Ten minutes earlier.
At the airport security checkpoint, passengers were lining up for routine inspections before boarding their flights.
The airport announcements played from time to time, and everything seemed orderly—until a sudden beeping sound broke the calm.
The security gate let out a sharp, urgent alarm while flashing a red warning light. This meant that the man in front of the checkpoint, wrapped in thick clothing despite the summer heat and wearing a hood, was carrying flammable or explosive materials.
The security officers immediately turned serious, surrounding the suspiciously dressed man as one of them issued a stern warning:
"Sir, our scan detected restricted hazardous materials on you. Please cooperate with our inspection."
But under the hood, hidden from everyone's view, the man's lips curled into a strange grin.
At that moment, the security officer monitoring the scanners at his desk suddenly turned pale and shouted in alarm, "It's a bomb! That man has a bomb!"
Panic spread instantly.
A piercing scream erupted from the crowd, followed by a wave of chaos as people scrambled in all directions, desperate to get away from the security checkpoint.
The security team reacted quickly, drawing their tasers and aiming them at the man.
"Put your hands up! Don't make any sudden moves! Or we will open fire!"
But instead of complying, the man suddenly threw open his black trench coat, revealing a bomb strapped to his chest. Wires crisscrossed over the explosives, and a small metal box with a blinking red light sat at the center—no one knew how much explosive power it contained.
The detonator was attached to a pull-ring, which looped around his thumb.
At the sight of the explosives, the security officers' expressions hardened.
Cold sweat trickled down their faces and backs.
"Evacuate the area! Evacuate immediately! We have a confirmed bomb threat at Checkpoint C! I repeat, a terrorist with explosives has appeared at Checkpoint C! Clear the area now!"
The officer at the monitoring station quickly relayed the alert through his radio while dialing emergency services to report the situation to the Tokyo Police Department.
Passengers who witnessed the scene backed away from the checkpoint toward the airport entrance. Those arriving later, seeing the wave of terrified people rushing out, didn't wait to understand what was happening—they simply turned and ran as well.
But amid the panicked crowd, a few individuals did the opposite.
They moved against the fleeing tide, heading straight for the security checkpoint.
They varied in age and gender, but all wore heavy, seasonally inappropriate clothing, draped in long coats that made their figures appear bulky.
The frightened passengers were too busy running for their lives to notice these people or the fear they brought with them.
Soon, the area near the checkpoint was emptied, and the sudden appearance of these trench coat-wearing individuals caught the attention of the security officers on-site.
"Stay back! This area is dangerous!" one of the officers called out.
But the newcomers ignored the warning and charged forward.
At this point, even the slowest among them realized something was wrong. The officers immediately shifted their aim, pointing their weapons at the approaching figures.
"Stop right there! Or we will shoot!"
Just as the security officers were about to take action, the man with the bomb finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and chilling.
"Oh-ho... You're the ones who shouldn't make any sudden moves."
He gave his thumb a slight twitch, making the pull-ring jingle softly—a sound that sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"If anyone tries to stop us, we'll all go up in flames together! Or maybe you'd like to gamble—think your tasers can stop me from pulling the trigger?"
Faced with this deadly threat, the security officers froze, unable to act, as they watched the suspicious newcomers pass through the checkpoint unchallenged.
Meanwhile, reinforcements were already on their way, and the police were racing to the scene.
For now, the security team could only hold their ground, keeping the bomber contained until help arrived.
The police would be there in ten minutes. Once they arrived, the professionals would take over—whether they sent in a negotiator or took the bomber out with a sniper, it would no longer be up to the security team.
Just ten more minutes…
But no one expected what happened next.
The moment his accomplices cleared security and scattered toward key airport locations, the bomber's face twisted into a crazed expression.
"You filthy pigs!" he shouted, his voice raw with hatred.
"Let's all go to hell together!"
"My Lord, bear witness!"
*Beep!*
He yanked the pull ring, and the flashing red light on the metal box suddenly turned solid. A series of rapid beeps followed, then—an explosion of fire roared to life.
In an instant, the spreading flames engulfed everyone in the C-section security checkpoint.
*Boom!*
A split second later, the deafening explosion erupted, sending a shockwave that shattered every pane of glass around it. Shards of glass, propelled by the blast, shot outward in every direction.
Columns cracked and collapsed, steel beams melted and buckled, and massive chunks of debris rained down, fracturing the floor on impact. Exposed wires sparked violently where they had been severed, and an intense heat spread through the air.
Though the explosion itself had passed, the fire had already begun to spread. Thick, choking smoke drifted with the wind, creeping into other areas.
At the heart of the blast, all that remained were dozens of charred corpses and dismembered body parts scattered across the ground.
Yet, despite their comrade being blown to bits, none of the others even turned to look. They were as cold as if they had no emotions at all.
No, it wasn't that they had no emotions.
It was that they had already offered all their emotions to their supreme Lord. Their purpose was clear—to sacrifice their lives in order to cleanse a world they saw as corrupt and ugly.
The man's death was just one step in the plan.
Soon, it would be their turn.
For now, they waited—for the passengers from the recently landed flight to take their final journey to heaven.
…
Although the sound of the explosion had reached them, there were no visible flames, which meant the blast had happened some distance away.
"The airport has been attacked by suicide bombers. Passengers, please evacuate in an orderly manner through the emergency exits. Be careful to avoid stampedes. The perpetrators have been contained. Please remain calm and evacuate in an orderly fashion."
