The branches of Asukayama Park were adorned with greenish-gray flower buds, and the bare branches cast a spiderweb-like shadow under the midday sun.
A jarring cordon shivered in the chilly spring breeze, and the smell of blood mixed with the bitterness of new leaves seeped out from the half-open window of the patrol car.
Police Officer Morishita stood outside the cordon, still able to clearly see Officer Takagi's stiff neck—his right hand and service pistol seemed to be fused together by an invisible welding torch, the barrel deeply embedded in his jaw, and the spot where his temple should have been was now facing the lead-gray sky, with ice crystal-like blood beads congealed around the charred bullet hole.
"All citizens, please leave immediately!" The patrol officer's shouts, mixed with the chirping of tits, failed to move the onlookers, who all craned their necks, eager to witness the spectacle.
The siren tore through the damp air, and two black official cars rolled over the withered leaves from last year. Colleagues from the forensics department quickly arrived at the scene, and Officer Matsumoto, who was leading them, also entered the suspect's guard post with several Police Officers.
Morishita and several others were assigned to maintain order outside. To be honest, he really wanted to go inside with them, as no one wanted to stand by the body of a brutally murdered colleague while trying to manage their emotions and deal with the onlookers.
In fact, his acquaintance with Officer Takagi was not deep; the only interaction he could recall was when they were on night duty, complaining together in the smoking room about the recent surge in heinous cases.
From a certain day two years ago, Morishita had an inexplicable premonition—something more terrifying than 'death' would happen around him.
This premonition was not strong; the ripple it caused in his heart was even less than a single hell-wait in mahjong. But Morishita still chose to attend the police academy to gain a sense of security, and after graduating successfully, he bid farewell to his hometown and came to the big city of Tokyo to become a patrol officer.
Although a Police Officer's daily work involves handling various case disputes, this does not conflict with the 'peace of mind' he seeks. On the contrary, before major incidents occur, it is the keen insight provided by his professional identity that always allows him to detect signs in advance and make thorough preparations.
As if to confirm that premonition, a series of bizarre and heinous cases have recently appeared across the country, and even Tokyo has become restless, with dangerous individuals similar to the recent 'arsonist' appearing one after another, causing strong panic among some citizens.
It seemed to have seized the cracks in the public's heart caused by 'unease,' and a new 'sect' called the Happiness and Relief Committee quickly rose among the populace, gaining much popularity among young people online.
Morishita initially thought it was another cult organization like [Happy Science] and specifically took time to investigate relevant information. However, after learning about its strange doctrine, 'happiness is a duty!', and the core members' band performances, he dismissed it as another wild stunt by contemporary netizens.
"If only everyone could truly prioritize happiness and peace of mind," Morishita couldn't help but think.
Soon, his slight naivety was completely shattered by three muffled gunshots.
"Shots fired! It's gunfire!"
"What's going on? Has the culprit not been apprehended?"
"I heard a killer stole a Police Officer's gun, killed dozens of people, and is now holed up in the building, in a standoff with the police."
"Wow, how exciting! I'm definitely watching this show!"
The onlookers became agitated again; most people were not panicked by the gunshots and fled, but instead discussed it eagerly. The rumors about the case also became increasingly outrageous; it seemed in a short while, someone would be talking about blowing up Asukayama.
Signaling several colleagues to maintain order, Morishita immediately rushed with several members of the forensics department to the source of the gunshots—the reception room of the park's guard post.
Hesitating for a moment, Morishita kicked open the half-closed iron door, raised his tightly gripped Nambu M60 pistol, and peered into the room.
Before the metallic clang of the iron door hitting the wall had dissipated, a thick, crimson blood mist surged out like a living thing, carrying a sweet, charred aroma mixed with the smell of decaying rust, like a gaping maw ready to devour thousands.
The scene beneath the blood mist made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end; the Police Officers who had entered the room earlier were now lying in pools of blood, their gruesome deaths identical to that of the fallen Police Officer Takagi—their hands and service pistols fused together, pointing at their shattered skulls.
