Chapter 5

2 The operation as discussed in the meeting was extremely simple. They had to reach the Kushinada’s den before any other PMC, find it, and capture it. That’s it. There was no point in laying out any details anyway, since they would have to act according to the Moujuu’s movements once they were inside the 23 Wards. “The Galerie has gathered two squads, a total of twenty-four people, in order to capture the Kushinada. Half of them will be waiting outside the 23 Wards as logistical support; only one squad will enter,” Rosé calmly explained under a tent on the riverside. “Twelve people… That’s too many.” Yahiro grimaced. The more people in one place, the easier it was for a Moujuu to notice them. One squad of these special forces was too large to reach the city center unnoticed. And yet, it hardly felt like enough to capture the Kushinada. Yahiro immediately felt like quitting. “Fifteen, actually, counting you and us,” Rosé corrected him. Yahiro gazed at the twins, a shocked look on his face. Giuli, incomprehensibly, made peace signs with both hands. I’m not staring at you in admiration. “You’re gonna go, too?” “Of course. You know how the parents normally follow from afar when they send the child on their first errand? It’s like that.” “How, exactly?! You saying you’re my parents now?!” “…Are you rebelling? Geez. Teens, huh?” Rosé kept a straight face. “Pooor baaaby. It’s gonna be aww wight. Mommy’s hewe.” Giuli patted his head. They actually didn’t look like they were joking; Yahiro gave up on objecting further. There was a more pressing matter to discuss. “So, what’s this Kushinada like? Sounds like you know where it lives, but how are we supposed to tell it apart from the other Moujuu?” “We’ll know as soon as we see it.” “How can you be so sure?” He glanced at Rosé with suspicion. She did not respond and glanced behind Yahiro. A big, wheeled, armored vehicle was just arriving at the riverside. It was a command communication vehicle, with a big antenna on the back. It was marked with the logo of a different PMC. Armed operators got off the vehicle as soon as it stopped. In order to differentiate themselves from the army personnel, their uniforms were pompous, and reminiscent of medieval knights. A man with an even more extravagant uniform than the others calmly led the group over to the tent. He was young and beautiful, like something out of a painting. He was tall and appeared to be in his late twenties. “Ladies and gentlemen of Galerie Berith, excuse us for intruding before the operation begins. We’ve brought here our sponsor, the chairman of Raimat International. Please show your gratitude to the count’s consideration, Galerie guards.” The man spoke in a polite but cocky tone, with the trademark snobbish accent of the bourgeoisie. “Who the hell are you?” Josh was the first to react; he could not hide his irritation. “Wait, Josh. That’s Firman La Hire, commander in chief of RMS.” Wei hurriedly stopped him before he could punch the man. Yahiro furrowed his brow in silence. He wasn’t really in the know, but he had heard of the RMS name. Raimat Military Securika—a PMC owned by one of the world’s top arms manufacturers, Raimat International. They were one of the first to be deployed during the J-nocide, and even today, they worked in many of its cities, transporting goods and maintaining public order. One of the corporations that profited the most out of the J-nocide. Yahiro had already heard it was Raimat International that planned Operation: Kushinada Hunt. Obviously RMS, their subsidiary, would participate. “Major, we owe Galerie Berith for joining us in this important operation. Treat them with respect.” “Pardon me, Count.” The blond guy straightened before stepping back. In his place appeared a gray-haired man in a suit. His energetic poise did not match his age—which was well beyond seventy. He had a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were sharp. He was the kind of man Yahiro did not like in the least. The kind who would never dirty his own hands with another person’s blood but would easily sign a document that ordered the deaths of millions. “…Count?” “Count Hector Raimat, chief executive officer of Raimat International,” Rosé replied to Yahiro’s involuntary mumble. The count turned to look at Rosé and bowed cheerfully. “Ciao, Signorina Berith. I thank you once again for your help with this operation.” “Thank you for coming all the way here to greet us, Count. We are looking forward to working with you today.” Giuli put on a fake smile in silence while Rosé responded politely. “Oh, no, the pleasure is mine. It is an honor to be able to hire the renowned Berith family.” He nodded gracefully. Then the low humming of an engine echoed. A group of armored flying vehicles was crossing the Shin-Arakawa Bridge that acted as the 23 Wards border. Add that to the wheeled tanks and personnel carriers and there were more than twenty vehicles. Enough to make up a company. “What is that?” “That is Ranga Patna’s armored corps.” The count answered Rosé’s question. Yahiro wasn’t imagining the contempt he felt from the man’s tone of voice. “They boasted about gathering a dozen infantry fighting vehicles, the foolish lot. Do they not realize the sound of the engines would only attract the Moujuu?” “And you still