The Demons' Rampage

"Support! Call for support! Kabukicho, we are under attack by monsters here!"

"There are at least three enemies! Three monsters!"

Bang, bang, bang—

Near Shinjuku Station, the once bustling and lively Kabukicho had turned into a place of chaos.

Tourists, yakuza, and beautifully dressed women were all running around like headless chickens.

"Damn it, Yamamoto! Take your men and organize the civilians. Get them to head toward Shinjuku Station; don't stay here and cause trouble!"

"Yes!"

Nearby patrol officers gathered urgently, needing to buy some time for the reinforcements arriving soon.

The temporary squad leader looked at his colleagues, who were filled with tension, not knowing how many would be left after tonight.

It was supposed to be a routine patrol, but it suddenly escalated into a battle against monsters. Damn it! I'm not even on the Special Affairs Bureau or Self-Defense Force payroll!

"Everyone, do your best to protect the people, but also protect yourselves. Our goal is to buy time, not to eliminate the enemy. Remember that!"

"Yes!"

As the crowd fled or hid, the streets gradually became empty. Those left behind were mostly people with limited mobility or those who had accidentally twisted their ankles, crawling toward the nearest hiding spots in despair.

Inside a chain convenience store, the people hiding didn't even dare to breathe. The door, which wouldn't lock, had been temporarily blocked with freezers and shelves. Through the gaps and windows, they watched with sweaty palms as various monsters gorged themselves.

"Misono! Save me! I know you're in there, please, I beg you, save me!" An office lady crawling on the ground, seeing a monster heading toward her, scrambled in terror and threw herself against the convenience store door, wailing as she pounded on it.

"It's coming! It's here! I'm not going to make it. If you don't save me, you'll all die with me!" She let out a shrill scream and, using her last bit of strength, pushed, actually managing to shift the freezer and shelves just enough to stick one hand inside.

The people hiding inside scrambled to push back, tears welling up in their eyes. Why can't you just wait to die quietly instead of causing trouble for us?

The door slammed shut, pinning the woman's arm tightly. She couldn't help but contort in pain, letting out a miserable shriek.

But with the sound of tearing flesh, the wailing stopped abruptly. The struggling arm went limp, followed by the gruesome sound of chewing.

The people hiding inside only hoped there were enough rations outside to keep the monster from bothering to open their "can."

Bang, bang, bang!

Shouting came from the distance, and bullets ricocheted uselessly around the convenience store.

The monster's attention was drawn away; it dropped the mangled remains and leaped toward the food that dared to resist.

"Shit!"

The patrol officer scrambled away from the car he was using as cover. A second later, a loud crash echoed behind him as the car's windshield shattered into pieces.

The officer gritted his teeth, landed on his back, and emptied his magazine into the monster in one go.

"Awoo!"

The monster yelped in pain, blocking the remaining bullets with its massive claws before lunging forward. It swung its sharp talons at the out-of-ammo officer, instantly tearing him into several pieces.

"Hirohiko-kun, ahhhhh!" A female officer suddenly broke down, ran out from cover, and walked straight toward the Ghoul while firing her weapon.

"Kobayashi, don't be impulsive! Quick, provide cover for her!"

Nearby officers took a moment to provide cover fire. As the weakest of the demons, the Ghoul couldn't handle the firepower and actually retreated.

The female officer stumbled to her boyfriend's mangled corpse, gently stroked his lifeless face, and looked at the engagement ring in her hand with teary eyes. Blankly, she pointed her gun at her own temple. After a single gunshot, she collapsed beside him.

The remaining demons finished the food in front of them and began running toward the officers who were making the most noise.

The squad leader looked away from Kobayashi and smiled bitterly. "Everyone, don't commit suicide. It'll cut down on the pension."

No one answered.

It wasn't that they didn't want to run, but after witnessing the terrifying pursuit speed of these monsters, most realized that concentrating their fire was actually their best chance at survival.

Rat-tat-tat—

Hearing the sound, they suddenly looked up, their faces breaking into ecstatic smiles.

The helicopters were here!

"Wasp One has reached the target location. Target organisms observed. Requesting permission to fire."

"Permission to fire at will."

Heavy firepower began to pour down, representing the roar of humanity.

The Ghoul was torn to shreds instantly, with only a few scraps of tissue remaining among the countless bullet casings.

The other monsters roared at the helicopters, attempting to leap up and attack them.

But the gunners on the helicopters interrupted their jumps, causing them to crash heavily to the ground, crushing a car flat.

The Spider-Leg Demon, having snatched up a road sign at some point, suddenly whipped it out from the side. It pierced the cockpit directly, and the helicopter immediately lost control, spinning as it plummeted to the ground.

With a thunderous boom, it felt like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the survivors.

But soon, more helicopters arrived to provide support.

The Spider-Leg seemed quite adept at anti-air tactics; it continued throwing objects, striking the rotor of another helicopter. This forced the remaining aircraft to keep their distance, unable to get too close and limited to long-range strikes.

"These monsters are too troublesome! How much longer until the Special Affairs Bureau gets here?!"

"They've arrived."

"Huh?"

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind the Spider Leg, wielding a heavy machine gun in a classic Rambo-esque pose.

Rat-tat-tat!

The Spider Leg let out a mournful shriek and instinctively lashed out at its attacker, but in the next instant, the enemy vanished and reappeared on the other side.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

"You disgusting piece of trash, how dare you show your face within ten thousand kilometers of Nanako! What if you scared her? Your life isn't worth enough to pay for that, you monster!"

Toyokawa Jousei spouted nonsense while unleashing his firepower without reservation.

Stunned by the heavy ordnance fired point-blank at its head, the Spider Leg quickly fell into a critically wounded state. No longer able to maintain the fight, it chose to flee.

With a push from its countless legs, it vaulted into mid-air, only to stop strangely in place. The Spider Leg writhed incessantly, looking like a ball of yarn suspended in the sky.

"Demon, your final destination is death."

Inagaki Miki descended from the night sky with an expressionless face, pronouncing its end.

Following that, the power of her consciousness tore it directly to shreds, and a rain of black blood splattered across the street.

With the most troublesome demon eliminated, the others were no longer a concern and were soon subjected to devastating strikes, turning into puddles of disgusting, rotting flesh.

Noguchi Yuji looked at the chaotic scene, at the scattered corpses—some whole, some mangled—and a sense of powerlessness gripped his heart like a nightmare.

Could it be that he really had to use the quota for the Holy Son Pill?

The image of Department Chief Odagiri's remains flashed before his eyes.

No, he could accept the compromises of the higher-ups, but he would never accept a compromise of his own self.

Even without superpowers, he still possessed analytical skills and command ability; surely one of those was stronger than so-called transcendence.

He composed himself and walked over to the dejected patrol captain.

"You all performed an excellent interception. You placed significant restrictions on the demons and protected many people."

The patrol captain glanced at his shoulder insignia, then lowered his gaze. With trembling hands, he silently took a drag of his cigarette and pointed to two bodies nearby.

"Tanaka fought until the very last moment; he was a hero. Kobayashi was a girl who was afraid of even mice, but the courage she displayed at the end... I am ashamed to compare myself to her." The patrol captain looked up, his eyes pleading as he stared at Noguchi Yuji. "They are both heroes, aren't they?"

Noguchi Yuji nodded.

"They are. I guarantee it. Courage is one of the few means we have to stand against the mysterious."