Serve Him Well In The Afterlife

[Pirates' Boss Office.]

Blood Eye's gaze settled on the two men seated before her, a serious question in her eyes.

"What do you think about this offer?" she asked, gesturing towards the scroll lying on the table between them.

The two men exchanged a look, then lowered their gazes to the parchment. "Leader," the younger man began, breaking the silence, "I say we accept."

"What?!" The scarred man, his face contorted in disbelief, quickly interrupted, turning his attention to Blood Eye.

"Leader!! I say we refuse! Countless bastards have come to us asking you to work for them! And we always refused! Even the elves, we refused them… So why would we accept such a weak nation?!" he exclaimed, his voice rising in indignation.

"Weak?" Blood Eye echoed, a hint of confusion in her tone.

"Yes! That lady is known as Josephine Hel… She is the queen of the Beastify race… And those guys are getting attacked by Wendigos! Asking us to work for them is akin to pulling us inside this war!! I say we refuse!" he reiterated, conviction in his voice.

"You don't know the outcome of the battle yet! The Beastify race might be at a disadvantage, but…" The young man sighed, a weary expression crossing his face as he continued.

"Have you ever heard of that man? Her husband?? I'm saying, the Beastify race has been standing for so long, and no one knew she had a husband or even a starship! All of a sudden, he appeared, and she got all high-grand-class equipment, and even a starship! Don't you get it?"

Blood Eye lowered her gaze, her eyes fixed on the scroll. "You both's words hold meaning, but we must make a decision! We have 500 people counting on that, with children and elderly…"

She looked up at them, her expression thoughtful.

"How long do you think the other factions will attack us? Do you think they don't know our situation?" She rested her jaw on both her fists, her elbows propped on the table. "I vote we accept this offer." she stated, her decision firm.

"But Leader!" the scarred man protested, still unwilling to yield.

"But what?" She looked up at him, her gaze unwavering. "The other two factions are after us… If we don't take this and have a powerful backer, they will attack us one day."

She rose from her seat. "This is for the best!"

"I voted to join," the young man affirmed with a small smile.

Blood Eye nodded, then turned her attention to the scarred man. He gritted his teeth, a muscle twitching in his jaw, before finally raising his hand in reluctant agreement.

"I voted."

"Good… Tomorrow, we finalize the deal," Blood Eye said, her expression indifferent, the weight of the decision now settled.

_____

[Starship.]

Sunny and Josephine sat in one of the starship's opulent rooms, their gazes fixed on the holographic projection displaying Blood Eye's office, observing the three figures within.

"That man might betray us in the future," Josephine commented, turning her head slightly towards Sunny.

"Betray us? This fool is already a traitor… I let him live today, tomorrow will be the day he leaves this world," Sunny replied, a chilling killing intent radiating from him. Josephine merely offered a small nod, accustomed to his ruthless resolve.

____

[Star Empire.]

[11:30 PM.]

Bella walked through the moonlit courtyard, a slight frown etched upon her face. "It has been so long, and I haven't heard or seen the emperor," she muttered to herself, a growing unease in her heart.

'Did something happen to him?'

WHOOSH!!

Bella snapped her head to the side, her eyes darting across the manicured garden before her. "Who is there?" she demanded, her voice low and cautious.

WHOOSH!

A fleeting shadow moved behind her, causing her to spin around abruptly. "Hey… Whoever you are! Show yourself!" she called out, her voice now laced with an edge of command. She flicked her wrist, and a golden dagger shimmered into existence in her hand.

WHOOSH!

She spun again, her movements now slow and deliberate as she tracked the subtle disturbance in the garden.

"Last warning! You do know sneaking inside the imperial castle is a crime punishable by death!" she warned, her voice a low murmur, hoping to deter the unseen presence.

"Hehehehe… We don't know that!" a voice chuckled, cold and mocking.

Bella whipped around, only to find three dark figures standing ominously on three separate branches of the single, ancient tree in the garden.

"Who… Who are you?!!" she gasped in mild shock, her senses reeling from the potent celestial energy emanating from the three masked figures.

'All Grandmasters?!' she thought, a wave of horror washing over her.

The figures smirked in unison, then leaped gracefully into the air, landing calmly around her. Their eyes, visible through their masks, were filled with sinister, malicious intent.

"You?!"

Bella's gaze darted between the three men encircling her, her hand trembling almost imperceptibly.

"Don't you dare come closer… I am the personal assistant of the emperor! If you do anything to me, he will make sure to kill all of you!" she hissed, desperately trying to bluff, hoping to scare them away with the implied wrath of the emperor. But to her horror, the three burst into uproarious laughter.

"Emperor? The Emperor is dead," one of them declared, his voice dripping with cruel amusement.

"Dead?! It… It can't be…!"

Bella stammered, shakily moving backward, her mind struggling to process the shocking revelation.

"Okay, little elf, just have fun with us, and we will make your death less painful… But if you want, we can use force, which will definitely not end well for you," another figure purred, his gaze lingering on her body with lecherous intent.

"You! You won't dare! This… This is the imperial castle, there are guards everywhere!" Bella cried, pointing her dagger at the three, her voice trembling.

"Guards?"

The three men exchanged glances, then burst into another fit of laughter.

"Hahaha! There aren't any guards here… This garden is empty for the night! The guards and everyone else is at the other side of the castle!" one of them revealed, his voice laced with mocking triumph. The third added, his voice a chilling whisper:

"Haven't you wondered why this place is empty?"

"This?"

Bella was stunned, her mind racing. She thought for a few agonizing seconds, and then her eyes widened in dawning horror. "The Queen asked me to pick up—"

BAM!

"AHHH!"

Bella gasped, spewing a mouthful of blood. Her gaze fell to her lower abdomen, where a blade protruded sickeningly from her stomach. A slender hand then rested on her shoulder, and Matilda's voice, chillingly calm, sounded in her right ear.

"You are such a loyal girl, Bella… But just too loyal."

"My… My queen?" Bella whispered, utterly flabbergasted, the betrayal crushing her.

Matilda drew out her sword with a clean, smooth motion, then pushed Bella roughly towards the three men. They wasted no time, quickly forcing her to the ground and beginning to tear at her clothes.

"I will go first."

"Don't let her die yet."

"I don't care if she dies, I must have my turn!"

Bella lay there, tears streaming down her cheeks, her gaze fixed on Matilda with agonizing pain. Matilda, meanwhile, passed her bloodied sword to Joshua, who had appeared silently behind her.

"You… You killed the emperor?" Bella asked with immense difficulty, her voice barely a whisper as the men began their brutal assault.

"Well…" Matilda smirked, her face devoid of remorse.

"Yes… You vowed to serve him to death… Now, go and meet him… Make sure to serve him well in the afterlife." she said with a malicious smile.

Bella stared at her with pure hatred and killing intent, but she was powerless to do anything. With her last strength, she moved her gaze to the night sky, staring at the distant moon.

'My friend, I am coming to you.'

She whispered her silent farewell and closed her eyes, breathing her last, her body consumed by the darkness.