let them go in like that?” Yahiro asked in a critical tone. The count glanced at him with deep interest, clearly surprised at his worrying about other people’s lives. “Their attracting all the Moujuu will mean we will be safer on the way to our destination. That’s simply their job in this joint operation,” Rosé explained. Yahiro grimaced in silence. He finally realized why Raimat, despite their immense numbers, had proposed a joint operation. He planned on using the other PMCs as stepping stones. Galerie was well aware of this and planned on outwitting him. Sly fox versus fox. It was nothing but a wicked game, using people’s lives as betting chips. “As sharp as always, Signorina Berith.” The count nodded in satisfaction; he kept on smiling even as he was aware that they knew his true intentions. “And here you have a small troop of elite; I would expect no less of Galerie Berith. I also heard you hired your own guide.” He glanced at Yahiro. He’d known about him from the very beginning. Yahiro then realized that, in fact, he had come all the way there to meet him. However, he didn’t understand why he would show such interest in him. The count continued to stare at him intently as he asked, “I had heard rumors of a cursed Japanese surviving and going in and out of the 23 Wards as a salvager… Major, wouldn’t you like to test him?” “I most certainly would, Count.” Firman lifted his right hand, holding a gun. Old, automatic, and engraved with a tacky design. “Excuse me, young man.” “—?!” An intense shock to his chest sent Yahiro flying backward. It was only after he fell that he heard the gunshots and realized what had happened. “Yahiro?!” “La Hire, you bastard!” Paola and Josh moved right away. She drew her own pistol and pointed it at the RMS operators, while Josh ran up to punch Firman. Firman raised both hands in a gesture of surrender and easily dodged Josh’s attack. He looked at Yahiro on the ground and sighed heavily in disappointment. “Hah… Immortality? Yeah right. Looks like the cat is out of the bag.” “What?!” “Josh, wait.” Rosé stopped him. Josh, surprised by her order, froze like a hound scolded by its owner. Yahiro sighed as he pushed himself up from the pebbled ground. From his chest fell the bent ceramic bulletproof plate that was part of his uniform. “You wouldn’t need this cheap trickery if you truly were immortal. I apologize for scaring you.” The count closed his eyes and shook his head with undisguised chagrin. Yahiro shrugged silently. He didn’t enjoy what had just happened, but there was no point in complaining about it. They were his clients, after all. “Bill Raimat for the plate we ruined. Good-bye,” the count said before turning around. His operators followed him back to the armored vehicle. His imperious strides conveyed that he had nothing left to discuss. “Wow… That came out of nowhere. You okay, Yahiro? Are your pants dry?” Giuli asked cheerfully as she crouched down beside him. “Yes, thank you very much,” he replied grumpily as he sat up sluggishly. Three bullet holes marked his uniform, all within four inches of his heart. Firman’s quick-fire skill was nothing short of impressive. Even with the bulletproofing, the shock of that would be enough to knock out a regular human. Yahiro didn’t stand up immediately because he realized that. “So this is why you made me wear this.” He looked up at Rosé, wincing a bit. She’d told him to wear it until they entered the 23 Wards. She knew from the very beginning that the count would try shooting him. “There’s no need to show the enemy our hand,” she replied, unfazed. “…The enemy?” Yahiro pursed his lips. He didn’t expect her to outright say their sponsor was their enemy. “I’d heard rumors that Count Raimat is incredibly fascinated by the Lazarus. It appears they were true; who would’ve thought he’d come all the way here just to test you?” She grinned. That helped him realize her true intentions. She was testing the count, just as he had tested Yahiro. She’d brought him as bait to check whether the count really had as much interest in the Lazarus as she had heard. It was very likely she herself had leaked the intel on the Galerie hiring him as a guide. Both Yahiro and the count had been dancing in the palm of her hand this whole time. “The operation begins in thirty minutes. You can change out of that uniform now. We have a new one for you in the carrier to your right.” Rosé spoke innocently, as though none of this had been her plan all along. “You even had a change of clothes at the ready?” he said wryly. Rosé was still unfazed, however. She held her hands together and smiled pityingly. “Oh, but we don’t have a change of underwear. Sorry about that.” “I told you I didn’t soil myself!” he screamed. The operators all burst out laughing at that. It was the first time since he became the Lazarus that he heard the laughter of comrades. 3 There was a girl with green eyes in the mirror. Her skin was flawless. Silver eye shadow. Lavender lips. Silver hair with a gentle wave tied up in pigtails. Her new outfit, based on a fairy design, was a bit embarrassing, actually—her shoulders were exposed. The design itself was very delicate and cute, however. She convinced herself everything would be all right so long as she stayed in character and turned to face the camera. It was showtime. “Waooon! Hi, everywaon, Iroha Waon here!” She said her usual greeting after unmuting the mic, hoping it would eventually reach her brethren. “So then, I told them: ‘Sorry, only pedestrians and nonmotorized vehicles past this point.’ You should’ve seen that, man! It was hilarious! Ha-ha-ha!” “Y-yeah…” Yahiro nodded tiredly. Josh had been chattering incessantly ever since Operation: Kushinada Hunt began. Now Yahiro knew about the guy’s upbringing and history, his likes and dislikes in food and even women, everything. “Woooo, that’s chilly!” Captain Giuli leaned over the broadside, delighting in the spray of the water on her cheeks. The troops were on two rigid-hulled inflatable boats, sailing the Sumida River. “I never would’ve thought of taking the water route! Great idea, Yahiro,” Josh said with wonder. Tokyo had this image of a cluster of high-rise buildings, but in truth, ever since the Edo period, it had been a river city, flourishing thanks to the waterways. Yahiro’s master plan to reach their destination safely was just that: avoid land routes as much as possible. “There are few aquatic Moujuu, and their emergence points are mostly fixed,” Yahiro said while opening up the map to check their location. A group of humans moving together would obviously alert the Moujuu. Taking an entire squad of operators all the way to the city center unharmed was virtually impossible, even for someone as knowledgeable about the 23 Wards as Yahiro. Using the water route was his last resort in trying to overthrow those odds. “Problem is, we have no escape if we come across one…” He narrowed his eyes and looked forward. An aquatic Moujuu rose to the surface and approached the boats. Its skin was thick and slimy, its appearance similar to that of a sea slug. “That’s what we’re here for!” Josh aimed his special forces lightweight machine gun at it before Yahiro could give any orders, and he immediately opened fire. The boat rocked violently, but Josh’s aim was nothing to scoff at. All bullets hit the target despite the instability and the more than 182 meters of distance. The other boat, transporting Rosé, provided cover fire at the same time. Killing a Moujuu with light machine guns was unlikely, but it did have the effect of scaring it away from the boats’ path. It flinched and dove back into the water, and they took the chance to pass right through. Once he was at a safe distance, Josh lowered his gun. Then a blast not unlike fireworks echoed from afar. It came from a tank’s revolver cannon. One of the other PMCs had begun fighting Moujuu on land. “Whoa… They’re going all out,” Josh muttered while looking in the direction of the noise. “Ranga Patna’s armored corps… Doesn’t sound like they’re doing well…,” Paola said while equipping a new ammunition belt to her gun. Amid the gunfire, they could hear the sound of the tanks crashing into buildings and their armor getting crushed. Still, it didn’t sound like they were getting completely overwhelmed, but they were suffering some serious losses. And the longer the fight raged on, the more Moujuu would gather, and the greater their disadvantage. “Hate to say it, but that chairman was right. All the Moujuu are gonna go there, keeping us relatively safer.” “Don’t forget…we, too…were supposed to do that for them…,” Paola replied to Josh just as serenely. Exemplary PMC employees—precise judgment even while filled with disgust. They could divide the Moujuu’s attention by having multiple different troops march to the destination. It was the only way to smoothly reach the city’s center, even by water. That didn’t mean the other squads were voluntarily playing the bait, however. No, everyone was thinking the same thing: They hoped for the chance to get the upper hand and beat the others to the treasure. As proof of that, white trails were painted on the sky above. Aircraft trying to cross the 23 Wards by air. Giuli took notice of that and wailed in pity. “Oof…so they’re doing that.” “Huh?” Yahiro also looked up, narrowing his eyes at the brightness. His expression quickly darkened. He noticed the puffy objects descending from the aircraft. “That’s a QDS Hercules… Paratrooper transport…,” Paola explained while looking through her sniper scope. QDS was one of the PMCs participating in Operation: Kushinada Hunt—Queensland Defense Service. They had decided to take neither the land nor water route: They were trying to send military parachutists right to the Tokyo Dome ruins. “Parachuting? Hold on, that’s not fair,” Josh blurted out. “Idiots,” Yahiro whispered in a low voice. The skies of the 23 Wards at any height below the stratosphere were a no-fly zone. He couldn’t believe there was a PMC that didn’t know the reason. From their position downriver, they could see the moment the first operator opened his parachute and when the city skyline wavered. A seemingly infinite number of creatures took to the skies from the ruins all over the city. Flying Moujuu. Spectral birds. “People in parachutes are just Moujuu bait. I was hoping they wouldn’t notice with them opening at low altitudes, but…I guess even then, they’re just sitting ducks.” Yahiro grimaced. Moujuu had sharp senses; they always noticed whenever someone intruded on their territory. The flying beasts swarmed the QDS operators. They had