"I didn't expect to be this busy," Jake muttered.
He sprinted across the rooftops of Tunisik, leaping effortlessly from one building to the next.
The moment he spotted another member of the S-Rank Killers...
He dropped down.
One clean strike.
The enemy collapsed before they even realized he was there.
Jake landed lightly and glanced around.
"That should take care of this sector."
He turned to leave before another figure emerged from an alley.
Without slowing down...
He cut him down as well.
Silence returned.
Jake frowned.
"I haven't heard from Rodney's group in a while."
He reached for his Jet Phone.
"No answer..."
His expression darkened.
"Were they attacked?"
A terrible thought crossed his mind.
"...The civilians."
He immediately changed direction and bolted toward the western district.
He had only covered a short distance when-
Beep! Beep!
His Jet Phone rang.
Jake slid to a stop and flipped it open.
"Report."
"S-Sir!"
A panicked voice answered.
"We've just received reports that the Third and Fourth Sector!"
"The decoys..."
"...and every Adventurer protecting them..."
"...have been wiped out!"
Jake remained silent.
"Captain Forbes..."
"...is dead, sir!"
His eyes narrowed.
"And there's something worse."
"It was all done..."
"...by a single man."
Jake's grip tightened around the Jet Phone.
"...Do you know where he went?"
"Based on the reports..."
"...he's heading toward the Second Sector!"
Jake snapped the Jet Phone shut.
Without another word...
He vanished.
••••••••••
"This is proving to be more troublesome than I expected."
A man with long, elegant black hair walked leisurely through the deserted streets.
He wore a black kimono adorned with delicate pink flowers.
Blood splattered across the fabric.
He frowned at the stains.
"...What a waste."
With a sigh, he unfolded an ornate fan and began fanning himself.
"On to the next sector."
"I'd rather eliminate all five before the night's over."
He smiled to himself.
"I'd hate to have Daemon scold me."
Then...
He stopped walking.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"...Well."
"That's unexpected."
"I thought all the strong ones had gone to our base."
A voice answered from behind him.
"Let's just say one stayed behind."
The man didn't turn around immediately.
"How frightening."
He calmly folded his fan shut.
"I can feel your Nexus."
"It burns with anger."
A soft chuckle escaped him.
"Which makes me wonder..."
"...how you've come to hate me so much."
"We've only just met."
Only then did he turn around.
His eyes immediately settled on Jake.
More specifically...
...the strange metal apparatus covering both of Jake's arms.
It stretched from his shoulders all the way down to his hands.
The man smiled with genuine curiosity.
"...That's an interesting piece of equipment."
Jake raised one arm.
"This?"
"It's my weapon."
The man sighed.
"...This is exactly why I dislike fighting strong opponents."
Jake looked at him without the slightest change in expression.
"You still don't know who I am..."
"...do you?"
The man smiled.
"Oh..."
"I do."
Jake slowly pointed at him.
"Then allow me to introduce myself properly."
"I'm Jake Rooney."
"Vice Guildmaster of the Sylva Guardians."
His eyes became ice cold.
"And tonight..."
"...I'm your executioner."
Jake pressed a small lever built into the apparatus strapped to his forearm.
Click.
A razor-sharp blade shot from the end of the weapon.
Without hesitation-
He lunged.
The man tilted his head just enough for the blade to whistle past his face.
"...Pointy."
He smiled.
Jake clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
He pulled the lever on his other arm.
Another blade shot forward.
He swung again.
The man slipped past the attack with ease.
"You could've at least let me introduce myself."
He continued weaving effortlessly around Jake's relentless strikes.
"Not that I would've-"
"Shut up!"
Jake roared, slashing again.
The man leaned back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
"...That one was close."
"Very close."
He gracefully leaped backward as Jake continued pursuing him.
"Now, where was I?"
"...Ah, yes."
"I wouldn't have told you my name anyway."
"It's against the rules."
He smiled almost apologetically.
"Believe me, I actually respect the etiquette of battle."
"Introducing yourself to your opponent and all that."
"The others don't really care..."
"But I like following the rules to the lette-"
Jake suddenly raked one of his blades across the man's face.
A thin line of blood appeared on his cheek.
He instinctively reached for the lever on his other arm.
Before he could press it-
The man jumped back.
His smile had disappeared.
'I underestimated him.'
He wiped the blood from his cheek with a thumb before looking at it.
Then, slowly...
He reached for the sword at his waist.
Its sheath was pure white, with a long purple ribbon tied elegantly at the hilt of the sword.
The blade slid free.
Shiiing.
Moonlight reflected brilliantly across the white steel.
"I won't make that mistake again."
Jake rolled his shoulders before cracking his neck.
Then...
Click.
