Lillie's tired of people trespassing her home, touching her belongings, and invading her privacy.

Most of all, interrupting her sleep.

​​

"You've chosen the worst time to come here." She told them. "So what you're going to do is answer my questions truthfully. Cut the roundabout tactics and go straight to the point. Otherwise, this guy's brain will spill on the floor and stain my carpet—which I'm also not looking forward to."

A sleep-deprived Lillie is a b*tchy Lillie. And these guys found out in the worst possible way.

"Who are you, why are you here and who sent you?" She asked the basics.

Shi was trying to silently communicate with them through his eyes. His glare tells them not to spill a word, and they understood him.

But could they escape from this?

"And don't even think about escaping," Lillie interrupted their thoughts. "While you were busy exploring my closet, I've signaled my people of your presence. They've already blocked every possible exit route you can think of. Presumably, you manage to slip my grasp, my people will kill you on sight. Either you take this chance to try coaxing me not to kill you, or die trying to escape."

They'll die if they try to escape and they'll die if they don't talk; there's neither an assurance that she'll let them go if they did.

Furthermore, they're not like those suicidal bastards who value the mission and its secrecy more than their lives.

So either way, they're screwed.

"We're called the Four Horsemen," Seifuku answered with a grit of her teeth, lowering her head in shame for tattling.

But she's the second-in-command. When the leader's unable, she decides which path to take that's the most promising for their survival.

And this choice was the best among the worst.

'I'm sorry, Shi. But you know better than I that none of us, you included, wishes to die today.' Seikufu bitterly thought, biting her lip.

"...we're an elite group of criminals that specializes in spying, collecting information, and assassination."

By telling her all of this, she hopes it frightened Lillie Bai to a point where she won't dare threaten them like this.

People were usually intimidated when the word Underworld was uttered. Not to mention, they're one of the Uncrowned Leaders—though, with their current situation, they're ashamed to even call themselves that.

Lillie Bai was, by no means, the least bit intimidated. She was giving them looks that say, "So what. It doesn't change the fact that you're nothing but dirt in my eyes."

Yeah, that's exactly how Seifuku translates Lillie's uninterested look.

Outfoxed by someone who might not be a Demon, it would destroy their reputation and dignity.

But the others wouldn't blame them too much. No one from the Underworld had yet to defeat Lillie Bai and the Bai family's forces.

They heard Vermillion Dragon tried to steal the White Phoenix Empire in the past years, only to receive a massive loss.

Shi's being held hostage at gunpoint by Lillie Bai, his hands are cuffed behind him—Seifuku won't question where she got those, nor judge why she has them—and the rest of them were guarded by the large beast behind them.

She's not certain if Lillie Bai speaks the truth, whether they're indeed surrounded and cornered by her people.

Seifuku strained her senses. She sees and hears nothing, no movement, and not a shadow of a figure. The curtains of the french door they've entered from fluttered from a gentle gust of wind.

There seem to be no one outside.

But it's still too risky to make any sudden movements. The way Lillie Bai holds her gun should not be ignored nor taken lightly. She has an air of confidence, not a slight hesitation in her form.

Shi noticed Seifuku looking around. Unlike the rest of his comrades, he knows Lillie Bai wasn't bluffing. He saw her dialing something on the telephone before she handcuffed him. It must've been the alert message.

He tried communicating this to his comrades by blinking morse codes when suddenly, the large wolf snarled.

His fur bristled in aggression, glaring directly into his eyes as if warning him.

Sh*t! Don't tell him this guy figured he was communicating with them? That's impossible, right? Animals don't have that kind of intelligence!

Storm saw the stinky human doing something suspicious with his eyes. He knows human actions enough to regard the sequence of short and long blinks indicates something else.

"Hmm..." Lillie Bai hummed.

Shi heard soft shuffling behind him. Then, his vision darkened.

Lillie Bai covered his entire head with a pillowcase.

