*Screech*
Eren's bike ground to a halt at the border of ward 3. Much like the Ward 4 of old, run down and derelict. Not many walked the streets; when they did it was with heads hung low and faces hidden from sight.
No omnibenevolent guild to save this place or reaper to harvest the rot from the grout; not yet any way.
"Can you see them?" He spoke to his immediate shadow trailing him.
"Yes, they're moving towards an abandoned office building just a kilometre east of here." Saku replied.
"Keep your eyes on it."
"Yes master."
The bike roared into the final light of day. Heading towards the pair. Spotted crossing the road.
*Screech* *Thud*
Mr. Alekseev was the first to go; a heavy thud as the bike slammed into the large Russian.
Killed in an instant with the wheel landing with a loud, sloppy crunch as the head slammed into the pavement below.
Mr. Kim-Woo; the telekinetic looked on with still no fear, but a look of surprise.
"Mr. Heart, your tracking skills are top notch. A shame that you are so unruly in your duty..." Still as calm as ever, despite deaths agent before the man.
"Where do you keep coming from?!" Holding the man high up into the air. Eren shouted at the man, the anger in the reaper's eyes was like a roaring fire that couldn't be contained within.
"You'll find out soon enough." Mr. Kim-Woo smirked. The psychic force began to weight down on him.
*Crunch*
Though Eren made quick work of the man's neck, crushed with a firm pull of his fingers around the nape.
"Find them." His single purpose now was to find the pair of them and kill them once and for all.
Shadow soldiers rose up and spread out to explore all the many boarded-up buildings.
With at least 100 pairs of eyes from the street and the sky… No hidden objective would ever stand a chance. Not with a reaper on a rampage.
Deeper into ward 3; it was a wonder anyone managed to salvage a life here. The streets grew increasingly derelict with each turn on the road. Graffiti littered the walls; old tags and gang symbols were painted over with new ones.
But the main attraction wasn't the streets or the people; it was the giant buildings.
The skyline was dotted with apartments that would house hundreds of people. But even these buildings were dilapidated, their people living huddled around fires for warmth.
Broken windows and broken people.
"The apartment to the left. They appeared from there." Saku informed his master.
"Ты начинаешь бесить нашего босса." (You're starting to piss off the boss) Alekseev scolded as he heard the roar of Eren's motorbike approach.
"상사가 그에게 말하게 해야 할까요?" (Shall we let the boss speak to him?) Mr. Kim-Woo replied to the Russian. Both reverting to their native tongues.
*Vroom* *Crash*
Eren jumped from his bike; not caring about it crashing into a nearby wall, instead he charged the pair cutting the feet off both.
"Is this where you keep popping up?!" He questioned.
Both remained silent. The anger in the reaper's eyes began to boil. They let his blood rise without so much a care.
"Answer me!!!"
Still no reply. Mr. Kim-Woo just blankly blinked at the reaper; the Russian began to speak in broken Japanese.
"You owe one million Ten million. Pay, or-"
*Sclick*
The head of Alekseev came off once more. A sloppy decapitation, skin still clinging to over half his neck. But the result was the same.
"Your debt won't leave until you pay in full. Keep killing us, the shadows will come knocking... You'll find out the truth soon enough."
Mr. Kim-Woo's arguments ended the same way they always did, as Eren's whip cut the man's head clean off.
"Dammit!" Eren yelled into the night sky. The anger, that tingling at the back of everyone's mind when things don't go your way. Or the world seems to conspire against you.
It was driving Eren mad.
"They appeared here. From the basement entrance." Eren spoke to himself, the ring or anyone that would listen.
It reeked of vile intention. The walls clung with mould and drops of black water. Only those with evil intent would ever dwell here; not even Eren was safe from the smell. Mask or no mask.
"Let's end this..." He descended the stairs into the evil below.
---
The door opened, leading into a large basement area. Very much like any stock standard storeroom; concrete walls, concrete floor, and rows of shelves filled with spare parts. The damp smell of mould and musk filled the air; but the most overwhelming was the feeling of dread and despair that seemed to seep into the pores of whoever entered.
Looking around; there was no sign of the pair; or even any evidence that anyone had been through this place in years. A thin layer of dust that would make any germaphobe's skin crawl.
However, markings on the ground near a shelf spoke of the thing being swivelled many times.
*Click*
The shelf in question opened slightly; beckoning Eren to pull it all the way open. He obliged, finding a hidden passage. That led downwards to an ominous underground.
"A trap..." He thought aloud. It seemed like the men wanted to lead Eren down this hole. And who was the reaper to refuse?
Eventually, he came to a large open area. Not unlike a warehouse; filled with shelves of goods. Crates and boxes were packed high above. People sat around talking, or typing away at desks. Kegs of crimson spice were stacked all along convey belts of machinery. A large board of names with a monetary figure next to them.
'Kaito Heart. Ten million yen.' Sat 3rd from the top of this board.
Loan sharks, drug dealers and immortal rankers all in the same room. All present were relaxed, playing pool on a nearby table, drinking and smoking as if it was just a regular day of relaxation.
