The Tokyo Hunters Guild stood in the heart of the vast city — a massive fortress of steel and glass towering above the skyline. Its presence was both majestic and intimidating. Outside, hundreds of people crowded the front of the building, their voices rising in desperate cries for help.
Smoke drifted in from the distant districts, a grim sign that demons had breached the city. Yet, inside the Guild, there was silence.
It wasn't that the Hunters were gone. They were there all of them. But they weren't answering.
On the top floor, four of Tokyo's most elite Hunters sat in a spacious, luxurious chamber, facing one another around a round table. The air carried a cold authority this was where the best of Tokyo's hunters gathered.
Below, the lower-ranked Hunters were sprawled in their quarters, unbothered by the chaos beyond their walls. The ground floor was eerily empty; not a single person remained to face the crowd outside.
Then — thud!
Someone landed on the roof.
A man with fiery white hair crouched by the edge, scanning the crowd below. His eyes darkened as he saw the panic men, women, and children pounding on the doors, begging for salvation. In the distance, pillars of smoke rose like black spears into the sky. The demons were already within the city.
If nothing was done soon, Tokyo would fall.
The man's jaw tightened. His white hair flicked across his face as he stepped forward, pulling open a steel hatch on the roof. Without hesitation, he dropped down into the building below.
He landed on the top floor, his boots hitting the ground with a sharp thud. After glancing around, he strode down the hall until he reached a door marked:
TOKYO HUNTER HEADS
He shoved it open.
Inside, four Hunters turned towards him. Three men. One woman. All of them wore calm, cold expressions.
"What's wrong, James?" asked a tall man with dark hair and a body built like a fortress. His name was Maczed, one of the deadliest Hunters Tokyo had ever known. His eyes gleamed with deceptive calm the kind only seasoned killers possessed.
James's eyes flared. "Are you people insane? There's an outbreak out there! People are begging for help and you're just sitting here doing nothing?"
No one replied. They simply stared at him — silent, composed then turned back to what they were doing.
James clenched his fists. "Really? You can hear the screams outside and you're still sitting here?"
Maczed smiled faintly. "You don't mean that, do you?"
That grin broke James's restraint. He lunged forward and punched Maczed square in the face. The blow sent him crashing to the floor.
Blood trickled from Maczed's forehead, but his smirk only widened.
The others looked on, unmoved.
The lone female Hunter, Marie, sighed softly. Her golden hair shimmered under the neon lights, her youthful face betraying her deadly skill. She looked fragile but she had slain lots of Dungeon Bosses on her own.
Next to her sat Zohn, the red-haired Hunter with boyish looks and deadly power. He had once annihilated a swarm of demons and their vanguard one hundred and three kills in one raid.
And beside him sat Aaron, the strongest of them all. His yellow hair matched his golden armor, and a jagged scar traced his face from ear to mouth. Cold. Silent. Deadly.
Marie frowned. "Why didn't anyone just tell him the reason?"
James turned sharply. "The reason?"
Zohn sighed. "The Central Hunters Guild called earlier. They issued strict orders not to engage the demons."
James blinked. "What?"
"They forbade us from fighting," Zohn said.
James's voice trembled in disbelief. "So you're sitting here watching people die because of orders?"
Maczed's grin faded. "Orders are orders, James. That's how it works."
"You mean you're afraid because you won't get paid to save your own city?" James spat.
"Watch your mouth!" Maczed roared, drawing his sword. "One more word and I'll cut you in half! I brought you into this Guild don't make me regret it."
James laughed loud, broken, and bitter. "If you used that fire on the battlefield, maybe Tokyo wouldn't be burning. You're all pathetic. Hunters who care more about gold than lives."
Marie and Zohn exchanged uneasy glances. Aaron simply sipped his coffee.
James turned to them. "And what about you three? Do you agree with this madness?"
Zohn hesitated. "I can't go against the Central Guild's orders."
"Then think like a human for once," James snapped. "If you were powerless, begging for help while Hunters ignored you what would you do?"
"I'd kill them," Zohn said flatly.
"Exactly. So stop hiding behind orders. Hunters are meant to slay demons not cower behind bureaucracy."
Maczed sneered. "If you want to play hero, go die out there. I won't risk my life without reason or reward."
Then Aaron's deep voice cut through the room. "Enough."
The others fell silent. Aaron rose, his presence filling the space like thunder. He walked to the window and looked down at the city.
"There," he said quietly.
Far below, a man was running toward the Guild, panting, terrified. Behind him, a demon closed in fast. The man stumbled and the creature tore him apart before everyone's eyes. Eating his intestines like a perfect dinner.
Aaron's expression darkened. "We're wasting time."
James stepped to the wall phone and dialed. "Open the gate."
Moments later, the massive Guild doors swung open. The crowd surged inside men, women, and children faces streaked with soot and tears. The building filled with the sound of sobs and panic.
James gripped his sword. "I'm going into the city. If we don't fight, they'll come for us next. The Central Guild isn't coming it's been four hours since the raid. We can't wait any longer."
The others stared at him and then, surprisingly, Maczed stood up.
"I'm with you," he said. "I was wrong. I'm sorry."
James blinked in surprise. Then, slowly, he smiled and patted Maczed's shoulder. "That's okay by me."
Maczed smirked. "Then let's go make them pay."
James laughed softly. "Let's screw the butts of those demons."
The Hunters exchanged a quick grin, their spirits rekindled. Outside, the city still burned but at last, its defenders had risen from their chairs.
The Hunters of Tokyo were finally ready to hunt again.