My shot hit the mark. The gun went flying to the ground.

The commander of Mimic looked surprised—and with good reason. It’s surprising enough to be able to send a gun flying from this distance. However, there was something else that shocked me. He had managed to dodge the shot, right before it hit.

I had no time to think about it. I hesitated from using my gun against my enemy. They somehow had a way to ‘see’ the trajectory of the bullet.

A bullet flew towards my head, and I dropped my head to dodge it. I shot back at them, and they moved the same way to dodge it.

They dodged it?

“The janitor of the Mafia…!”

As our bullets connected, I closed the distance between my enemy’s gun and myself. It would have been for the best to take it. The Commander of Mimic, however, lifted his wrist in order to avoid mine. It was a very strange response at that time. As if he was beaconing me.

I gave up trying to disarm my enemy, and began searching for any living Mafia members. All of them were dead, except for the boy in black. If I remembered well, that had to be Akutagawa.

“Let’s run.”

“What are you doing?!”

Akutagawa began to resist when I started to retreat. Therefore, I picked him up. Like a log. Blood continued to flow from his body, although he was wrapped like a mummy.

At that moment, everything was swallowed in a reception of concentrated fire. It was from the Mimic soldiers.

I had already foreseen this, and Akutagawa and I fell to our side in order to dodge the line of fire. Akutagawa’s wound opened further, causing him to scream, but there was no time for me to say any comforting words. Running away, I fired a warning shot towards my enemy. We slipped past the Mimic soldiers on watch, and managed to sneak into the planted forest.

We ran through the forest. Behind us, were voices that screamed out attack orders. Japanese larches stood tall inside the forest. It wouldn’t be easy for our enemy to cross through this. They would most definitely reach a dead end.

“Sorry for dropping like that. Can you walk on your own?”

I set Akutagawa on the ground. The wound on Akutagawa’s abdomen was oozing blood once more. Like weeds, a black aura began to grow at knee level.

“Oda Sakunosuke. Dazai’s friend. You came here to this hell, just to escape?”

Akutagwa lowered his hand. He pressed his wound, unmoving. His ability may be good for defense and offense, but his body is absolutely fragile.

And suddenly, I saw a vision.

In response, I turned my back to the side.

In my vision, I felt how a black glowing blade pierced my skull.

“I’ve heard your name. You’re just someone in the lowest ranks.” Akutagawa spoke in a turbulent tone. The look in his gaze towards me was filled to the brim with a killing intent.

“That’s right.”

“And you’re…Dazai’s friend?” His eyes shone brightly as he glared at me. Something had caused Akutagawa’s blackened heart to burst in flames.

“Yeah.” I answered.

“Dazai-san said something. He said that I would never be able to defeat you, even in a hundred years.” Akutagwa’s killing intent was spreading like an explosion. “That guy would never lie. Therefore, I won’t forgive you. Why would he compare me with a lowly member like you? –Why? Why? Why?!”

The black cape broke off in three, flying towards me. Having foreseen the attack, I moved to the side to dodged. Behind me, I heard as the black blade cut through the larches, throwing them aside.

“It’s not a good time to start fighting amongst ourselves.”

“Why!? Why would Dazai…!!”

I threw myself down to the ground. The cloth carried the cut trees back, cutting them apart over my head. More wood fell down.

It was a terrifying ability. Its range and danger was unimaginable. The black blade could cut through anything, and its power could probably go against one, no, two Mafia members at the same time. In all these years, no one had such a talent for making my blood run cold. So this is the result of Dazai’s method of training.

I, however, could not show compassion. I fired my gun towards Akutagawa. The remaining cloth cut the void, dissecting the bullet to a stop.

Previously aware of this outcome, I suddenly ran towards Akutagawa, kicking him hard on the wound on his arm.

“Gah…?!”

Akutagawa twisted in pain, and lost consciousness. The range of ability to rip the void apart as a defense clearly spent Akutagawa’s energy, so the kick to his gunshot wound was bound to make him faint.

I had heard many stories on how severe Dazai’s Spartan training was. However, no matter how much he pushed the boy for results, Akutagawa was still a boy. His fights with the Mimic soldiers, their Commander, and then with me, had drained him of his strength so it was obvious he would faint at some point. I wondered where he had gained such tenacity.

‘ Why would Dazai…!’

Akutagawa’s angered cry and his expression throughout it continued was still clear in my mind, and I wondered just where he had gotten so much rage from.

“It’s just as I imagined…I knew I would be able to meet someone with that ability in this country.”

“What are you talking about?” I turned around.

They were at the entrance of the forest. The Commander of Mimic and three of his soldiers. I couldn’t hear any gunfire. Thanks to that, we continued to be at peace inside of this forest.

“My name is Andre Gide. We have come here…to look for the man who can destroy our ghostly selves.”

The Commander was male. He had clean features. His clothes were of the highest grade, and he looked just like an actor from the silver screen, aged like fine wine. His voice however, resounded with decades of experience.

“I see. I believe I can get you a discount with someone I know who does funeral services.”

“Such a thing won’t be needed…we’ve just found you.”

At that moment, Gide shot his gun. It had been aimed at my forehead. It had been a very subtle aim. However, since I had been able to see five seconds ahead, it was simple to dodge.

I sidestepped to the right.

The bullets towards my brow and my heart hit its mark. The killing wound, though, came from an impact to my skull by a hollow-point bullet. It went through the back of my head, blasting my skull apart.

And then, the vision ended.