Chapter 677: Encountering Hyōshō Muramasa Again
Inside the [Dark] Organization’s Kyoto underground base. A young girl, now clad in new clothes and a cloak, emerged from the [Kimokado]. She looked at the slowly opening metal doors before her. Kazumi tossed the black card in her hand back into the [Kimokado] behind her and stepped towards the interior of the base.
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This was not Kazumi’s first time at this organization’s base, hidden deep beneath Kyoto. However, compared to the previous two mission handovers within the base, the lone girl this time appeared somewhat solitary.
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“Aren’t they here yet?”
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The silence within the underground base was somewhat unnerving, but Kazumi felt no unease. The darkness and quiet actually brought her a sense of enjoyment.
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What puzzled Kazumi, however, was that the destructive power displayed at her home at that time clearly belonged to the organization’s Great General [Extreme Cold]. That’s why Kazumi had rushed here, changing clothes without even resting. But I didn’t expect… wait!
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Upon arriving here, I realized there wasn’t a single person in this base.
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[As expected, is being late a privilege of the strong?]
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She muttered to herself, not daring to make a sound. After all, the other party possessed the means to directly infiltrate her home. It was entirely possible they could hear her words here too.
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Inside here lies an undying [White Bone] whose true nature I am well aware of.
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Kazumi poured herself a cup of coffee from the machine nearby. She wasn’t sure how long she would have to wait here. Although her body now required much less rest, a cup of hot coffee would still bring some comfort to her soul, which was already that of a corporate slave.
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Holding the coffee, she casually returned to her seat. Kazumi’s current mood was far from the calm expression she displayed.
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If her participation in the [Seed of Fire] awakening incident with Shin’ichi Sato previously was like children playing house, then the situation she faced now was akin to the glint of swords on a battlefield, where a single misstep could lead to falling into an abyss.
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[At this time…
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Why would Hyōshō Muramasa actively seek me out? Could it be a follow-up to that previous incident? Or perhaps…]
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Tapping her fingers on the metal tabletop, Kazumi rapidly pondered the true reason behind Hyōshō Muramasa’s proactive contact this time.
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To be honest, Kazumi didn’t hold a particularly favorable opinion of this Great General she had brought into the organization.
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After all, who wouldn’t dislike someone who responded to their savior with such a tone and then forced them to work for him with a suicidal and treacherous scheme?
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The young girl didn’t have enough power to resist such a strong practitioner. Moreover, the matter he described was indeed something Kazumi couldn’t refuse. Thus, she had no choice but to face the path towards [White Bone]. Agreeing to cooperate was a compromise she had to make under her own rational judgment, in order to gain more support.
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This was also why Kazumi had never asked Hyōshō Muramasa for the promised reward upon success. Within the [Dark] Organization, the weak had no human rights in front of the strong.
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In fact, if Hyōshō Muramasa sought out Kazumi to die, it was because the latter was in his debt. Kazumi even had to be grateful for the opportunity he gave her.
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If she were to actually demand that illusory reward, it would be extremely ungrateful.
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Hyōshō Muramasa could give it to her, but Kazumi absolutely could not ask for it.
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This was the plight of the weak… Kazumi’s heart didn’t fluctuate much as she considered these thoughts. After all, such a survival rule was universally applicable. It was just that under the [Dark] organization’s environment, it appeared especially realistic.
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If she were to truly dwell on these matters, it would be better to spend some time thinking. Since she had the chance to take down the sealed Great General [White Bone],
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Then now that she had become stronger, perhaps there was a small chance against this Great General [Extreme Cold] as well?
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Shaking her head, she dispelled the wild thoughts in her mind, knowing it was merely a fleeting delusion.
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The undying [White Bone] was an unrepeatable feat achieved under favorable timing, location, and human relations, with the help of other powerful practitioners.
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If not for the main attacker, [Yu Lei], she might have died in that sealed space without even being able to defend herself.
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The Great General [Extreme Cold], who had been rescued long ago and had recovered his normal strength, was someone Kazumi currently had no way to deal with. Not to mention his incredible ability to be killed and then revive again.
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If possible, Kazumi did not wish to be enemies with such a person. Even suffering a loss would be acceptable.
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And currently, it seemed that at least by diligently completing missions, she should not make him too much of an enemy.
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[So, the purpose is to confirm White Bone’s death? Or is there something to be obtained from his corpse? Tian Yuan Huang’s corpse? That shouldn’t be the case, and besides, his ashes have already been…]
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[Could it be that he’s really here looking for me for revenge? People in this organization wouldn’t be that honest, right?]
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Kazumi’s face contorted into an ugly expression at this thought. Tian Yuan Huang’s ashes had already been sacrificed.
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If Hyōshō Muramasa could hand over Morian, she would be willing to give it to someone else, but not…
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What kind of reward could she ask for? Moreover, Kazumi was completely unwilling to hand over her own power.
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Besides, Hyōshō Muramasa wasn’t a rigid power-seeker. A corpse would be useless to him. How could he use it? Not to mention that it was a corpse, even the bones had been ground into powder.
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Therefore, viewed from Kazumi’s perspective of trying to probe, the true purpose of his coming to her was probably to offer a reward.
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In addition, from the brief contact they had before, Hyōshō Muramasa’s displayed
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personality, according to Uncle Fukada, was due to a lack of emotional connection.
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Such a person was indeed difficult to get along with. From their previous conversation, it was clear that he was not like a normal person at all.
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But from another angle, such a person would be clear about grievances and favors.
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From his perspective, letting Kazumi join the action to kill [White Bone] was indeed a favor.
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He knew he couldn’t help [White Bone].
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Since he couldn’t help, he could at most help collect the corpse. Although he didn’t know about [White Bone]’s contingency plans, those plans were certainly known only to [White Bone] himself. Kazumi’s identity could also be completely replaced by any executive or elite member of the organization whom he could seek revenge on.
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The result might be that one day, Kazumi, living her normal life, would be hunted down by an organization’s [Great General] who appeared out of nowhere.
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Thinking of it this way, Kazumi still had to thank him!
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With this thought, the young girl shook her head somewhat helplessly and raised the now cold coffee in her hand to her lips, taking a sip.
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[Huh? Cold?]
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The temperature of the cup made Kazumi’s heart suddenly clench.
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Suddenly realizing something, she sharply raised her head, only to find that a white-haired, white-eyed young boy had appeared opposite her at some unknown time. He sat on the chair like a sculpture, as if he had been sitting there all along.
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The young boy opposite her seemed to sense Kazumi’s gaze. His stiff body instantly came back to life. He raised his pale right hand and waved at Kazumi’s position.
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His words, colder than Kazumi’s, carried a chill as they came from across the table.
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“Hello, Kazumi Shimizu.”
