ABOUT A CENTURY AGO
“Haha! Come on, Ara–nii! Run for it!”
Inside a churchyard, three young boys were running around, playing tag with each other. They were siblings who grew up with a firm religious foundation – at least, that was their parents’ intentions. For now, they just wanted to enjoy their childhood.
“Haha, Mamo–nii’s it! Don’t let him touch you, Ara–nii!” – Kentaro Zen, 4 years old.
“When did you guys get so fast?” – Mamoru Zen, 7 years old.
“Hey, be careful, Ken! Watch where you’re going!” – Arata Zen, 6 years old.
Honestly, the two older brothers only agreed to this to make their kid brother happy. As young as they were, that was what mattered to them most – Kentaro’s happiness.
“Ah!”
Kentaro accidentally stumbled, but he didn’t even care. He laid there on the ground, laughing and breathing heavily, while his brothers stopped and watched him.
“What a weird kid…” Mamoru remarked. Still, neither of them could help but smile. They were happy.
5 YEARS LATER
“You kids aren’t half bad…you can manage that much Dragon Energy, huh?”
The three brothers were seated against the wall in a large concrete room, and standing before them, was Ivan Ryūjin. As it had turned out, their parents were followers of the Dragon Religious Group, and they in turn were drawn in to become followers. The three of them in particular were sought out by Ivan, as he intended to raise new leaders for the Sect.
In general, they all looked depressed; after all, Ivan's actions caused them to lose not just their parents, but their family. The two elder brothers Arata and Mamoru were so emotionally affected by the changes – both to their bodies and lives – that they found it difficult to even speak. However, the youngest one, Kentaro, still had some spirit in him.
“Just what are you guys, anyway?” he asked.
“Hmph…we, the Dragons, are survivors. The remnant of an old movement, that was given a second chance to make things right. A second chance at revolution. All I want is to destroy, and rebuild…and I see something in you three brothers that will provide me the necessary aid in achieving my desires,” Ivan explained to the boy.
“…I’m really not interested in any of that stuff,” Kentaro expressed. “But...it’s not like you've given us any other choice. Fine…we’ll help you, old man...but I'll never forgive you.”
“Ara, Mamo…this sucks, but help me out, ok? You guys don’t have to do anything; I’ll take on the burden…just promise, that you’ll stand by me.”
The two of them felt utterly useless. The fact that their younger brother seemed to be far bolder than them only lowered their self esteems further. Nevertheless, if they couldn’t do anything else, they would stand by their kid brother, no matter what.
“I don’t deserve to be an older brother anymore…but, I swear, I’ll be here for you, Ken,” Mamoru spoke within himself.
“We have your back, little brother,” Arata said in his heart.
“Very well then…don’t disappoint me. Looking forward to working with you; Kentaro, Arata, Mamoru – Leaders of the Religious Group.”
PRESENT
FUJIWARA RUINS
Still inside the Cathedral, Kentaro’s dismembered head shed tears from its eyes with a small smile, as he recalled the past events of his life – especially the memories of his brothers.
“Sleep now...Arata, Mamoru.”
“Thank you...for everything.”
*step*
Fudo stood next to his head, as small purple flames burned over the open flesh at the neck. It was at that point, Kentaro noticed he wasn’t dead yet.
“When a Dragon is decapitated, they can’t do anything much from there, but they’ll still survive for quite a while if the brain isn’t destroyed,” Fudo started to speak.
“Flame Control possesses the properties of Divine Energy…meaning, they’re effective against Dragons. However, I’m able to regulate the temperature of the flames, to make them as cold as space or hotter than the sun’s surface. That’s why you’re still alive.”
“I see, how generous of you,” he responded.
“In that illusion…you were clearly aware of those kids’ existence. Now, don’t waste any more of my time: Jamal Sanjuro, Tarik Yamaguchi, the two girls from Aichi – where are they?”
