Chapter 410 The subject

A long table had been arranged in a spacious, soundproof room where all the Apostles and Kyle could gather. No surveillance devices had been installed, ensuring that whatever was discussed within these walls would remain a secret.

Kyle occupied the seat at the head of the table, with Diana seated directly opposite him.

Amanda sat to his left, while Veronica took the seat on his right. Behind him stood Arthur and Ethan, positioned on either side like loyal guardians. Elena sat beside Amanda, joining the others around the table.

Everyone else had chosen their seats according to their preferences. Most of the Apostles had settled beside one another, with one notable exception. Gallard had seized the opportunity to sit closer to Maya and Diana, apparently unwilling to let such a rare occasion go to waste.

With everyone finally settled, Kyle decided it was time to begin.

He slowly rose from his seat and surveyed the assembled group, his expression turning serious.

"How many of you actually understand the war we’ve been fighting for ages? I’m not talking about the battles themselves, but the real reason behind this conflict between the lands of the living and the dead."

Alya was the first to eagerly raise her hand.

"Oh, I know! They’re bad people who have no entertainment or good food, so they want to steal ours!"

Maya rolled her eyes and gave the girl a discreet look, silently urging her to keep quiet before she embarrassed herself any further.

This time, Yumiko, Freya’s child, spoke up.

"I believe their ultimate goal is to establish their dominance and prove something to us. Perhaps they want to demonstrate that their side is superior?"

Kyle hummed thoughtfully.

"You could put it that way. But the truth is, they’re not quite as petty as we make them out to be."

Dominic let out a derisive snicker.

"The last one I slaughtered certainly wouldn’t agree with that. They’re nothing but pathetic fools."

Kyle mentally commanded him before Ethan could intervene. He understood that his Apostles weren’t particularly pleased with the guests’ presence, but he had invited everyone here precisely because he wanted to hear their perspectives. There was little point in starting a discussion only to silence anyone who disagreed with him.

"There’s a reason the Majins and Ghouls you encounter are usually so mindless and aggressive," Kyle continued. "Most of them are only two or three weeks old."

His words immediately changed the atmosphere.

Almost everyone fell silent, their expressions reflecting varying degrees of surprise and disbelief. Even those who had spent years fighting these creatures seemed to struggle with the implications of what they had just heard.

Dominic frowned but, for once, refrained from making another remark.

Kyle snapped his fingers, and a projection materialized above the center of the table.

"Whoa!"

Gallard leaned forward, his attention immediately drawn to the enormous structure hovering before them. It resembled a colossal, dark funnel, with countless tiny objects being drawn into its upper end before emerging from the bottom.

The sight alone was enough to capture everyone’s attention.

"This," Kyle announced, gesturing toward the projection, "is the Well of Reincarnation. It’s a blessing bestowed upon their kind, allowing them to resurrect far more quickly than almost any other race."

Once Kyle’s explanation had settled in, Maya was the first to voice the question on everyone’s mind.

"So... because they’re reborn so quickly, they gradually lose their sense of self? Their very sense of individuality?"

Kyle nodded.

"Imagine having your mind disconnected from your body, only to be reconnected again and again. Imagine having your soul stripped away and restored repeatedly, with each cycle tearing away another piece of what makes you who you are. Eventually, you’d become little more than a shell, driven by the sole purpose that has come to define your existence."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in.

"Violence."

Kyle was deliberately withholding a great deal of information, but he believed this explanation would give them a general understanding of what the so-called blessing actually did to its recipients.

This time, Veronica raised her hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, but if that’s the case, why are the Kijins, the Special Grades, so sane and intelligent?"

"Because they’re naturally born members of their respective races," Kyle explained. "They’re not the same as those who have died and been brought back through the Well. Once the naturally born members of these races die, they’re reduced to little more than mindless, controlling beings, retaining only fragments of their former selves."

Veronica nodded slowly, seeming to understand the distinction.

However, another question soon emerged, this time from Araya.

"Then... isn’t this a curse?"

Her gaze remained fixed on the projection hovering above the center of the table, her expression growing increasingly troubled as she contemplated the true nature of the Well of Reincarnation.

Kyle stared at the projection for a moment before finally speaking.

"They don’t care about any of that. All they need are predators willing to shed blood on their behalf and bring us down."

The atmosphere grew noticeably grim. For the first time since their arrival, the Apostles and the others seemed to truly grasp the severity of the situation. What they had once regarded as a war against mindless monsters was beginning to look like something far more sinister, with forces at play that they had barely begun to comprehend.

Kyle allowed the silence to linger before asking his next question.

"I assume most of you have either fought a Special Grade or witnessed one in battle before, correct?"

Several heads nodded confidently, Dominic among them. Others, like Amanda, offered a more reserved nod, acknowledging their familiarity with such encounters without making a show of it. After all, she actually lost to one recently.

A few couldn’t help but wear proud smiles as they recalled their own accomplishments. And why shouldn’t they? Facing a Special Grade and emerging victorious was the kind of achievement that could define a hunter’s entire career.

Even among those gathered here, only three had actually fought a Special Grade alone and lived to tell the tale. For them, it was no small feat.

However, Kyle was about to put their achievements into an entirely different perspective.

He snapped his fingers, and the projection of the Well of Reincarnation vanished. In its place appeared three imposing figures, their silhouettes hanging above the center of the table.

The room fell quiet once more.

"Meet..." Kyle began, his gaze sweeping across the assembled faces. "The Primogenitors. Beings capable of crushing Special Grade Kijins as easily as ants. The ones who began it all."