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DxD: Like a Devil Chapter 40
🕑 Added 2024-02-08 23:11:58 +0000 UTCEdited by: Marethyu, Priapus
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â Mizuki â
ââUp next: The sudden and unsettling disappearance of the three color gangs of Hokkaido.â The 3d anime model on her laptop said as she showed images of an office building, making Mizuki raise a brow. Whatâs this? âLots of my occult-loving fans have been sending me letters, messages, and even images about some terrifying event that happened earlier this Saturday. At three oâclock this morning, people heard screaming from all known bases of White Edge, Blood Eye, and Blue Z.â
Mizuki leaned forward from the couch with a frown. She knew of themâ they used to be very prominent in Kamurocho back in 2005 before Kiryu wiped them out. She thought for sure that the Azure Dragon of Dojima had completely pulverized them into nothing. What were they doing in Hokkaido?
But that wasnât what got her attention. She couldnât care less about what a bunch of two-bit gangs were doing now. What was this about them screaming? What was that supposed to mean? They were making it sound like one thing obliterated all of them when it was more likely that theyâd just destroyed themselves in some stupid turf war.
âHow creepy! Whatâs that supposed to mean?! What couldâve happened to them?â She continued. âA few people even investigated one of the buildings, and to make things even weirder, there was nobody there! Just what the heck happened?!â
More images were shown, this time from the inside, and there was nothing. No bodies and no signs of struggle.
âWhat the hellâŠ?â She muttered to herself.
âCould it be?!â The Vtuber said with an exaggerated tone. âWas it some monster or demon that got them? Could this be our first big clue about the existence of the supernatural?! How exciting!â
This⊠was a little concerning. This channel always showed the silliest âproofâ and âevidenceâ that always got a kick out of Mizuki, but this time, this was most definitely the work of a supernatural creature. But why Hokkaido? And specifically targeting a couple of human gangs? Sure, the kidnapping or consumption of some humans did happen occasionally, but it happened to one, five, or, at most like, ten people at once. Over a hundred people disappearing like this was a little over the top.
The fact that this made it to the public before the yakuza could do anything about it meant that this wasnât their work, and they were completely caught off guard. They occasionally sent someone to wipe out silly gangs when they got a tad too destructive, but they were always way more subtle about it.
Plus, the Tojo had some control over the media, after all, primarily to hide supernatural activities from the public eye. Letting some tin-foiled nutjob theorize wasnât really harmful because they were always a ways off from figuring it out anyway, and the mainstream would never take them seriously.
This wasnât their doing. This was definitely an outside party that had targeted something frankly worthless in the grand scheme of things. As far as she was aware, the color gangs were just regular humansânothing more and nothing less.
And assuming whoever it was killed them, then they were either an expert at getting rid of bodies or had the equipment to make a task like that trivial. What was their end goal, and who were they?
In all fairness, while they hadnât exactly done anything that was particularly damaging, this could be considered a terrorist attack on the yakuza grounds. And if an actual faction made this attack, it could lead to war.
Could this possibly be another attempt to sabotage the peace conference? At the end of the day, Kokabiel couldnât be the only person against peace. There were probably others who agreed and shared his warmongering mindset. Even though Mizuki doubted theyâd ever work together with a Fallen Angel, the Old Satans came to mind.
Whatever it was, Daigo needed to do something about this. There was a big chance that it could escalate if he didnât stop it from snowballing into a much bigger issue, whether it was an act of terrorism, a new monster, or an attempt to spark another war.
But she believed in him. He was probably sending some people to investigate by now.
âIsnât this the new Vtuber thatâs been blowing up recently?â
Mizuki squawked, startled at her daughterâs sudden appearance behind the couch she sat on.