“…the love of a brother, huh…” Kentaro wondered to himself, remembering what he said to Fudo in the illusion.
“Answer me.”
“…whatever happens after tonight, make sure you’re involved in it. That’s your opening,” he answered. “All your questions will be answered then…you have my word.”
There was no clarity in what Kentaro just said – only a hunch. He figured there was some chance Gyuwhan would respond recklessly after hearing about this incident, but he had nothing else beyond a hunch. It was all he could tell the Hunter.
“…the only reason this happened tonight was because of your own actions; when you turned someone into a Dragon, you didn’t place the Binding Seal on them. I doubt that was a mistake,” Fudo informed him of what he knew.
“Haha…so, my gamble worked, huh?” he spoke, weakly.
“I never liked that old geezer…not one bit. Up until the moment he died, I resented him for taking our lives away…I hoped my effort to sabotage him wouldn’t be in vain…seems it wasn’t,” he divulged with a small smile as his eyes closed slowly.
“I see…so that’s how it is,” Fudo thought to himself, as he came to understand where the Dragon’s heart truly was.
“…any last words?” Fudo asked him.
“… I was the youngest brother, so I can tell you for certain…you’re doing a good job.”
“…do your best. Keep fighting for them,” he responded. This surprised Fudo, but he didn’t say anything more. He interlocked his fingers, and the flames consumed the Dragon’s head. The battle was over.
It wasn’t until that moment that he noticed both the Prison Dome and invisible Soul-Barrier came undone. They had already disappeared from the moment Arata died.
“I should burn these bodies…but, from what he said, some form of action should be taken following their deaths,” he spoke to himself as he decided his next move.
“…I wonder if they’re aware, of the moment their comrades fall…”
“Huh? You still haven’t heard from them?”
Around the same moment, below the Abandoned Warehouse, Gyuwhan was sitting in a room when Daisuke reported to him. Gyuwhan had tried making contact with Kentaro, Arata, and Mamoru, to discuss something with them, but was unsuccessful. This was around the same time that the Prison Dome was casted over the Cathedral – one of its traits being that it blocks all contact with the outside world.
“Could it be the work of a Soul-Barrier?” Daisuke asked him.
“No, unlikely. Those three would never in their right minds do the opposite of what I tell them. The Soul-Barrier at that place is only meant to confine Magical Energy usage within, as to not draw attention to themselves,” he explained.
“The only other Barrier that’s rigid in functionality, and blocks all outside interference, is–”
In that moment, Gyuwhan froze completely; as the energies of the Land, Sorcery, and Supplanter Dragons flowed right into him.
“…Gyuwhan–sama?” Daisuke called to him.
“Daisuke–san, contact the Big–Three for a meeting, right now.”
?
He was confused for a moment, until he heard his leader say,
“They’re dead.”
9:00AM
FAMILY GROUNDS - SANJURO MANSION
FEBRUARY 15, 2018
*yawn*
Gado rose from his bed the next day. Judging from how brightly illuminated the room’s curtains were, one could quickly tell it was a beautiful day – followed by the fresh air, chirping birds, and the smell of breakfast from the kitchen. If it was even for a moment…the Clan Head felt true peace.
*knock, knock*
There was a knock on the bedroom door at that moment, and followed by Gado’s verification, it was opened by his second son, Ilmar.
“Father, I think you need to see this downstairs.”
Something seemed off to him. The usual, nonchalant, carefree Ilmar was nowhere to be found. He was serious, which was about as rare as finding someone who never owned a PlayStation.
“…I’ll be right there, give me a few seconds,” he responded, discerning his son’s tone.
He actually ignored the dining room completely and went to the living room where he was greeted by his wife and two children, whose eyes were glued to a television broadcast. It was a news report – of the discovery made early that morning.
