Night covered the ocean.
Moonlight reflected off the waves as several shadows moved silently across the darkness.
No lights.
No sounds.
Only trained killers approaching their target.
Ahead of them stood a small island facility.
From a distance it looked like an ordinary research station.
Leo knew better.
"Nobody builds this much security for legal research."
The team landed on a nearby cliff overlooking the compound.
Below them, guards patrolled the perimeter.
Searchlights swept across the grounds.
Automated turrets rotated slowly.
Asagi crouched beside Leo.
"Tatsuro wasn't kidding."
Leo nodded.
"No."
A voice came through their communicators.
Tatsuro.
"Good news."
Everyone waited.
"I have access to their cameras."
Rinko sighed.
"And the bad news?"
"There are four hundred and twelve cameras."
Silence.
Then Tatsuro continued.
"The good news is they're all mine now."
The camera feeds across the facility suddenly looped.
Every monitor showed empty hallways.
Every security station became blind.
Tatsuro sounded proud.
"I love old passwords."
Leo smiled.
"Good work."
The team moved.
They stopped atop one of the outer buildings.
Below them stood two guards.
Neither noticed the shadows above.
Sakura looked down.
Then vanished.
A crack of lightning echoed through the air.
Before either guard could react—
She appeared behind them.
Two precise strikes.
The guards collapsed instantly.
Unconscious before they even understood they were under attack.
Sakura caught one before he hit the ground.
"No alarms."
She lowered him carefully.
Kurenai landed beside her.
"Show off."
Sakura smirked.
"You're just jealous."
Kurenai rolled her eyes and moved toward the security door.
A keypad lock blocked the entrance.
She inserted a small pendrive.
The screen flickered.
Several symbols appeared.
Then—
ACCESS GRANTED
The door unlocked.
Tatsuro's voice came through again.
"You're welcome."
Kurenai smirked.
"Still terrifying."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
The door slid open.
The team entered.
Inside the facility.
The halls were brightly lit.
Too bright.
Too clean.
The kind of place that made people uncomfortable.
Leo closed his eyes.
Black particles flowed from his body.
Not enough to be visible.
Just enough.
His Taimanin particles spread outward.
Like invisible water moving through the building.
Hallways.
Rooms.
Elevators.
Heat signatures.
Heartbeats.
Movement.
Everything.
Leo's eyes opened.
"I found them."
Everyone immediately focused.
Leo pointed.
"East."
Then another direction.
"West."
Multiple life signs.
Armed.
Patrolling.
Asagi nodded.
"Got it."
Kurenai grinned.
"Race you."
Asagi immediately disappeared.
Kurenai followed.
The two women vanished down opposite corridors at incredible speed.
A few seconds later—
The sound of muffled impacts echoed through the facility.
Then silence.
Leo checked again.
The patrol markers vanished.
"Clear."
"Clear."
Their voices came through simultaneously.
Leo smiled.
"Good."
The infiltration was working.
So far.
Which was exactly why he didn't trust it.
Because in his experience—
Whenever things started going smoothly...
Something terrible was usually about to happen.
The team moved deeper into the facility.
Everything had been going surprisingly well.
Too well.
Then Tatsuro's voice suddenly came through the earpiece.
Calm.
Professional.
And immediately concerning.
"Threat located."
Leo stopped walking.
"So specific."
"Correction."
Tatsuro's voice became more serious.
"Multiple threats located."
Then—
SLAM!
The wall exploded inward.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Leo disappeared from where he stood.
And a second later—
BOOM!
He was sent crashing through concrete.
Dust erupted through the hallway.
Cracks spread across the wall.
Asagi's sword was already drawn.
Kurenai stepped forward.
Rinko raised her weapon.
The dust slowly settled.
And Leo stood up.
Completely unharmed.
He rolled his shoulder.
"Ah."
He looked ahead.
"Orcs."
The others finally saw them.
Massive figures emerged from the shadows.
Over seven feet tall.
Green-gray skin.
Muscles thick enough to make normal humans look like children.
Armor covered their bodies.
Some carried massive axes.
Others held heavy shields.
One had apparently decided the best opening attack was throwing Leo through a wall.
Which, to be fair, had worked.
Just not the way he intended.
The lead Orc grinned.
Showing enormous tusks.
"You are intruders."
Leo looked down at his shirt.
A small tear had appeared.
He sighed.
"You ripped my favorite shirt."
The Orc blinked.
"...What?"
Leo pointed at the tear.
"My wife bought this."
The Orc looked genuinely confused.
"That is what concerns you?"
Leo nodded.
"Very much."
Behind him, Asagi rubbed her forehead.
"He's doing the thing."
Kurenai sighed.
"Yep."
The lead Orc roared.
"Kill them!"
The hallway shook as the Orcs charged.
Heavy footsteps thundered forward.
The facility itself seemed to tremble.
Most people would be terrified.
Leo looked excited.
His Blacklight stirred beneath his skin.
