Lord: Sequence Master

"There are still five left," Rosen whispered, gripping his God Slayer Crossbow and aiming down from his vantage point atop the mountain peak. His eyes narrowed, scanning the forest below for the five remaining Nen users who had yet to make their move.

In less than ten seconds, Rosen had already neutralized twenty Nen users with space-piercing bolts in the midst of the space mist. The remaining five, unaware of their comrades' fate, continued whispering among themselves, biding their time for the perfect opportunity to strike. Unbeknownst to them, Rosen had already locked onto their positions.

Five more bolts silently shot down from the peak, covering several hundred meters in an instant. Two of the Nen users were struck in the kidneys, incapacitating them. Another was hit in the shoulder, while a fourth took a bolt to the thigh. Only one managed to evade the attack, using his enhanced reflexes to dodge at the last second.

It wasn't that these Nen users were weak; rather, it was the inherent weakness of the Nen system that left them vulnerable. Nen users typically kept their aura hidden, using techniques like In to conceal their presence from enemies. But this also meant that during non-combat periods, they lacked the aura shields needed to defend against sudden attacks. By the time the space-piercing bolts reached them, they had little time to react.

While three of the five Nen users were down, two remained mobile. Realizing they were being targeted by a deadly sniper, they chose to rush the mountain peak, using the cover of trees to close the distance and engage in close combat. They knew they couldn't afford to retreat or carry their wounded comrades—the only way to survive was to take out the sniper.

"One shot left..." Rosen muttered, steadying his aim as his Hunter's Eye tracked the movements of the two rushing targets.

He focused first on the more heavily injured of the two. As the Hunter's Eye locked onto the target, the figure seemed to vanish, their image now appearing on one side of a card—an ability of Rosen's Hunter Sequence Artifacts. The Hunter's Eye, once upgraded by the Main God Computer, gained the power to capture, upload, and seal individuals within cards. Each card could hold two targets, one on each side.

The capture ability had its limits—it could only seal targets weaker than Rosen himself. Stronger enemies couldn't be sealed, but the Hunter's Eye could still capture items or accessories worn by the target, potentially giving Rosen leverage in other ways.

With one target sealed, Rosen quickly turned his attention to the second, capturing them in the same manner. With both threats neutralized, he moved on to the final target, the Nen user who had taken a bolt to the thigh and was now attempting a desperate escape.

Rosen fired his last space-piercing bolt, hitting the fleeing Nen user in the kidney. The paralyzing toxin quickly spread, causing the target to collapse, writhing in pain and unable to move.

Satisfied with his work, Rosen sent a swarm of rats to retrieve the three downed Nen users. The rats dragged their immobilized prey up the mountain, where Rosen would kill them within their nightmares, using Freddy's ability to torment them while absorbing their Nen-infused souls into his Divine Domain.

The space mist began to disperse, revealing a chilling scene. Rosen's loyalists, as well as neutral bystanders, stood frozen in shock, still trying to grasp what had transpired. To most of them, the battle had been over before they even realized it had begun.

Among the crowd were a few key loyal supporters, but the majority were individuals who had remained non-committal, waiting to see which side would prevail before making a decision. The traitorous managers, however, had already been dealt with, trapped inside the jewelry box created by the middle-aged woman's Nen ability. Their fates were sealed.

With the traitors subdued, Rosen had given orders for their immediate family members to be eliminated as well, ensuring there would be no loose ends. His mercenary army would handle the task of cleaning up the Shafiq Corporation from within, removing any lingering threats.

The real challenge had never been killing the traitors—identifying them was the hard part. For this, Rosen's Freddy's Nightmare Chains had been invaluable. Without this ability to invade dreams and extract information, purging the Shafiq Corporation would have been much more difficult.

With the internal threat now eradicated, Rosen turned his focus to the external enemies who had plotted against him. His butler had already begun gathering evidence to present to the National Assembly. While some matters could be resolved through violence, Rosen knew that without leverage or evidence, there was always the risk of a political backlash.

If the groups conspiring against the Shafiq Corporation had managed to remove Rosen quietly, they might have gotten away with it. But by exposing their plans and aligning the evidence with the Assembly, Rosen ensured that no one would dare challenge his authority in the near future.

With his enemies defeated and his power firmly reestablished, Rosen finally turned his attention to his next project: creating version 1.0 of the Main God Horror Game.

The goal was simple: to mass-produce static painting keys. Using his Mind Canvas, combined with the Main God Computer's drawing software and printer, Rosen would be able to produce over 20 million keys, each infused with spiritual energy.

The keys would be distributed among the population—hidden in bread, clothing, and other essential items provided to the people of Meteor City. These items would be secretly dropped by airships posing as a charity organization, ensuring that everyone in Meteor City came into contact with a key.

Anyone who touched a key would become linked to the Main God's virtual realm, their souls tied to the horror games Rosen was creating. While Nen users might resist initially by staying awake, even they couldn't avoid sleep forever. Once they slept, they too would be drawn into the Main God's game.

Ordinary people, of course, had no such resistance. They would be trapped in the virtual realm every night, their souls exposed to Rosen's horror scenarios.

But Rosen knew that once Nen users realized the benefits of the virtual realm—such as enhanced abilities, new Nen techniques, and other rewards—they would voluntarily participate, transforming the game into a global phenomenon.

Rosen's next step: activate as many horror realms as possible, turning the Main God's game into a tool of control and power.

(End of Chapter)