“Just in this morning: pandemonium among the followers of the Dragon Religious Group following the tragic discovery made roughly an hour ago – a scene of carnage and bloodshed, just outside of Colony No. 3 within the Fujiwara Ruins, where a total of 3 corpses were discovered. The bodies have been identified as members of the Religious Group – to be precise, the very Leaders of the movement – Mamoru Zen, Arata Zen, and Kentaro Zen. The incident is believed to have taken place last night.”
“It’s reported that some members were on their way to the site, which was being used as a Sanctuary for new converts. Upon entering the Fujiwara Cathedral, there they were met by corpses burnt to crisps, and noted that two of them in particular were still actively burning with what seemed to be dark purple flames.”
As if the initial report hadn’t shaken them up enough, their hearts stopped at that last part. The flames described were not natural – a Hunter was involved, and there were only three of them in the world who could produce them: the Sanjuro Family Head, his daughter, and his eldest son.
“We’ve yet to receive any word from the Hunter Force, but most followers of the Religious Group are positive that this occurrence was indeed, the work of one or more Hunters.”
A beautiful morning quickly transitioned to a day of chaos and uproar. Not only were multiple Dragons slain by Hunters, but they were Dragons of the Religious Group – individuals deemed innocent.
“Oh shit…”
Gado had nothing to say besides that. The very thing he spoke against last night, came to pass. Miri got so emotional that she had to leave the room, and the two twins watched in shock as they heard and saw the reactions of the followers all over the different colonies.
*ringing*
Ilmar’s phone started ringing in his pocket. He checked to see the caller, and saw that it was Satoru.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“You’re watching the news, right?” Satoru asked.
“I am…this is not good, Sato.”
“Where is your brother?”
“No idea. He didn’t come back last night.”
YAMAGUCHI MANSION
“…alright. Contact the other guys, there’ll be a meeting.”
“Got it, see you.”
Satoru hung up the phone. He and his mother were in the living room, watching the news, while Tenchi was getting prepared upstairs. He had already made telepathic contact with Gado, instructing him to gather the Hunters for a brief meeting. He made his way downstairs, grabbing a dress jacket off a coat rack.
“Father, I’ve contacted Ilmar,” Satoru informed him.
“Good, let’s go. We might be a bit long today, Yura,” he said to his wife.
“Don’t worry, just do what you guys can,” she responded. “Good luck.”
“We’re gonna need a lot more than luck after today…” Satoru thought to himself.
“Good grief…what have you done, Fudo–san?”
All throughout the city, the incident was being noised about. The news struck like lightning – completely unexpected. It wasn’t even as if it were an accidental killing…it was outright slaughter, and the Religious Group, which comprised of about 18% of a population of 5 million, was NOT happy about it. Within every colony, there stood bands of Followers protesting against the Hunters, trying to incite a response from the government for them to take some legal action against the Two Clans. Even the Hunters dispatched throughout the colonies to carry out their daily patrols had to hide themselves from the angry mobs.
From inside a high-rise building, a slender, tall, middle-aged man dressed in a suit and holding a lit cigarette stood looking through the glass windows as he watched the protests unfold.
“Holy shit, the Hunters actually went and done it, huh?”
As he said this, he turned to two other men seated around desks. These men were members of the organization known as M9, a controversial group that specialized in sabotaging other businesses while profiting from it. The Two Clans had been their target for a number of years, spreading propaganda that the Hunters actually operate deceitfully behind the scenes – the same third group that Steffan talked about with Satoru the previous night. With this incident, they pretty much hit a gold mine.
“I feel sorry for those religious followers,” one of the men at the desks responded. He was around the same age group as the former; large build, round face with glasses lowered to his nose, watching the news from his cell phone.
“To think they actually looked up to the Hunters and stood in support of them, then they wake up to shit like this. Betrayal at its finest,” he continued.
“Either way, we hit the jackpot with this one, eh Matsumo?” – the third one joined the conversation. He had a slim build, also wearing glasses, and wore a condescending smile on his face.
“You bet,” the one referred to as Matsumo responded as he blew some smoke through his nostrils, wearing a smirk.
