Chapter 5: Lieutenant Kirigaya Mooi
Screams echoed between the collapsing buildings, bouncing from one ruined street to another as smoke swallowed the remains of what had once been a peaceful town.
The air was thick with dust, ash, and the metallic scent of blood.
Then—
VRRRRMMMM!
An armored vehicle bearing the insignia of the National Biohazard Authority tore through the ruined street at full speed, its massive tires crushing debris beneath them as it raced between burning buildings. It didn't slow down, even when the road ahead disappeared beneath rubble.
The rear door suddenly slid open.
The woman in white stood inside the moving vehicle, perfectly balanced despite the violent shaking beneath her feet. Her white coat whipped violently in the wind, and in her right hand was the weapon she had been carrying for the man standing behind her.
Daito's blade.
She looked at him once.
"No detours," she said calmly.
Her eyes shifted toward the burning streets ahead.
"Neutralize threats."
Daito reached out and took the sword from her without replying.
His fingers tightened around the handle.
CLICK.
The moment his grip settled around the weapon, something inside him became still.
Then—
FWOOSH!
He jumped.
The world seemed to slow around him as he dropped from the moving vehicle and landed in the middle of the ruined street.
A child stood frozen several meters ahead.
The boy's eyes were wide with terror.
Behind him—
CRACK!
A damaged building groaned.
CRUMBLE!
A section of its upper wall suddenly collapsed inward, sending a mountain of concrete and twisted steel crashing toward the child.
Daito didn't think. He didn't calculate the angle. He didn't hesitate. He simply moved.
SHING!
His blade flashed from its sheath.
SLASH!
One horizontal strike.
The falling concrete shattered in midair.
BOOM!
SPLIT!
SCATTER!
Dozens of fragments exploded outward, losing their deadly momentum before they could touch the ground.
Fwoosh....
Dust erupted across the street.
For several seconds, the boy could see nothing.
Then the cloud began to clear.
Daito stood in front of him.
The boy stared upward as recognition flooded his face.
"T—Daito?!"
His voice cracked.
Tears immediately spilled down his cheeks.
"You came back!"
Daito stared at him.
He didn't smile.
But for the briefest moment, the coldness in his eyes disappeared.
"Move," he said quietly.
The boy nodded quickly and ran.
VRRMMMM!
A violent engine roar suddenly interrupted the moment.
Daito turned.
A tank-like assault vehicle accelerated toward him from the main road, its heavy armor covered in dust and blood, a mounted turret rotating toward his position as it came straight at him.
It was moving at full speed.
Daito didn't dodge.
Step....
Instead, he stepped forward.
Fwooosh!
The distance disappeared rapidly.
Ten meters.
Five.
Three.
The assault vehicle was almost on top of him.
Daito lowered his center of gravity.
His hand moved.
SHING!
The blade left its sheath.
SLASH!
A single horizontal cut.
The vehicle split cleanly down the middle.
For one second, nothing happened.
Then—
KRRRRRSHHH!
Metal screamed as the two halves separated.
BOOOOOM!
The explosion behind Daito illuminated the smoke in a violent red glow.
Both halves of the vehicle crashed onto opposite sides of the street, flames pouring from their broken engines.
Daito didn't even look back.
He simply continued walking.
* * *
Block by block more enemies flooded into the streets, rifles were raised and orders were shouted.
Boots hammered against broken pavement.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
The National Biohazard Authority soldiers moved through the smoke in disciplined formations, attempting to surround the lone swordsman advancing toward the center of town.
Daito became movement.
FWOOSH!
A soldier fired.
Daito tilted his head the bullet passed beside his cheek.
His blade moved.
CLING!
The weapon was knocked from the soldier's hands.
Daito stepped inside his guard.
POW!
A strike to the elbow.
The soldier dropped another came from the left.
SWOOSH!
Daito ducked beneath the blade.
THUD!
His elbow smashed into the man's ribs.
Before the soldier could recover—
SLASH!
Daito's blade cut through the rifle in his hands.
