The Sinister Face

On a stormy night, rain lashed down heavily over the city of Tokyo. Citizens could be seen carrying umbrellas everywhere. Humans and Bardemy alike lived in peace within the city under the downpours and the rolling thunder.

On this night, in one of the streets between towering buildings, a figure walked through the tempest, holding a black umbrella to keep himself dry.

 He wore a black face mask; its expressions depicted a face of transcendence, an arrogant gaze, and a permanent smile of victory. His clothes were somewhat strange—his coat, shirt, and even his trousers were antique, similar to what was worn in the 20th century. His black hair was combed in an old-fashioned yet beautiful style, showing perfect symmetry with his attire.

After walking for some time, he arrived at a newly constructed building, tall with many floors and a unique architectural design. Standing before him was a group of guards. One of them stopped him, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Who do you think you are? No one is allowed to approach or enter this building... Go back the way you came!"
The guards placed their hands on the weapons holstered at their waists—pistols loaded with magical bullets.

The man stepped forward without saying a word, showing no concern for the guards in front of him. Each of them drew their pistols and fired without hesitation.

He held his umbrella out against the hail of bullets. Despite the power of the magical rounds, they were useless against that umbrella. He continued his relentless advance. When the guards attempted to reload their magazines, he was already directly in front of them. He moved the umbrella aside for a moment, but this time, he appeared without his mask. His face was visible and invisible at the same time the moment they laid eyes upon him.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Their heads exploded, and they slumped to the ground—bodies missing their upper halves, replaced by fountains of blood. The brief noise ended, and a permanent silence took hold. He continued his way toward the building, indifferent, and the mask was back as if he had never removed it.

Upon entering the dark building, he found a man standing confidently before bowing slightly in greeting. He was attractive and very handsome; his hair was vibrant with color, as were his eyes, and his clothes were eccentric, not suggesting he was a respectable person.

"Welcome, visitor. I am truly honored to meet the Sinister Face. Your arrival on this chaotic night brings me joy." The man opened his mouth with a brilliant voice, offering words of welcome.

"I can hardly believe the President himself came out to welcome me. Have you come because you are so eager for your end?" The Sinister Face spoke in his raspy voice with a condescending tone.

Raising his head, the other replied: "I am sorry to disappoint you, but the President has not, and will not, come out to welcome someone like you."

The Sinister Face closed his umbrella forcefully and attempted to strike him with a swift motion. The handsome man dodged the blow with a single step back, saying: "Easy now, why all this anger?"

Placing the closed umbrella on his shoulder, the Sinister Face said in a sharp tone: "I know that you are the owner of the Painter Awakening, the leader of the Erytreros party.

 Are you trying to play word games with me?""No, no, no. You are mistaken, sir. I have never been the leader of this party. The President is upstairs, while I am merely an ordinary deputy, nothing more," he said with a smile. He then continued:

 "And I have come to escort you to meet him. Isn't that what you want?"

He sighed, saying with annoyance: "I don't know what you are planning, but if there is someone leading this organization higher than you, Hildens, then this truly seems like a lot of trouble."

The Sinister Face moved past Hildens, saying: "Lead the way."
Both were silent throughout the journey.

 Hildens walked in front while the Sinister Face followed behind. Upon reaching the room of the President and leader of the Erytreros organization, standing before the door:

Knock, knock.

A few raps on the wood alerted the President that the guest had arrived. He replied in a loud but calm voice, sounding like a wise and intelligent man:

"Please, come in."

Hildens opened the door, gesturing for the Sinister Face to enter. Without hesitation, he walked in and stood directly in front of him, close to the office desk. Hildens followed and bowed in respect to the President, saying:
 "I have brought the guest as you requested, sir."

The person sitting at the desk was a man with black hair streaked with silver, combed upwards, with some silver locks falling over his right eye. He wore a white mask with expressions representing a cunning and devious person, complete with a fitting smile. He wore a formal black suit, tailored to make him look elegant and very attractive.

The President replied to his deputy, Hildens, in a lively voice: "Hildens, go out and let us speak in private. I see that the conversation will be a bit sharp and violent."

"But Boss, isn't that why I should stay here and protect you?" he replied with a frown and concern.

"Pfft... Hahahaha! Hildens, what are you worried about? Do you think I'll be killed by this honorable gentleman? Look at him, he looks like a delightful person—who else would carry a black umbrella engraved with 'I will kill the President'... Yes, I think he might... perhaps..."

"Whaaaat! Oh my God, Hildens! How could you let a killer into your President's room like this?" He showed a comical reaction as if trying to joke.