A grin appeared.
"I haven't fought Orcs in years."
The lead Orc swung first.
A massive axe descended.
Leo stepped forward.
Not backward.
Forward.
His arm transformed.
Black biomass exploded outward.
A massive claw formed.
CRASH!
The claw caught the axe.
The shockwave shattered nearby lights.
The Orc's eyes widened.
Leo smiled.
"Good strength."
Then he punched him.
The Orc disappeared.
Not staggered.
Not knocked down.
Disappeared.
One second he was there.
The next he was flying through three walls.
Silence filled the hallway.
Even the other Orcs paused.
Leo looked at them.
Then at his claw.
Then back at them.
"Huh."
He looked pleased.
"I got stronger."
Asagi groaned.
"This is not the time to be discovering that."
Then the rest of the Orcs charged.
And the hallway became complete chaos.
Lightning flashed as Sakura vanished between enemies.
Kurenai smashed an Orc into a wall hard enough to crack the metal plating.
Ayame leapt overhead.
Rinko fired precise shots into weak points.
Yuuko's spells illuminated the corridor.
And standing in the middle of it all—
Leo laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because after days of politics, arguments, investigations, and council meetings...
Punching evil Orcs felt refreshingly simple.
Somewhere back in the lab.
Tatsuro watched the security feed.
He adjusted his glasses.
"Leo has entered his natural habitat."
A scientist nearby blinked.
"What does that mean?"
Tatsuro watched Leo throw an Orc through a reinforced bulkhead.
"...Violence."
The scientist nodded.
"Fair enough."
The hallway had become a battlefield.
Broken walls.
Shattered lights.
Destroyed security systems.
Several unfortunate Orcs questioning their career choices.
And the Taimanin were winning.
Kurenai moved first.
Lightning exploded around her blade.
Thunder Ninja Arts.
Blue-white sparks raced across the floor.
An Orc raised its shield.
Too slow.
Thunder Flashing Slash!
A streak of lightning crossed the corridor.
The shield split in half.
The Orc behind it followed a second later.
Kurenai landed behind him.
She flicked her blade.
"Too slow."
The Orc collapsed.
On the opposite side—
Asagi stepped forward.
Her sword glowed orange.
Heat distorted the air around her.
Over the years she had improved tremendously.
And she had developed something new.
Something inspired by her husband.
Leo had his Water Dragon.
So she made her own answer.
Flame Ninja Arts: Flame Dragon.
Fire erupted from her blade.
A massive dragon head formed from living flame.
The Orcs froze.
"Wait—"
The dragon roared.
Then surged forward.
The hallway became an inferno.
The attack blasted through multiple Orcs at once.
The flames spiraled through the corridor before exploding.
When the fire faded—
Several Orcs were unconscious.
Several more were running.
The smarter ones.
Rinko switched weapons.
Her rifle folded away.
Her sword came out.
Wind gathered around the blade.
Sharp.
Invisible.
Deadly.
An Orc charged.
Rinko swung once.
Nothing happened.
The Orc grinned.
Then his armor slid apart.
Then his weapon.
Then the wall behind him.
Only then did he realize he'd been hit.
Rinko adjusted her glasses.
"Wind cuts."
She pointed toward the unconscious Orc.
"Please read the warning labels."
Mizuki fought beside her.
Water flowed around her blade.
Unlike Leo's overwhelming style—
Mizuki's water was elegant.
Precise.
Controlled.
A wave wrapped around an Orc's arm.
Then another around his leg.
Before he could react—
The water hardened.
The Orc crashed face-first into the floor.
Mizuki smiled.
"Stay down."
Meanwhile—
Leo wasn't even trying.
He had his eyes closed.
Actually closed.
Not blindfold training.
Literally closed.
An Orc swung an axe.
Leo leaned slightly.
The axe missed.
Another attacked.
Leo stepped aside.
Miss.
A spear thrust toward him.
Miss.
Another.
Miss.
Another.
Miss.
The Orcs were becoming increasingly offended.
One roared.
"LOOK AT US WHEN WE FIGHT!"
Leo yawned.
"No."
The Orc became even angrier.
His Taima particles spread through the battlefield.
Every movement.
Every heartbeat.
Every muscle twitch.
He could feel everything.
An axe came from behind.
Leo's arm instantly became a shield.
CLANG!
Another attack came from the right.
His hand became a blade.
SLASH!
Another came from above.
His arm became a hammer.
BOOM!
The Orc hit the ceiling.
Leo sighed.
'Maybe I should actually try.'
Alex's voice suddenly echoed in his head.
'You say that every time.'
James immediately added.
'You never do.'
Leo almost laughed.
'Good to hear from you two again.'
'Focus.' Alex replied.
'You're approaching the lower levels.'
That immediately got Leo's attention.
The smile vanished.
He spread his senses farther.
Deeper.
Through floors.
Through walls.
Through steel.
Then he felt it.
A familiar signature.
Weak.
But there.
