Max walked slowly down the street, his plague doctor mask hiding most of his expression as thin trails of black and red smoke curled from his body and drifted across the pavement.
He had already begun using his universal sense to search for the Rat Overlord's bodies.
Normally, finding the real body behind a possession-type Overlord would be easy for him. But Sir Tesure was different. Extremely cautious. Extremely clever. The Overlord had hidden his true body so well that even Max couldn't immediately identify it.
Still, there was a limitation to the ability.
Sir Tesure could only possess a limited number of primary bodies at once.
Six.
Which meant Max only had six targets to eliminate before the Overlord lost his ability to operate safely.
"One nearby," Max muttered to himself. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem… hopefully."
He followed the faint trail of infected energy until he reached what looked like a high-end restaurant.
From the outside, it looked elegant—gold-trimmed windows, polished black doors, and glowing signs advertising an expensive buffet.
Inside…
It was a nightmare.
The buffet tables were crawling with rats.
Not just a few.
Hundreds.
Maybe thousands.
They moved in coordinated patterns, like an organized army rather than animals. Between them stood demons and Hellborn, walking slowly and stiffly, their eyes glazed over with a sickly green glow.
They moved like zombies.
Not normal hypnosis.
Something else.
"Damn…" Max muttered quietly as he stepped inside.
"These are Hellborn. They can't revive like sinners."
That made this more dangerous.
He walked slowly through the restaurant, observing carefully.
A faint green gas filled the air, barely visible unless you looked closely. It drifted through the building like fog, seeping into the lungs of anyone inside.
Thanks to his mask and his various resistances, it didn't affect him at all.
But everyone else…
Infected.
Controlled.
Used.
Max tilted his head slightly.
"I never fully understood his powers," he muttered. "The stories never made complete sense."
He paused.
Then sighed.
"Wait."
He tapped the side of his mask.
"I literally have Raphael."
He shook his head.
"Explain the ability. Now."
A calm voice responded inside his mind.
Raphael:
"Answer: The ability known as Black Plague of the Rats consists of multiple sub-abilities."
Max walked past another group of infected demons as Raphael continued.
Raphael:
"Primary functions include:
• Mind Control
• Power Share
• Vitality Theft
• Viral Infection
• Shared Mind Network"
Max frowned slightly.
"So he can gain the powers of everyone he infects?"
That was concerning.
Raphael:
"Negative. Power Share is limited. Only possessed hosts connected through the Shared Mind Network contribute power. Additional infected individuals provide localized enhancements only."
Max relaxed slightly.
"So the main bodies all share power with each other, but random infected victims only boost the nearby host?"
Raphael:
"Correct."
Max nodded slowly.
"That makes this manageable."
He extended his hand slightly and released more of his black and red smoke into the air. The smoke spread slowly through the restaurant, wrapping around infected demons and Hellborn.
He was trying to purge the infection.
But it was slow.
Very slow.
Max frowned.
"Damn… he really trained this infection well."
He sighed.
"Kinda wish he was a Sloth rat instead of a Plague rat."
Suddenly—
Knives and forks launched across the room toward him at terrifying speed.
Max jumped back, dodging most of them, but a few sliced across his coat and arm, leaving shallow cuts.
He looked down at the wounds, confused.
"…Metal manipulation?"
A voice echoed through the restaurant.
"You like it?"
Max looked around, trying to locate the speaker.
"Metal control and movement enhancement," the voice continued. "Perfect combination for my little corner of Gluttony."
Max narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.
Sir Tesure was speaking through one of the possessed bodies.
Max considered just destroying the entire building with overwhelming force.
But he immediately dismissed the idea.
Too many Hellborn inside.
And with Vitality Theft, the Overlord could use them as shields.
So instead…
He needed a clean kill.
An instant kill.
He just had to find the right host body first.
"Impressive setup," Max said calmly, walking further into the restaurant. "But why is someone like you working for the Vees?"
For a brief moment, one of the demons near the buffet glitched slightly.
Max instantly launched smoke toward it—
But the body collapsed.
Decoy.
A voice answered from somewhere else.
"So what?" Sir Tesure said. "They give me very generous donations to control Gluttony while that stupid bitch throws her parties."
Max stopped walking.
The air around him suddenly grew heavier.
His murderous intent leaked out without him even trying.
The temperature dropped.
The rats froze.
Even the infected demons paused slightly.
That reaction was all Max needed.
He turned instantly.
Dashed forward.
Grabbed a nearby Imp by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
The Imp struggled weakly, but his eyes flickered with intelligence.
This was one of the main bodies.
Max leaned close and spoke quietly into his ear.
"Number one," Max said calmly. "I didn't know you could possess Hellborn."
He tightened his grip slightly.
"Number two…"
His voice dropped lower.
"Don't ever insult my girl Bee."
The Imp's eyes widened slightly.
"And number three…"
Max's voice became cold and quiet.
"I will find your true body."
He leaned closer.
"And I will kill it myself."
"In the most painful and gruesome way possible."
The Imp tried to speak—
But Max placed his hand over his chest.
"Grasp Heart."
The Imp's body froze.
Then went limp.
Instant death.
The moment the possessed body died, every infected demon and Hellborn in the building collapsed unconscious, like puppets with their strings cut.
Max exhaled slowly.
"…That was the easiest one."
He looked around at the unconscious victims.
He knelt down and released more of his smoke, this time focusing on healing and purifying the infection.
One by one, the green glow faded from their bodies.
Max stood up once he was sure they would survive.
He glanced back at the dead Imp for a moment.
"…I probably could've gotten more information."
He sighed.
"But he insulted Bee."
He adjusted his coat and walked toward the exit.
"That was the easy encounter."
He stepped back into the neon-lit streets of Gluttony.
Now there were five bodies left.
Max looked toward the distant lights of Beelzebub's massive party.
"…But first."
He began walking in that direction.
"Time to find Bee."
[A: I did see a few people request Verosika to be added and I will if thats still what ya want. Its possible since Loona might want it as she is a fan girl of hers and an Ex of Blitzo. If not cool. But enjoy]