Cherry Blossom City.
Alliance Branch Building.
First-floor lobby.
"Let me go!"
Jiutian Dudao gritted her teeth as she strode toward the elevator.
Her eyes were fixed stubbornly on the elevator doors.
If Su Muwan didn’t want to unify Cherry Blossom City, then she would carve a path forward on her own!
The Alliance had already been infiltrated and eroded by the four major underworld families.
The top floor was where the core members of these four families gathered.
Every day, the heads of these families held meetings there.
Though they called it a meeting, it was really just a discussion about how to divide the spoils from the ancient ruins.
"Boss!! Don’t do something reckless!"
"Yeah!! Even if the Black Dragon Organization is disbanded, we’ll always follow you! Please, don’t go up there!"
"If you go up, they’ll chop you into pieces!"
"Waaah!! Boss!! The family head has already shifted his focus to Kudo Chishima! Even if you go up, nothing good will come of it!"
At Jiutian Dudao’s feet, a group of fierce-looking underlings clung to her ankles, wailing and begging her not to do anything foolish.
Hearing their loyal pleas, Jiutian Dudao’s eyes grew desolate.
She knew her time was up.
But...
Even so!
"I have my own convictions that I can’t give up on!"
"Don’t underestimate the bonds of the underworld!"
"Once I get up there, I’ll chop that idiot brother of mine and my philandering father into pieces!"
"Waaah! That’s our boss for you!!"
The Alliance members cowering in the corner were utterly confused.
What exactly are you all getting so fired up about?!
Top floor.
Alliance meeting room.
A group of menacing underworld members sat grimly around a round table.
*Thud! Thud!*
The elderly man at the head of the table tapped his cane, his dark eyes scanning the room as he spoke in a low voice, "I assume you’ve all heard that Su Muwan from Jiang City has arrived in Cherry Blossom City?"
A tall member furrowed his brows and asked, "Boss, isn’t she just here on vacation?"
The man smoking a cigar beside him snorted, "Hmph! Fool!"
"Do you really think Su Muwan came to Cherry Blossom City just for a vacation?!"
"Uh...?"
"Think about it. Don’t you find her timing suspicious?"
"Spiritual energy is reviving, ancient ruins are emerging, and Miss Sakurada and the others have just returned from their journey."
"So," he exhaled a puff of smoke, calmly analyzing, "Her purpose for coming to Cherry Blossom City..."
"Is actually to unify Cherry Blossom City!!"
*Boom!!*
The room fell silent.
Everyone was stunned, their pupils trembling.
Unify... Cherry Blossom City?
Leaving aside how she thinks she can do it, why would she even want to?
One person swallowed hard and asked, "Could it be that she knows about Miss Sakurada’s abilities?"
"And wants to take them for herself? To bring them into her own faction?"
The room grew tense.
If Su Muwan really had such ambitions, could they... withstand her?
At that moment, the elderly man at the head of the table spoke in a hoarse voice, "Hmph! Look at you all!"
"Is this how the underworld families of Cherry Blossom City behave?"
"Losing your composure over a mere Su Muwan?"
"Don’t forget..."
He stood up, his expression haughty, "Not only do we have ten top-tier supernatural ability members who have just returned from another world,"
"But we also have the backing of that person from headquarters!"
"Do you really think Su Muwan, no matter how strong she is, could possibly surpass that person?"
"Moreover, my granddaughter has already set up an ambush at the place where they’re sightseeing. By now, she’s probably made her move."
"This will be the perfect opportunity to test Su Muwan’s true strength!!"
Hearing this, everyone’s tension eased slightly.
They exchanged glances. That’s right.
Aside from the ten Ability members who had returned, their greatest trump card was that person from headquarters!
Without that person’s support, they wouldn’t have been able to infiltrate the Cherry Blossom City branch so deeply.
Hmph, they had been too frightened by Su Muwan’s past achievements.
No matter how strong Su Muwan was, could she really surpass that person?
Everyone turned to the elderly man and praised, "As expected of Boss Sakurada! With this, the Sakurada Family’s unification of Cherry Blossom City is within reach!"
"Heh heh."
The Sakurada Family head smiled faintly.
