[23:30, 21st November, 2109.]

In the dead of night, a hooded person entered a faint warehouse in Neo-Tokyo, District I. With steps that made it seem as though it were a tank moving across the ground. The person's hooded, jet-black cape and the way its waist and shoulders did mot move up and down as it advanced was quite peculiar, resembling a ghost when viewed from afar.

The figure deftly avoided the artificial illumination of the gate and proceeded ever inward. Before long, the figure arrived at a door at the end of the building, and shed its hood. The figure was a middle aged man of around fourty, one you would expect to be going through a mid life crisis.

He had a pretty face, and he was handsome in the way of a lion or other big predator. Still, while he looked handsome, there was a carnivore's predatory nature hidden under that face of his.

"I'm here"

As he spoke in heavy gruff tone, the man ran his fingers through his short black hair and pushed open the metal doors to the hidden base. The noises of clattering metal came from under his cloak, like a factory machine in operation.

Once inside the hidden base in a massive empty hall, all the creates for stuff were empty. The warehouse goods for had already been taken away.

Perhaps it was the scent of something by the metal, but a fragrant smell tickled the man's nose.

Gunpowder, maybe.

The man furrowed his brows, then headed steadily inwards.

The man pressed on an unobtrusive little carving as he walked. As the carving moved, there was a click as something made contact with something else. A moment later, the sound of grinding came forth. There was the sound of something moving, and some hidden mechanism unlocked.

A concealed trapdoor hidden under the ground in the back of the warehouse opened with a loud creak.

The man moved down the trapdoor into another space underground beneath the building. The underground space was large, and it was more like a base rather than

Some random underground space.

"I'm coming in."

With those words, the man descended the staircase. It curved halfway, and led to a wide open space beneath the earth.

Although the walls and floor were made of stone, they looked like they had been reinforced so they would not collapse so easily. The air was relatively clean; the airflow to this place was good, which kept the air in here fresh.

However, this was not part of the warehouse; it was something far more malevolent in nature.

Menacing tapestries hung on the walls, with several crimson candles made from fresh blood below it. They gave off a pale radiance, as well as a smell of burning blood.

The flickering flames generated countless shadows, and there were several holes here, big enough for people to pass through. The unique corpse-stench of rotting bodies wafted out from those holes.

The man looked around, and his eyes stopped on a certain place.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"You've got a guest."

The man watching his surroundings from his hiding place in the dark corners of the room heard those words, and his shoulders trembled.

"I'm here to meet Ken Tanaki."

The man seemed a little lost as to what to do, and as he heard the sound of footsteps again, his shoulders shook once more.

"It's fine. You may leave now."

After the newcomer spoke to the man, he revealed himself.

He was a skinny man.

The newly revealed man was of average height and thin in build. His face was unremarkable, and he wouldn't be given a second glance if he passed by you in the street, but his black hair, pale skin with a sickly glow, and gaunt physique that almost seemed emaciated made him seem like a corpse that had crawled up from the grave.

As he walked slowly forward, his thin legs appeared more like animal legs than anything else, a feeling only amplified by the clinking and clacking and rasping sounds as he moved. He was almost ghost-like.

The man standing in the room looked at the skeleton like man walking towards him with interest. The gaunt man's expression was cold and detached as he approached the man. His voice held a hint of boredom and slight contempt when he spoke in a dry, hollow tone.

"You wanted to see me."

"Ken. Where's my money."

"When you come to see me, greet azarif first."

Azarif, the god who these people worshiped.

This was a cult led by Ken Tanaki, former leader of the black snake's.

The man gritted his teeth before forcing himself to kneel down in a respectful manner. After he had prostrated himself before a black altar in the room, he then spoke in a trembling voice.

"I greet the Lord Azarif."

The altar itself was a black slab of stone decorated with a large skull. It seemed that it used to be an important shrine, but now it was just a simple and silent one, and that was the difference.

"…And then? Why did you come here? You know I'm preparing sacrifices for the fallen angel himself, right? If you're here to make trouble, I have ways to deal with that too."

The man narrowed his eyes, and tightened his hands.

"Two reasons. My money. And your item."

The man flashed him a frown and reached around under his cape. There was the sound of clattering, and then the man triumphantly took out the item.

It was a human head.

Countless small gems adorned thin plates of gold which covered the head's entire dace. The head looked more like a decoration from afar and In the middle of the head — where the forehead would be — was a large black crystal.

"This is—!"

Ken could not help but stare in silence.

Although he had only seen it from a distance, there was no mistake here. This was the head of the head of security and one of the Kusonoki conglomerate's biggest lap dog's — Tone kenji.

Ken could barely control his emotions as he looked at the head. He had been looking for the head of the man for a long time. Finally, this man in front of him delivered it.

"How?"

"…How did you get it?"

There was a little bit of excitement in his voice. He had tried many times to hunt this man down before, but in the end, he always failed.

"He was on a drive with his family. My men stopped him, i did the rest."

"What about any witnesses?"

"None. The bodies were eaten by wolf's."

"I see…"

Ken breathed a sigh of relief, before his eyes gleamed with a hint of interest, and he spoke in a slightly eager tone.

"Good work…"

He walked slowly towards the head, and reached his hand out to touch the head.

"You have been ruining my plans for so so long, how does it feel to not be able to do anything."

The man said while rubbing the head against his cheek.

"Oh, the money."

The man remembered, his expression turning slightly more solemn.

The previous friendly look on his face was replaced by a cold one. The man had already shown the proper courtesy, now was the time for business.

"After the date of celebration arrives, you will get all the money you need to get out of here and live happily ever after. Setoshi Hellosch."

"I told you to not call me by that name. I don't work for them anymore."

Ken's eyes flickered when he heard the man's words, and then his expression turned into an amused smile.

"Of course, of course I got it."

The man's expression changed as well. He was now staring at the head with a hint of envy, like it was something he had always wanted.

"What is your new name again?"

"Zero."

"Zero?"

Ken was a little surprised by hearing that name, but his expression was calm. He looked at Zero with a little interest and spoke in a calm and indifferent tone.

"How fitting. You don't exist in this city, just like a 'Zero.' Well whatever. Just three more days and then we will part ways."

He took a pause and then spoke:

"Zero. The Tokyo Butcher."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.