The man's blackened arm snapped forward, flinging Akira off him.
Akira slammed into the tiled floor, skidding helplessly until his back crashed against a support pillar. Pain exploded through his spine.
Across the street, the Scissors agent staggered—then smashed straight through the glass front of a Hunter shop.
The sound detonated through the block.
Glass rained down. Civilians screamed. Metal clanged as weapons tumbled from shattered displays.
Akira pushed himself up, breath sharp. Through the broken storefront, rows of weapons gleamed beneath fluorescent lights—swords, rifles, Tao cannons—each one polished and lethal, trophies behind glass.
He took a step forward—
Then stopped.
"Ito said not to get involved with any Tao users," he muttered, jaw tightening.
A crooked smile crept across his face anyway.
"…But it will only take a second to beat this dude."
Akira broke into a sprint.
Inside the shop, the Scissors agent brushed glass from his shoulders as if it were dust.
Behind the counter, a young man and woman huddled together, pale with terror.
"I came for the Railgun," the masked man said calmly, his voice echoing through the wrecked store. "The one made by Atlas. I know you have it."
The woman's shaking hand clutched her coworker's sleeve. "Call a Hunter," she whispered.
The man slammed his palm onto a hidden pad beneath the counter.
Nothing.
The indicator stayed dark.
The woman's breath hitched. "It's not working… why isn't it—"
The man's eyes widened. "Because of him…"
The woman froze. "He's—"
"The fourteenth user of the Perfect Crime bloodline," the man said quietly. "His mask lets him commit any crime without consequence—as long as he doesn't directly harm someone."
Her throat tightened. "Then the alarm won't activate…"
She forced a shaky smile. "M-maybe if we grab something from the armory, we can still—"
The man shook his head, panic bleeding through his composure.
We're finished, she thought.
The Scissors agent's lips curved beneath the slick black mask.
Glass crunched.
Akira appeared behind him.
His hand seized the back of the man's head and slammed it into the concrete with a thunderous crack.
The floor fractured.
The mask shattered instantly, splintering apart before dissolving into black smoke. The man went limp.
Akira stood over him, breathing steady, eyes sharp. "Guess that's that."
For a moment, the shop was silent.
Then the woman behind the counter exhaled shakily, disbelief washing over her. She ripped off her nametag, tossed it onto the counter, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much, sir."
She glanced at the security camera. "Boss, I quit. I'll work at a grocery store or something."
Akira scratched the back of his head. "Can't blame her."
Then—
The air shifted.
From the dark back room, two figures stepped into the light.
Masked. Uniformed. Heavy with presence.
The first was tall, wearing a demon mask and a black school uniform with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Long black hair swayed behind him. A dotted X glowed faintly red across his mask.
The second was a girl—around Akira's age. Same uniform. Same mark. Her posture was calm. Too calm.
The boy's voice was smooth, almost amused."Guess the old man couldn't handle it."
He tossed a long black case toward the girl. The metal hummed with restrained power.
"Atlas Model: Tesla," he said. "Don't break it."
She caught it effortlessly, snapping the latches open. The air pulsed.
Akira barely had time to react.
The masked boy vanished—
Then reappeared in front of him.
A fist rocketed toward Akira's face.
Akira twisted at the last second. The blow grazed his cheek, tearing skin. He countered with a kick—
—but the boy caught his leg mid-swing, spun him effortlessly, and hurled him straight into the Railgun's line of fire.
The shot detonated.
A deafening crack split the mall.
Akira's body smashed through a display of Tao batteries and crashed into the far wall, sparks and smoke erupting around him.
He groaned, forcing himself upright, pain screaming through his ribs.
"…Yeah," he muttered hoarsely. "That might be too much for me."
His Hunter ID chimed.
Mission AssignedObjective: Neutralize two unidentified Taoists wearing demon masks.Affiliation: Suspected Scissors.
Akira stared at the message.
Then sighed.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
He brushed glass from his jacket and looked toward the fading trail of Tao energy as the pair vanished into the city.
"Great," he muttered, breaking into a run. "Ito's going to be so mad."
His footsteps echoed through the ruined mall as the neon lights flickered behind him.