How a Dragon Infiltrates

“Ozaki, take the stairs around back. I’ll charge through the front. Round up any stragglers trying to escape.”

Ryuji watched as Ozaki nodded and motioned for his boys to cover the exits. He signaled his other two captains, Morinaga and Awano, to prepare escape routes. A successful raid not only hinged on an overwhelming assault, but also a swift getaway in case things turned sour.

The streets were lined with cars around a lone office complex in the industrial district, no doubt tipping off those inside of their intentions. Shirokawa had followed the paper trail of the medical devices, finding distribution centers scattered around Tokyo. With multiple locations, his family was spread a bit thin, so the Yamaoka family was called up for support.

Ryuji was happy to oblige, making a beeline to the closest one from Kakushicho. It wasn’t like his boys had much to do anyways. It kept them from lazing around at the mahjong parlor or getting smashed at cabaret clubs during their rounds. He could avoid any invitations to join in as well. He didn’t form a family to have fun but to take care of business as needed. There was only so much he could do alone, even with his notoriety.

Giving them the task to guard the perimeter allowed him to focus on the main objective. And with a battle cry, Ryuji dashed forward and grabbed a scooter parked out front, hurling it through the front doors. The loud shatter of glass signaled the start of battle, Ryuji charging through the now-open entryway to see a group of ten people with knives and bats.

“Hmph, that’s it for the welcoming party? You sure don’t know how to be a good host,” Ryuji smirked, rolling his shoulder joints to warm up. He eyed one person in the middle, suddenly stricken by fear, who dug into his breast pocket in a panic.

In a flash, the Yama Ryu charged the nearest opponent, grabbing the arm that held a bat and flipping the person with a full spin. The stray bat briefly caught air before Ryuji grabbed it and flung it full strength, just in time to headshot the man who was pulling a gun out. Instincts rarely failed him in such situations, and having taken out the immediate boss, fear spread through the others.

Two more were eliminated as Ryuji grabbed them and smashed their heads together. Three more by a home run swing. The remaining three escaped upstairs, likely pissing their pants. Ryuji cracked his knuckles after finishing the appetizer.

He stormed up the stairs, avoiding a couch thrown down at him by wall-running around the corners and finishing with a dive into the wise guy. Gripped by the belt, his opponent was heaved over the railing just like the furniture before. His wail got cut off by a sudden impact, followed by thudding down the steps. Ryuji continued up a few more flights before someone called out to him.

“There he is! Fire!”

Several shots rang out as Ryuji ducked behind a wall. He spotted a fire extinguisher which he promptly chucked forward, immediately exploding into a white fog due to a stray bullet. The smokescreen gave him an opening to charge on, the swish of his fists quieting any sound around him. The last person in the hallway was met with a charging demon that kneed him in the face. His body caught several meters of air before crashing into the wall behind.

With a whistle of satisfaction, Ryuji moved on and kicked open the nearest door, checking inside to find an empty room. There was nothing of importance, so he continued to the next and so on, finding only a kitchen with some booze. At the fourth door, a barrage of bullets sprayed out in response. Waiting for them to reload, he grabbed a set of chairs and flung them into the room, diving behind some desks afterward.

The men inside immediately grew cautious, fear oozing from their voices as they circled around the rows of desks, guns aimed at any motion. One man couldn’t take it and unloaded his new clip at a clipboard sliding across the floor, giving Ryuji the noise to hide his movements.

A sudden cry erupted as one man was swallowed up from below, firing in the air from panic. The others converged on the spot only to find an unconscious comrade, face beaten black and blue, gun still in hand.

It took a lot of confidence to take down armed men and not steal their guns. But such confidence struck a greater fear than otherwise. It dulled their senses, and by the time they reacted to another’s screams, Ryuji had descended and snatched another clean away. They fired at where he was moments before. And seeing their guards wide open, a desk suddenly rose from their blind spot, slamming down into their backs with a definite crunch.

Ryuji smirked at how easy it was to pick them off. A dragon knew how to hunt its prey.

“Ughhh…”

A large hand gripped one downed man by the cheeks, hoisting him up by the face to eye level with the Yama Ryu. It was just enough pressure to make him feel hopelessly trapped but loose enough to allow some words spoken.

“Where’s your boss? I’ve had my fill of taking down the goons.”

Ryuji tightened his grip to invoke a sense of urgency, causing the flailing man to tap at his arm for mercy. He relaxed just enough to give him a chance.

“Another floor up, only door with a nameplate. You can’t miss it!”

“Thanks for that.”

Ryuji flung him up, only to kick his ass like a soccer ball. The man landed in a rolling chair which glided down the middle aisle before running into a desk and flipping over. Ryuji laughed at his makeshift goal before leaving the room.

The stairs leading up to the next floor were separate from the flight of stairs before, as if purposefully making it harder to reach the top. A chuckle escaped his mouth at the sight of it swarmed with goons to keep invaders out. It looked like the rest of the Yamaoka family had yet to catch up on cleaning the floors below, so he licked his lips at first dibs.

