Hearing the officer's words, the Promoters in the room adopted a grim seriousness, but not a single person moved to get up.

  Aside from Rentaro Satomi—who Haruki suspected was only there because of high-level nepotism—the rest of the people in this room were high-ranking elites. Powerful individuals tend to have massive egos; even knowing the mission was suicide, none of them were willing to back down in front of their rivals.

  "Very well. It seems no one is withdrawing," the officer noted with a curt nod. "In that case, I will let our next speaker expin the details."

  As soon as he finished, the massive screens at the front of the hall flickered to life. A girl with short, silver hair appeared on the monitor.

  The room collectively stood up. Even Haruki felt a flicker of surprise.

  The girl was the Holy Child, known as the Seitenshi. She was the absolute ruler of the Tokyo District.

  "Good afternoon, everyone."

  The Seitenshi's gaze was as soft as water. Dressed in snow-white robes that matched her silver hair, she looked like a princess stepped out of a fairy tale.

  Standing beside her was an old man in a traditional kimono. He projected a heavy, seasoned pressure that seemed to fill the screen. Haruki recognized him as well: Kikunojo Tendo, the Special Advisor to the Seitenshi. He was the most powerful political figure in Tokyo, effectively second only to the Holy Child herself.

  The simultaneous appearance of these two figures was proof enough of the mission's gravity. The atmosphere in the conference room turned heavy.

  "Please, be at ease," the Seitenshi said gently. "There are two urgent matters that require your attention. First, a Gastrea infection occurred in Tokyo yesterday. The monster responsible for the outbreak has not yet been neutralized. To prevent further devastation, we require you to capture it immediately."

  While the other Promoters remained silent, Haruki narrowed his eyes. Something was off. He didn't believe for a second that a routine hunt required every elite in the city. Moreover, her choice of words was strange. She said "capture," not "eliminate."

  Usually, you killed Gastrea on sight. There was no reason to bring one in alive—unless the monster wasn't the actual target.

  As if responding to Haruki's unspoken suspicion, the Seitenshi continued.

  "The second task: that Gastrea has swallowed a very important suitcase. You must recover that suitcase and return it to us intact."

  A photo of a silver-gray suitcase appeared on the screen, followed by a number.

  The reward: One billion yen.

  The room exploded into a low murmur. Most of the Promoters looked like they were ready to sprint out the door right then and there to cim the prize. However, the more experienced ones remained skeptical. Ten billion was an astronomical sum—the kind of money that suggested a mission where most of the participants wouldn't be coming home.

  "May I ask what's inside the suitcase?"

  The question came from the bck-haired girl sitting near Rentaro. According to her namepte, she was the President of the Tendo Civil Security Agency. Despite her title, she looked like a high school student in a school uniform.

  The Seitenshi seemed slightly surprised by the interruption. "And you are?"

  "Kisara Tendo, President of Tendo Civil Security."

  "...I have heard of you, President Tendo. However, the contents of the suitcase are protected by client confidentiality. I cannot answer that."

  "Then I cannot accept the mission," Kisara said, shaking her head. "I am not a Promoter myself, but I know the industry. Eliminating a single Gastrea usually requires one competent pair. Why summon every elite in Tokyo for one suitcase? And why the ten-billion-yen bounty? If the Gastrea isn't a Stage V, then the danger must lie within the suitcase itself. Is that a fair assessment?"

  Kisara's logic cut right through the government's vague briefing. The other Promoters began to look around, the greed in their eyes repced by caution.

  The Seitenshi's brow furrowed. "I'm afraid that is on a need-to-know basis, and you do not need to know."

  "Is that so? Then if you're going to hide the most vital information, my agency will withdraw from this contract."

  "Withdrawing now will result in severe penalties," the officer warned.

  "I'm prepared for that. I won't send my employees into a meat grinder for a mission that smells this bad," Kisara stated firmly.

  Haruki found himself impressed. Whether Kisara was being reckless or brave, he respected her backbone. He had no intention of being a puppet for a government that treated its strongest assets like mushrooms—kept in the dark and fed on garbage.

  He decided to back her up.

  "President Tendo is right," Haruki's voice cut through the murmurs, cold and resonant. "If the Tokyo Government can't expin the discrepancy between the mission and the reward, I'm out as well."

  "You're... the 'Sword Ghost,' Haruki Aizawa?" Kisara looked at him, surprise and a hint of gratitude flickering in her eyes.

  The Seitenshi looked troubled. Having a nameless agency like Tendo walk out was one thing, but Haruki was the highest-ranked Promoter in the room. His influence was massive.

  Sure enough, the moment Haruki took a stand, the rest of the room followed suit. The Promoters began shouting their own demands for transparency.

