The top floor was not a medical room.
It was an attic.
Exposed beams.
Broken windows letting in gray light.
The hole Akuma had opened pierced the center like a vertical wound.
Akihiro walked slowly.
A pink sword formed in his right hand.
In front of him stood the origin of everything.
Akihiro spoke first.
—My name is Akihiro Dragunov.
A small pause.
—And I have come to negotiate.
He did not lower the sword.
—We intend to use this hospital for what it should truly serve.
He looked at the floor, the dust, the beams.
—My companions are already cleaning the sewers.
Kageru blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And began to laugh.
Not theatrical.
Uncontrolled.
—Hello, Akihiro…
He leaned slightly forward.
—My name is Kageru Enmoku.
He rubbed his hands compulsively.
—And I inform you that your friends are dead.
Twisted smile.
—You are all dead.
Louder laughter.
As if the idea truly amused him.
Akihiro did not react.
But his pupil contracted slightly.
A microsecond.
He noticed.
Kageru noticed that he noticed.
Interesting.
Akihiro tilted his head slightly.
—Do not underestimate them.
Kageru tilted his neck.
—I have been here for years.
He looked around.
—Do you know how many people have come seeking hope?
He walked to a broken window.
—How many seeking refuge?
Short laugh.
—How many trying to rob me?
Silence.
—They all end the same way.
Akihiro stepped forward once more.
Observing breathing.
Jaw tension.
Blink frequency.
—Explain.
Kageru smiled, showing the metallic tooth.
—Do you know how easy it is to cause an overdose of the Sleeper drug?
He touched the harness on his chest.
—I have my personal farm in the sewers.
Rapid blink.
Twitch in his lip.
—Your friends went straight to the slaughterhouse.
Akihiro felt something he did not like.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For them.
—Why do you do that?
He said it low.
Not theatrical.
Genuine.
Kageru looked at him.
And laughed again.
Louder.
—Because I can.
He approached slowly.
—Sometimes the people who enter are bait.
He pointed at the floor with his chin.
—Others are walkers from my livestock.
His voice lowered.
His gray eyes seemed even more dead.
—I like seeing how they believe they can save something.
Short laugh.
—I like seeing when they realize they cannot.
It was not ideology.
It was pure sadism.
Pragmatic.
Methodical.
Akihiro observed him in silence.
Processing.
Kageru took another step.
—Negotiate… —he repeated with soft mockery—.
He leaned slightly.
—You do not negotiate with a farmer when you are already inside the pen.
The air in the attic grew heavier.
Below…
The hospital vibrated.
Akihiro was no longer smiling.
Akihiro lowered the pink sword slightly.
His eyes no longer analyzed.
They burned.
—You are a sadist.
It was not a moral accusation.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
It was a diagnosis.
Kageru Enmoku smiled.
Proud.
He rubbed his hands.
Blinked quickly.
Bit his lower lip with excited nervousness.
—Yes.
He tilted his head.
—I love it when my little creatures tear the skin off.
Neck twitch.
Twisted smile.
—The sound is… beautiful.
Something in Akihiro broke.
Strategy.
It became rage.
He shouted.
And attacked head-on.
Pink magic sword tracing a direct cut toward the torso.
No detours.
No subtle provocation.
Pure fury.
Kageru did not move.
He only brought his fingers together in front of his chest.
As if closing an invisible flower.
And whispered:
—Sumōkuzōn. (Smoke Zone.)
The air exploded.
The attic disappeared.
A dense capsule of smoke enveloped Akihiro.
Gray darkness.
Thick.
Sound muffled.
Light died.
Akihiro stopped abruptly.
He could see nothing.
His breathing became heavy.
The smoke was not natural.
It was magical.
Narrator: Kageru Enmoku
Genso-Hō (Elemental Magic)
Domain: Smoke
Dense.
Alive.
And within it…
Kageru was something else.
Faster.
Lighter.
Almost intangible within the mist.
Akihiro tried to expand magic.
