In short, underground organizations are villains in the traditional sense, whereas the Evilus is completely deranged madman.
The goal of the [Five Fingers] is to obtain money and power, whereas the [Evilus] wants to destroy the world and drag everyone down with them.
Thus, when the Evilus was at its peak, these five clear-minded underground gangs did not, like many others, get easily seduced, recruited, or absorbed. Instead, they firmly stood on the side of the city's forces, providing Ganesha's faction and other just familias with valuable intelligence. Even direct material support.
Now, the Guild's tacit approval of them is, to some extent, a repayment for their unwavering stance back then.
And because of the ambiguous relationship between the [Five Fingers], the Guild, and Ganesha's Familia, the more extreme underground forces, which are completely at odds with the city's rulers, hold them in contempt and call them Shakti's dogs.
At this moment, the leaders of these gangs had gathered for their most important routine activity. Sharing intelligence and updating their lists.
The lists in their hands covered almost all the high-level adventurers in the Labyrinth City, including every known Lv.4 and above adventurer in the city. Some Lv.3 and Lv.2 adventurers were also recorded.
Of course, this was not an assassination list or a bounty list. Even if they were given ten times the guts, they wouldn't dare to get involved in such matters.
This was a [Danger Level] list, marking the threat level of these high-level adventurers.
In other words, this [Danger Level] essentially reflected which adventurers were completely beyond the reach of their gangs.
Operating a gang in the Labyrinth City, the most dangerous thing was often not committing some major crime but rather the seemingly trivial matters that could utterly destroy a gang.
For example—
If a gang member failed to recognize their opponent and dared to spit on the [Braver]'s new clothes (a birthday gift from his goddess).
Or, if a member unknowingly tried to drug and assault a seductive-looking Amazon, only to find out that she was [Raging Snake].
In such cases, the best course of action would be for the entire gang to immediately turn themselves in to Ganesha's Familia. That might at least result in a somewhat lenient outcome.
The adventurers on this [Forbidden List] were marked by colors.
Red represented [Extremely Dangerous]. All first-tier adventurers were automatically given this label.
And above red, there was an even more terrifying level. Black, representing [Utterly Lethal].
Without exception, those marked in black were the true titans of the Labyrinth City. [Braver], [Goddess's Chariot], [Nine Hell], [Gale], and others.
Their danger level was not just based on raw power but also on their identities and the way they handled matters.
For example, [Braver] Finn, despite being immensely powerful, was relatively lenient toward affairs unrelated to the Loki Familia's interests, so he was classified as Red. Extremely Dangerous.
Meanwhile, [Nine Hell] Riveria, despite her gentle nature, carried a status that could easily trigger extreme reactions from the elven race. Thus, she was marked Black. Utterly Lethal.
As for [Gale], her deadly nature was beyond doubt.
And today, a new name was added to the Black. Utterly Lethal list.
That name was—Emiya Shirou of Hephaestus's Familia.
Not only that, but the five underground gang leaders even bestowed upon him an additional unofficial title—[Demon King of the Blade].
So-called unofficial titles referred to nicknames that were not officially granted by the Gathering of Gods but were privately circulated.
For instance—
Alicia's [Disciplinary Committee Member],
Lunoire's [Black Fist],
Chloe's [Black Cat],
And Ais's [War Princess]…
The nickname [Demon King of the Blade] was given to Emiya Shirou after underground gang members analyzed all the intelligence gathered on him.
"The Adventurers' Guild's publicly available information states that Emiya Shirou advanced from Lv.1 to Lv.2 in just three months. His talent is undeniable, but what's truly terrifying is his character and way of doing things."
A burly dwarven man murmured, "I would call him a natural-born 'Demon King.'"
"First, according to reports, Emiya Shirou is closely connected with the legendary bounty hunter [Black Fist], the top-tier assassin [Black Cat], and the infamous slaughterer [Gale]. That alone is proof that he is an exceedingly dangerous individual!"
As the saying goes, those who walk with vermilion become red, those who walk with ink become black.
Although Emiya Shirou was still young and only Lv.2, the people he associated with were all terrifying figures.
[Black Fist] and [Black Cat]. For someone to get along so well with these two underground legends… Could he possibly be a decent person?
And then there was [Gale]. The heaviest weight of them all.
In the eyes of these gang leaders, [Gale] had nothing to do with justice.
Someone like Shakti of the [Elephant God's Staff] might barely qualify as justice, but [Gale] was just a maniac.
She was as terrifying as the lunatics of the Evilus. Maybe even crazier, since she had practically wiped them all out.