âTatara Hisoka, huhâŠâ Her daughter hummed, reading the channelâs name. âI saw some of her videos some time ago. Sheâs really, really obsessed with the supernatural.â
âYes, I know, and donât sneak up on me like that!â She complained, turning around to see her daughter in her usual red tracksuit. Her workout outfit. âSheesh almost gave me a heart attack.â
âReally? How sad.â Akane snorted with a teasing grin. âIf you were the best in your clan, then I guess I have nothing to worry about.â
âNot funny.â Mizuki huffed. âTheyâre too ruthless to be taken lightly.â
âYeah, yeah.â She rolled her eyes. âSo, you think Amons did it?â
âOh, you saw?â
âIâve been standing here for three minutes.â Her daughter deadpanned before sitting next to her. âGod, are you sure you used to be an assassin?â
âŠWhen Mizuki had told Akane about her background, her worst fears had been her daughter showing distrust, anger, and perhaps hate. Now she knew that she had been overly dramatic because all Akane had done so far was mock her for being incompetent.
It almost hurt her dignity. She mightâve sworn off killing unless absolutely necessary, even still abhorring the notion, but she was proud of her skills, damn it. She worked too damn hard to get this good at stealth!
âIâm joking,â Akane said.
âYou better be,â Mizuki grumbled.
âI better be what?â Her daughter challenged. âWhat did you just say?â
âNo, I donât think itâs the Amon doing it.â Mizuki returned to the prior topic, tactically retreating from getting into a fight with the scariest â and cutest â person alive. âIf it were them, they wouldâve tried to hurt the yakuza somehow. A move like this is useless.â
Akane smirked in satisfaction, as if she won an argument or something. This brat better not underestimate Mizukiâ if she really wanted to, she could easily embarrass her daughter without even trying by bringing up how cute she was when she was a little kid to her friends.
Thankfully, she didnât try to gloat openly and instead continued the conversation.
âCould be them trying to draw attention away from Kanto.â She offered. âSince most of the yakuza would be coming over to Kuoh for the conference soon.â
âThis is why itâs useless,â Mizuki argued. âIf I were them, Iâd wait until after the conference to be making a move. Or, better yet, in the middle of it. And you must remember, unless theyâre looking for something else, you are their priority right now.â
âHmmâŠâ Akane put a hand on her chin. âSo then, who do you think it is?â
âI donât know.â Mizuki shook her head. âBarely anyone would want to fight the yakuza. Itâs just a waste of resources on every side. Could be bad luck with some yokai beast or stray devil, or at worst, an attempt to stop the peace conference from happening.â
âOthers like KokabielâŠâ Akane grinned. âI guess after I killed that bastard, theyâre too scared to be taking us head-on, huh?â
Mizuki wasnât very sure if she was comfortable hearing her little girl talking about killing someone so casually, but she let it slide. Defeating someone as strong as he was at her age was still a remarkable feat of strength, even if she didnât do it alone.
âPossibly.â Mizuki nodded. âStill, I think itâs safe to assume that itâs the work of a stray devil. A powerful and old one.â
âA stray devil?â Her daughter blinked. âDidnât think youâd give those stupid monsters so much credit. I mean, the work is a little too clean to call it a stray devil attack, no? Iâd expect some signs of their attack here and there.â
âThatâs why I said an old stray devil.â The older woman reminded with a sigh. âNot all stray devils are dumb criminals, yâknow.â
âThey arenât?â Akane raised a brow.
âWhy is that so surprising to you?â
âNo, but I⊠thought I heard someone say theyâre corrupted devils?â She said, looking confused. Mizuki was about to ask what the hell she was saying before she continued. âI dunno, something about the evil pieces doing that or whatever.â
âWhat? No, who told you that?â Mizuki blinked. âI know the evil pieces system is fucked up, but that would make it completely, inherently, and politically inexcusable. Everyone would declare war against the devils if that was the case.â
âI-I mean, the two stray devils I killed looked like monsters,â Akane said, surprised at her misinformed idea. âForgive me for thinking that was the case.â
âThey looked like monsters because they already looked like that before reincarnation, Akane.â She said with a smirk.
âYouâre saying some devils were just born looking that fucking ugly?â
âNot necessarily,â Mizuki shrugged. âCould just be a regular monster that got reincarnated. I hate devils and their shitty system as much as the next person, but they donât exclusively look for humans to recruit, yâknow.â
âIs that soâŠâ
There was a moment of awkward silence between them before Mizuki spoke.
âYou do know that âStray Devilâ is just a social title, right? It isnât some weird magical/biological condition.â
Akane said nothing, but for whatever reason, she did look really embarrassed. Mizuki didnât think her daughter was stupid for not knowing this, but it didnât mean she wouldnât tease her about it.
