Observation is everything on the martial path.
The strong don’t win. The prepared do.
The number of enemies. Their weapons. Their posture, their skill. Whether the floor’s concrete or tatami. Whether there’s a bottle or chair in reach.
Gauging advantages and disadvantages. A true master knows all of it matters.
The body can’t react to what the mind hasn’t already clocked.
This is crucial for surviving.
Step through the Red Guild’s door, and I meet a dozen eyes.
They glance off fast. No killing intent. No readied malice. Probably just the usual tall-guy stare I get a lot.
Thirteen people. Tables. Cafeteria-style layout.
One crew in the back—crude types, loud. The rest are loners.
One’s reading. Another’s playing on his phone.
Someone’s hunched over a laptop. One guy’s nervously polishing bullets, slow and obsessive.
But they’re all waiting for something. This place is clearly a holding pen.
I head to the counter. Woman behind the desk pauses her typing and looks up.
“Welcome to the Red Guild. You’re not one of ours, are you?”
“No.”
“I figured! I’d remember a tall fella like yourself. Did you come from out of town?”
“No.”
“Ah. So maybe one of those bold Exorcists looking for opportunities, huh?”
I say nothing. Her smile falters.
“Um… so, what can I help you with?”
“I need information on Demons and worshippers. Thought I might find some here.”
“You’re looking to buy info? Please wait just a moment.”
She disappears into the back. Comes out with a pudgy, middle-aged man who looks at me and jumps like I slapped him with a fish.
“Oh thank God. You just saved me from a serious pain in the ass.”
“Pain in the ass?”
“Some inspector. Outsider. Stomping around like he owns the place, digging through files, demanding reports. Damn parasite.”
Apparently I did the guy a favor just by existing.
“You’re massive. Which guild you with?” he asks.
“What makes you think I’m with any guild?”
“Nothing. Just wondering.”
“I’m freelance.”
“Ahh. A reckless rookie, huh? We get your type now and then. But then again, you don’t look so green to me.”
He gestures vaguely at me.
“I’m a Terminator.”
“Well, shit. One of the Coral crew? So there were survivors. News said no one made it. Guess that was a little optimistic.”
He gives me a twisted smile. Hungry for details.
“Mind if I ask what happened? Akai family really fall?”
“You can ask. I’m free to ignore you. Or punch you.”
“…Don’t get all scary now. I got carried away. My bad.”
“Good. I need incident reports. Demons and worshippers. The Akai tracked local events, but as you might imagine, we’re in a bind. Your cooperation would speed up the investigation.”
“And what’re you gonna do with those?”
“There’s something I need to find. That’s all you need to know.”
Strictly speaking, even I don’t know. This was all Lady Ayano’s idea.
According to her, the ones who wiped out the Akai family were Demon worshippers with a grudge. Dig through old incidents, and the dirt will rise.
Only problem is, she doesn’t have any leads. All the missions the Four Sisters handled were flashy public spectacles.
Probably Lord Jinichiro’s idea—turning them into idols for popularity points. Or maybe it was just a father keeping his daughters away from the real psychos.
“Please cooperate. For the Akai family’s sake.”
“Heh. For their sake, huh?” He looks behind me. “You doing this alone?”
“As you can see.”
“Funny. Coral Terminators usually hunt in pairs. And civilians don’t tend to know what nobles don’t.”
“Didn’t you hear about the fire?”
“So it’s that bad. You’re scrounging info from commoners.”
“We’re going in circles.”
“Oops, sorry about that. So, Terminator—what’s your name?”
“Ikaku Akamuro.”
“Listen, kid. I get that you work for a nice big house, but don’t go talking down to me like I’m your buddy or your butler.
You seem a little confused, ‘cause I ain’t your family. I’m certainly not your ally.
Cooperate my ass. You’re barking up the wrong damn tree.”
“So that’s how you’re gonna play.”
He’s not wrong.
Nobles are the leaders of Exorcists. They’ve protected the human world from Demons.
So I just assumed they were heroes beloved by the people.
I forgot the premise that commoners are generally averse to nobility.
