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Jōno Saigiku and Ōkura Teruko quickly gave chase, but in that brief moment, the figure had already disappeared. They ran to a fork, but there was no one on either side.

"Can you hear anything?"

"No." Jōno Saigiku shook his head. "The smell of blood is gone too."

"Let's split up."

Jōno Saigiku and Ōkura Teruko split up without another word, heading in different directions to search for the person who had just entered.

As Jōno Saigiku searched for Kamiki Yūhaku, he wondered why Kamiki Yūhaku had slipped inside. The alarm still hadn't sounded, either. Faint voices came from not far away, and from the indistinct sounds, Jōno Saigiku judged that there was a conference room ahead.

Would Kamiki Yūhaku really hide in a conference room full of people?

Just as Jōno Saigiku thought Kamiki Yūhaku might be on Ōkura Teruko's side, a faint smell of blood reached his nose.

He's here!

Jōno Saigiku flung open the conference room door, strode forward and leaped onto the table in an instant. The people in the meeting jumped in fright, and some even fell straight out of their chairs.

"Hunting Dogs?" The head of the Number Seven Agency stared at Jōno Saigiku in surprise. "Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to leave headquarters to search for Otsu-Zero?"

"Otsu-Zero?" Jōno Saigiku frowned slightly, sensing the wind outside and the smells around him. "He's right here."

"What?!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? There's no way he could have found the Number Seven Agency."

Drowning out their voices, Jōno Saigiku began to pinpoint the source of the faint smell of blood in the air. Fortunately, the Number Seven Agency's headquarters was underground and airtight, so the smell couldn't disperse and had continued to linger in this

space

all along.

Jōno Saigiku drew the long blade at his waist and raised his head.

"Here!"

His long blade stabbed out in an instant, only to strike a hard barrier. The Number Seven Agency personnel's eyes widened in terror as the blade smashed through the ceiling. The person hiding above fell with the shattered ceiling, and Jōno Saigiku sent him flying with a powerful swing.

After rolling across the floor, Kamiki Yūhaku staggered to his feet.

"Good morning." Kamiki Yūhaku's voice was gentle and soft. "Is everyone in a good mood today?"

"I'm in a great mood."

With a click, the conference room door was sealed shut, trapping all the Number Seven Agency personnel who hadn't managed to escape.

Most of the people inside were senior members of the Number Seven Agency, making their next deployment plans for capturing ability-using animals. Since it was a government assignment, more of them were present than expected. Pale-faced, they pounded on the iron door. The defenses meant to protect them had now become their cage.

Jōno Saigiku slashed at the door with all his strength, but could only leave a white mark on it.

"It won't work! This door was specially made. Not even the most powerful ability can destroy it, and once it's locked, only designated personnel can open it!" the head of the Number Seven Agency hastily explained to Jōno Saigiku.

Blood dripped from Kamiki Yūhaku's fingertips onto the floor as he stood in place, his red eyes full of amusement.

"Can you not see?" Kamiki Yūhaku asked Jōno Saigiku softly. "Then how did you find me?"

Jōno Saigiku flicked his cape. "Kamiki Yūhaku, did you think about what would happen if you closed that door so readily? You'll be trapped in here with me. That doesn't work in your favor."

"Really?" Kamiki Yūhaku tilted his head. "So how did you find me?"

The long blade slashed straight at him, and Kamiki Yūhaku turned to dodge it. Even if he hadn't dodged, it wouldn't have mattered. Because of his ability, Jōno Saigiku's blade wouldn't have done much damage even if it had struck him. For Kamiki Yūhaku, if an attack couldn't kill him in one blow, he wouldn't die.

"Oh, I know." Kamiki Yūhaku's voice was airy. "Was it the smell of blood?"

"To slip up here of all places. That's so sad."

Jōno Saigiku put more force into his saber and swept Kamiki Yūhaku off his feet, sending him flying. Blood coated the blade. "Are you really going to keep resisting? Your ability isn't completely impossible to overcome. Any injury that kills you instantly can kill you."

"How dangerous," Kamiki Yūhaku said. "But you can't see."

He gazed calmly at Jōno Saigiku, his voice clear, as though it were dissipating into the air. Jōno Saigiku instinctively sensed something was wrong.

With a bang, the ceiling exploded, sending countless fragments plunging down. Jōno Saigiku dodged the falling debris, but the Number Seven Agency personnel behind him couldn't. Screams rang out one after another, and the smell of blood flooded Jōno Saigiku's nose.

Jōno Saigiku's five senses fell into disarray.

"Damn it." Jōno Saigiku struggled to distinguish Kamiki Yūhaku's presence amid the clamor and scents.

The instant he found him, a blade sank into his abdomen. Jōno Saigiku immediately activated his ability, turning his body into particles to evade the dagger, and thrust his long blade into the barrier in front of Kamiki Yūhaku.

