Destruction of Order

"Looks like we were still too late."

A few minutes later, Bronya and Theresa arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, all that greeted them was an empty room and a silent Kiana.

There were no signs of struggle among the furniture; even the quilt was neatly folded. Clearly, the departure wasn't sudden. On the living room table, Kiana's lunch for the day was even thoughtfully prepared. Judging by the remaining warmth of the food, Ren couldn't have left more than half an hour ago.

Such composure, almost like toying with a child.

Realizing this, Bronya felt a tightness in her chest, an indescribable sense of frustration. But luckily, this wasn't the first time she'd been played; she adjusted her mindset quickly.

Since finding him directly was unlikely, the only option was to gather clues from Kiana. With this thought, her gaze fell upon the girl nearby.

Since they arrived, Kiana had been sitting silently on the chair, lost in thought, her expression somewhat bleak. Bronya understood the feeling. After all, she knew Ren and Kiana's relationship was likely unusual; his sudden departure was undoubtedly a betrayal.

Kiana must be heartbroken right now.

"Are... are you okay?"

Kiana didn't answer, remaining silent. However, hearing Bronya's concern, she gave a slight shake of her head, signaling she was fine.

Of course, to the other two, this clearly looked like someone forcing themselves to endure pain.

"Don't be sad. After all, you didn't know his true identity. Even we only found faint clues after half a month of investigation..." Theresa patted Kiana's back, comforting her softly.

Seeing her niece like this, Theresa's heart ached, mentally cursing Ren repeatedly.

Just as the two thought the silence would continue, Kiana suddenly spoke, "Aunt, you said earlier the disappearances in North America seem related to a Herrscher, right?"

"Uh, just speculation." After answering instinctively, Theresa realized, "Huh? Kiana, are you okay?"

"I... of course, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something earlier." Though she said this, there was still a lingering sadness in her heart.

However, the current Kiana was no longer the wandering girl from before. Now, she possessed enough strength and determination to change everything she desired. So, after the initial pain of learning Ren had left, she quickly transformed that pain into an even stronger conviction.

'I told you before, even if you really become the Herrscher of the Legion, I can still pull you back from the darkness.'

This was the vow she had made back then, and now it seemed to perfectly align with her current goal. Ren's departure hadn't weakened the girl's will; instead, it fanned the 'fighting spirit' within her even brighter.

"Tell me everything you found out."

Subtly wiping away tears from the corner of her eye, Kiana's expression grew resolute, her voice crisp, her eyes filled with light.

"Okay," Bronya replied instinctively, feeling an unconscious sense of deference.

Perhaps no one present noticed, but the transformed Kiana now faintly radiated the unique majesty of the Queen of the Void.

...

"Mr. Austin, please tell us truthfully, were you completely unaware of the multiple accidental deaths among your company's employees?"

"How many times do I have to say it? What do the deaths of these guys have to do with me? They killed themselves through operational errors! The company even paid out substantial compensation."

"But evidence suggests that starting several months ago, your company underwent large-scale layoffs due to financial difficulties. These employees who had 'accidents' were all on the termination list." The uniformed investigator maintained a serious expression, presenting a file.

Austin's face turned ugly, his patience finally wearing thin. "I don't want to repeat myself. I'm entertaining you only because you're from Anti-Entropy. My group and Anti-Entropy are partners, not your subordinates, understand?"

"Apologies, Mr. Austin. It's just that numerous massacre incidents have occurred in corporate groups across North America recently. For your safety, we must ensure you haven't mistreated employees."

Before the Anti-Entropy investigator could finish, Austin waved his hand impatiently. Immediately, a group of security personnel rushed into the office and escorted the investigator out.

Once the investigator left, Austin finally relaxed. He loosened his tie, allowing himself to breathe more easily. "Employees? Hilarious. Just a bunch of disobedient untouchables."

High severance pay is far less convenient than insurance payouts for accidents.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a knock sounded at the door again.

"I told them to get lost!" Austin slammed his fist on the desk, roaring angrily.

However, the knocking didn't stop, maintaining a steady, unhurried rhythm.

"F*ck!" Infuriated, Austin threw caution to the wind, yanked open his drawer, pulled out the pistol inside, stormed to the door, and flung it open, ready to teach his disobedient underling a lesson.

But standing outside wasn't one of his security guards, but an almost impossibly beautiful woman. Austin's anger faltered, his gaze involuntarily turning strange.

"Austin, correct? This is Bernice, affiliated with [The Obsidian Concord]. I've been ordered to take over the company's operations."

Austin愣 was stunned. He had never seen this strange woman before, nor had he ever heard of an organization called The Obsidian Concord. Yet she spoke so naturally, as if genuinely here to take over his company.

"Are you kidding me? Even those bastards from Anti-Entropy didn't dare mess with me! Who the hell are you?" Realizing the situation, Austin directly pointed the gun at Bernice, his tone thick with threat. "I don't know how you snuck in here, but since you're here, don't think about leaving easily."

Faced with the threat, Bernice simply shrugged, looking relaxed. "Doesn't matter. I'm just here to inform you. Whether you accept or not is irrelevant to me."

"Drug smuggling, child abuse, financial fraud... Your actions will naturally be brought to account by someone."

Hearing Bernice list his crimes, Austin visibly panicked. He had committed these acts in extreme secrecy; only his 'inner circle' should have known...

"Damn it!" Realizing Bernice might possess his secrets, Austin didn't hesitate, pulling the trigger.

BANG!

The gunshot echoed, but the expected spray of blood didn't occur. The bullet stopped dead in front of the woman. A strange smile played on her lips before she vanished into thin air.

Before he could comprehend how she did it, the elevator nearby dinged and opened suddenly. A man with blood-red eyes stumbled out.

His posture was bizarre, like a string puppet. More importantly, Austin recognized him.

"You're supposed to be dead! I killed you myself!"

The supposedly dead man paused, a ferocious grin spreading across his pale face.

"Daughter, I found him! Daddy will avenge you!"

...

Half an hour later, Bernice walked back into the office and transferred all the data into The Obsidian Concord Group's accounts. As for the pile of minced meat on the floor, she didn't spare it a second glance.

One day later, television stations reported Austin's death. Officials in the company's locality expressed deep condolences and vowed to severely punish the culprit.

Three days later, that official was found dead. A complete list related to the 'Children's Club' circle was discovered in his home. Simultaneously, everyone involved in the circle died, totaling over one hundred thousand deaths.

One week later, dark web trading platforms worldwide went silent collectively. Hackers investigating user accounts found nearly thirty million accounts had never logged in again.

Ten days later, social order, particularly in North America, began to collapse. Within a single day, hundreds of thousands of 'zero-dollar shopping' incidents occurred. Violent events surged, and more importantly, official control was failing.

"Clearly a civilization full of hope, yet human malice often turns inward. They are greedy, they are selfish, they unscrupulously inflict all manner of evil upon their own kind."

"They divide classes with money, they control their peers with power, constructing one prison after another."

"And we are born from this malice, bearing the suffering inflicted by others. We yearn for salvation, yet no one is willing to extend a helping hand."

"If that's the case... then let the 'cleansing' begin."