Hardcore Exorcist: Reborn to Grind

“Shit… Master Kuro’s been taken down?!”

The driver, a close aide to Kuro Kemurishima, had dropped him off at the Sakura District Meat Processing Center. Hiding just outside the property, he witnessed the battle between the martial artist and the swordsman.

The moment the fight concluded, he scrambled into his car and fled.

“It’s true! Ikaku Akamuro is alive! The processing plant is probably wiped out! Now Master Kuro has fallen, too! He’s one hell of a tough exorcist!”

He made the call as he sped toward the Hidden Flame’s largest stronghold—a shooting range on the outskirts of Akai City. There, elite soldiers armed with rifles, grenades, and other powerful weaponry were already on standby.

“So, you’ve arrived. Give me the details.”

The man addressing the driver was Retsu Shido, one of the Ember Creed and the organization’s second-in-command.

He was a brawny man, his frame packed with thick muscle. His defining features were his heavy brows and a perpetually sour face that looked as if it had never cracked a smile.

With a deep furrow in his brow, Shido pressed the driver for every possible detail about Ikaku Akamuro.

“We raised the alert after losing contact with Kurenagi’s people, so this is what it’s come to. That Tomoshigawa woman was a fool. Too young to be an executive, perhaps. She ignored my warning, the damn fool…”

Shido clicked his tongue, then turned to face the soldiers he had trained.

Forty men in total: twenty Demon Contractors, four mana-users, eight non-magic users, and eight Demons.

“Taking down ‘Kuro of the Demon Sword’ is no small feat. It’s dangerous to underestimate him as some failed exorcist who can’t even use mana. We will kill him without letting our guard down. We are professionals, not warriors. This isn’t a contest of strength. We simply eliminate targets that pose a threat to the organization. Understood?”

Shido’s first priority was to ascertain Ikaku Akamuro’s movements. Intelligence gathering was essential to gaining an advantage in combat.

“Alpha here. Arrived at Sakura District Meat Processing Center. Akai City Police are swarming the place. Target is likely gone. Can’t get any closer.”

“This is Beta Squad. We’ve reached the Shrine. No sign of the target yet. Lady Sakaki has been briefed. We are fortifying our defensive position here.”

“Charlie here. At the pachinko parlor. No sign of Ikaku Akamuro.”

“Delta Squad reporting. He’s not at the bar, either. We’ve checked the surveillance footage, but he’s not on it.”

“Roger that. All units, report any movement. And Delta, your voice is muffled. Fix it.”

“Captain Shido. With all due respect, sir, it sounds like Ikaku Akamuro sustained significant damage. Don’t you think he has withdrawn for the night?”

Shido stroked his chin at his adjutant’s words.

Kurenagi was a Category 3 Demon. A formidable foe for an ordinary man who can’t use mana.

Then he attacked Tomoshigawa’s fortress… She had a lot of men there, and a horde of Demons.

Next, he intercepted and bested Kemurishima.

Ikaku Akamuro… A terrifying man, to rampage this much in just a few hours. But his body must be at its limit.

In fact, reports say he was seriously injured. If he were thinking straight, he’d pull back and regroup.

“He might seek help from the Red Guild, where he was staying. Or maybe he has a connection to the Akachi Clan, who manage the burned-out Akai estate. We don’t have enough eyes… Alpha Squad, head to the Red Guild. Echo Squad, you’re up. Head for the Akachi estate. And for Devil’s sake, don’t get too close.”

“Are you sure, sir? That will leave us shorthanded here.”

“Finding Ikaku Akamuro is the priority.”

“Understood.”

On Shido’s command, another team of four heavily armed soldiers piled into a car and drove off.

With five squads—Alpha through Echo—now deployed, only twenty-two people, including Shido himself, remained at the shooting range.

“Alpha here. Arrived at the Red Guild. Beginning situational assessment.”

“This is Beta Squad. The Shrine is secure. Security is in place.”

“Charlie here. Still all quiet at the pachinko parlor.”

“All clear from Delta Squad as well.”

“Echo Squad, en route to the Akachi estate. ETA eleven minutes.”

As the regular check-ins continued, Shido’s brow furrowed.

“Delta, you still sound muffled. Did you deal with it? You too, Charlie. I can barely make you out.”

“…Seems like my mic is acting up.”

“…Same here.”

Shido started to put down the radio, but a strange sense of foreboding stopped him. Something felt wrong. He raised the radio back to his mouth.

“Charlie, Delta. State your names.”

No reply came from the radio.

One second, two seconds, three, four—the silence stretched on.

A greasy sweat broke out on Shido’s forehead as a chill ran down his spine.

“…Who is this?”

The radio remained silent.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ikaku Akamuro…

“So he figured it out.”

Ikaku clicked his tongue and tossed the radio onto the passenger seat.

On his phone, secured in a dashboard holder, a message from the Information Broker was still displayed on the screen.

Information Broker: Retsu Shido’s unit seems pretty elite. Professional mercenaries. Heavy-duty weapons, too. In the sense that they’re highly trained, you’re just like them, Ikaku Akamuro.

