She had installed not just one pair of Mantis Bdes, but more than two.

  Chihiro held her daughter in one arm and used her other hand to shield her daughter's eyes.

  Squish! Squish! Squish!

  Bursts of blood sprayed through the crowd—every drop belonged to the Tiger Cws.

  Screams rang out nonstop.

  When it came to reach, her modified Mantis Bdes were longer than any bat or katana wielded by the Masafusa-gumi. Her speed was equally astonishing. In just a few short moments, she sughtered nearly all of the ten-odd Masafusa-gumi members gathered there.

  Only three remained, and those three had initially been standing on the perimeter. By the time they realized what was happening and rushed in, they gged behind the others—ironically sparing their lives.

  Assassins preferred to stay hidden, never showing their faces. Though Chihiro had worked for the Tiger Cws for a few years, only the top brass had witnessed her skills in person. Most ordinary Tiger Cws had never even heard of her.

  This time, when the Masafusa-gumi was sent to eliminate her, the typical foot soldiers were merely told their target had once worked as a killer for the Tiger Cws. Most didn't think much of it.

  A lone assassin, and a woman at that—how formidable could she be?

  Now they knew exactly how formidable.

  The three surviving members exchanged gnces, each seeing in the other's eyes the terrified quiver of a cornered animal.

  "Is…is she some kind of monster?"

  "Where's our backup? Is it here yet?"

  "Damn it—!"

  One of them drew his handgun. Before he could take aim, a Mantis Bde impaled his arm, the bde skewering both flesh and weapon. Another Mantis Bde immediately pierced his chest, lifting him clean off the ground.

  "Ah! Aah—!"

  The final two lost all will to fight. They couldn't even muster the courage to run; they colpsed to the ground, scrambling to crawl away from Chihiro as fast as possible.

  Seeing that the st two had completely given up, Chihiro ended them with quick, merciless strikes.

  Just then, several vehicles screeched onto the scene, each sporting a Tiger Cws emblem.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  More Masafusa-gumi members opened fire. At that moment, there were only Masafusa-gumi operatives in the area—bystanders had already fled or hidden themselves—so they shot without hesitation, not that they would have cared if there were still civilians present.

  The Mantis Bdes mounted on Chihiro's back moved with lightning speed, skewering several corpses on the ground and using them as cover. The volley of bullets pounded into the bodies, turning them into shredded remains.

  Suddenly, a searing pain fred in Chihiro's right arm. A stray round had grazed her, and blood spurted out in a crimson spray.

  "Mom!"

  Ryoko stifled her scream, burying her head against Chihiro's chest. She tried desperately not to cry aloud, afraid it would distract her mother.

  Clutching Ryoko tightly with one arm, Chihiro reached down with her other hand and drew a Saratoga SMG from her thigh holster.

  She broke into a sprint toward a nearby alley, firing a full magazine at the Masafusa-gumi vehicles as she ran. By the time she emptied the clip, she had reached the alley entrance. Then she flicked the bullet-riddled corpses off her Mantis Bdes, letting them drop to the ground.

  The alley was narrow enough that cars couldn't follow, but two of the attackers revved their bikes and zoomed in. Moments ter, an explosive bst roared to life, fire and debris surging upward.

  They had ridden straight into a ser trip-mine Chihiro had pnted.

  …

  With Ryoko pressed close in one arm, Chihiro cradled her daughter's head in the other, racing through the grimy backstreets lit by flickering neon. The alleyway was lined with street vendors, drunks leaning against walls to vomit, and chain-smoking burnouts griping about this trash heap of a city.

  Seeing Chihiro rush in like a crazed beast, most people scrambled aside in fear, clearing her path. She had no idea how many alleys she barreled through. Each was cramped and winding, as though she and her daughter were trudging through the belly of some massive beast.

  Finally, they burst from an alley into a small market where a cluster of stalls had been set up. Chihiro's momentum carried her straight into a clothing rack, toppling it and the dozen or so garments hanging from it.

  Hearing the commotion, the stall owner stormed over in anger. Yet the moment she saw the fsh of multiple Mantis Bdes protruding from Chihiro's back, all curses died in her throat, repced by a shrill scream:

  "Cyberpsycho!"

  The entire market descended into chaos with that remark. Terrified vendors and shoppers stampeded away, with nobody daring to verify the accusation. Anyone who glimpsed those glinting Mantis Bdes did the same thing: run as fast as they could.

  Within seconds, this small, bustling bazaar y empty.

  Chihiro's expression only grew more grim. She had noticed a man seated calmly at a makeshift table—unlike everyone else, he hadn't fled. Instead, he remained in his chair as though nothing in the world troubled him.

  He looked like a preacher, dressed in a bck cassock with a cross around his neck.

  Chihiro's face fell. Holding Ryoko close, she dove behind a dining table and kicked it upright. Almost instantly, a dagger-like projectile streaked through the air, embedding itself right where she had been standing.

  "Chihiro Kakyoin," the man intoned. "A former soldier of the New United States Army who defected to the Tiger Cws as an assassin."

  He rose from his chair and turned to face her, holding three more gleaming throwing bdes—Bck Keys—between the fingers of each hand.

  Chihiro narrowed her eyes. "The Dragon of Masafusa, Nantō Masayuki? So they sent you too… The Tiger Cws must really think highly of me."

  Masayuki's expression was cold. "The Tiger Cws do not tolerate betrayal. Once you join, you owe them your lifelong loyalty. Anyone who quits is marked a traitor, and traitors are shown no mercy."

  He gnced at Ryoko. "Still, since you have your daughter with you, I'll be kind and grant you both a painless death. You can keep each other company on the other side."

  Chihiro suddenly raised the Saratoga in her hand. "The one who's going to the other side is you!"

  She opened fire, bullets raining down on Masayuki like a sudden storm. He stamped his left foot on the pavement, and blue fmes erupted under him. In the next instant, his body unched into the air like a bird taking flight.

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