Three hundred meters below Tokyo, smokes filled the underground city of Yomihara.
A big fire was consuming whole a district. When the workers found out the ventilation system had been sabotaged, they quickly evacuated the city. However, the situation didn't stop there, it became worst. Entrances led into Yomihara all caved in. Humans and demons, those who were a part of the underground city, now found themselves trapped inside a closed box. Panic spread on the streets. Each minute went by, they would begin to suffocate.
As collateral damages continued to rise, a cloaked silhouette slipped past the falling figures and entered the thick smoke. An empty scabbard dangling on the side while drops of blood spilled from the edge of a blade. The mask, which depicting a resentful expression, was staring death at one of the targets.
"How?! How did you...?! You caused this?!"
The middle-aged man, who was the demons' benefactor, stumbled backward in fear upon seeing the silhouette approaching. He had just got out from one of the burning buildings, bringing belongings with him. His suitcase dropped on the ground, its locks snapped and opened to reveal an article torn from the newspaper.
The headline read...
Yazaki Muneichi, Politician and Chief Secretary of the Minshin Party, was found murdered in his office this morning. Unknown Suspect is still at large.
"Mercy! Have mercy!"
The demon crawled on all four, begging the masked culprit in front of him.
"Nothing for you." The sword raised after those words muttered behind the mask.
"PLEASE! I'm sorry for everything we had done to you! I was just following orders, I had to! Or else Real-sama would have my head on display at the central plaza!"
The demon lowered his head to the ground. Seconds went by in silence, he took the unvoiced reply as the masked culprit was considering the choice to spare him.
That's it! Any shred of humanity should still be left in that individual after the horrible things they'd been put through. Unlike that other crude tanned little brat, so many times they let go of the chance to take him down, this shouldn't be different than those times!
Cough! Cough!
A hoarse voice came from inside the building. It was another demon, his colleague, managed to escape the fire.
Slash.
The colleague's head rolled off the neck the moment he got out. With a splat sound, the deep red flow gradually filled the pavement. The demon fearfully withdrew his gaze and focused on the ground beneath him which was still dried.
This person, they have truly gone insane!
"Where's Real?"
"I..." The demon swallowed a big lump. "Don't know."
"Ah...I see." The mask softly nodded.
"Please spare me! I wasn't the only one closed to Real-sama! I can...I can tell you about the other subordinates! They should be able to tell you where he is!"
"Hm."
The masked figure listened.
However, it was not the demon's plead that got to them. They were listening to something else, their hand went up and touched the earpiece. An important piece of info was disclosed through the comm line.
"Palace of Darkness. North. The Altar."
Keywords from the intel repeated, the demon profusely sweated. The sword in their hand began to turn, he would try to plead again.
"W-Wait!"
The cloaked figure didn't wait, they'd got what they wanted. The blade made a clean cut. The demon froze, eyes widened in horror.
"I recalled you as one of those faces. You were there, laughing at our torments." The mask stared down at the face now revealed a split. "Real is next."
The demon dropped into two halves. The person wearing the resentful mask returned to the thick smoke, heading north.
Soon, another monster will fall.
The Vengeful Blade would make sure to exact the very last breath from its remaining target.
The Palace of Darkness was formerly the main headquarter of Nomad. As of now, it was running by no one.
The defeat of Edwin Black by the hand of Igawa Asagi made this place masterless and disrupted criminal organizations' activities. While the underworld reputations thrown in chaos, a certain group took upon this chance to seek revenge.
The captives of Yomihara, the slaves bounded by Demon Contracts and those who had endured the darkness of the underground city were now waking up for a riot.
Real, no longer the owner of Under Eden, was making his way to the grand Altar hall. Explosions rumbled the structure, he clutched the suitcase tightly and hugged it like his life was depending on it at this moment.
It happened too soon, no one could have predicted the bloodlusts were waiting all these years. With Edwin Black gone, the darkness of Yomihara exposed to all vulnerabilities. Being a human who had taken advantages of this place, Real could have been the most influential individual.
The King of Demons was gone. His Master was gone. His untouchable position in the underworld ended up destroyed. His uncle, Washizu Shigeru, was subjugated. His brother was brutally murdered before the slate could be wiped clean. His true identity revealed to public. His money and connections lost all values. His properties confiscated and reputation suffered beyond repair.