For Emiya to laugh and chat with [Black Fist] and [Black Cat], and to be so intimate with [Gale], that was more than enough to show that he was no ordinary man.
"Beyond that, there are certain events led by the [Demon King of the Blade], starting with the destruction of Soma Familia."
"The catalyst for Soma Familia's downfall was when their members were hired to take part in an ambush against [Gale] and others, which enraged the [Demon King]… The result was—"
A pallum man murmured, "Soma Familia was directly erased."
Since the Guild had not publicly disclosed information about Soma Familia's Divine Wine or their dealings with the Evilus, these gang leaders could only make reasonable guesses.
By piecing together scattered and limited intelligence through their own logic and understanding, they reconstructed the events, "In a single day, Soma Familia's base was overrun, all adventurers were defeated by Emiya Shirou. According to survivors, his combat power was overwhelming, and his actions were extremely decisive…"
"Not only that, but even more terrifying. After this incident, Emiya Shirou, who had wantonly used force to crush Soma Familia, faced no punishment whatsoever. Instead, Soma Familia was disbanded, all assets confiscated, their god imprisoned, their captain jailed, while the attacker even received part of Soma Familia's assets as compensation…"
All the underground leaders present had the same thought, 'He has connections in the highest places!'
"Ha! And what's even scarier, Soma Familia's captain, Zanis Lustra, mysteriously died in prison that very night. They called it 'suicide from guilt.'"
"The [Wine Guardian] Zanis… All of us here know exactly what kind of person he was. He valued his own life above everything. He would never commit 'suicide from guilt.'"
"And yet, he died. Without a body to be found."
"Or perhaps—without a body left."
The gang leaders reached the same conclusion, "Most likely, Ganesha's Familia took action. It might have even been [Elephant God's Staff] Shakti herself who disposed Zanis—for that man."
The one speaking was the leader of [Five Fingers], an Amazon who ran several brothels and casinos. She painted such a scene:
The [Demon King of Swords] Emiya Shirou sat by the window, dressed in a black haori. The night breeze gently swept through the room, making the candlelight flicker. In his left hand, he idly swirled a cup of sake, the crystal-clear liquid rippling slightly within the glass. In his right hand, he toyed with the treasured sword that had once belonged to Zanis, his fingertips lightly caressing the blade.
At that moment, dressed in her official uniform, [Elephant God's Staff] Shakti gracefully approached, her steps elegant, the hem of her skirt silently brushing against the ground. She quietly came to Emiya's side, lowered her head with a gentle smile, and spoke in a soft, obedient voice, "Everything has been taken care of. As for the Soma Familia, I will ensure the evidence against them is ironclad so that they have no chance of recovering…"
Emiya lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze somewhat indifferent, and interrupted her, "These minor matters aren't worth bothering me with. Handle them as you see fit."
Shakti obediently bowed slightly and replied softly, "Understood."
She then knelt gracefully beside Emiya and poured him a cup of sake. The sake flowed from the bottle like a silk ribbon, swirling at the bottom of the cup with a faint sound.
Emiya reached out, his palm touching the smooth, fair skin of Shakti's exposed back, lightly caressing it. Shakti's breath hitched for a moment, and she couldn't suppress a barely audible hum.
"When confiscating Soma Familia's assets this time, be more restrained. Leave some for the Guild," Emiya said, "This little bit of money isn't worth fussing over. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
"Yes," Shakti nodded slightly, a little embarrassed, and then asked, "And that [Wine Guardian], how should I handle him?"
"[Wine Guardian]? Oh, that guy…", Emiya swirled his sake cup and spoke in a cold tone, "He's actually quite talented. Unfortunately, I don't like the way he talks to me. Let him take his own life."
"I will arrange it tonight," Shakti lowered her head as she spoke. Just then, Emiya's hand pressed down on the back of her head.
"Good girl, here's your reward…"
The Amazon leader cupped her face, her eyes hazy, and her voice teased at the hearts of those listening like silk threads, "Shakti's face turned slightly red as she obediently lowered her body. Then, the [Demon King of Swords] Emiya grabbed her hair roughly, forcing her to kneel before him…"
"Wait a minute!", The others cut off the Amazon's fantasy, "Where the hell are you going with this? Is this still the Labyrinth City?"
"You Amazons sure have wild imaginations."
"Isn't this version of Shakti way too OOC? Did you slip in your own additions just because your establishment got fined by the Ganesha Familia?"
"To be fair, the plot is obviously fake, but I kind of like it."