“’The Clan Heads are so reckless that they would allow their Hunters to not only break the oath their predecessors swore, but to murder innocent people in cold blood’. Statement of the century, if you ask me. With these protests all over the city, the government is bound to respond if the Clan Heads don’t. Even if they do, they’re gonna have some heavy sanctions on their heads. Check, and mate,” he elaborated before taking another pull on his cigarette.
“Right, and we’re the ‘conspiracy theorists’ who’d been warning folks about the Hunters’ dirty secrets. The time to capitalize, is now,” the big one responded.
“Keh, guess I’ll be making a few calls…today’s a good day, boys,” Matsumo added.
SOMEWHERE WITHIN COLONY NO. 3
Just like everywhere else, the protests ensued here as well. The streets were packed with Followers and regular citizens alike, all lashing out against the act of brutality and demanding for action to be taken against the Hunters by the government.
On a rooftop sat a man in ripped, tattered clothing. He seemed to be really tired, as his body was slumped against the building’s ledge. It was Fudo.
“Goddamn it…I didn’t think I’d be that worn out…in the heat of the moment, I didn’t feel anything, but that Bullet technique took a lot out of me…particularly, the Red Light that flashed. Whatever it was, it drained my power like crazy.”
“I didn’t even have enough energy left to burn those bodies…I messed up.”
At that moment, he felt a buzzing in his pocket. His phone was ringing – the caller, ‘Kakkun’. It wasn’t his regular phone; it was a cell number that he only shared with Katashi. He knew he would be flooded with calls after last night, so he turned that phone off.
“…”
Fūdo hesitated for a moment, knowing what was to come, but he let out a sigh and answered,
“…yeah–”
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?!”
He instinctively pulled the phone away from his ear.
“Yeah, go figure,” he thought to himself.
Katashi had just walked into the meeting room when Fudo answered the call. Every Hunter present on the Grounds, from lowest to highest rank, were present in the meet, including Tenchi and Gado seated next to each other at the opposite end of the room. He yelled so loudly into the phone that everyone immediately held silence.
“Seems he got ahold of him,” Chojo guessed.
“Katashi, calm down,” Fudo responded to him.
“Calm down? You’ve gotten the whole city in an uproar, you goddamn lunatic!!”
“Katashi, if that’s Fudo, tell him to get over here immediately,” Tenchi ordered.
“i still can’t believe all this…” Zeke whispered to his friends.
“i’d been concerned about Fudo–san, but i wouldn’t imagine he’d do something so reckless,” Kento added.
“This shit isn’t something that we can just fix, Fudo! I told you to just bring your ass back here!”
“Kakkun, just hear me out. The Dragons I killed were three of the current 9 Dragons.”
Katashi had put his phone on speaker when Fudo said this, so that the Clan Heads could hear him. When they, and everyone else heard what Fūdo just said, their eyes widened.
“…you serious?” Katashi asked him with narrowed eyes.
“There were 3 Religious Group leaders, along with the Big–Three leaders. And, those other two from that day – the kid and Mujin. If there’s another, then that makes 9 Dragons. They’re the 9 sacrifices who’ll resurrect the original 9.”
Gado and Tenchi couldn’t believe their ears. All this time, there were nothing but theories up in the air, but now, there was finally some sound reasoning.
“Fudo, if what you’re saying is true–” Tenchi started to speak when Fudo cut him off:
“Listen, I can’t talk about everything right now, and I’m not really in the best position to return to base – both physically, and with the situation going on. But, you guys need to keep an eye out; there should be some kind of response from the Dragons’ top brass. That’ll be our opening.”
The information felt like too much to process all at once for the Hunters, with both the chaos going on outside and this new information. The Heads, especially Gado, were frustrated with Fudo, but they had to keep their heads together.
“Fine…as soon as there’s an opening, tell him to get back here, ASAP,” Gado instructed Katashi.