The saber sank into the defensive barrier, its tip stopping just one centimeter from Kamiki Yūhaku's neck.

"It seems this still isn't enough to disrupt your five senses." Kamiki Yūhaku stood calmly in place, his hollow voice drifting through the space. "Then let's confuse you a little more."

The collapsed ceiling creaked. The injured people stared up at it in terror, and in the next moment, countless crows poured in. They surrounded Jōno Saigiku, cawing incessantly. Kamiki Yūhaku remained where he was, and a crow landed on his shoulder.

Jōno Saigiku frowned and pressed his hands over his ears. His exceptionally sharp hearing and sense of smell had now become a burden.

Not only could he no longer tell where Kamiki Yūhaku was, he was even becoming somewhat confused about his own position.

"Stay away!" The head of the Number Seven Agency crawled across the floor, dragging his injured leg. "Hunting Dogs, come protect me!"

"Hunting Dogs!"

Kamiki Yūhaku walked over step by step. He bent down, seized the head by the throat and dragged him up, his red eyes full of gentle amusement. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What a shame we'll never see each other again."

"Cough, cough, no..." The head struggled as he suffocated. "Help, save me."

Just as the head was about to suffocate, a tremendous bang came from outside the conference room door. The instant Kamiki Yūhaku turned to look, another bang rang out. The entire door tore free of its frame and flew like the wind before slamming into the wall with tremendous force.

"Wow." Kamiki Yūhaku released his grip, and the head, unconscious from suffocation, fell to the floor. "That's a lot of strength."

"I found you." Ōkura Teruko stood on the debris, staring at Kamiki Yūhaku. Then she raised her voice. "Hey, Jōno! What's wrong with you?"

At the sound of her voice, Jōno Saigiku landed beside Ōkura Teruko. "He counters me somewhat. I suppose that's only to be expected of an intelligence agent who possesses every skill available for gathering information."

"Listen carefully to my voice." Ōkura Teruko stared at Kamiki Yūhaku. "I'll kill you right now."

But Kamiki Yūhaku didn't even glance at them. After Ōkura Teruko forced the door open, the people in the conference room quickly helped one another escape. Only the head, who had just passed out, was left unattended; no one dared go near him.

Kamiki Yūhaku patted the crow on the head. "Follow them."

Little Crow swiftly flew out with a flock of crows, and Ōkura Teruko paid no attention to the disorderly birds.

Sensing the cacophony recede, Jōno Saigiku breathed a small sigh of relief.

"How is it outside?"

"The entire Number Seven Agency headquarters is sealed off. The strongest defense system activated automatically. It can't be opened from inside; I don't know about outside."

Kamiki Yūhaku tilted his head, the two figures reflected in his red eyes.

"I don't think I know you." Kamiki Yūhaku's eyes were full of warmth. "Are you Hunting Dogs?"

"You're hailed as Yokohama's strongest intelligence agent, yet you don't know the Hunting Dogs?" Ōkura Teruko walked toward him. "But it looks like this is as far as you go."

Kamiki Yūhaku watched them and smiled as the two surrounded him.

"I never intended to leave this place either."

Ōkura Teruko rushed at him. Since Kamiki Yūhaku knew they were Hunting Dogs, he also knew he couldn't get close to Ōkura Teruko. He didn't know what her ability was, but according to the information he had, it was the kind that required contact. Unlike the Demon's ability, it was non-offensive.

So he couldn't touch her.

But Kamiki Yūhaku was alone, and there were two Hunting Dogs facing him. He had barely dodged Ōkura Teruko when Jōno Saigiku's blade came at him.

Jōno Saigiku sent Kamiki Yūhaku flying, and Ōkura Teruko instantly flung off the crows on her body. An iron chain bound Kamiki Yūhaku's arms. To immobilize him, Ōkura Teruko hung the chain over an exposed ceiling beam, leaving Kamiki Yūhaku suspended in the air.

"It's over." Ōkura Teruko stepped on the other end of the chain. "Now we just have to wait for someone outside to open the door."

Kamiki Yūhaku raised his head. Blood ran down his forehead and over his eyes, the red on his eyelashes setting off his eyes and making them look especially deep.

"What about him?" Jōno Saigiku meant Kamiki Yūhaku.

"We'll deal with him after the door opens. Let him live a little longer."

"But he might not live another five hours," Jōno Saigiku murmured.

Ōkura Teruko froze. "What?"

She looked up at Kamiki Yūhaku. Suspended in the air, he seemed to feel neither pain nor fear. He simply hung there quietly, his red eyes fixed on them. There was a smile in his eyes, but under the circumstances, it looked particularly strange.

Only then did Ōkura Teruko notice that blood was continuously running down his body, quickly forming a small pool beneath him.