The screech of heavy rubber kissing the tarmac shattered the quiet of the private airfield. The sleek, unmarked Gulfstream jet taxied down the runway, its massive engines whining down to a low, powerful hum before finally cutting off.
The heavy hydraulic door hissed open, folding down into a set of stairs.
Jin stepped out into the cool, humid air of the Japanese night. The metallic scent of aviation fuel washed over him, a welcome replacement for the copper tang of blood and ash that had filled his lungs in Rome. Close behind him, looking small and entirely out of place a head stuck out looking curiously, Valerie descended the steps.
Waiting on the tarmac beneath the stark glare of floodlights was a convoy of three black, armored luxury sedans.
Leaning against the middle car was Shukaku. He was dressed in a sharp, dark suit, taking a long, slow drag from a cigarette. Flanking him were half a dozen of his elite guards. They were hardened men, seasoned fighters of the underworld, but the moment Jin stepped off the plane, the atmosphere plummeted. The guards went rigid. Their postures grew unnaturally stiff, their hands hovering just an inch too close to their concealed weapons. They had remember him from the headquarters. They heard stories what the teenager walking toward them was capable of.
Jin noticed the collective spike in their heart rates, the sweat beading on their necks. He didn't acknowledge it. He simply kept walking, his stride radiating a absolute authority.
"Hey man," Jin said, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the airfield. He extended his hand. "How are you?"
Shukaku dropped his cigarette, crushing it beneath his polished shoe, and met Jin halfway. He took Jin's hand in a firm, calloused grip.
"Hey Jin. You look good," Shukaku said, his eyes flicking over Jin's clean, uninjured form, masking his relief. Then, his gaze shifted to the pale, silver-haired girl standing quietly in Jin's shadow. "Who is the girl?"
"Thanks," Jin replied casually, dropping the handshake. "This is Valerie. She is following me."
Shukaku looked confused. He studied the blood on her dress, the archaic style of her clothes, and the sheer, suppressed magical pressure leaking from her small frame.
Valerie took a tentative step forward, remembering her manners. She bowed her head slightly. "Hello, Shukaku-san. I am Valerie Tepes. I am now following Jin to learn things from him."
Shukaku's face lost all its color in a fraction of a second. The name hit him as a physical blow. The cigarette ash he had stepped on seemed to turn to ice beneath his feet.
"What... what do you mean by Tepes?" Shukaku stammered, his professional composure cracking. He knew the supernatural hierarchy. He knew what that name meant in the underworld.
"Yes, you heard her right," Jin said smoothly, completely unbothered by the revelation. "She is the Tepes princess. But don't worry about it. The Tepes faction won't be a problem ."
He didn't elaborate on why they wouldn't be a problem, leaving the gruesome implications hanging in the air. Jin bypassed Shukaku and walked straight to the rear door of the armored sedan, pulling it open. "Now, let's not waste time."
"Valerie, get inside," Jin instructed. He looked back at his subordinate. "Shukaku. You sit in the front."
The driver, a burly man with a scarred jaw, stiffened. His eyes darted to Shukaku. In their world, making the boss ride shotgun like a lowly bodyguard was a profound sign of disrespect. The driver looked ready to object, but Shukaku caught his eye and gave a sharp, imperceptible shake of his head.
Shukaku knew better than to argue with Jin and he know his place.
"Get in the other car," Shukaku ordered the guard who was originally supposed to ride in the front seat. The man scrambled away. Shukaku opened the passenger door and slid in.
The heavy doors slammed shut, sealing them in the plush, soundproof interior of the car. The convoy seamlessly pulled away from the airstrip, merging onto the dark, neon-lit arteries of the highway.
For a few minutes, there was only the soft hum of the tires on the asphalt.
Shukaku adjusted his tie, glancing at Jin through the rearview mirror. "So... how was Rome? I imagine it was quite colorful."
Jin leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, watching the blur of city lights smear across the darkness. The ghosts of the dungeon, the roar of the dragon, the weeping of the blood-soaked aristocrats—it all felt a million miles away, yet anchored heavily in his bones.
