Victor woke with two dhampir sisters pressed against his sides. He glanced left. A beautiful blonde woman in black lingerie, Kurenai, slept cutely, her lips murmuring his name in half‑dreams. The lingerie accentuated every curve. Then he turned his head right. Little Felicia, completely undressed, smirked in her sleep with obvious satisfaction.
Last night had been unexpected. Those two girls, usually rivals, always competing for attention, not just from Victor but from Zhiyong as well, had briefly argued over who would make love to Victor for the third round. He'd stayed silent, expecting them to exhaust themselves. But in an unexpected twist, they agreed to share. And it became a threesome.
He slowly extracted his arms from the girls, careful not to wake them. Then he pulled on his clothes and stepped outside.
The room beyond revealed a spacious living area on the upper floor. He was in his and Felicia's apartment. Ryuji had been here too, though he and his friends had already left after Ryuji fell asleep.
Now to get some coffee. Or maybe wine. Today was the start of the weekend. No work. He could actually relax.
As he descended the stairs, he noticed two figures. Ayame and Jubei. Already awake, with coffee and toast laid out on the table.
"Good morning, you two," Victor greeted, his voice tired, still thick with grogginess.
"Good morning… Victor." Ayame's words came out with frustration and anger simmering beneath. Probably furious that he'd slept with her beloved master.
"Yo, morning Victor." Jubei's tone was light, deliberately trying to cut through the sudden tension. What a good friend.
After the greeting, Victor headed to the kitchen. He searched the shelf that held the wines, found it. He grabbed a bottle, turned around, and nearly jumped out of his skin. Ayame was standing right there.
"Ah!" He fumbled, nearly dropping the wine, but snatched it back just before it hit the floor. "Makishima-san, you scared me."
Ayame grabbed the hilt of the bottle. "Give the bottle to me, Victor."
"B-but, it's the weekend?"
"Give. Me. The. Bottle." Each word landed like a hammer strike, slow and dripping with anger.
Victor let go. Then he dragged himself to the table in defeat and slumped down beside Jubei.
Jubei noticed and offered consolation. "Hey, it's okay. After the weekend, you can drink again."
"After the weekend?" Victor's eyes went wide. "But why?!"
"Because today and tomorrow you have to spend time with Kurenai-sama." Ayame's tone left no room for argument.
"Huh?" He whipped his neck around so fast it nearly cracked, desperate for an explanation.
"Yesterday we went around the city looking for you for hours. You made us worry sick. It's time for you to make up for it."
"But weekend… my day off."
"Are you saying spending time with us is more trouble than working?"
"Mhm…" Victor grumbled. He shouldn't think too negatively. It wasn't like it would last all day. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Good. Now here's some coffee and toast I made for you."
"Just this?"
"If you want more, make it yourself." Ayame scoffed.
Victor took a piece of bread and drank some coffee. Something still gnawed at the back of his mind. Right—Ryuji had a bounty on his head.
"So, Ryuji's got a bounty. Any idea who wants him dead?"
Both of them stayed silent for a moment. Then Jubei spoke up. "It could be NOMAD, since Oboro was hunting him last night."
Victor shook his head. "Nah, it's not NOMAD. There's no way they'd spend that many resources on one guy. Plus, Oboro was there to capture him, not kill him."
"Victor is correct," Ayame said. "If they didn't do it to any Taimanin, why would Ryuji be any different? So that rules out NOMAD. Who or what organization is next?"
"The Incubus Faction," Victor answered.
That made both of them pause.
"It's the only one I can think of. The other major faction with that kind of resources is Dragon Gate, but those guys primarily operate in the Tokyo Kingdom, and Ryuji has never set foot on that island."
Victor let the words sink in. Jubei frowned. "Still, why the Incubus Faction? Why would they target Ryuji?"
"I don't know. But I do know that Ryuji was in Yomihara. He caused a ruckus there, destroyed part of a famous brothel called Under Eden."
