The Dark Gathering was a compulsory symposium that could only be initiated by a consensus by two-third of the parties involved.
In essence, of the Triumvirate's body—the Slave Union, the Mercenary Gang, and the Obsidian Council—two had to arrive at a unanimous consensus for initiation.
Also, the last party had to have at least half of the members agreeing in favor of the meeting.
Once all of these conditions had been fulfilled, all parties involved had to meet up—without any room for exception or excuses.
Refusal to participate would result in the death of the Head of the deviant group and their seed.
These were the rules of the Dark Gathering.
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"Hmm…."
As Rey listened to the explanation given by Rebal, he couldn't help but feel a tight feeling in his chest.
'These guys are too hardcore!' His thoughts echoed within himself.
"Based on the rules, it's very difficult to even establish a Dark Gathering, and it has been quite a few years since the last time we met like that."
Rebal's face turned grave as he explained further—especially on how the Triumvirate enforced non conformity to the rules.
"It's a curse. Curse Magic. There's a certain Enchanted Item that grants curses, or more like binding vows, on targets based on certain conditions." He said solemnly.
The older man turned to his right and left, looking at Asher and Kara.
"The Curse passes on to the seed of the target as well, so these two aren't safe from the punishment if I disobey the rules."
Rey could understand things a lot better now.
'He really has no other choice, huh? I don't have any Skill that counteracts Curses, so I can't do anything about it.'
Even with [Appraisal], he couldn't see any signs of curses on any of them.
'Since Rebal is sure about it, though, I suppose it has to be true.' He shrugged internally
"It seems we'll have to tweak our plans a little, then. How long is it before the Dark Gathering?" Rey asked calmly.
"Four days."
'Wow! That's pretty soon. I guess they really don't want to give us any time to prepare.' His thoughts echoed as he smiled.
Despite the fact that he hadn't yet met this Scylla lady, he was sure she did all of this on purpose.
"Based on what you told me, it's safe to assume that Scylla and the Mercenary Gang were the ones who unanimously agreed to this Dark Gathering. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That is correct." Rebal responded to the question almost immediately.
"That means they need half of the Obsidian Council to agree with the proposal… correct?"
"Indeed."
Rey felt a smile tugging on his lips as he considered a somewhat malevolent proposal.
"What if I eliminate one or two of the Obsidian Councilors? That way, the Dark Gathering won't hold?"
He could see surprised expressions on the faces of the audience, but Rey didn't let that deter his line of logic.
By eliminating two Obsidian Councilors, it would remain only one on Scylla's side.
'With two on our side, we can just disagree with the whole thing.'
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way." Rebal sighed, bringing Rey back to reality.
'E-eh…?!'
It seemed like, despite trying his hardest so he wouldn't embarrass himself with ignorant words, he ended up doing so.
Rey remained still, though. There was no way he would ever allow his mortification to show.
"The Dark Gathering has been initiated. There's no way to reverse it. Besides, Kara hasn't been formally recognized as a Head. She's just a provisional one, so she'll have to come to the Dark Gathering and receive the approval of the rest of the Obsidian Council."
Once Rebal was done explaining, Rey realized just how cornered the KariBlanc Group really was.
'I was thinking of even controlling Fernand to disrupt the Mercenary Gang's unanimity if the situation called for it, but it seems like there's nothing that can stop the meeting.'
It was all too late.
'Besides, I'm sure the Mercenary Gang would just hang up on Fernand and eliminate him if he went against the wishes of the majority.'
Rey remembered how Ogun died just by spilling simple information.
'It must also be due to the Curse Magic. I should try to figure out what it is and how to get access…'
For now, though, there was a situation that required his attention.
'How should we deal with this Dark Gathering?'
If attending it was clearly a trap, but it was an unavoidable setup, then there was only one option for the KariBlanc Group.
"I suppose we have no choice but to attend the Dark Gathering."
The expression on Rebal's face soured as he nodded with a sigh.
"Indeed."
The hopeless expressions on the faces of Rebal, Asher, and Kara were amusing to Rey as he sat and watched them while critically mulling over the matter.
He couldn't help but widen his smile.
"It's the perfect stage to conclude everything, don't you think?"
The moment Rey said this, everyone looked at him with shock.
"Everyone will be there. At least, all the important figures." He added.
If the same rules that bound Rebal applied to everyone else, then he expected to see all the main players in the Dark Gathering.
"It'll be the perfect moment to strike them down."
Of course, he expected attacks on the KariBlanc Group especially.
'From what Vida and Conrad told me about their plans on the Underworld, they plan on launching a large-scale sweep on the Allied Merchant City. The date coincides with the day of the Dark Gathering…'
Was that a coincidence? Rey didn't think so.
'Scylla must already be aware of the sweep, which means she has a way to avoid the Royal Council's attempt to flush the Underworld out.'
As if that wasn't enough, the fact that it would be a very tasking effort, most of the manpower that would otherwise be concentrated in the capital was bound to be poured on the mission.
'That leaves the Capital vulnerable. It's the perfect chance for Scylla's New Order.'
The only reason the KariBlanc Group hadn't yet been swallowed was due to the intense security and power concentration in the Capital.
Once all of that vanished, Scylla would definitely take down the KariBlanc Group.
'So, they plan on completely eradicating the KariBlanc Group on the day of the Dark Gathering, while also wasting the time and efforts of the Royal Council's full sweep attack.'
It was a smart move, and Rey found himself impressed by all the things he was piecing together.
'There's only one problem with this plan of theirs.' The realization was more than enough to make Rey leak out a crooked smile.
'It's the fact that I'm involved.'
Rey had no doubt that Scylla and her Undertaking would succeed if he didn't take the side of the KariBlanc Group.
However, the mere fact that he did already proved to be a fatal flaw in their perfect plan.
"I will come with you to the Dark Gathering, and I will take care of things behind the scenes as well." He stretched out his two hands, as if expecting an embrace.
His crimson eyes glowed very brightly, contrasting the darkness that was his mask.
"You just need to do as I say." Once he made this declaration, Rebal nodded in agreement, and so did the two beside him.
They all knew what was good for them.
The only hope that the Blanc and Verte Houses had was Ralyks.
He was the dark horse of the Underworld.
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Thanks for reading!
I can't wait to see what Rey plans on doing about all of this.
