God's Atlantis

With every passing day, Pobitz's popularity climbed higher.

Turn on the TV and there they were. Walk the streets and their ads stared back at you. Open the internet and articles about them flooded every feed. It was no exaggeration to say that District 6700 belonged to Pobitz now. Ordinarily, that kind of saturation risked a backlash — but Pobitz's visuals were so exceptional that overexposure simply didn't matter. They were so beautiful you could look forever and never get tired of them. And their songs ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were absurdly addictive. The view count on their music video had already blown past a hundred million.

Director Colin goes missing, and Lilith Entertainment finally starts pouring everything into Pobitz for real.

Lilith never said a word about Colin's disappearance. Smart woman that she was, she almost certainly knew I'd had a hand in it — and still she said nothing. Instead, she threw the full weight of her company behind Pobitz. She was betting the agency's entire future on them.

"CEO Lilith. What exactly about Pobitz makes you willing to back them this hard?"

"Instinct? What Producer Seong is really after is control of this whole ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠district. You're planning to use Pobitz to overtake Aphrodite's popularity. Am I right?"

"Yes. With Pobitz, it's possible. I'll make it possible. And thanks to you, CEO Lilith, the work just got a lot easier."

Without her help, I would have been grinding David into the dirt just to get things moving.

"So why help us?"

Saying Pobitz would truly surpass Aphrodite was easy. Reality was another matter. Given more time, maybe — but the odds of Pobitz overtaking Aphrodite's popularity in the short term sat below ten percent. Coldly speaking, it was closer to five.

"I told you. Instinct. And after investing this much, you'll make sure I get my cut later, right?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Heh. Honestly, running an entertainment company has gotten a little boring. At this rate, Lilith Entertainment was never going to leapfrog Venus Entertainment anyway. If we fail… well, I just walk away from the industry. If we succeed, District 6700 gets a lot more interesting, doesn't it?"

"District 6700 will change. Depending on whose side you're on… it might change for the worse."

"I don't care. That sounds fun in its own way."

Lilith grinned. For a moment I'd almost forgotten — she was so human it was easy to slip — but Lilith was a Wishin. A false god, maybe, but her way of thinking was pure divinity. And most gods threw themselves headlong into anything that looked interesting or entertaining.

"CEO Lilith. You haven't forgotten our contract, have you?"

"Contract?"

"Come on, don't play dumb. You said if Ju Seo-hyeon became a top-class celebrity, you'd spread your pussy for me. You're not seriously about to break a contract you put your pussy on the line for, are you? I may not look like much, but I am the master of the Vagina Constellation."

Pobitz were rookies, sure — but they were already top-class celebrities. Their popularity numbers proved it. Lilith, though, just smirked like she had no idea what I was talking about.

"When I said top-class, I meant number one… You didn't know? 'Top' means the absolute highest, doesn't it?"

She crossed her legs deliberately. Her short business skirt rode up just enough to flash the gap between her thighs — black panties. She was tempting me on purpose.

"Well… if Producer Seong really wants to force the issue… I might be persuaded to change my mind…?"

Her voice turned thick and sticky. She was seducing me, trying to seize the initiative in our little power game. I forced the heat gathering between my legs aside.

I wanted to watch Lilith spread her virgin pussy open for me of her own free will.

"You're right, CEO Lilith. Top-class means number one and nothing less. Heh. Pobitz will hit first place next week. I can already picture you spreading that virgin pussy in front of me when the time comes."

"…Hmm. When that day comes, I'll throw away every scrap of a Wishin's dignity and spread it for you. But are you sure you're okay with waiting? I'm… a little worked up right now."

Sensuality poured off her in waves. It was tempting. If I begged just once, I could take Lilith's pussy right here and now.

…No. Think coldly, Seong Yujin. A pussy you get by begging and a pussy she spreads open herself and begs you to take are not the same thing. I'll claim Lilith's pussy only after I've won completely.

I summoned superhuman patience and held myself back.

"Next week, then. I'm looking forward to it. Heh… heh."

"You're actually holding out?"

Pobitz walked the streets of District 6700, and word spread that they were even more beautiful in person. Their popularity climbed further, of course.

At this point, even Aphrodite must have felt the pressure. Venus Entertainment finally started moving in earnest. Executives from Venus met with broadcasting directors, and articles about Pobitz began quietly disappearing — replaced by pieces on Pink Love.

But it was already too late.

You can't stop a rising star like Pobitz with half-measures. Is it because I wrecked Venus Studio? Venus Entertainment's intervention came way too late.

Through David, I received a report that Venus Entertainment was meeting with cyber wreckers. I tracked down every cyber wrecker who'd made contact with Venus and killed them in secret. The bodies went into suitable boxes and into my inventory. As long as the corpses never turned up, it was a disappearance — not a murder.