Leo's eyes opened.
Immediately.
The joking stopped.
The relaxed attitude disappeared.
Everyone noticed.
Asagi looked over.
"Leo?"
He pointed deeper into the facility.
His voice became cold.
"I found him."
Silence.
"Kotaro is below us."
The team instantly became serious.
Kurenai wiped blood from her blade.
Rinko grabbed her sword.
Mizuki stepped forward.
Asagi nodded.
No speeches.
No dramatic declarations.
Just understanding.
They were here for one reason.
And they had finally found it.
Leo looked toward the lower levels.
Toward the prison.
Toward whatever Nomad had done to his cousin.
His claws slowly emerged.
Black biomass crawling across his arm.
This time—
He wasn't smiling anymore.
"Let's go get him."
The lower levels of the facility felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too cold.
The deeper they went, the less it felt like a laboratory.
And the more it felt like a dungeon.
Bodies floated inside test tubes.
Failed experiments lined the walls.
Demons.
Oni.
Creatures nobody could properly identify.
Yuuko looked away from one tank.
"...That's illegal in at least six dimensions."
"Only six?" Kurenai asked.
"Probably more."
They kept moving.
Leo absorbed small amounts of biomass from destroyed specimens as they passed.
Not enough to be noticed.
Just enough to replenish what he'd spent.
Then—
They arrived.
A massive chamber opened before them.
The room was dominated by a giant test tube.
Machines surrounded it.
Magical circles covered the floor.
Research notes were scattered everywhere.
And standing before it all—
Was Oboro.
The woman smiled.
"Asagi."
Asagi's hand tightened around her sword.
Seeing her old rival again brought back years of memories.
Years of battles.
Years of hatred.
"It's been a long time."
Oboro chuckled.
"It has."
Then her eyes shifted.
Toward Leo.
Her smile widened.
"Blind Taimanin."
Leo's arm immediately transformed.
Black claws emerged.
"You."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Oboro looked entirely too pleased by that reaction.
"Oh?"
She placed a hand on her hip.
"Still angry?"
Leo took a step forward.
"Asagi."
Asagi immediately grabbed his shoulder.
"Not yet."
Rinko wasn't looking at Oboro.
She was staring at the giant tube behind her.
"...That's Kotaro."
Everyone followed her gaze.
There he was.
Floating inside the fluid.
Eyes closed.
Motionless.
Connected to dozens of cables.
Machines monitored his body.
His heartbeat.
His energy.
His Demon Mark.
Leo's fists clenched.
Oboro noticed.
And smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"Oh."
She walked toward the tube.
"You want to know what I did to your cousin?"
Everyone immediately tensed.
The room felt ready to explode.
Then—
CRACK.
Everyone froze.
The glass tube fractured.
A second crack appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
Oboro's smile disappeared.
"...What?"
The machines began sparking.
Warning lights activated.
Fluid started pouring from the tank.
CRASH!
The entire tube exploded.
Glass scattered across the room.
Liquid flooded the floor.
Everyone jumped back.
Even Oboro.
The fluid drained away.
And a figure slowly stepped forward.
Barefoot.
Silent.
Head lowered.
Kotaro.
But something was different.
Very different.
A magical circle formed beneath him.
Dark energy spiraled around his body.
The air itself distorted.
His skin glowed faintly.
Power surged through the chamber.
Everyone felt it.
Especially Leo.
His eyes widened.
Recognition hit instantly.
"No way."
He knew that energy.
He had seen it before.
Years ago.
With his mother.
The same power.
The same feeling.
The same signature.
Leo stared.
Then realization struck.
"They unlocked it."
The room fell silent.
Leo's voice was barely above a whisper.
"They unlocked his Fuuma Demon Mark."
The chamber shook.
Dark energy erupted from Kotaro's body.
The magical circle expanded.
Machines exploded.
Walls cracked.
Researchers throughout the facility suddenly began screaming over the intercom.
Power readings spiked beyond safe limits.
Tatsuro's voice exploded through the communicator.
"THAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE POSSIBLE!"
Nobody disagreed.
Because the Fuuma Demon Mark wasn't something you could simply activate.
It was a bloodline.
A legacy.
Something passed down naturally.
Something awakened.
Not something manufactured.
Yet somehow—
Nomad had done it.
Kotaro slowly raised his head.
His eyes opened.
And for the first time—
Leo felt afraid.
Not because it was Kotaro.
Because he wasn't entirely sure it still was.
Even Oboro looked nervous now.
"...Well."
Kurenai slowly drew her weapon.
"That's probably bad."
Tatsuro's voice immediately replied.
"PROBABLY?!"
The room shook again.
And Kotaro finally spoke.
One sentence.
One quiet sentence.
That made everyone freeze.
"...Leo?"
The voice sounded confused.
Lost.
Like someone waking from a nightmare.
And suddenly Leo knew.
Whatever Nomad had done—
Kotaro was still in there.
For now.
To be continue
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