He's already dead

The Operator.

Every Phantom had an Operator, except for Rookie Phantoms, but if they didn't die in the first few weeks and completed a couple of missions, they got a partner as well.

This applied to K0-Phantoms as well as Second Rank Phantoms such as Damien, Frida, or Erden. Operators were a necessary part of any Phantom's life and there were reasons for that, which only those who reached a certain stage of evolution found out about.

And even a person like Gladius, who had a special position in the Citadel because of his work, was no exception to this rule.

Like all male Phantoms, his Operator was a woman, and if not for her strange aura and scales as well as her energy-filled tattoos, she would be no different from a human.

"Crown Type monster...?" Zarot gulped, his eyes wide open.

Deep inside him, terror and fear appeared, but he just didn't notice it because of his shock.