"You're amazing as always, boss!" another underling flattered him eagerly. "And that girl, Kato Megumi... everything we did was totally legal. She's just a student, scared stiff, no way she'll complain."
At the mention of her name, Kuroda Ryuji's mood soured. The eerie feeling he'd had earlier that day still lingered in his mind like a shadow.
But he couldn't show fear in front of his men.
He snorted and downed his glass of liquor in one go. "She's just some brat. Nothing to fuss over! Once we're done shaking down these families, we'll grab our bonus from President Okuma... and then I'll take you guys out to have some real fun!"
"Hell yeah, boss!"
"Boss, you're the best!"
The office filled once more with laughter and the reek of alcohol.
None of them noticed the faint rustle outside the window... several "leaves" drifting down from the rooftop, clinging silently to the outer wall like geckos.
Through their thermal goggles, every living body inside the building glowed in crisp outlines.
"Alpha team in position."
"Bravo team in position."
"All targets locked. Seventeen total. No heavy weapons detected... mostly melee arms and a few handguns."
"Three… two…"
"Go."
No explosions. No noise.
The only door to the office let out a puff of smoke as the lock dissolved under intense heat.
The window glass was suctioned, sliced cleanly, and lifted away... all in under three seconds.
Then, like shadows from nowhere, more than a dozen figures slipped in through the door and windows.
They wore black combat uniforms, faces hidden behind night-vision masks, MP7 submachine guns fitted with top-grade suppressors in hand.
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.
The sound was softer than a whisper, yet every burst was death's scythe at work.
The underling who'd been bragging was the first to drop, a neat hole blooming in his forehead before he even realized what had happened.
Another man pouring Kuroda a drink had his throat burst open, the bottle slipping from his grasp and shattering on the floor... the only sound that truly broke the silence of the slaughter.
"W-We're under atta... !"
Kuroda's reflexes were sharp from years of living by the blade. He flipped the table, reaching for the Colt at his waist.
But before he could even disengage the safety, a gloved hand clamped around his throat from behind, hoisting him into the air like a rag doll.
The crushing pressure cut off his breath instantly. He kicked wildly, but the arm holding him didn't budge.
Through the faint glow of the attacker's night-vision lenses, he caught a glimpse of cold, emotionless eyes... eyes that saw him not as an enemy, but as an insect.
Crack.
The sound was clear and final.
Kuroda's head lolled to the side, lifeless.
In less than thirty seconds, the entire office fell silent.
The Aegis mercenaries moved efficiently, cleaning the scene like professionals. Each body was zipped into a sealed bag, and every trace of blood and gunfire erased with chemical agents.
Several corpses... those with especially long rap sheets... were marked separately. Their remains would soon sink into the muddy depths of Tokyo Bay, sealed in concrete.
Meanwhile, identical operations were unfolding across Osaka and Kyoto.
A senior Black Dragon officer enjoying dinner with hostesses in a luxury restaurant was quietly dispatched by a "waiter."
A pair of gangsters harassing another victim's family were flattened by a runaway dump truck on the street.
By the end of the hour, the Black Dragon Syndicate... an organization that had ruled Kansai for decades... was gone. From its boss to the lowest enforcer, thirty-seven men had been erased from existence.
The next morning, Megumi Kato's Line group chat exploded.
**[They're gone! The yakuza... gone!]
**[Same here! Those thugs who came to my place yesterday just vanished. Can't reach them at all.]
**[I called the police... they said patrols increased, but those guys are just… gone. Like they disappeared into thin air!]
**[Did they suddenly grow a conscience or something?]
**[No way! Something's going on… Thank the gods! The gods must've intervened!]
The chat was flooded with disbelief, joy, and relief. The air that had been suffocating with fear just a day ago now felt like a festival after surviving the apocalypse.
Megumi stared at the messages, her expression unreadable.
There were no gods.
There was only one man who could make an entire yakuza clan vanish overnight.
Seiji Fujiwara.
Yesterday, he'd called it "cleaning up the flies."
She just hadn't realized he meant it literally.
A syndicate that had terrorized Kansai for decades... wiped out in a night?
For the first time, she truly grasped the terrifying scale of his power.
A sigh escaped her lips.
"He really went all out just to make me surrender, huh, Fujiwara-sensei…"
Her words were half complaint, half resignation, tinged with awe, exasperation, and... perhaps... a trace of reluctant safety.
Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarters, First Investigative Division
The atmosphere was grim.
All night, reports of "deaths" and "disappearances" had poured in from across Kansai.
Every missing person belonged to the Black Dragon Syndicate.
"The boss, Takayama Kengo... gone. His mistress reported him missing last night."
"The lieutenant, Kuroda Ryuji, and six core members... gone. Their office is empty, but the neighbors reported a strong smell of disinfectant."
"Unofficial count: thirty-seven members, all vanished overnight."
The young officer's voice trembled as he read the report.
The division chief, a veteran detective, exhaled a long plume of smoke. His expression hardened.
"This isn't a turf war," he said gravely. "Only a trained paramilitary unit could pull this off... swift, clean, absolute."
"Seal all information," he ordered sharply. "This case ends here. Keep digging, and we'll be the next to disappear."
"Yes, sir!"
The officers exchanged uneasy looks.
The chief turned toward the window, eyes cold.
This was a battle between gods. Mortals didn't even have the right to be collateral damage... all they could do was pray not to be caught in the blast.