The broken weapon fell to the pavement.
CLANG!
Another soldier rushed him.
Daito pivoted.
PANG!
A precise strike to the knee the soldier collapsed.
Daito didn't stop.
SWOOSH!
He moved through the formation like a shadow.
CLING! CLANG!
Steel collided.
POW!
A fist struck a jaw.
CRACK!
A shoulder was dislocated.
SLASH!
Armor split beneath Daito's blade. Every movement was deliberate. Every step carried him closer to one destination.
Home.
Street after street disappeared behind him.
Block after block was cleared.
The soldiers began falling back under the sudden pressure.
"Greyhell is here!" someone shouted.
"Fall back!"
"Regroup!"
But Daito didn't chase them, he wasn't interested in them. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.
Until finally—
Fwoosh!
He reached the edge of town.
And there stood the small house he had spent years trying not to remember.
* * *
The Door
His mother stood at the entrance. A weapon was raised in her hands. Her posture was firm. Her hands were steady.
Behind her, several neighbors huddled together, their faces filled with fear as distant explosions continued to shake the town.
She had already accepted what she might have to do.
If the soldiers came through that door, she would fight. If they came for the people behind her, she would die protecting them.
Then she saw the figure approaching through the smoke. At first, she kept her weapon raised.
Then she saw his shadow.
The posture, the familiar stillness, the way he walked.
Her fingers slowly loosened around the weapon.
The gun lowered and the door opened.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Daito stood there covered in dust and blood, his white-and-purple jacket torn in several places, his sword resting against his side.
His mother stared at him.
Her son.
The boy who had left and the man who had returned.
Then she stepped forward.
HUG!
She wrapped her arms around him.
Tightly, longer than she had intended.
Daito remained still for a moment, seemingly unsure what to do with himself.
Then his arms slowly lowered he allowed the embrace.
Just once.
"You're late," she whispered.
Daito said nothing.
After several seconds, he stepped back.
The neighbors gathered behind her.
Whispers immediately began spreading through the street.
"He's back."
"Look at that jacket."
"He's changed."
"Training, huh?"
"He finally dresses his age."
One of the older men chuckled.
"Better than that old leather coat. He looked like a father of eight."
Daito's brow twitched.
"I did not look like a father of eight."
A few of the neighbors laughed.
His mother sighed.
"They're joking."
Daito grumbled beneath his breath.
"Bad joke."
The laughter continued for another few seconds.
It wasn't much but it mattered.
For the first time since the attack began, the atmosphere in the street changed.
Hope had returned. Children cautiously approached Daito. Adults thanked him. Some asked where he had been. Others stared at the sword hanging from his hand.
A few stared at the blood covering his clothes.
"You look stronger," one man said.
Daito looked at him.
"I am."
The answer was so blunt that the man didn't know how to respond.
Step....
His mother stepped closer, as her expression changed.
The warmth disappeared from her eyes.
She looked toward the distant smoke.
"If you go back out there..."
Her voice became quieter.
"...be careful."
Daito followed her gaze.
Then she said something that made him stop.
"Nagare is here."
Daito's expression changed.
"What?"
"He used to come over after school," she said.
"You trained together in the field behind the market."
For a moment, the ruined town disappeared.
A memory surfaced.
A younger Nagare racing him across rooftops. Two boys arguing over who would leave the town first. Two boys promising that one day they would change the world.
Daito's eyes hardened.
"He shouldn't have come."
Then—
Fwoosh...
A familiar voice echoed across the town.
The sound came through a loudspeaker somewhere beyond the ruined blocks.
"Daito Greyhell!"
Every conversation stopped.
The voice continued.
"We both know you're here!"
"You've destroyed enough!"
"Come face me!"
Silence settled over the street.
Daito looked toward the distant smoke, then he looked back at his mother.
She nodded.
There was no fear in her expression, only understanding.
"You finish what you started," she said.
Daito turned away.
His blade rested against his shoulder.
The white and purple of his jacket caught the orange glow of the burning buildings.