Morishita's internal alarm bells blared, and he instinctively took half a step back, only to collide with the Police Officer behind him—that man, having witnessed his teammate's horrific state, had lost control and charged madly into the room. Stumbling, his back slammed against the doorframe, and he fell onto the crimson carpet soaked with blood and brains.
"Ah ah... it hurts..."
"It hurts..."
A chilling moan came from beneath him. Morishita looked down in confusion, only to find a familiar face appearing in the blood-soaked carpet pattern.
It was the distorted face of Officer Matsumoto, who had led the team into the room for investigation.
Like chocolate heated to a high temperature, Officer Matsumoto's body had completely melted into the room's floor, his entire skin spread out to form a bizarre and grotesque [human carpet.]
What Morishita found most incomprehensible was that even with his body in this state, he was still [alive] in a strange form.
Just as the others were too horrified to think by the sight before them, a deep blue electric light suddenly shot out from the depths of the red mist, directly piercing into the Police Officer who had collapsed over his teammate's body.
A dazzling light erupted from the deep blue electricity at his chest. With a violent tremor, blood mixed with shattered internal organs sprayed from the Police Officer's mouth, splattering onto the horrified Police Officers at the doorway.
Immediately after, slender currents emerged from the blood-stained areas, forming chaotic chains that bundled into a spear, piercing through several people.
The deep blue entity, clad in charred blood, emerged from a pile of shredded flesh. At this moment, it had solidified, like a [Chimera] bound by chains, pieced together from the dried bones of various creatures.
As the pierced individuals were gradually engulfed by the electric light, Morishita knew that a new round of 'fusion' had begun.
The beast-claw made of withered bones clutched Morishita's fragile neck, effortlessly lifting him into the air, seemingly pondering what kind of creation to make of him.
"Is this what's more terrifying than death…"
Just before Morishita completely lost consciousness, he saw a reckless figure glide through the blood and flesh on the ground, coming to his side.
============
The guard post's reception room became completely silent. The blood mist in the air gradually dissipated, coalescing into a rusty metal insect that lay dormant on the back of the young man's neck.
If Togawa Fuuki were present at this moment, he would surely doubt whether he was the one trapped in an illusion. Because this young man, who had effortlessly slaughtered several Police Officers yet remained calm, was none other than Maehara Naoto, who Fuuki had seen as no different from a corpse.
Glancing at the hellish scene, [Maehara Naoto] waved his hand, summoning the deep blue beast that had just wantonly slaughtered, but now appeared somewhat weak.
"'Ride the Lightning,' it's incredible that such an unreasonable Stand was awakened by Naoto. You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"Even this small portion I 'borrowed' earlier possesses such immense power, tsk tsk tsk..."
The young man muttered to himself, his admiring gaze gradually turning sinister.
"But Naoto, why did it turn out like this..."
"Why is it gone! Why!"
"You're clearly not dead yet! The heart in this body is still beating, the blood is still flowing! But why—"
"The most important Stand and memories are all gone!"
The young man suddenly erupted in fury, punching the air repeatedly, as if fighting an invisible enemy.
After venting for a while, the young man finally calmed down and sat beside the unconscious Police Officer Morishita, examining him.
"This guy seemed to be able to see the Stand just now... Is he the type with talent but hasn't awakened yet? Heh heh, not bad, not bad."
"Then you'll be our bassist from now on. It doesn't matter if you can't play at all; with hands and feet, delivering takeout will definitely be no problem..."
The metal insect, dormant for a long time, started like a rusted gear. Its serrated mouthparts split into four, instantly shredding the floating deep blue light. The abdomen, which had consumed the corpses, emitted the hum of gears spinning idly, then spiraled and pounced on Morishita's nape, transforming into a crimson blood mist that merged into his skin.
At the same time, Maehara Naoto's body, like a puppet with cut strings, fell into the blood-stained mess, completely losing its life.
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