The Author's POV

During the time that Mo Jinhao was going on his rampage, the soldier who had left a few minutes earlier was making his way toward the parliament.

8092 was the assigned number of the subject, and just like all the other super soldiers of the program, he did not have an ounce of emotions as they were the first things that were stripped away from him.

8092 casually walked in the direction of the dome-shaped structure that was in his line of sight while holding onto a small black rectangular cube.

Because everyone's attention was currently being directed toward the conflict that was taking place further away, he didn't have to worry about anyone spotting him at the moment.

Even if there was someone who remained behind to guard the parliament and the defensive system, it was highly likely that their attention was focused on the fight that was taking place in the distance.

Because of the nature of Mo Jinhao's power, it was obvious that he was extremely dangerous, and one could not afford to divert their attention to anything else given the circumstances.

In addition, nobody in their right mind would ever believe that the Monolith would go to the extent of using one of their most powerful people as bait, making 8092's objective that much simpler.

This was exactly what the leader had been aiming for from the very start.

He intended to lure Mo Jinhao into a trap so that 8092 would rush the parliament while everyone else was preoccupied with the fight. This would allow him to detonate the explosive that had been prepared.

The plan….it was a good one.

By the time that 8092 arrived one hundred meters away from the parliament, he already knew that his mission had been accomplished and he activated the box in his hands.

Beep—!

The moment the box was switched on, the area as a whole went completely silent, and the attention of those who were watching over the area finally turned toward him.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Box in hand, 8092 watched as the world around him twisted and everything within his vision disintegrated.

Boom—!

The last thing that he heard was a powerful explosion that tore through the sky, and the world began to shake.

***

[Boom—!]

Hemlock stood and watched as the city of Dromeda was consumed in flames and a terrifying explosion resounded throughout the air from the comfort of his throne.

The hazy blue dome that was rotating around the city started to show signs of wear and tear, and within the space of one minute, the wall that was encircling the city began to fall apart.

"Rooooar!"

"Rooooooar!"

Immediately after the explosion, a series of roars echoed in the air, and the city was suddenly besieged by a horde of ravenous beasts, which consisted of hundreds of different species that had been lurking on the outskirts of the settlement for some time.

The explosion had most likely attracted their attention.

One could still see Mo Jinhao fighting against the many rankers of the place inside the city, and over the course of time, he was gradually becoming more and more suppressed by them.

His hair was disheveled, and his face was extremely twisted.

[I'll kill you! I'll kill you!]

Hemlock was still able to make out the sound of his curses in the air as he continued to shout with all of his might.

"Noisy."

Hemlock murmured under his breath, his interest quickly fading.

After what seemed like no time at all, the beasts made their way over to their side of the conflict, and even more blood was shed.

"Roooooar!"

"Rooooooar!"

The situation quickly descended into anarchy, and Hemlock, while sitting comfortably on his throne, observed in complete composure as the city descended into such a state.

Hemlock's gaze paused on the seat beside him as the faint sound of his breathing resounded throughout the hall, which was now completely empty.

Leaning back on his throne, he murmured.

"It had to be done…"

The Monolith certainly felt a great loss after the passing of a powerful figure such as Mo Jinhao. However, it turned out to be a deal that was well worth the risk.

They had over twenty different <SS> rankers within the Monolith. Sacrificing one in order to take over another city wasn't such a bad deal in Hemlock's mind.

Rather, he found it to be a steal.

"I'm thankful for the king."

To be honest, Hemlock wouldn't have gone to such extremes had it not been for the words that the king had shared with him.

'Whatever you're planning, discard it and make a new one. Be as extreme and unpredictable as possible.'

He was confused at first, but Hemlock now understood the meaning behind those words.

Hemlock soon realized that the king had anticipated that the new head of the alliance, Kevin Voss, would be aware of his plans to take over the defensive system, and had consequently devised countermeasures for it.

He was implying that this was the one and only way to take control of the city when he told him to take things to the "extreme."

In the end, it came down to him sacrificing one of his closest allies, but Hemlock didn't feel much of anything about it. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all.

Hemlock was a goal driven man.

He did not care about the means that he needed to take in order to achieve the objectives that he set for himself.

Whatever it took to achieve his objectives, even if it meant sacrificing millions of humans or eliminating one of his most powerful executives, he was prepared to do whatever it took to succeed.

This was who he was.

",,,It should just be about time."

Hemlock returned his focus to the screen, where Mo Jinhao and the other members of the alliance were engaged in combat.

It was obvious by this point that Mo Jinhao was on his last leg, and he had already reached his point of exhaustion. All around him was a heap of dead heroes, each of whom held a significant amount of fame.

The number of dead bodies was in the dozens, and there was approximately the same number of people standing in front of Mo Jinhao at the moment.

[Haa…Haaa…Ho..w dare you betray me..]

Mo Jinhao mumbled a couple of faint words.

Hemlock was able to make out his mumbled words even though he was kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily. His frame was emaciated and delicate looking.

Closing his eyes, Hemlock took out a small remote control and murmured.

"Your sacrifice was not in vain."

In response to his words, Hemlock pressed down on the remote control, and as a result, Mo Jinhao's head began to swell. The expressions of the people around him shifted, but by that point, it was too late.

By the time they had raised a shield in front of them, Mo Jinhao's face had inflated like a balloon, and a terrifying explosion resounded.

Boom—!

Everything in the neighborhood was leveled, and a dozen or so more heroes fell victim to the surprise assault.

When the dust settled, approximately fifteen of the roughly thirty people who had been standing in the air prior to that point had fallen to the ground, and approximately two thirds of those individuals were injured.

On the other hand, Mo Jinhao's body had already completely disappeared from the face of the earth.

'That's Dromeda City done.'

Click—!

After that, Hemlock disconnected everyone from the communication network and turned his attention to the other cities.

At the precise instant that he turned his attention to the other cities, he received a series of messages on his communication device, and he read each and every one of them in turn as he slowly moved his focus from one city to the next.

[I am in position, how should I proceed?]

[I am at the location that you told me to go to, what should I do now?]

[What are your next orders? I'm already in position.]

The text belonged to three other executive figures within the Monolith. Pressing the controller in his hands, three different screens appeared in front of Hemlock as his gaze fixed on the bodies of the individuals.

'Don't blame me too much for what I'm about to do… '

Pity flashed across his eyes as he brought the watch closer to himself, and he murmured in an emotionless voice.

"I thank you for your services. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

He pressed the remote's button three times, and the last thing he was able to see of them was a startling transformation in their facial expression, which was accompanied by the sound of three significant explosions.

The screens went dark, and there was a deathly stillness throughout the hall where he was sitting.

Within the quiet void, Hemlock closed his eyes and leaned his head against the throne.

"…With that, the four great cities are no more."