Global Disaster: I Will Slay Gods In This Second Chance!-Chapter 61: Strongest

Turning around, Zold saw Arima, the Captain of the 1st Demon Hunter Squad, accompanied by two other captains that he recognized to have attended the conference as well.

Arima stood with a small smile, his pale white eyes appearing translucent.

"Zold-san, are you busy today?" He asked with a polite smile.

Seeing that it was Arima again, Zold narrowed his eyes, his gaze lazily resting on Arima.

He didn’t answer right away, staring at the man’s eyes quietly, as though attempting to discern his thoughts.

Arima remained calm, meeting Zold’s gaze as well.

A tense silence emerged, causing the other two captains besides Arima to frown.

But after a brief while, Zold indifferently replied.

"I’m busy."

But in his mind, he couldn’t help but recall certain memories.

In his previous life, Arima was once dubbed as the strongest Demon Hunter in Nihono.

Coincidentally, it was also in the Second Era Ending Calamity that he acquired that title.

But since at that time Zold was still struggling to kill a Tier II Beast at that time, he wasn’t very knowledgeable about other nations’ situations, hence he didn’t really know much about Arima.

He only knew that Arima died at the hands of someone else later on, causing Nihono to descend into chaos.

Besides that, he also knew Arima’s special identity.

Considering his identity, he wasn’t surprised that Arima had the capability to be dubbed as the strongest during the early stages of the Ninety-Nine Era Ending Calamity.

’Nagito sure is fast...’

Zold mused inwardly, glancing at him thoughtfully.

"You’re busy..."

Arima was taken aback by his immediate response.

Hearing that, the two captains besides Arima narrowed their eyes, ready to speak against Zold.

But before they could say anything, Arima quickly spoke in disappointment.

"Is that so... I see, that’s a shame. I was going to ask you to join us for lunch, but since you’re busy, there’s no need to force it."

"Is that all?"

Zold didn’t seem to care, ready to turn around.

"Sorry, Zold-san, but can you spare a little more time? I’ll appreciate it."

Arima quickly stopped him, showing an embarrassed smile.

Zold frowned, his brows furrowing sharply.

Sensing Zold’s growing impatience, Arima immediately continued:

"Let me introduce my friends to you before you leave, after all, you might cooperate in the future."

These two are the Captain of the 2nd Demon Hunter Squad and the 3rd Demon Hunter Squad, respectively. The one on my left—"

At that moment, the captain on his left cut him off.

"Gene Akita,"

Gene was a burly man with messy facial hair. He had an unkempt appearance, but his eyes were incredibly sharp, staring at Zold quietly.

But Zold didn’t pay attention to him, his gaze lowered downwards, as if he was waiting for this farce to end quickly.

Letting him be, Gene glanced at Arima with slight contempt.

"Arima, I didn’t expect you to sink this low."

Gene’s expression subtly changed, disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"What are you doing...? Why are you acting like a persimmon in front of this foreigner? Are you even the Arima I know?"

Hearing that, Arima carefully observed Zold’s reaction. But seeing that Zold didn’t seem to care, he quickly shook his head, apologizing sincerely:

"I apologize. Gene’s somewhat of a musclehead, but his strength is real. If you ever cooperate with his squad in the future, please don’t take offense to his personality."

Hearing that, Gene’s already irritated mood transformed into boiling fury. Just as he was about to move, a pale, white hand suddenly patted his shoulder.

"Right?" Arima stared at him, smiling gently. "Gene?"

Seeing his expression, Gene felt his hair stand on its end. He instinctively took a step back, pushing away Arima’s hand.

Woosh!

He glared at Arima silently, their gazes meeting.

But after a moment of silence, Gene clenched his teeth as he lowered his gaze.

"... Tsk. Do whatever you want."

"Thank you, Gene."

Arima nodded slightly, turning his gaze to Zold.

But as always, Zold was indifferent, as if nothing could move him at all.

Arima didn’t care. He glanced at the person on his right, this time letting her introduce herself.

The other captain was a woman with long red hair, styled elegantly with a pink ribbon. Despite her innocent face, her body was slim and seductive.

