Chapter 29: The Executive Bureau

Soyso breathed a sigh of relief; if even her supernatural powers could not control Tomori Takamatsu, she would truly be at a loss.

She struggled to sit up, but the mere effort sent waves of pain through her entire body, leaving her with no strength to stand.

In that brief moment of mental lapse, the gravity crushing down on Tomori wavered. Tomori suddenly snapped her head up, chanting in a solemn, arcane ancient language. The syllables were compressed into an incredibly rapid cadence, eventually sounding like nothing more than a few sharp words.

A scorching storm surged toward her, the brilliant light causing Soyso’s eyes to burn with agony. She was flipped onto the floor by the gale, and something searing hot streaked past above her, carrying a terrifying pressure. A deafening explosion rocked the room. The air was thick with the pungent smell of burning, cement dust rained down from the ceiling, and thick, black, scalding smoke billowed into the space.

From the street outside, the third floor of RING looked as if it had been struck by a rocket. A ferocious dragon of fire erupted, shooting into the sky; for a fleeting instant, the night was as bright as day.

The lights throughout the building dimmed as the transformer was destroyed, and the sound of girls screaming echoed through RING.

Soyso coughed violently, clearing the ash from her mouth, and used her arms to wave away the smoke. Although she hadn't been hit directly, the proximity had scorched her arms.

The bone-chilling cold returned. Before she could catch her breath, Soyso focused her mind again. The skeletal claws that had torn through the smoke were only inches away from her. The dull thud of a body hitting the floor signaled that her supernatural powers had once again suppressed Tomori.

People on the street were looking up at the site of the explosion, where black smoke continued to rise. Given the scale of the blast, no one dared to investigate, and the police had long since been called.

The cold wind blowing in helped Soyso; it took over a minute for the smoke to clear enough to see. Soyso could hardly believe her eyes.

Most of the wall facing the street was gone. A charred window frame was still smoldering, the edges jagged, exposing twisted steel bars and blackened concrete.

If she had been hit just now... she would probably be nothing more than a charred corpse.

Even so, she was in a miserable state. The shockwave of the explosion had recoiled, throwing her against the opposite wall. Her internal organs felt as if they had been rearranged, and her skin was flushed and burning from the hot wind.

Everything that had happened tonight was inconceivable. In just a few minutes, these events had transcended everything Nagasaki Soyso knew of the world.

Could a person really create such an explosion with their bare hands? If so, given enough time, couldn't Tomori dismantle the entire RING building?

Under the overbearing gravity, the dragon-transformed Tomori remained motionless, her golden eyes glaring fixedly. She could no longer unleash such a terrifying explosion.

Soyso did not know what to do. Her phone was broken, and she had to maintain her focus to suppress the fully berserk Tomori, leaving her unable to step away and seek help. Downstairs, the sounds of screaming and chaos grew louder; it seemed everyone in the building was fleeing.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, eyes fixed on one another, neither willing to yield.

The sound of engines approached from the distance. A convoy of cars arrived at the end of the long street, but they were not police or fire department vehicles. They were all-black SUVs and sports cars, led by a squadron of roaring motorcycles, their lights flooding the street like a tide.

The men who jumped out of the cars were all dressed in black trench coats, their expressions stern as they immediately threw up police tape.

Many bystanders realized they weren't police. A bold man shouted for them to show identification, only for a hulking man to step forward and, without a word, strike him with a hand-chop that sent him spinning into a utility pole.

As the man climbed up and reached for his face, ready to swing a fist, the wind blew back the giant’s coat, revealing a glimpse of an intricate Ukiyo-e tattoo.

Everyone understood instantly: these people were Yakuza.

The Yakuza secured the perimeter, dispersing the onlookers and the girls escaping from RING. By then, vans and bulldozers had arrived at the street corner, blocking the road. In the crowded streets of Ikebukuro, they had erected an impenetrable blockade with heavy machinery and a wall of men.

A helicopter of unknown origin swept across the sky, its massive rotors whipping up a gale. Like a giant black bird, it soared toward the building now under lockdown.

The helicopter's cabin door remained open, and a young man in a black trench coat leaned against the frame.

The night wind ruffled his bangs, revealing a handsome face with a touch of feminine delicacy. His pale skin had the texture of marble; he looked as though he could grace the cover of a fashion magazine at any moment.

