Kihara Kazutaka regained control of his body amidst the pungent, stinging reek of medical
antiseptic.Agony struck first—the neural probe insertion point at the back of his neck swe
lled like several scorching steel beads embedded beneath the skin; the sapped numbness in
his knees and shoulders from the muscle relaxant rounds felt like limbs filled with molten
lead; worse still, his entire skeleton seemed dismantled and reassembled, every inch of s
kin harboring hidden barbs, each breath tugging at countless microscopic, yet excruciating
wounds. Yet all this physical torment paled beside the suffocating, viscous memory—the ge
m-studded collar tightening around his throat, the skin-tight, humming, temperature-sensin
g clown rubber suit, the inflatable screen centimeters from his nose relentlessly replayin
g a girl’s horrific ordeal, the neural impulses forcing him to spasm like a severed puppet
on stage… and that head of vivid purple spikes, each strand a mocking needle…Urgh—! Kihar
a lurched onto his hands, vomiting violently onto the cold, smooth floor (a high-end eleva
tor car?) producing only bile and stomach acid, laced with the lingering, sharp tang of tu
rpentine and tear gas. Humiliation! Utter, degrading humiliation that boiled up from the d
eepest creases of his brain, seeping into every cell, a total stripping of dignity and con
trol, like being publicly flayed alive! Colder than death, more torturous than a blade's e
dge! This feeling surpassed the sum of all the agonies he'd inflicted in his own twisted e
xperiments! His fingers clawed desperately at his own throat, phantom sensations of the co
llar's icy grip and probe stabs lingering, his choked growls a feral, dying animal's rattl
e.Kendrick Lamar! That "King of the West Coast" he'd mistaken for kin! A predator draped i
n an artist's skin—cooler, crueler than Kihara himself! Never had Kihara's hatred burned s
o purely, so fiercely, turning his eyes bloodshot. Through vertigo and pain, he scanned—be
neath him lay the emergency pocket holding his panic device and a few "trump cards," mirac
ulously undiscovered! K-Dot's arrogance had handed him his only chance!His trembling finge
rs slid over a micro-communicator, inputting an immensely complex, single-use anonymous co
mmand. Its target: Ross, proprietor of "Ross’ Rhythms," a perpetually smoke-shrouded under
ground club deep within the "Backalley Labyrinth" of District 7. Ross: a middleman whose l
oyalty was bought with cash alone, whose lips were sealed tighter than a vault, whose conn
ections were more labyrinthine than the sewers themselves. Kihara drained almost all his a
vailable anonymous funds, attaching one demand: "Find Item's exact location IMMEDIATELY! H
ighest price paid!"Money was this city's most potent magic, especially in the hands of an
insider like Ross. In under eight hours, a data packet containing precise coordinates and
a live video feed streamed to Kihara. Coordinates: The borderlands between District 7 and
District 18’s derelict factory sprawl, concealed beneath the control room of a half-defunc
t large-scale water purification facility. The grainy feed captured through a grimy vent o
pening showed four indistinct figures: Mugino Shizuri attempting some sort of ability reha
bilitation against a wall projection, her fingertip light wildly unstable; Takitsubo Rikou
wearily sorting equipment; Kinuhata Saiai resting with closed eyes in a corner; Frenda Se
ivelun rapidly tapping at an electronic screen (likely scrubbing the web of those disgrace
ful "Professor Clown" clips).Fury seared through Kihara Kazutaka like acid on an open woun
d. Not directed at Item—they were merely K-Dot’s pawns. But they were the tools K-Dot used
to humiliate him! The props on his stage! And shattering props was the most direct, most
violent retribution against the director! Moreover, destroying them was his singular fulcr
um for revenge right now!He stumbled deeper into a heavily encrypted weapons cache within
his hideout. Lethal toys leaked from Academy City's dark side or crafted in his own labs f
illed the space. Finally, his gaze locked onto a weapon: sleek, compact, obsidian black, b
arely larger than a standard handgun. The "Stormrider" – the newest generation of experime
ntal close-quarters suppression SMG secretly trialed by Academy City's covert units. He sn
atched it, a vicious grin twisting his lips. The weapon's icy metal touch offered a strang
e, slight calming counterpoint to the seething humiliation inside him.• Core Kill Compon
ent: The pre-loaded magazine packed high-compact physical impact gel rounds (solidifying i
nstantly on impact into a tough, elastic restraining net—perfect for close-combat/strength
-type ability users) + micro smart-tracker energy needles laced with potent neural blockin
g agents (automatically firing upon detecting high-energy reactions to paralyze Esper node
s).• Secondary Mechanism: Underbarrel single-use directional microwave pulse emitter (cl
ose-range high-intensity concussive waves disrupting the nervous system, causing violent v
ertigo, nausea, and loss of bodily control).Kill? Death was too clean. He wanted them shat
tered! Forced to taste utter humiliation under the weight of pure violence! He would breac
h their pathetic shell and return their fear, their helplessness tenfold! Just as K-Dot ha
d done to him!In the dead of night, the low drone of the purification facility’s few remai
ning filters masked outside noise. Inside Item’s bolthole, the air hung heavy. Frenda furi
ously typed, battling against a relentless tide of "Kihara Clown" memes. Kinuhata slumped
in a corner, eyes closed, breaths slow and heavy. Takitsubo leaned against blinking server
cabinets, lost in thought. Mugino Shizuri stood alone in the center of the room, repeated
ly attempting to focus her Meltdowner ability against a rusty steel plate on the wall. Her
wrist trembled; the unstable light flickered wildly, a cheap bulb floundering in a gale.
