Time: 6:37 PM
Tokyo's skyline shimmered under the fading sun.
From the rooftop of the Human Security Directorate, Rezia stood quietly, watching the city awaken in artificial light. Neon signs flickered alive. Cars streamed like rivers of fire beneath him.
"How far I've come…" he murmured.
Two years ago, he had joined HSD.
Two years ago, he had just been a normal high school student.
Now—
He was the strongest Devil Hunter in Tokyo.
The wind began to rise. Clouds gathered overhead, thick and heavy.
"Looks like rain," he said softly. "Feels peaceful after finishing all those missions."
His phone vibrated.
Rezia sighed before checking it.
New Mission – HSD HQ
Unusual Eleries presence detected.
Location: Abandoned Laboratory, Sector 9.
He groaned.
"Seriously? I just cleaned devil blood off my coat…"
Another notification popped up.
Tsumiki:
"Don't forget dinner tonight. Everyone's coming. If you don't show up, I'll launch you into the sky with my technique."
Rezia smiled faintly.
"Yeah, yeah… Let me finish this and I'll be there."
He headed down from the rooftop, took the elevator, and stepped out onto the ground floor.
Minutes later, he was moving through Tokyo's streets.
Billboards flashed emergency news:
Eleries activity increasing.
Multiple civilian casualties.
HSD responding.
The city continued moving as if it wasn't slowly being eaten alive.
Rezia arrived at the abandoned laboratory.
The building stood like a corpse—windows shattered, walls cracked, darkness swallowing its interior.
"…Quiet."
Too quiet.
He stepped inside.
Dust. Broken equipment. Silence.
Then—
He noticed something.
A little girl lay on the floor.
"…Hey," he said cautiously, kneeling beside her. "Are you alright?"
He gently touched her shoulder.
Her face rolled toward him.
There were no eyes.
Only hollow skin.
Before he could react—
Her body exploded.
BOOM.
Flames and debris swallowed the hallway.
Rezia vanished from the blast radius in an instant, reappearing several meters back.
Smoke filled the air.
"What the hell…"
The scent hit him.
Thick.
Rotten.
Overwhelming.
"High concentration of Eleries blood…"
A metal drum suddenly flew toward him at full speed.
CLANG.
He drew his sword and split it midair.
"Show yourself."
More debris launched from the upper floor.
Rezia moved between them effortlessly and leapt upward, landing on the broken second level.
An Elerie stood there.
Distorted.
Smiling.
Rezia didn't hesitate.
He dashed forward and aimed for its head—
His blade passed straight through it.
"…An illusion?"
The Elerie vanished.
A presence formed behind him.
Instinct screamed.
Rezia activated his Neo Technique.
Time slowed.
The world dulled.
He stepped aside just as a blade sliced through where his neck had been.
Time resumed.
Rezia turned.
A man stood before him.
Wearing a red mask.
Rezia's eyes narrowed.
"…The Red."
One of the highest-ranked Eleries.
Why here?
Why now?
"I can't beat him," Rezia thought instantly.
Red moved.
Their blades clashed.
Rezia activated Neo again, staying three seconds ahead—barely dodging strike after strike.
But something felt off.
Red adjusted.
He adapted.
And then—
A kick landed square in Rezia's ribs.
CRASH.
He was launched through a wall and into a chemical storage room. Glass shattered around him.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
His body trembled.
"…Damn it."
Red stepped through the smoke calmly.
Rezia knew this was it.
He couldn't win normally.
He raised his sword.
Activated his second technique.
Time accelerated around the blade.
He didn't swing at Red.
He cut the space where Red would be.
The blade sliced empty air.
Red lunged forward to finish him—
Silence.
A thin red line appeared across Red's body.
Then—
Blood burst outward.
His body split apart.
Fell in pieces.
The laboratory went silent.
Rezia dropped to his knees.
His breathing turned ragged.
Vision blurred.
"…That was harder than I thought…"
He gave a faint, exhausted smile.
Then—
The air changed.
Cold.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Rezia felt it before he saw it.
A presence.
Stronger.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Slowly—
He turned his head.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
A familiar red mask stared back at him.
The body he had cut—
Was gone.
Vanished.
The Red stood there.
Untouched.
Watching.
Rezia's heart pounded.
Neo Technique—
He tried to activate it.
Nothing.
No response.
His energy was empty.
For the first time in two years—
Rezia felt fear.
And The Red spoke.
"You calculated well."
The rain began to fall.
To Be Continued.
Chapter 1 – The Red in the Dark
Time: 6:37 PM