TWO WEEKS LATER:
OSAKA
NIGHT TIME:
A taxi stopped in front of a building. A woman stepped out. The place looked like a closed restaurant. She went around the back, into an alley. There wasn't a sound except her heels on the asphalt. There was a cool breeze, but the woman wasn't bothered, despite her skimpy, low-cut dress, her body not covered by a jacket.
She found a steel door and knocked on it.
A slit opened up. She handed over money. Spoke the right words. The door was opened and she was let in. Led to a stairwell by her armed escort who took his time checking out her body.
She saw another door. It was opened.
It was a clandestine casino.
Loud music. Tables. Whores.
She sat down at a bar and looked at her watch. She ordered a drink. She finished it. Looked at her watch again.
It was time.
She went over to man doing security work.
She smiled at him.
Then her hand shot out at blinding speed, fingers first, hit the man in the adam's apple, continued through the throat, oesophagus, larynx, cervical vertebrae and the head flew off. It, and the rest of the body turned to ashes.
Vampire.
Among the ashes, a pistol, a 9mm Beretta 92. She grabbed it.
More men were coming at her. Cursing, yelling. Three men. She pivoted 180 degrees and fired a headshot for each of them.
Two of them turned to ash. One simply had his brain violently ejected from the back of his cranium.
It was enough to send the gamblers into a panic and they all were running towards the exit.
The woman jumped and landed on top of the bar.
A dozen armed men came out of the woodwork, holding MAC-10s, HK MP-5 sub machine guns.
She stood on the bar. Offering an easy enough target.
They fired.
She was gone. She leaped above the volleys of automatic fire, over the running crowds, towards the shooters.
She fired six times.
Six headshots. Four piles of ashes. Two half beheaded men.
She landed on the floor.
Three of the remaining six rushed her. Fangs out. Eyes full of hate and bloodlust.
Standing her ground, she performed a spinning heel kick that took their heads off. More ash.
Before she completed her movement, she aimed her pistol at the last three and they each took a head shot. They collapsed with shattered skulls.
She grabbed one of her victims' submachine guns and fired at the bottles of alcoholic beverages.
She dropped her weapon, calmly walked back to the bar. Pulled out a Zippo lighter, flicked it open and dropped it. It ignited the liquids and a fire was born.
Miko Kibota looked at her watch. A smile of cold satisfaction appeared on her face.
It was just the beginning.
She calmly went to the exit, leaving the burning casino behind.
OSAKA
NATAKOMI'S ESTATE
Natakomi was bathing in the blood of his enemies once again. The iron maidens above his head spilling fresh blood on him like a hard rain.
He never tired of that.
He opened his mouth and drank up. It fed him. Aroused him.. Drove him mad with pleasure. He laughed.
He always felt like a god at times like these. Untouchable. Indestructible.
All powerful.
Then something happened unspeakable happened.
He was interrupted by one of his men.
Natakomi:" Nakahiro. You should know better than to disturb be at times like these."
Nakahiro:" Forgive me, my lord. I come with startling news."
Natakomi: "What is it?"
Nakahiro: "We are under attack, my lord."
Natakomi: "What do you mean? Where?"
Nakahiro: "Everywhere, my lord."
Natakomi, shaking his head in disbelief: "What?"
Nakahiro: "Everywhere. Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo…all of our major operations are under attack. Our men slaughtered. Our merchandise destroyed or freed. We are under attack."
Natakomi: "That's impossible. All at once?"
Nakahiro: "Yes, my Lord."
Confusion, then anger took over the Yakuza boss. "Who dares-"
Nakahiro's cell phone rang: "Yes?" Pause. "It's for you, my Lord."
Natakomi: "What?" Natakomi took it. "Who is this?"
A voice in heavily accented Japanese: "Natakomi Sato. Your time has come to pay for your crimes. Tonight, you face judgement. Tonight, you face…Punishment."
And the line was cut.
An American voice. Punishment.
Natakomi whispered the name: "The Punisher."
And suddenly alarms were blaring and Nakahiro's phone rang again.
He was here.
------------------------------------------------------------
Outside, above the estate, two crafts. The SHIELD transport and one furnished by Japanese intelligence.
The Punisher, Solo, Domino, Maverick, The Jury, The Howling Commandos were in one. Along with Robert Takiguchi.
In the other, the Sliver Samurai and one hundred of his fiercest warriors.
Solo: "Reports coming from all of the strike teams. Missions accomplished or on the way to being so."
The Punisher: "All right. We're gonna land. Solo, Domino, Price, Warwolf and I are going in. North entry. Samurai and his boys are hitting the east and south. Jury, give us air support. Takiguchi, you hit the west. Frankenstein, Maverick, cover our entry."
The plane's door opened. Sentry, Screech and Wysper, suited up and jumped out boot jets allowing them to take flight. Before jumping out, Sentry had some words.
Sentry: "Castle. Good luck."
Punisher: "You too."
Takiguchi was also wearing full body armor. He was eight feet tall with it. It looked like a traditional Samurai armor. Red chest plate, gauntlets and boots. The rest was silver. It was made of some of the hardest metals on earth and was loaded with offensive and defensive weapons.
A new version of the Red Ronin armor. A Stark-tech level weapons system.
The Red Ronin jumped out as well.
Solo briefly smiled. Castle saw it.
Punisher: "What is it, Bourne?"
Solo: "If this gig hadn't sucked out most of my sense of humor, I'd laugh. Fighting along side Red Ronin, Sliver Samurai and 100 angry ninja. This is all too Kurosawa."
Punisher nodded.
The looked through the windshield. Giant bat-winged men were leaping towards them. The Jury, armed with plasma weapons, sonics and ultra-violet beam projectors were taking them on.
There were ground troops assembling. SUVs filled with armed guards.
Frankenstein-carrying a MK-19 40 mm machine gun- and Maverick carrying his SHIELD issue 7,62mm/20 mm hybrid.
The bird went down, Frankenstein went out without a word.
Maverick: "It's been fun, guys."
And they went out.
Sounds of war began soon after.
Castle looked at his group. Solo, Domino, Nina Price, Warwolf.
The Punisher: "Let's finish this."