"Continue." She gestured to Seifuku who stared at her in mixed horror and amazement.

'The wolf is not normal!' The four intruders all thought. 'And neither is Lillie Bai!'

Deprived of having any form of communication with their leader, Seifuku really had no choice but to call the shots.

"The reason why we're here is to look for any information regarding your connection in the Underworld. We don't know how it would serve as a purpose, but it's what our employer wants. Said employer is anonymous. Interactions with them are through phone calls. As long as they pay us the right amount, we don't care who they are. But if you want to find them yourself, we're willing to work with you to trace their tracks."

The employer wired the first half of their pay from an unnamed bank account for accepting the mission, and the rest for later.

If they're successful.

The instructions of the mission were sent through the mail from an unknown sender, and the phone number they were using was an unregistered one.

Lillie sighed and complained in her mind.

Figures they don't know who hired them. Wonderful, another nuisance to serve on her already overflowing plate of people to hunt.

Lillie tapped the gun's muzzle on her hostage's head. In the others' perspective, it looks as if she's taunting them.

But in reality, she was only thinking something. It wasn't good for her uninvited guests' hearts though.

The Four Horsemen of the Underworld, Lillie had met them before, as White Bird and even did a minor collaboration with them once. They're good with what they do, and their mission usually ends up with satisfaction.

Such a shame. She liked these guys.

"What made you think I'll need your help?"

The Four Horsemen gaped behind their masks. This wasn't a question they're expecting.

Don't you automatically need the people who intruded your home's help to find the guy that hired them to do so?

If not them, who else would know about their employer—albeit anonymously—the most?

Then she added. "For all I know, you'll just stab me in the back, escape and wait for a while to try come after me again."

Okay, that's more reasonable.

"I've heard about you, the Four Horsemen of the Underworld; Conquest, War, Famine," Lillie looked in the direction of Seifuku, Senso, and Kikin respectively. Then lastly, at the man she's pointing her gun at; Shi. "And Death."

Individually and as a group, the Four Horsemen are Uncrowned Leaders whose main base of operations was situated all the way from Japan, but accepts international missions from time to time.

"You've come far from your homeland just for a vain mission," Lillie said. "Since nothing was stolen and no one was hurt in your little escapade, I'll let you off the hook this once."

The four could feel an 'if' coming.

"Just tell me who's the informant that leaked the location and layout of my home. Then agree to be subjugated, work for me exclusively."

Subjugated?! Does Lillie Bai know what being subjugated means for them Demons?

"We agree to reveal our informant, but subjugation?" Senso spatted angrily. "We're a free and independent group. To be shackled by someone like you is a slap in the face!"

Someone like her?

Lillie finds that phrase insulting.

Seifuku and Kikin snapped their heads in their comrade's direction, gaping in horror. Shi couldn't look at him because of the damn pillowcase. But know that he has the same expression as his two female comrades.

"Senso!" The three of them shouted. They always know that Senso wasn't the most level-headed guy, but he knows when to shut his mouth.

Idiot! This is not the time to throw your tact in the f*cking window!

"No, no, wait!" Seifuku tried to salvage the situation.

They're hanging by a thread. Everyone knows about Lillie Bai's temperament. She's a merciless She-Devil. If she's not a Demon, she may as well be an honorary one!

"Forgive our comrade's brashness. Rest assured that we won't do any of those you fear, we swear it on our honor. We'll do anything you command," Seifuku earnestly promised, slightly frantic, and performed dogeza [1] to show her sincerity. "But please don't strip our freedom..."

"Is that so? What a shame." Lillie's lips twisted downwards. "I told you from the start that you chose the wrong time to invite yourselves in. So, unfortunately, I'm not in a merciful mood."

"N-no—please, wait—!"

"You woke me up, run through my stuff, and wore the wristwatch I gifted my husband," Lillie glared icily at Senso. "You're in no position to refuse nor negotiate. But, oh well, I can make up for that..."

Bang!

"Shi!"