Ikaku Akamuro: What’s your point?

Information Broker: You might die.

Ikaku Akamuro: Are you going to do something?

Information Broker: I was able to intercept their radio frequency. I’ll patch you in.

Ikaku Akamuro: Appreciate it.

Information Broker: You’re welcome.

Ikaku had successfully hijacked the radio frequency of Shido’s unit. He realized the teams were spreading out to find him, so he decided to pick them off one by one. 

First Delta Squad, then Charlie Squad. The ambushed Demon cultists were assassinated before they could even send out a single transmission.

To conceal the assassinations, Ikaku had been impersonating Delta and Charlie Squads, making the routine reports himself.

Guess it was bound to fail eventually. Oh well. I bought myself enough time.

“We’ve been jacked by Ikaku Akamuro! Switch frequency to Manual B!”

After that, the radio went dead.

Professionals. What a pain.

With that thought, Ikaku stomped on the accelerator. A black SUV heading toward the Akachi estate had just entered his line of sight.

He was certain it was them—the vehicle was identical to the ones he’d already attacked, and a glimpse through the window revealed passengers armed with rifles.

He chased them down at breakneck speed, hurled a hand axe to blow out their rear tire, and sent the vehicle into a spectacular tumble.

“Gahhh?!”

“Wh-what the hell?!”

“The tire just flew off—Ngh, ugh…”

“Agh, my arm… Wh-what is that?! Oh no!!”

From inside the overturned vehicle, they saw him: Ikaku, rifle raised. Without a moment’s hesitation, he unloaded his SCAR-H into the gas tank, and the SUV exploded.

A single shadow leaped from the fiery wreck—a Demon wreathed in flames.

Ikaku looked through his scope and took aim. The burning Demon writhed in agony, rolling on the asphalt before finally going still.

Ikaku lowered his gaze from the scope.

Demons have powerful Mana Armor, but it’s mostly just physical resistance to impact. Fire, on the other hand, works pretty damn well.

Ikaku got back in his car, made a U-turn, and started heading back the way he came.

Echo Squad down. That’s twelve men, including Delta and Charlie. The only ones left out there are Alpha Squad, watching the Red Guild. But they’ll be on high alert by now.

Ping.

Ikaku’s eyes flicked to his phone.

He replied while steering with one hand.

Information Broker: Want the new frequency?

Ikaku Akamuro: How do you know?

Information Broker: Because I’m that good.

Ikaku Akamuro: I see. Yes, please.

Information Broker: That’s three favors you owe me now.

Ikaku tuned to the frequency he was given. Just like that, he could hear Shido’s unit on the radio again.

“Incredible. But this Information Broker… who the hell are they?”

His suspicion deepened, but he pushed the question aside. It wasn’t something to dwell on right now. A skilled operator was on his side. At least for the moment.

* * *

“So, I’ve lost contact with Alpha, too.”

Retsu Shido crushed the radio in his hand and ground his teeth.

How did he intercept our comms? Not once, but twice. A traitor? No, there were no signs. How is he doing this?!

A nameless terror crept slowly up his throat. He was supposed to have an elite army, but before he knew it, his forces had been cut in half.

Are we going to lose to Ikaku Akamuro?

With every passing moment, the premonition took on a sharper form.

“Calm down. Breathe. All I’ve lost are my hands and feet. The enemy is just one man. There’s a limit to what one person can do, especially an ordinary man without mana. The fact that he’s picking us off one by one is a sign of his own lack of confidence. If I commit my resources to defending the shooting range, it won’t be a problem. He’s afraid to attack this place directly. We’re fine.”

VROOOOM.

The deafening roar of a car engine shattered the air. Shido and all the soldiers on site slowly looked up, the same thought racing through their minds: It can’t be…

Clutching their weapons, they scrambled toward the parking lot.

The sound of the engine grew rapidly closer, and the blinding glare of high beams illuminated the late-night shooting range.

“He’s here too soon!”

“He’s coming straight for us!”

“Does this guy have a death wish?!”

The soldiers took cover behind a light armored vehicle in the lot and opened fire on the charging car. Armed with rifles firing 5.56mm rounds, their firepower and penetration capabilities far exceeded those of handguns.

Every bullet that struck Ikaku’s car punched another hole through its body.

Seventy meters, sixty, fifty, forty…

Not gonna make it. They’ll gun me down before I can run them over.

Ikaku abandoned the suicide charge and dived out of the driver’s seat. The car, now engulfed in flames, slammed into the soldiers’ vehicle and exploded.

“Hahaha, you’re in the middle of a wide-open parking lot!”

“Idiot! He jumped out with no cover!”

“There’s nowhere to run!”

“This is for our comrades! We’re gonna turn you into Swiss cheese!”

The soldiers took aim and unleashed a torrent of gunfire.

Using the momentum from his leap, Ikaku tumbled across the pavement, using Force Redirection to dissipate the impact before smoothly landing on one knee. Then, he thrust a single sword into the ground.

A thick cloud of smoke erupted with astonishing force.

Ikaku’s form was swallowed by the smoke.