The body didn't move.It just lay there in the middle of the cracked street, twisted in a way no human body should ever be.For a few seconds, no one spoke.The air felt heavier than before.Kazuki stood still, staring at the corpse. His breathing was uneven, and his heart was still racing from what had just happened.That thing…
It used to be a human or a hunter.Just like the others standing around him.
" …Check the area," one of the hunters said finally, his voice low but firm.The others snapped out of their shock.Two hunters moved ahead, scanning the street carefully. Another checked the nearby buildings.
The rest stayed near the body.Kazuki didn't move.His eyes were still fixed on the chest of the corpse.On the place where the core had shattered." You," a voice suddenly called out.Kazuki flinched and looked up.
One of the senior hunters was looking at him. His expression was serious.You said the core was unstable.Kazuki hesitated. "Y-Yes…"
"How did you know?"
Kazuki opened his mouth… then closed it again.He didn't have a simple answer.
I just… noticed the pattern was different, he said slowly.The hunter frowned."Different how?".Kazuki glanced at the body again.
It wasn't flowing like normal,he said.The energy wasn't centered. It was spreading… like it was trying to take over the body instead of just powering it.The hunter didn't reply immediately.He just stared at Kazuki for a few seconds.Then—" …We're taking the body back,"he said.
The team quickly shifted into action again.
Two hunters carefully lifted the corpse onto a reinforced stretcher. Even though the demon was gone, no one wanted to take risks.Kazuki stepped closer, his curiosity slowly pushing past his fear.The closer he got, the stronger the smell became,burnt flesh,rot snd something else… something metallic.He tried not to react.
" Don't touch it,"someone warned.Kazuki stopped immediately.I wasn't going to.That wasn't entirely true he wanted to not because he was reckless but because he needed to understand.
The chest area where the core had been was completely destroyed but even so…
Kazuki narrowed his eyes.There were still faint traces of energy,very weak,almost gone,but not normal.It's still moving…
The energy wasn't stable.Even after the core was destroyed, something remained.
That didn't make sense.Normally, when a demon core breaks, all energy disappears.
Clean.
Instant.
But this…this felt like it was resisting.
"…Strange,"Kazuki whispered.What is? the same hunter asked, noticing his expression.
Kazuki hesitated again but then spoke carefully.The energy didn't fully disappear, he said.There's still something left.The hunter's face darkened slightly.That's not possible.I know,Kazuki replied.But I'm telling you what I see.
The hunter didn't argue this time.Instead, he turned to the others.Move faster. We're leaving the district now.The atmosphere had changed.Before, this was just a routine mission.Now, it felt like something much more dangerous.As they moved back through the broken streets, Kazuki stayed close to the group.Closer than before.
He kept glancing at the body at the chest,
at the faint, lingering energy.His mind kept repeating the same thought.That wasn't a normal demon.
They reached the outer checkpoint after about thirty minutes.A temporary barrier surrounded the area, separating Aokami District from the rest of the city.Security personnel were waiting.As soon as the team approached, alarms began to beep softly.
" Identify yourselves,"a guard said.Hunter team 7. Returning from recon,the leader replied.
" Report?"
The leader paused for a moment.Then said, Possible new-type demon.Infection-based.
The guard's expression changed immediately.…Understood. Proceed inside.
The gates opened.Kazuki stepped through, feeling the pressure in the air ease slightly.
But not completely something still felt wrong.Inside the checkpoint, the body was taken away immediately.A group of researchers rushed forward, wearing protective suits.They handled the corpse carefully, placing it inside a sealed container.Kazuki watched closely.He wanted to follow. " You".Kazuki turned.
The senior hunter was looking at him again.
" Come with us"Kazuki blinked."Me?"
"Yes".
A few minutes later, Kazuki found himself inside a clean, white room.Bright lights.
Cold air.The smell of chemicals.It was completely different from Aokami District.
Too clean and too controlled.The sealed container was placed in the center of the room.Researchers gathered around it.
Some whispered to each other.Others prepared equipment.Kazuki stood near the wall, unsure what to do.Then—" Open it "
The command came from a calm, quiet voice.Everyone turned.A man had entered the room.He was wearing a long white coat.
His hair was slightly messy, and his expression was unreadable.But there was something about him.Something heavy.
Something dangerous.Kazuki felt it immediately." Who is that…?
The researchers stepped aside slightly.
Doctor,one of them said.The man didn't respond.His eyes were already on the container." Open it " he repeated.
The container unlocked with a soft hiss.
Slowly, it opened.The body was revealed again.The room went silent.The man stepped closer.His gaze sharp and focused.He didn't look shocked.He didn't look surprised.He just… observed.Then—
He spoke " …Interesting".Kazuki's eyes widened slightly.That word didn't fit the situation at all.The man crouched slightly, examining the chest area.His fingers hovered just above it, not touching.
The core was destroyed,he said calmly.But the energy pattern remains.The room became tense.No one spoke.Then—
He looked up.Directly at Kazuki." You."
Kazuki froze" Come here".Kazuki hesitated for a second.Then slowly walked forward.
His heartbeat picked up again.You noticed it first, didn't you?,the man asked.Kazuki nodded slowly " Yes…"
"How?"
The question was simple.But the pressure behind it wasn't.Kazuki swallowed.I… I just saw the flow was wrong,he said.It wasn't stable. It was spreading through the body.
The man stared at him for a few seconds.
Then—A faint smile appeared." …Good."
Kazuki blinked.That wasn't the reaction he expected.Most people wouldn't notice that,the man continued.Even trained hunters miss it.Kazuki didn't know what to say.
The man stood up.From now on, you'll assist me.The room went completely silent.
Kazuki's eyes widened." …What?"
You heard me,the man said calmly.I don't need strong hunters.I need someone who can see what others cannot.Kazuki's mind went blank assist him?.Who even was this person?.As if reading his thoughts, one of the researchers spoke quietly:
"…That's Dr. Shirogane."
Kazuki froze.He had heard that name before.Everyone in the Bureau had.A genius researcher a strange man.Someone who worked in the shadows and now—
That person was looking directly at him.We have much to study,Dr. Shirogane said.His gaze returned to the body.To understand this… we need to go deeper.Kazuki felt a chill run down his spine.Not from fear.
But from something else.Something he couldn't explain.Because for the first time—
He felt like he was standing at the edge of something dangerous.Something hidden.
Something that shouldn't exist and somehow—He had been chosen to step into it.As the room filled with quiet tension, Kazuki took a slow breath.
His old life as just a "useless support staff"—It was already starting to break.And what waited ahead was not something he could walk away from anymore.