"Repeating once more…"
The emergency evacuation announcement played repeatedly over the airport's loudspeakers. Meanwhile, airport staff appeared in the area, doing their best to maintain order.
Since they weren't at the explosion site itself, the people around them were relatively calm. Though shaken, they hadn't descended into full-blown panic.
Following the staff's instructions, everyone began evacuating in an orderly fashion.
Demon-kun? Yukinoshita Haruno asked through the mental channel.
No. No sorcerers, no curses.
Hayashizaki expanded his senses, scanning the entire airport. But he found no significant traces of cursed energy, which could only mean one thing.
It's just regular people. Looks like we really walked into a terror attack. He said.
Tsk, what terrible luck… But seriously, these guys must be crazy to attack an airport! Yukinoshita Haruno gritted her teeth.
My dad was just telling us yesterday to stay home when possible, and now our whole family is caught in a terrorist attack at the airport.
The attack might not be over yet. Hayashizaki said quickly. Go to your parents. I'll take care of Yukino.
Got it!
Without wasting another second, Yukinoshita Haruno sprinted off toward where her parents were.
She didn't hesitate to leave her dear little sister behind—because she completely trusted Hayashizaki.
Yukino would be far safer by his side than with her.
As for why she didn't just take Yukino along and regroup with their parents?
Because right now, she was using the appearance she would have several years in the future.
If their parents couldn't see their actual daughter, they wouldn't follow the crowd to evacuate.
The short-haired woman quickly rushed into the crowd, her figure flickering and becoming blurry.
She deactivated her technique, returning to her original form. At the same time, a white afterimage separated from her body, taking on the appearance of Hayashizaki and dashing toward Yukinoshita Yukino.
The transformation process of the technique was invisible to ordinary people. Only when a physical clone was created or when the appearance change was complete would it become visible.
With the chaos at the scene, no one noticed the short-haired woman suddenly shrinking and looking younger, nor did they question the sudden appearance of a handsome black-haired young man.
At the exact moment the explosion rang out, Yukinoshita Yukino trembled in shock. When the emergency evacuation announcement echoed through the airport, her big eyes widened, and panic spread across her small, delicate face.
Terrified, she reached out her little hand, gently grabbing the hem of the clothes of the person in front of her—a woman who looked just like her sister, Haruno.
But she never expected that this person would abandon her without hesitation. Her weak little fingers, which hadn't been holding on tightly in the first place, were easily shaken off.
Yukinoshita Yukino instinctively stretched out her hand toward the short-haired woman's departing figure, her face full of anxiety and fear. Tears welled up in her wide eyes.
"Wait! My father, my mother, and my sister are still here…"
She wasn't thinking about herself—she was more worried about her family's safety.
In the vast hall, people were frantically rushing toward the emergency exits. Yukinoshita Yukino stood frozen in place, clutching her suitcase, looking completely abandoned by the world.
Then, suddenly, a figure broke away from the crowd, running straight toward her.
Hayashizaki reached her in no time, scooping up her small, fragile body in one swift motion.
"Don't be scared. I'm taking you with me."
"Huh?"
Tears were still clinging to the corners of the little girl's eyes. Before she could react, she found herself securely held in the arms of this tall, handsome, black-haired young man—like a child being carried to safety.
For some reason, as she gazed at his sharp, well-defined profile up close, she felt no fear at all.
On the contrary, an overwhelming sense of security flooded her heart.
In an instant, she calmed down, as if she had found her anchor. She simply stared straight at the black-haired young man, her panic melting away.
Hayashizaki noticed her unusual reaction and curiously asked, "You're not afraid of me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head.
It was strange. She had no memory of ever meeting this young man before. It was clearly their first time seeing each other, yet she felt as if she had known him for a long time.
And faintly, as if in the distance, she heard a name echoing in her ears.
The voice was too soft to make out clearly, and she frowned slightly, subconsciously whispering the name she had just heard:
"Lin… Lin-kun?"
The black-haired young man's steady footsteps faltered for just a moment—but only for a moment. He quickly returned to his usual pace.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
He had never told this world's Yukinoshita Yukino his name. Yet, the fact that she called him that on their first meeting didn't feel strange to him at all.
"Yeah, you can call me that."
With one arm holding Yukinoshita Yukino and the other pulling her suitcase, Hayashizaki moved forward.
Just as they reached the corner, a woman in a thick coat with a hood suddenly stepped out, blocking their way.
The moment he saw her, he knew something was off.
Who would wear such heavy clothing in this season?
So the attacks weren't over yet.
If his guess was right, she was hiding a bomb under that coat.
And not just here—similar figures were appearing near the emergency exits as well. From behind them, panicked screams rang out.
Yukinoshita Yukino instinctively curled up in Hayashizaki's arms, clutching his collar tightly.
"Yukino," Hayashizaki said softly. "Close your eyes. Don't open them until I say it's okay."
The little girl nodded and obediently shut her eyes, though her small ears perked up, as if trying to catch any sounds.
Hayashizaki noticed this but didn't ask her to cover her ears—there was no need.
One by one, white afterimages separated from his body, darting off in all directions throughout the airport.
Meanwhile, the terrorist in front of them had no idea that beneath her feet, a deep, endless darkness had already spread.
She only felt the ground vanish beneath her.
Before she could even scream, she was gone.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Yukinoshita Yukino opened her eyes, expecting to hear some noise, but everything was silent. She realized she had been gently placed back down.
Reluctantly pulling away from Hayashizaki's embrace, she barely had time to react before someone suddenly rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
…
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