Nagumo Shian's Request
We successfully evaded Kurotsukidoo's ambush and launched a counterattack, arriving near our destination—the sewage treatment plant on the outskirts of Yurihonjo City. We approached the facility by focusing on areas where CCTV cameras were visible. Given Kurotsukidoo's habit of destroying surveillance equipment, the presence of intact cameras suggested the group was likely absent. As expected, the area was clear, allowing us to advance without issue.
"Ugh! I think I'm gonna throw up."
"We're not even going inside the sewer pipes. Don't be so dramatic."
Kiyona Mari walked along the path beside the sewer, pinching her nose and groaning. Sawayanagi Azuma responded, though her own expression wasn't much better. It was a sewage treatment plant, after all—there was no way it would smell pleasant.
The lower-ranking members of the Black Moon Hall were nothing more than Chinese thugs handed guns; they had no real discipline or military bearing. Even though they were stationed near the treatment plant, they avoided the foul-smelling sewer areas entirely. That made infiltrating through the sewers the perfect route for us.
In truth, most of us—including myself—were wearing full-head multi-purpose combat helmets that filtered in only purified air, so we didn't smell anything. However, those with sensory-dependent supernatural abilities like Rianna Holden, Kiyona Mari, and Sawayanagi Azuma wore headgear-like equipment instead of full helmets, meaning they had to endure the stench.
It seemed they had anticipated asking for my help, as they'd prepared a combat suit and helmet in my exact size. I gripped a silenced pistol and led the way into the treatment plant building alongside Sawayanagi Tobey.
Pffft! Pffft!
Once we reached a distance where the odor had faded, we discovered two guards dozing off while watching the rear. Sawayanagi Tobey and I each took one out cleanly. If they hadn't been sleeping, they might have alerted the others—but clearly, there was zero discipline among them. Thanks to the silencers dampening the gunshots, we continued our infiltration undetected.
"There are three this way."
Following Sawayanagi Seari's guidance, enhanced by the power of the wind, made things incredibly easy. While I possessed a master's senses, maintaining that level of intentional focus was somewhat tiring. In combat situations like this, however, I kept my master's senses active. The advantage was that I could focus solely on the battle rather than constantly scanning for people.
We began by eliminating the smaller scattered groups first. It was the classic "peeling an apple" strategy—slowly stripping away the enemy's numbers. If they didn't notice our attacks, they would fall without ever realizing what was happening.
No matter how ragtag a force, once their numbers dropped below a certain point, they would eventually catch on. By the time Kurotsukidoo realized what was happening, they had already lost nearly fifty percent of their troops. At that stage, we could even engage them head-on with minimal risk of casualties.
"Chao ni ma!! Get the hell out here, you Riben guizi bastards!"
A group of about forty men shouted at us from behind a corner, hurling Chinese curses. I had no idea why they were yelling for us to come out when they clearly planned to shoot us the moment we did. Their morale had plummeted after losing more than half their forces, which was why they couldn't muster the courage to charge us directly.
"I'll go out first and draw their attention. The rest of you handle the cleanup."
Sawayanagi Tobey activated his ability, his body undergoing steel transformation as he spoke. The exposed skin on his body turned metallic, granting him tremendous physical defense. On top of that, he wore a combat suit and helmet with decent bulletproof properties, so there was no chance of him dying from gunfire.
"Uryaaa!!!!"
"Gouri de!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
I peeked around the corner and saw Sawayanagi Tobey taking dozens of bullets, sparks flying off his body. He didn't seem affected in the slightest. With a bizarre battle cry, he slammed his steel fist into one enemy, knocking him out cold. A punch from those metal knuckles usually meant instant death or unconsciousness.
While all the gunfire focused on Sawayanagi Tobey, the rest of the Seryu members charged around the corner, weapons blazing. The attention that had been locked on him scattered instantly. The Kurotsukidoo thugs couldn't even return fire before they were cut down by Seryu's bullets.
"Kyaht!"
Kiyona Mari's performance was the most impressive. She didn't even need to generate intense flames with her pyrokinesis. Simply creating small sparks right in front of the eyes of anyone aiming at us was enough to cancel their attacks. While they were startled, she turned them into sieves. That was precisely why none of them could fire their guns.
