Chapter 163: Ambush and Loss of Control

Hades was attacked?

Upon hearing this news, Kurama’s very first reaction was not to worry about the safety of his beloved, but rather to silently light a conceptual candle in his heart for the so-called attackers.

Daring to single-handedly challenge His Majesty the Underworld King—from ancient times to the present, aside from the unkillable, indomitable little stinking-weed Saints belonging to Athena, this batch of yet-unidentified assailants was the first wave of brave souls to make such an attempt... well, brave souls?

However, the weeds possessed not only the goddess's Cosmos blessing them with divine protection, but they were also the protagonists favored by both the world’s fortune and destiny. In times of crisis, their Cosmos would flare up again and again, making the overthrow of one or two supreme-god-tier bosses an absolute breeze.

Yet this group of attackers—whom one hardly knew whether to call fearless, ignorant, or a combination of both—dared to recklessly launch such an assault before thoroughly investigating Hades's true strength. What on earth were they relying on?

Kurama raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a spark of curiosity.

Tatara mistook his expression for one of inquiry, and without waiting for Kurama to actually voice his questions, he began reciting everything Izumo had mentioned in the email sent to him like a torrent of beans pouring from a bamboo tube:

"The attackers ambushed the hotel we were staying at less than half an hour ago. The target chosen was simply the large suite booked for you and Hades-san."

In other words, the intruders' objective was extremely explicit, locking onto Kurama and Hades specifically.

"Izumo-san immediately dispatched people over after receiving the news, but he and the King weren't in a position to show their faces, so they had to wait for updates inside the HOMRA bar."

"According to the replies from our comrades who rushed to the hotel, the battle was already over by the time they arrived. Aside from the extensive damage caused midway by an unexplained explosion, there wasn't a single trace of a struggle left in the hotel room. This made it impossible for them to even determine how many people the infiltrating party had sent. They could only guess from the security footage in the hotel corridor that at least eight individuals had entered the room by hacking the security lock on the door."

"Yet, these at least eight known attackers and Hades-san's group all vanished without a trace in the span of just half a half-hour. Neither the police who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news nor the comrades we sent managed to gather any further useful information."

"Izumo-san believes that before long, this incident will be reported to Scepter 4, and they will take over the subsequent investigation and handling, because..."

"Because this entire affair reeks of strangeness everywhere. It looks highly likely to belong to the category of conflicts between ability-users."

The one who smoothly took over and completed Tatara's unfinished sentence right after the word "because" was the Blue King on the other end of the terminal.

His tone carried a hint of contemplation, suggesting he too had just received the report and was currently distracted by deep thought.

"Awashima-kun has already led a team to the scene of the incident, and detailed investigation reports will no doubt be transmitted back shortly. But before that happens..."

Munakata paused slightly here, seemingly reorganizing his thoughts for what he was about to say next.

Having roughly guessed what the other wanted to express, Kurama merely raised an eyebrow at this point, showing no greater reaction beyond that.

Holding the terminal and facing the kitsune directly, Fushimi couldn't help but frown slightly at this sight.

His intuition told him that the person before him had already guessed his superior's unsaid words, but the other party's attitude was... well, somewhat too dismissive.

That completely unmasked, nonchalant, and indifferent posture caused even someone like Fushimi—whose reverence and yearning for the Blue King, Reisi Munakata, far outweighed any sense of personal respect—to feel a sudden surge of irritation within his heart.

Unfortunately, this rare flash of protectiveness on his part could neither be perceived nor felt by Munakata, who was separated by the other end of the terminal.

The blue-haired King of Men merely pondered for a brief moment before quickly resuming the topic that had just been temporarily cut short:

"That young man accompanying Tatara, your name... is Kurama, isn't it?"

"That's right."

The kitsune nodded generously.

Hearing this, the Blue King on the other side of the terminal experienced another fleeting pause in his speech.

"It sounds as though you aren't particularly worried about your companions who have vanished following the attack?"

Munakata’s tone carried a perfectly calibrated measure of puzzlement.

This caused the kitsune's eyebrows to arch once more, holding a flavor of bright, intriguing amusement that Fushimi couldn't quite fathom...

"I thought Tatara's previous explanation was already quite detailed?"

He answered a question with a question.

"Whether by explicit statements or subtle hints, didn't he emphasize to you more than once just how mysterious and powerful we outsiders are?" Kurama smiled. "And since we are a group possessing such mysterious might, how could we possibly... fall into any genuine danger just because of such a third-rate 'surprise attack'?"

"........."

Munakata fell silent.

Although he was already seventy or eighty percent inclined to believe the so-called "truth" previously recounted to him by Totsuka Tatara, now that he had received such a near-audacious response and confirmation from a key figure within that very truth, the Blue King still didn't quite know how he ought to react. Should he be gladdened by the strength of his collaborators, or...

Should he be wary of these outsiders being overly powerful?

With his focus of contemplation never aligning on the same horizontal plane as HOMRA's members, the blue-haired King silently raised a hand to massage his temple on the far side of the terminal, out of Kurama and the others' line of sight.

"In that case," he closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "those attackers are also in the hands of your companions?"

Compared to the possibility that the other party's combat power was high enough to silently dispose of nearly ten superhuman individuals without leaving a single trace of their existence, Munakata clearly leaned more toward the likelihood that the other side possessed the immense strength to abduct everyone without a sound.