âUh-oh, looks like Ms. Know-It-All didnât know this simple and well-known fact.â She snickered. âHow embarrassing!â
âBe quiet,â Akane growled adorably.
âAww youâre so precious! The cutest in the world!â Mizuki hugged her tightly but then paused as she slowly processed Akaneâs words. â...Wait, what do you mean you killed two stray devils?â
Before her daughter could answer that funny question, her other daughter walked down the stairs, sporting the exact same outfit that Akane was wearing, only blue instead of red. Asia shuffled shyly as two pairs of eyes landed on her, giving them a small smile.
âI hope I didnât make you wait for too long.â The blonde said.
âNot at all!â Mizuki responded enthusiastically, closing her laptop and getting up from the couch. âYou look great, Asia! Ready for training?â
âYes!â Asia pumped her fist excitedly. âI promise Iâll do my best!â
âSheâs training?â Akane questioned in confusion. âLike, real training?â
âShe is, and sheâll be paired up with you from now on,â Mizuki pointed at her. âYouâll be teaching her everything.â
âI hope thatâs okay, Akane-san.â Asia bowed respectfully.
âI mean, Iâm fine with that.â She glared at Mizuki. âBut I wouldâve appreciated being told earlier.â
âIt came as a little surprise to me, too.â The older woman patted the blond on the head. âWe talked last night, you see. And you werenât there.â
âIs your phone useless?â
âPlease, you never respond to my messages.â
âBut I read them, you idiot.â Akane groaned, standing up. âWhatever. Itâs fine. If Asia is up for it, then I donât mind.â
âThank you so much!â The nun hugged her tightly. âI wonât disappoint you, Akane-san! I promise!â
âIâm sure you wonât.â She reluctantly returned the embrace.
Watching this adorable scene before her eyes made the smiling Mizuki wonder how things would have turned out if sheâd had another child. Either way, if it was anything like her relationship with Asia, Akane would be the best big sister ever.
Par for the course for the scariest and cutest.
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â Akane â
It took me less than ten minutes to eliminate the three gangs. Around two hundred twenty people were gone before either yakuza organization realized it. I was able to hide all the evidence in my inventory easily, from dead bodies to weapons to even the bloodstains and the bullets shot at me. I made sure to eliminate whatever could be left to be used as a lead.
However, whatâs scary is how that high I felt while devouring their souls made it feel like only seconds had passed. Honestly, if Lucifer wasnât there to keep me in check at certain times, I wouldâve made some really dumb mistakes.
I was completely consumed by the continuous urge to eat more. Gamerâs Mind did nothing to help, like it was pretending nothing was wrong, even though my newfound hunger was maddening, nearly driving me insane. Itâs terrifying.
And at the same time, nothing has ever felt this good. Taking and consuming someone elseâs essence brings an indescribable feeling of euphoria. Iâve never taken drugs before, but I imagine thatâs how it feels. Drugs are probably nowhere near as good, though.
But unlike drugs, the benefits are real and instant. Ten minutes, and two hundred regular, powerless humans, netted me around 750-ish points distributed across mostly the three physical stats. I got this much from just average people.
This single test session giving me so much power is more than just motivating me to do more. I fully understand Luciferâs warnings now. Getting addicted to this would ruin me completely. It would destroy whatever humanity I have left, and while that sounds tempting so I can stop being so constrained by the morals of those I unfortunately care about, I wouldnât be âmeâ anymore.
I still canât just ignore this. Devour isnât some kind of boogeyman; itâs a tool. A tool Iâm willing to use to its full potential. This was the first time Iâve ever used it, so it caught me off guard. I know I can build up a resistance the more souls I eat.
I think Iâll have to work my way up there, though, from normal humans to low-class to mid-class, and so on. I nearly went on a mindless spree after I killed the last gangster, only barely stopping myself from doing something utterly braindead.
âŠIâm still feeling its effects. Iâve been weirdly cold and shaking the entire time since I made it backâ I couldnât even sleep, like Iâm going through some fucked up withdrawal. It hasnât been as bad after the first few hours, and Iâve been able to hide it relatively well, even from my mother, but itâs something to consider for the future.