“Loud and clear, Father,” Fudo responded as he hung up.
“I’d been pondering on that possibility, about the Gang Leaders being pawns to achieve a greater purpose…but, to think there was actually some truth to it,” Steffan remarked.
“Good grief…what have I been saying to you all? Gado–sama, Tenchi–sama, we can’t allow Fudo to do as he pleases any longer! As of now, he’s a Rogue Hunter!!” Yuki snapped as she slammed a table.
There were a lot of mixed feelings in the room. On one hand, the Hunters were all glad to finally acquire some new information, but on the other, they couldn’t ignore what Fudo’s actions gave rise to throughout the colonies. What especially bothered them was the response that the Dragons might take.
“I hear you, Yuki–san,” Tenchi responded to her. “But, we have to maintain our focus right now. Fudo’s sanctioning will have to come later.”
“Now, that doesn’t seem necessary either way, does it?”
All heads turned to a figure leaning himself against a wall with his arms folded. He was a tall man, adorned in full black from head to toe; a hooded jacket, and army-style pants. On his head he wore a black beanie, under which hung a few strands of his short, locked hair. His clothes hid his chiseled muscles, and on the left side of his face was a small tribal tattoo. The look on his face alone gave an implication that he was a total jerk.
“We shouldn’t punish our soldiers for a job well done, Yamaguchi–sama.”
He was the leader of The Order – the dysfunctional Hunters.
“You sure talk boldly for the scum of the Hunters, Emilio,” Chojo addressed him.
“And you sure are presumptuous to believe I desired your input, Chojo,” he shot back.
“Who’s the punk?” Zeke whispered to his friends. Actually, none of them were familiar with him – with the exceptions of Ilmar, Gina, and Satoru.
“His name is Emilio Sanjuro,” Gina whispered in response. “He’s an S-Rank, and the leader of a group of crooked Hunters called The Order.”
“An S-Rank? How come I’ve never heard about him?” he asked with surprise.
“For the last couple of years, he’d been on probation, so he was probably laying low up until now,” Ilmar added.
“…how come you two know so much about him?”
“He’s our uncle.”
“HUH??”
“What do you mean, Emilio?” Tenchi asked him, ignoring everything else.
*ahem*
“As we’d already known,” he started off, “we learnt about 8 years ago that the Dragons’ve been planning on revivin’ the 9 Devils. But, as we just heard from Fudo, the Dragons specifically had 9 goons prepared as sacrifices. And, thanks to Fudo, three of ’em ain’t no more.”
“What I’m saying, is that they’ve hit a roadblock. By losing 3 perfect vessels, in addition to the fact that the revival didn’t seem ready yet in the first place, else they would’ve done it already, Fudo’s bought us some time, as well as an answer to our problems: we have to kill off the remaining six.”
He wasn’t wrong. In fact, there was no other action that they could take, if they really planned on preventing the resurrection.
“You’ve got a thick fucking skull, Emilio.” – his idea triggered off Gado’s temper.
“…I suppose you got a better solution?” he asked in response with a sigh.
“You’re naïve,” Gado started, “Who’s to say the Dragons don’t already have other sacrifices prepared? Not that we know shit, but do you think you can guess why they’ve so far kidnapped 4 kids for seemingly no reason?”
He was stopped in his tracks when Gado said that. Once again, everything boiled back down to having to exercise extreme caution.
“Tch…whatever. You’re a brick wall, anyway,” he shook his head in response.
“Listen, all of you,” Gado started once again. “I don’t want to think we’re already living the worst case scenario, but this is exactly why we’ve been stressing the No Killing policy, as much as a pain in the ass it was. Simply put, we have no idea what the intentions of the Dragons’ higher ups are. If shit hits the fan and the 9 get revived, it’s over…because not even Tenchi or myself have the power to stand up to them.”
“Still…like Tenchi said, we have to keep our heads together, despite the circumstances. Now, let’s–”
“Excuse me, Gadō–sama!”
