Chapter One / Rain of Blood
"When the gate of hell opened, the greater fiend crawled into the world."
The rain was crashing down with brutal force that night, and lightning tore through the sky, illuminating everything with its blinding white flashes.
One bolt split the darkness—revealing a lone figure clad in a distinct black ninja outfit, standing atop the tallest building in Tokyo, arms crossed, gazing over the city with silent intensity.
A burst of static crackled in his ear, followed by a soft, alluring feminine voice:
"You truly adore this kind of weather… Ren."
Ren lifted a finger and tapped the small earpiece, replying in a cold, emotionless tone:
"Get to the point, Syoria. Where is the gang that's holding the girl?!"
"Oh, how I adore your coldness…"
"This gang isn't ordinary, Ren. They're directly affiliated with the Black Blood Clan. You need to be careful—they have terrifying butchers among them."
Ren extended his hand, letting the raindrops touch his palm, and said:
"It doesn't matter. Anyone who stands in my way… the grave will welcome them."
Syoria let out a soft laugh before continuing:
"You sound excited… not to save the girl, but to slaughter them."
"I've pinpointed their location. They're in the Black Nest District—big house, surrounded by members of the Black Blood Clan."
"And the girl?!" Ren asked sharply.
"She's in the basement. And there's a foul, ominous aura surrounding her."
Ren lowered his hand from the earpiece, his voice cutting through the rain like a blade:
"Consider the job done."
"Tonight, they will drown in their own blood. Tokyo… and hell… will witness it."
He pulled down a black oni mask and leapt off the skyscraper, diving into the storm, heading straight toward the target.
⸻
After ten minutes of moving swiftly between rooftops, Ren landed directly in front of the house.
Two guards stood at the entrance, dressed in black ninja garb with masks covering their faces.
The guard on the left shuddered, sensing something.
"Am I imagining things… or did someone just jump from above?!"
The other guard stepped forward, unsheathing his sword as he walked cautiously.
When he narrowed his eyes for a clearer look, his expression twisted in shock.
The first guard noticed and said, confused:
"S–Shadow Serpent… He's here."
Both guards unsheathed their blades, entering combat stance, trembling.
Meanwhile, Ren stood motionless, staring at them with cold, dead eyes through his mask.
He raised his hand—the one marked with the black serpent tattoo—then slowly drew his long, razor-sharp sword.
"…"
Without uttering a single word, Ren vanished and reappeared behind the first guard.
A violent spray of blood burst from the man's neck as his head dropped to the ground.
"One down."
The remaining guard trembled but tightened his grip on his weapon and lunged at Ren.
He swung wildly, aiming to stab him—
but Ren caught his arm, snapping it with a savage twist.
The guard screamed in agony… and in the next heartbeat, Ren's blade sliced through him, splitting his body clean in half.
"Two down."
Blood mixed with the rainwater, turning the ground into a dark crimson pool.
Ren leapt high, landing in the house's front courtyard.
He approached the door, placing his ear against it.
Inside—multiple voices.
Ren unsheathed his blade, dark sparks crawling along its edge.
"Approximately four inside…" he muttered in a harsh tone.
He slid his blade into the doorway and pushed it open.
Before the guards inside could react, Ren hurled a black smoke bomb, filling the hall with swirling shadows.
He appeared behind one of the Black Blood soldiers and decapitated him instantly, tossing the head onto the floor.
The remaining men were disoriented, unable to understand what was happening.
One was stabbed from behind, another had a small blade strike his eye before Ren's sword tore him in half.
The black fog finally cleared—
Revealing a man leaning against the basement door.
He lifted his head, staring at Ren's blood-soaked figure.
The soldier drew his sword, speaking with forced confidence:
"The butcher of the Crimson Serpent Clan… such a sharp presence you carry."
He extended his blade forward:
"You will not take a single step past this door— I will—"
He never finished the sentence.
In a blur, his body was shredded into countless pieces, falling apart like sliced paper.
Ren stood before the basement door, breathing heavily with rage and thrill.
He touched the earpiece again:
"I'm at the gate."
