"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
At that moment, a sudden, piercing laugh erupted through the room, cutting off not only Kisara's inquiry to Seitenshi about the contents of the box but also the thoughts of the other company presidents.
Immediately, all eyes turned to the source of the sound—and then widened in shock.
A masked man in a top hat and tailcoat, his feet propped up on the table, sat in a seat that had been empty just moments ago. Still laughing, he straightened up as if floating, then stood on the table—shoes and all.
The masked man stopped at the center of the oval table, facing Seitenshi directly.
"State your name."
"My apologies."
The masked man removed his top hat and bowed deeply, like an elegant gentleman, offering a salute to Seitenshi on the display screen.
"My name is Hiruko. Hiruko Kagetane. A pleasure to meet you, incompetent head of state... To put it bluntly, I am your enemy."
Perhaps because she had been called incompetent to her face, or perhaps because of the enemy before her, Seitenshi frowned slightly, her expression unwell.
"Oh ho, mechanical soldier..."
Mahiro muttered under his breath, eyeing the masked man known as Hiruko Kagetane with the curiosity of someone discovering a new toy.
Like Rentaro, this man was a former member of the 787th Mechanized Special Unit of the Eastern Division of the Ground Self-Defense Forces, having undergone cybernetic augmentation with super-varanium.
But unlike Rentaro, who only had one arm, one leg, and an eye replaced, this man had all his internal organs mechanized.
A bit like mechanical ascension, really.
Was this another one of Muroto Sumire's masterpieces?
However, as he pondered this, Hiruko Kagetane had already summoned his daughter—his Initiator—
A girl with wavy, deep green short hair and a black frilled dress placed her hands on the table, lifted her leg with a soft "Hup~," and climbed onto the table with some effort before running to Hiruko Kagetane's side. She pinched the hem of her skirt and curtsied with practiced grace.
"My name is Hiruko Kohina. I'm 10 years old."
The two varanium katanas strapped to her back dripped thick blood, embodying an eerie mix of elegance and danger.
She was also the most twisted loli, brainwashed by Kagetane from childhood.
Kagetane's appearance completely disrupted the meeting's order, especially when he mentioned the term "Legacy of the Seven Stars." The expressions of everyone present grew tense.
And, naturally, given Kagetane's arrogant attitude, chaos erupted.
With himself as the epicenter, Kagetane expanded a Repulsion Shield, halting all bullets midair before reflecting them back.
This move caught the enforcers off guard, leaving many severely wounded.
Mahiro shielded Kisara and Asaka behind him, effortlessly nullifying the incoming bullets.
Soon, the meeting room, now reeking of gunpowder and riddled with bullet holes, was filled with the groans and cries of those unfortunate enough to be hit by ricochets.
"Oh ho ho, it seems not all enforcers are incompetent~ The proud lone wolf, Yotsuba Mahiro-kun."
Moments later, seeing that someone other than himself could still stand, Kagetane studied him with interest.
Seitenshi also noticed his presence, as if spotting a savior.
"Mr. Mahiro, please subdue this madman," Seitenshi spoke through the screen.
Ignoring Hiruko Kagetane, Mahiro turned to face Seitenshi on the display.
"No problem. What's the reward?"
"One-tenth of the mission's payment—100 million."
"Fine. But the loli and all subsequent spoils are mine too."
"Very well, I agree."
Though Seitenshi didn't fully grasp his meaning, she consented.
With her approval, Mahiro leaped onto the table.
Under the watchful eyes of the two on-screen and the numerous enforcers and company heads, he leisurely made his way to stand opposite Hiruko Kagetane.
The dull sound of footsteps spreading across the conference table seemed to trample upon everyone's hearts.
It was almost identical to the arrogance Kagetane had displayed not long ago!
"Be careful, Mahiro-kun."
Kisara's voice rang out in warning.
"It's fine. Just a mere mechanical soldier." Mahiro smiled faintly, completely unconcerned, as he drew a bizarrely shaped black pistol from his coat and aimed it across the table.
At least, that's how it appeared in Hiruko Kagetane's eyes—the flattened barrel and muzzle clearly weren't designed to fire bullets.
But what else could it shoot? Water?
Just as Mahiro paid no heed to Kagetane, the latter similarly dismissed his weapon.
"My, my, Yotsuba Mahiro-dono is quite arrogant indeed. Firearms cannot break through my [Repulsion Shield], you know."
Like a heavenly father embracing his children, Hiruko Kagetane spread his arms wide, inviting Mahiro to fire at will.
"Is that so? Let's test that." Mahiro said expressionlessly.
Meanwhile, within the Holy Palace, the elderly man Tendo Kikunojou, who served as an aide to Seitenshi, suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding upon hearing these words. He hurriedly shouted at the screen:
"Civil Officer Yotsuba Mahiro, capture Hiruko Kagetane alive! He possesses intelligence the Holy Palace requires!"
Too late.
By the time Tendo Kikunojou shouted these words, it was already too late.