Click.
He activated both weapons.
Neither of them intended to hold back anymore.
The man vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of Jake.
His sword descended toward Jake's head.
Clang!
Jake intercepted it with his armored forearm, forcing the blade away before immediately thrusting his right arm toward the man's chest.
The swordsman had already anticipated the counterattack.
He twisted his wrist.
The white blade struck Jake's left arm, knocking it aside before his right punch could land.
In the same motion-
He thrust toward Jake's throat.
Jake barely managed to raise his other arm in time.
Clang!
The sword bounced harmlessly off the metal apparatus.
The man retreated a single step...
Then surged forward again.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
A relentless barrage of slashes crashed against Jake's armored arms.
Sparks flew through the night.
Suddenly-
The man knocked Jake's guard aside with his free hand.
Slash!
His blade carved across Jake's cheek and neck.
He spun gracefully, transferring the sword from his left hand to his right mid-turn before continuing the assault without losing momentum.
Jake used the brief opening created by the spin.
He rolled backward...
Kicked himself upright...
And charged again.
Two punches.
The man dodged both.
Two slashes.
Jake avoided them just as cleanly.
Neither of them spoke again.
The street exploded into motion.
Jake lunged first.
His blades thrust forward in rapid succession, forcing the swordsman to retreat step after step.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Steel shrieked against steel as the man deflected each strike with the smallest possible movements.
Suddenly, he disappeared.
Jake's instincts screamed.
He twisted just as the white blade swept past his ribs.
Slash!
The edge grazed his side instead of cutting him in two.
Jake retaliated immediately.
His elbow crashed toward the man's jaw.
Bang!
The swordsman barely managed to block it with the flat of his blade before the force launched him several meters backward.
He slid across the stone road before stopping himself.
"...You're stronger than I expected," he admitted.
Jake didn't answer.
He simply pressed both feet into the ground.
Cracks spread beneath them.
Then-
Boom!
The distance between them disappeared in an instant.
For several exchanges...Neither gained the upper hand.
Then Jake found his opening.
Bang!
His fist slammed into the man's face.
But overcommitting left his own guard exposed.
The man's foot slid backward.
His stance stabilized instantly.
Slash.
The blade sliced across Jake's left eye.
Jake instinctively reached for his face.
Another opening.
Slash.
His chest split open.
He staggered.
The swordsman's eyes narrowed.
One final opening.
Stab.
The white blade drove straight through Jake's stomach.
Jake dropped to one knee.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
The man sighed quietly.
"...You were good."
Jake's head slowly rested against his shoulder.
His lips moved.
The man frowned.
"...What?"
Jake whispered again.
"I couldn't quite-"
His eyes suddenly widened.
Stab.
Jake grinned.
While collapsing...
He had wrapped one arm around the swordsman's body.
The hidden blade from his forearm had pierced straight into the man's stomach.
Jake slowly twisted the lever.
Hissssss-
A strange hissing sound echoed from inside the man's body.
His stomach began to swell.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Wha-"
BOOM!
His abdomen exploded from within.
The swordsman collapsed to his knees.
Blood and shattered organs spilled onto the stone beneath him.
"H...How...?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Jake grimaced as he pressed a hand against the wound in his stomach.
"I'm surprised you can still talk."
He took a slow breath before looking down at the dying man.
"Since you're about to die..."
"...I might as well explain."
He raised one of his arms.
"You were wondering how I did it."
He pressed the lever hidden in his palm.
Click.
The blade shot forward.
"This lever activates the blade."
He released it.
The blade slid smoothly back into the metal housing.
"And when I let go..."
"...it retracts."
Jake pressed the lever again.
"But that's only half of what it does."
He slowly twisted his wrist while keeping the lever depressed.
"You see..."
"...there's a tiny opening at the tip of the blade."
"When I rotate my hand like this..."
"...compressed gas is released through it."
He looked at the mangled hole in the man's abdomen.
"If the blade's inside a body when that happens..."
"...the pressure has nowhere to escape."
"So everything inside..."
"...bursts."
Jake lowered his arm.
"That's what happened to you."
He crouched beside the dying man and grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to look up.
"Now answer me."
"Where are the kidnapped civilians?"
A weak laugh escaped the man's lips.
"Heh..."
Jake's grip tightened.
The swordsman coughed up blood before smiling.
"...Did you really think this story was going to have a happy ending?"
His smile widened.
"They're all dead."
Another cough.
More blood spilled from his mouth.
He watched the look on Jake's face with obvious satisfaction.
For a few moments...
Neither of them spoke.
Jake slowly stood.
"...Any last words?"
The man chuckled one final time.
Then he looked up at Jake with a bloodstained grin.
"I'm..."
"...a killer."