Guild Headquarters, Strategy Room – Late Evening
Everyone gathered around the large round table as Kaien stood in front of a glowing map of Japan. The air was tense. Ash, Misaki, Koharu, Luna, and the others leaned in as the holographic map lit up with red marks across various cities.
Kaien's expression was grim.
"Listen carefully, everyone," he began. "The Hero Hunters… they're not just in Shibuya. They've spread across all of Japan."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"What?" Koharu said, standing. "You mean they've got branches everywhere?"
Kaien nodded.
"Yes. And worse… all of them are connected. They're being controlled by one individual. A man we don't know the identity of yet. No name. No photo. No trail. But he's pulling every string."
Ash clenched his fists.
"All over Japan…" he muttered. "But Japan is too big. How the hell are we supposed to find someone like that?"
Kaien turned, pointing at the blinking red dots on the map.
"We don't. Not directly. We hunt down each branch. Interrogate their leaders. Someone will talk. Sooner or later, one of them will give us a name."
"This isn't a mission anymore," Kaien continued. "It's war. We're hunting the hunters."
Silence filled the room as the weight of their new reality sank in.
Then, Luna spoke quietly but firmly:
"Then let's be ready. Because they won't go down without a fight."
Kaien's voice cut through the silence, heavy with urgency.
"Most of Japan's hero guilds have already been destroyed," he said, his fists tightening. "What's left is barely standing. That's why this mission takes priority now—above everything else. If we fail, Japan falls next."
The map blinked—many of the red lights had already turned black, signifying fallen guilds.
Luna leaned against the table, her tone biting.
"And let's not act like they didn't deserve it. Half of those guilds were exposed… illegal activities, corruption, backdoor deals with villains. The so-called protectors of peace turned into parasites."
Ash glanced at the others, his eyes narrowed.
"So the Hero Hunters weren't just killing heroes… they were exposing the truth. But they've gone too far."
Kaien nodded grimly.
"Exactly. This isn't just about revenge or justice anymore. This is about saving what's left—and rebuilding something better."
Koharu stepped forward.
"Then where do we begin?"
Kaien tapped the map—highlighting a city in the Kansai region.
"Here. One of the last active branches. If we hit them hard and fast, we might draw out their leader... or at least someone who knows him."
"Which makes this our mission," Kaien said. "We're not just protecting people anymore—we're hunting shadows."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Rei leaned against the wall, expression unreadable. Misaki glanced at him but said nothing.
Then Koharu stepped forward. "Where do we start?"
Kaien nodded. "Kyoto. We've intercepted chatter—one of the key branches is based there. And word is, they're preparing for something big."
Ash stood. "Then let's move."
Outside the room, Tenma stood quietly in the hallway, looking out the window at the sunrise.
"The gate will open soon," he murmured. "And when it does… everything will change."
Kyoto City, once a place of serenity, temples, and tradition, now pulsed with secrets. Deep beneath an old shrine, a hidden underground facility hummed with life—Hero Hunters' western Japan command center.
A young man in a black coat sat in the center chamber, mask lying beside him, his eyes cold and calculating. His name was Kagura Tsuneo, commander of the Kyoto branch.
"Nagoya is moving," a subordinate reported, bowing. "Kaien's team is active."
Kagura smirked. "Let them. Every move they make... we already planned five ahead."
On the wall, a map of Japan blinked red in several locations—destroyed guilds, fallen heroes, silenced witnesses. Kyoto remained untouched.
"They think Kyoto is a city of peace," he said, walking toward a sealed door. "But Kyoto... is the eye of the storm."
Inside the chamber was a figure hooked to machines—Project Zero, a genetically enhanced being forged from captured hero DNA. Sleeping, waiting.
"Soon," Kagura whispered. "The shadows will rise. And the world will know what true betrayal looks like."
As the gate to the room closed, Kagura's mask reattached—his expression vanishing behind a symbol that once belonged to a fallen hero.
The train screeched to a halt at Kyoto Station. The city looked calm—tourists, lanterns, and quiet shrines—but the tension in Kaien's eyes said otherwise.
"This is it," he muttered. "The Kyoto branch is one of the last strongholds of Hero Hunters. Stay alert."
