Inside a wooden house, two men dressed in black kimonos sat quietly, sipping tea.
They looked at one another, yet neither spoke for a long time, as though they were waiting for someone.
Suddenly, a short man walked in.
Unlike the two men seated on the floor, he wore a suit and leather shoes, carrying the unmistakable air of a high-ranking figure in society.
When he entered, the expressions of the two men drinking tea finally changed. They both inclined their heads slightly in greeting.
"Kameda-kun, Ida-kun, I'm terribly sorry to keep you waiting!" the man in the suit said. The arrogance he usually carried was gone in front of the two of them; instead, he behaved with an almost obsequious politeness.
Faced with his apology, neither man showed any displeasure. In their hearts, they both understood very well—
This seemingly sleazy man was the current ruler of the island nation.
No matter how powerful an individual might be, within a country, one must still show a measure of respect to those who hold authority.
"Your Excellency's duties are heavy. The two of us should be the ones waiting," Ida said. He smoothed back his hair, which fell straight to his shoulders, his eyebrows sharp as twin blades.
Across from him sat Kameda, white-haired with closely cropped hair. He remained silent from beginning to end.
The man removed his suit jacket and sat down cross-legged.
"The two seniors are figures of great esteem. I should be the one apologizing," he said once more.
This time, Ida did not deflect the courtesy. He silently took a sip of tea and waited for the man to continue.
"That's right. I summoned the two of you here in haste because I wish to discuss a matter of cooperation."
"What kind of cooperation?" Ida asked.
Within the island nation's territory, there was no need to speak of cooperation. In today's world, when those in power needed something done, wasn't a direct order enough?
Since this man had personally raised the topic of cooperation, it was clear that the matter would not be simple.
Indeed, if it were trivial, there would have been no need to invite both of them at the same time.
The ordinary forces under the ruler's command would have sufficed.
The man placed his hands flat on the table. His expression remained gentle as he said, "I need the two of you to help me assassinate someone."
Assassination.
A term from decades ago, from the era of their youth—back then, which faction didn't cultivate a group of executioners?
But what age was this now?
They had already washed their hands of blood for twenty years!
And now, the one in power was personally asking them to kill again?
"If it's about killing, I don't think either Kameda-kun or I are particularly interested," Ida said calmly.
Yet the man seemed completely confident. Hearing Ida's polite refusal, his expression did not change in the slightest, and his gentle smile remained.
"I recall that eleven years ago, Kameda-kun and Ida-san once wiped out an entire martial arts dojo. Of course, neither of you left any evidence. Even now, the murderer is still at large."
"Are you threatening us?" Ida's tone hardened.
"I wouldn't dare."
Ida glanced at Kameda across from him. In the end, he nodded helplessly and said, "You must guarantee this will be the only time. Who is the target?"
The man smiled with satisfaction and replied slowly, "Of course. I can guarantee it will be only this once. As for the person to be killed, the two of you may not be strangers to him—one could even say that no one in the world is unfamiliar with him."
Ida thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "You mean… that American Iron Man?"
"That's not it," the man shook his head.
"Xu Dan?"
The man's smile widened, and he nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes—that's the one."
"Why do you need the two of us to assassinate him?" Ida asked, puzzled.
This was no exaggeration—either one of them alone was capable of assassinating the President of the United States. And now, the two of them together were being sent after a businessman with only some minor abilities?
The man replied gently, "The two of you may not have heard of Antarctic Military Industries. They are like the top-tier executioner organizations of your era. Today, such executioners maintain connections with every country in the world—except our great island nation."
"Can you imagine how dangerous our situation is? What if, one night, an executioner cuts us down in our sleep?"
Ida and Kameda exchanged another glance.
The analogy was apt, and it made these two long-reclusive masters finally recognize the gravity of the situation.
"Very well. We accept."
The two men slowly rose to their feet. Though they were approaching the twilight of their lives, their figures remained sturdy and upright.
As they reached the door, Kameda—who had not spoken a single word until now—slowly turned his head and cast a meaningful glance at the man.
"I hope you don't deceive us," Kameda said. His voice was deep and heavy, like that of a man steeped in shadows.
The pressure in that instant nearly suffocated the man.
"Rest assured, seniors!"
Flying from the island nation to New York, the two masters changed into proper suits.
When they landed in New York and exited the airport, they were immediately drawn to the scene before them.
How should it be described?
Flying from the island nation to New York was like moving from the countryside into the city.
The prosperity of the island nation's capital was already impressive in the eyes of these reclusive figures—towering buildings and endless streams of pedestrians.
Yet compared to New York, those high-rises now seemed like crude cannon barrels erected in the countryside.
In just half a year, New York had undergone a leap in technological advancement.
In fact, it wasn't only New York—the entire world had changed.
Beginning with the reconstruction after the Battle of New York, ninety percent of the high-end technology used came from the Zitauri brain acquired by Xu Dan, transforming entire districts into something resembling Xandar.
Of course, all of this came at a price.
Within the city, maglev vehicles raced along aerial tracks, darting through the sky like swallows in flight.
Among the crowds, groups of gossiping women gathered together, pointing toward them.
This was not their first visit to this bustling city, and it was precisely because they were weary of such noise that both men frowned in displeasure.
They truly wished they could make all these people vanish from their sight.
But that was merely a thought.
To assassinate Xu Dan, the two men used modern black technology for the first time—behind them followed an auxiliary team, guiding them every step of the way.
Following the voice in their earpieces, they headed straight toward Xu Dan's villa.
Night grew deeper, the perfect hour for a killer.
Under the dim moonlight, Ida slowly drew his katana.
This blade had followed him for many years, having drunk the blood of thousands. The murderous aura it carried was like that of a slumbering beast.
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