Each failure twisted her features, suppressed growls escaping her throat—burned pride far
worse than her injuries."M-Mugino… maybe rest?" Takitsubo’s voice was weary, worried."Shut
it!" Mugino didn’t turn, a hoarse rasp tearing from her throat. "Not… not yet… I will…"Th
en—!The concealed, thick alloy blast door sealing the entrance caved inward! Struck by an
invisible giant's fist!BOOM!!!The thunderous impact shook dust loose from the ceiling! Met
al screeched as the door frame buckled and tore! A figure clad in shadow-green tactical ge
ar, a terrifying oni ceramic mask obscuring its face, eyes blazing with crimson madness, b
urst through the swirling debris—human siege ram! Kihara Kazutaka, the demon of vengeance
personified!He didn't scan the room. The Stormrider, as if alive, instantly locked on. Tar
get: Mugino Shizuri, standing exposed in the center, a faint spark finally igniting at her
fingertips."Gnnragh—!!!" A inhuman roar—hatred and exhilaration twisted together—ripped f
rom Kihara’s throat.RATATATATATAT—!Short, precise bursts—sharp as tearing canvas! A fan of
hyper-compact impact gel rounds flooded forward! Dense, swift, terrifyingly accurate!Mugi
no Shizuri—heartbeat hammering in pure shock—could only manage a reflexive, impossibly fas
t dive sideways. Too late! The gel rounds possessed minor tracking! Even dodging the core
spread, several edged pellets slammed into her waist and thigh! THUD-THUD-THUD! Upon impac
t, the rounds detonated!"Gh!" Mugino felt monstrous, deep-sea sludge instantly cocoon her
legs and one arm! The impact hurled her sideways, crunching her against the old steel plat
e! The gel solidified, expanded, stretched into a resilient, elastic web, binding her legs
and arm to the plate before she could blink! She strained—the web held fast! The unstable
spark she’d conjured blinked out.The second phase struck before the gel even fully harden
ed. The underbarrel microwave pulse emitter activated.HZZZZZZZZZZZZ—!A visible distortion
wave—air visibly warping—fanned out! No physical impact, but Mugino and nearby Takitsubo w
ere engulfed!"Ahhh!" Takitsubo’s brain felt thrown into a highspeed blender! Ear-splitting
tinnitus ripped through her! Overwhelming vertigo and nausea surged upward! She turned co
rpse white, staggered, vomit erupting! Her legs gave way; she collapsed, spasming violentl
y!"TARGET TWO: NEUTRALIZED!" An artificial, monotone command spat from behind the oni mask
. The muzzle pivoted with terrifying speed towards Kinuhata (awake and scrambling to her f
eet) and Frenda (rising from her console)!The Stormrider’s secondary mechanism engaged: it
s sides slid open, revealing shimmering ports! A deadly swarm of gossamer-thin, paralyzing
needles—buzzing like angry hornets—erupted! They locked onto Kinuhata’s flaring nitrogen
armor signature and the electromagnetic pulse from Frenda’s active device!"Aagh!" "Eek!"Ki
nuhata couldn’t fully manifest her shield! Needles bit into thigh, shoulder blades, forear
m! An icy paralysis instantly spread! Her partially formed blue energy shield sputtered—hi
ss—and died! She crumpled—a marionette with strings cut—buckling to the floor, body spasmi
ng uncontrollably!Frenda fared worse. Her pitiful device signature shone like a beacon! A
dozen needles struck her chest and back! Full-body paralysis seized her! She shrieked, top
pling backwards off the chair, rigid as a statue, only her eyes rolling in terror! Her scr
een flashed—locked onto a grotesque "Kihara Demon" close-up hack screen!Perfect ambush. Do
or breached. Four targets neutralized. Under ten seconds. Kihara stood like an executioner
at the ruined entrance, dust motes swirling in emergency lights. His Stormrider’s muzzle
tracked lazily, cooling tendrils of steam rising. The oni mask’s lenses scanned his prey:
Mugino bound tight, furious struggles useless; Takitsubo retching on the floor; Kinuhata a
nd Frenda twitching like pinned insects."Geh… GEGEGEGEHEH—!!" A grating, synthesized chuck
le, like twisting metal, echoed through the mask. "SEE?! INSECTS! THIS… IS POWER! THIS… IS
CONTROL! K-DOT… YOU SEEING THIS?! YOUR TOYS… ARE BREAKING!" The poison of vengeance rushe
d to his brain, overwhelming the shame. He stepped forward, crunching debris underfoot, ad
vancing on the bound Mugino. Shame? He’d make them taste humiliation a hundred times deepe
r! He’d shatter their foundation as Item! Render them junk!He halted just beyond Mugino’s
reach. Her gaze was pure inferno. Gel constricted her throat, letting only strangled gasps