Ash, Misaki, Koharu, Luna, and Rei stepped out behind him, each carrying scars from previous missions.
"It's too quiet," Rei said, hand resting near his blade. "That usually means a trap."
Luna scanned the streets. "This city hides too much beauty behind silence. I don't trust it."
They walked through narrow alleys toward their contact point—a hidden safehouse beneath a teahouse run by a former guild medic.
Inside, maps, case files, and surveillance footage covered the walls. A man in a coat greeted them.
"You made it," he said. "Name's Kento. Ex-hero. Kyoto's bleeding under the surface. The Hunters have roots in every district… but the worst of them is in the Gion district."
Kaien nodded. "Then that's where we go."
Misaki glanced at Rei. "You ready?"
Rei didn't answer. He stared at the Kyoto skyline. A strange pull tugged at his chest.
Something… or someone… was waiting for him.
The group split into pairs to avoid drawing attention.
Rei and Misaki posed as traveling students, walking through the serene streets of Gion in school uniforms provided by the guild. The sound of geta sandals and festival drums filled the air, but behind the glowing lanterns, danger pulsed.
Koharu and Ash blended in as a couple, pretending to enjoy the night markets while scanning for suspicious movement. Hidden cameras were placed on rooftops and shrines. Every step they took was monitored.
Inside a teahouse deep in the district, an informant waited.
Rei and Misaki sat at the corner table.
A woman in a geisha outfit poured tea. "The moon hides many shadows tonight," she whispered, her words a secret code.
Rei leaned forward. "Then we chase what the moon fears."
She glanced around, then slid a folded paper under the teacup. "The Hero Hunters' Kyoto base is inside a forgotten shrine… guarded by one of the main lieutenants. He doesn't kill—he converts."
Rei narrowed his eyes. Misaki gripped his arm gently, sensing something darker ahead.
Outside, Koharu's earpiece buzzed. "Enemy contact—east alley near the bamboo forest."
Ash cracked his knuckles. "Time to move."
Inside the dim, incense-filled chamber of the forgotten shrine in Kyoto, the lieutenant of the Hero Hunters, known only as Kurokiba, stood before a wall covered in maps and guild symbols.
"They've arrived," he said coldly, his voice echoing through the stone hall.
A group of masked figures stood behind him. One of them snarled, "Do we strike first?"
Kurokiba shook his head. "No. Let them come. Let them believe they're hunting us. But this is our territory. Kyoto breathes with our will."
A monitor screen flickered on—grainy footage showed Rei and Misaki entering the teahouse. Kurokiba stared at Rei's face. "The boy from the cave... interesting."
Another figure leaned against the wall, spinning a blade. "You really think these guild children can touch us?"
Kurokiba smirked. "They'll try. And we'll let them taste hope—before we burn it."
Suddenly, one of the shadows stepped forward. A woman with silver eyes.
"They won't expect me," she said. "I want to face the one named Koharu."
"Good," Kurokiba replied. "Let the hunt begin."
He turned to the altar and lit a black candle.
"This city will be their grave."
The moon hung low over Kyoto's narrow streets, casting long shadows over the rooftops. Lanterns flickered dimly in the alleyways, but the city remained eerily quiet. Too quiet.
Ash leaned against a rusted railing on the rooftop of a teahouse, scanning the streets below. "Nothing. No signs. No movement. It's like they vanished."
Rei stepped out from the dark stairwell, frustration evident on his face. "Another dead lead. The contact lied—or never existed."
Below, Koharu and Misaki returned from their sweep of the Gion District.
"Every place we searched… empty," Misaki said, rubbing her arms. "It feels like they're watching us."
Kaien sat near the door, silent, brooding. "They are."
Everyone turned toward him.
Kaien continued, "No traps, no trails, no attacks. That's not carelessness—it's strategy. They want us to feel useless."
Luna clenched her fists. "Damn it. All day and night, and we still have nothing."
A cool breeze blew across the roof. Ash glanced at the distant mountains. "They're hiding something in this city. But what?"
Just then, Rei looked toward a nearby shrine. The candle there… flickered unnaturally—black flame.
He narrowed his eyes.
"We're not alone," Rei whispered.