"So, is that the end…?", The female Werewolf slammed the table hard to keep everyone on track. She looked at the Amazon in exasperation, "You really just made up such an outrageous story?"
"I'm not making it up! I have my sources," The Amazon said, "I know a lot more about the [Demon King of Swords] Emiya Shirou than you guys do."
"What do you know?"
"Heh, I have connections in the Ishtar Familia," This Amazon, who ran a brothel, was stating something well known to all.
The brothels directly under the Ishtar Familia operated with a focus on quality over quantity. Their strategy was to cultivate "courtesans" who could make men willingly spend fortunes, rather than exploit lower-tier prostitutes for meager earnings.
There were also many establishments in the Pleasure Quarter that weren't directly under the Ishtar Familia but relied on their influence.
These brothels had to abide by the rules set by the Ishtar Familia, but since this was the entertainment industry, there were inevitably some gray-area dealings. Things weren't completely clean.
The Amazon, as a brothel owner herself, had connections with the battle courtesans of the Ishtar Familia, making her a key "liaison" between various brothels and the Familia.
On one hand, she worked for the Ishtar Familia, overseeing and managing the affiliated brothels. On the other hand, she accepted benefits to cover up or negotiate for those who got into trouble—even those who broke the law.
However, despite her connections, her status wasn't high. She wasn't privy to top-tier secrets like [Uchide no Kozuchi] or [Sesshou-Seki].
So, she could only make 'reasonable' speculations based on the information she had.
The Amazon paused for a moment and lowered her voice: "You guys know [Beauty Elite] Aisha Belka, right?"
The female Werewolf replied, "Of course. She was a Level 3 from the Ishtar Familia, their top courtesan. Somehow, she left the Familia, and now a lot of Familias are trying to recruit her."
"Aisha was taken in by the [Demon King of Swords] for a week. Apparently, he even got a virgin Renard girl as a bonus."
[T/N: Renards are a Demi Human race that have fox ears and a tail. They are the only ones among Beast Humans who possess an innate magic aptitude, and are known for possessing rare magic. E.g. Sanojouno Haruhime]
"A Renard girl? That's pretty rare in Orario. And then what?"
"[Demon King of Swords] played with Aisha for a week, didn't pay a single Valis, and on the last day, he beat her up!"
"Huh? That… that's way too cruel!"
The gang leaders couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"And that's not all. When Aisha's sisters came to demand justice, they all got beaten to a pulp."
The Amazon continued: "They were utterly wrecked. Not only were they beaten, but they were also humiliated. The [Demon King] stepped on their heads and forced them to apologize before he let them go… Sigh, it's just too envi—uh, I mean, too tragic."
"Hiss… Truly worthy of a [Demon King], so ruthless."
Someone asked, "What about the [Man Killer]? She's a Level 5, a top-class adventurer."
"She just so happened to get knocked out by [Gale] that day. What are the odds?"
The Amazon's gaze turned dreamy, "…Supporting a man's indulgence in brothels to this extent. [Gale] has been completely broken in."
"And then that Renard girl was also taken away by the [Demon King of Swords]. She's now his little maid."
The Amazon shook her head.
Everyone was stunned, "That's just too much…"
"The worst part is yet to come. Even after being treated like that, [Beauty Elite] still couldn't forget the [Demon King of Swords]. She even left her Familia to follow him. But in the end… he discarded her like trash and wouldn't even let her transfer to the Hephaestus Familia."
The Amazon sighed.
The gang leaders were furious.
"That damned [Demon King of Swords]!"
"So think about it. [Beauty Elite] was incredibly experienced, yet he trained her to that extent. What about someone like Shakti, who only pretends to be upright?"
"…When you put it that way, it kind of makes sense."
"I heard [Demon King of Swords] is a 'Elf Slayer'—who knew Amazons weren't safe either?"
A Pallum man commented, "What's an 'Elf Slayer'?"
"Loki herself said it. Emiya Shirou might have an ability that forcibly makes elf women fall for him…"
"Hypnosis, mental control, forced affection increase, personality modification... probably skills like these."
[Gale] is an elf who has been thoroughly trained by the [Demon King of Swords]. On ordinary days, she is a cold and ruthless, obsessive and crazy warrior, but in front of the Demon King, she is as obedient as a pet.
[Demon King] and [Evil Female Officer]—in the imaginations of these dark-hearted gang leaders, Emiya and Ryuu are exactly this kind of image.
"Hiss, now that you mention it, I also remember something," A male dwarf suddenly spoke.
"What?"
"Tell us in detail."
"This matter, spoken by my mouth, heard by your ears—after today, I will not admit a single word of it."
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