30 Powerstones = 1 Extra Chapter.
"Could it really be true?"
Deep down, Pierce was already starting to believe it—because he couldn't think of any reason why Stephanie would lie.
"Then what did you come to me for?" His tone had already subtly changed.
Since Hydra's major factions had formed, no one had ever managed to unite them all.
Several leaders had tried, but the result was always the same—no one would obey, and no one could overpower the others.
If someone truly could bring all the factions together, becoming the sole leader of Hydra wouldn't be out of reach.
If everything Stephanie said was true, then maybe she really could become Hydra's only leader in this era.
And Pierce could see that clearly.
"I already said it, didn't I?" Stephanie smiled calmly. "Next, I'll become Hydra's only leader… So now it's your turn to make a choice."
Pierce looked hesitant. "If you're trying to bring all of us under one banner, I'm afraid that's not something I can decide alone."
"Don't use that excuse with me," Stephanie cut in. "I'm asking about your choice—not theirs."
"If you truly don't want to choose, I won't force you. But from now on, the political and science factions will no longer support you. Your 'regime change' plan will be up to you alone."
"You can't be serious." Pierce's voice turned sharp. "That plan was something all the factions agreed to. How can you just walk away from it?"
"That was then. This is now," Stephanie replied lightly. "Besides, the ones who made those deals were my father and the others—not me. If you're unhappy, feel free to go complain to them…"
Pierce's face turned pale, then flushed.
Of course he understood how things had changed. But without help from the political and science factions, their regime change plan didn't stand a chance.
If the governments—especially the North American one—didn't silently allow it, even if they did succeed in seizing power, it would still end in failure.
Stephanie wasn't negotiating—she was giving him a clear message. If they refused to follow her, she was ready to abandon the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction entirely.
"I'll need some time," Pierce said grimly.
"That's fine," Stephanie shrugged. "But give me an answer by midnight tonight. If I don't hear from you, I'll take it as a no."
Without waiting for a reply, she stood and walked away.
Leaving Pierce behind, his face dark and gloomy.
Raymond was the ninth core member to arrive at the castle. Besides Carl and Betsy, whom he had already met, six other core members had arrived before him.
As the Black King, Juggernaut had of course arrived early. The other five, however, were new faces to Raymond.
With Betsy's introductions, Raymond quickly learned their identities:
Black Bishop "Longshot", Like his title, he held the same rank as Raymond—Black Bishop. But shockingly, the system rated him S-rank, a whole tier above Red Devil and Shadow King, and on par with Juggernaut.
Raymond realized that while Hellfire Club's internal title system placed Black Rook (A/N: Red Devil's title) above Black Bishop, Longshot clearly wasn't someone to underestimate. Like Raymond, his title didn't fully reflect his power.
White Knight "Forge", The other Black Knight besides Carl, rated B-rank. While his power level matched Carl's, his name implied a support-type role, suggesting he wasn't someone whose strength could be judged solely by combat.
White Rook "Gambit", A fairly well-known figure across multiple parallel worlds, rated A-rank. Raymond was already somewhat familiar with him.
Black Knight "Maggott", A lesser-known mutant Raymond had never heard of, also B-rank, and came off as very shy and reserved.
White Rook "Costa", System rating… C-rank?!
Raymond thought he must be seeing things—or that maybe the system was broken.
Among all the core members, the biggest surprise was that second Black Bishop. His power clearly exceeded his title—a classic case of hiding strength behind a weak front. But Raymond understood; after all, he was the same way.
But Costa? A man with a high-tier title, just under the Four Kings and Queens, yet rated the lowest possible rank?
So low, in fact, that the system gave no rewards for anything lower.
Normally, stronger story characters earned higher ratings—almost without exception.
Costa's C-rank basically meant: "You're really, really weak."
So how did someone like that become a White Rook, a key Hellfire Club figure?
Of course, Raymond didn't ask out loud, but after greeting Costa, he couldn't hide his confusion.
Carl noticed and leaned in, speaking quietly so only the two of them could hear. "Surprised you've never heard of White Rook before, right?"
"There's a story behind it?"
"Not really a secret," Carl chuckled. "Everyone in the club knows—except you, since you're new."
Carl grinned, then added, "Costa isn't a mutant at all. No powers either. He's the only ordinary human among our core members."
"An ordinary person??" Raymond was stunned.
He had thought being a non-mutant superhuman made him a bit unusual in the club. But Costa? That guy didn't even have powers. Suddenly Raymond didn't feel so out of place.
A completely normal person—yet a core member of the Hellfire Club, and holder of a high-tier title just below the Kings and Queens?
Even more puzzling—no one else seemed to mind. They clearly accepted Costa's presence as normal.
This wasn't just a case of "pretending to be weak"—this was beyond strange.
"What's the story?" Raymond pressed.
Carl shrugged. "Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to explain it. At first, we all found it weird. But within a few months, he'd already built strong relationships with everyone…"
"Plus, he's Brazil's richest man. And his son is personally favored by Cain—the black king—and was taken in as a student. Put all that together, and nobody questions why Costa got the White Rook title anymore."
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