"The target is in Ikebukuro, at a live house called RING. It primarily caters to girl bands, serves a female clientele, and offers a full range of services including rehearsal space, instrument sales, and desserts and tea."

Inside the helicopter, Crow was piloting, while Yasha, sitting beside him, read from a tablet.

"Our people have already arrived and secured the perimeter. Reports from the scene indicate no other signs of a berserk hybrid, which means the target is still inside." Yasha paused. "This is the place you rented out last time, Young Master."

"When did I ever go to such a place?" Source-Wakana (Gen Chisei) frowned slightly.

"Young Master, you have a terrible memory! Chisato Shirasagi, Pastel*Palettes—you even had me and Crow buy out the whole venue!" Yasha's fleshy face twitched, looking like a black bear that had caught a whiff of gossip. "Don't tell me you didn't go to watch the performance, but instead went to do something unspeakable!"

Yasha and Crow exchanged a knowing, lewd grin.

"Oh... I remember now. You mean those girls who dress in colorful clothes." Source-Wakana had a sudden realization. "The one who can fix cars, right?"

"Young Master, you went for all five of them at once!" Crow laughed even more lewdly.

"I only met with the most mature one among them. Renting the place out was just to buy their time."

"The entire Bushido Company is already a family asset. Do we really need to go through such trouble just to see our own artists?"

"You wouldn't understand women, especially young girls. You can threaten her with a gun to her head, but don't expect her to open her heart to you without reservation. If you want to sit down and discuss secrets, you have to create the right atmosphere. If you’d ever taken a girl to an aquarium or a Ferris wheel, you’d understand what I mean."

"Don't expose a man's flaws or hit him in the face, alright?" Crow's lewd smile wilted. He had truly been struck where it hurt, turning him back into a crow shivering in the rain on a branch.

Source-Wakana said coolly, "Over the past year, the berserking of hybrids across Tokyo has shown a trend toward younger individuals, especially adolescent girls under eighteen, who now account for over seventy percent of cases."

"It's that serious?" Yasha was stunned; this was the first time he had heard these statistics.

"I see. I thought you were actually starting to take an interest in girl bands." Crow grasped Source-Wakana's meaning faster than Yasha. "Those girls have already become the family's informants, haven't they?"

Source-Wakana did not reply. Given his way of speaking, silence on such a topic was an admission.

The Shiki-Hachi family had tightened its security in Tokyo over the past year. If an incident occurred on any street in the twenty-three wards of Tokyo, the family could complete a lockdown within minutes. There were always helicopters on the roof of the Gen-shi Heavy Industries building ready for immediate takeoff, ensuring that the Executive Bureau could reach the scene in the shortest possible time.

The helicopter they were in had reached the sky above Ikebukuro, shaking violently in the gale. Crow skillfully banked the helicopter, descending rapidly toward the target building with such speed it was as if he were piloting an old bomber preparing for a dive-bombing run.

The "bomb" was Source-Wakana. The helicopter approached the smoke-filled hole on the third floor at a precarious angle, coming within mere meters. Source-Wakana leaped inside, followed by Yasha, who was carrying a rectangular cardboard box.

The target could no longer be considered human. The only certainty, judging by the clothes, was that it was a girl. White scales covered her entire body, a physique somewhere between a dragon and a lizard—highly aesthetic, yet fraught with danger. Her golden eyes burned with a fighting spirit.

The worst part was that the target was holding a human girl hostage, dangling her by a claw like a ham. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have been subjected to anything violent, but she was already on the verge of death.

Soyso opened her eyes a crack; it was all she could manage. The prolonged suppression had pushed her to her limit. The moment the gravity was lifted, Tomori had erupted, her sharp bone claws piercing Soyso's shoulder and hoisting her up like a kebab.

Her vision was blurred, and she couldn't see clearly, but she could vaguely make out two figures. Fortunately, her hearing was intact, and she could still hear the commotion outside.

"Pure white scales all over!" Yasha exclaimed. He had helped the Young Master put down many Death Servants, but this was his first time seeing a descendant of the White King of such high purity.

"A great treasure." Source-Wakana spread his hands.

Yasha knelt on one knee and presented the box. Source-Wakana reached in and drew the blade. Flower petals scattered, and a cold, cyan light flowed along the edge of the blade.

