Chapter 20: The Brute-Forcer
"Ah? Oh..."
Kaji Takaomi was still dazed, watching the other three head up toward the sixth floor.
Madarame Baku looked back. "You coming, Kaji-kun? Or I'm leaving you behind!"
Kaji finally snapped out of it and hurried to catch up.
Even though they were competing against the other two—Shiraki Kei and Akagi Shigeru—this was the only way up. Since they didn't have the tools to remove the wire trap below, they had no choice but to travel together.
...
...
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor, in the office.
Q-Taro waited patiently, counting the time. He hadn't heard the screams of anyone caught in the trap.
"Oh... no sound yet? Did they go up?"
"I was planning to scare them with a little trap, use their screams as an appetizer, but it failed..."
"Is their goal the roof? What a bunch of idiots!"
"That's the right choice... and also the wrong one... because nothing but despair awaits you..."
Q-Taro muttered to himself, lost in the foreplay of another slaughter.
Seeing this, the "referee" Yako, standing beside him, opened one eye slightly and offered a warning. "Master Kokonoe, the rules of this gamble have been confirmed. While I, as the 'referee,' will not interfere...
Yako's tone shifted, and he bowed slightly. "However, at this rate, you are conceding far too much. This can hardly be called a gamble with any real suspense."
"...Ha?"
Q-Taro snapped his head around, staring daggers at Yako.
His fun had been repeatedly interrupted, and he was now filled with rage. He snarled, "What in the hell are you talking about? The gamble has already begun. I won't permit you to disrupt it!"
"..."
Yako sighed and stopped arguing. "My apologies."
As if to further refute Yako, Q-Taro snapped his fingers. The office door was pushed open again, and four more masked men appeared.
In terms of pure "malice" and "violence," they were a far cry from the one standing behind Q-Taro.
But every one of them was well-equipped, wearing tactical vests, loaded with all kinds of gear, and even carrying firearms—pistols and rifles, fully kitted out.
"Oh?" Yako raised an eyebrow.
Seeing this, Q-Taro gave a twisted smile. "How about it? These are all mercenaries who have fought in foreign wars. They share my hobbies... they all love to 'hunt'."
"Hahahaha! I never said only one person would be chasing them. I just have to stop them from leaving the building. I haven't broken any rules, have I, Yako-san?"
"..."
Q-Taro was gloating, but Yako merely gave a slight nod, saying no more.
"What, you won't admit you were wrong?"
Q-Taro was displeased with Yako's attitude. "It's the same as with the stakes. I understand you have a high opinion of them. Is there a famous gambler among them?"
He theorized, "Or is it that muscle-kid? Is he some famous fighter? Can a mere fighter possibly stand against my 'force'?"
"My 'pieces' are fully armed! An unarmed fighter will die, no question!"
"Am I right, Yako-san?"
"..."
Yako's expression was, as always, calm and unreadable.
But he was a professional Kakerou referee and couldn't just ignore a member's question. He patiently corrected him, "Master Kokonoe, the term 'mere fighter' is not entirely accurate."
"A 'fighter' is just a profession. It's a title for an athlete."
"However, if a person's 'violence' transcends their profession, surpasses all else... then he cannot be called a 'fighter.' He is a 'Brute-Forcer'—one who achieves all his wishes through sheer 'brute force'."
"..."
Q-Taro's brow furrowed. He shot back, "Then, Yako-san, as a referee... are you a Brute-Forcer?"
"Hardly. A referee's level of 'force' is high, but it is far from 'achieving all wishes.' Otherwise, we would not be in this line of work."
Yako bowed. "I am merely stating that there exists in this world a 'force' beyond your common sense, Master Kokonoe. You must not be careless."
"Haha! Speaking of 'force beyond common sense,' I have one of those, too!"
Q-Taro glanced at the masked man behind him, scoffing at Yako's words. "Besides, even if there is such a 'Brute-Forcer,' what does that make me—the one who controls that force? The Brute-Forcer's Boss?"
"..."
After a round of mockery, Q-Taro's annoyance with Yako only grew. He was furious but helpless, and could only direct his anger at the "prey" on the roof.