For Yotsuba Mahiro had already pulled the trigger aimed at Hiruko Kagetane.
Partial-Mist Dispersion activated!
"Ugh...!"
The eyes behind the mask suddenly widened. Hiruko Kagetane seemed to suffer some unimaginable damage, clutching at his shirt over his heart in disbelief, as if enduring tremendous pain—or perhaps suppressing something.
But the struggle lasted less than a second.
And then...
"He's... gone?"
Someone among the onlookers muttered these words.
This sudden, shocking turn of events left them all stunned, momentarily forgetting their injuries as they gaped at the scene before them.
Hiruko Kagetane—whom none of them could defeat—had been instantly killed?
No, erased?
No, more accurately—vaporized!
Yes, literally vaporized.
Hiruko Kagetane's body had been decomposed down to the elemental level.
All organic matter in his body vanished without leaving any trace of having been a living creature. Proteins became hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Bones became phosphorus, oxygen, calcium, and other trace elements. Blood, nerves, stored nutrients, even waste—all decomposed into molecules or ions of singular elements.
Lighter elements like hydrogen dispersed into the air.
Flammable elemental gases combusted upon contact with released oxygen.
But to all present, Hiruko Kagetane had simply vanished, dissipating like a wisp of flame into the air.
Only a scattering of mechanical components remained, clattering onto the table.
Upon closer inspection, these were all made of super-varanium alloy—Hiruko Kagetane's mechanical internal organs, still warm from their former host's biological functions, now slowly powering down without their target's life force to sustain them.
Mahiro stepped forward and picked up the components.
"Not bad. Although it's my first time performing multi-layered refinement decomposition, it seems quite successful so far."
Like magic, all these mechanical organs were tossed into his ring.
He could take them back for Tatsuya to study—perhaps he could develop something new from them.
"Dad... Daddy...? Where are you, Daddy?!"
Hiruko Kohina finally snapped back to reality, her widened crimson eyes brimming with despair. She knelt on the table, frantically sweeping her hands through the scattered dust as if trying to clear it away to find any trace of her father, Hiruko Kagetane.
But no matter how desperately she searched, all she saw were gray ashes and the brown wooden surface of the table.
Until her fingers brushed against the edge of a round-toed tactical boot.
"Daddy?!"
Her head jerked up, only to find that it wasn't her father—but the familiar yet unfamiliar face of her mortal enemy, Yotsuba Mahiro, gazing down at her with detached calm.
"Hiruko Kagetane is dead."
"No way... I don't believe it! Daddy is the strongest! You're lying! I'll cut you, cut you, cut you, CUT YOU!!!"
Kohina lost all restraint, like a beast unleashed, muttering "cut you" over and over as she drew the twin katanas at her waist and scissored them toward Mahiro's midsection.
Clang—
A shower of sparks erupted in the air.
"You will NOT disrespect Mahiro-sama! Your opponent is ME!!!"
Asaka appeared in front of Mahiro, unsheathing her katana to block Kohina's dual blades.
The flickering sparks illuminated both their faces.
While parrying Kohina's strike, Asaka delivered a sharp kick to her abdomen, sending her flying.
She forcibly drove Kohina away from Mahiro's side.
Mahiro had initially considered knocking Kohina unconscious himself, but seeing Asaka fighting so earnestly, he quietly slipped his CAD back into his coat and let her take over.
After all, after a year of training in swordsmanship under Kisara, Asaka was no longer the same as before. In pure swordsmanship, even the formerly 134th-ranked Hiruko Kohina was no match for her now.
This was also a good chance for Asaka to vent her frustrations.
And conveniently, Kohina could serve as a test for Asaka to gauge her own progress.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?! Yotsuba Mahiro, Enforcer!"
At that moment, the elderly man on the screen, Tendo Kikunojou, roared with authoritative fury.
"What have I done? I merely followed Seitenshi-sama's orders to eliminate a terrorist. Was that wrong?"
Mahiro feigned innocence and surprise.
"..."
Tendo Kikunojou slowly narrowed his eyes, his broad chest rising and falling steadily as his piercing gaze bore into Mahiro through the screen.
"Did you not know that man possessed critical intelligence needed by the Holy Palace?"
"Oh really? Then why didn't you say so earlier? Why the silence?" Mahiro spread his hands mockingly, staring at the imposing old man on the screen. "Besides, isn't that your higher-ups' business? What does it have to do with a mere Enforcer like me?"
"Honorable Advisor Tendo, you're not trying to weasel out of paying me, are you?"
The final words carried a heavy tone of threat.
"You're absolutely right. Whatever information Hiruko Kagetane carries has nothing to do with us private security officers. The blame lies solely with your failure to clarify the commission details."
At that moment, Kisara climbed onto the round conference table, step by step making her way to the large screen where she locked eyes with the elderly man.
"Kisara..."
"Greetings, Honorable Tendo. It's been quite some time. I trust you've been well?"
Facing the visibly furious expression of Kikunojou, Kisara calmly smiled at him, her tone of greeting laced with subtlety.