“You want to see our records, send a noble to grovel. Let him say, ‘We need the help of commoners.’ If he’s still breathing.”
“Quite rude.”
“People say that. Now, how about you see yourself out, errand boy.”
“…I’m not asking for free favors. If it’s money—”
Wait. Do I have money?
Whatever. Bluff it.
“I have money. Let’s deal.”
“Eighty million.”
“You drinking this early?”
“You said you had money.”
“I did just save your ass, remember? That guy you didn’t want to deal with?”
I nod at the back door.
“Seventy-five million, then. Discounted for heroics.”
“I don’t understand why you’re being so high-handed.”
“You don’t get it? Don’t understand? I’ll spell it out.
Nobles like the Akai family? Just hyenas in robes. We’re the ones out there protecting the streets. Then you people show up late, steal the credit, take the pay.
Nobles, their dogs—you’re all the same. A pain in the ass.”
“The Akai is a shield between humanity and extinction. Civilians die when they get in the way. It’s our job to suppress Demons. That’s the main story. What you call ‘civilian Exorcism’ is just slumming for coin. You’ve got it backwards.”
His eyes widen. Then twist into something uglier.
“Getting pretty full of yourself, aren’t you, boy?”
“No. Just in a shit mood.”
“That so?” He clicks his tongue. “Unlucky for you, I am too. Try your luck elsewhere.”
He points at the exit.
No more talking.
I turn. Two guys move to box me in. One in front. One behind.
“Akai Exorcist? Heh. Bet you’ve been living soft.”
“Noble lapdog. What’s it feel like, watching your whole kennel go up in smoke?”
I can smell it. That readiness. That low buzz in the air that means these guys will throw down.
I try to pass. The front guy steps in closer.
The room doesn’t shift. No one calls them off. Just watching.
“Hey, hey. Don’t walk off. Tell us a little story. Your master’s dead. Your buddies got roasted. All those nobles are goners too. Bet you ran like hell—”
I ran away?
The words gut me.
I see the fire. The corpses. Smell the blood. Feel the cold fingers.
Then I come back to the present with a punch in the jaw.
Hit me clean. Sent me flying.
It’s been a while since anyone got me that good.
I’m on the floor, flat on my back.
“You came here for work, yeah? Welcome to the Red Guild. Just a friendly little greeting, from one Exorcist to another.”
“Haha. Big guy’s slow on the uptake. He’s nothing but size.”
I stand. Dust myself off.
“Nice punch. I respect that. Name’s Ikaku Akamuro. What’s yours?”
He grins. “Heh. I’m—”
I hit him with a right hook. Side of the head.
Weight shifts. Form clicks. I channel Force through my hip.
He flies. Crashes through two tables.
“Motherfucker!”
Hand grabs my shoulder.
I trap it, slam an elbow down.
Guy stumbles. I follow with a blade kick.
His body arcs into the wall. Leaves a dent.
Down for the count. Both of them.
Silence drops like a guillotine.
Everyone’s staring.
Two more men rise. The ones who’d been drinking with the first pair.
“You piece of shit! What’s your problem?!”
“You wanna die, Akai dog?!”
They square up. Fists raised.
I simply echo their own words. “Just a friendly little greeting, no? From one Exorcist to another.”
“Don’t you get cocky!”
The first guy rushes. Wild swing.
I catch it. Return a backhand to the face.
People freeze when they get hit in the face. Brain short-circuits. Especially if they’re not trained.
He stiffens.
I slam a Surge strike into his chest. Right on the sternum.
Controlled Force. Not lethal.
He stumbles. Stands a moment, then drops like a sack.
Second guy hesitates. Shaking. Still holding his stance.
I take one step forward.
His knees buckle. Falls flat on his ass.
“What the hell are you...?”
His voice is shaking. Spirit’s gone.
Then a door creaks open behind the reception desk.
Not the loudmouth from earlier. Someone new.
A girl. She’s around my age.
Blonde hair like sunlight. Blue eyes clear as a glacier. She’s stunning, in a way that sneaks up on you.
She leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, casual as can be.
“Please continue. Don’t mind me.”
She gives a faint smile and gestures with one slender finger, urging me on.