Lord of The Red Planet

"For now, we need to establish a foothold in this country first." Rian looked seriously at Emma, Merlin, Octavia, and Jarvis.

"In that case, how about you allow me to just rob someone?" Octavia raised her hand. "Especially those men in black suits; they look rich."

"No." Emma shook her head at the suggestion. "Remember our objective before coming to this world: gather as much information as possible and try to conceal our existence. So, rather than robbing them outright, it would be better to control them with mind-control magic. Isn't that a better option?"

Emma looked at her Master, awaiting his decision.

What Emma says makes sense. For now, the priority is to find a foothold first. Only after that will I go to my hometown to confirm the truth.

My actions earlier have already drawn attention. I don't think the Japanese government is stupid; they must already know of our existence. Therefore, I must be more careful going forward. Damn… I haven't even started, and I've already made a blunder.

But if I'm forced to fight, I won't hold back.

And also… am I the only Avalon player who was thrown into this parallel world? From the Google search earlier, I found another fact: there was no news of any disasters caused by players or supernatural powers.

Rian observed the people walking past him, but strangely, not a single one turned their head or gave a second glance, as if he and his group were just shadows in the crowd. They have no mana at all. So, my hypothesis that magic might be common on Earth… is also wrong. Mahiru Yuna's words also at least confirm that magic doesn't exist in public.

To this day, I still don't know the important factor behind Avanheim's transfer into reality.

"Emma is right," Rian finally spoke, agreeing with her opinion. "Controlling people with mind-control magic is better than robbing them outright. We just need to control the minds of the officials in this country. That way, we can control this country from behind the scenes."

But… which official should be controlled? I don't know any Japanese officials at all. I need to have a Japanese subordinate to get information about them. Besides that, I also need to get a phone soon.

As if she could read her master's mind, Emma stepped forward. "If Lord Arthur permits, I can find our first 'entry point' into this society."

Rian looked at her with curiosity. "Continue."

"In every civilization, there are always two types of power: the visible and the hidden. The government is the visible power, but the criminal underworld is the hidden power. They often have information and resources that ordinary citizens do not, and their ethics… are more flexible." Emma smiled faintly, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Allow me to find an individual who possesses 'influence' and 'darkness' within them. They are the easiest targets to control."

Rian thought for a moment. The criminal underworld… the Yakuza? It was a logical step. They had money, connections, and were accustomed to violence. Controlling them would give Avanheim a foothold in Japan without having to deal directly with the Japanese government.

"Do it," Rian commanded.

Emma nodded. She closed her eyes for a moment. Rian could feel a thin wave of mana spreading from her, like an invisible spider's web. A few seconds later, her eyes opened again, glowing with a faint blue light.

"I've found them," Emma whispered. "Not far from here. I sense a group of humans bullying a young man. It seems they are a local power in this area, and one of them appears to be their leader."

"Lead the way." Rian's voice was cold and firm.

They walked through the bustling streets of Tokyo, but strangely, it was as if no one noticed their presence. This was all thanks to a low-level illusion spell Merlin was using to blur their presence.

They turned into a darker alley, where the smell of alcohol and trash was stronger. At the end of the alley, in front of a heavily guarded nightclub door, stood a group of arrogant-looking men in black suits. One of them, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face, was yelling at a young man who was trembling in fear.

"Lord Arthur, the one in the middle. He's the target," Emma reported softly.

Rian nodded. He stepped forward, followed by the others. Their sudden appearance immediately drew attention.

"Who are you?! Get out of here! This is no place for cosplayers like you!" one of the guards snapped, his hand already moving inside his jacket.

Rian didn't answer. He just looked at the man with the scar.

The man smirked. "You've got a lot of nerve. Do you know who I am?"

Before he could continue, Emma was already in front of him. Her movement was so fast, it was as if she had teleported. Emma's hand gently cupped the man's cheek.

"Of course we know," Emma whispered, her voice melodious yet deadly. Her eyes shone with a faint, reptilian blue light, her face showing the cold expression of a predator. "You… belong to us now."

The other guards tried to move, but they found their bodies frozen, held in place by an invisible pressure from Merlin.