FWOOSH...
He stepped back into the smoke.
His mother watched him disappear.
Somewhere beyond the ruined blocks, the Lieutenant waited, and Nagare stood at the center of it all. This wasn't just a battle anymore.
It was personal.
FWOOSH!
Smoke rolled through the streets of Daito's homeland like a living thing.
And Daito walked straight into it.
* * *
The sky above the town was stained black.
Buildings had been torn open from the fighting, their broken walls exposing rooms that had once belonged to families who now had nowhere to sleep. Flames clawed upward through the darkness, reaching toward the sky as smoke drifted between the ruined streets.
In the center of the destroyed square stood Daito.
His sword rested loosely in his hand.
Across from him Nagare.
The former friend stared back at him.
Behind Nagare stood fifty armed soldiers.
They formed a wide semicircle around the square, rifles raised and blades drawn, their boots planted firmly against the cracked pavement as they waited for a single command.
CLICK!
CLICK!
CLANK!
Nagare's voice cut through the crackling flames.
"You chose them."
Daito's grip tightened around his sword.
"The NBA."
Nagare took another step forward.
"After everything this town gave you."
Daito's expression didn't change.
"You're attacking civilians."
Nagare's eyes narrowed.
"You killed our General."
His voice rose.
"You destroyed our base!"
He pointed toward the burning buildings.
"And you burned the truth to ash!"
The soldiers behind him shifted.
SHUFFLE!
Fifty men stepped forward together.
Nagare slowly raised his hand.
"Bring him down."
His hand dropped.
"Now."
RAT-TAT-TAT!
RAT-TAT-TAT!
Gunfire erupted across the square.
Daito moved.
FLASH!
He wasn't simply fast, he was also precise.
His blade moved between the bullets.
CLING! CLANG! CLING!
Steel met metal.
Sparks exploded through the smoke as Daito cut bullets out of the air, redirecting them away from the civilians hiding among the surrounding buildings.
Then he vanished forward.
FWOOSH!
His body became a blur.
SLASH!
One soldier's rifle was split in half.
POW!
A second soldier was struck in the chest and thrown backward.
SWOOSH!
Daito spun.
His blade passed through the weapon of another soldier.
CLANG!
The soldier stumbled.
Daito stepped past him.
THUD!
A kick sent him crashing into another man.
Two soldiers went down together.
"UAAARGH!"
"GET HIM!"
More soldiers rushed in.
Daito met them head-on.
CLING! CLING! CLANG!
Blades collided around him.
SWOOSH!
He ducked beneath one strike.
POW!
His elbow smashed into a soldier's face.
Another swung from behind.
Daito turned.
SLASH!
The man's weapon was severed.
Then—
THUD!
A strike to the ribs.
SLASH–POW–THWACK!
One soldier fell, then another, then five, then all ten.
But these weren't Freakers. They were trained human combatants. They weren't mindless creatures charging blindly into danger.
They watched, they adapted, and they learned.
And slowly, they began predicting him.
FWOOSH!
One soldier rushed from the front, and another moved behind.
A third waited.
Daito blocked the first strike.
CLANG!
The second soldier grabbed his arm.
GRAB!
A third attacked.
Daito twisted away.
SWOOSH!
The blade missed his throat by centimeters.
Then—
BOOM!
A stun-round detonated beside his ribs.
The shockwave threw him sideways.
CRASH!
Daito smashed through a brick wall.
Dust exploded outward. For several seconds, there was silence.
Then Daito stood.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes lifted.
The soldiers were already surrounding him again.
Nagare watched carefully.
"You're hesitating."
Daito's eyes narrowed.
Nagare was right.
He wasn't used to fighting humans in numbers like this.
Against Freakers, instinct ruled.
There was no hesitation, no second thought.
No concern about whether the creature in front of him would survive, but these were people.
Soldiers. People who had families. People who had probably once lived ordinary lives.
Every movement Daito made carried the possibility of taking a human life.
