Miko and the girls spent majority of the night partying and going from one gambling establishment to the next. They only returned near dawn. This wasn’t odd for the people of this city, because most spend their nights partying, and only gets a few hours sleep in the day.

When they returned to their condo, they all stopped outside their door. They looked at each other with serious expressions, before entering.

“Yo, welcome back.”

When they entered, they saw someone sitting on their couch and watching their tv, while wearing a biker’s suit and helmet.

“I hope you don’t mind, I came here to greet you but no one was here, so I decided to wait.”

Said the person.

“I coincidentally wanted to catch up on some shows, that’s why I’m here relaxing like this.”

They said.

“Who are you?”

Regis asked.

“Oh, my apologizes.”

The person stood up and took off their helmet.

“I’m the manager of this city, Mozart.”

Mozart had a handsome yet mischievous face, curly orange hair, and lustrous green eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you, Malus Domine and his family.”

Mozart said with a smile.

He looked at the women first as if admiring them. However, his gaze wasn’t that of lust, but one of wonder. He was surprised to see such beautiful women in front of him.

It was only after a while did he looked at Miko. At that moment, Miko also looked him straight in the eye.

“?!”

The moment the two’s eyes met it was like a electric shock had hit the two of them, and their bodies pulsate.

Miko felt his entire body burning up and groaned.

“Ugh?!”

He looked and saw Mozart holding his right arm, and grimacing.

‘My arm’s heating up?’

Mozart thought to himself.

He glared at Miko, while Miko glared at him. The two didn’t know the cause the phenomenon that they’re experiencing, but they knew that the one in front of them was the reason it was happening.

‘T-This bastard….Could he be?’

A theory popped up in Mozart’s head. If the theory was the truth, then he might have to eliminate Miko here.

‘I’m resonating with him? Why?’

Miko on the other hand didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on, or why he was reacting to Mozart the way he was.

However, he sensed danger. As such he came to a conclusion.

Destroy the one who stands before him.

The two came to same conclusion, but neither rashly acted on it. The reason was simple. They were ignorant of their opponents nature, background, intentions. While neither of them could be intimidated that easily, they didn’t want to destroy someone because of a misunderstanding.

If they did, the consequences might not be worth it. That being said, if their opponent wanted to be hostile, then they’ll gladly destroy them with all their power.

The two didn’t know that they were thinking the same thing, and softened the harsh looks on their faces. They both showed a sincere smile.

“So you’re the manager of this city?”

Miko stretched his hand out.

“This is a really beautiful city. I’m so glad to be a resident here.”

Mozart stretched his hand out and shook Miko’s.

“I’m glad to hear that. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Mozart said.

“Me too. There so many fun places to go and things to do.”

Miko showed a smirk.

“So I’m sure I won’t get bored.”

Mozart smirked back.

“I’m sure you won’t. If you do, then I’ll be sure to come up with something fun for you to enjoy.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Miko responded.

While the two’s hands were interlocked together, they could feel something resonating with each other. However, they didn’t although their discomfort to show on their faces and kept their smiles.

They stared each other in the eyes and could see the bloodlust swirling inside them. It was obvious that they both wanted to crush each other, but was holding back.

After a while, the two released their grip, and stepped back.

“Now that I’ve officially welcomed you, I need to go. I have other stuff to take care of. So I’ll be excusing myself.”

Mozart took up his helmet and started walking towards the door.

“Wait.”

However, Miko stopped him.

“What is it?”

Mozart turned around and looked at him.

“I’m new to the city, so I’m not very clear on the rules here.”

Miko smiled.

“I heard that anything can be wagered in a bet here. Is that true?”

Mozart nodded.

“Yes, that’s true.”

Miko smirked when heard that and said-

“Then does that include the city itself?”

“?!”

Mozart was shocked to here Miko say that.

While it’s true that everything can be wagered in the city, no one has ever gambled for the city itself. In fact, most people wouldn’t even consider gambling for the city.

The reason is because the city has a mysterious, yet powerful backing. For most, trying to take the city was suicide. Another reason was that a gamble needed to be a bit fair. Who could wager something of equal or superior value of the city that has a billion gold revenue annually?

If someone could do that, they wouldn’t need the city in the first place. Hence, Miko is the first to actually ask this question out loud.

However, Mozart soon returned a smile.

“That’s right. The city itself can be wagered, if you can present something of equal value.”

He answered.

“I see. Hypothetically, if I was to find something of equal value and wishes to wager it for the city in a gamble, who would I be playing against?”

Miko asked.

Mozart had a rather amused expression when he heard that.

“Your opponent would be the current City Manager; namely, myself.”

He answered.

“Since I’m the city’s overseer, only I can accept such a wager.”

Miko nodded to show that he understood.

“I see, I see. Then, can the wager be settle with any competition?”

He asked.

Mozart nodded.

“Yes. As long as both parties accept, the nature of the gambling can be anything.”

He smirked.

“Even a death match in the coliseum.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Miko showed a business man smile.

“I see. Thank you for the clarification.”

“Just doing my job.”

Mozart replied.

“If that’s all then I’ll be going now.”

“Thanks again for your guidance.”

Miko replied.

Mozart headed through the door.

“Your welcome. If you need anything, you can contact any of our employees. They are well trained.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mozart looked back one last time and said-

“Please enjoy your stay.”

Before leaving.

