The headquarters of the Skull King Gang was empty, dominated by silence, yet a subtle pressure seeped into the main hall.
Behind the high red throne lay a long corridor with worn walls, leading to several old wooden doors. The exception was one at the very end of the passage, a door made of fine oak, intricately styled and carved. The doorknob turned, and the door opened slowly without a sound.
Yamikaji emerged, his face sullen and his eyes sharp, glaring straight ahead. He opened one of the worn doors and stepped into a dilapidated room where Fard and Joso stood motionless, showing no clear emotion.
Yamikaji raised his left hand, stating gravely:
"I now have two goals. The first is to eliminate The Calamity lurking in the city, to restore the Leader's trust in me—"
He moved his hand to the stump where his other arm had been, looking at it mournfully as he continued:
"And the second is to take revenge on that bastard!"
The two men nodded, acknowledging the humiliation their master had suffered and understanding the reason for his unusual anger and solemnity. Yamikaji turned to leave, asking,
"Will you help me?"
A faint smile appeared on their faces, and they replied simultaneously,
"Certainly!"
Yamikaji stepped out of the room and closed the door. He headed toward another room and opened its door, which also let out a loud, creaking sound. He entered this dilapidated room, though its condition was better than that of Fard and Joso's chamber.
In the middle of the room, a dirty mattress lay thrown on the hard floor. Yamikaji turned, threw his body onto the mattress, closed his eyes, preparing to sleep, and muttered:
"I bought the right slaves—"
His words were cut short by a thunderous sound, like an explosion. Though the sound was distant, he felt it. Initially, he thought it was some police officers who usually came and ended up dead, but a strange feeling overcame him—a familiar sensation, rather... The source of the blast was the main hall, specifically the massive headquarters gate, which had been reduced to scattered debris. A huge cloud of dust was pulled outside by the air through the destroyed gateway.
The dust dispersed, revealing the one underneath: the person who had entered the headquarters of one of the country's most dangerous and largest gangs. It was Takeshi. His eyes were set forward, his hands and clothes stained with blood, and clear signs of exhaustion marked his face.
What had happened before he arrived here?
***
[An Hour Earlier]
After Takeshi asked about the location of the abandoned building district, he realized how far it was. He also realized something else: to reach that area as quickly as possible, he would have to pass through the dark alleys again.
Takeshi indeed headed toward them. Due to the late hour, the area was currently teeming with thieves and criminals. As soon as he stepped inside, all he encountered were sounds of hysterical laughter and all kinds of curses and insults emanating from the pitch-black darkness. Takeshi grasped the situation and thought to himself:
'I don't want to be delayed further; I have no choice but to pass through here—but if Lauren takes this same route…'
Takeshi removed the splint from his injured wrist and punched his palm, saying,
"I have no other choice then!"
Takeshi entered the darkness, moving toward the disruptive noises reaching his ears. The first thing he encountered was two men holding a bottle of liquor and talking loudly. All they saw was a swift shadow before they lost consciousness, a prominent punch mark left on their faces, and their blood and drinks scattered on the ground.
The same thing happened ahead. Groups of the area's arrogant, creeping residents were knocked down. Some resisted, indeed, but the most they managed was to inflict a mere scratch or a superficial wound. Takeshi was the cause of this incident. He was delivering strong blows that caused loss of consciousness, not fatal injuries.
This is what caused his hands to be stained with blood and why he was exhausted. He had been doing this non-stop along the way, even if those criminals didn't directly obstruct his path. Moreover, smashing that massive metal gate was not an easy feat.
Upon Takeshi's arrival and the dispersal of the dust, he saw before him the high throne studded with gold and diamonds and covered in crimson red fabric. As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw a person sitting on that throne—it was the gang leader, Rastan.
The moment Takeshi spotted him, he launched his feet, surging towards him with all his power. As soon as his foot landed in front of the throne, he collided with a semi-transparent wall that separated him from the gang leader.
"You have disappointed me, Calamity of the world. Your Aura is weak; it radiates no pressure," those words came in a thick voice from beneath Rastan's mask as he glared intensely at Takeshi. He then continued:
"Nevertheless, Shido told me that your physical ability and combat intelligence compensate for that. Also, for a mere human to be able to grip that sword without an intermediary tool—that is interesting!"
Rastan stood up and extended his hand toward Takeshi, saying,
"Join my true organization, boy!"
Takeshi's glare intensified. He furrowed his brows and punched the barrier repeatedly with all his might, shouting:
"I see! So, you are the one leading this damned gang!"
Garmond, the gang's most wanted, emerged from behind the throne, saying:
"Don't bother; my wall cannot be broken by a bare hand—"
His eyes widened when he noticed a crack in his transparent wall. The crack expanded with every resounding punch, creating the sound of a loud explosion. Yet, Takeshi's hands were nearly broken from those random strikes.
Garmond's wall, which he claimed was unbreakable, shattered and turned into glass fragments before dissipating and vanishing. But as soon as Takeshi tried to advance again, another wall appeared before him. It was more transparent and seemed weaker.
Before Takeshi could attempt to punch the second wall, Rastan spoke:
"I suppose this means you refuse... If you survive, Calamity, I will ask you again, and it will be the last time—"
"Don't call me that damned name!" Takeshi screamed in frustration and anger, staring into Rastan's hollow eyes beneath the hard mask.
Suddenly, the shadow of the throne moved and expanded, swallowing Rastan's shadow, pulling him inside.
"Remember my words, you wicked brat. I will invite you to my true organization in the future, once you prove your strength and destroy this damned gang of mine."
This is what Rastan said before the shadow swallowed him completely and returned to its normal state.
Garmond sat on the floor, ignoring what had just happened. This angered Takeshi and made him kick the wall, shouting,
"Is everyone in this gang a coward?"
A faint smile appeared on Garmond's face. He then sighed, saying,
"Unfortunately, I am not tasked with killing you…"
Suddenly, both of them heard heavy footsteps behind the throne. The owner of the steps emerged; it was Yamikaji. His eyes were fixed on Takeshi, and the same was true for Takeshi. The night to settle all past scores had arrived…