"Hey! Get a move on!"
Q-Taro ordered the four mercenaries at the door, then shot another look at Yako.
"Since the referee warned me... and there are so many of them... let's play it safe. We'll use tactical coordination."
"Two teams. One team will assault from the front. The other will use ropes to climb to the roof and ambush them from behind!"
"..."
The mercenaries grinned and agreed.
They weren't Q-Taro's subordinates but his partners. Q-Taro gave the commands, and they carried out the hunt.
...
...
Several minutes later, on the building's rooftop.
Shiraki Kei, Akagi Shigeru, Madarame Baku, and Kaji Takaomi—the four of them had climbed all the way here, pushed open the heavy iron door, and were finally "seeing the light of day" again.
Unfortunately, this "light" was on an "island" in the sky, with no way up and no way down.
"Huff... huff..."
Kaji Takaomi gasped for air.
He wasn't unfit, but he was drenched in sweat.
Baku-san's stamina was shockingly terrible. He'd been winded after just one floor. To keep up with the other two, Kaji had been forced to carry Madarame Baku on his back all the way to the eighth-floor roof.
"Give me a break, Baku-san... there's a limit to being out of shape..."
"Hehe, sorry. Physical labor really isn't my thing."
Madarame Baku collapsed, leaning against the rooftop's iron railing, enjoying the night breeze, looking strangely cool.
Kaji Takaomi, however, was in no mood for it. He wiped the blood from his chin and said urgently, "Baku-san, you must have a plan, right? I'll do anything!"
Hearing this, Madarame Baku suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the building next door—over fifty meters away. "In that case... hop the fence and jump over to that building!"
Kaji Takaomi: "Huh?!"
He froze, thinking Baku-san was joking, but his tone was dead serious.
Madarame Baku smiled, about to explain his plan, when he overheard Akagi Shigeru and Shiraki Kei talking.
"Acrobatics? Sorry, I can't do that. Let's just play the game normally."
"A shame," Shiraki Kei shook his head, looking disappointed. "I feel like, if we really thought about it, we could jump to the next building... or just jump off the roof, land on a car. We'd probably be fine."
Madarame Baku: "..."
Madarame Baku: "Huh??"
As the "Lie-Eater," Baku's ability to spot bluffs was second to none. He could tell... Shiraki Kei wasn't bluffing. He was being completely serious!
What does he mean, jump off and land on a car? Is he Kenshiro?!
...
...
A moment later, silence returned to the rooftop.
Squeak!
The heavy iron door was slowly pushed open. Two mercenaries appeared, one standing, one crouching, each holding a pistol, forming a crossfire.
Beretta 92—also known as the "M9 pistol," complete with suppressors. US-made.
"No targets in front."
"Facing unknown hunters, the first instinct is to hide. They must be hiding nearby..."
The two mercenaries talked back and forth, seemingly analyzing the situation, but in reality, they were speaking loudly for their "prey" to hear, to maximize the fear.
"There are no hiding spots around here. They can only be hiding on either side of this exit, or on the roof above. But the sides are too obvious."
"So they must be..."
"Above!"
One mercenary snapped his head up, his pistol aimed at the concrete roof of the stairwell entrance.
But just as he was patiently scanning, trying to find the prey hiding on top, the heavy iron door they had pushed open began to slowly swing shut... and as it squeaked, Shiraki Kei's figure appeared behind it.
In a real warzone, when mercenaries breach a door, they always check the area behind it. But against unarmed prey, who would be that careful?
An unarmed person, when being hunted, would instinctively panic. Who would dare to ambush them from behind the door? If the door swung open and hit you, wouldn't you be finished?
It was completely "counter-intuitive"!
So, when Shiraki Kei appeared, one mercenary was still looking up at the roof, and the other one... froze.
"Moth—"
He only got half a word out before Shiraki Kei lunged forward. [Aura Burst]. A rising uppercut connected squarely with his chin.
BANG!
The mercenary's jaw was caved in by the punch. A spray of blood and broken teeth exploded from the mask's breathing vents.