All this from ordinary people, too. If I had succeeded in stealing Kokabielâs soul, it couldâve done me more harm than good. Maybe I really was lucky that Akiyama interrupted me. It wouldâve been impossible to explain anything clearly if I was so goddamn high.
This is really fucked up. I understand why something like this is considered forbidden. Besides stealing someoneâs pure essence, itâs legitimately just fucking drugs, but everyone around you is your potential next hit.
And, in a way, it made me think just how powerful I would be if I theoretically devoured the soul of the entire population. Would I gain billions of stats? Or does it not work that way? If the power of souls really was that strong, then why am I not seeing more people doing this kind of stuff? Taboo aside, obviously, but not everyone will care about that, right?
Iâm getting ahead of myself. Iâm pretty sure a single high-class individual is worth, like, probably millions of regular humans. Now that I know what I should be expecting. Hopefully, next time, I donât get completely fucking delirious.
Sadly, this is slowly becoming the only way I can reliably grow in power. Training quests with my mother and the others are showing fewer and fewer results, and the only way to unlock the new dungeon is to level upâa lot. And to level up, I need EXP. To get EXP, I need to either kill strong things or complete quests.
âŠWell, shit. Devouring really might be the only reasonable method available at the moment. Thatâs both scary and tempting. After all, I perfectly avoided the yakuza the first time, didnât I? I can probably do it again.
But overconfidence is a trap Iâm not falling for. Being careful and prepared has served me very well so far, so Iâll only take risks if necessary. Iâll lay low for some time before striking again; maybe this time, Iâll go in the opposite direction and hit Okinawa instead.
Name - Akane Amamiya
Level - 225
Title - Undead Slayer
Primary Class - Juggernaut - LVL 25/100 [9%]
Secondary Class - Illusionist - LVL 34/100 [86%]
Race - Human
Rank - Mortal
Alignment - Neutral Evil
HP - 31,965 [4262 per minute]
MP - 77,550 [34,440 per minute]
SP - 31,965 [4262 per minute]
STR - 3012
END - 2131
DEX - 2479
INT - 3102
WIS - 2870
CHA - 1846
LUK â 1106
A few more people and I wouldâve gotten the DEX essence⊠shame. More idiots shouldâve joined their silly after-school club.
Hmm, with stats like these, I wonder what âclassâ people would consider me right now? I should be Ultimate, at least. My physical stats seem to be catching up to my magic/mental-based ones, so thatâs good. I donât have the luxury of my magic strength being directly related to how strong I can punch.
Which is weird. Pretty sure people are starting to notice it, but I like this system stuff better anyway. As long as I keep everything close to each other, others wonât see much of a difference.
Speaking of punchingâŠ
âL-like this?â Asia shows me her fist.
âYes. You donât tuck your thumb inside your hand when punching. Thatâs how you end up breaking your finger.â I explain before pausing. â...Though, to be honest, Iâm not sure if that still applies when youâre superhuman, but weâll assume that it does. Anyway, start hitting this.â
I point at the punching bag in the facility's indoor gym. Everyone else is training outside, but since Asia is still too weak to play with them, I thought Iâd take her inside to teach her the basics. I donât like that Iâm pretty much wasting time here, but perhaps making our healer able to fight in the frontlines with us will be worth investing in.
She did not help one bit in the Kokabiel arc, and if she had tried to get involved, she wouldâve gotten crushed immediately. Everyone knows you always target the healers first, so making her capable of defending herself is required if I want to actually use her.
Iâve been a bit too neglectful regarding Asia because of everything Iâve had on my plate. Not anymore, though. Anyway, I still had to check her overall strength beyond just using Observe, because 50 in strength doesnât tell me how strong she punches or how much she can bench press.
The answer to the latter question is around a thousand kilograms. So yes, even someone like Asia can casually break the world recordâthe reason being her Sacred Gear, of course. The difference between normal humans and anything remotely supernatural is this massive.
Makes it even more absurd that I managed to get anything out of those dumbass gangsters.
âUm, sure.â Asia nods.
Asia throws a very pathetic punch, making me swallow back a groan.