He was briefly interrupted by Steffan, who’d been looking at something on his phone. He stood up, turned up the volume, and addressed the Heads as well as everyone else,
“I think we all need to hear this…” he continued as he played a video recording.
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
UNDERGROUND LOUNGE
Around the same time, inside Jamal and Tarik’s room, they were sparring together – Tarik equipped with his Katana, and Jamal with bare hands. Fumi and Nayumi watched them intently, albeit slightly bothered. They too received the news about what happened, but what really concerned them was that the two boys hadn’t talked to them at all since last night, after they attended a meeting with Gyuwhan regarding the incident. They got a “Good Morning” from Jamal, as well as something to eat, but that was about it.
“They really aren’t gonna say anything to us, huh?” Fumi asked Nayumi with a depressed look.
“…I could try asking Jamal later, I think,” she responded.
Around that moment, Tarik swung his sword upward diagonally, and Jamal guided himself to Tarik’s feet, taking him down with a reverse roundhouse kick, and turning his whole body around while Tarik descended backward, he slammed his other foot into the back of his neck.
“Oww!! Son of a–”
“What the fuck, J?” he exclaimed.
“Sorry, I was a little too into it. You ok?”
“Of course not…whatever, let’s go again.”
“Yeah…you sure about that?” Fumi asked her in response. Jamal was visibly upset – something they weren’t used to. It wasn’t for petty reasons like Tarik would normally be, but it was sincere anger for a number of reasons; namely, the decision Gyuwhan made last night, as well as his elder brother’s actions.
LAST NIGHT
Once again, Gyuwhan gathered his underlings for a Linked Spirit Meeting between himself, his right–hands, and the Big–Three leaders. Once again, they couldn’t help but notice that the Religious Sect leaders were absent.
“Good night, Ryūjin–sama,” Ringo greeted him.
“Hm? Those three aren’t here again?” Kallavan asked.
Gyuwhan took a deep breath before he started to speak, which grabbed their attention.
“…according to Hellam Ryūjin’s scroll, the 9 Ancient Dragons entered into a pact with him,” he started,
“The pact entails a Binding Seal made with the 9, to synchronize their souls with Hellam’s. In a nutshell, Hellam Ryūjin and his direct descendants are all linked to the 9 Dragons, meaning: if another person who received Dragon Energy from Hellam should die, their Dragon Power will return to Hellam or the next living descendant.”
“…last night, for the second time in my life, I felt Dragon Energy return to me.”
“Wait, you don’t mean…?” Shigaraki trailed off his question.
“Specifically, the energies of the Land, Sorcery, and Supplanter Dragons returned to me,” Gyuwhan continued.
Jamal stopped for a moment and started pacing around the room. Tarik leaned against the wall with his arms folded, trying to gather his thoughts. By this point, Fumi couldn’t take it anymore.
“Ok, the two of you are driving us crazy now! Can’t you just tell us what the hell is going on?! Some Dragons died, I get it, but is it that serious?!”
Jamal closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he stopped against the wall, recalling the rest of the meeting.
*SLAM*
“MOTHERFUCKERS! SONS OF WHORES! SCUM PIECES OF SHIT!!”
“Relax, Kallavan!”
Once Gyuwhan made his last statement, Kallavan was in a fit of rage. His energy erupted, and his body underwent Partial Transformation. In the interim, Gyuwhan had called Jamal and Tarik to the meeting – he wanted them to be aware as well.
“Relax my ass, Shigaraki! Ryūjin–sama, give us the green light and I’ll off these sorry fucks in one fell swoop! It’s time for us to wipe out those goddamn Hunters!!”
“Calm your tits, Kallavan!” Ringo tried reaching him as well. “Sheesh, is it your Dragon that gets you this riled up?”
“Shut it, Himura!” he fired back. “Ryūjin–sama, your orders?!”
