The twelve of them rode into Minato on the backs of the enormous tigers, two to each beast. The streets were darkening; the sky had already begun to dim into evening shades. The air was heavy, choked with smoke and the faint metallic tang of blood.
"Are all of you ready?" Nagisa's calm but commanding voice rang out.
"Indeed, sir!" everyone replied in unison.
"Then let's get started," Asahi said, his lips curling into a determined smile.
By 17:00 PM, Minato had become a hellscape. Drug deals were being made in alleys, gunshots cracked from rooftops, screams of women echoed between buildings. Murders, rapes, home invasions—the streets overflowed with fear.
"Please remain calm! Head to the nearest evacuation point! Follow my wife!" Touma Suzuki's voice carried across the chaos. His blade gleamed as he stood at the center of the street, rallying terrified civilians.
Then—
Bang!
A gunshot roared through the air. Panic exploded instantly. People screamed and scattered.
Touma's eyes hardened. He gripped his knife tightly. "Stay right here!" he ordered the fleeing townsfolk.
He moved like a breeze cutting through the air—swift, sharp, unstoppable. Though retired for years, he was still a legend: the fourth Former Higher-Up of Kakusu. Against him, Kaosu's armed men stood no chance. Each slash of his blade felled an enemy with ease.
Touma smirked faintly when he saw six tigers streak into Minato's burning streets, carrying warriors clad in Kakusu jackets, their weapons gleaming in the dying light. Finally… reinforcement.
The massacre had begun.
-TAKESHI AND AKARI-
The tiger halted suddenly. Three Kaosu soldiers blocked the road, hefting RPGs on their shoulders.
"If you don't want to die, stop right there!" one of them barked.
Akari widened her eyes, feigning fear. "T-Takeshi, what do we do!?"
Takeshi pulled the reins, slowing the tiger. "Stay still. We don't want trouble," he said calmly.
At the same time, Akari pinched his side sharply.
Takeshi smirked inwardly. He knew her signal.
"Fine… then let's do this," he muttered.
Suddenly, a shimmering haze of alchemy surrounded them. The tiger leapt high into the air. From above, Takeshi hurled a bomb straight at the soldiers.
"Scatter!" the Kaosu men shouted. Explosions ripped the ground where they stood.
By the time the smoke cleared, Takeshi and Akari had already leapt down from the tiger, guns raised.
"Fire!"
Bullets cracked through the air. The Kaosu soldiers countered with RPG blasts, but Takeshi and Akari rolled aside, dodging the fiery shockwaves. In a synchronized motion, the two shot down the men one by one until the alley fell silent.
Akari grinned, her chest heaving. "We did it!"
She raised her hand. Takeshi smirked and high-fived her.
-DAICHI AND DAIKI-
Their tiger bounded from rooftop to rooftop, claws scraping sparks against the concrete.
Daiki crouched low, rifle steady. "Targets, left!"
Bang! Bang! His shots rang true. Every bullet struck down a Kaosu member without harming a single civilian.
"Not bad," Daichi remarked, steering the tiger sharply around a corner.
Daiki hurled a grenade into a dark alley. Flames burst, scattering criminals who had been ambushing helpless residents.
His aim was almost unnatural—merciless, precise.
"Guess you're more useful than you look," Daichi teased.
Daiki just smirked, reloading calmly.
-AOTO AND REINA-
"Faster! Run faster or I'll fall!" Reina screamed, clutching Aoto's waist.
"Yes, Reina-sama," Aoto replied without hesitation.
The tiger swerved, and the two of them came upon a horrific sight—six men pinning three terrified women in an alley.
"Over there!" Reina shouted, fury igniting her eyes.
"Yes, Reina-sama."
"Who do you think you are, doing such dirty things to women!?" Reina roared, pulling out her revolver.
The Kaosu men sneered. "Why? Do you want to join us too, little girl?"
Reina's face burned red with rage. "Aotoooo! Kill them brutally!"
The six men stiffened when a dark shadow loomed behind her.
"Yes, Reina-sama."
Aoto threw off his overcoat, sliding four-finger cuffs over his hands. His karambit gleamed as he descended on them.
The alley filled with screams. Flesh tore, bones cracked, blood splattered against the walls. Aoto's strikes were merciless, each one punctuated by the shrieks of dying men.
The three victims sobbed in relief. "We… we'll never forget your kindness, sir!"
