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[Kagetsu castle, 12:40 AM]
A muffled scream clawed its way through the quiet night as Kazuhiro twisted the guard's neck. With a sickening snap, the man's head was torn clean from his shoulders, a spray of blood staining the nearby foliage. The lifeless corpse crumpled to the ground, its final moments swallowed by the shadows of the surrounding trees. Kazuhiro tilted his head as he studied his work, the head dangling limply in his grasp before he discarded it, letting it roll into the underbrush.
'Judging by their tense posture. They've noticed something is wrong. Missing guards during the shift rotations perhaps? It's enough to raise suspicions. How odd... why are they not issuing a widespread alarm.'
Without another sound, Kazuhiro melted into the darkness, crouching low and weaving through the dense foliage. The shadows embraced his pitch-black form, making him nearly invisible under the pale light of the moon. 'Do they know that I'm behind it and are just observing me? If so hiding may be redundant. It's best to reduce their numbers now and gain power in return. Its would grant me a better advantage against an organized force.'
Kazuhiro stalked the grounds, targeting guards stationed on the perimeter. He chose those isolated from their comrades, dragging them into the shadows one by one. The first guard barely had time to turn before Kazuhiro's claws slashed through his midsection, spilling intestines onto the dirt. Another, patrolling near the wall, found himself lifted by his head, only for Kazuhiro's grip to crush it.
For the few who managed to spot him. They saw only a glimpse of it's frame before their bodies got torn and pierced. Heads were ripped from their bodies and their limbs were severed.
The guards were now paralyzed by paranoia. Some whispered nervously into their radios, reporting the disappearances and unexplained deaths, but their superiors dismissed their growing terror.
"Stay alert," came the cold reply over their earpieces. "Continue monitoring the area. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary."
Kazuhiro watched them from the shadows, his dark form disappeared once more into the night.
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[Inside the building,]
[Operation base, comms and surveillance room]
The room buzzed with monotonous beeps and voices of personnel stationed. Several monitors sat on desks, each displaying live feeds of the castle's exterior and interior.
A woman, dressed in uniform, stood before a suited man with tablet in hand, "Sir, it's regarding the guards we hired," she began, her gaze locked on a flickering screen showing footage of the grounds.
His sharp eyes scanned the display, his brows furrowing. "And?" There was an edge of irritation.
"Several have abandoned their posts out of fear," the woman continued, her fingers skimming over the screen to bring up additional feeds. "Those who remained are being dragged by the anomaly"
The man sighed, a low, resigned exhale that spoke volumes. "As expected. We only needed them to test the target's capabilities." His gaze lingered on the screen, "Strength is all we've confirmed so far. Brutal, monstrous strength." He turned slightly, addressing her without looking. "As for those who fled, relay orders to the teams outside. They are to be executed on sight."
"Yes, sir,"
The man straightened his posture, smoothing his tie as his eyes narrowed at a distant large screen showing the dark silhouette of the intruder slipping through the shadows. "Handle the operation," he instructed a subordinate standing nearby, "I'll inform the boss and determine our next move. We can't afford to lose control of this situation."
"Yes, sir," replied the subordinate, stepping forward to assume command of the room.
Without another word, the suited man strode to the exit.
As the door closed, the woman turned back to the screens, her fingers tightening into fists at her sides. The feed on one of the monitors showed a guard suddenly dragged into the shadows.
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[East district, the red light district.]
[Inkatei adult store. 12:30]
"Fufufu… hehehehe… ohohohoho…"
The laughter was quiet at first. Muffled. The kind a man makes when he thinks no one's watching—and in this case, no one was.
Sat atop a counter amid a ruin of toppled bookshelves and risqué posters, was Jiraiya
Here he was, giggling like a pervert in a treasure vault.
"Who would've thought," he murmured, turning another page of an adult magazine, "that I'd stumble across a treasure trove in this chaotic world."
Jiraiya's eyes sparkled, cheeks glowing like embers. He leaned in, practically nose to page.
"Ah… the outfits… the poses… I haven't seen anything like it!"
With a shaky exhale, he flipped another page. "Hehehe… ohhh—this world isn't all bad after all. Dare I say, it might be my favorite one" He leaned in closer, lips curling into a grin of boyish glee.
The floor beneath him creaked suddenly, not from his movement, but from something... else.
He froze mid-page-turn.
Thud... thump... schlk.
It was faint at first. Then came the groan, low but twisted, near one of the collapsed shelf at the back.
Jiraiya closed the magazine, rising with casual annoyance. "You couldn't wait until I was finished, huh?"
Not wanting to waste any precious time with his research. With a flick of his wrist, a kunai zipped through the air and lodged into the zombie's forehead with a sickening crack. The creature dropped mid-step, collapsing onto a pile of plastic-wrapped DVDs titled Midnight Nymphs: Summer Special.
He stared at it for a beat. The blood pooled slowly, mixing with glistening wrappers and dust.
He hummed before walking to the entrance, locking the door and nudging the door shut with heavy items.
"Best to prevent it from happening again."Turning, he slid back to sit on the counter, picked up the magazine again, and sighed deeply.
"Now... where were we, Miss November? Ooo! I could use this as a reference for my works!"
The giggling resumed overnight.
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