Static crackled again before Syoria's voice returned:
"Oh? The butcher returns to painting the clans with blood once more…"
A dark screen appeared in Ren's visor, displaying a serpent symbol and his stats:
[Title: Butcher of the Crimson Serpent Clan]
[Level: Daemons]
[Achievement: Exterminating the Black Blood Clan with multiple execution methods]
Ren touched his chin thoughtfully.
"There's another execution method I've been wanting to try… and I'll use it on the one sitting in this basement."
"My God, I'm so excited to see it," Syoria said in her soft, beautiful voice.
Ren drove his blade into the basement door and shredded it into countless fragments, then slipped inside like a serpent slithering through darkness. He descended the steps swiftly.
At the bottom, he found a ninja sitting on the girl's back… licking his sword.
"He's here… finally, he's here. My God, you only show up when someone commits a crime, you hidden justice detective," the man said quickly, striking the girl's head as he spoke.
"You filthy bastard, is this how you greet me? Sitting on a girl's back while speaking to the head of the Crimson Serpent Clan is the height of disgrace," Ren said with terrifying arrogance.
The ninja stood up, striking the girl in the stomach so she collapsed to the ground. He moved forward, slicking his hair back as he spoke:
"I don't know how a kid under eighteen became a clan leader… but I'm going to put an end to this."
A crimson notification flashed before Ren's eyes:
[Mission: Kill the bastard of the Black Blood Clan (Komo).]
Ren's eyes gleamed with a bright crimson glow.
He lunged at Komo with unbelievable speed, and their blades clashed—
sparks bursting violently with each collision.
The school-uniformed girl sat on the floor, terrified yet stunned.
Komo swung downward, trying to split Ren in half, but Ren dodged and redirected the blade.
Ren then extended his hand and crushed the air with a violent force, sending Komo flying backward into the wall.
Komo spat a mouthful of blood. He raised his head, clutching his stomach in pain—
and saw a serpent coiling around Ren's body, his eyes shining a murderous red.
"It seems you weren't nicknamed the Butcher out of flattery…"
Komo fired a white orb. It exploded in front of Ren's face, flooding the room with dense white smoke.
Ren scanned the surroundings.
Komo suddenly attacked from the front—Ren swung, but it was nothing but an illusion.
Komo reappeared behind him—another illusion.
Then he slid across the floor beneath Ren, aiming to cut off his legs.
Ren leapt into the air and unleashed a wave of serpents formed from blade-shaped energy.
They sliced through Komo's arm.
Komo screamed in agony.
Ren grabbed him by the mouth and slammed him into the wall.
Before Komo could process the pain—his other arm was severed.
"You filthy son of a whore…"
Komo descended into madness, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"A demon… you're no butcher… you're a cunning demon!"
Ren placed his blade on Komo's neck and said quietly:
"That's why I'm called the Serpent."
Without hesitation, Ren sliced Komo's head clean off.
The empty space where Komo once stood became a painting of blood.
Another screen appeared:
[Mission Complete]
[You have slain the filth of the Black Blood Clan]
Ren sheathed his sword and looked toward the girl, who trembled in fear.
He approached her, knelt down, and cut all the ropes, then removed the gag covering her mouth.
"There's no need to be afraid… you're safe now."
The girl was still shaking, but replied softly:
"Th–thank you."
Before Ren stood up, the serpent mark on his hand glowed crimson.
His gray eyes widened in shock.
Static filled his earpiece—Syoria's panicked voice broke through:
"Ren… the village has been attacked! And there's a group I can't identify—they entered the room of the Crimson Serpent Blade!"
Ren rose to his feet, stunned—
then burst forward with such speed that half the house was destroyed.
The girl stared in disbelief.
Ren shot from rooftop to rooftop, rain tearing against his body like needles.
He finally stopped on a high building.
Below him—his village was engulfed in flames, screams echoing through the night.
He sprinted toward it—
but before reaching the entrance, he saw a group of ninja wearing black uniforms trimmed with red. Their masks concealed their faces except for glowing white eyes.
They carried severed heads.
Ren's eyes widened in horror.
He clenched his fist so tightly that blood seeped out from under his mask.
What he saw—
Was his older sister's head
being held in their hands.