The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Mo Fang paused, but did not turn around.

"The King of Bladesman's patience... is something else."

Mona's fingertips lightly traced the tabletop, leaving a faint icy mark.

Mo Fang didn't linger. He opened the heavy door to the conference room and walked straight out.

In the empty corridor, only his own footsteps echoed, one after another, clear and lonely.

He didn't take the elevator, but chose to walk up the stairs.

This time, no spiders blocked the way.

One layer, and another.

The spiraling stairs seem to have no end.

He needed some time to process what had just happened and to think about what might happen next.

The Weaver of Fate, the Bone King.

These two names are like two towering mountains.

The grocery store had always been sandwiched between the noses of these two behemoths.

Judging from the way those two guys talked about their master, it's clear they had absolutely no respect for him.

To them, their master wasn't even a rival.

Is it that they don't understand respect?

Obviously not. The fear that flashed in the eyes of those two A-rank lords when they talked about Ainz Ooal Gown was unmistakable.

That's the inferior looking up at the superior.

This feeling is completely absent in their own owners.

Mo Fang was really curious about what role the master played in all of this.

Given such a disparity in strength, why was he able to cooperate with these two?

They even fantasized about turning these two mountains into pawns.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, even Mo Fang himself was startled.

too crazy.

But this seems to be the answer closest to the truth.

Stepping out of the Spider Building, the abandoned city remained as desolate as ever under the hazy sky.

The cold wind whipped up dust and scraps of paper from the ground, swirling them into the distance.

Mo Fang tightened his collar, checked the direction, and headed towards the safe zone.

The road back seemed even longer than the way there.

A subtle sense of oppression hung in the air, as if countless eyes were secretly watching him.

Is it just my imagination?

Or was Mona's final warning not just a simple threat?

Mo Fang quickened his pace.

He had to report everything that had happened here to his master as soon as possible.

Just as he was crossing an abandoned commercial street and about to enter the next block.

He stopped in his tracks.

A figure blocked his way not far ahead.

He was a man who looked very young, at most eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in clean casual clothes that seemed out of place in this wasteland world.

He simply stood there quietly, as if he had become the center of this world of ruins.

Everything around us paled in comparison.

Mo Fang's muscles tensed instantly, then quietly relaxed in the next moment.

He looked at the other person without the slightest surprise, not even a hint of astonishment.

Everything was exactly as he had predicted in the worst-case scenario.

"Bone King?" Mo Fang asked calmly.

The young man smiled with admiration.

"You're actually smarter than I thought."

His voice is gentle, with a unique magnetism that makes it very pleasant to listen to.

But Mo Fang sensed a chill that penetrated to the bone from that gentle voice.

However, I still smiled and said, "If you mean that I wasn't so scared that I wet my pants when I saw you, then I don't think you're complimenting me."

Ainz Ooal Gown smiled noncommittally.

"Then you should know why I'm here," Ainz Ooal Gown said with a smile.

Mo Fang thought for a moment, then shrugged indifferently.

No sooner had he finished negotiating a cooperation with the people of the Fate Weaver than the Bone King precisely blocked his path.

He could figure this out even if he thought about it with his back to the ground.

"If you're trying to get something out of me," Mo Fang met the other's gaze, "then I advise you not to waste your energy."

"Oh?"

Bone King Zhang Heng raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite interested in his reaction.

"Clever kid, too bad you're not as smart as I thought."

As he spoke, Ainz Ooal Gown slightly raised his chin, pointing in the direction Mo Fang had come from, at the towering Spider Building that seemed to reach into the clouds.

"Those bastards, every time they do something, they want everyone to know, as if they're afraid I don't know what they're plotting."

"But you, of all people, stepped out of their territory."

"So blatant."

"If I didn't stop you and ask what happened, I would feel like I was doing myself a disservice."

Ainz Ooal Gown's words were very calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

But the information revealed in it made Mo Fang's heart sink.

"You see, they're not really cooperating with you at all."

"They released you to tell me they've found a new ally."

"An ally who might... threaten me."

Bone King Zhang Heng paced back and forth, circling the Ink Square as if admiring an interesting collectible.

"They are using you to show off to me, and at the same time, to spy on me."

As he spoke, his face suddenly turned cold, and a chill emanated from him.

Wherever it went, countless tiny spiders, no bigger than grains of rice, were reduced to dust.

Then, Ainz Ooal Gown's face regained that amused smile.

"How about we cooperate?"

"How about you help me flip this table?"

"I can promise you that once it's done, I can give you everything they can't."

"Power, status, immortality... whatever you want, I can give you."

A seductive suggestion.

Any ordinary person would probably be shaken by this sudden and enormous opportunity at this moment.

But Mo Fang just listened quietly.

If he had heard this earlier, he might not have agreed.

But for now, he's just listening.

If it had been any earlier, someone like him probably wouldn't have even been given a second glance.

The smile on Ainz Ooal Gown's face gradually faded.

He shook his head in disappointment.

"It seems you're not interested in my proposal."

"Fine."

He sighed softly, as if he had lost an interesting toy.

Anyway, I never had any expectations from the beginning.

The moment the words fell.

Bone Dynasty, with ink on his hand, reached out and beckoned.

It was a long, white hand, like a work of art.

Mo Fang wanted to dodge.

His brain had issued the most urgent commands, and every cell in his body was screaming for him to escape.

However, he couldn't move.

An invisible force held him firmly in place, preventing him from moving even a finger.

He could only watch helplessly as the hand, traversing the distance of space, gently touched the top of his head.

"I don't need your permission to know what I want to know."

Zhang Heng's voice remained as gentle as ever.

next second.

Mo Fang felt that his life was disappearing at an unimaginable speed.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

His skin quickly dried out and lost its luster.

The flesh withered at a visible rate, clinging tightly to the bones.

Then with a shake, it all fell down with a whoosh.

It only took a second.

A vibrant life was completely reduced to a skeleton.

Bone King Zhang Heng loosened his grip.

The skeleton, with a "thump," knelt down straight in front of him.

Two pale flames quietly ignited in the empty eye sockets.

The skeleton raised its head and uttered dry, yet extremely respectful syllables to the Bone King before it.

"Owner."