Chapter 3: Shadows Collide
The rain hammered down on New Arcadia as Kuroda Azein moved through the alleys like a phantom. His mind was clear, every sense heightened. The photograph of the woman—his past, his motivation—burned in his memory. He wasn't just surviving anymore; he was hunting.
Somewhere in the city, someone had been sent to stop him. A professional. Someone who knew how to match skill with skill.
The Assassin Arrives
The first sign was subtle—a shadow moving against the neon, faster than human reaction. Kuroda's eyes caught it immediately.
A figure stepped into the light: tall, masked, and silent, carrying weapons that gleamed under the streetlamps. The air shifted. Danger was here.
"You're 001," the assassin said, voice calm, almost respectful. "I've heard the legends. Let's see if they're true."
Kuroda didn't respond. He simply dropped into a crouch, coiled and ready.
The Fight
The assassin lunged, blades slicing through the air. Kuroda deflected the first strike with a swift pivot, then countered, hitting his opponent's ribs with the side of his hand. Metal clashed. Every movement was precise, calculated.
Bullets erupted from hidden corners as they fought, ricocheting off walls. Kuroda moved like water—fluid, unstoppable. He dodged, rolled, and used the environment to his advantage: a fire hydrant sprayed water to obscure the assassin's vision, a stack of crates became cover and weapon.
Time slowed. Each strike, each dodge, each breath mattered. The assassin was skilled, but Kuroda was legendary. With a final, devastating maneuver, he disarmed the intruder and pinned him to the wet asphalt.
"Who sent you?" Kuroda demanded, voice low, dangerous.
The assassin smirked, blood trickling from a cut on his cheek. "They want you back, 001. The Syndicate… they never forget."
Kuroda's grip tightened. The words ignited something in him—anger, resolve, a sense of inevitability.
Aftermath
The assassin lay unconscious, defeated but alive. Kuroda vanished into the rain-soaked streets before anyone could arrive. The city seemed alive with unseen eyes, watching, waiting.
He knew this was only the beginning. The Syndicate had sent their best. And now, they had awakened the one man who could face them all.
Kuroda Azein—Code Name 001—was back in the world he had once left behind. And he was ready to fight.