Mutagen

Day 319 - 10:26 AM - Director's Suite, Skyz Tower & Garden, Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo

Inside a certain VIP Suite near the top floors of this condominium complex, a group of people silently watched the scene outside through the one-way bulletproof window.

Despite the chaotic situation outside, the group watched as if it had nothing to do with them. A few hornets passed their window from time to time, technically just a few steps away from them. Even so, they remained unperturbed.

And instead of the supposedly dangerous enemies, their attention was on the group of black-clothed individuals at the park below.

"Is that the group from yesterday's rumors?"

The middle-aged man with a stern face and slightly grayish hair spoke, staring at the group at the park fighting the swarm of hornets. He wore an expensive business suit, and even his wrist was adorned with a gem-decorated watch.

And the one to reply was no other than Mitsui Keiji, Mitsui Ren's older brother, who stood behind the man that asked the question.

"They are," Mitsui Keiji respectfully replied as he called the middle-aged man. "Father."

The middle-aged man was no other than Mitsui Kinjiro. The father of Mitsui Keiji and Mitsui Ren. But his name was not only known for being the father of the leader of the Black Lotus Group. Instead, one of the factors that made the Black Lotus Group well-known was his name.

Mitsui Kinjiro. He was the current head of the Mitsui Clan. An ancient samurai clan, and now one of the most successful families in the business field of Japan.

Given the Mitsui Clan's history and status, it was not surprising that they became one of the foundations of the current Reclaimed City. And although there were circumstances for the clan's disbandment due to rules imposed on similar families in the past, it did not mean they lost all the legacy and power they had.

One of the most important things was the Mitsui Clan's legacy as a samurai family. Some of their family members inherited the samurai's path, although it was hidden from the public. Of course, there was supposed to be more that fell into the hands of the current Mitsui Clan. However, not everything would go as planned.

As such, it gave birth to the current discontent of their clan. Unfortunately, they could not do much about it until some brat returned to the family.

"From the report, they are just refugees found in the ruins of Meiji Seimi Kan," Kinjiro said, tapping on the papers on the office table just beside him. "But their performance during the combat examination and what they are displaying now... And those pieces of equipment... Which part does it show that they are just mere refugees?"

"Is it possible that they got it from the Elder Blacksmith? Didn't they meet him with Onee-same yesterday? They also seemed to have come from the market before this."

One woman in the room interjected. In one look, she looked similar to Ren and Keiji, albeit a few years younger and far more dolled up. She was Mitsui Sayuri. The youngest of four siblings of the Mitsui Clan.

But to the dolled-up woman's words, Kinjiro glanced at his eldest son.

"Do you also think so, Keiji?"

And to that question, Keiji replied as he shook his head.

"That should be impossible. Even if the Elder Blacksmith did agree to make their equipment, it should still take several days."

"Correct." Kinjiro nodded. "Someone people might think the same as Sayuri due to the same facts. However, I had known Yasuo since I was just a seedling. He had already reached the limits of his talent long ago. The blacksmith stuck in the past would not be able to step into the future."

As Kinjiro uttered those words, he stared at the weapons of the group below that glowed white and left trails as they slaughtered the enemies. That was not a traditional creation. A businessman like him immediately knew it was a product of unprecedented technology. He was clear that Yasuo had no hand in creating those masterpieces.

"Investigate that group thoroughly," Kinjiro ordered. "Also, try to get their cooperation even if we have to offer parts of our privileges."

"But Clan Master!"

A few people within the room were surprised and tried to object. Offering the family's privileges meant they would lose the privilege once it was owned by another group of people.

"I would not tolerate any objection," Kinjiro said with a stern expression as he panned his eyes to the people in the room. "I'm a businessman. I know how to sacrifice things for a better endeavor. In this regard, I haven't failed so far."

Everyone could see the shine of greed in the Clan Master's eyes. As such, they all meekly shut their mouths.

BOOM!

At this time, a sudden explosion of light illuminated the sky. It caused a few dozen hornets to fall with their charred remains. There was not only one explosion. It was followed by several more.

However, there was no sound of a rocket or cannon being fired in the sky. While some people already have the strength to throw explosives up to that height and past it, no one saw any kind of explosives thrown into the sky to cause the explosions.

In the first place, no human explosive was supposed to cause a bloom of pure white light.

And instead of explosives, a few keen-eyed people saw paper cranes flying on their own before each one exploding to a bright bloom. Each of the pieces of rough origami mysteriously caused an explosive ball of light around three meters in diameter.

"It looks like the White Cloths are here."

Kinjiro said as he looked at the bright explosion of light in the sky.

And within his tone, it looked like he had already lost interest in the situation due to the new arrivals.

***

Back at the circular park, the surroundings of Mark's group were littered with hundreds of corpses of hornets.

It was unknown how but the more they killed, the more hornets appeared. With the number of hornet corpses here alone, it was clear that the swarm had become way larger than when it started.

Mark's group was still not tired. The formation they maintained kept their stamina usage to a minimum. However, Mei's and Iola's bullets would begin to run out if this continued.

It was when Mark's group heard a clear voice of multiple people echo into their ears.