opened their parachutes not even a thousand feet from the ground, but that was still too high an altitude. They were unable to move in the air while the Moujuu attacked. A red mist fell over everything. A bloody haze. Yahiro and the rest were fortunate enough to be far away from them. They couldn’t hear the screams. Hundreds of Moujuu darted through the skies as they annihilated the QDS troops before any of the forty could reach the ground. The Galerie’s operators observed in silence. They knew well how fearsome the Moujuu were. The way they quickly took care of the pseudo–sea slug a few moments back was proof they had plenty of experience. However, it wasn’t until one actually witnessed the sheer numbers and brutality of the beasts emerging in the quarantine area that one could truly understand what they were up against. “Shit… The 23 Wards are so messed up, man.” Josh sighed. They are. They really are. This was what Tokyo, Yahiro’s former home, had become. 4 “It was our mission, dude. You get that? The mission! But no, that asshole chief had to go and do that!” Josh’s chattering did not stop even as he shot at the Moujuu surfacing from the water. He was American, of Irish descent, and a former cop. He had worked undercover investigating drug cartels until one day, he got involved with the cartel boss’s mistress, so he ended up running away to Galerie Berith. He had a colorful history. According to Josh, all operators in the Galerie had similar stories. Maybe it was because they were all weirdos and outcasts that they decided to join a troop led by a couple of teenage twins. Despite the eccentricity, though, they were all undoubtedly skilled. They had blown past six Moujuu encounters and were already 80 percent done with the boat trip. They just had to enter the Kanda River before Ryogoku Bridge, and the Tokyo Dome would be just ahead. “Things have been going well only because they’ve been showing up one by one. It’s gonna get tricky if they show up in groups with a leader,” Josh muttered after defeating the seventh Moujuu, using up nearly twenty grenade shots. It was then that Yahiro remembered their objective: capture the Kushinada, a Moujuu leading other Moujuu. That would be tricky for sure. If left alone, it could become a threat to humanity outside the quarantine area. And if captured, its powers could be used by the military and cause conflict among humans. Either way it went, only bloodshed awaited. What was the right thing to do? Yahiro was not interested in the Kushinada, however. He was merely a guide. His contract with the twins would end as soon as they reached its nest. What was important to him wasn’t this new kind of Moujuu—it was his sister. Soon he would get details about her whereabouts. After four years of searching for her. He clenched his teeth, staring at his hands. “Let me correct you on that. Them being alone doesn’t mean we can defeat them.” Giuli stood up, her orange hair fluttering with the wind. “Something wrong, Princess?” Josh furrowed his brow when he saw Giuli leaning over the boat’s bow. She did not respond. She only stared intently at the water in front of her. Then Yahiro noticed the peculiar yellow color of the bridge. They were near the pier of the Kuramae Bridge. And the color of the water was different. A giant Moujuu was lurking beneath. “Rosetta, stop the boat! It’s Bā Xià!” Yahiro yelled to the vessel behind them. His voice reached the second boat thanks to the integrated comms on the uniform. He did not expect the response that followed, however. “It’s Rosé.” “What?” “I told you to call me Rosé.” “This is not the time!” Right as Yahiro was replying back in desperation, the water shot up like a geyser. It was fifteen meters tall. It looked like a Mosasaurus—an extinct, colossal sea reptile with fins for forelimbs. Its torso, however, was protected by a tough shell, just like a turtle’s. It was named Bā Xià based on its appearance, for the Chinese mythological creature. It was as astonishing and ferocious as one would imagine from its name. It was one of the five strongest aquatic Moujuu Yahiro knew of. “Guns won’t work?! Paola, blow it away!” Josh urged her. “I can’t promise anything…” She held up the revolver-type grenade launcher armed with six shots. She launched all six of the high-explosive dual-purpose shots in a row. They had low initial velocity and accuracy but were powerful enough to destroy armored vehicles. And yet, they barely made the giant ashen Moujuu flinch. “It’s not working?” Paola threw the grenade launcher away and grabbed her light machine gun. There was no hope of 6.5mm rifle bullets making a dent in the monster that resisted those grenades, though. They could only hope to defeat it with a tank gun, if even that. It wasn’t named after a mythological monster for nothing. “Okay, don’t shoot. Guess I’ll take care of it. Giuli, ram the boat into it.” Yahiro stood up with a sigh and languidly instructed his employer. He took out the big knife from the sheath on his leg. “You’ll…take care of it? With that knife?” Paola was dumbfounded. “I mean, I wish I didn’t have to, but here we are.” Yahiro shook his head weakly. Then he stabbed his own left arm. He buried the blade all the way down, drenching it in crimson. He grimaced in pain. “Whoa! What’re you doing, Yahiro?!”