Chapter 4.5: Interlude — The Aftermath

Inside the sleek, high-rise headquarters of Verdant Apex in Tokyo, the CEO’s office was dead silent, save for the rhythmic patter of rain against the floor-to-ceiling glass [2.1].

Suddenly, a shadow detached itself from the window frame. A figure slipped into the room seamlessly, dropping instantly onto one knee on the polished floor.

"Master," the man breathed, his head bowed. "I have returned."

Captain Kageyama stood by the massive desk, looking out over the dim city skyline. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowing through the gloom. "Did you get the information?"

The kneeling figure, dressed entirely like a corporate ninja in form-fitting tactical gear, nodded once. "Yes, I have. Gendo is going to be hosting a ritual with his son soon enough. Members, guards, and essential personnel will all be positioned inside the chamber for this."

Kageyama stepped closer, his boots clicking softly against the floor. "But the gate... will it be accessible?"

The corporate ninja reached into his vest, pulling out a compact holopad. He clicked a button, projecting a crisp, glowing blueprint of the estate into the dim air of the office. "This is the Kurogane mansion layout," the watcher explained, pointing at the light. "All wings will be completely locked down during the ceremony. But for some reason... I think the east wing will be the ideal target point."

A slow, vicious grin spread across Kageyama's face as he stared at the glowing map. "Good job, Watcher. Gendo's empire shall be destroyed by my hands."

The corporate ninja hesitated for a fraction of a second before adding, "Sir... won't this attack affect the ritual itself?"

Kageyama let out a low, dark chuckle that echoed off the office walls. His grin widened, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "Even if I kill Gendo and shatter the core, the ritual will actually go faster. The core's death is the ultimate key to bring forth 'Judgement Day.'"

He threw his head back, laughing loudly into the empty room before his face snapped back into a look of absolute authority.

"Gather all available men," Kageyama commanded, his voice ringing with cold certainty. "At sundown, we strike."

The corporate ninja bowed his head deeply. "Yes, sir."

In a single, fluid motion, the watcher slipped back into the shadows and vanished through the window, leaving Kageyama alone to watch the city burn in his mind.

◇ ◇ ◇

At sundown, Kageyama's squad moved in corporate buses. Clad in heavy dark gear, the elite executioners of the Bat Orders deployed around the perimeter of the Kurogane mansion in perfect, quiet synchronization.

Inside the lead vehicle, Captain Kageyama gripped his radio transmitter. His voice cut through the earpieces of every man on the grid like ice.

"Leave no man standing. Burn it to the ground."

Immediately, the vanguard team lunged forward. They planted heavy dynamite charges against the massive, reinforced steel barriers of the east wing. A brief three-second countdown flashed on their tactical timers before a deafening blast ripped through the air, shattering the east gate and allowing them entrance.

In retaliation, Gendo’s private forces flooded the courtyard, and a brutal, close-quarters gun and blade battle erupted across the asphalt. But Gendo's men were outmatched. The scene shifts to a senior member of the Bat Orders as he taps his earpiece, cutting down a guard to inform his commander of their victory. "Captain Kageyama, we are completely overpowering Gendo's men. The estate is ours."

Over the comms network, Kageyama’s dark, arrogant laughter echoed into the ears of his men. "Excellent. Secure the main hall—"

Suddenly, everybody around the Kurogane mansion and over the comms heard a thunderous shout that carried a suffocating, god-like physical weight. The world fell completely quiet all at once.

"CRIMSON ECLIPSE!"

Inside his transport vehicle, Kageyama’s eyes widened in sheer panic as his dashboard screens scrambled into error loops. "What's going on out there? Report! Squad four, report!"

No one answered. A blinding dome of pure crimson energy violently expanded outward, flattening the mansion, pulverizing the concrete foundations, and turning the entire battlefield—including the Bat Orders' vehicles—into a smoking crater.

As this happened, a figure in a corporate ninja outfit watched from the roof of a distant building. Peering through a pair of high-powered tactical binoculars, he saw Ren collapsed face-down, completely motionless, his clothes torn to shreds. The Watcher looked around carefully, checking his visual grids. There was no one else left alive on the battlefield. Only that seemingly lifeless body remained in the center of the void.

Lowering his binoculars, the corporate ninja pulled his dark scarf tightly over his face. In a single fluid movement, he stepped backward into the shadows and vanished in a fog of smoke.

◇ ◇ ◇

Hours later, the deep roar of an engine broke the eerie silence of the wasteland. A lone van could be heard driving at full speed, its tires kicking up loose gravel and debris as it raced directly toward the Kurogane crater.

