Chapter 14: The Game begins
In a luxurious office with high decorative value, three individuals were present. Two of them, visibly exasperated, stood in front of the third, who looked at them with coldness and boredom.
"Where the hell is that idiot?" exclaimed one of the figures dressed in a red sweater and short black shorts that left her legs exposed. Her bright yellow hair fluttered as she crossed her arms over her chest, and her voice resonated with indignation over the delay of a certain man with black hair.
The man standing next to the energetic and noisy young woman cast a glance at the individual seated in front of them. The looks exchanged between the two men reflected stoicism and mutual distrust, indicating that they did not get along.
The man sitting in front of them sighed, closed his eyes, and crossed his arms over his chest. In his mind, a malicious smile formed as he seemed satisfied that his plan appeared to have worked perfectly from the beginning.
"Let's see how Toji handles this," thought the man with blue hair, allowing arrogance and ego to take over his thoughts as he believed in his apparent victory over the strongest human.
Meanwhile, outside of the man's thoughts, his guests appeared impatient. Each of them feared for their lives. If their contractor were to offer them the option to kill Toji, and they could assist, they would undoubtedly accept that offer. Since Toji had defeated the strongest demon hunter, their plans had been threatened by the mere existence of this man.
The Toji factor was a variable they had not anticipated in their wildest plans. He was a human who seemed to excel in every aspect and didn't even possess a demon contract. Not only demon hunters and politicians were interested in his existence, but governments of several countries planned to dissect his body into parts for DNA research and possibly create a perfect warrior according to their own visions of an ultimate weapon. If they couldn't dissect him, the only option would be to destroy his body.
But the real problem lay in whether Toji would survive. If he did, they couldn't even imagine the consequences this would bring for them.
Katana Man, who remained stoic and calculating, devised escape routes in case everything went wrong. Although the plan promised success by uniting three organizations against a single man, the uncertainty about Toji's full potential kept him on edge. Throughout his experiences, he had noticed that Toji had not revealed his full power, making him an unpredictable enemy. And he knew all too well that unpredictable adversaries were the most dangerous.
Sighing to himself, Katana Man turned his gaze to his companion, who was huffing irritably as her feet tapped the floor in rapid beats, revealing her state of anxiety.
'This brat,' he thought. Despite her arrogant and at times childish attitude, she possessed a contract of incalculable value to their plans.
The Devil Serpent contract was extremely powerful. It allowed the user, at a high price, to have the Serpent Demon devour other demons with its giant mouth and then release them at a later time to fight on their behalf. By doing so, any released being was completely healed and could fight in place of the Serpent Demon. However, Akane's contract demanded a significant price. The cost could increase depending on the order and the power of the summoned demon. Furthermore, it allowed Akane to use both the Serpent Demon and those it had absorbed. However, this came with a major drawback: Akane's price included the loss of 4 of her nails and, in the case of particularly powerful demons, could even require the extraction of internal organs.
This potential disadvantage concerned Katana Man, as if they were to face a demon more powerful than themselves or Makima herself, everything could crumble.
As the three individuals waited in the room, each immersed in their respective thoughts and states of agitation, they felt the air and the atmosphere in the room grow colder. Gradually, they perceived the ambient temperature dropping.
Hiroshi, who remained impassive, cold, and indifferent to his surroundings, sighed softly. This caught Sawatari's attention, who was trembling slightly and hugging herself in an attempt to generate warmth. Katana Man, whose body was somewhat rigid, also turned to look at Hiroshi, puzzled.
"He's here," Hiroshi calmly murmured, his voice calm as he slowly directed his eyes toward the large white door in front of them. His gaze sharpened like daggers, preparing to face his target while maintaining an air of indifference.
Sawatari, feeling a shiver run down her spine, quickly turned towards the door, her heart beating strongly. Katana Man's gaze became even more severe as he perceived the intense killing intent emanating from behind the door. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive and dense, as if it were about to burst at any moment.
The resonant, loud, and deliberate footsteps filled the room. Each echo of his step heightened the tension in the room, plunging those present into an increasing state of anxiety. It was impossible to determine whether those steps were real or merely a product of their imagination, but their intuition told them that something terrible was approaching.
And then, in an instant, the room fell silent for a few seconds, as if everything had been an illusion. The large door separating them from the outside was shattered by a deafening crash. The impact left everyone momentarily stunned, and a cloud of smoke billowed through the entrance, obscuring their view.
Sawatari, feeling a shiver running down her spine, quickly turned towards the door, her heart pounding heavily. Katana Man's gaze grew even more severe as he sensed the intense murderous intent emanating from behind the door. The atmosphere became increasingly oppressive and dense, as if it were on the verge of exploding at any moment.
The resonating, loud, deliberate footsteps filled the room. Each echo of their footsteps heightened the tension in the room, plunging two of those present into a growing state of anxiety. It was impossible to determine whether those steps were real or merely a product of their imagination, but their intuition told them that something terrible was approaching.
And then, in a moment of silence that made everything prior feel like a hallucination, the large door separating them from the outside was shattered by a deafening crash. The impact left everyone momentarily stunned, and a cloud of smoke billowed out from the entrance, obscuring their view.
As the smoke dissipated, what remained was the image of Toji Fushiguro standing amidst the debris, holding a decapitated head in his hand. The head belonged to a man with black hair, whose face was marked by a gruesome X-shaped wound that ran from his eyebrows to his jawline.
Toji, with a calm smile on his face, calmly walked over the fallen door until he stopped next to Sawatari, who was to the left of Katana Man. His presence dominated the room, and his cold, penetrating gaze settled on each of those present.
But to everyone's surprise, Hiroshi smiled faintly, which puzzled Sawatari and Katana Man for a moment.
"You're amusing..." were Toji's words as his smile shifted from a calm one to a wild one.
"You're interesting..." was what Hiroshi said, staring him in the eyes with an indifferent smile that grew slightly, seeming somewhat amused.
"Ready for the mission?" Hiroshi asked with his smile still present, never fading or faltering.
"Believe me, I am ready for this shit," Toji replied with a bloody smile that only reflected his desire to kill.
"Perfect," Hiroshi said with his smile.
Both men locked eyes, each with a desire to kill the other.
As indifferent as Hiroshi might be, he disliked Toji. He despised his presence and only wanted to destroy this annoying "worm," as he referred to him.
Katana Man and Sawatari had only listened to their entire conversation, clearly noticing the mutual desire of Toji and Hiroshi to kill each other. "This has already become personal a long time ago," Katana Man repeated in his head with a triumphant smile, as a plan had formed in his mind.
Handing out folders to the people in front of them, Hiroshi smiled calmly, dramatically changing his demeanor.
"Here's the mission description," Hiroshi said with a smile in a pure Makima style.
Taking their folders, the three individuals in front of him looked to him for further instructions. Toji, however, wasn't paying much attention, as he was only caressing his Cursed Tool.
"There's a car waiting for you, a limo..." Hiroshi, who seemed to be explaining the mission, was interrupted by Toji's bored voice.
**Yawn**
"They're all dead; you'll have to call others," Toji said calmly and calmly, surprising the others next to him. "All of them," Toji said, this time with a wild smile on his face.
Hiroshi sighed lightly, picked up the phone next to his desk, and pressed several keys. Putting the phone to his ear with a stoic expression, he patiently waited for someone to answer.
Once they answered, Hiroshi was the first to speak.
"Bring me a new limousine with a new driver," Hiroshi said, his eyes now on Toji, who only smiled calmly as he continued to caress his Cursed Inventary.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone