They rushed in.
One soldier seized Ren Hibuko by the throat, slamming him against the wall so hard the lamp flickered.
The others stormed into the house like a wave of death, boots shaking the wooden floor.
"What do you want?!" Ren gasped, struggling as fingers dug into his neck.
The soldier growled, voice cold as steel.
"Be quiet."
He dragged Ren aside and advanced deeper into the house.
Ren managed to scream, voice cracking,
"Kaoru is dead! What do you want from us now?!"
BOOM!
The door to the main room shattered.
Kuromi Hibuko froze, stunned as soldiers poured in.
Her two children screamed, scrambling behind her, clutching her clothes.
"Mom… what's happening?"
Their tiny voices trembled.
Then, through the doorway stepped the man behind it all — Rin Takeda.
His aura chilled the room more than any blade could.
"You must atone," Rin declared, "for the sins Kaoru Hibuko committed."
Kuromi raised her hands slowly, breathing steady but eyes filled with fire.
"Do you have no manners? Rushing into a respectful household without permission?"
Rin blinked.
"…Huh?"
"Whatever Kaoru did," she said firmly, "was none of our business. We are citizens. We harmed no one."
Rin's reply was ice.
"Your sin… is that you belong to the Hibuko bloodline."
Kuromi's jaw clenched.
"…Cowards."
Rin's expression darkened, shadows swallowing the light on his face.
"Cowards?"
Behind her, Kuromi subtly tapped her hand twice — the signal.
The children understood.
She was telling them to run.
As they edged toward the window, she stared straight at Rin.
"Why do you fear us so much?" she said.
"Just because we share the same blood as Kaoru Hibuko… you intend to kill us. That is the true act of a coward."