Several shadows swept through the empty streets of New Tokyo, hopping from shadow to shadow until they paused atop a pair of abandoned houses.

  “Do you sense anything, Alpha-3?” a coarse voice asked as moonlight spilled across the rooftops, revealing several silhouettes.

  “Alpha-1’s presence ends there,” she said, pointing toward the rusted manhole below.

  Alpha-5 withdrew his blade and leapt from the rooftop as the other two followed suit.

  “Slow down. I can’t tell what’s below that cover!”

  Alpha-5 spun around mid-air with a wide smile. “All the more reason to see for ourselves!” His coarse voice echoed through the empty street as he plunged into the manhole, splitting the metal cover in half as he vanished into the sewer.

  Alpha-3 turned to face Alpha-4, whose expression oozed embarrassment. “I… are all flame users like this?”

  “No. He’s just crazy,” Alpha-4 replied before leaping after him.

  The duo dropped into the sewer, landing with a loud splash on the thin sheet of water.

  “My torch isn't bright enough for this place, can you sense anything, Alpha-3?” Alpha-5’s coarse voice echoed through the void as Alpha-3 crouched and placed her right hand on the stone beneath the running river.

  It’s cold. She recoiled slightly, then forced her hand beneath the water.

  “There doesn’t seem to be anything ahead of us, aside from this foul water.”

  “Right.” Alpha-4 spun toward the darkness. “Let’s go.”

  The two agents immediately dashed forward, vanishing into the dark, leaving Alpha-3 behind them, still crouched against the thin stream of water. Alpha-4 turned his head, confusion flickering across his face as she hadn’t followed them. He dug his boots into the stone and stretched out his right hand to stop Alpha-5.

  “Hey. Is everything okay?” he called out, but his words were met with silence.

  Alpha-4 slowly raised his blade as beads of sweat began to form the shape of a crown on his head. A coarse voice emerged from his left side, “Is she normally like this?”.

  “No”, he responded, his eyes now locked with Alpha-3’s. Her face had been drenched in sweat, as she knelt perfectly still, her left hand still etched onto the stone below the freezing water.

  “Not normally”

  Suddenly, the screech of a thousand claws tearing through concrete manifested behind Alpha-4, followed by the howls of a dozen beasts as they charged at the two agents. Alpha-4 spun around instantly, meeting eye-to-eye with a large wolflike creature with dark fur.

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  Red eyes, dark fur, four legs…It’s a night hound! He dashed backwards, dodging the creatures silver claws.

  Hmm, D class demons, I can handle that. The space between us is perfect. A faint grin appeared as **Alpha-4 then lowered his form, tucking his blade into its sheath, and with one single motion, dashed towards the beast, slashing through its neck before it could register his movement. A crisp static sound had torn through the air, followed by the silver glint of his blade. Alpha-5 wasted no time, immediately dashing to the demons that had surrounded Alpha-4.

  Meanwhile, several metres behind the pair, Alpha-3 remained motionless. Her hands were still planted against the stone beneath the cold water as she knelt on one knee. She slowly raised her gaze toward the chaos before her, only to find that her hands would not stop shaking.

  What is wrong with me? She gasped for air, suddenly unable to breathe. C’mon. I can’t let them fight alone. Move, Iris. Move.

  She pushed against the stone with all her strength, trying to force herself upright despite the crushing pressure surrounding her. Her mission had never been clearer than it was now.

  “Alpha-3, Alpha-5, abort mission. Now!”

  The two spun around in confusion.

  “Huh? The mission has barely started,” Alpha-5 replied, his face etched with disbelief.

  Alpha-3 staggered forward, fingers pressed against the switch in her ear. “We need back-” She froze before the words could leave her mouth.

  Huh?

  The tunnel had gone completely silent. The chaos behind her partners blurred as something strange began to form within it. Alpha-3 slowly straightened, disoriented, struggling to focus on the shape emerging from the haze. Seconds passed as the blur gradually resolved into the silhouette of a tall, dark creature. Its mere arms seemed to dwarf Alpha-4, who was still occupied with the never-ending swarm of demon hounds. What… are you?

  More time passed. Alpha-4 dashed from corner to corner, cutting down each hound as more manifested from the darkness. This time, he leapt toward Alpha-3, whose gaze remained locked on the tunnel ahead.

  “Snap out of it, Alpha-3!” he barked as he fought off the hounds closing in around them.

  Damn it. What is going on, Iris?

  “You know what? It doesn’t matter.” He turned to face the unexplored darkness of the tunnel. “We’ll survive.”

  “Alpha-5!”

  He turned his back on the darkness, now facing Alpha-4 standing several feet away. “Hmm?”

  Alpha-4 sheathed his sword and stepped in front of Iris, spreading his arms wide.

  “Use it! I’ll protect her.”

  Alpha-5 stared at the two for several seconds, the hairs on his skin slowly rising all at once.

  “Oh…” he muttered as a wide smile crept across his face.

  He spun around, swiping the air with such force that dozens of hounds were hurled back into the darkness, followed by a powerful gust of visible wind.

  “I see. Time to let loose.”

  He gripped his blade with both hands and slowly raised it toward his chest. The closer it came to his face, the brighter it shone, radiating light through the tunnel’s darkness. His gaze then snapped toward the centre of the tunnel.

  Something else is here.

  The grin on his face sharpened as he let out a deep breath.

  Alpha-4 dug his feet into the stone as he watched from a distance. I’ve never understood their methods, and it still makes no sense to me. Usually we’re led by them, yet this time he acted like one of us.

  A B-ranked agent.

  His eyes narrowed at the warped scenery ahead.

  Kaien Kuroda.

  Character Profile: Iris Tachibana

  Affiliation: Blood Wardens faction, D.S.O

  Rank: C

  Height: 170cm

  Ability: Sound Arts

  Iris Tachibana is a user of Sound Arts, specialising in perception and threat detection rather than direct combat. By interpreting sound and vibration, she can sense movement, concealed entities, and hostile intent long before they become visible. This makes her an invaluable asset to any squad, particularly in environments where vision is unreliable.

  This ability stems from the Tachibana family’s biological adaptation to the Void. Their Emphetripia Heart produces a V? compound that mimics sensory transduction, allowing Void energy to amplify perception at a neurological level.