The sky above Aokami District was always gray.Not the kind of gray that comes before rain. Not soft clouds or a cool breeze. This gray felt heavy, like something was pressing down from above. The air was thick and dry, carrying a faint smell of dust, rust, and something burnt.Kazuki stood at the edge of a broken street, holding a small metal case tightly against his chest.
His fingers were stiff.Not from the cold.
From tension.In front of him, the road stretched forward into silence. Cracked asphalt, shattered glass, abandoned cars covered in dust. Some buildings leaned slightly, like they were tired of standing. Others had deep claw marks on their walls, as if something had tried to tear them apart.
This place didn't feel like a city.It felt like something had already died here.
" Oi, Kazuki! Stop staring and move!"
The voice came from ahead, sharp and impatient.Kazuki quickly looked up.A group of hunters stood about ten meters in front of him. They were wearing dark combat uniforms, each carrying weapons fitted with glowing cores. Some had swords, others had guns, but all of them looked ready for a fight.Unlike him.
" I'm coming,"Kazuki said quickly, adjusting his glasses as he hurried forward.Even his voice sounded weak.He knew it.Everyone knew it.He didn't belong here.
Kazuki was not a hunter.He didn't have the strength.He didn't have the mana.He didn't have the respect.He was just support staff.
A low-level assistant assigned to record data, collect demon cores, and stay out of danger.That last part was the most important.Stay out of danger.And yet… here he was.Inside Aokami District.One of the most dangerous zones in the city.
" Don't slow us down," one of the hunters said without even looking at him.Kazuki nodded quietly." Yes "
No one else spoke to him.They never did.
To them, he was just extra weight.Someone who followed behind and picked up scraps after the real work was done.Kazuki had gotten used to it.At least, that's what he told himself.
The group moved deeper into the district.
Their footsteps echoed faintly against the empty buildings. The sound felt too loud in the silence.Kazuki stayed at the back, just like always.His eyes moved constantly, scanning the surroundings.Left. Right. Ahead.Nothing.That was the problem.
There was nothing.No movement.
No sound.No demons.Aokami District was never this quiet." …Something's off " one of the hunters muttered.Another nodded. "Yeah. Feels wrong."
Kazuki swallowed.Even they noticed it.
That meant it wasn't just his imagination.
His grip on the metal case tightened.
Inside it were tools used to scan and store demon cores. Normally, he only used them after a battle.But right now, his heart was beating too fast.Why is it so quiet…?
They turned into a narrow street between two damaged buildings.The space felt tighter here.More closed,More dangerous.
Kazuki's steps slowed slightly.Then—
Someone appeared.At the far end of the street.A man wearing a hunter uniform.
" …Oi," one of the hunters called out. "You from recon?"
The man didn't answer.He kept walking forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
His movement was slow unsteady.Like he was struggling to stay upright.Kazuki frowned something about it felt wrong.
Very wrong.
" Hey! Answer!"another hunter shouted, raising his weapon slightly.Still no response.
The man stopped.For a moment, everything went silent again.Kazuki felt a strange chill run down his spine.His eyes locked onto the man.That posture…
The shoulders were stiff.The head slightly tilted.Too still.Too unnatural.
" …Wait," Kazuki said quietly.But no one heard him.The man suddenly lifted his head.
And Kazuki froze,The eyes.
They were completely black ,No white,No light ,Just darkness." That's not—" Kazuki's voice caught in his throat.BACK OFF! one hunter shouted.But it was already too late.
The man's body twisted violently.A loud cracking sound echoed through the narrow street.His arm bent at an impossible angle.
His spine arched.His skin began to tear.
Dark veins spread across his neck and face, moving like something alive beneath his skin.Then—
He screamed not like a human not even close It was deeper,distorted Like two voices trying to come out at once.
" DEMON!"
Weapons activated instantly.Energy flared.
The hunters moved fast.But the creature was faster.It lunged forward with sudden speed.One hunter barely had time to react before getting slammed into a wall.
The impact echoed loudly.Another hunter attacked from the side, but the creature twisted its body unnaturally and avoided the strike.Its movements were sharp Unpredictable.Wrong.Kazuki stumbled back.
His heart was pounding so hard it hurt. Move…
But his legs wouldn't listen.He couldn't take his eyes off it.
No.
Not it.
Something else,Something inside it.
A faint glow pulsed beneath the creature's chest,The demon core.Kazuki focused on it.
His breathing slowed slightly.Look carefully…
The glow flickered,Not steady,Not stable.
It moved strangely, spreading in thin lines through the body.Like veins,Like roots.
Kazuki's eyes widened.That's not normal…
" Attack together!" one of the hunters shouted.They rushed in again.But something was wrong.Their attacks weren't working properly.The creature didn't react like normal demons.It didn't protect its core.
It didn't follow any known pattern.It just attacked wildly.Like it didn't care about damage.Kazuki's mind raced.
Think.
There has to be a pattern.He forced himself to focus.Ignored the fear.Ignored the noise.
Just watched.
The pulse.
Again.
There.
Left side near the ribs.For a split second, the energy flickered unevenly,A break.A weak point." That's it…" Kazuki whispered.
His hands trembled.But he stepped forward.
One step and then another." Kazuki! Get back!"someone yelled.But he didn't stop.
He took a deep breath.Then shouted with everything he had:
" LEFT SIDE! THE CORE IS UNSTABLE—HIT THE LEFT SIDE! "
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
One hunter turned toward him." What?!"
JUST DO IT!,Kazuki shouted again.There was no hesitation left in his voice.
The creature lunged again.The hunter reacted.A fast strike.Straight to the left side.
The blade pierced deep.Right into the unstable point.Silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then—
The core shattered.A burst of dark energy exploded outward.The creature let out a final scream, its body shaking violently before collapsing to the ground.Completely still.No one moved.The fight was over.Just like that.
The hunters slowly lowered their weapons.
Heavy breathing filled the air.One of them looked at Kazuki." …You saw that?"
Kazuki swallowed. " I… I just noticed something was wrong ".That wasn't the full truth.But he didn't know how to explain it.
The way they looked at him had changed.
Not respect,Not yet.But not the same as before.Something had shifted.
Kazuki looked at the body on the ground.
His chest felt tight.That had been a human.
A hunter.Someone like them.What was that thing…?
Far away, hidden deep within Aokami District—A pair of eyes watched everything.
Calm,Interested." …So someone noticed."
A low voice echoed softly.A faint smile appeared in the darkness.
" The pattern… he understood it".Back on the street, Kazuki didn't know any of this.
He only knew one thing.Something was wrong in Aokami District.Something far bigger than a single demon.And somehow—
He had just stepped into it.
As the team prepared to move again, Kazuki tightened his grip on the metal case.His hands were still shaking.But his eyes were different now.More focused and more aware.Because deep inside, he understood something clearly for the first time:
This was not going to be a normal mission.