And that single restraint was costing him.
SLASH!
Daito twisted away too late.
A blade cut across his side.
SHK!
Blood sprayed onto the pavement.
Another soldier struck his thigh.
POW!
Daito staggered.
Then—
CRACK!
A rifle butt slammed into the back of his skull.
His vision blurred.
For the first time since arriving in town Daito staggered.
Nagare raised his hand.
"Stand down."
The soldiers immediately stopped.
One by one, they backed away.
STEP.
STEP.
STEP.
They formed a wide ring around Daito.
Nagare walked forward.
"This is mine."
He reached behind his back.
CLICK.
He drew twin hooked blades.
The weapons hummed faintly with energy.
Daito raised his sword.
Nagare attacked.
FWOOSH!
The distance between them disappeared.
CLING!
Their blades collided.
CLANG! CLING! CLANG!
Sparks exploded between them.
Nagare attacked with rage, Daito fought with control.
SLASH!
Nagare swung downward.
Daito caught the strike.
CLANG!
Their weapons locked.
"You left!" Nagare shouted.
Daito pushed against the blades.
"I was sent away!"
"You never came back!"
Their weapons separated.
Nagare attacked again.
SWOOSH!
Daito parried.
CLANG!
Nagare spun.
SLASH!
Daito leaned backward, allowing the hooked blade to pass inches above his face.
He stepped forward.
POW!
His knee slammed into Nagare's chest.
Nagare was thrown backward.
SKRRRRT!
His boots scraped across the broken pavement. He stopped several meters away, Blood ran from his lip.
Nagare wiped it away.
Then smiled.
"You've gotten stronger."
Daito raised his blade.
"You've gotten reckless."
Nagare's smile disappeared.
He charged.
FWOOSH!
Daito charged too.
CLASH!
Their weapons collided in the center of the square.
The impact sent sparks across the pavement.
Neither man gave ground.
Then—
SWOOOOOM!
The air changed.
Daito felt it first.
Pressure, heavy and suffocating.
Something was approaching.
CRASH!
The ground behind them suddenly exploded.
CRACK!
A figure landed between Daito and Nagare.
The pavement shattered beneath his boots.
FWOOSH!
Dust rolled outward.
The soldiers immediately stepped back. Nagare's expression darkened. The man slowly straightened.
Kirigaya Mooi.
One of the Lieutenants.
His voice came through a distorted mask.
"Enough."
Nagare frowned.
"He's mine."
Kirigaya turned his head toward him.
"You're failing."
The words were simple but the pressure behind them was not.
Kirigaya extended one hand.
The ground beneath Daito suddenly trembled.
BRRMMMM!
Daito's eyes widened.
CRACK!
Stone erupted from beneath the pavement.
BOOOOM!
A massive stone pillar shot upward.
Daito jumped aside.
FWOOSH!
Another pillar erupted where he had been standing.
BOOM!
Then another.
CRASH!
The battlefield had become a weapon.
Walls folded inward like paper and the street cracked open.
Chunks of stone ripped themselves from the ground and launched through the air.
Daito landed as he barely had time to react.
The soldiers charged again.
"GET HIM!"
FWOOSH!
Three soldiers rushed simultaneously.
Daito spun.
SLASH!
SLASH!
SLASH!
Three weapons were knocked away.
But before he could move—
THWACK!
A stone pillar smashed into his ribs.
CRASH!
Daito was launched across the street.
He hit the ground hard and rolled several meters.
Kirigaya moved instantly.
Far faster than Daito expected.
FWOOSH!
The Lieutenant appeared above him.
His hand shot forward.
GRAB!
He seized Daito by the throat.
Daito's eyes widened.
Then—
CRACK!
Kirigaya slammed him into the pavement. A crater formed beneath Daito's body.
Blood ran down his temple.
He tried to rise.
GRAB!
Ten soldiers rushed forward and pinned him down. One forced his arm against the ground. Another held his shoulder. A third pressed a boot against his back.
Daito struggled.
GRRRR...
