Part 3
Eliza and Seiryu entered the Main Chamber, where Yamato remained seated upon his throne of living obsidian.
On either side of him, standing silent and unshaken, were Selka and Lina—guardians of his will.
Seiryu stepped forward wordlessly.
With precise movements, he laid the unconscious body of Junya Mori before the throne, placing the ceremonial bow at his feet.
"Good work," Yamato said, not rising, his gaze settling on the slumbering hero.
Eliza bowed with elegance.
"Lord Yamato, the paladin's body has been delivered to Darwin for analysis. As for the cleric, she's secured in my interrogation chamber. No serious injuries… for now."
"I see. Well done, Eliza. I'll send Selka later to extract anything useful from them. Their abilities might serve our second-line soldier unit."
"Thank you, my lord. I am unworthy of your praise."
"Seiryu," Yamato commanded, his voice still low, "wake him."
The demon nodded.
He raised a hand, and a wave of grim magic activated the capsule. Junya stirred, eyes fluttering open as if emerging from a lead-soaked nightmare.
"Where… am I?" he murmured, dazed.
Yamato rose slowly. His shadow stretched across the chamber like a living fracture.
"Junya Mori. So… you were chosen as the Bow Hero."
"I expected nothing less from someone so skilled at preying on the weak."
"How do you know my name?" Junya asked, recoiling as much as his restraints would allow.
Yamato stepped down from the throne, and as he did, his form began to shift.
"Because once… I was one of your victims."
Before them all, his body changed… blond hair, gray eyes, a familiar face.
Rei Kanzaki.
"You're… the German kid," Junya stammered in disbelief.
Yamato returned to his original form. The dark silhouette of the Void reclaimed the space.
"I was. But thanks to all of you… I became something more. True justice."
Junya spat at him without hesitation. The saliva landed at Yamato's feet.
"Stupid foreigner. You really think you'll get away with this? The Kingdom will come for me! I'll avenge Aira and Judith!"
"You bast—!" Lina stepped forward, fury in her eyes, but Yamato halted her with a single gesture.
"I don't think you understand your position," he said calmly.
He extended his palm.
A swarm of nanobots reconfigured instantly, forming a black spider with glowing red eyes.
"You're not here to hear my story… nor to witness my power."
The creature crawled toward Junya, its steps surgical and slow. It slipped beneath his skin, threading itself through his nervous system.
"The only reason you're still breathing…"
The spider emerged again from his neck and returned to Yamato's hand.
"…is because I decided so."
Junya panted, struggling for composure but still tried to act tough.
"You think I'm scared just because you've found yourself some strong pets?"
Yamato didn't answer at first.
He took a few steps forward, unhurried.
He looked down at him—like a judge whose verdict had already been carved in stone.
"That kind of provocation might've worked back in school," he said at last.
"But this isn't our world anymore. And my companions… aren't pets."
He stopped beside Junya's bow and picked it up.
The enchanted wood pulsed softly—recognizing its new bearer.
"But don't worry. Eliza will show you exactly how we treat pets around here."
"Like your friend Judith"
Without effort, Yamato took on Junya's physical form.
The bow accepted him without resistance.
Even his voice… shifted.
"My spider already extracted everything from you. Your memories. Your skills. I can now infiltrate Arkenfel as the Bow Hero."
"And no one… will notice."
Junya stared wide-eyed.
It was like looking into a mirror… one warped by a nightmare.
"You're a monster…"
Yamato returned to his true form—dark, solemn, inevitable.
"I am. And you helped create me."
He turned and walked back to his throne without another glance.
"We're done here."
With a flick of his fingers.
"Eliza please. Show our guest how we really treat our 'pets.'"
"With pleasure, my lord," she said with theatrical grace, before dragging Junya across the stone floor like a bag of worthless meat.
"Curse you, you damn German bastard!" Junya screamed, his voice echoing into the corridors as he vanished.
Yamato didn't flinch.
He didn't even turn around.
His gaze shifted only to Lina and Selka, sharp and unwavering.
"You two. With me."
Seiryu remained still waiting for the order he knew would come.
"Seiryu," Yamato added, not looking back.
"When Eliza is done… deliver what's left of Junya to Darwin. The more we know about the heroes, better."
"Yes, Master. Your will be done."
Silence returned to the chamber.
But the echo of that order lingered—
like a sentence without a set execution date.
Minutes later, Yamato stood before the glass wall of his chambers, arms crossed behind his back.
The Mist Valley sprawled before him like a living machine—perfectly synchronized.
"Phase one is complete," he said softly.
Behind him, Selka and Lina waited in silence.
"You two will accompany me to Arkenfel. Thanks to Selka's mental influence, you'll go unnoticed. You won't need to change form—just clothes."
"And what would you have us do?" Lina asked, her voice steady.
Yamato turned to them, his gaze sharp—like an algorithm ready to execute.
"Selka, you'll investigate the power circles: who controls what, which figures truly influence the council, which clerics whisper into the king's ear."
"Lina, you'll handle logistics. I want to know who gives the military orders, what days the merchants enter, which routes are patrolled, what forces they command… I want everything."
"Yes, Yamato," they replied in unison, without hesitation.
"I'll take care of the heroes. And General Balliard."
He stepped toward the center of the room, where a circular throne rose from the floor, surrounded by organic circuits and glowing lines of living code.
"Arkenfel calls itself the bastion of Valheim…" he murmured, letting the name linger a few seconds.
"If I'm going to reduce it to ashes, I want to savor every second."
He sat down calmly, and for just a moment, something resembling a smile curved his lips.
On either side, Lina and Selka took their places. Like a silent pillars of purpose.