  Even Shougen Ikuma stood up, adding his bulk to the pressure. "Yeah! Is there a nuke in that suitcase or something? Why the secrecy?"

  "Treating us like idiots won't get your suitcase back!" another shouted.

  The Seitenshi looked overwhelmed. She clearly hadn't expected the "Sword Ghost" to spearhead a minor rebellion in the middle of her briefing.

  The chaos Haruki unleashed left the Tokyo Government in a tight spot. They hadn't prepared for the Promoters to challenge their authority so directly.

  The Seitenshi cked the iron fist needed to restore order, and the shouting only intensified as the Promoters demanded answers. Amidst the noise, Haruki noticed Rentaro Satomi just standing there, looking dazed. It reinforced his belief that the kid was way out of his league.

  Finally, Kikunojo Tendo had seen enough. The old man stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Haruki with the intensity of a hawk. As a veteran politician, he knew exactly who had started this: the high-ranking "Sword Ghost."

  He knew that to stop the riot, he had to neutralize Haruki.

  "So, you are the legendary Haruki Aizawa," Kikunojo said, his voice cutting through the din. "The rumors didn't do you justice."

  "Spare me the fttery, Counselor Tendo," Haruki replied, unimpressed. "I just want to know what's in that suitcase and why the government is so desperate. This concerns the lives of every man and woman in this room. If you can't give us a straight answer, don't expect us to bleed for you."

  With one sentence, Haruki framed his personal curiosity as a matter of collective safety. He held the moral high ground. Even the Tokyo Government couldn't easily dismiss him without looking like they were intentionally leading their best people to their deaths.

  Kikunojo's jaw tightened. He realized he wasn't dealing with a simple thug who was good with a sword; Haruki possessed a dangerous level of charisma and rhetorical skill. He was a threat on multiple levels.

  But before their verbal sparring could continue, an unexpected sound interrupted everything.

  "Haha... Hahahaha!"

  A bone-chilling ugh echoed through the vast conference room.

  "Who's there?!"

  The Promoters scanned the room for the source. They found it in the only empty seat—the chair reserved for Ose Civil Security. Sitting there with his legs kicked up on the table was a man wearing a white mask, a top hat, and a full tuxedo. He looked like an eccentric magician who had wandered into the wrong building.

  "Who the hell are you?!" Shougen growled, reaching for his sword.

  The masked man didn't answer with words. He performed a bizarre, acrobatic flip, nding squarely in the center of the rge oval conference table, his boots clicking on the polished surface.

  "Who are you? State your name," the Seitenshi demanded, her voice trembling slightly.

  "My apologies," the man said, tipping his hat with a deep, mocking bow. "My name is Hiruko. Kagetane Hiruko. A pleasure to meet you, your useless Highness. To put it simply... I am your enemy."

  "You... how did you get in here?!"

  While the other Promoters were still processing his entrance, Rentaro Satomi drew his gun and leveled it at the masked man. He clearly recognized him.

  "Hohoho... my 'new friend,' Satomi-kun. How have you been?"

  "I asked how you got in!" Rentaro yelled.

  "The answer is the front door, of course. I walked right in. Though, I had to swat a few flies that were buzzing around the entrance. Oh, and before I forget, allow me to introduce my Initiator. Kohina, come here."

  "Yes, Papa."

  Just as suddenly as Kagetane had appeared, a young girl moved past Rentaro and Kisara like a ghost. She had short, wavy hair and wore a bck dress adorned with ce. Two bdes—small katanas—were crossed behind her waist.

  "Hup!" The girl scrambled onto the table with animalistic agility and ran to Kagetane's side, curtsying pyfully. "I am Kohina Hiruko. I'm ten years old."

  "She is my Initiator... and my daughter," Kagetane added.

  The room went cold. If he had an Initiator, it meant he was—or had been—a Promoter.

  "Papa, everyone is staring at us. I'm feeling shy," Kohina whispered, her voice innocent but her eyes gleaming with madness. "Can I kill them? And that guy is pointing a gun at us. Can I kill him too?"

  "Now, now, Kohina. Not yet. Have patience."

  "Okay... Papa."

  Despite her cute appearance, the blood dripping from the scabbards at her waist and the murderous intent rolling off her in waves made it clear: she was a monster in a dress.

  "What is your objective?" the Seitenshi asked, trying to maintain her composure.

  "Heh. I just came by to say hello," Kagetane replied smoothly. "And to announce that I'm also entering this little competition of yours."

  "Entering? What do you mean?"

  ***********************************************

  For advanced chapters up to 20 chapter ahead is on my

  My name : M7md_sol

  Current amount of chapters on : 102

  If your having trouble reaching my

  Just write M7md_sol on Google search and I'll probably be the first page that shows up and thanks for any support you guys give

  Discord :

  https://discord.gg/Vvhcb4RRS