Musya heard footsteps behind her and reflexively turned around, the look in her eyes enough to make the devil retreat. "It's all of you!" Musya roared with a human throat, a howl comparable to a wild beast's roar.

The feast of slaughter was about to begin, only the roles of killer and victim really needed to be swapped...

As the day passed, several months later, when foreign travelers happened to pass by, they were horrified to discover: in this small village, there were over a thousand human corpses and over a hundred beastkin corpses. Among them, the beastkin corpses, especially, appeared shattered, as if they had been subjected to horrifying treatment in their lifetime. Out of kindness, the travelers dug a large pit and buried the bodies of the humans and beastkin together.

After completing this task, the travelers did not realize that buried here was another person; Musya, the kind-hearted woman who harbored no prejudice against beastkin, had died. Though her body was not found, she never appeared in her old identity again in this world.

At the Mercenary Association, only a small record was made of the events of that period: "Mr. and Mrs. Ata Musya went to rescue a beastkin village, and their whereabouts became unknown after destroying a band of thieves; shortly after, the village was mysteriously massacred by unknown individuals, leaving no survivors."

The records of this period ended, and what followed was an era of small changes for the Eastern Continent. The one who influenced this era was a woman who, in the guise of a "philanthropist," took care of many homeless beastkin around her. Those who were familiar with this era knew that, the orphanage they could recognize, was the predecessor of the Disaster Relief Society; in just a few years, the seemingly pure charity organization had transformed into an assassin group that traded lives for money.

The woman's identity no longer needed to be explicitly stated, but noteworthy was this: although she founded the Disaster Relief Society, providing shelter for the displaced beastkin, it did not mean she had forgotten the events of the past. She sustained thousands of beastkin, but her goal was to train them as tools for profit. Whether they died in the process of making money—whether they were noble families or the beastkin she had sheltered—she did not care.

Of course, the President's ultimate goal was not simply to make money. To understand her true intentions, one must pay attention to a specific detail. Hardly anyone had ever considered: why did this former mercenary have the qualification to negotiate with kingdoms, and why were the powerful figures willing to recognize the legal status of the Disaster Relief Society?

Is it merely because the excellent assassins of the Disaster Relief Society had eliminated many of their enemies, earning their recognition in return?

In fact, behind this seemingly incomprehensible relationship, there were two words that explained the reasons: self-interest! A portion of the bounties earned by assassins like Bai were kept for themselves, with the majority being handed over to the President. Then, the President would give half of the earnings as military funds to the kingdom leaders, in exchange for their support. Able to employ skilled assassins while effortlessly amassing wealth, the leaders were more than willing to strike such a deal.

Based on such private reciprocal relationships, many kingdoms have become the umbrella of the "Catastrophe Elimination Society." However, gaining the support of kingdoms is just a process, not the ultimate goal for the chairperson. The focus lies on the enormous wealth given to the kingdoms. Over the past decade, wars between kingdoms and other nations have not been frequent; therefore, the main purpose of military spending for each country is to counter the aggression and population plundering by the beastkin tribe.

That's the way it is. The sole purpose of the chairperson establishing the "Catastrophe Elimination Society" is to seek revenge against all beastkin in this manner. To some extent, the large number of beastkin slaves is somewhat related to the existence of this organization. It is not enough for the chairperson to retaliate against unknown beastkin; she also focuses on her own beastkin underlings.

Among the proficient subordinates the chairperson has cultivated in the past, some have successfully enjoyed a carefree life in retirement. However, that is just wishful thinking. For every "former subordinate" who retires, the chairperson sells detailed information about their retirement arrangements to prospective buyers, often including those offended by the subordinates during their early assassin years, including the families of the deceased.

Regardless of how many beastkin the chairperson shelters and feeds, their survival rate ultimately amounts to zero. Not even the most outstanding assassins are exempt, such as Bai. Without encountering "Big Brother," without any surprises, her fate would have been to be killed by enemies in her weakening state decades later.

