Inside a large vehicle speeding through Tokyo, men clad in armor discussed their plan. Their faces hidden, they looked like suspicious figures heading into a dungeon raid. Yet their briefing had nothing to do with dungeon exploration.
“Alright, everyone’s memorized the plan, yeah? The target isn’t the fox girl—it’s the other one.”
“Heh, good thing they’re easy to tell apart.”
“So? We are cleared to kill, right?”
“Yeah. In the end, she’ll just turn up missing… that’s all.”
“Same old, same old, huh? But that fox girl’s supposed to be crazy strong. You sure this’ll work?”
“No problem. Tanaka gave me this.”
The leader pulled out a faintly glowing jewel-like orb. Clearly, it was some kind of item… but what?
“This here’s a Barrier Orb. With this, you can lock up a giant golem or even a boss-class monster for a set time. While they’re trapped, we finish the job, then bury the orb in concrete and dump it in the deep sea. Done and done.”
Yes—even powerful awakener couldn’t do a thing if sealed away like that. And since such orbs weren’t produced in Japan, they were little-known here. Every country’s Awakener Association had “not hidden, but not widely published” secrets. This was one of those. Which made it the perfect weapon.
“We’re nearly at the destination.”
“Good. Get ready. Five minutes is all we’ve got—quick and clean.”
Arriving near the apartment complex, the men pulled out two tools. First: Bell of Calm Winds, which absorbed sound to delay detection. Second: Mist of Slumber, a disposable box that blanketed a 200-meter radius in sleep, sparing only the user and allies.
With both, the job was airtight. Even if someone stirred, it would only be after a fatal blow had landed. An easy payday.
“Let’s begin.”
“Begin what?”
All eyes snapped toward the fox-eared girl—Inari—standing calmly amidst the mist. Every man froze in disbelief. No one, ever, had remained awake inside the Mist of Slumber. Yet here she was, alert, unarmed, and unbothered.
“This be the second time I’ve walked through such a sleeping mist… Still, this one smells better than the seaweed-scented haze from last time.”
Her hands were empty—bare. Perhaps that was why the leader’s mind raced.
“Ah, forgive us. Monster extermination request. We do this to avoid disturbing the neighbors, you see.”
“Oh? Well, there be none in this building, so thou needst not enter.”
“Haha, much obliged.”
Yes. Perfect. He thought he’d succeeded. So long as they had her attention—whether in talk or in combat—the plan was golden. According to intel, Kotoriya Eru wasn’t that strong. Already, their Assassin had scaled the wall to the second floor. Just slip in through the window and—
“Gah!”
BZZT!
Something repelled the intruder, sending him crashing to the ground. The leader caught a glimpse—was that a barrier? No, a ward? Security systems couldn’t do that. It had to be Inari’s work. She’d warded her home in advance? Just how omnipotent was she?
“My, my. Seems something just bounced off a ward I set. Likely my room, at that.”
“…All units—ready up. We fight.”
Ten men raised weapons and charged. Six, including the leader, rushed Inari. The remaining four stormed into the apartment. With the guards surely asleep from the mist, and security easily breached, they thought nothing could stop them.
“Oh? That’s thy gambit then.”
“HYAAAAH! [Power Strike]!”
“[Critical Slash]!”
“There.”
“Whaaaaaa!?”
Two men activating skills were casually tossed aside. Inari’s skill, Kogami-Style Aikijutsu, allowed her to throw foes from any stance. Tossing two at once was trivial.
“[Dark Slash]!”
“My, how ominous. …But irrelevant.”
Throwing, and throwing again—within moments five lay scattered. Looking around, Inari tilted her head. The leader was gone.
Ah, there. Cloaked by skill, right behind her, lining up the deadliest strike possible.
“[Assassin’s Edge].”
If unseen, the skill guaranteed a blow to a vital point. The leader was certain of victory. He’d sacrificed his men for this moment—
“There.”
“Eh—?”
Inari caught his arm and hurled him skyward. Impossible. The strike had been hidden, unseen. Unless—she’d seen all along.
“You… you saw me?”
“Thought thou looked rather sneaky, aye.”
Monster.
That was the only word that came to mind. As Inari’s foot descended upon him, the leader blacked out, whispering his final thought.