"Mr. President, you were the one who told me to do so just a moment ago! Does this mean someone is manipulating us and sending me the wrong orders? Sir, we are in trouble!" He was agitated, afraid, and readying himself for combat.

"Take it easy, Hildens. I was only joking. I was trying to lighten the mood since the person in front of us seems to be in a bad temper."
"Boss, don't joke like that, you really scared me," he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Now Hildens, leave us alone. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I never die," he said, making a 'thumbs up' gesture with his left hand.

The Sinister Face watched their ridiculous dialogue. That silly joking only increased his anger toward this party. After destroying his previous party and killing its leader, he had received a mission from someone to kill the President of the Erytreros party, which belonged to the Bardemy race. He had agreed, but he didn't expect the mission to be this easy or that the President was just a foolish idiot.

When Hildens exited, both were silent until he pointed his umbrella toward the floor and let it strike the ground with force, planting it there like a sword.

"I am here to kill the leader of this party. It doesn't matter whether it's you or that showman; both of you will be dead by my hand today," he spoke with a voice showing total indifference.

"Why the rush? Let us sit at the table of dialogue..."

BAM!

The President pulled his hands away quickly as the table exploded, turning into small shards. The Sinister Face reached out his hand to catch one of them. The President remained in his chair while the Sinister Face stood firm, the table no longer a barrier between them.

"It's not too late. I believe Hildens has a table in his office in the next room..." The President tried to open the subject again, but:(Haaah! What happened to my table?!) Hildens screamed from the next

 room."Fine, we don't need an agreement table, do we?"

BAM!

The Sinister Face flicked the piece of wood toward him with his fingers. It moved like a bullet. Despite its speed, it didn't hit the President; he dodged it, though it scratched the bottom-left of his mask and left a hole in the wall behind him. The lower part of the President's mask shattered, revealing only his mouth, which bore a smile identical to the one on the mask.

"Just let me speak, sir. You don't know who I am, yet I know everything about you. I know your goals, and we have some things in common. Our enemy is one. I seek to overthow the 'Palisiorps' party, and you want to kill the owner of the Detective Awakening, who is also hunting you. Since he is in that party, our paths are one. If you join my party, you will receive greater political protection, and the road to killing your enemy will be easier..."

The Sinister Face seemed to consider the matter, though he hid his true desire.

Before speaking again: "I don't care about that. I came for one goal: to kill you. I never deviate from my thoughts, whether they are good or bad."

"You will never be able to kill me, no matter how hard you try. You are not qualified for that. Someone like you cannot cause me any harm," he replied with absolute calm.

"Hahahaha...!"

The owner of the Sinister Face burst into laughter. He laughed as if he had never laughed before. When the President saw him laughing like that, he too burst out laughing with him. Both were laughing loudly in a strange manner.

While the President was busy laughing, the Sinister Face moved his hand with incredible speed, cutting through the air. The movement was sudden; the President could do nothing against it. He was slashed with an 'X' mark on his chest, and a cut across the center of his face split everything in two. He fell to the ground, a pile of blood-soaked slices of meat.

"Trash," the Sinister Face whispered.
Suddenly, the corpse seemed to emit dense black smoke that filled the room, blocking all vision for a while until it vanished as if it never existed. The Sinister Face looked at the spot—the President's body was gone, as if it had evaporated.

"Oops. It seems dialogue is not an option for you," the President spoke, standing right behind the Sinister Face. He was facing the door while his back was almost pressed against the Sinister Face's back.

He moved quickly, pulling away in terror. He hadn't expected something like that and was now in a combat stance. While the President remained turned toward the door, having already lost his mask, he slowly took off his jacket. He then tore a strip of cloth from his black jacket, using it to blindfold his eyes. Then, he turned toward the Sinister Face, saying with confidence:

"Didn't I tell you? Someone like you will never be able to kill me."

The Sinister Face had finally calmed down. He seemed willing to listen to what the President had to say, for what had happened before him was not ordinary—it was impossible.

"You are now forced to join my party for a clear reason, and you know it well. Either agree to the terms and join, or you won't leave this room alive." The President's devious smile was very clear, as if he had already won.While the Sinister Face remained cautious, even if he planned to kill him, the opportunity was not right. He sighed and said quietly:

 "Fine, I will join you. But there is a question I'd like to ask: Who are you, really? I have been diving into this world for years, and this is the first time I've seen you."

"Good question," he said, making the 'thumbs up' gesture with his fingers.
He continued with enthusiasm:

"I am an idea... and ideas do not die."

"I am a cause... and causes are not forgotten."

"I am a truth... and truths do not lie."

"I am Irtenfos... and I am never defeated... ever."