[RECAP]
Masajo stopped short.
A wall. Dead end.
He turned around, saw Nagato coming, and sighed.
"Why are you following me, seriously?"
His phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen. The call from the one waiting for the info.
He picked up, while keeping an eye on Nagato.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Got a... slight delay."
Nagato attacked.
His stone fists shot out. Masajo dodged. He dodged every blow, every movement, slipping between attacks like a shadow.
"You're slow, STONE HEAD!"
He pulled out Ku, and in a flash, slashed Nagato's chest.
Nagato collapsed, winded, a gaping gash in his chest.
Masajo sheathed his blade.
"Die, asshole."
He disappeared into the night.
But instead of being sad, Nagato smiled.
A cold smile. Deadly.
"…You're a dead man."
He pulled a small tracker from his pocket. Red. Blinking.
He had planted a bug on Masajo during the fight. Without him noticing.
He dialed a number.
"Kroger."
Kroger's deep voice, Corbeau's [Pinky's father] bodyguard, answered.
"Nagato."
"I have the coordinates. It's good, I'll handle him."
A silence.
"Good job. You did good work."
The call ended.
Nagato, on the ground, chest bleeding, looked at the stars.
Masajo, you're already dead. You just don't know it yet.
---
M MANOR – A FEW HOURS BEFORE DAWN
The night was still dark, but a gray glow was beginning to tinge the horizon. Masajo came out of the manor, stretching.
He had delivered the info. The transaction was done.
He glanced back at the dark building.
"The vibe in there… it's fucking creepy. I think it's the CEO of some Agency, something like that."
He shrugged and lit a cigarette.
"Anyway, I got paid. That's all that matters."
He took a few steps down the deserted path.
Then he stopped.
A silhouette stood out in the dark, at the end of the path.
Motionless.
Masajo squinted.
"…Who the fuck are you?"
The silhouette approached.
A man. Tall. Imposing. Piercing eyes under the shadow of a hat.
Kroger.
Masajo stared at him for a second, then his pupils widened.
"…Kroger? The assassin who single-handedly killed the Three Emperors of Heaven?"
Kroger didn't respond.
"Holy shit, you're a legend! Haven't seen you in years! Since you dismantled the most dangerous gang leaders!"
Kroger stopped five meters away.
"I'm not here to talk about the past."
Masajo got into a fighting stance.
"Then why the fuck are you here?"
Kroger opened his mouth.
And pulled out a long sword. A thin, shiny blade that seemed made of pure steel. He held it between his teeth for a second, then grabbed it with his hand.
Masajo stepped back, stunned.
"You're… you're a fucking monster."
Kroger wiped the blade with his fingertips.
"Don't worry. It's just one of my powers. Like some can use Ether in multiple ways, so can I. It's called Internal Pocket. I can store anything I want inside my body."
Masajo swallowed hard.
"…And you came to kill me, is that it?"
"Someone put a hit on you. I'm just the executioner."
Masajo laughed nervously.
"Just the executioner. Sure."
He pulled out Ku.
"Then come."
---
THE FIGHT BEGINS
Masajo attacked first.
He vanished, reappeared behind Kroger, blade extended.
Kroger didn't move.
CLANG.
The blade hit him… and bounced off. Like hitting metal.
Masajo blinked.
"What the…"
Kroger had stopped the blow by putting his blade in the way at the right moment.
Kroger spun, incredibly fast, and his fist sank into Masajo's chest.
WHAM.
Masajo flew across the path, smashed into a tree, bounced off, fell back down.
He got up spitting blood.
"Fuck… you're fast."
Kroger advanced, unperturbed.
"Too fast—I need to use Ku's abilities to the max."
Masajo tried to disappear again. But barely had he moved when Kroger was already there, his hand closed around his neck.
"Your invisibility ability… it's useless against me. I can sense you. Your breathing. Your blood. You can erase your presence all you want—I can still track you."
He hurled Masajo against the manor.
CRACK.
The wall collapsed. Masajo flew through the room, landed in an office on the ground floor.
Kroger followed him, jumped through the breach.
Masajo, on the ground, watched him come.
"You're not human…"
Kroger hit him. Again. Again. Masajo flew across the room, smashed through a partition, ended up in a meeting room.
Kroger landed in front of him.
They fought.
Masajo, on the ground, dodged, rolled, got back up. His attacks became more precise, faster. He was starting to read Kroger's movements.
Masajo flashed a stupid grin—he vanished for an instant, using his power to the max, attacking Kroger from all sides.
The latter pretended to have the situation under control, but Masajo was becoming more and more dangerous.
A feint. A blade strike. Hit.
Kroger stepped back, a gash on his arm.
"Ah…" he said, looking at his wound. "You're no small fry."
Masajo smiled, blood streaming from his forehead.
"Finally you get it."
Kroger opened his mouth.
And pulled out a ball of fire.
Masajo barely had time to widen his eyes.
FWOOOSH.
The explosion hurled him through the window, three floors down.
He landed heavily on the street asphalt, body on fire, screaming.
Kroger jumped, landed beside him.
He extinguished the flames with a gesture, grabbed Masajo by the collar, and beat the shit out of him.
Blow after blow. Until Ku fell from his hand.
Kroger picked up the weapon, looked at it, then tossed it to Masajo.
Masajo, on his knees, bloodied, caught it by reflex.
"Get up," said Kroger, impassive. "The fight's just beginning."
Masajo stared at him, incredulous.
"…You're a real fucking psycho."
Kroger didn't respond. He waited.
Masajo gripped Ku, then slowly got back up.
"…I'm gonna fucking kill you for humiliating me, you asshole."
Kroger sketched what might have been a smile.
"Come at me."
To be continued…