Beside Takahashi Osamu, a strange entity followed. It looked like a patch of black mist, coalescing into the upper body of a person. Its lower half was a smoky, trailing wisp. It wore a black cloak, and its two misty arms clutched a pitch-black scythe that gleamed with an eerie, cold light.
This was Takahashi Osamu’s ability, [The Faceless]. It could be considered a type of clone. The conjured Faceless would follow Takahashi Osamu’s orders. As for the scythe in The Faceless’s hands, that was Takahashi Osamu’s equipment, [Sin Scythe].
At that moment, The Faceless was raising the scythe high, poised to strike.
“Commander.” A young man walked over from ahead.
“Kitamura, did you have something to say?” Takahashi Osamu looked toward his capable subordinate, Kitamura Kazudo.
Kitamura Kazudo licked his lips and said, “Commander, this might not be the best time to say this, but I truly find Mizuhashi very much to my taste. So, before killing her, could you hand her over to me? Just five minutes will do.”
Takahashi Osamu couldn’t help but laugh. “Kitamura, I understand what you mean. Of course, you can have her. But isn’t five minutes a bit short? You should at least hold out for ten minutes, right?”
The other members of the Star Group also started mocking him.
“Kitamura, you can only last five minutes?”
“Cut out some of the preliminaries, Kitamura. Don’t tell me you can’t even last three minutes?”
“I never knew you were so weak, Kitamura. Hahaha.”
Kitamura Kazudo didn’t care much about their ridicule. He wasn’t the kind of person who was concerned about saving face. Other people’s opinions couldn’t sway him.
But now, in this atmosphere, Kitamura Kazudo also grinned and said, “I can’t let you all look down on me. This time, I’ll definitely last more than ten minutes.”
Such words drew another round of jeers.
Kitamura Kazudo didn’t mind. Since the Commander had permitted his actions, he didn’t waste time. He stepped forward, grabbed Mizuhashi Yuzuki by the ankle, and dragged her into a room nearby.
Mizuhashi Yuzuki’s smartphone was left lying on the ground where she had been.
Takahashi Osamu walked over, picked up the phone, and said to the others, “Don’t hang around here. We wouldn’t want Kitamura to feel too overstimulated and fail to last even two minutes.”
The group erupted in laughter.
…
Inside the room, Kitamura Kazudo wasn’t as calm as he had appeared outside.
Looking at the unconscious Mizuhashi Yuzuki, he swallowed hard, crouched down, and reached his hand toward her face.
But just as Kitamura Kazudo was about to touch Mizuhashi Yuzuki, the window suddenly burst open. A cold draft rushed in, making Kitamura Kazudo’s movements pause.
He glanced up. Seeing nothing amiss, he got up to close the window first. While closing it, he noticed that Commander Takahashi Osamu and the others had already left the area outside. That meant no one would pay attention to whatever he did next.
Kitamura Kazudo grew even more excited. He returned to crouch beside Mizuhashi Yuzuki, took a deep breath, and reached out his hand again.
“Thunk!”
Suddenly, Kitamura Kazudo felt a sharp pain in his heart. His eyes widened, and he looked down.
There, he saw a steel bar—easily found in an abandoned factory like this—piercing through his heart.
“Who…?”
Kitamura Kazudo forced the word out, but blood continuously poured from his mouth. He tried to turn around, but even that simple motion was now impossible.
His life force rapidly drained away. Kitamura Kazudo collapsed into a pool of blood. The light faded from his eyes, and he was erased from this world.
Behind Kitamura Kazudo stood none other than Tsukiyomi Ruri.
She looked at the unconscious Mizuhashi Yuzuki and sighed softly. “I thought Inoue was the only naive one, but it seems you’re quite naive too, Mizuhashi.”
She kicked Kitamura Kazudo’s body aside to prevent the flowing blood from staining Mizuhashi Yuzuki. Then, without bothering with the still-unconscious girl, she opened the door and walked out.
She needed to deal with the matter of the Star Group.
There were many dilapidated rooms in the abandoned factory. Takahashi Osamu and his men were currently chatting idly in a room not far away.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Tsukiyomi Ruri walked toward them leisurely, quickly drawing the attention of Takahashi Osamu and the others.
“Who is that?”
Pairs of eyes locked onto Tsukiyomi Ruri.
Takahashi Osamu looked her over and couldn’t help but laugh. “If Kitamura were here, he’d probably be thrilled to see such a little girl. I think, compared to Mizuhashi, a little girl like this fits Kitamura’s tastes even more.”
Hearing this, the remaining members all burst into laughter.
Then someone asked Takahashi Osamu, “Commander, how should we deal with this little girl who came out of nowhere?”
Takahashi Osamu said dismissively, “Capture her. I don’t know whose kid got lost, but since she’s seen us, we can’t let her go. Give her to Kitamura later to play with.”
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
A burly man built like an iron tower stepped forward, a hint of a vicious grin on his face. He stretched out his hand to grab Tsukiyomi Ruri.
But at that moment, the big man’s pupils constricted.
He saw that the hands the little girl was holding behind her back weren’t empty. She was holding a blood-stained steel bar, with droplets of fresh, crimson blood still dripping from it.
In that instant, the big man knew something was wrong. But realizing it now was already too late.
His vision blurred. The steel bar that the little girl had been holding behind her back was somehow now in front of her, and it pierced through his heart without any mercy.
Tsukiyomi Ruri’s face showed no expression at all. After pulling the steel bar back, the big man before her collapsed.
Up ahead, Takahashi Osamu and the other two remaining men shot to their feet. Their expressions were extremely grim, their gazes fixed firmly on Tsukiyomi Ruri.
“Who exactly are you?” Takahashi Osamu asked in a deep voice.
“You’re not worthy of knowing,” Tsukiyomi Ruri said flatly, continuing to walk forward, steel bar in hand.
“Not worthy of knowing?” Takahashi Osamu’s face turned cold. “I don’t know who gave you the confidence to speak to me like that, but you’ve undoubtedly angered me. Go to hell!”
As he spoke, Takahashi Osamu activated his Ability Card [The Faceless]. The ghostly figure materialized before him and, wielding the [Sin Scythe], swiftly swung it down toward Tsukiyomi Ruri.
Just as the scythe was about to strike Tsukiyomi Ruri, her figure abruptly vanished from the spot, causing the scythe to slash through empty air.
This turn of events made Takahashi Osamu freeze in surprise. Before he could react, two screams came from behind him.
Takahashi Osamu spun around quickly, only to see the sight of his two subordinates collapsing. That ordinary steel pipe now made a chill run from the bottom of his heart straight up.