"Koizume Kara," She smiled at him softly, not showing any emotion besides a small soft smile. "It’s nice to meet you, Captain Starks."

Zold nodded slightly, raising his eyes to look at Arima.

"Is that enough? I’m going."

Koizume’s expressions subtly changed, her smile fading.

She suddenly glanced at Arima, but he remained calm, looking at Zold with a polite smile.

"Yes, that’s all." Arima nodded slightly

"Alright."

Finally done, Zold turned around and walked away, showing no consideration at all.

Gene and Koizume looked at his back, biting their lips in anger.

They raised their heads, looking at Arima.

Arima’s polite smile had faded, reverting to indifference.

Koizume narrowed her eyes.

This was the Arima they were familiar with.

Then, Arima glanced at them indifferently. He spoke calmly.

"Gene, Koizume. As your friend, I’ll give you one piece of advice... don’t you ever offend that person."

He paused, shaking his head slightly.

"... Ever."

Gene and Koizume exchanged a glance, their expression slowly morphing to disbelief.

Others might not know Arima besides his status as the Captain of the 1st Demon Hunter Squad, but as his friends, the two of them understood him very well.

The true Arima was prideful, cold, and efficient.

He had never viewed a person or monster to be equal to him.

And perhaps, considering his talent, he might never have an equal.

The two of them believed this to be the case as well.

But for him to say that to another person...

Then was that foreign awakener a special as well?

Step... step...

At that moment, Arima was already walking away.

His face was expressionless, while his eyes were like two moons, pale yet beautiful, showing a quiet, distant stare.

But beneath them, something stirred, pulling his eyes back to reality.

’Zold Starks... I can’t find any opening at all.’

’Is he like the Chairman?’

---

After going downstairs, Zold called and gathered all the members of the 13th Demon Hunter Squad.

This time, it didn’t take long before everyone arrived.

Perhaps due to their first case success, everyone was now respectful to him.

Not just respect that came from authority, but one that came from the bottom of their hearts.

Though he didn’t have the ability to sense this, he didn’t think too much of their quick response.

Once everyone was in the room, he closed the door.

Click!

Walking to the front, Zold swept his gaze, looking at all the members calmly.

Everyone’s expressions turned serious.

After a brief glance, he slowly spoke.

"I’ll keep this brief."

"I just finished a meeting with the Chairman and other captains of the association."

"If you’re still hesitating in this job or have any plans to quit, do it now. I’ll wait for five seconds at most."

Hearing that, everyone exchanged glances, their brows furrowing sharply.

Five seconds passed, yet nobody had moved. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Zold nodded slightly.

"That makes it simple for me then."

"I won’t delve into our meeting since an updated demon hunter manual will arrive soon. All of the important things you should know are written there, so make sure you read it when it’s out."

Zold paused, his expression turning solemn.

He continued:

"... But I can tell you one thing, things will only get more dangerous from now on."

"How dangerous? Our first case, which was rated A-class, won’t even compare to the missions we’ll take starting from now."

"Truthfully, I don’t even know what Nagito was thinking, assigning rookies like you in my squad." He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "But even if you’re rookies, you should know by now the cruel truth about this profession. The moment each of you became a demon hunter, death is the most likely ending for all of you."

Everyone’s expressions tensed slightly, knowing he was right.

"But," Zold pursed his lips, looking at everyone sharply. He continued slowly: "As long as I’m your captain, you cannot die. Your survival reflects on my ability, remember that."

Hearing his words, everyone was startled, their expressions changing slightly.

But as though he didn’t notice this, Zold clapped his hands, startling them again.

"But if you want to stay in my squad, you have to get stronger."

He paused, then continued sharply.

"Each of you will meet me here once a week. I’ll personally mentor you in your expression paths and training. Failure to attend at least one will warrant expulsion from my squad."

Zold swept his gaze, his voice turning low.

"Understand?"

Despite his low tone, everyone felt even more pressured.

"Understood!"

Everyone responded quickly.

Zold stared at them for a moment before releasing a sigh.

"Go. Meeting dismissed."