The execution had been swift. Brutal. A display of absolute power.


    As the blood seeped into the table''s dark grain, the room remained frozen—each individual caught between terror, awe, and the inevitable realization. In the stillness, the true weight of Ash''s rule began to settle, like the cold hands of fate wrapping around their throats.


    Kaito''s gaze lingered on the severed head, his lips curling into a smirk. He had witnessed countless executions before, had even carried out many himself, but this—this was different. This wasn''t just an execution; it was a statement. A declaration that Ash was no longer just a player in the underworld—he was the absolute authority.


    And yet, Kaito couldn''t help but wonder: How much of the boy I trained remains in him?


    His fingers drummed idly against the hilt of his blade, his mind sharp despite his outward ease. He had expected Ash to rise, but the speed of his ascent? The sheer ruthlessness? That was something even Kaito hadn''t fully anticipated. He exhaled, amused. "Heh. So this is what a Shirogiri warlord looks like."


    The words hung in the air, carrying an edge of approval and something deeper, something unsettling. Kaito had always been a pragmatist, but Ash''s cold precision was something else entirely. It was like looking at a force of nature, one that would sweep everything in its path—and Kaito couldn''t decide whether to stand in its way or to be swept along with it.


    Kaede''s fingers twitched against the silk of her kimono. Her heartbeat remained steady, her face unreadable, but within her, there was a quiet tension—one she couldn''t quite name. She had known Ash was capable of this level of cold brutality. She had seen him cut down men without hesitation, had known the darkness that ran through his veins. Yet, as she watched him sit there, completely unmoved by what he had done, she found herself unsettled.


    This wasn''t the same Ash she had once known. Or maybe… he had always been this way, and she had simply refused to see it.


    She lowered her gaze to the still-warm tea in her cup, taking a slow sip, using the motion to collect her thoughts. Does he even feel anything anymore? Or has he truly become a god of war?


    The question lingered in her mind like a shadow, growing darker the more she reflected. She could not deny the admiration she felt for his resolve, for his unflinching focus. Yet, deep inside, there was a small, gnawing part of her that wondered if this was the price of loyalty—the price of following someone who no longer needed to be human.


    Ghost''s fingers hovered over his gun, a subconscious habit born from years of living in the underworld. Not out of fear—fear was for the weak—but out of understanding. A killer knew another killer when they saw one. And Ash? He wasn''t just a killer anymore. He was something else entirely.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Cold as steel," Ghost muttered under his breath, barely audible. There was admiration in his voice, but also calculation. The Oni-Brigade was made up of warriors, each one honed in blood and war, but following a warlord like Ash… it meant walking an even darker path. And the question Ghost asked himself was the same one every warrior asked when serving a king.


    How long before the king no longer needs his blade?


    Ghost''s eyes narrowed as he studied Ash. In that moment, it wasn''t just the man in front of him—he saw the empire Ash was building, one that could either burn the world to the ground or reshape it into something entirely new. The question of loyalty was no longer a matter of life or death—it was a matter of fate.


    Viper let out a slow chuckle, his amusement barely restrained. "Well, damn. That was a hell of a move," he murmured, shaking his head. Unlike the others, there was no hesitation in his admiration—only pure enjoyment. This was the kind of leader he had signed up for. Not some cowardly crime lord, not some fool playing at power. A true warlord.


    He leaned back, exhaling. "Yeah. This is gonna be fun."


    To Viper, Ash wasn''t just a leader—he was an opportunity. A man like this didn''t just rule; he conquered. And Viper, ever the opportunist, had always known that being in the right place at the right time was what separated the winners from the losers. Ash was a winner. A predator who could take whatever he wanted.


    And Viper would follow him—until the end.


    Ember, as always, was silent. But her sharp, violet eyes didn''t waver from Ash, studying him with something unreadable. Respect? Curiosity? Maybe something deeper. Her gaze was like a blade itself—cold, precise, and cutting through the surface to find what lay beneath.


    Unlike the others, she didn''t need to question her loyalty. She had already decided.


    She would follow Ash—wherever this path led. Even if it led straight into hell.


    In her silence, there was a quiet understanding. No words needed to be spoken. In the world they lived in, where the strong dictated the fate of the weak, loyalty wasn''t a choice—it was a survival instinct. Ember knew where her place was. She knew where Ash stood in the grand design of things.


    And she would stand beside him, no matter how dark the road ahead might be.


    As the room remained steeped in silence, Ash finally exhaled and pushed his chair back slightly. His gaze swept over his closest warriors, reading their reactions without needing to ask. He could see it all—respect, admiration, calculation, and something deeper lurking beneath.


    He tapped his fingers against the table once, the quiet sound cutting through the silence like a blade.


    "This was only the beginning," Ash said, his voice smooth, calm, absolute. "If you hesitate, if you doubt, if you fear… then you are already dead."


    His eyes settled on each of them, making sure they understood.


    "The weak fall. The strong rise. And we—" His voice darkened, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips—"we decide the fate of this world."


    A slow murmur rippled through the room, not of protest—but of acknowledgment.


    The Oni-Brigade, Kaede, Kaito—they all knew it now. There was no turning back. Ash Shirogiri was no longer a rising power. He was the one they would follow to the end of this world—or beyond.


    And as the shadows in the room lengthened, they realized the price of their allegiance had been set. It wasn''t just loyalty they owed him now—it was everything.