waiting. Over the next month, those would fill with information, strategies, preparations for a revenge that would strike at both targets simultaneously.

"Satou gets my personal attention," Merc Assault decided, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "A full assault on his settlement. Everything I can gather. Everyone who owes me. Complete destruction of everything he's built, everyone he loves, every dream he had of changing the demon world."

His smile turned predatory. "And Chronus? He gets to watch his secrets leaked at precisely the wrong time. Watch his position erode. Watch his allies turn on him. A slow, political death while I'm destroying his target personally. Perfect symmetry."

He began making notes, planning two operations that would unfold simultaneously. "Chronus who betrayed me loses everything politically. Satou who violated me loses everything personally. And I..." His smile widened. "I get to watch them both fall while I rebuild myself from their ruins."

Author's Note:

Finally, I am done with this arc! The next arc is going to be action-filled, with everyone seeing a new side of Satou that no one expected. So how does everyone feel about this arc? If you were to rate it from 1-10, what value would you give it? Thanks for giving my story a chance and for your support. Happy New Year! 🎆

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