The man with the scar gasped. His arrogant expression vanished, replaced by a vacant and confused look. A few seconds later, the confusion disappeared, replaced by absolute worship. He knelt on one knee on the dirty asphalt.

"Your orders, Master?" he asked. His voice was flat, his eyes fixed on Rian.

Rian looked at his first human subordinate. A cold, faint smile formed on his face.

"First of all," Rian said in a calm voice, "bring me a phone. Then, tell me everything you know."

Emma wiped her right hand, which had just touched the human's cheek. She rubbed it against the wall several times, her face showing a displeased expression.

"How disgusting," she muttered softly.

The man with the scar, now completely under Emma's control, stood up expressionlessly. He looked at Rian with the obedient gaze of a slave.

"Understood, My Lord."

He turned to his men, who were still frozen in fear. "All of you, listen up! From now on, this man is our new Master. Every one of his orders is absolute. Got it?!" he snapped, his tone once again that of a gang leader.

The thugs looked at each other, confused and scared, but the pressure holding them eased slightly, allowing them to nod frantically.

"One hour from now," Rian continued, his voice sounding cold in the silence of the alley, "I want complete information on your organization's structure, sources of income, enemies, and most importantly, any politicians or police who have ties to your organization. Bring all of it to this place."

The scarred man bowed deeply. "It will be done at once, My Lord." He then turned to his closest subordinate. "You! Give your phone to the Master!"

A young thug quickly handed over his phone with trembling hands. Rian took it without a word.

"And the rest of you, back to headquarters! Prepare everything the Master ordered!" the boss barked. The thugs, now free from Merlin's pressure, immediately scattered like a pack of rats.

Rian looked at the phone in his hand. The latest model. Good.

"Jarvis, Octavia," Rian called. "You two accompany him. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid and completes his task properly. Once you're done, meet us on the roof of the tallest building near here."

"Understood, My Lord," Jarvis and Octavia replied in unison. They bowed respectfully, then calmly followed the scarred man.

Rian directed his gaze to the young man who had been standing there dumbfounded the whole time.

"So, who are you?" he asked curiously.

The young man jumped as if electrocuted and straightened up, looking at the person in front of him with fear. "I-I'm Ayato Rituski," he stammered.

Rian approached him and patted his shoulder. He made his helmet disappear and asked in a gentle tone, "So, Ayato-kun, may I call you that?"

"Of course you can, sir," Ayato answered awkwardly. What does this person want? Damn, I just got out of the tiger's den, and now I'm in the wolf's lair, he cursed internally.

"So, what was Ayato-kun doing here, to the point you were getting beaten up by them?" Rian asked, waiting for his answer. He also signaled for Merlin and Emma to get away from that place.

Merlin and Emma understood and immediately disappeared.

Ayato, who saw that, was astonished. Suddenly, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder.

What the hell is this grip?! It's so strong!

He tried to break free, but no matter how hard he tried, the grip wouldn't loosen at all, as if it were made of stone. He gave up and looked at Rian awkwardly. "Hehe."

"So… can you explain why they were hitting you?" Rian asked with a cold smile on his face.

"I borrowed money from them using a fake ID I made. I thought I could get away with it after two months of no contact."

"So, you were accidentally found by them when you were passing by?" Rian looked at the young man who had seemed like a victim but turned out to be a con artist.

"Y-yes…" Ayato nodded in embarrassment.

Rian thought for a moment. This guy… could be useful. "How about you work for me, Ayato-kun?"

Hearing that, Ayato looked at the stranger who was holding his shoulder. He didn't look much older than him, but somehow, the Yakuza from before had suddenly submitted to him.

"But… I'm still a high school student," Ayato replied hesitantly.

"That's fine," Rian replied with a happy expression, patting Ayato's shoulder. "I don't care if you're still a student, an elementary school kid, or even a baby. As long as you can do what I tell you, I'll take you."

Ayato thought for a moment, then made his choice. "I accept. So, what's the job?"

I even dared to scam the Yakuza. What's there to be afraid of?! Ayato encouraged himself.

"How about I make you the leader of that organization?" Rian looked flatly at Ayato, waiting for his answer.

A surprised expression appeared on Ayato's face. He didn't understand why this person would want to hand over a criminal organization like the Yakuza to him. "Didn't Yamada just swear loyalty to you?" he asked.

