The Night of the 16th, Part 2

THE TORII GATES THROUGHOUT TOKYO were filled with energy, many of them serving as portals for the spirits to return to the land of the dead. It was part of a yearly celebration, and now that it was nearing its end, many people were letting out sighs of relief, especially from the security forces.

However, as the soldiers and citizens lowered their guards, there was a dark power quietly springing to action.

It began with a soft, gentle sound, as if someone were humming a song. Some people looked around, trying to find its origin, but the melody seemed to come from everywhere.

Then, ever so slowly, the color of the lanterns floating on the water began to shift. Their warm orange lights dimmed to a dark red, and an ominous shadow crept its way throughout the city.

A sense of anxiety grew in the people, and then, to their horror… the spirits of the ancestors stopped moving in their tracks. For a moment, everyone stared at each other in confusion, with only the soft hum of a mysterious music floating in the air.

Then, the hum became louder.

It increased in pitch, and soon shifted into a proper singing voice with an eerie and dreadful melody. Many people tried to discern the words, straining to understand the lyrics, but they were unintelligible… almost as if they weren’t meant for them to hear.

But the spirits, on the other hand…

They understood every single verse, and their minds collapsed to madness.

Shrieks of terror, of wrath, of hatred and everything else ill began to erupt throughout Tokyo, with millions of errant souls sent into a frenzy. The scores of Kami wandering the streets were the next affected by it, many of them overwhelmed by a wave of corruption.

Their bodies twisted and morphed into monsters, desperate to shed their horror onto the world, and the stunned security forces quickly rallied to bring battle to them.

Gunshots erupted in the streets, followed by screams, explosions and chaos. In a matter of moments, the city of Tokyo became pandemonium.

* * *

THE HELICOPTER’S BLADES SPUN FURIOUSLY, as Katsuro’s unit raced against time to reach their mission area. Just minutes ago he was in an airbase coordinating the rapid response units, until he received a message from General Kuroda Masanori.

Its contents couldn’t have been worse: the Bureau of Harmony’s headquarters was under heavy attack, with the security forces overwhelmed by yōkai. Unlike the creatures roaming the streets, the HQ’s attackers spawned en masse from the sewers, and their movements seemed to be organized.

A mysterious puppet master was on stage, and they directed the monsters to exploit vulnerabilities in the Bureau’s defenses. Without immediate assistance, the headquarters was doomed to fall.

“Listen well, soldiers,” Katsuro addressed his troops. “I don’t know who is the mongrel that orchestrated all of this but make no mistake: this attack was no accident. There are traitors in our midst, and once we’re done dealing with the yōkai, we will find them and drag them out to justice.

“So ready your guns, sharpen your blades, and steel your mettle. You are the warriors of the ACU, and we will let nothing stand on our way!”

“Sir, yes sir!” the soldiers cried out as battles raged on the ground below.

The Bureau’s headquarters was visible in the distance, surrounded by a veritable sea of monsters and vengeful ghosts. Only a few dozen defenders still remained, with reinforcements desperately rushing in from all across the capital.

“Captain, order the flight to fire a salvo. They need air support.”

“Roger, Colonel. All units, this is Hawk Lead. Identify enemy concentrations and ready your systems for a missile salvo. Outside perimeter only.”

“Roger,” the other helicopters confirmed, five more in total.

However, as the gunners were busy with target acquisition, something ominous stirred in the distance. Like a series of lighthouses in the dark, dozens of pillars of light shot to the sky from the city’s outskirts… and they all converged over the Bureau.

“What in the world is that…?” asked Maki, staring in horror as the lights coalesced into a discernible pattern. She didn’t want to recognize it, but the truth was, she had seen those kinds of formation before.

“Evasive maneuvers! Evasive maneuvers! It’s a summoning circle!”

Katsuro’s voice was desperate as he urged the captain to evade.

“N- No way… Something that huge?” muttered one of the soldiers, with a sense of panic spreading throughout the entire squad.

As the helicopters swerved hard to the sides, the magic circle in the air activated. It forcibly rended reality apart, opening a portal to the beyond… and from it, the head of a great and terrible creature emerged.

It slithered out of the portal and used its hands to support itself on its edges as it looked around. Soon, its eyes were fixed on the building below, and without words or ceremony, it drew its breath…

“Dragon!!” screamed Maki, her voice stretched to its limits.

Then, the Bureau of Harmony — the symbol of peace and prosperity in Japan —was plunged into an ocean of pitch-dark flames.