Midnight.
Rudra stood in front of a broken-down opera house, hidden between two skyscrapers in a dead part of the city.
Graffiti covered the walls.
The main door was slightly open.
No guards.
No cameras.
Just silence.
Rudra smiled behind his mask.
"They want a meeting… Let's give them a performance."
He stepped inside.
Inside the Opera of Shadows
Dim candlelight flickered along the broken corridors.
Dust floated in the air. Wooden seats cracked under weight that hadn't existed for years.
But in the center of the grand stage…
A long table was set.
And seated around it were seven figures.
Each wore a different mask.
A lion.
A serpent.
A clown.
A skull.
An angel.
A devil.
And at the head of the table—an empty chair.
The Devil mask stood up and gestured.
"Welcome, Righteous Villain."
Rudra said nothing.
He walked forward, slow and steady, and sat on the final chair.
The table of titans was now complete.
The Voice of the Clown
The figure with the clown mask laughed first.
High-pitched and disturbing.
"You're famous now. Social media loves you. Children pray for you. Police hunt you. And Kabir Raaz has placed your head on sale."
The Lion mask growled.
"But we don't care about all that."
The Angel mask spoke softly, "We care about your… ideology."
The Skull mask leaned forward. "You destroyed one of our key operations. That means two things. Either you're a fool…"
He paused.
"…or someone worthy of our attention."
The Devil mask finally spoke again.
"We are the true power behind this country's shadow. Politicians, judges, CEOs, ganglords—they kneel when we speak."
Rudra tilted his head.
"So this is the core of the rot."
The Offer
The Devil continued, "You've shown potential. Your mind, your strategy, your ruthlessness."
"We want to offer you something."
He slid a small, black box toward Rudra.
"Join us. Become one of the Eight Pillars of the Underworld. We will give you your own domain, your own city, your own force. No one will touch you. No one will dare."
Rudra opened the box.
Inside: a black ring with a golden serpent coiled around it.
A symbol of authority.
Of allegiance.
Rudra smiled under his mask.
And slowly…
He closed the box.
Rejection
"Thanks," Rudra said casually.
"But I prefer to be the one who burns the whole table."
The room fell silent.
The Devil mask didn't move.
But his voice was colder than ice.
"You've just made seven enemies you can't kill."
Rudra stood.
"And I've just marked seven graves I can dig later."
Without another word, he walked away from the stage.
Not a single mask moved.
Not one voice followed.
But behind those masks—
Murderous intent boiled.
The Second Hunt Begins
By morning, every hidden base tied to Rudra's past crimes was being investigated.
His false identities were traced.
Bank accounts frozen.
Hacked drones were now being targeted by anti-AI firewalls.
But Rudra had expected this.
He shifted to "Black Shelter: Phase 3"—a deeper, darker hideout hidden under a garbage plant.
Only the system could detect it.
[Warning: You've entered "Underworld War Phase I"][7 Shadow Lords will now actively hunt you][Survive – Reward: Unlock Righteous Sin Skill – "Divine Execution"]
Rudra looked at the hologram and smirked.
"So… the real game has started."
Back in the Shadows
The Clown slammed the table.
"He dares humiliate us?!"
The Lion snarled, "I'll burn him alive."
The Angel whispered, "No. Let him grow."
All eyes turned to her.
"What?"
She pulled out a crystal orb and activated a memory.
It showed Rudra's face—calm, sharp, burning with intensity.
"He is not like others. He is… evolving. We need to understand him before we destroy him."
The Devil mask agreed.
"Let the hounds loose. Watch his next move. If he survives the next trial, then we will call the Silent Emperor."
Everyone froze.
The Silent Emperor.
Even among them… he was fear.
Meanwhile… A New Name Rises
The internet exploded with fan-made posters.
"The Shadow Messiah."
"The Villain Hero."
"Rudra – The One Who Dares."
A secret forum emerged—RighteousReign.net—where vigilantes, whistleblowers, and underground coders worshipped Rudra like a legend.
And among them, one strange message appeared:
"I was once Kabir's prisoner. Rudra saved me.I owe him my life.I want to fight for him.Please… if you're reading this, tell him: I'm ready."—Code Name: Sable Fox
Rudra read it that night.
And smiled.
[New Recruitment Option: Righteous Agent – Sable Fox][Accept / Deny]
He tapped ACCEPT.