He pulled his focus back to the quiet interior of the car.
"It was exactly how you imagined it to be," Jin replied, his voice flat and cynical. "Same old. The environment changes, but the situations around me don't."
Shukaku nodded slowly. He reached down into a small, refrigerated compartment beneath the dashboard and pulled out a heavy, crystal bottle of high-end amber liquor.
"Well, I prepared a little gift for you," Shukaku offered smoothly, holding the bottle back over the center console. "Thinking you might be asking for it after a trip like that. Take the edge off."
Jin looked at the bottle. He looked at Shukaku's eyes in the mirror. It was a subtle test. Shukaku was trying to gauge his mental state—to see if the violence in Rome had pushed him further into a spiral of dependency.
Jin reached forward and took the heavy crystal bottle.
Without a word, he rolled down the tinted window. The roaring rush of highway wind flooded the cabin. With a flick of his wrist, Jin tossed the thousand-dollar bottle out into the night. It shattered on the asphalt behind them.
He rolled the window back up, sealing the silence inside once more.
"Don't try to test me, Shukaku," Jin said. His tone wasn't angry; it was calm.
Shukaku swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I am sorry."
Up front, the driver's grip tightened on the steering wheel. It was a micro-expression of pure, loyal fury for his boss. Both Jin and Valerie noticed it instantly, but Jin didn't care enough to address man's anger.
"So," Jin said, shifting gears immediately, "I take it we are ready to execute the plan."
"Yes," Shukaku replied, his voice returning to a professional clip.
Jin " So ,What is your progress?"
Before answering, Shukaku's eyes flicked to Valerie in the rearview mirror. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking Jin if it was safe to discuss classified operations in front of the vampire princess.
"Don't hide anything from her," Jin commanded, leaning back into the leather seats. "She is following me now. It's better she knows everything. She has my full support. Now, go on."
Valerie sat up a little straighter, a quiet sense of pride blooming in her chest at Jin's endorsement.
Shukaku exhaled. "We have completely stabilized our power in the Kuoh prefecture. The rival elements have been absorbed or removed. We have the necessary manpower, and the money you provided has smoothed over the local authorities. We can move out whenever you give the word."
Valerie, who had been listening intently, furrowed her brow. She leaned forward slightly.
"Jin," Valerie asked, her voice soft but curious. "What exactly is this plan you are talking about?"
Jin looked at her. "The plan we have is simple and straightforward, Valerie. We are going to exponentially increase our political power on the human side of the world."
He paused, realizing the massive gap in her knowledge. "That reminds me. You don't know anything about how human societies operate. You've been locked in a castle with medieval aristocrats. Later, you need to read up on government structures. Ask Shukaku if you need help with the material."
"I can do that," Valerie agreed quickly. "But... why? Why would you be doing such a thing? You are strong enough . Why do you need human politics?"
In the front seat, Shukaku leaned back, equally curious. He had been happy to prepare the ground and amass the power as Jin instructed, but Jin kept his cards notoriously close to his chest. Shukaku still didn't know the ultimate endgame of this massive, covert operation.
Jin looked out the window again. "That part comes later, Valerie. It's still too early for you to know that."
Valerie pouted slightly, but she was smart enough not to push a closed door. She pivoted her approach. "Okay. If you won't tell me why, tell me how. How are you going to increase his standing?"
Jin turned his attention back to the cabin, a sharp, calculating glint in his crimson eyes.
"First, you have to understand the board," Jin began, his voice taking on the tone of a lethal professor. "Japan is currently led by a conservative party, and the opposition is led by a labor party. The balance is delicate.We are planning to..."
As Jin's voice dropped into a low, methodical explanation of political blackmail, corporate buyouts, and systemic corruption, Shukaku finally relaxed into his seat. The tension bled out of his shoulders. The boss was back, his mind was sharper than ever, and the real game was finally about to begin.