He formed a barrier.
Too late.
A presence behind him.
A quick cut.
Small.
Blood on his back.
Akihiro clenched his teeth.
Turned.
Cut the air.
Nothing.
The smoke moved.
By will.
—What is happening, negotiator?
Kageru’s voice came from everywhere.
Confusion.
Distortion.
Another invisible step.
Second cut.
This time at his side.
Not deep.
But surgical.
Akihiro stepped back.
The gray capsule pulsed like a giant lung.
Kageru walked invisible.
Low laughter.
—Do you know what will be fun?
A silhouette crossed the smoke behind him.
Cut to the thigh.
Akihiro nearly lost his balance.
—You will be the Sleeper who eats your friends.
Dense silence.
—Imagine it.
Another cut.
This time on the arm holding the pink sword.
The magic faltered for a second.
—The intelligent one turned into livestock.
Kageru appeared inches away.
His dull gray eyes gleamed with sick excitement.
—I have observed you.
He vanished again.
—You are not strong in close combat.
An invisible kick to the stomach.
Akihiro fell backward.
Coughed.
—You are mind.
Laughter.
—What will you do now that your mind cannot save you?
The smoke spun faster.
Total confusion.
Akihiro tried to listen.
Nothing clear.
Tried to feel vibrations.
Distorted.
Tried to expand magic.
The smoke absorbed it.
Another cut.
Small.
Precise.
Cumulative.
He was not trying to kill him quickly.
He sought to wear him down.
Humiliate him.
Break his confidence.
Akihiro clenched his jaw.
His worst fear whispered inside:
“You are a fraud.”
His pink sword destabilized.
Flickered.
Kageru reappeared before him.
Twisted smile.
—The mind does not always win.
One final blunt strike to the chest.
Akihiro fell to his knees.
The sword dissipated.
The smoke surrounded him like a living tomb.
Heavy breathing.
Blood dripping.
Kageru appeared a few steps away, barely visible through the mist.
Twisted smile.
Metal tooth shining.
—No one is going to save you, Akihiro.
The smoke closed tighter.
Silence.
And then—
A silhouette pierced the smoke capsule from above.
The impact dispersed the mist in a circular wave.
The ground cracked.
Dust and wind exploded outward.
Naoko landed on his knees.
Stood up.
And positioned himself in front of Akihiro.
The smoke retreated slightly.
Naoko turned his head.
Looked at Akihiro.
—You look like a mess, friend.
Akihiro looked at him, incredulous.
—What are you doing here, you damn monkey? You walked straight into the trap.
Naoko shrugged.
Drew his daggers.
Took his stance.
Light smile.
—Then do not get in the way.
The smoke closed again.
But Naoko was no longer smiling.
His expression changed.
Kageru appeared before him.
—Well, well…
Twitch in his fingers.
—The cheerful boy. Do you want to die too?
He vanished.
Side attack.
Swift cut.
Naoko pivoted on his heel.
CLANG.
Blocked with both daggers.
Sparks.
Akihiro lifted his gaze.
Kageru stepped back half a step.
For the first time… surprised.
Naoko did not try to see through the smoke.
Another attack from above.
Naoko ducked.
Upward counterattack.
The dagger grazed Kageru’s cheek.
A thread of blood.
Kageru appeared before them both.
No longer laughing.
—Interesting.
Naoko lowered his center of gravity slightly.
Cold gaze.
—I did not come to die.
Small pause.
—I came to end this.
Akihiro, on his knees, murmured:
—How is this possible…?
Naoko did not take his eyes off the void.
—Do you remember my magic?
Akihiro breathed with difficulty.
—Yes… your radar.
Naoko nodded.
His pupils sharpened.
—I do not see the smoke.
Small pause.
—I see his bloodlust.
The air vibrated.
Inside the Sumōkuzōn, Kageru Enmoku was almost invisible.
But the intent to kill…
…burned like a torch in the darkness.
A pulse ran through Naoko’s body.
His heartbeats synchronized.
