Thinking about it, if the Hegel family—one of the Ten Old Men—were to be destroyed, the experience points gained would be beyond his wildest imagination.
But Vega quickly shook his head. After all, it was incredibly difficult for him to kill even one unknown person with mental abilities right now.
And how could the Hegel family, capable of easily sending someone like Michelle with mental powers, be so easily destroyed? They were one of the Ten Old Men, possessed the Yin Beast, and ruled the underground world!
Still, the Phantom Brigade's ability to wipe out the Ten Old Men gave him something to ponder.
"What a bunch of thieves can do, there's no reason I can't do it too!" Vega muttered, shaking his head as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
"It's better to grow stronger first before challenging the Ten Old Men again!"
He set a small goal for himself: to kill the Hegel family first—one of the Ten Old Men.
After a brief pause, Vega chuckled to himself.
"Huh."
Right now, it wasn't about defeating the Ten Old Men outright, but about facing their inevitable retaliation—and handling the consequences from the entire Nacro City Council.
After all, today's intense battle in Nacro City had resulted in more deaths than any before—likely breaking the city's highest record.
Though underground family conflicts had happened before, none were as brutal and bloody as this.
The death toll had reached into the four digits.
Vega alone had killed nearly a thousand people in his destruction of the Shelby family.
This level of carnage was enough to warn the councilors and others in Nacro City.
They would think twice before provoking Vega again, afraid he might unleash another bloody storm.
However, Vega understood that if he didn't make some concessions, he would become a target for many of Nacro's powerful parliamentarians.
Although these big players were restrained by official rules, the underground world's affairs were handled by the underground world itself, and the government officials couldn't easily interfere.
These parliamentarians might say nothing openly, but they would certainly pull strings behind the scenes, occasionally stirring up trouble for him.
It was even possible that when the Ten Old Men came for revenge, these officials might side with them, making Vega's situation far more complicated.
Better to pay off some of the benefits now, gag their mouths, and then use his power to deter them.
After all, having a big stick in one hand and a carrot in the other was enough to keep them in line.
Of course, there would always be greedy ones who wanted more—and might try to cause trouble in the shadows.
A cold gleam flashed in Vega's eyes. He was ready to show those greedy fools the meaning of a heavy hand.
But when that time came, they would pay with their lives to learn the truth of his strength.
Right now, his plan was to gather everyone who had escaped from the Pengellet family and fully control Nacro City.
Though Nacro was a large city with millions of people, it was a critical foundation for Vega.
To rebuild the order belonging to the Pengellet family, he needed enough strength.
Although Vega had single-handedly destroyed the Shelby family today, it was only possible because of the Black Shadow Mask.
Now, ninety percent of the Black Shadow Warriors summoned by the mask were on cooldown, so they wouldn't offer enough deterrence in the near future.
More importantly, Vega felt his own strength was insufficient.
Though he had Nian, his Nian Qi was scarce.
When the time came for negotiation, some fools might even try to assassinate him.
Despite his thoughts, his current strength wasn't enough to guarantee his safety.
So, after considering his options, Vega decided to strengthen an item first to boost his power.
Currently, he had nearly seven hundred experience points—enough to enhance a powerful weapon.
While the Black Shadow Mask could evolve to a higher level and summon more warriors, it was only a summoning tool. It couldn't increase his own personal strength.
If faced with a powerful enemy who could kill him directly, even the Black Shadow Warriors wouldn't be enough to protect him.
Therefore, Vega abandoned the idea of upgrading the Black Shadow Mask for now.
Instead, he decided to manifest an item to increase his defense—the "Cutting Evil Ghosts in the Crimson Pupil."
This "Evil Ghost Haunting" was an armor-type imperial tool that could summon emperor-class equipment to enhance its wearer's abilities greatly.
The armor was steel-like in defense, and its subsidiary weapon, the Red Back Shrike, was perfect for both attack and defense.
It could become invisible or transparent for short periods—ideal for strategic retreats or sudden shifts during danger.
These features made it invaluable to Vega: excellent defense, strong offense, and life-saving skills all in one.
All these factors convinced Vega that his second manifestation should be this "Evil Ghost Haunting."
With his decision made, Vega stood in the ruins of Shelby's villa, slowly stretching out his hands.
The image of the evil spirit formed in his mind, and his mental energy began to drain steadily.
As the aura faded, an illusory sword gradually appeared in Vega's hand.