"Kaizen, die!"
A figure suddenly appeared, charging straight at Kaizen with murderous intent.
Their aura was far stronger than Nessley's—sharper, more suffocating.
A lean, middle-aged man.
His entire presence felt like a drawn blade, aimed right at Kaizen's heart.
Nessley's eyes lit up.
"A chance!"
This sudden ambush would definitely force Kaizen's attention away.
Less pressure on her.
She could escape. Regroup.
Help the others.
They could take down Tucker.
Kill Karoo.
Maybe… maybe all three of them could make it out alive.
Kaizen glanced at the oncoming attacker.
"I remember you... you're one of the core members of the Red Trang."
Memories flashed through his mind.
The Red Trang.
A human trafficking ring that operated in the Republic of Saherta.
They'd abducted and sold countless children—some never made it out alive.
It was Mizaistom who had led the investigation.
Kaizen had joined the operation under Mizaistom's command to collect intel on Saherta's internal power dynamics.
But mostly, Kaizen just observed.
Mizaistom and the Hunters he brought in were more than enough to handle the mission.
They even received help from locals.
Tucker was one of them.
It took months before they finally tracked down the gang's base.
Identified their core members.
They came from all over the world.
But the founding members?
Meteor City—same as the Phantom Troupe.
Youth with talent.
Potential.
Hatred.
Scarred by Meteor City's past, they turned their rage outward—wanting the world to suffer as they had.
Kaizen still remembered the words of their leader:
"I only did to the outside world what it did to Meteor City."
"So I'm the villain?"
"You did it first."
"Why shouldn't I do it back?"
They recruited more over time—criminals, sociopaths, people hungry for revenge.
Some just wanted to watch others suffer.
But Mizaistom couldn't accept that.
It wasn't about whether Meteor City had the right to retaliate.
The problem was who they were targeting.
"The ones responsible for human trafficking in Meteor City were global crime syndicates—and sometimes Meteor City itself."
"Most of your victims? Had nothing to do with it."
"You keep acting like the world's split between 'us' and 'them,' but everyone's suffered in some way."
"You're not avenging anything."
"You're just swinging the blade at the weak, pretending it's justice."
"Don't dress up your selfishness as righteousness."
Mizaistom had said those words without flinching.
The Red Trang fought to the death.
They would rather be killed than face trial.
The conflict dragged on for months.
Many Hunters lost their lives.
Most of the Red Trang members were wiped out.
Kaizen hadn't been directly involved in the fighting.
Mizaistom hadn't asked him to.
But that didn't stop the gang.
They assumed Kaizen was a weak link because of his age.
Tried to take him out.
He fought back.
Killed them.
When the operation was over, Mizaistom's team withdrew.
But Kaizen remained—he still had data to collect.
During that time, he endured dozens of ambushes.
People he trusted turned on him.
Strangers came out of nowhere, blades drawn.
If not for his paranoia and vigilance, he'd already be dead.
That's why Kaizen never fully trusted anyone.
Not even Nessley.
Her words sounded honest.
Her stance, righteous.
But people had fooled him before—disguises so flawless they were invisible.
Besides, even if Nessley was telling the truth… it didn't matter.
Kaizen wasn't from Saherta.
He wasn't a local.
He was a killer.
He took Tucker's job. That was all.
Justice? Morality?
Those had nothing to do with him.
A killer accepts contracts based on two things:
One—how profitable the job is.
Two—what kind of mood they're in.
That's it.
And besides… who decides what's just?
There's no absolute justice.
No universal morality.
Those who claim they stand for justice often don't even understand what it means.
Kaizen didn't want to be a hero.He just wanted to keep growing stronger.
...
The attacker came in like a storm.
All his aura—compressed into one devastating blow.
From his perspective, Kaizen had no chance of defending himself.
Sure, Kaizen had taken down other Red Trang members, but his contract beast was only Grade A.
And now, that beast was being restrained.
His second one had weak defense.
There was no way he could block this attack.
Nessley thought so too.
"This guy's on a whole different level... way stronger than me."
"Even if Kaizen does survive—he'll be wounded."
"This is it. My opening!"
She glanced toward her trapped companions.
Hold on. I'm coming for you.
The attacker closed the distance in an instant.
"Kaizen, die!"
"What can you possibly use to stop me now?"
"This is for my brother...!"
He lunged—
A figure appeared in front of Kaizen.
Uchiha Sasuke.
The Sharingan spun rapidly in his eyes, its tomoe flashing like blood-red stars.
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