"An executive from Venus Entertainment met with the police commissioner. It looks like they're preparing to mobilize the police in earnest to catch the Heavenly Demon. Venus Entertainment suspects that Seong Yujin is the Heavenly Demon."

"Doesn't matter. They won't break my alibi."

Elena had helped me on that front. As long as her illusion arts were in play, my alibi was invincible. With Deception (SS) on top of that, they would never find proof that I was the Heavenly Demon.

"But those police bastards piss me off. Tonight, I'm going to wreck the cops."

"……."

Third place.

On the eve of releasing a new song, Pobitz had climbed to third in popularity. Above them sat only second-place Pink Love and the immovable number one — Aphrodite.

Aphrodite, however, remained completely at ease. She showed no fear of Pobitz's momentum and made no particular effort ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to respond. That arrogance would soon turn to regret.

Pink Love, on the other hand, was moving. They announced a new song of their own to counter Pobitz, and through their official social media accounts declared they would debut the new stage on Music Kingdom — the same show as Pobitz.

A head-on challenge, huh.

Originally, Pobitz had been scheduled for the first stage of Music Kingdom, but the main producer called personally and the order was flipped. Pink Love's new song would go first; Pobitz would follow.

Naturally, I tore into the main producer to his face. He apologized over and over, claiming pressure from above had left him no choice.

Venus Entertainment went all-in on the pressure.

No wonder they were the industry's number one. At this point, even I had to back down. I couldn't exactly go wreck the main producer and TKT Broadcasting as the Heavenly Demon right now.

If things go wrong, Music Kingdom itself could get canceled.

This was the stage where Pobitz would unveil their new song. The less noise, the better.

And more than anything—

They think a head-on fight will let them beat Pobitz? Even better. That day will be the day Pink Love hands over the title of best idol to Pobitz.

I smiled thinly at the thought of that day.

The day arrived.

Music Kingdom went live.

Pink Love and Pobitz had rehearsed on separate stages, so neither knew what the other had prepared. Staff who watched Pink Love's rehearsal called it the best of all time. Staff who watched Pobitz's rehearsal said the same. Who would claim the crown of best idol would only be decided after the broadcast.

"Pink Love's suddenly announced new song stage — airing now!"

Pobitz were busy preparing for their own performance, so I stood off to the side of the chaotic stage and watched Pink Love's live performance on my phone. Samara sat beside me, her face tight with tension. She muttered anxiously under her breath.

"That stage is no joke. You can practically smell the money they poured into it. What if Pobitz gets outclassed…?"

"They spent money on the stage, sure. But so did we. Which means what matters now is the performance."

Pink Love took the stage.

Samara and I both froze.

Pink Love had always been a group with a crystal-clear identity — bright, energetic, cheerful, and pure. They positioned themselves as the girl group that appealed most broadly to the public. Even the name was cute and cutesy. They pushed a rock-solid concept straight at the masses.

This time was different. The intro alone was dark and decadent. More than that, the outfits Pink Love wore on stage were dark-toned with a considerable amount of skin on display. In other words, they had thrown out their old concept and gone full sexy.

"Th-this… it overlaps with Pobitz's new song concept…. Don't tell me someone leaked Pobitz's information to Venus Entertainment…."

"No. Coincidence, probably. Those girls aren't Pobitz. There's no way they overhauled their concept just to copy them on short notice. They'd been preparing a shift little by little long before Pobitz even needed to counter them — then Pobitz lit a fire under them and they rushed the release."

Pink Love danced. Sharp, synchronized choreography was the baseline, and even the difficult moves looked effortless. The singing wasn't bad either. "They sharpened their blades" would be the right way to put it.

"This is next-level. At this rate, Pobitz might…."

Samara chewed her thumbnail, fretting. Unlike her, I just grinned.

"We're lucky, actually."

"…What?"

"Samara. You've gotten too used to Pobitz. You watched every practice from start to finish, so of course you have — but Samara, what's Pobitz's greatest strength?"

"…Their visuals. Overwhelming visuals that Pink Love can't even touch…."

"Similar concept, similar song, similar choreography. If everything else is the same, all that's left is the visuals. Pobitz can't lose. And from where I'm sitting, Pink Love's concept change was way too abrupt."

Would Pink Love's hardcore fans swallow a sudden concept flip that easily? I didn't think so.

Pobitz, on the other hand, were different. They hadn't even been debuted a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full month. No hardcore fanbase had solidified yet. Fans would take a refreshed, sexier Pobitz in stride.

"Heh. Pink Love. Not as impressive as I thought."

I slid my phone into my pocket. One of the staff shouted.

"Pobitz's stage starts now! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Pobitz's stage began.