"That still doesn't explain why the Incubus Faction would target him." Ayame's brow furrowed, frustration creeping into her voice.
Victor closed his eyes for a moment, drew a long breath, and let it out slowly. "Haven't you noticed? Under Eden has never been attacked or conquered by any faction in Yomihara despite not belonging to any organization. Ever."
"Why would that be important?" Ayame asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Ayame-san, in criminal cities, places like brothels and casinos, places that generate money, inevitably get targeted by criminal organizations." Jubei's tone turned patient, almost like a teacher explaining something obvious. "That's why it matters if those places are under the protection of another organization."
Victor nodded slowly. "Yes, and it's weird why Under Eden has never been attacked by any major players there, despite them never publicly stating which organization they belong to. That's why there's a theory. Under Eden is under the control of the Incubus Faction. Since they're the most unknown and powerful. No one knows, not even most of NOMAD's high-ranking members, because they always hide in the shadows."
The words gave Ayame pause. Her mind turned the idea over.
"But it's just a possibility. I don't know how the organization functions, and I don't know how the Incubus King thinks or acts." Victor sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "We lack too much information right now. I'll ask Zhiyong if he knows. Now, let's focus on the Orc Lord Riluk. Since he's out of the picture, we need to replace the vacant position of the executive of the smuggling ring."
"Wait? He works for you!" Ayame's voice flared, raw with outrage.
"Yes, but him doing this behind my back is unexpected, Makishima-san. The smuggling ring branch was supposed to focus on smuggling goods in and out. Not involving children and people. Though only if they verify they aren't being trafficked."
The explanation landed like water on stone, it didn't quell Ayame's anger. Her jaw remained tight, her eyes sharp.
"Listen, if I want to make this city better, I have to control every criminal method in this city. From drugs, to prostitution, to smuggling and change it to better. Don't tell Kurenai about this. She won't understand."
Ayame sighed, the tension slowly draining from her shoulders. "Don't make the same mistake again, and make us involve in this organization of yours."
"Fine, I'll inform you what we're doing, okay? Just don't sabotage our operations."
"And?"
"And I'll let you guys help me."
"Promise?" Her voice shifted—no longer stern, but soft. It suited her elegant features perfectly.
Victor raised an eyebrow. "I promise."
That drew a smile from Ayame, small, but genuine.
“Alright, so any idea who should get promoted, Jubei?"
"No idea, dude. Let's do this on Monday during the meeting. We have to ask the rest of the executives about this."
Victor agreed. With that settled, he returned to enjoying his breakfast, and the conversation drifted to lighter, less serious things.
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Zhiyong stood outside the house, ready to depart. "I have to go now, Kaede."
"Do you have to go to work this weekend?" Kaede's voice carried a sad, soft note. "We could go out together since it's the weekend."
"I've already taken days off. This weekend, I have to replace that."
"Well, alright then. Good luck with work." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And I packed lunch for you." She handed Zhiyong a huge bento.
"Good luck with work, Dad!" Fumika called out, trying to sound cheerful for his sake. "Make sure you bring back presents this time."
"Thank you, Fumika." Zhiyong revved the engine of his bike. "And no, I won't."
Then he rode off.
"Dad, you jerk!"
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Zhiyong arrived at Yomihara, parking his bike a safe distance from the Palace of Darkness. He was tired of getting harassed every time he left it unattended. So he decided to walk. The lights, the architecture, it reminded him of an old, rundown town from his childhood home. Almost nostalgic. If only it weren't a demonic shithole, it might actually be a pretty nice place.
As he walked through the city toward his workplace, the ground suddenly gave way beneath him. He dropped, catching himself on his arms just above the surface. He could feel something fleshy and wrong wrapping around him from below. Despite the situation, he remained surprisingly calm.
"Ah, looks like I finally got you." A man stepped out of the shadows, his face carrying the unmistakable look of a scumbag. "I prefer girls, but hey, someone paid a lot of money to do this to you."