"Hold him!"
Then—
STAB!
A blade drove into his shoulder.
Daito clenched his teeth, as his body jerked.
PSSHH!
Blood spread across his shirt.
BRRRMMMM!
Kirigaya slowly raised one hand. The earth around him began to tremble. Stone and dust gathered together.
Compressed.
Condensed.
A spiraling mass of earth formed above his palm.
The pressure became immense.
"This ends now."
Daito stared upward.
The spiraling mass grew larger.
BRRRRMMMM!
The air itself seemed to shake.
Then—
SWOOOOOM!
A sonic boom tore across the sky.
Everyone looked upward.
A black NBA jet screamed over the battlefield.
VRAAAAAAAM!
The aircraft descended.
Then three figures dropped from the sky.
CRASH!
Tasao V hit the ground first.
The impact cratered the street beneath him.
FWOOSH!
Dust exploded outward.
He stood slowly with a savage grin.
Beside him—
BOOM!
Zumi C landed with far less destruction, casually adjusting his gloves as if he had simply stepped off a sidewalk.
Then the Woman in White descended last. Her coat fluttered behind her like falling snow. She touched the ground without making a sound.
Her eyes immediately found Daito.
Pinned, bleeding and surrounded.
Tasao cracked his knuckles.
CRACK!
"Miss us?"
Zumi glanced toward Daito.
"Tch."
He adjusted his gloves.
"You really were struggling."
The Woman in White stepped forward.
Her voice remained calm.
"You're interfering with NBA jurisdiction."
Kirigaya slowly turned toward her.
"So the dogs arrive."
Tasao laughed.
"Oh no."
He stepped forward, his grin widened.
"We're the wolves."
The soldiers raised their weapons.
For one brief second, everyone stood still.
Then the battlefield exploded.
BAM!
Tasao launched forward like a cannonball.
His shoulder smashed into the first group of soldiers.
SMACK! SMACK!
Bodies flew in different directions.
"UAAARGH!"
"WAAAIIGH!"
A soldier tried to stab him.
Tasao caught the blade.
CLANG!
He pulled the soldier forward.
POW!
One punch sent him flying.
Zumi moved at the same time.
Unlike Tasao, he made almost no sound.
He simply disappeared.
FWOOSH.
A soldier turned.
Too late.
BANG!
Zumi struck his wrist.
The rifle fell.
Another soldier attacked.
Zumi ducked.
SWOOSH!
He stepped behind him.
THUD!
The soldier collapsed.
Precise.
Efficient.
No wasted movement.
Across the battlefield, the Woman in White drew both pistols.
CLICK! CLICK!
She raised them.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Every shot was calculated.
Every bullet found its target.
The soldiers' formation collapsed almost immediately.
Daito finally tore himself free.
GRUNT!
He shoved the soldiers away and forced himself upright.
"Huff..."
His breathing was heavier now.
"Huff... huff..."
Blood soaked through his shirt.
His shoulder burned. His ribs throbbed. But he remained standing.
Across the battlefield, Nagare looked directly at him.
The anger in his eyes had faded. For a moment, there was only the memory of two boys.
Then Nagare spoke quietly.
"This isn't over."
Daito tightened his grip around his sword.
"I know."
CLASH!
A violent impact shook the square.
Daito turned.
Kirigaya and Tasao had collided.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave blasted dust and debris through the battlefield.
SKREETCH!
Tasao slid backward.
Kirigaya remained standing.
Tasao grinned as Kirigaya raised his hand.
The earth began to tremble again.
BRRRMM!
Daito looked around the battlefield.
Nagare.
Kirigaya.
Tasao.
Zumi.
The Woman in White.
The remaining soldiers.
The ruined town.
The burning buildings.
Everything had changed in a matter of minutes.
And yet, somehow, the battle was only beginning.
Daito raised his sword.
The blade caught the reflection of the flames.
His eyes hardened.
He stepped forward.
FWOOSH!
The war for his homeland continued.
TO BE CONTINUED...