The once powerful name Real was reduced to a mere Yazaki Toshiji. In the aftermath of the Vampire King's demise, he was no more than a crook in the face of the world.
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
He didn't hear anything. The silence came after the explosions was unnatural, it increased his anxiety. Yazaki Toshiji couldn't let go of the thought that a sword will pierce through him at any moment, at any corner and from the shadow.
He reached the entrance leading into the Altar, looming fear forced him to continue running past the empty rows of benches without catching a break. No one else was here but Toshiji, not that much concerning to him. He'd rather it was just him getting away from this place.
Whoever the perpetrator, they were hugely mistaken. Shutting down the tunnel passages and robbed everyone in Yomihara escape routes wouldn't do them any good. They thought they could trap him here with just that. Toshiji refused to become a caged rat.
The Altar contained a secret, he planned to use it.
Behind the Altar was a staircase covered up by a camouflaged door. The door was made to look exactly like a part of the large table structure, its true purpose was known only to those who ruled the top places in the underground city.
Thud.
A single noise startled Toshiji, he didn't dare looking back. For a short time, panic overwhelmed him, he shoved the door off its hinge and quickly took the way down.
Toshiji arrived at a big room. Asides from two pedestals that reached the height of his torso, the place had nothing else. Words could be seen on the objects. Though, the knowledge discovered from the pedestals was a mystery that no one had yet to decipher, not even the demons. It was a language that existed none in their cultures, not even Edwin Black's kind knows about it. Rumors said these inscriptions preceded even the ancient period of the Dark World.
Yazaki Toshiji couldn't careless. If it was helpful, it would be another tool for him to use.
Despite the mysterious nature of these pedestals, they served as an invisible portal. Tests were performed to confirm its function.
It doesn't matter where it will lead him, he demands an escape.
The suitcase hit the ground, Toshiji took out a cube containing the same inscription of the pedestals and placed it between the bases. Through desperate means, he'd got his hand on it.
The cube began to lit up. But Toshiji was already out of patience, he gave it a kick. A useless attempt, the device continued to activate in its own pace.
Thud.
That noise again. This time, it was near. The echo came from somewhere along the staircase which Toshiji was turning his back to it. Toshiji soon forgot the creeping chill as the pedestals responded, shining inscriptions connected the cube with a bright wave of wavy-liked hue.
A relieve grin on his face, Toshiji snatched the cube and the suitcase.
It worked, a portal has opened. All he needed was to step inside that wavy-liked entrance.
Slice.
Suddenly, he felt the wetness on one side of his face. He heard something fell on the floor and gazed down.
By his feet was a piece of flesh that resembled an ear.
"?!"
Immediately, the pain kicked in. Toshiji realized that was his ear sliced off by a stroke.
"AAAAAAaahHHhhhhh! M-My ear!"
"Real. No, Yazaki Toshiji."
Toshiji turned to the cold voice while holding onto the bleeding side of his head. The appearance of a cloaked figure wearing the resentful mask completely choked his entire being.
"It's time to pay."
"Who?! Who are you!? How did...?! Security! SECURITY!"
"They're gone." The mask revealed with their sword dripping in a deep red liquid. "All the helps you need are gone."
"Wait, wait! What is it that you want?! Money?! I can give money, just name your price! Is it three million?! No, three billion?! Six?!"
The masked figure took a step forward. Toshiji defensively raised his hand and backed away.
Slash.
In a blink, they struck. Four of his fingers were removed. The palm and wrist cut into pieces, followed by a piercing scream. Toshiji fell on his knees, the intense pain consumed his whole body.
"ARrrrggghhhherah! You MONSTER!"
For those words, his lower jaw broke. A spin kick launched Toshiji at one of the pedestals. Toshiji squeaked. The panic, the overwhelming fear and the pain on his face all sunk in.
"That's for Yukikaze."
The name made him flinched.
"...tha...t...name...!?"
He'd heard of it. Flashes of memories came among the bloody sight of his own arm. He recalled the face of a young Taimanin with long brown hair worn in pigtails and a deep tan skin.
"You!...d-don't tell me...?! It can't be!"
Because of what happened, this masked wearing figure was here to get their revenge on him.