Breathing low.
Controlled.
Attack from behind.
Naoko turned half a second earlier.
CLANG.
Clean block.
Kick into the void.
Impact.
A brief groan.
Kageru retreated into the smoke.
Nervous twitch faster.
—How…?
Naoko stepped forward.
Multiple attack.
Three consecutive cuts from impossible angles.
Naoko closed his eyes.
Breathed.
Felt.
Front.
Low.
Right.
Minimal dodge.
One dagger deflected.
The other sought flesh.
Cut on Kageru’s forearm.
Blood scattered in the mist.
Kageru tried to change rhythm.
The smoke compressed.
Zero visibility.
Descending attack.
Naoko did not retreat.
He advanced.
Entered the attack.
Cross block.
Knee straight to the stomach.
Dry impact.
Spinning kick to the chin.
Turn.
Diagonal cut.
Blood drew a red line in the mist.
Kageru fell to his knees.
Tried to laugh.
But the laugh came out broken.
Uncontrollable twitch in his fingers.
—You… cannot… see…
Naoko stopped in front of him.
Serious.
Silent.
The smoke began to disperse.
—I do not need to see you.
He lowered one dagger to Kageru’s neck.
The other to his chest.
—Your intention screams too loudly.
Kageru tried to attack head-on.
Naoko, at great speed, cut an X across Kageru’s chest.
The smoke capsule completely unraveled.
Akihiro watched.
Impressed.
Naoko looked at Kageru without hatred.
But without doubt.
—Next time you lock someone in…
He pressed the dagger slightly.
A thin line of blood descended.
—Make sure there is no one who can smell your fear.
Kageru breathed with difficulty.
His body began to come apart.
First the fingers.
Then the torso.
Then the face.
He turned into smoke that seeped through the cracks in the floor.
Akihiro watched, surprised.
—Uta… you have recruited real monsters, huh…
Naoko extended his hand.
—Get up.
Akihiro took it.
Stood with effort.
—I will not call you monkey again… for a week.
Naoko frowned.
—A WEEK?!
Akihiro smiled weakly.
—Did we win?
Naoko looked at the destroyed hallway.
Smoke still floated in the air.
—No.
His eyes sharpened.
—He is still alive.
Several floors below
The air was tense.
The ground cracked.
And in the middle of the chaos, standing, was Akuma.
Annoyed.
Irritated.
Cracking his knuckles.
—Everyone gives me orders… —he growled—. As if they do not know who I am.
The smoke appeared behind him.
Kageru tried to recompose himself.
Before he could move—
Akuma grabbed him by the neck.
—YOU.
Absolute silence.
—You are the problem behind all of this, huh?
He slammed him against the wall.
The impact shattered the concrete.
Kageru coughed blood.
Tried to speak.
—W-we can negotiate…
Akuma tilted his head.
His eyes burned.
—Because of you… those idiots gave me orders.
A memory crossed his mind.
Naoko shouting at him from above:
“Throw me too!”
A vein bulged on his forehead.
Kageru trembled.
—Sorry… I did not know—
Akuma smiled.
But it was not a human smile.
—Too late.
Narrator:
Akuma Jigoku
Hybrid Magic — Gen'yō Dōkon
Domain: Demon of Wrath
The magical pressure exploded.
It was not a directed attack.
It was a release.
An entire floor of the building blew into pieces.
Fire.
Concrete.
Pulverized windows.
A column of flames shot into the night sky.
When the smoke dissipated…
A silhouette could be seen walking through the fire.
Shirtless.
Skin intact.
The flames parted from his body.
Akuma ran a hand back through his hair.
Calm.
At his feet, remnants of smoke dispersing.
Nothing else.
Stairs
Naoko and Akihiro descended, leaning on the railing.
They felt the explosion.
The building trembled.
Both fell silent.
Then looked at each other.
—Do you think he ran into him? —Akihiro asked.
Naoko smiled slowly.
—Poor guy.
The two let out a small laugh.
And kept going down
