The roar of the club hits me like a wall.
The bass shakes the floor, the lights stab through haze, and the crowd’s a writhing beast—drunk on sweat, smoke, and sound.
This is the back entrance, so it’s quieter here, but the chaos bleeds through the walls.
I walk with purpose. Head high. Shoulders squared.
Each step pulls me deeper into the heat and noise.
According to intel, this place maxes out at thirteen hundred heads.
Feels like they’ve packed in fifteen.
“Whoa, he’s huge!”
“And tall~♪”
“Also hot as hell♡”
A flock of girls in designer dresses drifts toward me, grinning like sharks.
I give them a quick smile and move on.
“Meow?”
Lady Ayano glances up from beside my boots, confused.
“Hmm? Oh, this?”
I flash her the wristband I just slipped on.
Entry pass. They hand these out at the door to ID who can drink and who can’t.
“Just picked it up.”
Translation: I stole it.
When you’re trained by Chiyo the Flowbreaker—descendant of ninja clans from the Warring States—you learn a few tricks.
“Hey, come with us for a minute~”
“I swear I came through the front! I did!”
“Then where’s your wristband? They told you not to take it off, didn’t they?”
Three girls are being dragged off by security. Tough luck.
“Meow meow.”
“Watch your step, Milady. You’ll get trampled.”
“Meow!”
The club’s built like a coliseum—two floors with an open center. Walkways ring the upper level, giving a bird’s-eye view of the dance pit below.
I head upstairs to scout.
Lasers cut through clouds of vapor, strobe lights flicker like gunfire.
My eyes twitch from the overload. Spotting targets in this mess won’t be easy.
Lady Ayano’s low on magic juice these days, but she can still manage a spell or two.
Time to put her to work.
“Milady. Can you cast Oracle Sight on everyone on the second floor?”
“Mew mew!”
Negative meow.
“Need a narrower field, huh?”
“Meow!”
Positive.
Oracle Sight’s a classic—lets you see through Demon glamour.
Problem is, it’s a one-shot per target kind of deal. No room for wasting spells.
I need to pick my marks.
That back door guard was juiced with mana and Ichor. Pretty clear this club’s crawling with Demon worshippers.
If they’re staffing the place with their own, they’ve either bought the management or they run it outright.
The Hidden Flame isn’t just a cult. They’ve got muscle in the underworld.
I scan the crowd.
That guy over there—too alert. Watching the room. Jacket’s bulging. Armed.
I trace his line of sight—another guy. Same deal.
Then another. And another.
Six in total, just on this floor.
They’re guarding something.
Is this normal? Or did someone punching their buddy’s face in before he self-detonated get their panties in a twist?
This place stinks of Demons.
If they really are around, the ones who’ve made contracts—gotten perks from Demons—must be the ones in charge.
So where do bigshots like that hang out?
VIP room.
I spot it across the floor, overlooking the dance pit. Right where every drunk idiot down below can look up and feel small.
Inside, some smug bastard’s laughing with his boys and a pile of women.
Two bodyguards out front. Guns at their hips.
Great.
I reach into my pocket, slip on an earpiece, and activate the mic—borrowed it off the stiff by the back door.
“Reporting from the back door. Big guy here claiming he’s with the Akai family. Says he’s an exorcist. What do we do?”
The security crew stiffens. Pressing earpieces. Eyes narrowing.
“An exorcist from Akai? That guy? He actually came!”
“Still alive, huh. Let’s give him a proper welcome. Everyone to the back door. Block the exits. Jack, Tamura—come with me.”
“That guy,” huh. They’ve got my name already? From where?
Well, this isn’t the time to think about it.
While the meatheads scramble toward the back, I stroll past them and make for the VIP lounge.
Two more guards left.
I stop in front of them. Clear my throat.
“What the hell are you looking at, tough guy?”
“This is a dead end. Take a hike.”
They sneer, guns still holstered.
“I’m with the Akai family. Coral Terminators. There’s someone in that room we suspect of Demon worship. Would you cooperate with our investigation?”
The second I drop my name, their faces drain pale.