I changed the Anubis display.
The projection expanded across the chamber, revealing a massive encampment—sixty thousand troops, fully deployed. Their formations were stable, their supply lines intact, their posture relaxed.
They were confident.
The Imperial officers stiffened the moment the image resolved.
I spoke evenly.
"Understand this. An arrangement exists between Masayuki and myself. What you are witnessing is a façade—one designed to mislead observers."
No further explanation was offered.
Minits exhaled sharply and laughed, hollow and bitter.
"This is absurd… If even a fraction of the army had been redirected from the start, we never stood a chance."
Calgurio nodded, his jaw tight.
"Correct. The moment the Armored Corps and Gladium's Magic Beast Corps were removed from the board, the Imperial Capital would have been exposed. The outcome was inevitable."
They were not lamenting defeat.
They were realizing they had been outplayed.
Still, dissent arose.
"That conclusion is premature," Bernie said firmly.
"There are still forces guarding His Majesty directly. Those who have awakened stand above armies. The Emperor would have anticipated Masayuki's betrayal."
I turned my gaze toward him.
"You speak with confidence."
Bernie met my eyes without flinching.
"I am a soldier. This is simply the truth as I know it."
He spoke of discipline, of structure, of an Empire that valued quality over numbers. His past—another world, another life—was irrelevant.
What mattered was this:
The Empire still believed it held trump cards.
I acknowledged this calmly.
"In this world, numbers have never decided wars. One overwhelming existence renders formations meaningless."
No one argued.
Shion gripped her blade.
"Then give the order. I'll erase them."
"Stand down."
Diablo's smile widened.
"If brute force is required—"
"It is not."
My voice remained level.
"We do not move because of impatience. We move when victory is absolute."
No one challenged that.
This was not restraint.
It was control.
I shifted my attention back to Bernie and Jiwu.
"You embedded yourselves near Masayuki to approach me without suspicion. Your timing was precise."
A factual observation—nothing more.
"You were effective."
Bernie inclined his head slightly.
"We followed orders."
I continued.
"You concealed your strength until the final moment. That is not easy."
There was no praise in my tone—only acknowledgment.
Benimaru spoke next.
"We will tighten internal security."
Souei followed.
"Any approach toward His Majesty will be scrutinized further."
I allowed it.
This was refinement—not correction.
Bernie spoke again.
"Damrada ordered me to protect Masayuki. No explanation was given."
Jiwu nodded.
"I received the same order. Separate channels. We were unaware of each other."
That alone was revealing.
"You did not know one another's identities," I said.
"No."
An elite force intentionally divided.
Efficient. Paranoid.
Gadra chuckled quietly.
"The Empire fears betrayal more than defeat."
I regarded him briefly.
"And Damrada?"
"He is not the leader. He is the deputy."
Gadra spoke the name without hesitation.
"Tatsuya Kondou."
The atmosphere changed.
Director of Imperial Intelligence.
The man who devoured information.
Even Gadra did not disguise his assessment.
"He is not an opponent to underestimate."
That was sufficient.
Then came the fracture.
"The assassination order," Bernie said quietly, "Did not come from Damrada. It came directly from the Commander."
Jiwu clenched her fist.
"Our protection order was overridden."
The conclusion was immediate.
"Masayuki ceased to be useful," I said.
"Therefore, he was marked for removal."
Bernie did not deny it.
That confirmed everything.
"There is something about Masayuki," I continued.
"For now, he remains under our jurisdiction."
I turned to Souei.
"Personally."
Souei bowed.
"It will be done."
I concluded calmly.
"Damrada seeks to preserve Masayuki. The Commander seeks to erase him. Their objectives conflict."
Minits exhaled.
"At least they are divided."
"Yes," I replied.
"And that division will be exploited."
I looked once more at the Argus display—the Imperial army, orderly and unaware.
They believed the board was still in motion.
They were mistaken.
The game had already reached its decisive phase.
And I—
Had not yet revealed a single card.
Now that we understood more about Bernie's group, I shifted the focus.
The battlefield was only one layer of the Empire. The real danger lay higher—those who did not march with armies, those who wielded Ultimate Skills, those who could decide wars alone.
I folded my hands atop the table and looked directly at Bernie.
"Tell me about the Single Digits."
The room fell silent at once.
Bernie nodded, his posture straightening as if he were reciting a doctrine drilled into his bones.
"There are always nine of us. No more. No less. At any given time."
"So you replace each other," I said calmly. "Strength decides position."
"In theory," Bernie replied. "But not so easily."
I tilted my head slightly.
"Then it wouldn't be strange for the ninth and tenth to change places."
Bernie shook his head immediately.
"No. That doesn't happen."
He continued carefully, aware that every word mattered.
"The tenth rank is called Spare Personnel. They exist to replace a Single Digit if one falls. The eleventh rank is an assistant—support only. There is a wall between ninth and tenth that cannot be crossed."
"A wall?" Benimaru asked quietly.
Bernie nodded.
"An Ultimate Skill."
That explained it.
Only those who had awakened and obtained an Ultimate Skill were recognized as Single Digits.
Bernie continued.
"I am ranked seventh. Jiwu is ninth."
That meant something very clear.
"The real threats," I said, "are the first through sixth, the eighth, and the Marshal."