âDonât worry about holding back,â I say patiently. âThis was custom-made to be able to absorb the shock from punching and kicking. It can withstand physical attacks from high-class and below.â
âOh, okay.â Asia blinks.
This time, she focuses and hits as hard as she can, but even with that, the bag barely even moves an inch. I grimace as the blond turns to look at me with an expectant smile, preventing me from making a snarky quip.
âHow did I do?!â
This is gonna take a whileâŠ
âGood enough, I suppose,â I respond, crossing my arms in thought.
Her strength and speed, as her status page said, are absolutely fucking abysmal. I can quite literally flick her in the forehead hard enough that she explodes, no different from what I can do to the average guy.
I will say, though. Her stamina is way higher than everything else. With HP barely reaching a thousand and MP literally less than five hundred, her SP is fifty thousand due to continuous use of Twilight Healing.
This could help accelerate her growth tremendously. Sure, she canât restore her own stamina like she does ours, but she doesnât need that as much as we do. The stronger she gets, the more she can do, and the longer she lasts.
âŠYou know what? Even with everything else going on, like my tech and using Devour, Iâm positive I can get her in shape before the peace conference and invasion. Nowhere near as strong as me and Ichi, obviously, but I can make her helpful by then. Who knows, maybe that battle will get her unlocking her own Balance Breaker, and thatâs something I want to see.
Quest added
[Private Angel] - Quest
Objective: Get Asia to level 100 before the Peace Conference
Bonus Objective: Get Asia to level 200 before the Peace Conference
Rewards: +100 CHA, Massively increase reputation with Asia Argento
Bonus Rewards: +150 CHA, [Ki Healing] Skill, unlock affection for Asia Argento
Challenge accepted. Getting her from level 25 to 200 would be a piece of cake, especially with that funny teaching perk I have.
âAlright!â I say suddenly, startling her a little. âIâve decided that Iâm going to turn you into a physical powerhouse.â
âY-you will?â Asia blinked in surprise.
âIndeed. I think I see a lot of potential in you.â I nod sagely. âBy the end of your training, I want you to be able to destroy this stupid bag with a single punch. Are we clear?â
âYes, maâam!â The blond answers just enthusiastically. âIâll do my best!â
âGood.â I smile. âIâll be pushing you to your limits every single day, so I better not hear a single complaint. Now, letâs start by weightlifting until everything here becomes too light. Then weâll use the gravity belts.â
To my delight, this doesnât intimidate her one bit. If anything, it serves as some sort of motivation for her. Setting a goal can be really motivating, so I get it. Heh, you know, this might actually turn out to be fun after all.
I can only do so much to get her to level 200, so half of the work will have to be on her, but seeing her so excited makes me think she can do it. As long as I keep her this fired up, she might even go beyond the initial goal.
This and working on my new armor will be a good distraction. Plus, an independent healing skill will come in handy. Weâll see. Hopefully, there wonât be any nasty surprises when the invasion happens.
But knowing this fucking world, I would have better luck seeing my dad dig out of his grave.
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â Asia â
âCâmon, Asia. Youâve gotten this far; you can do this.â Akane said encouragingly. âJust one more.â
Asia, soaked in sweat and red from exhaustion, listened to her trainer and pushed herself harder, squatting down with one and a half tons of weight before slowly lifting it with gritted teeth. Thankfully, her best friend was there to help when her legs became a little too wobbly for her liking, and effortlessly held up the bar for her as she finally finished the set.
âGood job!â Akane praised as Asia fell down on her butt, panting heavily.
âIâm so tired.â The blond responded, lying on her back.
But, at the same time, it felt so rewarding. Was this how they felt after a long day of training? She started to understand the appeal and why Ichi, Akane, and everyone else always laughed and smiled afterward. This was an incredible experience.
It was challenging but delightful, for sure. Learning how each machine was used, with Akane teaching her all the basics, was part of the fun. Now, Asia wasnât new to lifting. She always had to pick up heavy objects at the orders of the elder nuns and priestesses working in the church, but those were chores. This was for the sake of exercise.
âYo, you girls still in there?â Ichiban said as he peeked from behind the door. âSheesh, youâve been at it since forever. Everyone else already left, you know.â
âHi, IchiâŠâ Asia waved weakly.
