Chapter 12: Squad #64323
"Shut your mouth!"
Toguro Hachidan's heart was in his throat. His vision swam, but he still only dared to hiss at Kaito in a hushed, terrified voice. He strained his ears, listening for any sound from inside the inn, terrified that Mercenary Tao might wake up.
After a few moments of silence, Hachidan turned back to Kaito, his face dark with fury. "This is all your fault! How dare you threaten me!"
Kaito just shrugged, a shameless smile on his face. He seemed to take a perverse pride in his own despicable actions.
"It wasn't a threat, Mr. Hachidan," he corrected.
"Somewhere in that inn, I've already left a note. It details how you covet Master Tao's vast fortune but also fear his cruelty. And so, you secretly conspired with his new disciple—that's me…"
"...to kill him together. Heh."
It was true. He had already planted it. This wasn't a threat; it was a checkmate. Given Tao's paranoid and unpredictable nature, the moment he suspected Hachidan was harboring ulterior motives, he wouldn't bother investigating the truth. Killing Hachidan would be the simplest solution.
Hachidan knew this as well. It was why he hadn't dared to report Kaito's call to Tao and had instead come to meet him in the dead of night.
If looks could kill, Kaito would have been sliced into a thousand pieces by Hachidan's glare.
Kaito waved his hand dismissively and took out the two daggers that Green Snake had coated in various poisons. "Don't look at me with such passion, Mr. Hachidan," he said with a grin. "Let's focus on the important thing: figuring out how we're going to survive tomorrow."
"Master Tao isn't exactly a reasonable man."
Seeing Hachidan still glaring at him with pure hatred, Kaito sighed and continued, "Why don't you look on the bright side? If our plan succeeds tomorrow, the enormous fortune that Tao has amassed over the years… will all be yours."
Hachidan's pupils constricted. He blurted out instinctively, "You really don't want any of it…?"
Kaito spread his hands, his smile growing even brighter. This was the weakness of people—they were too often swayed by their emotions. Even a coward like Hachidan could find the courage to defy his fear of Mercenary Tao when tempted by the allure of wealth.
With a trembling hand, Hachidan took the two poisoned daggers, though he still looked utterly terrified. Fortunately, Kaito didn't need him to think or plan. Kaito simply clapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "All you need to do is this…"
The moon vanished behind a bank of dark clouds. Hachidan felt as if an evil spirit were luring him down a path of no return. But the terrifying part was… he couldn't refuse.
Time passed quickly. After another full cycle of the sun, twilight began to fall. The stars were not yet bright in the sky when, in the wilderness outside the small town, several figures materialized out of thin air.
Each of them had a distinct and striking appearance.
The one in the lead had a mane of crimson hair that stood on end, defying gravity in a way that broadcasted his unusual power. He briefly checked his mission information, then let out a whistle.
"Looks like we're in luck. Our first mission as a team, and we've landed in another Reincarnator's private derivative world."
Behind him, a man so fat that he was over three meters tall even while sitting on the ground grinned widely. "Haha! That means we can go on a fun little plunder spree! Good thing I bought a few sets of [Slave Shackles] before we came in…"
"Bulma isn't worth as much in the Nexus, but she's still a rare commodity. Hehe…" the fat man giggled, a bulge growing rapidly in his pants.
Off to the side stood a slender, middle-aged man in a green robe. A long scar ran down the entire length of his face like a crescent moon.
The red-haired man saw him standing there silently and clicked his tongue. "Moon Fiend, drop the useless pretense of benevolence. We are Reincarnators—villains worse than any Calamity!"
"Our purpose is to plunder every resource from these planes to strengthen ourselves. That's what the Nexus wants from us. Besides," he scoffed, "these NPC bugs… are they even worth pitying?"
The man called Moon Fiend said nothing. He merely glanced at the other two before drawing the massive cruciform sword from his back. The blade was pitch black, its golden hilt inlaid with a brilliant gem. It was [Yoru, the Black Blade], one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords from the world of One Piece.
"Enough talk," a new voice said. "Our target, Mercenary Tao, is not someone we can kill easily."
The speaker was a woman standing behind Moon Fiend. Her eyes were covered with a white blindfold, and she was dressed in a nun's habit. She stood as still and silent as a statue.
The red-haired man, Flame Fiend, was suddenly wreathed in fire. A powerful magical energy began to rise from him, and dense red scales started to appear on his skin. His pupils morphed into vertical, golden slits. He took a step toward Moon Fiend, a long, thin tongue darting out to lick his lips.
"Speaking of which, Moon Fiend, I don't think you've ever captured a female slave… not even once."
"You haven't even touched this little piggy here."
He violently ripped open the woman's habit, exposing a large area of snow-white skin that was clearly not human in its flawless texture. The flames from his body instantly seared her flesh, raising a patch of blackened blisters, but the woman remained as motionless and silent as ever.
Losing interest, Flame Fiend extinguished the fire, shoved the woman away, and took two more menacing steps toward Moon Fiend.
"Tell me, Moon Fiend… under that stoic disguise of yours, are you secretly a woman?"
SHIIING!
The sword sang, and the cold, black blade fell in an instant.
Flame Fiend's pupils contracted. An emerald-green wave of sword energy flashed past him, carving a massive trench in the earth that stretched for several hundred meters, splitting the wasteland open.
Moon Fiend's eyes were half-closed as he spoke, his voice flat. "You're just as pathetic as the rumors say, Flame Fiend."
"But don't worry. After this mission is over, we will settle things. Then, we'll let the High Lord see which of the so-called [Four Fiends of the East Sector] is truly worthy of receiving that [Card]."
With that, Moon Fiend sheathed Yoru on his back, turned, and vanished into the deepening twilight.
The massive, fat man was still giggling lewdly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his team was on the verge of collapse. Or perhaps he just didn't care.
Flame Fiend's pupils returned to normal. He touched his shoulder, where a few of his scales had been chipped off. So that's Moon Fiend, he thought. He may act like a lone wolf, but his power is the real deal. That swordsmanship, that killing intent… he's no saint.
Moon Fiend… he's a fiend, after all.
He snorted, then turned and bellowed at the disheveled nun. "Well? Hurry up and divine Mercenary Tao's location!"
A yellow crystal ball materialized in the woman's hands. She began to use some kind of divination ability. After a few moments, she spoke, her voice empty.
"Mercenary Tao is currently 13 kilometers to the southeast. And… it seems he is not in good condition."