This is the truth hidden behind the "Catastrophe Elimination Society," some of which is so dark that there is hardly a second person in the world who knows it. It must be said that the chairperson's path of vengeance was going smoothly until Wang Xiaole suddenly appeared one day and disrupted the conspiracy she had not disclosed to outsiders. Wang Xiaole and the Black Veil Maiden had previously killed all the top assassins in the "Catastrophe Elimination Society" except Bai, and also eliminated all the powerful adventurers.

It can be understood as follows: the chairperson's years of hard work were completely destroyed in just half a day. The experience of having a plan ruined by a "youngster" made the chairperson truly furious. However, what made her even angrier was Wang Xiao's attitude towards Bai. She was not only angry but also unable to comprehend: How could you be so kind to this creature that barely resembles a human being?

You are just like the foolish me back then, knowing nothing at all. But it doesn't matter; I will make you realize and regret it. Under the chairperson's watchful eyes, Wang Xiao and Bai became opponents, the latter trying to take the former's life, yet the former did not resist. This unexpected reaction bewildered the chairperson even more.

Have you not given up? Or do you simply not care about your own life? What's with that confession? Willing to be killed? You are truly insane! Unable to control her hands, the chairperson clenched them tightly, the best evidence of her increasing fear. Just by standing there, Wang Xiaole shakes her heart of stone, making her doubt if she had been wrong about everything for all those years.

The President was stubborn, just like she used to trust the beastkin villagers stubbornly in the past;

she could never admit her mistakes, least of all believe that in her heart.

So, she issued the order to kill Wang Xiaole, attempting to negate the belief the other side held by killing him.

"I am the one who is right, and I will prove it soon!"

As the President thought so, believing that the annoying person would soon vanish from her sight, an arrow shot by the black-veiled girl arrived.

The arrow, carrying light, did not seem terrifying at first glance, even with its long white tail dragging behind, it looked no different from a skyrocket.

The arrow's tail grazed through the gap in the iron shields, passed by the guards holding them up, and just as it approached the front part of the President, it suddenly exploded!

In the next moment after the President's command echoed, a huge blast surrounded her, dazzling white light filled that area.

In her final conscious moment, she couldn't help but think:

"What is wrong with this foolish man?

That attitude of risking his life for someone he loves is just like him..."

The light blinked and spread, rapidly fading away, appearing extremely abrupt from start to finish.

The resulting effect did not cause the ground where the large group of people originally stood to collapse or crack.

Both the interior and exterior of the buildings were undamaged; however, all the people who were targeted simply disappeared without a trace.

This was the real-world equivalent of "vanishing into thin air."

The unique property of the light arrow not destroying the buildings undoubtedly brought peace to the deceased, because:

Even up to the final moment, she did not move the battlefield to the thirteenth level, which was related to the intended purpose of that level.

The thirteenth level of the "Blackstone Tower" was merely a graveyard where she worshipped a man who had long since passed away.

The plan to place the cemetery on the highest level now seemed incredibly justified when connected to reality;

Even amidst the chaos unfolding on the twelfth level today, this place remained as peaceful as ever, undisturbed for the moment...

As the hated person breathed their last, the mental magic controlling the White Will swiftly lost its effect.

Clang!

The pair of daggers held in those small hands fell to the ground, making a crisp sound.

As if waking up from a terrible nightmare, White's gaze turned evasive when looking at "big brother," seemingly afraid to face him.

The reason for this reaction stemmed from White, although previously controlled mentally, not experiencing any interruption in external awareness and consciousness.

Wang Xiaole had no need to explain, because White knew everything;

Including the change in her "mother's" face, her disobedient body, and her actions of stabbing "big brother" with the dagger, all of which White wanted to forget but couldn't.

White, like a child who had done wrong, was eager to turn away and hide where no one could see her.

However, Wang Xiaole didn't let her have her way, he just enveloped that small body, regardless of his chest turning crimson, repeatedly uttering the same words countless times:

"Welcome back, welcome back..."

The voice sounded so joyous, as if about to cry.

Far away, the black-veiled girl witnessed the scene of the two embracing, feeling relieved, but also realizing:

Time was running out for herself.

Luckily, she felt that she had fulfilled her duty.

Therefore, the girl silently left the place, running all the way outside and entering a small alley.