âDoesnât concern us.â Akane shrugged.
âI mean, thatâs true.â Ichi scratched the back of his head. âXenovia got pretty pissed, though.â
âSo?â She snorted. âShe can bang her head against the wall. I donât care.â
âI suffered the brunt of it.â He deadpanned. âShe thought Iâd do as a âreplacementâ. Her word, not mine.â
âHaha!â Akane laughed. âDonât tell me you took that lying down?!â
âOf course not. I kicked her ass.â He said. âAnyway, you okay down there, Asia?â
âEverything hurtsâŠâ
After Akaneâs sudden promise, sheâd set aside standard martial arts training in favor of growing her strength and muscles. Asia wondered and asked why, but her trainer responded that knowing how to throw a punch was great, but it wouldnât matter when everyone was so much stronger and faster.
Asia had agreed after hearing that argument and listened intently to everything Akane had told her. Prioritizing physical growth right now would probably make her a lot more helpful on the battlefield because even though she wouldnât know how to fight directly, she could still help by healing everyone else in case they got injured.
And they spent a lot of time training together. From 8 AM to 2 PM, in fact, spread across several exercises like lifting, squats, running, and so much more. Akane was also with her the whole time, positively cheering her on with every step.
Asia appreciated that intensely, but it made her feel bad. Akane was always giving her things and helping her out, and all Asia could do in return was cook food. It didnât feel like she was doing enough.
But thatâs why she was training in the first place. To make herself helpful to her and their friends.
âThatâs how it is,â Akane said. âI hope this isnât giving you second thoughts.â
âNot at all.â Asia grinned in satisfaction. âI really enjoyed it. It was hard but so fun, too.â
âHeh, so eager now, huh?â Ichiban smiled.
âGood. This attitude will help you out a lot later.â The red-eyed girl nodded approvingly. âGood job, Asia. Youâve done really well today.â
âWeâre done?â
âWe are,â Akane confirmed. âNormal people only need an hour or two at most in the gym, yâknow? Weâve been at it for six hours. Any more than that is torture, not training.â
This was surprising to the blond. She thought theyâd be at it until 4 PM, at least. These past hours went by like lightning. It did make sense, though. Too much work wouldnât be giving her body the rest it needed. She wouldnât benefit from extra training at all.
But stillâŠ
âI donât feel any stronger, though.â She said.
âOf course not.â Ichi quipped. âYou need to give it time before you start noticing the difference.â
âI seeâŠâ Asia sighed.
That was a little disappointing.
âDonât give me that look.â Her trainer rolled her eyes. âTrust me, what you accomplished is nothing to scoff at. You will see the difference tomorrow.â
âYou think so?â
âI know so.â She said confidently. âI mean, look at me. Yokai blood or not, I got this powerful in just a little over a month. That doesnât happen with normal people.â
âI guess thatâs true.â Asia stood up, having rested a little. âBut what do we do now that weâre done with training?â
It was relatively early to be going to bed. The sun was still high and it was a Friday, so they had no school to worry about. Asia didnât know what else they should be doing today. Would they be training in other ways?
âNow we get food.â She replied, offering her a hand. âI already made a reservation in some pretty expensive steakhouse. Weâre going to eat until we burst.â
Oh, right. Food. Asia forgot that she was starving.
âSeriously?!â Ichiâs eyes sparkled in excitement. âHoly shit, thank you so much! Oh man, I havenât had a good steak in forever!â
âIf you want to thank anyone, thank her.â Akane playfully elbowed his side. âShe seriously surprised me with her resolve today. She deserves it.â
âY-you really didnât have to.â The blond said, a little embarrassed. âIâm okay with homecooked meals.â
âToo bad.â She smirked. âYouâre gonna need as much protein as possible. Itâs simply part of your training.â
âWellâŠâ Asia twiddled her thumbs shyly. âIf you insist.â
âAlright, whenâs the reservation?â Ichi asked. âDo we have time to get ready?â
âYeah, itâs in two hours.â Akane nodded. âThough you make it sound like weâre going somewhere formal.â
âWe arenât? I mean, you said itâs expensive, didnât you?â
âYeah, to commoners like you.â She said. âIâm a billionaire, you peasant. I can literally buy the restaurantâs entire franchise.â
âOh, here we go again with this bullshit. Your mother is the billionaire, not you.â
âAnd sheâs a complete pushover. The money is basically mine.â
Asia watched the two get into their usual banter, and her smile widened. Between these two and Mizuki, she never thought sheâd find people as kind as them. No, not just âpeopleâ, but a real family. Before coming across the Amamiya family, she had never felt warmth like this.