"Evil be gone."

The echoing voice made Mark's family shiver. On the other hand, Spera, Amihan, and Emika were unaffected.

"Evil be gone."

The voices repeated. The hornets began to behave strangely and rushed away from Mark's group. However, Mark, Mei, and the three girls felt their breaths become heavier.

"[AT-Energy Shield], activate!"

Mark commanded as he pressed a button hidden on his left forearm armor piece. The girls also did the same. It was the same for the three unaffected ones who were now feeling confused.

It was one of the functions of their pieces of armor, [AT-Abyss Protector]. This energy shield would create an invisible film of energy around their bodies. This film could protect them from invasive energies while remaining undetectable due to its natural flow.

Where did this technology come from? It was actually created in Eriellis and was one of the functions of the armor Freed had when Mark met him. Due to the nature of the apocalypse in Eriellis, they had to develop such armors to prevent them from being overwhelmed by the pressure of contradicting [Psychic Energies].

And, right now, the energy shield was doing its miracle. The echoing voices continued, but Mark's group was now unaffected by the voices.

It was when explosions of light occurred in the sky. And instead of fleeing, most of the hornets flew like moths into the explosions.

With a frown, Mark concentrated his [Empath Detection]. He immediately found where the voices came from. It was from a group of people that had just arrived at the defense line of the military at the intersection a block away.

At this time, several vehicles arrived just on the road outside the park. All the vehicles bore the symbol of the Black Lotus.

"Holy sh*t!"

Ren uncharacteristically exclaimed as she jumped out of her vehicle. The first thing that Ren saw was the slaughter that Mark's group created around the park. Her reaction was reasonable, considering the several hundred corpses of hornets that now decorated the park.

"Miss!"

Mako came out of hiding. Her stealth skills sure were amazing, considering she was hiding behind a tree only a few meters away from Mark's group, yet she was not attacked by a single hornet. It was also clear that she was the one that told Ren's group where Mark's group went to.

"Evil be gone!"

The sounds continued to Mark's annoyance. It was the same for the explosions of light in the sky. However, he decided to ignore it. Mark then told his group to leave the formation and meet up with Ren's group.

"I know you are all skilled, but this..."

Ren's voice trailed off as she noticed the bodies of the members of Mark's group. Of course, it was the uniform, pieces of armor, and their weapons.

However, Ren was still tactful and decided to ignore it for now.

On the other hand, Mark's eyes were not focused on Ren. Instead, he looked to the north of the road where the intersection was. And there, he could see a group of white-robed men with black hats.

Ren noticed Mark's demeanor and saw what he was looking at.

"They are priests and Onmyoujis from the Ise Grand Shrine," Ren explained. "If they are already here, the battle should be over."

"We tried to depart as fast as we could, but we're already late, huh."

Ren sighed. It was not surprising, however. Even if they tried to hurry, gathering troops and preparing equipment would still take minutes.

However, Ren felt relieved instead of getting frustrated because they were late. It was because it meant that the battle ended early, reducing the damage and casualties.

On the other hand, Mark now knew why the voices of those people made Mark and the girls feel stifled.

Those people were Onmyoujis. People who fight Demons thru mantras and talismans. The phrases the priests continuously repeated were mantras. It affected the enemies along with the Demons that heard them.

Mark found it annoying. It was lucky that they wore their armor, or the fact that they were Demons would have been revealed unexpectedly.

Still, Mark decided not to let his guard down as he turned to Ren.

"Can we return now?" Mark said and pointed at the mess they left. "We're tired of fighting all those things. We want to rest."

Of course, it was just a lie. Mark just wanted to get away from this annoying chanting. Besides, as Ren had said, the battle was already over as the hornets threw themselves into the explosions in the sky.

"That's..." Ren was hesitant. "Your group did a lot here, so the army might want to meet and reward you. And also, are you just going to leave those?"

Ren then pointed at the mess. Was she trying to say that Mark's group should clean it? Well, slightly, in a different meaning, though.

In fact, the other people that fought the hornets were beginning to pick the ones they killed. While these hornets might not be edible despite their size, their carapace and wings should be a good material to use for crafting.

And since the mess in the park was the enemies Mark's group had killed, it was their claim.

"Can you handle it?" Mark said, realizing her words. "Sell them or other things? Minus the labor, how about 60-40? We'll take sixty, of course."

Ren's eyes glistened. She might have left her family, but she was still descended from a family of businessmen. Furthermore, they were having financial difficulties. What Mark had just said gave her a good leeway from her problems.

"And about the army..." Mark said, glancing at the large group of armed personnel at the intersection, together with the Onmyoujis. "I'm not really keen on meeting them. Can you handle that too?"

The other request made Ren look bitter. It was definitely a troublesome matter. Nonetheless, Ren nodded with a sigh.

"Alright, I'll handle it."

Ren then turned to Mako. But before Ren could say anything, Mako had already raised her hand.

"I know! I'll get the car we came in and bring them home! Got it!"

Mako then ran off, causing the members of the Black Lotus to become baffled. For some reason, she looked too eager to curry favors for Mark's group.

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