Chapter 468: Cooperation

Perseus POV

"So...what went wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Ruka asked

"What's wrong with going out last? I'll still treat you all the same."

"Yes, but in a harem, there's going to be competition for number 1. And I rather not be last."

"Yeah, but why work so hard?

Aren't I one of the last on your list?"

"The reason for that was the harem, I would prefer having you for myself. And because you were quite young physically, you're not now, as for the legal part..the legal age for this village isn't that old compared to your standards."

"Oh, so if it wasn't for the harem, you would be like Leilah?"

"Eww no, she's a psycho."

"Hey, don't talk about her like that, I'm engaged to her."

"Well, if you sign that, I'm going to be your first wife." she pointed at the certificate and placed down her coffee before leaning in close, "And...we can consummate our marriage right after if you want."

"Hmm, that will have to wait, Rosa and I are going to go after Zach first, you can stay here and rest for a bit, also tell my parents where I'll be after they wake up, I tried earlier, but they wouldn't budge at all, probably because they finally got actual sleep without any worries."

"So, are you going to sign the paper?"

"Eh, might as well if it means me winning the bet."

*****

I'm going to the black market and headed directly toward Zach's location, but I will have Rosa and Buddy go in first, he will recognize Buddy and try to explain himself, but too late, and this would be when all the guys came out of the shadows and reveal their numbers, making it easier for me to take em down.

And even if Zach isn't here, he'll be close by and prepare to run, there's where I'll end the head of the operation, he wasn't lying about having family, which...I don't know how anyone would fall in love with a stereotypical shota, but I doubt that they know the full extent of his activities, so I'll just cripple him or something.

I would kill him under normal circumstances, but...with him alive, people wouldn't be able to take his mantle, if his position is empty, someone worse might take his place, and I can't risk that.

Having him alive would scare them a little, and I'll let the problem be resolved by some other guys, Zach isn't strong himself, he's just a really good businessman, the roses or even regular mages can take him and his goons on.

*****

3rd Person POV

While Perseus is in the underbelly of the black market and dealing with Zach, the heroes rush to have an immediate and emergency meeting after Perseus' appearance, his latest power level couldn't be measured for some reason by their latest technologies, so that meant that he was stronger than a normal 10 star.

He was always stronger than a 10 star since he had the powers of the blue and black rose, but what happened lately was a mystery, did he sell his soul to the devil? No one knows and is willing to get close to find out.

The discussion was chaotic, but one suggested angering him on purpose, to make him mess up his thought process and moves. THen one brought up his family.

"His parents are definitely formidable fighters since they were raised in that village." A noble said, "But they are also not invincible, killing them would be easy."

"Yeah, but that's if we know where they are, so we can aim for Laker instead, he's a retired 7-star mage, he's old, and even if his magic is formidable, there are things in which he can't perform to their fullest potential." another noble suggested, "We have some of the best assassins in the world all gathered in one place, it's hard, but it's less time-consuming."

"No." Sarah rejected the idea, "Remember the scarecrows and Perseus' warning? They have more like that, Perseus wouldn't bluff about that kind of thing. Those crows are invulnerable to physical attacks and there's more of them probably in hiding in the shadows. So sending assassins, who only work in the shadows, is going to be disadvantageous." 

"Send Mark." the third noble chimed in, "He's a hero who specializes in assassinations, right? This is a good thing."

"I'd say luring them out is better, and I'd rather the assassination attempt not be on my former teacher."

"Who would you suggest then?"

"Their chief." Sarah answered and laid back in her seat, "He's close enough to Perseus, the most experienced fighter as well. Killing him is advantageous for us in many ways, first, we can anger Perseus as planned. Second, it'll remove their general and cause turmoil. Lastly, it'll have Perseus replace him, his lack of experience will cause further chaos, and we'll increase our chance of winning."

"I would disagree with immediately going to the village and doing that." Trevor objected and raised his hands, "Before anyone can say that it's because I'm somewhat acquainted with him, I want to clarify that I'm not as close to him as you think and any relationship that we may have had has been erased after this war."

"Go on." Sarah urged

"First, focusing our resources on him will leave us vulnerable to the demon lord, even though he's occupied with the rebellion, I heard that it's going to be a month at best before he returns, so we do not have time." Trevor reasoned, "And If Perseus is truly Loki's reincarnation, killing anyone close to him will risk damaging his sanity or whatever he has left.

"Loki was definitely a pitiful figure, and the powers he had were estimated to be able to cause an apocalypse if uncaged. He's been healed due to the people he has surrounded himself with, but they are nothing but fragile chains, if we were to do this, we'd be risking releasing him from this chain.

"He's been not as bloodthirsty as his fellow people, but if we let him loose...what's stopping him from doing so much damage that we'll have no strength to fight the demon lord after we win?"

"What's your suggestion then?" A noble asked with a slightly accusing tone

"Simple." he shrugged, "The demon lord doesn't like him either, right? Why not work together with him regarding Perseus?"