Silence fell over the conference room after the Seitenshi's ominous declaration.
The only sounds came from a few of the wounded, unable to hold back their groans of pain.
Then someone did something no one expected.
The president of Shogen Ikuma's agency, who was badly injured himself, abruptly pointed a handgun at someone.
Before anyone could react, a faint muzzle flash flickered from the barrel.
To Shiba Miori, it looked as though the gunpowder hadn't even finished burning before the flash vanished.
That was as bright as it ever got.
It wasn't a misfire. Some immense force had pulverized the pistol, the hand holding it, and the entire side of his upper body.
It looked as though he'd been hit by a heavy antitank rifle. His body burst apart, spraying blood and chunks of flesh through the air.
The force carried some of those remains into the wall, punching a massive hole through it and coating the opening and the surrounding surface in thick red liquid and shredded flesh.
For an instant, the wall itself seemed to be alive.
In reality, the mangled remains had simply been hurled against it like handfuls of mud.
Boom!
Only then did a deafening, thunderous report reverberate through the silent conference room.
The sight of the destruction had reached their eyes faster than the sound could reach their ears.
That blast seemed to set the frozen scene back into motion. The man's head, which hadn't been carried away with the rest, finally dropped under its own weight and struck what remained of his lower body.
In truth, all that remained were two legs of unequal length.
Already on edge, the others instantly aimed their weapons at the man responsible.
The unusually large, oddly shaped handgun in his hand had caused that horrific destruction.
As for why the president of Ikuma's agency had suddenly attacked Kain, Miori could more or less guess.
Hiruko Kagetane's attitude toward him made it easy to suspect that the two were connected.
The president had simply decided to shoot first and justify it afterward.
His best subordinate was dead. He had just been humiliated in front of his peers and reduced to a laughingstock. This had been his chance to strike at Kain and vent his rage.
"You bastard! You killed President Mishima! You're working with that man, aren't you?"
"Why else would he treat you like that?"
"Heh. Do you hear yourselves?" Tendo Kisara replied with a mocking laugh. "Mishima fired first. Are we supposed to just stand there and let him shoot us? And you think we're working together because that man was polite to us?"
"Fine, even if President Mishima was in the wrong, that doesn't clear you of suspicion!"
"You need to be investigated!"
"Why did he deliberately keep his attack away from your section of the room?"
"That's easy."
Kisara shrugged and rose from Kain's lap. There might be a major fight coming, so she ought to behave herself and give him room to work.
With every eye fixed on her, waiting for an answer, she smiled mockingly.
"Because you're too weak. He doesn't think you're worth his time. Understand?"
The sheer contempt in those words gave Miori a headache, although Kisara wasn't exactly wrong.
"President Tendo, may I ask you something?"
Not everyone was so hotheaded. A few of the agency presidents had remained calm.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Do you know something about the Legacy of the Seven Stars? Why would it lead to Tokyo's annihilation?"
That question eased some of the immediate tension.
Some of those present suspected that Kisara knew something, and that her outrageous behavior was a deliberate protest.
"What do you think? In a world like ours, what could threaten humanity's last remaining havens?"
She turned the question back on them, sounding amused.
"In this world?"
"What else but the Gastrea?"
"Can whatever's in that case destroy the Monoliths? Is that how Tokyo Area would lose its protection?"
"Can it destroy Varanium itself?"
"A Stage V... Could it bring one here?"
That sudden suggestion silenced everyone.
"Who knows?"
Kisara shrugged as though she had no idea either. Then she slipped her arm through Kain's, nestled affectionately against him, and made to lead him out.
To everyone else, her answer was maddeningly ambiguous. Their expressions grew grave, and one by one, they looked toward the Seitenshi on the screen.
"Let's go home."
No sooner had Kisara spoken than armed personnel poured through the conference room doors.
The corners of her lips lifted into a faint, captivating smile.
Beside her, Miori felt a chill.
That was a witch's smile. A dangerous one.
She was beginning to understand why Kisara had made a point of bringing Kain here today.
This woman wanted to provoke a massacre while letting the other side make the first move.
Anything that embarrassed the Seitenshi would suit her purposes. No, her real target was Tendo Kikunojo, standing beside the Seitenshi. If she could humiliate him and even weaken his power, all the better.
Kisara was being this brazen because she was certain Kain could handle anything they threw at him. She wanted to watch Kikunojo flounder, powerless to stop him.
Until Kikunojo understood just how strong Kain was, until he realized this was someone he couldn't deal with, he would undoubtedly take action against him, including trying to subdue him by force.
That was exactly what Kisara wanted.
The only alternative was for Kikunojo to swallow the insult immediately, pretend this stranger posed no threat, declare that he had no connection to Kagetane, and accept that President Mishima had brought his death upon himself.
But that was impossible.
Turning a blind eye would undermine Kikunojo's standing and authority among the civil officers.
"Don't move! President Tendo, you and your employees will cooperate with our investigation!"
The man barking the order wore glasses.
"This is the captain of Her Excellency's personal guard. You know, that disgusting guy with glasses from the story. Yasuwaki Takuto."
Still holding Kain's arm, Kisara indicated that this was the piece of trash from the work of fiction he had told her about.
Her own investigation had confirmed that he was every bit as vile as described. He amused himself by shooting the Cursed Children who lived in the Outer District.
As she spoke, she continued walking with Kain, completely ignoring the guards.
Go on. Shoot.
Then they could fight back.
"I said stop. Didn't you hear me?"
Takuto's expression darkened.
Neither of them paid him the slightest attention. His face twisted.
Just as they were about to pass the squad he had brought with him, two guards lunged at them with swift, practiced movements.
Thud!
There was a dull sound of flesh being struck.
Before either guard seemed to have made contact, both flew backward and collapsed unconscious, without even a chance to scream.
Their refusal to cooperate was met with a series of sharp clicks.
The guards were disengaging their safeties.
"Last warning! Nobody move!"
Takuto barked the order again, but the pair behaved as though they hadn't heard him.
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. He gave his men a slight nod.
The guards' fingers tightened on their triggers without hesitation.
Bang!
The instant the shot rang out, two of the men beside him disappeared.
All that remained was a cloud of blood and something wet and sticky that splattered across his face.
It was as though their weapons had malfunctioned and the rounds had exploded inside the barrels, only with an absurd amount of force.
Takuto froze.
He reached up and touched his face.
His fingers came away holding a bloody chunk of flesh.
His pupils widened, and his body began to shake.
"F-fire! Kill him!"
Normally, someone in his position should have recognized the overwhelming difference in strength and been too frightened to move.
But some people failed to grasp that immediately. Instead, they assumed they were about to be killed.
Since their side had fired first, they convinced themselves that their opponent intended to wipe them all out. Fighting desperately became, in their minds, their only chance of survival.
Besides, the members of this squad were clearly an impulsive bunch, the sort who let hatred twist their judgment.
At Takuto's shrill command, the remaining guards unleashed their fear and fury, frantically pulling their triggers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With every gunshot, another figure burst apart, leaving a cloud of blood where a person had stood.
The rapid gunfire lasted only three seconds.
By the time it stopped, a bloody haze filled nearly half the conference room, turning it into a vision of hell.
At its center stood the man who had given the order, the only one who hadn't fired a shot.
He was drenched from head to toe in blood and mangled flesh.
(End of Chapter)
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