“Relax, and don’t speak to me like that,” the boy calmly responded.
“Anyway…I received a bit of Kentaro’s memories, so I guess he managed to pull off Dragon Relay. A lot of things are hazy, but I can confirm they were battling Fudo Sanjuro, the Clan Heir,” Gyuwhan informed them.
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Tarik asked. They were both absent earlier.
“TL;DR, his brother killed the Sect Leaders,” Gyuwhan responded, pointing at Jamal.
“HUH?!”
“Fuck it all…look, here’s what we’ll do,” Gyuwhan started,
“That Noritoshi brat – we don’t need her, right? I want the Inferno Gang to put on a ploy – give her up for a ransom. Kallavan, you put the word out to the Hunters, and have this arranged for tomorrow night. You want blood? Then fine – kill every Hunter assigned on that exchange, and if Fudo Sanjuro turns up, alert me immediately.”
When Jamal heard him say that, something snapped. His heart skipped a beat, his eyes widened, and he stood up with clenched fists:
“HEY, GYUWHA-”
Without a second thought, Gyuwhan used Partial Transformation, generating a long, monstrous arm which pushed and slammed not only Jamal, but also Tarik backward into the wall.
“Ack!!”
“As a matter of fact, I want these two to have front row seats in this whole ordeal. Well, not really front row but, just kill all their friends for their eyes to see,” Gyuwhan instructed.
“Screw you! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t hurt them if we stayed here?!” Tarik yelled at him.
“Two things: I never promised that, and would you really trust me to keep a promise?” he asked in response.
“Hold it, Ryūjin–sama,” Shigaraki intervened. “What if Emir Yamaguchi happens to turn up with the Hunters? Or Emilio Sanjuro, who became active again?”
“It’s fine,” Daisuke responded, “Emir Yamaguchi was assigned to Colony No. 2, far away from the hunters' base. It’d be unlikely that they’d call him up for a simple hostage exchange, on such short notice, too. Also, the Heads are too cautious for their own good – to them, sending Emilio might dig them a deeper pit.”
“Besides, they have three readily available S-Ranks – Asagiri, Chojo Sanjuro, and Rakulli,” Mujin added.
“Then, what if they send one or both of them?” Shigaraki asked.
“Ranks are bullshit,” Gyuwhan advised. “The only real S-Ranks in power are the Heads and Emir, and none of them are involved in this. You’re clear, Kallavan, but like I said, alert me if Fudo arrives.”
Gyuwhan was prepared to end the short meeting, when he looked at Jamal, and said the same words he would always say when either of them got angry with him:
“If you don’t like it, then do something about it.”
Upon opening his eyes, he calmed himself down and spoke:
“Noritoshi, Tsukumo…we’re going to get you guys out of here,” Jamal continued. “No matter what happens, we will protect you. Understand?”
Both their faces became red, but they were simultaneously even more worried.
“…what do you mean by that?” Fumi asked nervously.
“Shut it and trust us, alright?” Tarik jumped in. Fumi could tell by looking at him that this wasn’t just his usual obnoxious behavior – like Jamal, he was serious.
“…I trust you both, but I’m still worried…” Nayumi responded.
“Don’t be,” Jamal reassured her.
“Listen…something’s going to happen, but that will be our opening to make sure the Hunters rescue you both. I promise.”
“…and, what about you guys?” Fumi asked them.
“Stop worrying about us already, Noritoshi,” Tarik chimed in again. “We can take care of ourselves.”
At the same time, Jamal felt a straining in the retina of his right eye, hidden behind his hair. It had been about 5 and a half years since the last time he felt that, but he now knew exactly what it meant. With a strong conviction, the red light flickered once again, and he knew it wasn’t his imagination. Hunter or not, weak or strong, he had an objective.
“Yeah…no matter what it takes…” Jamal was in thought,
“I let someone special die once before…I won’t let the same thing happen to you. To either of you.”
