A tender piece of steak sat in Solaris's mouth, the savory flavor dancing on his tongue; however, he had no time to enjoy the succulent flavor, as he was trapped in his own thoughts.
What is with this company, always placing me in the most important positions: first an elite squad, then an executioner, then I have to fight the second-in-command; and now I'm forced to lead another elite squad against a coming threat, what the fuck!
Noticing Solaris's blank gaze, Jon Smit raised an eyebrow and then spoke.
"Solaris, is there something you'd like to say?"
Solaris took a moment and finally began to chew his steak.
The flavor was delectable; it was juicy, perfectly seasoned, and it wasn't too chewy or too stringy.
The marbling was divine, and the piece melted in his mouth.
After a moment, Solaris swallowed the steak and then opened his mouth again this time to speak.
"Yes, I have a few things to say. First, why are you selecting me for this position?"
Solaris had challenged the thought of asking this question, but in the end he decided he had very little to lose and quite a lot to gain.
"Then, second, what coming threat did you mean? And finally, if I were to lead a squad, I request to pick at least two of the people I am to lead."
Jon Smit took another bite, and another, as he began to think of a response to Solaris's two questions and one request.
After he swallowed his food, he began to speak in a calming and serious tone.
"Solaris Gunther, you are someone with the deepest knowledge of hell, and due to this, I had originally wished for you to go back into it leading an expedition; in all honesty, I still hadn't given up on this plan; however, that plan will no longer work."
Jon Smit paused for a moment, as if deliberating over his words.
While he did so, Solaris took another bite of his delectable steak.
Jon Smit let out a sigh, as though he was admitting defeat with his own thoughts.
"I'm positive that you recall the king-ranked demon from your trip to hell, and I'm sorry I have to bring him up, but it is very relevant to this threat."
Solaris's face twisted into a snarl; hatred boiled across his body.
"That bastard escaped hell!?"
Solaris spat.
Jon Smit eyes widened slightly, as if taken aback by Solaris's expression.
"No, not that. We have kept a close eye on that marking ever since your return; rather somthing else is the threat I am referring to."
Solaris let out a slight sigh of relief.
I would burn all my humanity if that bastard dared to set foot in my world.
His expression softened as he took another bite of his food.
"I haven't really been completely honest with you, Solaris... We have been aware of the existence of king-, prince-, and lord-ranked demons for some time. But this information is kept close to me and very, very few others. Had this information leaked, it could be really bad."
Jon Smit paused, taking another bite of his food, finishing the last of it; he then continued speaking.
"Are you familiar with the continent known as Europe?"
Solaris swallowed his steak, then raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
"Thought so. Well, Europe was a continent; however, it was completely destroyed by a demon, or rather, by the fight with the demon. The rank of that demon outclassed even a lord demon; oh, a lord is above a king. We consider it a judge; its strength is unholy. I was forced into combat with it and lost. The only way we were able to beat it was for Singulus to completely erase the continent. And even then, we are not certain it's dead."
Solaris's mouth hung open; he was in utter disbelief. He had never expected somthing to be so strong that even destroying an entire continent wouldn't be enough to kill it.
How powerful is that demon? I mean, the attack to destroy a continent no erase, would have to be insurmountable.
"I see, so what does this have to do with me?"
Solaris put on a stern face, hiding his shock and awe.
Straight to the point, this kid may be a primary character.
Jon Smit thought before speaking.
"That demon is returning. I'm not sure if you heard, but the former Cleaner, Ezekeial, well, I'm not sure the best way to put this... Has become corrupted. So I put him down."
Jon Smit smiled darkly. His mind was in turmoil at the loss of such a powerful character.
"I see straight through the act, Jon Smit."
Jon Smit's eyes widened for a moment, taken aback by the comment. He was unsure how to respond.
This guy, he is somthing else, perhaps more than a primary character.
Solaris looked at the strongest man, who was smiling over the death of what was, to him, an employee.
Truly deplorable.
Jon Smit was lost in thought. This kid was the first to see through his adult act.
damn it, how did he know? I mean, I try so hard to be the serious protagonist, and yet this kid knows I'm a fraud. It's ok Jon, just nod and...
"Heh, do you now, well, that is quite a shame, then, between you and me, going to continue the act, for appearances, and if that is fine then shall we continue."
Solaris took another bite of his steak and nodded, glaring at Jon Smit while he did.
"Well, the reason for the story, well, is simple: that demon is coming back. It has a strange ability to corrupt humans, making them little more than a mindless hive, and with Ezekiel's corruption, I fear a war may be coming for us, so I'm entrusting you to gather a squad and defend the planet while searching for the other marks; we assume at least five more exist, each correlating to a sin. However, that could be completely wrong; this is the reason we must explore hell. And I theorize that if we can make it through all layers of hell, then there is a chance we can wipe out the vile demons once and for all."
Solaris looked at Jon Smit with an incredulous look.
"So let me get this straight: you are entrusting me, someone who has been a hunter for little more than a year, just got out of training, to lead a team to kill a judge-ranked demon, one that did not die when an attack wiped out a continent with it on it, while simultaneously searching for at least five other marks on trees? And to add to all of that, I'm the commander of a few dozen people?"
Jon Smit nodded his head.
"Yes, but you are wrong about one thing: you are not going to be entrusted to kill the demon; that will be all of our responsibility. In addition, I've failed to mention that there will be more teams like your own, so don't feel so pressured to accomplish all of the tasks on your own... oh, and I do have another small request."
Solaris squinted at the man in front of him, in shock at being asked for another thing.
"What is it?"
Solaris said rubbing his temples in digesting the information.
"I ask that you retrieve a powerful hunter; she is quite helpful, and I believe she can help greatly with the battle. Is this something you can do?"
Solaris removed his hands from his head, placing them back on the table. Looking down, he saw he had finished his steak and pushed the plate forward.
"I suppose I can do that. I mean, she can't be that hard to convince."
Jon Smit smiled faintly.
"No, she will not be. Now then, I shall give you some more information about the tasks I'm asking of you. To start, I'll give you the woman's name; she is known as Ha-neul... the Eternal beauty."
The sound of something shattering resounded from the door where Arias had disappeared into.