Daido Life Insurance Company Company – President's Office
President Okuma Shigenobu's face was dark enough to drip ink.
"What did you just say? The Black Dragon Syndicate… is gone?" His voice rose to a near-scream.
"Yes, sir," his trembling subordinate stammered. "From middle management up... no survivors. They've just… disappeared."
"Useless! Every last one of them!" Okuma hurled his antique teacup at the floor. "All those years of feeding them, and this is what I get?!"
He paced furiously.
There was no evidence, but instinct told him exactly who was behind it.
That girl... Kato Megumi. And the man behind her, Seiji Fujiwara.
"Good. Very good, Seiji Fujiwara." His eyes gleamed with fury. "You think writing a few novels and producing some shows means you can ignore the rules of this country?"
The rage in his chest burned with something else... humiliation.
Daido Life was a dog of the Toyokawa family.
And when someone beat your dog, the master had to get angry.
But if the dog didn't even bark back, the master might start shopping for a new one.
No, he couldn't back down. He had to bite harder... to prove his worth.
"Prepare the car," he ordered coldly. "I'm paying a visit to Genesis Corporation."
He would meet that arrogant young man face-to-face and remind him... outsiders who swagger into Japan have a way of drowning in the gutters here.
The next morning, Genesis Corporation
Seiji sat in his office reviewing the production plan for Legal High Season 2.
The Black Dragon incident was already forgotten... just another dead insect underfoot.
A knock at the door.
His secretary stepped in. "President Fujiwara, the sales director of Daido Life Insurance Company, Suzuki-san, requests an urgent meeting."
"Daido Life?" Seiji raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't even gone looking for them yet. And now they came knocking?
"Let him in."
Moments later, a man in his fifties entered... slick hair, expensive suit, eyes sharp and calculating. Suzuki Shigeru, Director of Sales.
His gaze swept the office, pausing when it landed on the young man behind the desk. Surprise flickered across his face... followed quickly by condescension.
This was the so-called genius writer? Just a kid still smelling of university.
"President Fujiwara, it's an honor," Suzuki said with a polished smile, extending his hand.
Seiji didn't stand. He gave a perfunctory shake and gestured toward the couch. "Have a seat, Director Suzuki. What brings you here?"
The slight breach of etiquette made Suzuki's eye twitch, but he kept his smile.
"I'll be frank, President Fujiwara," he began smoothly. "Our company has been handling the insurance claims related to that recent air crash. One of the beneficiaries, Megumi Kato-san, appears to be a friend of yours?"
Seiji gave a noncommittal hum.
"We would appreciate it if you, as a respected public figure, didn't interfere with our company's operations," Suzuki continued, his tone dipping into patronizing advice. "It's admirable that young people have a sense of justice... but the real world isn't as simple as your books. Daido Life has no wish to make an enemy of someone like you."
Seiji almost laughed out loud.
This was, without question, the funniest thing he'd heard all year.
He leaned back, curious. "And what if I decide to interfere anyway?"
The smile vanished from Suzuki's face.
He leaned forward, lowering his voice until it was dripping with menace.
"President Fujiwara… anyone who's ever made things difficult for our company... no longer exists in this world."
He sat back, wearing that same smug, hollow smile.
To him, the threat was more than enough. No young upstart could stand against the shadow world's power.
But Seiji's face didn't change.
No fear. No anger. Just quiet amusement.
Suzuki mistook his silence for submission. Satisfied, he stood, straightened his tie, and spoke with a patronizing smile. "A wise man knows when to yield. I'm glad you understand. Then I'll leave you to your work."
He strode out proudly, head held high like a general marching home from victory.
Seiji watched him go, then chuckled softly.
He hadn't even gotten around to dealing with the insurance company yet... and they'd already sent someone to threaten him?
Did they really not bother to investigate who they were dealing with?
Or did that so-called Toyokawa family fill them with such blind arrogance?
Originally, he'd only planned to clean up Megumi's problem.
Now he'd changed his mind.
This company... with its massive cash flow... might be worth acquiring.
Insurance and healthcare: a perfect match.
Why destroy it… when he could take it?
He picked up his encrypted black phone and dialed Aegis Security's chief.
"Pull up the board of directors for Daido Life Insurance Company."
"Yes, boss."
"How many core members are there?"
"Ten in total, sir."
"Perfect." Seiji's lips curved into a cold smile. "Tonight, eliminate three at random. Make it look like accidents. I want to test the company's reaction... and that old dog's temper."
"Yes, boss."
Meanwhile, Suzuki Shigeru left Genesis Tower beaming, climbing into his company car.
He immediately called President Okuma. "Sir, it's done! That Fujiwara kid's just a clueless rookie. A few words from me and he backed down completely. Said he wouldn't interfere."
"Hahaha! Well done, Suzuki!" Okuma's laughter boomed over the phone. "I told you... he's just a novelist! He's got guts on paper, not in real life!"
"Spread the word," Okuma ordered, his tone turning sharp. "Keep pressing the others. Deal with every stubborn fool who refuses to settle! Oh, and give that Fujiwara kid a bit of face... leave the Kato girl alone. Think of it as our little gesture of goodwill to the 'genius.'"
"President, your magnanimity is unparalleled! Fujiwara should be grateful you're sparing her," Suzuki flattered.
Okuma laughed harder.
Neither of them noticed the faint beep in the background... an encrypted signal confirming new targets marked for elimination.