The vehicle violently swerved to a halt, the brakes groaning as it parked along the perimeter.

The driver's side door flew open, and a male with vibrant, neon-pink hair scrambled out of the front seat. Shino hurried onto the loose, cracked earth, his heart hammering against his ribs. Close behind him, Sophiete dropped down from the passenger side, her boots sinking slightly into the heavy layers of ash.

As they hurried closer toward the center of the site, the sheer scale of the obliteration became impossibly real.

"Shino, hold up!" Sophiete called out, her voice tense as she hurried to keep pace.

Shino stopped dead in his tracks. He stared out across the massive, hollow void in pure horror, his wide eyes reflecting the vast emptiness where a sprawling estate had stood just hours before. The landscape was completely hollowed out.

Swallowing hard, Shino looked back over his shoulder. "Sophiete, go check out the site..."

Sophiete stepped forward cautiously, her senses on high alert as she descended into the smoking crater. As they drew closer to the center of the void, a sickening, grotesque noise suddenly echoed through the heavy air.

Crack. Snap.

It was the horrifying sound of human bones violently fracturing, shifting, and rebuilding themselves under immense internal pressure. Immediately following the skeletal restructuring, a deep, unnaturally loud heartbeat began to thump heavily against the hollow ground.

THUMP. THUMP.

The sound was heavy enough to vibrate the ash around their boots. Hearing the terrifying rhythm, Shino instinctively stepped back, his face turning pale under his neon-pink hair. He looked around frantically, whispering to himself, "What is that sound...?"

Sophiete’s sharp eyes cut through the rising steam. "There's someone over here!" she called out.

Shino rushed over to her position, his boots skidding down the slope. When he reached her side, his breath hitched.

Lying in the center of the hot ash was Ren. Thick, pitch-black cursed marks were pulsing across his entire body, snaking up his skin like dark veins. His face was twisted in pure torment, his newly grown frame rolling on the ground in absolute agony—yet his eyes remained tightly shut, trapped in an unconscious, feverish state.

Shino took one look at the terrifying black marks and the unnatural aura radiating from the boy and instinctively reached for his weapon. "Let's go."

But Sophiete didn't move. She stared down at the agonizing, silver-haired boy, a sudden, inexplicable knot tightening in her chest.

"No," Sophiete said, her voice dropping into a soft, conflicted whisper. "For some reason... I... I feel like I know him. So I will save him."

Shino glared at the unconscious teenager, then back at Sophiete's determined expression. The heavy, thumping heartbeat continued to echo around them, a ticking clock telling them the syndicate would return soon. After a tense moment of frantic thinking, Shino finally let out a harsh sigh and nodded. "Fine. Agreed."

Working quickly, they grabbed Ren's newly expanded, heavy frame, lifted him off the smoldering concrete, and hurriedly carried him back up the crater toward the waiting van. Within seconds, the doors slammed shut, the engine roared back to life, and they left the ruined battlefield behind in a cloud of dust.

◇ ◇ ◇

Across the underbelly of Tokyo, a message was sent by the Watchers to the cult leaders, and it read:

[EMERGENCY BROADCAST — THE WATCHERS]
EVENT: UNREGISTERED AURA SURGE
LOCATION: DISTRICT 4 ESTATE
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: TOTAL DEVASTATION. BAT ORDERS UNIT 04 COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED.
TARGET VISIBILITY: ZERO.

Suddenly, calls came up to the Takumi Group HQ on a big flat-screen within the CEO's office. Seventeen dark figures appeared on screens as they began muttering confusingly. No one could understand or hear what the other was saying until suddenly a voice roared:

"Silence!"

It was the figure of Number 18. He asked in his cold, demanding voice, "Is it true what the report says?"

Takumi replied calmly and coldly, "There's no way to confirm, but it might be true. Gendo is now missing, and Kageyama couldn't join us."

A panicking but cold voice from Number 3 then said, "This could prolong or even ruin the plans for Operation 'Judgement Day'!"

Then Takumi said, "Let's not be hasty and jump to conclusions. We will revisit this matter when we all are done with the preparations for Judgement Day. Until then, gentlemen... goodbye."

As the call ended, Takumi called a Watcher over the phone and said, "You must find who did this and report to me. No matter the price, say it and it's yours. Just find me the cause of this."

Over the phone, the figure replied, "Consider it done."

Then Takumi sat on his chair while resting his elbows on his desk as his knuckles locked. He thought to himself: Could it be the core has awakened? ...Hmm, no matter. He will be killed, and nothing will interrupt Judgement Day.