Jamming a stairway with bodies wasn’t a very smart approach for anything but slowing enemies down. Avoiding the stray bullets that came from that direction, Ryuji dashed back into the kitchen he passed by and grabbed a vodka from the shelf, along with a dirt rag. Pulling out his lighter, Ryuji had everything he needed for a makeshift Molotov cocktail, hurling the flaming bottle into the stairway entrance.

Low-level grunts wore cheap suits made of cotton, easily stained and ignited by flaming alcohol. It spread to the others as bodies collided in the ensuing panic. Those that escaped by bursting out of the stairway were met with a lariat to the neck. Others were pulled down from the stairs and stomped on until the flames were snuffed out. Fear between fire and a dragon made Ryuji untouchable in his advance, taking care of business in under a minute.

Ryuji climbed to the top, finding himself at the home stretch. There was only a narrow hallway leading straight to a few doors, nameplate on the middle one. He marched right up and kicked the door in, watching it fly off the hinges and settle on the ground. What waited ahead was a lone man with a sledgehammer.

Ryuji could immediately tell the different air around him. Though he wore a neat suit, the way he nimbly twirled the heavy sledgehammer like it was a child’s toy meant a toned body was hiding underneath. The lack of perspiration on his forehead and the calm, cold expression on his face gave Ryuji caution.

“Who dares invade the office of Akagi Makoto, a captain of the Takashima family, subsidiary of the Azumito Alliance?” He tapped the sledgehammer on his shoulder, a grin holding back an urge for violence. Titles were spoken with pride in the underworld, particularly when facing against worthy opponents.

“Yamaoka Ryuji, lieutenant of the Tenjou Clan. You’re the ones invading. This is Kanto turf, not the Kansai playground where you belong.”

“Ah, the infamous Yama Ryu.”

Akagi’s stance suddenly changed. His knees bent like a predator waiting to pounce. The battle had already started the moment they said their names. Ryuji felt bubbly as anticipation of his enemy’s next move tickled him.

The sharp swish of the hammer lashed out, and by reflex, Ryuji was already out of range. If he had remained still, the blow would have taken his head off. Such a strike was purposeful, a challenge aimed right at his legendary status. There were few that knowingly swung with no hesitation at that, even fewer that gave him such caution.

Ryuji dropped into a low stance, arms out, as if he was ready to catch the head of the weapon. It was a warning shot right back at Akagi, telling him that if he were to succeed, then such a victory would be well deserved.

The weapon traced an arc forward, too fast for most eyes to follow. Ryuji, nonetheless, sidestepped and hooked his foot on a chair, kicking it up at Akagi’s face. He dodged away as well, drawing the momentum for that movement to follow up with another swing, smooth like Death’s scythe upon a person’s last breath.

Ryuji held his breath. He watched as the sledgehammer grazed his right sleeve, a mild sting coming from just the air sweeping by. When death came after someone, stepping back gave him one precious instant to decide – to run away or to face it head on.

His heels dug into the ground. With a swift rebound, he tackled forward, into the safest area of a long-range weapon wielder. A shoulder collided with a hard gut, and with a charge that would impress a yokozuna, Ryuji carried his opponent in the air, slamming him down on the office desk.

Wood cracked as the weight of two large men came down on it with force. They felt it give way before the next impact of the floor stopped them. Noticing an abnormal twitch from his downed opponent, Ryuji flung himself backward just as the sledgehammer dropped where he had been, forming a crack on the ground. Akagi had flung it up right as he was tackled, hoping to bean Ryuji in the back of the head.

Ryuji quickly kicked the weapon away before raising his leg up. It would come crushing down like a guillotine to end the fight.

“Is that all you got?” Ryuji asked like an executioner.

“Heh, so that’s the might of the Yama Ryu. Not at all surprised.”

Ryuji didn’t like the tone of his voice. Rather than slam his foot down, he stopped just before Akagi’s neck, a scowl growing on his face.

“You challenged me knowing the result, didn’t you? What are you hiding?”

Akagi burst into a laugh, one that exuded victory. That pissed off Ryuji even more. But he had to know.

Why did the Azumito Alliance knowingly waltz into Tenjou territory despite knowing that it was under the Yama Ryu’s protection? What unseen advantage was Akagi hiding?

Suddenly, a ringtone echoed from within Akagi’s inner breast pocket. He reached in, laughter barely subsiding. Ryuji stared holes into him as he clicked the screen to answer, the room dead silent except for muffled noises of people climbing the stairs outside the office.

“We got him.”

Those words from the other line caused Akagi to stop laughing and stare at Ryuji with a shit-eating grin. He slid the phone over to Ryuji, showing a video call with someone seated in a chair, tied up.

Ryuji’s eyes widened. He snatched the phone and pulled his foot away, fully coming to understand what had happened.

His best friend, Shirokawa, was slumped forward, bleeding. Another person walked up to him, lead pipe in hand. He gave a few practice swings as a warning. It was enough to make Ryuji stop everything and turn to Akagi, whose words sealed the deal.