Bernie hesitated.
"…Yes."
More telling was what he didn't say.
Bernie and Jiwu didn't know who the others were. They didn't even know each other's identities until the assassination order came.
That alone told me this wasn't deception.
It was design.
"The tenth rank," Bernie continued, "is always stationed in the capital, ready to deploy instantly. Imperial Knights below eleventh rank work in pairs, handling major incidents."
"And their strength?" I asked.
Bernie exhaled.
"The tenth rank could rival an awakened Demon Lord—lacking only an Ultimate Skill. The remaining ninety Imperial Guardians range from sage-class to near-saint-class."
A hundred individuals.
Each worth an army.
Minits clicked his tongue.
"And yet we were crushed without inflicting a single casualty."
"That doesn't change the threat," I replied evenly. "A hundred elites are more dangerous than a million soldiers."
Bernie nodded grimly.
"The Imperial Army exists as a symbol. People need numbers to feel safe. If they knew their lives rested on a hundred men, fear would spread."
Taxes. Order. Illusion.
It was cruel—but rational.
Gadra frowned deeply.
"In the past, the army defended while elites invaded. Later, armies were sent first. I never understood why."
Benimaru's voice was sharp.
"Because the purpose wasn't conquest."
He looked at me.
"It was selection."
Bernie confirmed it without hesitation.
"This expedition was never about victory. Several officers were candidates for awakening—General Calgurio, Major General Minits, Colonel Kansas, Krishna. My orders were to coordinate escape with awakened individuals."
That made the room heavy.
If even half had succeeded, the war would have been catastrophic.
I had assumed the Empire attacked because it believed it could win.
That assumption was wrong.
Solarys adjusted conclusions silently within me.
I didn't comment on it.
Instead, I summarized.
"Emperor Rudra is gathering awakened beings. He can grant Ultimate Skills. His goal is not territory—it is domination through overwhelming individuals."
Benimaru nodded.
"That explains why the unawakened don't matter."
Diablo smiled faintly.
"With Ultimate Skills, even humans can stand among monsters."
Ultima crossed her arms.
"I don't like that."
Carrera scoffed.
"It ruins the fun."
Testarossa looked thoughtful.
"Then the Empire is trying to break the balance."
Rigurd spoke next.
"The world has been stabilized by a handful of extraordinary individuals. Rudra wants enough power to crush them all at once."
"To use the strong to erase the strong," Kaijin added.
"And discard the rest," Hakurou said coldly.
The Imperials looked uncomfortable.
They lived inside that philosophy.
Then Gadra spoke again, slowly.
"I've heard Demon Lord Guy has grown wary of the Empire's rising power."
That drew reactions instantly.
Ultima sneered.
"Why would that man tolerate them?"
Carrera leaned forward.
"If Guy wanted, the Empire would already be ash."
Diablo laughed softly.
"And it would be entertaining."
Testarossa answered without emotion.
"Because Velgrynd is there."
The room froze.
Calgurio's breath caught.
Minits muttered, barely audible, "So that's why…"
Velgrynd.
The Scorch Dragon.
One of the True Dragons.
Testarossa continued.
"Touch the Empire, and you provoke her. That is why I remained quiet."
Minits muttered, "Quiet…?"
I ignored it.
I was focused on the name.
Velgrynd.
I turned my gaze slightly.
"So the White Primordial shows respect to the Scorch Dragon."
Testarossa smiled faintly.
"Respect is not the word. True Dragons are… complicated."
She paused.
"They are incomprehensible. Indestructible."
Then she said something that shook the room.
"And yet—Guy is no threat to Atem-sama."
Silence.
Then she added calmly:
"He lost to him. Twice."
The effect was immediate.
Calgurio's hands trembled.
Minits stared openly.
Bernie froze.
Jiwu's face went pale.
I spoke before disbelief could turn into chaos.
"I defeated Guy twice. The second time, I nearly killed him."
The air collapsed.
Even the Primordials stiffened.
"I let him live," I continued, voice steady, absolute. "Because a lesson is more effective than an ending."
Someone swallowed.
Someone else's chair creaked.
Testarossa looked at me with something close to awe.
Then I added the final blow.
"I also defeated Veldora."
That broke them.
Not metaphorically.
Mentally.
Gadra stared at me as if seeing a god walk among mortals.
Several Imperial soldiers exchanged looks of pure dread.
How did we think we could win?
He didn't even join the war.
His soldiers were enough.
Those thoughts were written plainly on their faces.
"There is no victory," Testarossa said quietly, "if your enemy cannot be killed completely."
True Dragons could resurrect.
Demons could be erased.
But True Dragons?
They returned.
Again and again.
"If such a being stands with the Empire," Benimaru asked carefully, "will you kill her, Atem-sama?"
I met his gaze.
"When the time comes, I will decide."
I did not hesitate.
"I will not involve Veldora."
That meant one thing.
I would handle it myself.
Then Diablo, smiling like a devil who enjoyed chaos too much, spoke.
"Since Guy is involved, I invited him."
The room snapped toward him.
"You did what?" I said slowly.
"Yes."
Silence.
Pure, dangerous silence.
"…We adjourn," I said at last.
Because the next moment—
Another king would arrive.
And the room would need to be ready.