Since small flames required very little concentration, she was able to create sparks in front of all forty enemies at once, throwing them into chaos and handing us an effortless victory.
"That's a pretty creative approach this time."
"Yeah. Focusing purely on destructive power is fine, but I started thinking about using my strength more efficiently. So I gave it a try."
Kiyona Mari puffed out her small chest proudly in response to Sawayanagi Azuma's comment. I'd thought she only cared about fashion, but it seemed she put real effort into her actual job after all—especially considering how much she thought about combat techniques.
After the battle, while we were searching the remaining areas to ensure no enemies were left, a radio transmission came in from Sawayanagi Mikiyo, who had been positioned outside. The sniper had been picking off Kurotsukidoo members from the rooftop of a nearby tall building.
"Understood. We'll meet back at the transport vehicle."
We had Sawayanagi Seari perform one final full sweep of the area. Once she confirmed there was no one left, we returned to the transport vehicle we'd arrived in. Sawayanagi Mikiyo was already there, disassembling her sniper rifle.
"Good work out there!"
"You were the one working alone, Mikiyo."
During the ride back, Sawayanagi Azuma called the Taira Food headquarters to report that the Red Point subjugation had been completed. Once we reached the transport, she opened a map application on her tablet and spoke.
"It looks like any group with roughly a hundred or more enemies qualifies as a Red Point."
"Well, we're just that strong. Taking down a hundred ragtag thugs like them is no big deal."
Kiyona Hori placed her hands on her hips and thrust out her chest as she replied to Sawayanagi Azuma's murmur. Unlike the flat-chested Kiyona Mari, Kiyona Hori's impressive bust created quite the presence when she puffed it out like that. I almost reached out instinctively but managed to restrain myself with superhuman willpower.
Although Seryu only had ten members, they were all elite fighters, and six of them possessed supernatural abilities. Defeating a lower-tier Kurotsukidoo unit of around a hundred men was well within their capabilities.
"At this rate, we should be able to clear out the remaining Red Points as quickly as possible over the next day or two."
"I'll do my best to help you until tomorrow."
Sawayanagi Azuma gave me a very satisfied smile in response to my words. It looked like I was going to be worked to the bone for the next couple of days. I'd better steel myself.
In a vast room filled with rare and exquisite artworks, numerous sculptures and framed masterpieces adorned the space. It felt less like a room and more like an enormous private museum. Yet it was not a museum. This was a space reserved for a single individual—a collector's personal sanctuary where only the rarest treasures were gathered for their eyes alone.
Most of the items in the room were so valuable that even a fraction of them appearing on the market would cause an uproar.
Among the sculptures were Rembrandt Bugatti's Babouin Sacré Hamadryas and Evelina Coos's crystal elephant from the Third World War. The paintings were no less impressive—works by globally and historically renowned artists such as Van Gogh and Monet hung on the walls.
Beyond fine art, other floors of the building housed one-of-a-kind vehicles and unreleased cutting-edge prototypes from famous research labs. The entire structure was essentially a repository of everything known to be priceless in this world.
In the center of this room stood a woman whose model-like figure could rival any of the artworks around her. She was gazing at something on a standing desk. It was a map of Japan.
"As expected, there's a treasure in the Akita area?"
A blonde woman wearing a sleek black biker suit and an ornate black mask that covered her eyes murmured while looking at the map. The corners of her lips, the only part of her face visible below the mask, curved upward slightly as she spoke.
"We might just run into each other by chance♥"
Her identity was that of a phantom thief who had become famous over the past two years. She was known as Phantom Thief François. After every heist, she left behind a note in French that read Je vais bien l'utiliser — Votre François ("I'll make good use of it — Your François"). That was how she earned her moniker. It was likely inspired by the real historical French thief and detective, Eugène François Vidocq.
Phantom Thief François had never been caught by the police, though she had been captured on camera several times. Her stunning figure in those images had earned her a massive global fanbase.
As far as the public knew, Akita Prefecture had no particularly outstanding artworks or valuable treasures. However, the fact that Phantom Thief François was heading there meant there was undoubtedly an exceptional prize waiting in Akita.