Miko smiled in the direction that he left, before his smile turned evil.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure that I will.”

“I’m surprised. I thought the two of you were going to fight just now.”

Said Tia.

Miko entered the condo and took a seat on the couch that Mozart was on before.

“Nah. Fighting him now would have more demerits than merits. Also, before I destroy someone for my own amusement, I like to get myself familiar with them. Whether it’s through torture or interactions, depends on the person and situation.”

He said.

“I see. That Mozart guy seem to be hesitant to attack you as well.”

Said Regis, as she casually sat on his lap.

“That’s because he doesn’t know my background.”

“I know that, but it seems that something else is holding him back.”

“Something else, huh?”

Miko entered deep thought while the girls did their own thing.

Ravel and Ishma went to the kitchen to fetch something to eat, while Tia sat beside Miko and rest her head on his shoulder.

“I sensed all kinds of emotions when you locked eyes with that Mozart guy. Did you know him before this?”

She asked.

“Do you mean if I met him in one of my past lives?”

She nodded.

“While it’s true that Augustus have been hiding a lot of stuff from you, but that doesn’t mean that he hid everything. Do you have trust issues or something?”

Miko said in a jokingly manner.

“Just answer me.”

Tia said while rolling her eyes.

“Well, I don’t recognize the face….”

“But….”

“But, he gave off a very familiar feeling. So familiar that it felt like I had ran into a missing piece of myself.”

Miko said while rubbing Regis’ head.

“I don’t know if he felt the same way, but he definitely felt something towards me.”

“It looks like he was hostile towards you though.”

Said Ishma, who was stuffing her face with food she found in the fridge.

“You might want to destroy him, before he tries to destroy you.”

“But Miko survived someone like Typhon. Even I know how terrifying he was. Can someone so weak really destroy him?”

Ravel asked.

It was new experience to have her actually chip in their conversation, and she actually asked an important question which adds to the convo. This was surely proof of her maturing.

Despite saying that, her mouth were filled with food when she talked.

“Mozart may be far weaker than Typhon, but being weak doesn’t mean that he can’t pose a threat.”

The one to reply to Ravel was surprisingly Ishma.

“According to my brother, what makes an enemy terrifying isn’t their strength it’s almost everything else. Strength is just an add-on, the real terrifying factors lays elsewhere.”

“Oh? You’re surprisingly acting like a wise senior.”

Regis mocked Ishma, who ignored her and continued.

“What really makes an enemy terrifying is how much of a constant threat they are to you. Just to note, you don’t need strength to become a threat to someone. You can use well thought out schemes to slowly strip everything away from your enemy and push them into a corner. You can use their resources, destroy their relationships, and keep attacking their weak points. Doing any of these can cause your enemy to fall and tremble in fear from your presence.”

“That’s true.”

Miko agreed.

“When I used to read manga I found characters like Hisoka, Shougo Makishima, Kira Yoshikage, and Nimura Furata, who aren’t overpowered in their verse but a constant threat to the protagonists because of their unpredictability, more terrifying than bland powerhouses like Kaguya from Naruto and Jiren from Dragon Ball Super.”

He said.

“In short, a manipulative and scheming enemy is far more dangerous than someone who has nothing but strength. The reason Typhon was so terrifying was because of his unpredictable personality that came with his strength. It was hard to guess when he would lash out and seriously try to destroy us out. He’s more of a balance character, despite being so straight forward.”

Miko said.

“In my opinion though, Rihan is more terrifying because he’s so hard to read.”

Ravel became silent as if she was trying to digest their words.

“Then are you saying that Mozart might be similar to Rihan?”

Regis asked.

“Who knows. I just met the guy. However, I can’t just rule it out.”

Miko replied.

“From our conversation, it’s safe to say that he’s no fool. He picked up on my provocation and replied in a natural manner while leaving hidden meanings in his words.”

Miko said.

“While his expression was calm, his eyes showed that he was like me. A beast that isn’t afraid to lash out at anyone.”

“You look amused.”

Tia said.

“Of course. I’ve might have found a kindred spirit.”

“It’s too bad that you guys might end up destroying each other though.”

Miko grinned after hearing Tia’s words.

“Really. It’s a tragedy.”

Elsewhere, Mozart was riding on his bike while replaying his meeting with Miko earlier in his mind.

“That sensation….I’ve never felt it that strong before, but I’ve experienced it once after Nodaka and I had finished our experiments.”

He squinted his eyes under the helmet.

“That bastard, could he be related to Genesis? Did he come here to pursue me?”

He shook his head.

“He seemed as confused as I was, which means that our meeting is a coincidence.”

He then remembered Miko’s question about betting the city.

“That bastard, he’s already thinking of preparing a stage to eliminate me.”

He knew that Miko wasn’t really interested in taking the city. His aim was Mozart himself. He just questioned the possibility of betting the city to see if he could prepare a legitimate reason and stage to destroy Mozart.

Mozart realized this and mentioned the possibility of a death match to show Miko that he was ready for whatever, and that he was willing crush him.

“That guy gives off a dangerous vibe. Should I contact the captain?”

He shook his head.

“I’ll handle this myself. Besides, he’ll steal my prey.”

Mozart showed a savage smile.

“Trying to destroy me are you? Let’s see who destroys who!”

He sped up the bike and raced through the city.

“Malus Domine!”