novelraw Chapter 102 : Formation of the Alliance
Chapter 102 : Formation of the Alliance
Chapter 102: Formation of the Alliance
“Then let’s cooperate.”
The moment Chen Mo’s words fell, Hattori Heizo’s figure became a blur.
The black tight-fitting outfit merged into the dim shadows of the basement lights and vanished in an instant.
“Give me three hours.”
Only this sentence was left lingering in the air.
……
Neon Metropolis, Shinjuku.
Tens of thousands of believers held torches aloft, roaming among the high-rise buildings.
And within the gaps of the shadows, a black silhouette was moving against the flow.
Hattori Heizo lightly tapped the tip of his foot on a utility pole, his body launching like an arrow loosed from a bow, landing soundlessly atop a billboard a hundred meters away.
He completely ignored the surging crowd below and the earth-shaking roars.
Just as described in the commentary for 【Ninja】.
【Enduring in the darkness, moving unseen】
The patrolling fanatics only felt a gust of breeze brush past them.
They turned their heads in confusion, seeing nothing but a startled crow taking flight.
And in their blind spot, Hattori Heizo had already turned into a fleeting afterimage, slipping into the entrance of the sewer.
……
Underground sewers, depths.
This was the city’s intestines—dark, damp, and filled with the stench of decay.
Yet inside a certain abandoned maintenance hall, several candles were lit.
Sakamoto Ryuji sat on a battered sofa of unknown origin, idly playing with that coin of fate in his hand.
“So boring……”
He yawned and casually flicked the coin into the air.
Clink.
The crisp metallic sound echoed through the empty tunnels.
“Heads, go kill a few people to relieve boredom. Tails, sleep.”
He reached out and caught it.
Tails.
“Tch, how dull.”
Not far from him, Abe Qingtian was sitting cross-legged on a slightly cleaner stone.
Even in such an environment, this Onmyoji still maintained an aristocratic bearing.
His kariginu was spotless, and two shikigami stood guard at his sides like door guardians.
Abe Qingtian glanced at Sakamoto Ryuji. “Can’t you be a bit quieter?”
“Hah? The panting from your two big dogs is louder than me. Why don’t you say something about that?”
At that moment.
Whoosh—
A cold wind blew out the candles.
Darkness descended instantly, and the two shikigami let out low growls at the same time.
“Who?!”
Abe Qingtian snapped open his folding fan, several talismans floating before him.
In the darkness, Hattori Heizo’s figure slowly emerged.
He looked at the two who were on full alert and coldly threw out a sentence.
“Do you want to live, or do you want to die?”
Sakamoto Ryuji whistled, a cluster of flames igniting at his fingertips as he relit the candles.
“Yo, this player here, that’s quite the big talk.”
“Before that, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
Hattori Heizo said calmly, “Asahara Shoko is too powerful now.”
“In order to survive, we must unite.”
“The players who fought with you before are now at the Dragon Nation Embassy.”
“If you agree, we’ll go together to discuss countermeasures. Then you’ll naturally know who I am.”
“If you don’t agree, I’ll leave immediately, and you don’t need to know who I am either.”
Sakamoto Ryuji rubbed the coin in his hand.
This period of hiding had pushed him to his limits as well.
Asahara Shoko’s influence had expanded far too quickly; the entire city was filled with that charlatan’s eyes and ears.
If this dragged on any longer, it would be either starving to death in the sewers, or being dragged out and burned alive by believers.
“Going to take a look doesn’t cost anything.”
Abe Qingtian suddenly spoke. He put away his folding fan, his gaze gloomy.
Sakamoto Ryuji shrugged and tossed the coin again.
“Heads, we go. Tails, we don’t.”
Clink.
The coin fell to the ground, spinning a few times on the sludge-covered floor before toppling over.
Heads.
“Tch, fate really can’t be defied.”
Sakamoto Ryuji picked up the coin and wiped the mud off it. “Lead the way, Ninja Turtle.”
……
Having settled these two troublesome figures, Hattori Heizo did not pause.
Bunkyo Ward, within the ruins of a capsule hotel.
This place had just undergone a “purification.”
The believers had smashed all the facilities and taken away all the guests.
Yet in an inconspicuous corner, one capsule pod remained completely intact.
As if all the rioters had intentionally or unintentionally overlooked this place.
【Dream Taker】Sano Manatsu was curled up under the blanket, sleeping soundly.
By activating her ability, she caused the people around her to subconsciously ignore her existence.
“Wake up.”
The cold scabbard tapped against Sano Manatsu’s face.
“Mmm…… is the submission deadline here already?”
Sano Manatsu groggily opened her eyes, seeing a masked figure in black.
“If you want to live, follow me.”
“Huh? But I haven’t finished drawing yet……”
Before Sano Manatsu was fully awake, she was taken away by Hattori Heizo.
……
Three a.m.
Dragon Nation Embassy, underground conference room.
Around a massive round table sat seven Transcendents.
Chen Mo, Tsuchimikado Rin, Gang Tianmeng, Sakamoto Ryuji, Abe Qingtian, Sano Manatsu, and Hattori Heizo.
These were all the players still alive, aside from Asahara Shoko.
Chen Mo sat upright at the main seat, his expression calm and grave, righteous aura emanating from him.
Gang Tianmeng crossed his arms, murderous intent overflowing, like a ferocious tiger ready to pounce at any moment, staring fixedly across the table.
Tsuchimikado Rin’s gaze was icy, her killing intent undisguised.
Sakamoto Ryuji had his feet propped up on the table, looking utterly flippant.
Abe Qingtian sat properly, but arrogance radiated from his eyes.
Sano Manatsu shrank into her chair, while Hattori Heizo held his blade and observed coldly.
“Asahara Shoko has already turned the entire Neon Nation into his private divine kingdom.”
“He transformed Tokyo Tower into the ‘Heaven-Piercing Divine Tower’ and proclaimed himself the ‘Living God’.”
“He is now sitting on the throne of the Imperial Palace, overlooking this city, enjoying the worship of tens of millions of believers.”
“With the faith power of nearly a hundred million followers, his strength has reached a terrifying level.”
“We no longer have any retreat.”
“Either we kill him, or he kills us.”
Chen Mo broke the silence, laying out all the current intelligence. “And any one of us, or even two or three of us together, are not his match.”
“So, we must cooperate.”
“Put aside our factions, put aside our personal grudges.”
“To survive, to win this game.”
“We must unite!”
Chen Mo’s voice was sonorous and powerful, echoing through the conference room.
“Hmph, that sounds nice enough.”
Sakamoto Ryuji sneered, tossing the coin into the air. “Who knows if you’re plotting something behind our backs?”
“You’ve got the nerve to say that!”
Gang Tianmeng suddenly stood up, ferocity flashing in his eyes. “If it weren’t for your sneak attack from behind, 【Sword Saint】 wouldn’t have died!”
“You despicable bastard—what right do you have to speak here?!”
“Oh?”
Sakamoto Ryuji raised an eyebrow, a roguish smile on his face. “Angry from embarrassment?”
“The fact is, 【Sword Saint】 is dead, and I’m living just fine.”
“This is fate.”
“You’re courting death!”
Gang Tianmeng roared, about to charge forward.
“That’s enough!”
Chen Mo slammed his palm on the table, the immense force making the tabletop tremble.
“Now is not the time for internal strife!”
His sharp gaze swept over everyone present.
“【Gambler】 killed 【Sword Saint】—that is a fact.”
“But now, we have a more dangerous enemy.”
“Therefore, we must unite!”
“Any grudges can wait until after Asahara Shoko is dead—then you can fight all you want!”