Many, saw Eren enter but paid no mind. Sharing the aloof nature of Mr. Kim-Woo and Alekseev, not fearing the reaper's blade.
All except one, who was stealthily operating his phone. He stood out from the rest, weary of the man. Eren had never meet him, so why was he acting like Eren brought with him a vile storm of blood.
"Welcome to our den." Mr. Kim-Woo spoke behind Eren; the pair had spawned back once more.
"How are you doing that?" Eren asked.
"Do you have the money?" Alekseev spoke without answering Eren.
"Fuck off."
*Sclick* *Sclick* *Thud*
Both cut in two; once more.
Eren was tired of this game. Although, the others didn't take kindly to seeing the comrades dead.
Men and women; Russian, Chinese, Japanese, ones from South America, even some from the African continent.
Weapons drawn and powers primed; Eren faced off against twenty or so loan sharks.
"Hold!" A voice echoed through the room. Coming from a woman dressed for a jungle expedition rather than the warehouse of a crime syndicate. Although, she stood higher than all the others in the room
She stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the production floor. An African woman with a demanding look on her face, hair tied in long dreads. But most striking where her golden snake eyes that loured over the tortured reaper.
"Eren Heart." She spoke in perfect Japanese, if not a little accented.
"I'm glad you could make it. My men have told me about your dispute you wish to settle."
Eren didn't answer; instead, he returned his louring glare to the woman.
"You owe us quite a sum of money; 12.5 million yen… You keep this up your gonna set a new cartel record."
The louring glare lifted at the mocking dictation.
"The debt was ten million." Eren tried to remain calm; but the rage was simmering just below the surface.
"Yes, it was. But when you go and destroy cartel property and expend our capital. Well, it is only fair that the troublemaker pays up the difference, no?"
The pair in question emerged from a backroom together. They were brand new, nary a scar that marred their flesh.
"I don't owe you shit."
"Oh? Well then our business is concluded then." She began to snicker at her own joke; the others laughed with her.
"My name is Ninki Nanka, the 'Viper Queen'. Lieutenant of the Blood Tooth Cartel... I'm afraid your jokes will not amend the debt… No matter how cute or funny you are."
A forked tongue slithered out from the sadistic green grin.
"So, allow me to reiterate what my two subordinates have been expressive of all day. Pay up, or we shall take payment by other means..."
A few of her sharks took to circle Eren. Trapped in the snake's den; surrounded by enemies. The rage that simmered below began to boil.
"Master... We are at your call." Saku whispered.
"Not yet..." Eren whispered lowly.
He still had his army if needed. However, he couldn't risk exposing them. They retained information every time they die.
At this rate It wouldn't be long before someone linked, he and the Reaper. And then there would be no where left to hide.
"And if I kill you all?" The Reaper was feeling bold. Or so he thought.
His nerves all but shot from a days' worth of hunting down immortal loan sharks. This was something else attracting the Blood tooth cartel.
"Your debt would likely climb higher; we are in the business of supply and demand. Not romanticism or sentiment. If I die, I will come back. If my men die, they will come back and collect. It has been fun raising your debt but this is your final warning, or we make the choice for you..."
"Master, we have a problem..." Saku warned into Eren's ear.
"Not now."
"So, what is your answer?" Ninki asked once more, although she already had her preferred answer. "Do I need to count down from 3."
"Master please it's-"
"Not now." Eren continued to snap.
"3...2…
"Master it-"
"I said SHUT UP!" He spoke aloud for all to hear.
"Oh, here I thought you were a gentleman. Very well. Kill him. After your done find his sister." She ordered the men below.
All twenty moved in.
---
*Slash* *Sclick* *Sclick* *Schrrk*
The first wave of loan sharks fell before they could even move three steps. Slumped over one another, dead.
The next charged in with more vigour. Armed with thunder magic that coursed through their veins; purple flashes of lightning sparked from the eyes and fingertips. Eren weaved through the crowd, slicing off hands or heads of whoever got close enough with his soulless steel armoury. Using a Charlemagne to tear them apart.
*Zzzzzzzt*
He felt a jolt through his body, as a bolt of lightning struck his back. A burning sensation coursed throughout his body; a new experience being struck by lightning. Something he largely went without during his years of training in the land of the dead.
Eren summoned his whip for extra offensive power. He had to run the risk of linkage of he was to cleave through the immortal horde of loan sharks.
*Zzzzzzt* *Zzzzzzzzst*
More and more bolts aimed at Eren; joining them were the heavy Alekseev alongside another man who charged in. A bull rush that turned into a tackle, thumping the reaper hard into the concrete wall.
"You should have paid." Alekseev presaged as the man drove his fist into Eren's face.
*Schlick*
Eren countered with his left hand, cutting deep into Alekseev's spine.
As the bulky Russian fell away, floundering around; trying to push himself up without the aid of failing legs.
Another wide slash of the whip killed another half a dozen. The remaining sharks just stayed at bay; waiting for the dead to come back.
"We could have used you. You could have made a lot more money fighting for the bosses." Ninki called out as she descended the stairs to join the fight.
