Chapter 132: Very Soon

"Yeah, with your strength, even the Top 20 won’t be a problem. If I help, the Top 10 will be at your feet by tomorrow," Viper said, leaning back slightly and staring at Asher with a small, intrigued smile.

​"Taking a well-fed dog and giving it food and shelter won’t earn you much loyalty or true submission. But taking a starving dog from the street and giving it food and shelter—that will earn far more than simple loyalty and submission," Asher said, a calm, calculated smile gracing his face. His words struck the eleven Demons like a physical blow, leaving them visibly stunned.

​They all shifted their gazes back to the leather-bound file in Natalie’s hands, the sheer brilliance of his strategy dawning on them.

​He was absolutely right. Through Asher’s brief analogy, they glimpsed the grand architecture of his vision: absorb the struggling guilds ranked 100 through 150, pour his staggering financial resources into their growth, and elevate them into major regional powers. Once he achieved this, those guild leaders and their Awakened would be eternally indebted to the Aetheldawn name, serving him with unwavering, lifelong fealty.

​"This is precisely why you must execute this directive entirely legally... And you should make every effort not to kill or permanently harm anyone while doing it," he instructed smoothly. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out his sleek obsidian phone and initiated a direct transfer of another one hundred trillion dollars straight to Natalie’s private account.

​DING!

​Natalie stared down at the glowing screen of her phone, her eyes widening in horror and sheer disbelief as the notification verified the mountain of digits.

​"You...? You...? Another one hundred trillion dollars?!" She snapped her head up, staring at him in absolute shock.

​"The first transfer belongs to you. This one is strictly operational capital for this mission... You are smart enough to know how to deploy it. If you run short, simply call me." Asher said.

​Natalie took a deep breath, her chest rising as she gave a solemn, resolute nod of understanding. "Alright! We will get this done before the day ends!" She gave her absolute word.

​Asher offered a concise nod, slowly loosening his arm from around Juliana’s waist. He turned his attention toward Grayson—and in a single split second, his entire aura shifted. A suffocating wave of heavy killing intent erupted from him, locking onto the former underworld king and pinning the eleven elites in place with sheer pressure.

​"I personally investigated the records of what occurred in the past," Asher began, his voice dropping into a chilling, lethal register. "I discovered that your faction was directly involved in the raid targeting the young mistress of the Royalwood family. I want to hear your exact reason for participating."

​"Huh? The Royalwood family...?" Grayson stammered, his mind racing frantically as he searched his memories. He turned his head toward Leander with a pale, sweat-slicked face.

"Wait! I distinctively remember refusing that Lebreton brat when he came to our dark sector requesting heavy men support... I had no direct hand in orchestrating any of that raid!" He quickly blurted out, pointing a trembling finger at Leander.

​"However, I later received news that he surreptitiously dispatched a few of our strike teams to assist them for a payout of one million dollars... When the report reached my desk, I turned a blind eye to it," Grayson admitted in a low, tense voice.

​"Hey! You only turned a blind eye because I funneled seventy percent of that contract money directly into your account!" Leander blurted out frantically, raising his hands in self-defense, having no intention of taking the full fall alone.

"We were simply hired guns! We didn’t actually know why the Lebretons were hunting that family!"

​Asher observed both men through the piercing clarity of his Shadow Gaze. They were telling the truth; they lacked deeper contextual information, having merely treated the Lebreton family’s request as a lucrative third-party contract.

​"That targeted family belonged to my Third Wife’s lineage." Asher revealed softly, the temperature around the driveway plunging to freezing levels.

"And the young mistress you sent men to kidnap back then was none other than Juliana... I am refraining from executing the two of you right now solely because you have already submitted to my rule. But moving forward, if any contract comes across your desk that requires deploying men, you consult me first. Whatever my ruling is then, stands as absolute law."

​"Thank you, Boss! Thank you for your mercy!"

​The two former warlords nodded frantically, profoundly grateful to keep their heads attached to their shoulders.

​Asher withdrew his crushing pressure, turning around to walk calmly back toward the main mansion entrance, with Juliana and Viper falling into step directly behind him.

​"The rest of you may depart now. Ensure the annexations are fully finalized before nightfall... Tomorrow morning, I expect a report on my desk, along with every single one of those fifty Guild Leaders brought directly to the estate."

​"Understood, Boss!"

​The nine Demons offered a sharp, synchronized salute before turning on their heels, marching toward their respective reinforced cars and armored transports parked along the driveway.

​"This is actually the first time I’m doing business like a proper diplomat. I just hope those low-tier Guild Leaders put up a decent fight so I don’t get bored," Juanita said with a cocky smirk, hopping into the driver’s seat of her sleek, customized vehicle and starting the heavy engine.

​"I am guessing you will be needing these." a voice called out behind him.

​Asher paused, turning his gaze toward Viper, who was walking lazily two paces behind his left shoulder. She casually extended her palm, opening her fingers to reveal eight glowing keys resting in her grip: five S-Rank Dungeon Keys, two SS-Rank Dungeon Keys, and a single, radiant SSS-Rank Dungeon Key emitting a staggering atmospheric hum.

​"....?!"

​Asher stared at the shimmering array of rare keys in genuine astonishment.

​"You see, as the undisputed strongest fighter in our group, I held personal custody over all our high-level dungeon assets," Viper explained with her signature carefree smile:

"Some of these we purchased through underground auctions, while others... well, certain noble families were simply feeling exceptionally generous and handed them over to us voluntarily."

​’Handed them to you voluntarily, or were coerced under threat of complete annihilation... Which arrogant noble house in Silverspire would willingly hand over an S-Rank Dungeon Key worth tens of millions of dollars without a gun to their head?’ Asher thought to himself, though his expression remained perfectly composed as he reached out and swept all eight dungeon keys into his system inventory.

​"Good. Tonight, you and Juliana will accompany me to the Dragon Guild’s headquarters," Asher stated, resuming his walk toward the house. "I have some long-overdue, unfinished business to settle with their leader."

​"The Dragon Guild? You mean the Top 4 Guild?" Viper asked, falling effortlessly into step beside him.

​"Precisely."

​Asher brought his steps to a halt as he reached the marble porch, stopping right before Sara, who was waiting quietly near the entrance. She stared at him silently for a long moment, her deep eyes scanning his face, before a gentle, familiar smile softened her features.

​Without any action, she pulled her book securely against her chest, turned her body around, and gracefully glided back inside the mansion, leaving the group outside under the warm morning sun.

​’Soon,’ Asher thought silently, his eyes lingering affectionately on her departing silhouette, a confident smile touching his lips as the grand layout of his future took definitive shape.