"Take care of yourselves. You're safe now," Reina said, closing her eyes with a smile.
She raised her revolver skyward and fired. Two Kaosu men who had been watching from above collapsed instantly.
The rescued women gasped at her ruthlessness.
-YUTO AND HANABI-
"Why did I have to be partnered with you of all people!?" Hanabi snapped, clinging to the tiger's fur.
"Hey, watch your language," Yuto retorted. "Even after we broke up, you still have to talk to me properly."
Hanabi scoffed. "Ugh, pathetic. Too weak to even protect me."
Before Yuto could answer, a Kaosu soldier charged. Bang! Hanabi shot him without hesitation.
"Too easy," she said smugly.
"Tch… hold on tight," Yuto muttered.
"H-Hey, what are you—"
The tiger suddenly leapt into the air, soaring high above the burning rooftops. Hanabi shrieked, instinctively wrapping her arms tightly around Yuto. Her face burned.
"Y-You idiot! Don't you dare—"
But Yuto only smirked, hurling bombs and grenades mid-air. Each explosion annihilated Kaosu squads below.
When the tiger landed, Hanabi was still clinging to him.
"L-Let go!" she stammered.
But Yuto ignored her, driving the tiger forward with unwavering focus.
-RIKUU AND ICHIKA-
"It's almost 19:00 PM, and we haven't killed a single one!" Ichika whined, her lips trembling.
"Calm down," Rikuu said. "We're here to help—not rack up kills."
"But I want at least three! Just three, so people will think I'm cool!" she pouted.
Rikuu sighed, rubbing his temple. "Fine. Just three. Then we get back to the mission."
"Yesss!" Ichika beamed.
They wandered the dark alleys but found no Kaosu soldiers. Finally, they reached a remote street with a rusted, abandoned car.
"Let's search it," Rikuu suggested.
Ichika sulked but followed. Inside, they discovered a coded document. Rikuu quickly sealed it in a vacuum bag.
That was when four men appeared.
"W-What!?" Ichika shrieked.
Before Rikuu could react, they grabbed her. One soldier pressed a syringe to her neck.
"Don't you dare—!" Rikuu sprinted forward.
Pssh! The tranquilizer pierced Ichika's skin. She went limp in the man's arms.
Rikuu's vision blurred with rage. He swung his katana, but three men blocked his path, buying time for their comrade to escape with Ichika.
"Move!"
Rikuu fought with every ounce of strength. Steel clashed, sparks flew, and blood stained his blade. Three minutes of relentless combat later, he stood over their bodies, chest heaving.
He mounted the tiger and spurred it forward. The beast leapt high, giving him a view over the district. There—he spotted Ichika in the distance, still in the kidnapper's arms.
"Got you."
Rikuu steadied his aim. Bang!
The kidnapper collapsed, bullet through his head. Ichika fell gently against a tree, unconscious but safe.
Rikuu rushed to her side, lowering himself beside her. He brushed the hair from her face, waiting quietly for her to wake.
-ASAHI AND NAGISA-
"Asahi, we're cornered," Nagisa muttered, gripping his blade. "We'll need to split up."
Asahi nodded. "Fine. Then I'll look for the one who started all this."
Thirteen Kaosu commanders stepped from the shadows, weapons drawn.
"Are you mocking us? Do you know who we are? We are Kaosu's commanders!" Fuji roared.
Nagisa cracked his neck, his eyes sharp. "Yeah? Then kill me first before you talk so big."
"Fire!"
Gunfire erupted. But Nagisa's body moved like water—dodging, weaving, leaping. Bullets tore through their allies as he twisted between them.
When the smoke cleared, only Fuji remained alive.
"You… monster…" Fuji trembled.
Nagisa's expression darkened. "What did you just call me?"
"Snow White! Stay away from me!"
Nagisa's eye twitched. "Snow… White? Are you saying I look gay!?"
"N-No, it's not like tha—"
Shhhk!
Nagisa's blade pierced Fuji's chest.
Leaning close, he whispered coldly, "A conqueror like me cannot be defeated. Not by a hundred men like you."
Fuji's body dropped lifelessly.
Meanwhile, Asahi sensed something strange nearby. The air prickled with an unfamiliar presence.
Raising his pistol, he fired into the sky to alert anyone watching.
From the trees, a voice chuckled.
"Asahi? …Yes, that's you! Long time no see, eh?"