'Prefer girls?' Ah. One of those rape devices. Must be a living creature. Tentacle monster? Definitely a tentacle monster. Even with that revelation, Zhiyong's face stayed stoic, carved from stone.
"So, who hired you?"
"Why should I tell you about my employer?"
Zhiyong's tone shifted from flat to cold, the kind of cold that promised violence. "I'm giving you a chance to live."
Then Zhiyong pushed against the floor with his arms. His muscles bulged, straining against his shirt. Slowly, he began to rise. The tentacles pulled with all their strength, but they couldn't slow him down. He kept climbing—until his entire upper body finally escaped the hole.
The man saw this and panicked. He grabbed a rusty pipe and started swinging—repeating blows to Zhiyong's head in a desperate frenzy.
But it was futile. The blows landed like it was nothing. Zhiyong didn't flinch. Didn't even blink.
Then his hips began to emerge from the hole, revealing tentacles coiled around his waist. He kept climbing, kept pulling, until finally—he was free. Tentacles now wrapped around his entire legs, squeezing tight, but he stood anyway.
The scumbag slowly backed away, fear creeping into his eyes. Still, he told himself not to be afraid. Zhiyong wasn't free yet. The tentacles still had him.
Then, without warning, Zhiyong turned and grabbed the tentacles. He planted one leg forward, slung the tentacles over his shoulder, and pulled with all his might. The fleshy monster emerged from the hole, dragged out by sheer brute force.
The man fell flat on his ass. Never in his life had he seen anyone escape that hole through pure strength alone. He scrambled to his feet.
But before he could run, Zhiyong slammed the flesh monster down onto him, with such force that the man crumpled. And it wasn't over. Zhiyong raised the monster and slammed it again. And again. And again.
The flesh monster had been tenderized, possibly dead. Its tentacles went limp. It wasn't breathing. And the scumbag beneath it? He was struggling just to breathe.
"I gave you a chance to live and you wasted it. But I'll give you a quick death."
Then he gave the man a quick snap of the neck. "I hope I didn't spend too much here or else I might be late to work."
"I must say that was quite a performance." A woman's voice, leering in tone.
Zhiyong turned around. His stoic face shifted to annoyance, a rare change. The woman before him wore a red dress that showed off her bust and a tattoo on her chest. Long red hair cascaded down to her waist.
"Astaroth. It's nice to meet you, ah look at the time I have to go." He said it rapid‑fire, desperate to escape her.
The red-haired woman quickly grabbed Zhiyong by the shoulder. "I heard that you had a son, and he caused quite a ruckus at Under Eden. Killing many of the enforcers." She flashed a lusty smirk that made Zhiyong shiver. "He's quite strong. The fact that you can produce such strong offspring..."
"He trained to be strong, and it had nothing to do with my seed." Zhiyong shut that down fast. He hated the idea that his son's strength was linked to his genetics. Ryuji had grown strong on his own, through his teachers. His former student Takeshi, his father Weilong, and his old friend Kazimir.
"Zhiyong, how long can you avoid mating with me?" Astaroth's voice now carried impatience.
"Hopefully forever."
"Tch." She summoned her flame. "Well, I guess I'll get rid of your legs and probably your arms. I just need your face and penis."
Hearing that threat, Zhiyong responded by pulling out a grenade, jumping back a great distance, and throwing it at her.
"Really? You know I'm Astaroth, the Queen of Inferno. You think a grenade wou—"
Then it exploded. But instead of a hot, explosive shockwave, cold erupted—a flash freeze that completely encased her in ice. The grenade had been made from the most powerful magic ice crystal from the Land of Ice and Snow. Zhiyong had made a deal with Ragnarok, leader of the Frost Phantom Tribe, to acquire a large sum of them, to create weapons specifically counter to Astaroth.
