The Police Force entrance examinations held within Mayonaka Forest had long ceased to resemble an examination.
What was meant to test resolve, discipline, and combat ability had instead devolved into unrestrained slaughter. The forest, once quiet and solemn, had been transformed into a battlefield soaked in despair.
The towering trees stood like silent witnesses, their thick trunks splattered and streaked with drying blood. Leaves trembled not from the wind, but from the violent disturbances echoing throughout the forest. Screams of pain, fear, and desperation rang endlessly, overlapping one another until they blurred into a single, maddening chorus.
The air itself was heavy.
It stank of iron and death.
It was a nightmare.
"This… what is going on…?"
A male candidate staggered backward, his legs barely able to support his weight. His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling violently as exhaustion and terror gnawed at his sanity. His hands shook so badly that he nearly dropped his sword.
Bodies lay everywhere.
Two criminals lay dead near his feet, their corpses twisted and broken, while countless fallen candidates were scattered across the forest floor. Some had collapsed where they stood, others bore wounds so severe they could not possibly have survived.
"It hasn't even been a full day…" he muttered, his voice trembling. "Not even a full day…"
Three criminals stood before him.
Their blades were wet with blood, their expressions relaxed—almost amused.
"Wow, nice one, kid," one of them said, his mouth curling into a wide, unsettling grin. His eyes gleamed with twisted delight. "You're the only survivor from your little group."
"What a pathetic sight," another criminal said, his voice deep and cold. A large black dot was tattooed prominently on the side of his neck, standing out against his scarred skin. "It took so many of you just to kill two of us… and now you're all alone."
The grinning criminal chuckled. "Doesn't matter, though. We can just take their bodies and turn them in. Freedom's freedom."
"You fool," the deep-voiced criminal snapped.
He struck the grinning man across the head with a sharp smack.
"He gave us orders," he continued irritably. "We're to gather the bodies and submit them to him first."
The candidate blinked.
Orders?
Submit bodies?
His fear was briefly overtaken by confusion.
"That's right… kekeke…" the grinning criminal muttered, rubbing the back of his head where he'd been struck. "My bad. Alright then—let's begin, shall we?"
The three criminals lunged forward at once.
The candidate's body locked up.
His mind screamed at him to move, but his limbs refused to respond. Death rushed toward him with terrifying speed—
Then a sharp whistle cut through the air.
A shadow descended from above.
Steel flashed.
Before any of the criminals could react, Sentarō dropped from the tree canopy, his katana already swinging downward. One criminal's head was severed cleanly from his shoulders before Sentarō's feet even touched the ground. Blood erupted violently, splashing across the soil and nearby roots.
The remaining two criminals leapt backward in panic.
Sentarō landed lightly, knees bent, eyes calm and unwavering.
Without pause, he rotated his blade into a horizontal stance.
"One Sword Style…" His grip tightened.
"Daien-zan." (Great Circular Path)
Sentarō spun.
The katana traced a perfect circular arc through the air, slicing cleanly through both criminals at once. Their heads separated from their bodies in a single motion, tumbling across the forest floor as their lifeless forms collapsed moments later.
Silence returned.
"All done," Sentarō said quietly as he lowered his blade.
"Nice one, Sentarō," Reiko said as she approached him, a confident grin forming on her face.
Heavy breathing echoed nearby.
Sentarō and Reiko turned to see the candidate standing frozen in place, his eyes wide, chest heaving as reality slowly caught up to him.
"Huh? Who are you?" Sentarō asked.
"My name is Ichio," the candidate replied shakily. Tears welled in his eyes as the tension finally broke. "Thank you… thank you for saving me."
"It's nothing," Sentarō said gently. "I'm just trying to survive. Same as you."
Reiko crossed her arms and scanned their surroundings carefully. "We've taken out quite a few criminals. I think we're safe—for now."
"Wait…" Ichio said suddenly, his expression shifting. "I recognize you two."
Sentarō and Reiko looked at him.
"You're the ones who fought Hosokawa Tadatoshi earlier, aren't you?"
Their expressions darkened instantly.
"Yes," Reiko replied, her smile sharp and irritated. "That's right."
Ichio flinched slightly at the hostility in her gaze.
"Do you know where Tadatoshi is?" Sentarō asked.
Reiko turned sharply toward him. "Why are you asking that now?"
"Our fight isn't finished," Sentarō said, his voice steady. "I still need to show him how wrong he is."
Reiko exhaled slowly. She understood.
"I don't know exactly where he is," Ichio said, trying to ease the tension. "But when we entered the forest, Tadatoshi went wild. He slaughtered the first wave of criminals my group encountered."
"That figures," Reiko muttered. "How arrogant can one person be?"
"After that," Ichio continued, "he headed north."
Sentarō's expression hardened.
"Reiko," he said, "you'll be fine on your own, right?"
She scoffed. "What kind of question is that? I'm no weakling. Just go already."
Sentarō nodded. "Alright. I'm heading north."
He turned and vanished into the forest.
"Wait," Reiko said, turning back to Ichio. "What about the rest of your group?"
Ichio froze.
His face drained of color as memories flooded back—screams, blood, helplessness.
"…They're dead," he whispered.
Reiko fell silent. "I understand."
"Tch," she spat bitterly. "Those criminals… all they care about is their freedom."
"Maybe," Ichio said hesitantly, "but I don't think that's everything."
Reiko looked back at him.
"One of the criminals Sentarō killed said something," Ichio continued. "He mentioned someone giving them orders. Someone who told them to gather the bodies first."
Confusion spread across her face.
"Why would they need the bodies?" Reiko muttered. "And who is this 'he'?"
Her eyes widened.
"…There's a mastermind."
The realization struck like lightning.
The idea that someone was orchestrating the slaughter from the shadows sent a chill through her spine.
Elsewhere in the forest—
"HAHAHA! Who would've thought I'd run into you here, Abe Nobuyuki!" Tadatoshi laughed, confidence surging through him.
"Wait, Tadatoshi," the nearby candidate said nervously. "I think we should leave—"
"Huh?" Tadatoshi scoffed. "All you weaklings do is complain. Shut up and watch."
Abe vanished.
In an instant, he appeared beside Tadatoshi, passing him calmly.
The candidate behind Tadatoshi collapsed, his body severed cleanly in two.
Tadatoshi froze.
His instincts screamed—but too late.
What…?
How did he move so fast?
I didn't even see him draw his sword…
For the first time in his life, fear crept into Tadatoshi's heart.
He turned slowly.
His stance widened. Katana and wakizashi were held firmly in both hands.
His gaze fell upon the corpse.
"…What?" Tadatoshi whispered. "That sword… it's enormous. When did he unsheathe it?"
The truth became unavoidable.
The man before him was a monster.
"Now then," Abe said, his deep, ominous voice echoing through the forest, "are you ready, young prey?"
The hunt had truly begun.