It only served to strengthen her faith in the Lord. This couldnât have been a coincidence but a reward for her unwavering belief and perseverance.
May God bless and shower them with the same kindness and love they showed Asia.
âŠWas it her, or was Akane shaking?
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â Daigo â
âHave you found anything?â
âUnfortunately, no.â His captain responded with a professional tone. âThis âterroristâ is no slouch. They know what theyâre doing.â
Daigoâs frown deepened at this. This⊠could be bad for them. An unprovoked attack like this so close to the conference was worrying. Some kind of a warning shot? He had voiced his concerns to Mizuki just a few minutes ago, asking if this was something the Amon would do.
But if it wasnât them, then who could it be? Why Hokkaido? Why some ordinary human gangs? If it was some intimidation tactic, why kidnap the victims or hide the bodies? It's not like they were going to be gaining anything from that. If intimidation was the point, then leaving the corpses inside wouldâve done the trick.
More importantly, how could they have stayed hidden for so long? Avoiding detection so effortlessly like that?
The fact that they had struck so suddenly could lead to problems. Not knowing who it could be made it even worse, as Daigo knew he was still missing a lot of information. Heâd never find the answer to âwhoâ and âwhyâ, not right now, at least.
But even though he needed to prepare for the conference, he wouldnât just stay there and do nothing about that. Itâd be a sign of weakness and could be taken advantage of if he wasnât careful enough.
He had gotten this far and would not ruin what he had strived to build.
âWhatâs our move?â
âPosition the Hamazaki Family in Hokkaido. Tell them to remain on standby until further notice.â He ordered. âIf the situation proves too dangerous for them to handle, inform Kashiwagi-san.â
âOf course.â Mine nodded, then paused. âHamazaki Family, huh⊠So youâre sending a weaker family to handle it while the rest of the clan will stay with you in Kuoh.â
âYes,â Daigo confirmed. âItâs merely a show of power. Leaders can throw pleasantries and goodwill left, right, and center, but none is as effective as that simple act.â
Individually, sure, they might be decent and honest people, but kindness could only get you so far as a faction leader. At the end of the day, youâd want powerful allies to help you prosper and thrive. Only being nice wasnât going to keep his loved ones safe.
The moment he was done with this conference, he was going to focus most of his attention on bettering the Tojoâs tech. First, he had to worry about the Amon clan breaking in. And now there was another possibly hostile entity poking them for unknown reasons.
Which reminded him to keep an eye out for Tatsuâs daughter. As far as he was aware, she hadnât made anything else after her armor, but she was seemingly too focused on her training. He still planned to invest some of his resources into her creations.
The kid was talented, and he looked forward to seeing what sheâd make. Making power armor, even as crude as that, was significant enough to be kept track of.
But beyond helping her refine her crafts, her safety was still top priority. He could only hope this unknown threat wanted nothing to do with her because there was a real possibility that they were simply another of Tatsuâs old enemies that had come out of the woodwork now that news of Akaneâs achievement of defeating Kokabiel was spreading through the supernatural scene.
If you couldnât get revenge on him directly, then, well, there was no better way to piss him off than to hurt his daughter.
Hereâs hoping Akane could handle herself when that eventually happened.
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Tatara Hisoka is an actual character in the newest yakuza game. I thought including her here as an occult-loving nutjob instead of what she does in canon would be very funny and fitting.
Comments
ArgoDevilian
Mizuki: "Expert at getting rid of bodies" Akane: "damn Inventory is so useful" Mizuki: "What was their Endgoal" Akane: "Wanna know how I got these gains?" I swear someone's going to notice eventually. I mean, I'm pretty sure some people can just see souls or whatever, and Akanes soul is gonna look weird.