Zhiyong escaped quickly, before she could unfreeze herself. He couldn't help but regret his actions toward her in the past. If only he had forgo his pride and kept acting like a weakling.
After running a great distance from her, Zhiyong arrived at the Palace of Darkness and quickly got inside. He took a moment to catch his breath, then went to the office pantry to grab a quick drink.
Now, it was time to work. He took the elevator down to the lab. When the doors opened, the floor was nearly empty—it was the weekend, after all. He walked to his personal lab and found two people glued to a computer screen. His former apprentices, now graduated from under him.
"Wang Lei and Sun Jing. What are you two doing?"
"Ah, Master." The male apprentice, Wang Lei, answered, his tone worried.
"You need to see this, Master Zhiyong." Sun Jing, the female apprentice, gestured at the screen.
"What is it?" He looked at the computer screen, and his eyes widened. "10 billion yen. Alright, with that much money I could fund much of my project and send the remainder to the Militia and that group of exorcists."
"Yes, but look at the picture and name."
Zhiyong did as she said. His eyes widened further. "What the hell?! Ryuji! What did he do? Who did he piss off?! Who put a bounty on my son? I'm gonna kill them!" Rage erupted from him at the revelation.
"I don't know," Jing answered. "I tried searching through the IP address using reconnaissance tools, but it just said 'IP not found.'"
"They masked the IP, obviously," Zhiyong said. "No point searching through the web. They obviously hid their tracks. They'd have to be stupid not to take precautions on the Dark Web."
"Guess we could speculate who, then?" Lei said.
"Hmm, Under Eden's boss," Zhiyong answered.
"Real?" Jing said. "Does he have that much money to put that huge bounty?"
"No, there's someone above him."
"Above him?" Lei asked.
"I've always speculated that Under Eden is under the control of a powerful organization, considering the advanced technology they have for brainwashing. But what organization is it?"
"No point in thinking that hard, Master, given the lack of information," Lei said.
"He's correct. Let the Militia handle this. We have much more important matters than wasting time investigating this," Jing said.
Zhiyong sighed. They were correct. No point in worrying. His son was strong, and he had joined the Gosha Village, which would provide protection. Now, he should start his work. "All right. Now, Jing, turn off the computer. Let's start our work."
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In China, on a sunny morning—the kind that makes anyone feel energetic—Zhenyu was not happy. He searched through the Dark Web, scanning bounties, trying to gather information for Su and Lan. He also wanted to help make some money for Su to spend. She needed to act more like her age.
Then he noticed it: 10 billion yen. He muttered the thought aloud. "Wow, what kind of poor sap had that much bounty on his head?" Then he looked at the picture and the name.
"Grandfather! You need to see this." He shouted urgently.
"What is it, Zhenyu?" Weilong quickly entered.
"You need to look at this." Zhenyu pointed at the screen.
"Wow! 10 billion yen! With that much money I can finally retire."
"No, look at the name and the picture."
Weilong looked closely, and his eyes went wide. "Ryuji! Another one of my grandsons has turned criminal." The old man's face fell into sadness.
"Grandpa. This is the Dark Web, not a government site." A vein began to appear on Zhenyu's forehead.
"Oh right, haha." The old man laughed it off, which only made Zhenyu angrier.
Zhenyu pressed his anger down. "Anyway, it confirms that Ryuji is in this world and in Japan."
"Eh? How do you know he's in Japan?"
"This website is actually a Japanese one, gramps. Each bounty site only focuses on its local country. Easier to organize information that way."
"Well, looks like I have more to do in Japan than just the Taimanin. No, much more important than that. Find my beloved grandson and bring him here where he can stay with us."
"Are you sure? I mean, Ryuji probably doesn't have any identification documents, which would make getting a passport much harder."
"Then we smuggle Ryuji here." Weilong said it in such a casual tone.
Zhenyu gave up. He was sure Ryuji could convince Weilong what a stupid idea it was. Now, he needed to compile these bounties into a document and send it to the girls.