"Ahh, him." Rian looked on coldly. "There's no way I would accept someone who has committed so many crimes. You saw his face yourself, right? That's the face of someone who has done many evil deeds."

Ayato remembered Yamada's appearance and nodded in agreement. "But… I'm worried the thugs won't obey my orders."

"Ahh, about that, don't worry. I'll send my subordinate to watch over you. So, you just need to give your reports to that person. And that person is very strong. Fighting ordinary humans is no problem for him," Rian explained patiently.

Although I'd like to know who this person is he's talking about, I know asking another question would be considered impolite. "Alright, I agree. I just need to let the organization run normally, right?"

"Yes, that's right. And also, I'm Arthur Leonhart. You can call me Lord Arthur," Rian said with a smile.

Honestly, ever since seeing Emma kill the kidnappers in the forest, Rian hadn't felt anything from their deaths. So, killing one more person was no problem for him. This might be the price to pay for this power. If this were my old self, I would have definitely thrown up at the sight of a dead person in front of me, especially in such a gruesome way. Or… maybe it's because the victim was a criminal.

"In that case, you may go. Come back here tomorrow at 10 o'clock. Someone will pick you up."

"Then I'll be on my way, Lord Arthur." Ayato picked up his bag, which was lying on the street, and immediately ran.

Emma slowly emerged from her invisible mode and walked closer. She looked in the direction Ayato had gone with a cold expression. "What an impolite insect."

Merlin nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Now, I have something I need you to do." Rian pretended not to hear their words.

Now, only Rian, Emma, and Merlin were left in the quiet alley.

"Lord Arthur, are we really going to trust that lowly insect?" Emma asked, her disgust clear in her tone.

"We're not trusting him, Emma," Rian replied, his eyes still fixed on the phone screen. "We're just using him. They are disposable tools to build our foundation here. Once they are no longer useful…."

Rian didn't finish his sentence, but Merlin and Emma understood his meaning perfectly. A cruel smile formed on Emma's face, while Merlin looked very satisfied.

Rian opened the browser on the phone, his eyes quickly scanning the headlines. The incident in Shibuya was everywhere. The blurry video of him had gone viral. Various conspiracy theories were popping up. As I expected, the impact is huge. But… there's not a single piece of news about 'Game Avalon'.

"Lord Arthur?" Merlin's calm voice snapped him out of his reverie.

Rian sighed, suppressing his emotions again. "It's nothing. Let's go to the roof."

He leaped lightly, his feet finding purchase on the alley wall, then shot upward in a few quick steps, as if gravity didn't apply to him. Emma and Merlin followed him with ease. In an instant, they were standing on the roof of a skyscraper, the cold night wind of Tokyo blowing against their faces. From here, the sea of city lights stretched out before them like a man-made galaxy.

Rian stood at the edge of the roof, looking at the towering Tokyo Tower in the distance. His face was expressionless, his blue eyes reflecting the endless city lights.

"Merlin," Rian called without turning.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"I want you to do something very important." Rian turned, looking at Merlin with a very serious gaze. "I want you to use your Miracle Magic to create false identities for all of us. IDs, civil records, passports… everything we need to live in this world without arousing suspicion."

Merlin smiled broadly, his hat tilted slightly. "My Lord, you are asking an artist to paint on his finest canvas. Just leave it to me. By tomorrow morning, we will be legal citizens."

"Good," Rian nodded in satisfaction. "And Emma…."

"Yes, Lord Arthur?" Emma stepped forward, her eyes glittering with anticipation.

"I want you to find the right person to oversee this criminal organization that calls itself the Yakuza. Although I don't believe they are real Yakuza—at best, just a small-time organization making claims. That's why I want you to choose someone from Avanheim to turn this small organization into the largest criminal organization in this country, starting with Ayato Ritsuki. At the same time, build an information network that can reach the entire country, which Avanheim will use later for the World Conquest Plan. You can involve Belial." Rian paused for a moment, letting Emma process his orders.

Emma smiled, a smile full of happiness and fanaticism. "It shall be done, My Lord."

Rian nodded in satisfaction. He then returned his gaze to the magnificent city view.

Avanheim… will be eternal.