"Still clinging to your grudges, I see? You vengeful ghost returned from hell."
"Not at all. I'm merely defending the most outstanding officer under our private security company's banner. That it happens to be you is purely coincidental. Could it be that Honorable Tendo also has some undeniable involvement in this matter, hence the guilty conscience?"
"To think you'd dare play word games with me..."
"You should know this—every single 'Tendo' must die, Honorable Tendo."
Kisara narrowed her eyes, which gleamed with a cold light. "This isn't a warning. It's my way of survival."
"Kisara..." Kikunojou's eyes narrowed in anger, his imposing aura palpable even through the screen.
"Miss Kisara..."
This conversation bore no resemblance to one between grandfather and granddaughter.
Precisely because she understood the nature of Kisara and Kikunojou's relationship to some degree, Seitenshi felt a chill run down her spine.
Meanwhile, Rentaro watched with concern as the elderly man on screen appeared ready to explode with rage, while the young woman standing on the table radiated intense hatred.
Tendo Kikunojou was his adoptive father—by family hierarchy, he was Kisara's uncle.
Had it not been for Kikunojou ten years ago, he would have perished to the Gastrea's fangs and wouldn't be alive today.
Thus, even after leaving the Tendo household with Kisara, he still held a thread of gratitude toward the Tendo family—or more specifically, toward Tendo Kikunojou.
Out of this gratitude, he had continuously sought ways to help Kisara let go of her hatred.
But clearly, that was impossible.
The annihilation of the Tendo family had long become the sole purpose of Tendo Kisara's existence—this vengeful ghost of the Tendo lineage.
Rentaro found himself in a deep dilemma—no matter what, he couldn't allow Kisara to kill the Tendo family.
"Both of you, stop here."
Seitenshi spoke softly, "President Tendo, regarding the reward for eliminating Hiruko Kagetane, the Holy Palace will provide it in full. The commission to retrieve the Legacy of the Seven Stars box will also continue.
So let's end this matter here, alright?"
With Seitenshi mediating between them, the two sides temporarily set aside their hatred, and no one voiced any complaints.
Meanwhile, the battle between Asaka and Kohina had already been decided.
The one who lost, naturally, was Hiruko Kohina.
Two tachis lay abandoned on the ground, while Kohina herself was tightly bound with ropes Asaka had procured from who-knows-where.
The Hiruko Kagetane incident had, for the time being, come to a close.
...
...
...
After leaving the Ministry of Defense building, Mahiro headed straight home.
After instructing Asaka not to let anyone disturb him, he carried the tightly bound Kohina into his room alone.
Placed on a chair, Kohina squirmed incessantly—if not for the sturdy ropes, she would have broken free by now.
The hatred in her crimson eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest; if anything, it had only intensified.
"This really is troublesome..."
Mahiro scratched his head, feeling somewhat vexed.
It wasn't that he had no way to deal with this little girl—quite the opposite, he had plenty of methods to handle her. But if possible, he'd prefer gentler means.
Yet that was clearly impossible.
After all, he had killed her father, Hiruko Kagetane, right before her eyes.
Though Kagetane had, to some extent, treated Kohina as a tool, the two were undeniably genuine father and daughter.
"Ah well, overthinking things isn't like me."
After a moment's contemplation, Mahiro settled on a plan. Bright psion waves immediately enveloped him, gradually forming a mental bridge between him and Kohina.
He intended to emulate the method Yotsuba Miya had used to brainwash Yotsuba Maya—performing a memory wipe on Kohina.
Erasing all her past, allowing her to start a brand-new life.
As someone who had inherited the Yotsuba family's genes, he was naturally capable of this.
"Mmgh—!!"
Though Kohina didn't know what was about to happen, she sensed it was something bad and struggled wildly again.
But how could her willpower possibly resist Mahiro's overwhelming mental strength?
Under the influence of his psionic power, her eyelids grew heavy, gradually closing despite her resistance.
A faint whisper echoed in her ears.
"Sleep, sleep peacefully. When you wake up, you'll embrace a new life."
"Nn... Daddy..."
With that final murmur, Kohina fell completely into slumber.
...
The procedure was a success.
After nearly an hour of effort, Mahiro had thoroughly erased all of Kohina's memories related to Hiruko Kagetane.
Now, Kohina lay quietly on the soft bed, her eyes tightly shut as she slept.
Looking at her peaceful, youthful sleeping face and recalling the memories he had glimpsed from Kohina's mind, Mahiro couldn't help but sigh softly again.
"What a monstrous thing you've done, Hiruko Kagetane."
Hiruko Kohina was not born in the normal way.
She was conceived through artificial insemination using five women Kagetane had abducted, then spent her first seven years in a basement undergoing assassination training and brainwashing. Later, she met her four sisters—only to engage in mutual slaughter with them.
In the end, Kohina was the one who survived the sisterly carnage.
It could be said that Hiruko Kagetane had cultivated his most satisfactory masterpiece through cruel methods—
A thoroughly insane little girl.
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