Chapter 493: Dealing with demons
"For those people," the Divine Avatar said, "the answer is simple: they should vanish." There was no cruelty in his voice—only a grim practicality. Lives were numbers to Overlord, to be tallied and, if necessary, removed when they blocked progress.
"And yet," Freya interjected, her voice even. "Killing the leaders of human factions would raise new problems. We might face resentment from their followers, and those deaths might elevate them to martyr status."
Overlord turned toward Freya, the Viking princess, and offered a short, deliberate nod. His calm voice cut through the charged air around them: "Your words are correct. We cannot simply murder leaders left and right without considering consequences, which is why I never said ’kill’ outright but ’disappear.’ Before contacting any organization, we will conduct thorough surveillance, analyzing the personalities of their leadership so we can determine which ones are viable to work with. Those who prove too dangerous or obstinate will vanish long before we arrive in their territories. Some might suspect us, but lacking evidence, they will chalk it up to rumor—and we will use that confusion to our advantage, blaming such disappearances on anyone else who resists our advances in the future."
A tense silence followed. Vlad and the others could not help but exchange uneasy glances, all too aware of what Overlord’s plan implied about psychological manipulation. It was chilling to see how well the A.I. Chip Clone understood human psychology, the weakness of "mob mentality," and how coldly he was willing to exploit it. The path Overlord proposed was indeed effective—perhaps brutally so—but also extremely bloody. Hundreds, maybe thousands, would likely be removed if they threatened the unification plan.
After a moment, Overlord’s eyes swept over the group. "Has anyone else a different plan to handle the other human organizations across Terra?"
No one spoke. Jormgundr twitched his tail but remained quiet. Ouroborus folded his arms, and his brow furrowed as though searching for some better solution, yet offering no words. Grand Marshal Anglius looked grimly at Overlord, but even he said nothing.
Vlad exhaled a quiet sigh and, at last, spoke with a somber nod. "I agree with your plan, Overlord. I approve of the murder and ’disappearance’ of all those who would prevent the integration of their factions into the Xaos Kingdom purely for selfish reasons. However," he added sharply, "I expect restraint when it comes to the rest of the humans in those organizations."
He paused, letting his eyes turn cold and firm, pure and absolute brutality emerging in them. "I will not allow children or the elderly to be harmed. Is that understood?"