This was inevitable. His granddaughter, who had been missing for years, had returned and brought him a huge surprise.
The other nine ability users were all her close companions!
With such power, the Sakurada Family’s unification of Cherry Blossom City was already a done deal!
Kudo Chishima stood up and congratulated, "Congratulations, Boss Sakurada! Congratulations!"
"The unification of Cherry Blossom City is just around the corner!"
The Sakurada Family head smiled with satisfaction. He glanced at the man sitting next to Kudo Chishima and said, "Heh, Kuta, your son reminds me of you in your younger days. I have high hopes for him!"
"Thank you, Boss Sakurada."
The Kuta Family head’s eyes lit up with joy as he looked at his son with pride.
Excellent.
With this, the Kuta Family was sure to rise even higher in this era of spiritual energy revival!
With the backing of that person from headquarters, they might even expand their influence across the entire Eastern Kingdom!
Achieving what even the Rakshasa Palace had failed to accomplish!
The Sakurada Family head slowly stood up, leaning on his cane. He raised his glass and declared, "Crush Su Muwan! Unify Cherry Blossom City! Annex Jiang City!"
Everyone stood up, raising their glasses in unison, "Crush Su Muwan! Unify Cherry Blossom City! Annex Jiang City!"
"Crush Su Muwan! Unify Cherry Blossom City! Annex Jiang City!"
"Crush..."
The room was filled with a fervent desire to unify Cherry Blossom City.
But suddenly—
Just as everyone was about to drink—
*Buzz—!*
A blinding black light erupted from the direction of the floor-to-ceiling windows, blotting out the daylight.
??
Everyone turned to look, their expressions frozen in shock.
A swarm of eerie, glowing crows was surging toward them, filling the sky!
*Caw—!*
The crows’ dark forms intertwined, their wings flapping like a black storm, their cries sending chills down everyone’s spines.
Their eyes glowed crimson, their faces fierce.
What... what is this?!
*Crash!*
The glass in the Sakurada Family head’s hand slipped and shattered on the floor, spilling wine everywhere.
He gulped, his voice trembling as he muttered in disbelief, "What... is this?"
The others were equally horrified, their joy and laughter replaced by sheer terror.
Crows?
And so many of them?!
*Gasp!*
The Sakurada Family head’s breathing grew rapid, a suffocating fear gripping him. Finally, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Run!!!!!"
But it was too late.
The crows’ shrieks drowned out all other sounds.
Everyone was frozen in place, fear spreading through their hearts, but there was no time to react.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Like a cataclysm, the black crows smashed through the windows and stormed into the meeting room. Deafening explosions rang out.
The shockwaves swept through the room, shaking the entire building. The walls crumbled like paper, and the windows shattered, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.
Screams from the underworld members mingled with the crows’ shrieks.
"Run, run!"
Someone shouted, but there was nowhere to go. The Alliance building began to collapse under the relentless explosions, black smoke engulfing everything.
"Boss—!!"
A young member tried to grab the Sakurada Family head, but the force of the blast sent him flying, slamming him into the wall. Blood gushed from his forehead.
"No!!"
The Sakurada Family head collapsed to the ground, helplessly watching as the resurrected crows surged toward him once more.
*Boom—!!*
The entire building was like a fish being stripped of its scales, gradually collapsing. A massive shadow blotted out all light, and black feathers rained down like droplets, accentuating the desperate cries that turned into an endless nightmare weighing on everyone's hearts.
"Boss! What... what the hell is going on?!"
Outside the Alliance Building, Jiutian Dudao, dragged out by her underlings, stared blankly at the scene of devastation before her.
The Alliance Building... had been blown up?
The heads of the underworld families in Cherry Blossom City... all gone?
So her father too...
"Ah..."
Jiutian Dudao's eyes glazed over as she collapsed to the ground.
"Boss! The family head—"
The surrounding underlings, their expressions filled with grief, quickly tried to console her. "Boss, don't despair! You still have us!"
The next moment.
"Kuso, damn it!!!!"
Jiutian Dudao knelt on the ground, clenching her fists and pounding the earth as she wailed, "You old bastard! You hadn't even announced me as the next family head yet, you jerk!!!!!!"
The others who had managed to escape safely: "......"