Hearing this, Kurama tilted his head and pondered for a moment.

Naturally, he didn't believe that his beloved would dispose of those attackers right on the spot.

This wasn't to say that His Majesty the Underworld King was merciful, but rather...

In Hades's eyes, those people probably didn't even possess the value of being killed by his own hands.

Deeply aware of his beloved's level of laziness (?) and secretly finding this trait of his rather endearing (?!), the kitsune let out a sigh that feigned helplessness, the corners of his mouth curling upward into a cheerful smile whose existence he himself was unaware of—

"I can't guarantee you that much."

He said in a lighthearted tone.

"Perhaps they were indeed in the hands of my companions when they left the hotel, but right now..."

Once questions like the reason and purpose behind those people's attack on Hades and company, as well as the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes, were answered one by one, Kurama wasn't certain whether those now-useless attackers would simply be tossed casually into some corner of the city by an impatient Thanatos and Hypnos, leaving them to "fend for themselves."

Munakata was clearly not so obtuse as to fail to catch the underlying implication hidden within Kurama's words.

Thus, the Bureau Chief on the other end of the terminal sprang into action swiftly. With a few outgoing calls, instructions to scour every corner of the city centered around the hotel for suspicious individuals who had temporarily lost their capacity for action were methodically passed down layer by layer.

Seeing this, the kitsune twitched the corners of his lips in a practically imperceptible manner.

The Blue King really was a smart man who knew how to weigh situations, he thought.

Clearly knowing that their side had most likely extracted all desired clues from the attackers, he didn't rashly voice a demand for shared intelligence. Instead, he made it his primary priority to apprehend the attackers subdued by Hades and the others before they could recover their combat strength and mobility, intending to pry open their mouths himself afterward...

This really was...

——A rather clever approach.

While uttering a soft inward sigh of appreciation, Kurama lowered his head and rubbed his forehead affectionately against Mokona's—

"Kurama, you mustn't become infatuated with him, you know! You already have Hades!"

"...(⊙_⊙)"

Upon hearing this, the kitsune first stared in astonishment, then let out an amused look as he raised a hand to pinch the little creature's soft, plump little belly:

"Pfft. Mokona, what on earth are you thinking? When did I ever say I was going to be infatuated with him?"

And besides...

"Just what kind of bribes did Hades give you behind my back while I wasn't looking? How is it that you're siding with him this much?"

The white fluffy ball giggled and squirmed back and forth in his palm~

"I won't tell you~"

He whispered while laughing, "This is a secret between Mokona and Hades~"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Kurama—who hadn't actually cared much initially—grew genuinely curious.

"A secret?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"There are secrets between Mokona and me now?"

"Well..." The white ball blinked back at him with an expression of pure innocence, "Hades said that this little secret doesn't count as hiding things from Kurama, so it's totally fine not to tell you!"

——So it was all Hades's idea after all! Mokona doesn't know a single thing, you see~

The little creature's eyes, widened on purpose to act cute, nakedly transmitted this exact message.

Regarding his white ball's blatant "betrayal" of his lover, Kurama only found the situation increasingly comical.

To think he had actually believed His Majesty the Underworld King possessed such formidable methods that he had even "subdued" a slippery little spirit like Mokona. Who could have imagined...

That this little fellow would stab him in the back like this.

Just imagining his lover's reaction upon learning of this...

The kitsune suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of anti-cipation. (Wait, what's up with that randomly inserted strange symbol!)

Eager to reunite with his beloved immediately, Kurama waited until Munakata finished issuing his pursuit orders and finally returned to his previous composed and calm demeanor, then politely and proactively offered his farewells—

"Things having reached this point, it seems today... is no longer suitable for continuing our conversation."

He said in a gentle tone.

"Regarding the matter of cooperation, judging by your side's performance today, I believe... you are likely holding an agreeable stance? What remains to be discussed in detail, then, are the specifics of the plan."

"And on that note, HOMRA's Kusanagi Izumo-kun will no doubt make an excellent negotiating partner. We can quite safely leave all subsequent contact with your side in his capable hands."

With that, amidst Munakata's prolonged silence, Kurama gave a polite slight nod toward Fushimi. Then, ignoring the other's hesitant expression, he decisively turned and left, bringing Tatara and Yata along with him.

As for what kind of conversation might transpire between Munakata and Fushimi after their departure?

The kitsune expressed that this was no longer a focal point requiring his attention.

***

Just as Kurama, Tatara, and their party concluded their first encounter with the Blue King and walked on the path toward reuniting with Hades and the twin gods, aboard a certain airship hundreds of meters above the ground...

A head of long silver hair reflected a dim, charmingly faint luster against the slightly gloomy cabin of the airship, effortlessly capturing one's soul the very moment they laid eyes upon it.

Yet this beautiful silver hair, which ought to have cascaded neatly down its owner's back to display absolute elegance, was now scattered in a messy sprawl across the floor, tangling and heaving unevenly as its owner made a pathetic attempt to crawl upward.

And from beneath the disheveled, sweat-soaked strands of hair, a face slowly lifted—a visage that had completely lost its original noble and handsome bearing, twisting instead into a shocking, hideous, and contorted expression...

"Damn it..."

The owner of this face breathed heavily, a hoarse growl leaking from his throat—a snarl overflowing with surging, nameless fury.

"I will... kill you with my own hands!"

"Totsuka... Tatara!!!"