The grand hall of the Osaka high-rise was an opulent masterpiece, built for the rich to drink, laugh, and pretend they weren't all criminals. Gilded chandeliers sparkled above, their reflection bouncing off the polished marble floor, now littered with shattered glass and half-spilled drinks.
But there was no laughter anymore.
The guests had fled, leaving only the lingering scent of expensive perfume and the hum of anticipation in the air.
And standing amidst it all was 武田 (Takeda).
A man who once sat within the Syndicate. A man who knew exactly what he was dealing with.
His gaze was calm as he surveyed the scene, a cigarette dangling loosely between his fingers. He exhaled a slow stream of smoke before turning his eyes toward the two young intruders.
Akihiro and Mai.
Takeda smirked. Unimpressed.
"I see so they have finally come for me. The 名倉武田 (Nagura Takeda) brat." His voice carried across the empty hall, cool and deliberate. "Only nineteen, and yet the entire underworld already whispers your name."
Akihiro tilted his head slightly, his usual lazy smirk tugging at his lips.
"Didn't realize I had fans."
Takeda ignored the remark, his gaze shifting slightly.
"And then there's Ren. Only eighteen and already in the Umbra Division. I've been hearing a lot about him, too."
He shook his head, chuckling.
"You kids are different. Back in my day, the Syndicate had real killers. Men who understood power. But now?" He exhaled another stream of smoke before flicking the cigarette away, crushing it beneath his polished shoe.
"Now it's just a bunch of arrogant little shits playing assassin."
His smirk widened slightly.
"That's why I don't need to take you seriously. Because the truth is—"
His eyes darkened.
"Neither of you are even strong enough to fucking kill me."
Mai remained silent, but Akihiro's smirk twitched slightly.
For a moment, it looked like he was going to laugh. Instead, he tilted his head, regarding Takeda with something unreadable—a look that made even some of the guards uneasy.
Then he exhaled a small sigh.
"Funny you'd say that."
His voice was light, conversational.
"I wonder if you will still be this arrogant when I'm about to kill you."
Takeda chuckled.
"You're a cocky little shit, I'll give you that."
"You knew we were coming didn't you?" Mai asked
Takeda chuckled once again. "Ahhh that's right. I have my little informant"
"Mind telling us who he or she is?" Mai retorted
"Ah I'm sorry baby girl but even for a night with you I wouldn't do that. My informant is way more dangerous and way stronger than any of you would think. If I say a word I'm dead"
"Well your gonna die either ways" said akihiro
"I have a higher chance of survival against the syndicate than them. They are way scarier than the syndicate"
This statement shocked both Mai and Akihiro, as they both knew Takeda was once a part of the syndicate. That meant he knew just how dangerous the syndicate was yet he was more scared of the rat. Just who was this person.
Then he turned away with a wave of his hand.
"Kill them."
A LESSON IN DEATH
The moment the order was given, two guards moved.
One pressed the barrel of a gun to Akihiro's temple. Another seized him from behind, a knife glinting at his throat.
Mai didn't even blink.
"Move, and he dies," the gunman warned. His voice was steady, but the grip on his weapon betrayed his nerves.
Mai sighed, reaching up to her hair. Slowly, she pulled out the tie, letting strands of dark hair fall over her shoulders.
The guards stiffened, growing impatient.
"I said—"
Mai exhaled.
"You dumb fucks should've aimed for me instead."
Akihiro moved.
The gunman barely had time to process what was happening before Akihiro's head snapped sideways, slamming into his wrist. The gun fired—BANG!—but the shot went wide, grazing the second guard's cheek instead.
The knife-wielding guard flinched, momentarily distracted by the gunshot.
A fatal mistake.
Akihiro drove his heel into the guard's knee, shattering it instantly. As the man screamed and collapsed, Akihiro ripped the knife from his grip and, in a single motion, slashed it across the gunman's wrist—severing tendons, muscle, and bone.
The gun clattered to the floor along with half of the man's hand.
He barely had time to scream before Akihiro slammed the knife into his throat, twisting viciously until a wet gurgling sound filled the air.
The second guard, still clutching his destroyed knee, reached for his own weapon.
He never got the chance.
Akihiro snatched a broken champagne bottle from the floor and brought it down on the man's face.
Glass shattered. Flesh tore. Blood splattered across the marble.
The body twitched once, then went still.
Silence filled the air.
The remaining guards stared.
Then, three of them lunged at once.
Akihiro was already moving.
The first swung a baton, Akihiro ducked under it, grabbing the man's collar and yanking him forward.
CRACK!
The baton-wielder's head slammed into the second attacker's skull, stunning them both.
Without missing a beat, Akihiro ripped the baton from the first man's grasp and swung it with full force into his throat.
A sickening crunch. The man collapsed, choking on his own crushed windpipe.
The second attacker, still dazed, barely had time to react before Akihiro grabbed him by the arm, yanking him forward.
But instead of striking him Akihiro used his entire body as a weapon.
He threw the man into the third attacker, driving his skull into the other's face so hard that blood sprayed from his nose.
Both men hit the ground in a heap.
Akihiro, still holding the baton, flipped it in his hand—then drove the blunt end straight through the man's open mouth, shattering his teeth before ramming into the back of his skull.
The body twitched violently.
The last man, dazed and stumbling, tried to scramble back.
Akihiro didn't let him.
He picked up a silver fork from a nearby table.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying.
It buried itself deep into the man's throat.
A strangled choke. A gurgle. Then silence.
The remaining guards froze in place.
The scent of blood was thick in the air.
And Akihiro?
He exhaled, shaking blood off his fingers. His usual smirk never wavered.
"This is getting fucking boring."
A slow clap.
Mai, arms crossed, watched the slaughter unfold with mild amusement.
"Took you long enough, dumbass."
Akihiro rolled his shoulders, shrugging off his jacket, blood already staining his sleeves. Takeda had already left the hall and was escaping.
Mai exhaled.
"There's still a lot of these dipshits left."
Akihiro stretched his arms, eyeing Takeda.
"Good. You take the horde."
Mai raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"I'll handle Takeda."
Mai scoffed.
"Fine. But you'll have to cut through all these fuckers first."
Akihiro wiped blood stain of his cheek
"Should be a breeze."