"Hold up, let 'em leave first."
V and Riku's sneaky glances were quickly caught by Jack Wells. He shot them a quick message.
Riku glanced over at Jack, who was crouched to the side, playing the innocent bystander. The burly guy winked at him.
The message was clear: no need to pick and choose now. Whatever these punks grab, we'll use. They're doing a zero-yen shopping spree, and we're just cleaning up the trash. No reason to turn down a gift from nature itself, right?
But things didn't go quite as Riku and the others expected. Out of nowhere, a samurai wielding a dōryoku-ken (power sword) stormed in.
Clad head-to-toe in crimson samurai armor, the guy's crystal blade gleamed with an eerie light, like he'd stepped straight out of an Arasaka commercial.
The red-armored samurai moved like a blur, swinging his dōryoku-ken in a single, deadly arc. The two bandits guarding the door didn't stand a chance—sliced clean in half at the waist.
Before anyone could even process it, he flickered again, already at the next bandit's side.
Shing!
With a flick of his glowing crystal blade, one bandit's head went flying. Another swing, and the next guy was bisected just as easily.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
In the blink of an eye, four bandits were reduced to bloody heaps, their limbs scattered across the floor. Only then did the crowd snap out of it, screaming in panic.
"Damn it! Friggin' corpo dogs! They set us up!?"
The surviving bandits, witnessing the carnage, cursed under their breath and bolted for the exit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One hand lugging bags of loot, the other unloading a hail of bullets, the five or six remaining bandits formed a desperate fire net, all aimed at the red-armored samurai.
"Face justice!"
The samurai let out a booming shout, leaping forward. His dōryoku-ken danced in his hands, deflecting every bullet with precision.
"Ha!"
With another yell, he landed right in the middle of the bandits. His power sword slashed left and right, sending severed limbs flying in a gruesome display.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
The bandits' screams were gut-wrenching. Against this red-armored samurai, they were utterly powerless.
But somehow, one bandit managed to slip out of the shop unscathed, his luck so unreal it raised suspicions.
The samurai didn't chase him. Instead, he struck a dramatic pose, holding his dōryoku-ken aloft, as if admiring the weapon in his hands.
Then, in a slow, deliberate tone, he delivered his line:
"Kenritsu Dōryoku-ken. Quality guaranteed. Cutting-edge micro-serrated crystal blade technology. Slice your enemies to pieces."
With the floor littered with severed limbs and bisected bandits, the ad's credibility was off the charts. You couldn't not believe it.
"..."
Riku's jaw dropped. This was a damn commercial?!
"Damn it! After that guy!"
Snapping out of his shock, Riku remembered their goal. If they didn't move now, nature's gift was gonna slip away!
The three of them bolted out, blending in with the other lucky survivors scrambling to escape.
"No! No way!"
Out on the streets, the lone bandit ran in a blind panic, not daring to look back. He darted into a shadowy alley.
Like the rest of Yoru no Machi (Night City), the commercial district had a darker side—hidden by day, alive at night. Dark alleys, grimy corners, seedy hotels. Thugs from every district gathered here for their vices: drug deals, illegal chōmu (braindance), you name it. Even the city center wasn't immune.
"That bastard was really trying to kill me!"
The bandit gasped for air, heart pounding. He'd come this close to dying back there.
"Those damn bastards! They played me!"
This was a staged robbery. The bandit was actually a Kenritsu employee.
Under the company's orders, he'd rounded up a bunch of dimwitted goons and armed them for the job. He'd told each one that Kenritsu would only kill half of them, convincing every single one they'd be the half that survived.
But Kenritsu didn't just screw over the goons—they screwed him too! They were planning to take him out along with the rest, just like the poor saps working the shop counter.
If he hadn't installed a reflex booster, barely dodging that fatal strike, he'd be a headless corpse right now.
"Mr. Hinton, you shouldn't have run. You knew you couldn't escape."
The bandit froze. At the end of the alley stood a man holding a katana.
Unlike the red-armored samurai, this guy wasn't decked out in flashy armor. He wore a sleek, black yoroi (night suit), his face hidden like a classic Japanese ninja.
"Stay put and die quietly. The company will compensate your family."
The ninja with the katana stepped forward slowly, each step heavy with the weight of death.
"Compensate my family? Screw that!"
Hinton gritted his teeth, pulling a dōryoku-ken from his bag and tossing the loot aside.
"Who's that fast?"
At the alley's corner, Riku, V, and Jack Wells watched the bandit face off with the black-clad figure. They held back, not making a move.
They'd tailed the bandit into the alley, but before they could act, someone else had beaten them to it. Not surprising—plenty of people saw the guy flee with the bag. They weren't the only ones eyeing nature's gift.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots echoed through the alley. Hinton knew it was futile, but he still emptied a clip at the ninja.
The black-clad figure swayed, closing the distance while dodging every bullet with ease. In a flash, he was in front of Hinton, his katana slicing down.
"Damn it!"
Hinton cursed, tossing his gun aside and raising his dōryoku-ken to meet the attack.
Clang!
The clash of blades rang out. The ninja's strike was blocked, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he regained his cool.
"No wonder you got away. You've got a Kerenzikov installed."
The ninja swung again, his blade aimed at Hinton's neck, moving a clear notch faster than his opponent.
"Too bad it's low-grade."
With those words, the katana sliced through Hinton's neck. His head flew, slamming into the wall, his face frozen in a mix of defiance and fear.
"..."
From their corner, Riku, V, and Jack watched the whole fight. They exchanged glances. Jack's eyes screamed retreat—this wasn't worth it.
---
I hereby declare Palworld the true successor to Pokémon!
(Chapter End)