Toshiji remembered that young Taimanin's partner. The one broke by the Incubus King.
"You're...that...TATSURO brat!?"
Next, his wounded arm was sliced off.
"That's for him." The figure said.
Toshiji'd jumped to the wrong conclusion. Unable to endure, he cried at the top of his lung. Tumbling toward the suitcase and the shining cube, Toshiji reached it with the leftover arm. His desire to live has never been so strong, so desperate as those who were forced to be drown by his evil doings.
"And this." The masked figure raised their sword. "...is for me."
"No! I'm so close! So close! ARRGGGGHH!"
Toshiji threw the cut off limb at the masked figure only for it to be knocked out of the way. Liquid from the arm sprayed on the resentful expression of the mask. He leaped at the portal only to be stopped by a slam of the katana handle, his spine took the impact.
Toshiji wiggled before to the wavy-liked entrance, frightened with tears. The cube gripped tightly in his remaining hand, it seemed to be the only thing in the world that could save him from this fate. Ironically, the invisible portal gate was beyond the length of his reach.
"Damn you." He cursed. "Damn you, Taimanin. Just because you defeated the Vampire King, just because you managed to subjugate Lord Incubus. You want to take my life the moment I lost my standing in this place as well?"
"You are just as equally dangerous and evil as your Master. You're a despicable man, Yazaki Toshiji. Blame yourself for everything you've done."
"Ah. Ah, I see. So now you're going to kill me while hiding yourself under that mask." Toshiji retorted. "Show me your face! Let me see it so when I die I will loathe you, your name and your family!"
The resentful mask was taken off.
Yazaki Toshiji widened his eyes in shock. When he saw the face behind the mask, his heart skipped a beat. He'd tried to forget such tragic beauty and moved on to better things when his Master demanded him to hand over the person in whom he was once interested.
"Hah! Hahahaha! HAhahahahahaha!"
Toshiji began to laugh hysterically. Looking at that person's face invoked the slumbering madness he hadn't let loose in years.
"I heard of those rumors. Some said you were killed during that battle against my Master. Some said you survived and have gone rouge, to think you're actually the Vengeful Blade! It is indeed tragic! Now you are here. You came back to me to carry out your revenge and I am your target. Good girl! Such is my taste in women!"
Toshiji was rambling like a mad man, the pain inflicted on him must have driven his mind over the edge. The Rogue Taimanin put on the mask, their blade shook in disgust.
"Go ahead, do it! There's nothing else for me here but you! EXCEPT YOU! This outcome doesn't look so bad! I drown you in the dark side of Yomihara, now you're after my life, you want to put me out of my misery so much! If it is you, nothing will please me more than this! Make the strike worth your while!"
"You haven't changed, despicable criminal."
Sword firmly raised for one last stroke, the masked figure was ready to end the haunting cruelty Toshiji had caused.
"Hah!"
However, Toshiji's deranged smile shifted to a grimace. He saw an opening and tossed the cube at them. All that crazy rambling was just a feint, he didn't give up on his life that easily.
The blade swung, hitting the cube. The energy within burst out once the object split apart. It struck the portal gate and immediately changed. The wavy-liked appearance shrunk in size for a moment before expanding in a blinding light, enveloped both Toshiji and the masked figure.
Then, the room returned to an empty state.
She woke up with a startle.
Wet grasses, dense trees and the night sky confused her. Yazaki Toshiji was gone and she was by herself deep in a forest.
Her weapon was still with her. The smell of blood was still with her.
It started raining.
A few droplets touching her skin made her realize that the Noh Mask had fell off. She picked it up and watched the fresh bloodstains washed away. The mask which concealed her identity now looked like new. She needed to startover the hunt again.
Her torn cloak discarded by the foot of a tree, letting her long hair flow down to the ankles. The dark-purple Taimanin bodysuit bathed in the rain, she needed the stench of her enemies gone before the last hunt.
Her one and only objective now is to seek revenge against those who took away her dearest bonds. Real a.k.a Yazaki Toshiji was the last on the list.
This familiar forest, wherever he try to run, she will catch him.
Akiyama Rinko the Vengeful Blade sworn to put down her last target for good.
Arc 2: The Vengeful Blade - Prologue
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