Eren didn't respond. He wanted all this too be over.
'This has taken too long.' Eren thought to himself.
All day he'd been chasing this pair, cutting down one after another only to be told that they could come back.
*Dash*
Ninki, dashed at blinding speed towards Eren.
A viper ready to strike its prey.
Jabs with her fists were blocked by Eren's own.
Left right, left right, right, right, left, left. Lethal strikes belonged in mixed martial arts.
Each blocked by a strike of the Reaper's own.
Both fighters were equal on the physical plane; although Ninki held back a power that Eren would need to overcome.
*Fwisssh*
A green fluid spat from Ninki's mouth, aimed at Eren's eyes. He dodged under, a splash nicked some of his hair. Melting the white strands.
But the doge left him wide open to attack. Being hit in the side and face with two powerful jabs. Eren countered with a roundhouse kick that connected with the woman's temple.
Ninki doubled back; hand-springing to her feet and returning that smirk as she landed.
Eren swiped with his whip. Another backwards hand-spring. Retreating all the way behind her men who had fully replenished.
"A fighter with style, talent and brains. Perhaps a job for 'La Sombra'?" That name drop made the sharks in the forefront finally show a hint of emotion. A look of terror.
'The Shadow?'
Eren thought to himself. The shadows were his to control. To hear someone else dwell in the shadows, a name bringing fear to the hearts of even the most unfeeling creatures.
"Finish him!" The viper ordered.
They moved in with arms a light with lightning and water. A barrage of elemental weapons aimed to tear the man to pieces.
Though using elemental magic? For all their cunning and abilities, they were merely sub-standard and uninspired in their recruiting standards. A world of powers beyond comprehension. They had just the basic powers.
They could have been gods. The result would have been the same.
Ninki retreated all the way back to the far door. Where the revived loan sharks would funnel through; Kim-Woo and Alexeev being amongst them.
"Master! The Police!" Saku finally emerged from the shadows to warn his master. His warnings were abated for too long.
"Shit." It was too late now, Eren could hear the thundering foot fall of squad cars outside the warehouse.
Something that Niki seemed to understand as well.
"Us or escape Eren? Which one?" She said as she entered the room.
Eren wasn't going to let her get away that easily. Cutting through a horde of homunculi with the widest arc the whip could manage, chasing the viper queen. The police just about to breach behind.
He reached the backroom.
A series of tables with bodies lying on top. Hooked to monitors and tubes; these were all the people who kept coming back. Kim-Woo, Alexeev, others that Eren had carved through.
"You use a never-ending supply of dam sharks. Just to make people's lives miserable?!" Eren shouted at Ninki as she turned around to face the reaper.
"As I said, supply and demand. We provide a product to the masses; we only expect what we are owed. Some just need a little incentive. And a little bit of fun along the way." She explained like a taciturn teacher to a disorderly student.
"You act like you will get out of her alive?"
*Slash*
A quick strike carved through a quarter of them laying to his right.
"ARGHHH!" Screams began to fill the tables. This time, it was true death; anyone could hear it through the final screams.
"Police! Come out with your hands up!" A female voice yelled from outside.
Though Eren paid no heed. Sending another wide slash over to the right; clearing half in an instant.
"Remember Eren, the shadows are watching." Niki warned once more as she leant against the wall, watching on with curiosity.
Eren stood over Mr. Kim-Woo. Finally, a look of fear in his eyes, death would finally take him.
He was cut down with one swipe meant especially for him. A zagging gash all across his sternum.
"You have doomed yourself." Ninki began to laugh, almost like a manic savouring her impending kill.
"The Shadow will come for you! While you rot away behind bars, your sister will-"
Eren cut the viper off by throwing his Charlamagne in a perfect spiral, pinning her against the concrete wall.
But she continued on her rant; unfazed that she was immobilised.
"Your sister will be taken, tortured and used until her body breaks. If not me, then they will send La sombra. I might find her and give her a once over myself- Hueekkk"
The implacable stammering's continued until Eren launched the whip around her throat. But even then… Those eyes still held the colours. She did not fear him, she enjoyed making him break with these words.
Even walking up to meet her eyeline. He may as well have been nothing more than a gnat.
"Don't do it Eren! Put her down!" Detective Akiko burst into the room; her gun aimed at the back of Eren. Followed in by six other police officers, all the same sharpshooter stance.
"She will scream for you to save her as she's torn apart and-"
*SLAM CRUNCH*
A sickening noise as Eren drove Ninki's head into the concrete wall. Her skull cracked like a melon; blood and brain matter splattered against the wall.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Detective Akiko emptied three shots into the back of the Reaper.
Eren very well have taken pure bullets and still maintained that burning hatred for the head shark. But these were rubber bullets; not the normal mutilation but still it did enough damage to bring him down.
One final smile from the viper queen; a crimson smile as her body failed. Not dead like her sharks, likely a homunculus as well. Although, her body was elsewhere.
*Click* *Click*
"We've got you now." Detective Akiko cuffed the man, she finally had Eren Heart or the Reaper caught red handed.
End Chapter 106