The sword's inscription read "Spider Mountain Murder Exorcism Night-Crouch." This sword was known as Spider-Cutter, and it had been passed down through the generations for over a thousand years. Its previous wielders had used it to slay all manner of impossible things.

"Who are you?" Tomori’s voice was thick and raspy. She had only just regained a sliver of consciousness after escaping Soyso's words, and now new people had appeared.

This person gave her a dangerous feeling, as if she were facing an overwhelming, malevolent aura, as if a golden sun were enveloping him.

"Cassel College, Japan Branch, Executive Bureau Director, Executive Officer Source-Wakana. What is your name?"

It was a simple question, but a look of confusion appeared in Tomori's eyes. Thinking was a time-consuming and arduous task in her current state.

"Tomori... Tomori Takamatsu..." It took her half a minute to answer.

"Tomori Takamatsu, I have noted it." Source-Wakana nodded. "This is our first meeting, and it may well be our last. I am announcing the verdict of the Main House: based on your dangerous bloodline, you will be forcibly contained. You need not argue, and do not think of resisting. This is an order."

"Are you... going to kill me?" Tomori's face, covered in dragon scales, was distorted beyond human recognition. Her gaze landed on the weapon in Source-Wakana's hand, her demeanor turning ferocious. A forked tongue flicked from her lips, licking the blood from her face.

Source-Wakana lunged without hesitation. The blade’s light brought with it an eerie cyan glow; he had no time to waste on such meaningless questions. Every second spent locking down this area increased the risk of exposure.

A cold wind descended as the bone claws slashed toward Source-Wakana’s head. Yasha looked up in surprise; he hadn't even been able to see how Tomori had moved to the ceiling so instantly. Her speed and way of attacking were entirely that of a beast following its instincts.

A series of sparks illuminated the walls as claws and blade clashed. Source-Wakana flew toward Tomori, and in his eyes, all her actions were nothing more than slow motion.

His trench coat billowed, the gold-threaded Ukiyo-e flowing with brilliant light. A short blade from his waist fell into his palm, and Source-Wakana pierced Tomori’s claw with it.

Both landed on the floor. Tomori tried to use her waist strength to rise, only to find her arm pinned to the floor by the short blade. Boiling dragon blood caused her to secrete massive amounts of adrenaline, and she felt no pain at all, but this small movement was enough to delay her reaction—and that was enough.

Source-Wakana used his own body as a weight, pinning her down. He struck Tomori's forehead with his elbow, causing a concussion, and held his sword against her throat.

He reached behind him, and Yasha tossed him a Desert Eagle. He took the weapon without hesitation, pressed the muzzle against Tomori’s abdomen, and pulled the trigger repeatedly. Amidst the deafening gunfire, seven bullets were pumped into Tomori's body.

Tomori opened her eyes in terror. The remnants of her human mind allowed her to understand the fact that she had been shot. She stared fixedly at Source-Wakana’s expressionless face, her eyelids slowly drooping, and her head slumped powerlessly to the side.

"Tomori!" Soyso gasped in shock. She could only see a blurry scene, but the flash and sound of the handgun could not be mistaken. She never expected these two to be here to kill Tomori.

"Is she your friend?" Yasha approached with a grin, holding up a syringe. "Don't worry, it's just a large-caliber Frigg anesthetic round."

He plunged the needle in. It was both adrenaline to keep her alive and an anesthetic to subdue ordinary people. Soyso shuddered violently and slowly closed her eyes.

"As expected of the Young Master, the matter is resolved within half a minute." Yasha took the opportunity to butter him up.

Over the years, Source-Wakana had always been this efficient. Compared to working with the Big Boss, following the promising Young Master was a much more lucrative prospect.

"She’s just a child, possessing the bloodline but lacking any combat experience. It saved us a lot of trouble." Source-Wakana tossed the sword to Yasha. "Tell Crow to finish up. Bring her back to the shrine."

"Hai!"

The Main House's ambulance had arrived downstairs. Yakuza members disguised as medical personnel were already carrying up a stretcher. The entire process would be conducted without any outsiders being able to interfere, and traffic on this street would return to normal in just a few minutes.

For Source-Wakana, this was just an ordinary day; he had handled too many similar incidents.

But for the shrine of the Main House, this was the beginning of a nightmare.