31 The New One

Makima, for a moment, recalled that dream, just for a moment; right now, she just wanted to shoot straight to where he was, but she couldn't.

Makima only stared at the man above her, a man who seemed to be crafted by the gods themselves. Bright blonde hair, kissed by the same sun, a smooth yet masculine face, a defined figure, and muscles that were snugly fit in his Devil Hunter suit. And then there were his golden eyes, resembling the very sky; some in his profession swore that it was true, only that they were yellow.

The man looked at the spot where his enemy had fallen and, not sensing his presence at all, with an arrogant smile displaying his sharp teeth along with that confident attitude, he disappeared right from where he floated and reappeared right in front of Makima.

"What are you doing here?" Makima asked with a tone indicating total indifference and coldness. Even in the face of such a display of power, she considered him inferior, and that was clear because she hadn't faced him in a 1 versus 1 battle. Still, she didn't need to. There were moments when she doubted if she was stronger than him, but doubts in the mind of the Demon of Control were unacceptable, so she simply decided that she was superior to him.

"Come on, come on, no need to be so cold, 'Maki.' Aren't you happy to see me here?" The man, with a relaxed and carefree attitude, retorted to Makima before continuing with a mocking little phrase. "You don't need to be so cold with me, after all, we're friends, right?" he said, making it clear with his annoying and irritating mocking tone.

"Tell me why you're here, Kai." Makima's voice shifted from indifferent and cold to neutral. 

Chuckling a bit at Makima's neutrality, he finally decided to reveal the reasons for his presence in that place and his abrupt interference in such an operation. With a defeated sigh, he spoke. "Things in Japan have gotten a bit out of control," he revealed calmly.

"Out of control?" Makima responded with another question, clearly intrigued by what Kai was revealing.

"It seems there are demons wreaking havoc all over Tokyo. We don't know who, but it seems to be an attack from a cult. What matters is that chaos has spread everywhere," Kai replied.

"And why don't you take care of that?" Makima responded again with a question because obviously, with Kai's power, it would be easy to stop such an attack. But then she furrowed her brow in a slightly confused tone, trying to process something that didn't quite add up in her mind.

"Because no matter how strong I am, I can't be everywhere at the same time," Kai said, smiling at the subtle reference and warning he was giving to Makima.

Being the astute woman she is, Makima noticed Kai's subtle reference to his power. In part, it was true; she could be everywhere at the same time thanks to her supernatural abilities granted as the Demon of Control.

"Besides, we need someone to organize Public Safety because, you know, teamwork and leading are not my strong suits." Continuing his speech, successfully pulling Makima out of her slight mental diatribe.

"I understand," Makima replied, now knowing that the higher-ups required her in Tokyo right now.

She would have time to go after Toji; she had no hurry to pursue him. After all, she knew he hadn't died with that attack; she knew he wasn't that weak. Makima seemed to have forgotten what Toji had tried to do, but it wasn't like that at all. If he didn't come to her, she would make him come, and she knew how to do it.

Turning to face her loyal followers while placing her hands behind her with a friendly smile and her ponytail swaying slightly behind her back, her "Pawns" who idolized her as if she were a god.

"Guys, take positions around this man, and hold hands with each other." She said with a kind and gentle voice, extending her hand herself. She wanted to form a human circle.

The moment she gave this order, her dogs instantly complied, forming around her, creating a circle connected by human hands, with Makima standing right in front of Kai.

"Whenever you're ready, Kai." Makima's gentle voice spread through the area, causing the men and women holding hands to tighten their grips, preparing for what was to come next.

Interlocking their hands and squeezing them over the respective backs of their hands, smiling confidently, Makima made her energy explode instantly from her body like a fierce hurricane threatening to devour the world.

"Compression." The man murmured before they disappeared from the place in an instant, leaving cracked ground just behind.

A few seconds passed when Katana Man and Sawatari emerged from the shadows, with nervous expressions, their bodies sweaty as they walked on the cracked ground and stopped.

"Did you feel that cursed energy?... It was enormous." Sawatari spoke with great nervousness, earning only indifference from Katana Man. Due to this and his state, he threw another question.

"That was Makima, right? But who was that guy...?" Sawatari asked with a slight shiver running through her body.

Katana Man just nodded in response.

"The other one was Mizuki Kai, the descendant of that ancient clan from 500 years ago," Katana added to Sawatari's sentence.

The pressure exerted by these two monsters was impressive; with only their presence, they managed to completely paralyze them.

Sawatari looked confused and intrigued at Katana Man while he stared fixedly at the trail of destroyed houses where Toji had been sent flying.

"Ancient clan?" She murmured with doubt before continuing to speak. "If that's the case, why have we never heard of it? It's too strong for its presence not to have been noticed or even not to have done anything with such strength in its hands."

Shaking his head, he could only think about what Sawatari had said, deciding to leave that aside and just answer. "He's a mystery just like that man, and that's all I know." Clicking his tongue with annoyance, he could only wonder if it was now a kind of trend for the strongest to be so anonymous to the point that nothing is known about their existence until they decide to show themselves.

Seeing that the topic would only lead them to a dead end, Sawatari decided to change the subject.

"Do you think he's dead?" Sawatari asked with a hint of concern; the fear that guy inflicted on her was undeniable.

"Probably, no human would survive this... it was just too brutal," Katana Man said, answering Sawatari's new question. Now he knew that if what Mizuki Kai and Makima had talked about was true, they had to return quickly to Tokyo; this could be the perfect opportunity to attack the Public Safety headquarters or building and take one of the pieces of the Gun in his possession, and, by the way keep the weapons warehouse , at the airport or in a safe place

"Anyway, now that he's dead, we have a hurdle out of the way," Katana Man said as he turned around, ready to leave the destroyed place.

On the other hand, Sawatari just stood there, thoughts racing in his mind, 'Was this really it? Is he really dead? Shouldn't we check the body?' Sawatari's inner thoughts came to a halt at the last idea before he voiced it out loud. "Maybe we could go retrieve his body or at least make sure he's dead."

"No," Katana Man responded decisively before continuing, "The top priority right now is to get back to Tokyo. His body can stay here, that's not our concern at the moment."

While their plan didn't unfold as desired, the objective was accomplished.

"Fushiguro Toji is dead," Katana Man stated with a cold and emotionless voice, revealing a ruthless nature for the first time.

With nothing else to do , but obey, Sawatari simply followed Katana Man as the two walked away from the place, leaving it completely deserted and abandoned.

A few minutes of brutal silence fell upon the town before the sound of debris shifting could be heard.

Rising from the debris, a muscular and well-defined figure stretched his body with an indifferent expression.

"I guess I'll have to lay low for a while." The man's indifferent and calm voice resonated through the abandoned place as he gazed right where they had thrown him.

"So, Mizuki Kai and a clan from 500 years ago, interesting." The same indifferent voice of the man sounded again, but this time it was lower.

As a smile crept up at the corner of his right lip, right where he had his characteristic scar.