escape. Her eyes promised death. Kihara leveled the muzzle—not at her vitals—but at her f
ace. He’d obliterate that hateful expression with close-range impact gel!Then!CLANG! A jar
ring metallic clatter echoed deep within the ceiling vent!The muzzle jerked upward! Instin
ct! Faulty wiring? Rats? Trap?In that billionth-of-a-second distraction…"Explode." A hoars
e, inhuman rasp scraped its way out of Mugino’s constricted throat.Kihara’s pupils pinpric
ks. Explode?! What explode?!The answer came instantly!The Stormrider Smart SMG clenched in
his hand! Its matte black surface, the microwave emitter mounted beneath, the dart ports
on its sides, even the seams along the receiver—innumerable pinpricks of searing crimson l
ight blazed forth! Like a thousand bloodshot eyes snapping open!Kihara didn’t feel the wea
pon—it was a superheated slag iron core about to burst! Primal danger screeched up his spi
ne!"NOOOOOOO—!!" His shriek vanished—KABOOOOOM—!!!!An explosion ten times more violent tha
n the door breach detonated! Fire and concussion—no longer directed—erupted like a subterr
anean sun! The camera feed whited out!Kihara Kazutaka caught the blast wave head-on! An in
describable force—as if trying to pulverize every bone into dust—slammed his chest! His gu
n arm and entire right side went instantly numb! He hurtled backward like a rag doll—screa
ming, spewing blood—smashing violently into the blinking green server racks!CRUNCH-CRASH—!
Glass burst! Panels buckled! Kihara folded like crumpled paper into the mangled metal—cha
rred black, smoke rising, half the oni mask blown away, revealing a bloody, blistered ruin
of a face. His remaining eye stared blankly, utterly bewildered by the impossible counter
strike. The Stormrider, along with the hand that gripped it, was charred scrap metal and f
used slag. Shock and agony swallowed him whole.In the settling dust, the incredibly resili
ent gel binding Mugino… shattered under the point-blank detonation!Thump! She tumbled to t
he floor, coughing blood, eyes blazing with near-mad relief. At her desperate moment, she’
d channeled the last sliver of her own volatile, near-self-destructive power—not at Kihara
, but backwards, forcibly injecting it into the Stormrider’s active core! Like throwing an
timatter into an unstable reactor!"Ugh…" Takitsubo bled from nose and ears, but the distra
ction weakened the microwave assault. She fought through dizziness and nausea, staggering
to her feet."Paralysis… fading…" Kinuhata gasped, body jerking. The blast shock and physic
al trauma violently disrupted and accelerated her metabolism of Kihara’s neural blockers!
She shoved off the floor, swaying but standing through sheer will!"Comm… jamming cleared!"
Frenda felt the numbness recede, her limbs burning but functional! She scrambled up, igno
ring the pain, diving for the controls—the screen still showed the breach feed! Her finger
s flew!Silence. Only sparks spitting from shattered racks and Kihara’s unconscious groans.
Mugino pushed herself up, leaning against the mangled steel plate, wiping blood from her m
outh. Her crimson eyes locked onto the broken husk embedded in the wreckage—twitching like
a gutted fish. The inferno rage was gone, replaced by something colder, sharper... a ruth
less, almost playful fascination. Like seeing the predator who savaged your pride reduced
to a puppet resting in your palm.Takitsubo stumbled towards a screen where Frenda called u
p an analysis of Kihara’s recovered gear. Frenda’s finger froze on one item. She looked up
, expression mingling shock and a strange, dark sparkle. She pointed at a rendered 3D mode
l."Mugino," Takitsubo rasped, voice thick with bewildered, almost hysterical humor, "The l
unatic… he actually… brought… that…"On screen, amidst Stormrider debris, scanned clear as
day—• Primary Object: A large, plush, absurdly goofy, bright yellow dog mascot costume!•
Features: Massive articulated felt ears! A fat, sausage-like, curled-up tail mounted on
the seat! Oversized paw slippers! A helmet headpiece with a stitched-on goofy dog face—to
ngue lolling, eyelashes comically long!• Detail: But hidden within its seams? Dense opti
cal fiber sensors—identical to those used in motion capture suits or complex animatronic p
uppetry! Clearly, Kihara’s intended "prop" for the final, unspeakable degradation of the c
aptured Item! The sheer malicious ingenuity was staggering."Dog… outfit?" Kinuhata stared
at the screen's canine grin, the ache fro