The City of Neon and Chains

Kansai had long since abandoned the illusion of freedom. The air hummed with the static of countless neon advertisements, their flickering lights painting the city’s towering steel-and-glass structures in a kaleidoscope of colors. Hovering surveillance drones drifted overhead, their mechanical eyes scanning the restless streets below. The people moved in rigid, rehearsed motions, their heads down, their voices hushed.

A massive digital screen loomed over the city center, its glowing letters pulsing as they scrolled across the skyline.

“Fugitive Akudama Bounties Updated.”

One by one, faces appeared. Criminals of legend.

Brawler: 348 Years – The man who lived for nothing but combat.

Doctor: 432 Years – A surgeon with hands as skilled in healing as they were in killing.

Hacker: 158 Years – The ghost in the system, carving through firewalls like paper.

Courier: 745 Years – The silent deliveryman, bound to no one but the job.

Cutthroat: 967 Years – The man who had painted the city red with 999 bodies, his pale lips curved into an eternal grin.

And soon, there would be one more.

She just didn’t know it yet.

---

500 Yen and a Mistake

It was meant to be a simple evening.

She had done nothing wrong.

The Ordinary Citizen, a young woman whose life had never strayed beyond the boundaries of rules and regulations, wandered into a brightly lit convenience kiosk. She was just here for Takoyaki—a small indulgence in an otherwise monotonous life.

The machine took her 500 yen and spat nothing out.

She sighed, knocking lightly on the glass counter. The vendor barely glanced at her, his thick fingers lazily scrolling through his holographic interface.

“It ate my money,” she said.

“No refunds,” the vendor grunted, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Her fingers curled around her empty wallet. It wasn’t about the money—it was the principle.

But before she could protest further, the metal door behind the counter slammed open, and a man staggered into the shop, a bag of stolen cash clutched in his trembling hands.

His eyes darted wildly. He was thin, with a slicked-back mess of hair and a desperate grin that screamed small-time crook. His lips curled into a chuckle as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder, barely sparing the girl a glance.

She stepped back instinctively.

The man dropped the bag.

Money spilled onto the floor, pooling at her feet.

In the suffocating silence that followed, her instincts screamed at her to run. To leave. But her body betrayed her—she bent down to pick up the bag.

And that was her second mistake.

---

The Invitations Are Sent

Far beyond the city’s bustling districts, in the hidden underbelly of Kansai, a dozen holographic screens flickered to life.

An unseen entity sent the message.

A voice echoed in the silence.

“Mission: Rescue Cutthroat. Reward: 1 Billion Yen.”

It was not a question.

It was a summons.

Courier saw the message while waiting at a red light, his fingers tightening around the motorcycle’s throttle.

Brawler grinned as he wiped the blood from his knuckles, stepping over a pile of unconscious cops.

Doctor hummed a soft tune as she stitched up her own wounds, surgical precision in every motion.

Hacker leaned back in his darkened room, amused by the challenge of cracking the uncrackable.

And Hoodlum, still clutching his bag of stolen cash, realized he was in far deeper than he had ever intended.

---

The Execution

The Executioners had no patience for criminals.

At precisely 23:30, the armored transport rolled into Public Execution Grounds No. 13, carrying the most notorious Akudama the city had ever feared. Cutthroat sat bound in a reinforced cell, humming a song to himself, bored of waiting for his own death.

The lead Executioner, Master, stood at the control center, watching the security monitors. He adjusted his gloves, his eyes narrowing.

This would be over soon.

And yet… something was wrong.

---

Chaos in the Streets

The first explosion tore through the checkpoint just as the clock struck midnight.

Metal twisted and burned as the Courier blitzed through the barricades, his motorcycle moving faster than the human eye could track. Guns extended from the chassis, firing explosive rounds that sent guards flying through the air like broken puppets.

At the other entrance, a dozen security officers vanished in a spray of red as Brawler charged in, his fists doing more damage than any firearm ever could.

A scalpel found its way into the neck of an unsuspecting officer—Doctor, her face split into a delighted grin.

The security system shut down in an instant—Hacker’s work.

Hoodlum was still running.

And Swindler—the Ordinary Citizen who had never broken a law in her life—found herself standing in the middle of the chaos, frozen as alarms blared around her.

---

A Lie Becomes the Truth

The Akudama stood in a loose circle, sizing one another up, blood pooling at their feet.

And then there was her.

“Who’s this?” Brawler frowned, cracking his knuckles.

Swindler felt every eye turn toward her.

Her throat closed up. She had to say something—anything—or they would kill her right there.

A voice, smooth and dangerous, spoke before she could.

“Swindler,” Doctor said.

A single word. A branding iron.

Courier barely blinked. Hacker smirked.

Brawler laughed, punching his palm.

Hoodlum, sensing an opportunity, grinned.

Swindler’s heart slammed against her ribs.

They believed it.

For a single heartbeat, she considered telling the truth.

But then she looked at Brawler’s bloodstained fists, at Cutthroat’s hungry grin, at the ticking bomb collar around her neck.

If they found out she didn’t belong here—she would die.

So she swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a smirk.

“That’s right,” she lied.

Swindler.

---

Cutthroat’s Release

The final gate to the execution chamber slid open with a low hiss.

Cutthroat lifted his head, silver-white hair falling over sharp red eyes. He smiled at them, tilting his head like a child seeing a new toy.

The Executioners did not have time to react before his chains snapped.

Blood sprayed the walls.

By the time they hit the floor, Cutthroat was already licking the blade clean.

“Oh,” he whispered, his eyes locking onto Swindler’s.

Her breath caught.

He grinned.

“I like you.”

Her blood ran cold.

---

A Mission Beyond This One

Their escape was only the beginning.

A black cat, sleek and mechanical, emerged from the shadows.

“You have passed the first test.”

The voice—calm, mechanical, deliberate—came from within.

“The next mission begins now.”

Swindler felt the weight of her own choices settle on her shoulders.

She was trapped.

No longer an Ordinary Citizen.

No longer free.

She was Swindler now.

And there was no turning back.

---

To Be Continued…

---

And so the night belonged to the Akudama.

And Kansai, in all its neon brilliance, remained indifferent.

Tomorrow, the bounty screens would update.

And a new name would be etched in digital light:

Swindler – Wanted Dead or Alive.

---

Neon Lies and Digital Chains

Kansai never slept.

Its holographic billboards flickered endlessly, broadcasting government warnings and propaganda, masking the blood that ran beneath the city’s neon glow.

Somewhere above the slums, a wanted poster refreshed on a colossal screen. A new face appeared alongside the most feared criminals of the underworld.

Swindler – Status: Akudama – Bounty: Pending Evaluation.

She wasn’t a criminal. She wasn’t dangerous.

But now the whole city believed she was.

And that was all that mattered.

---

The Mission That Never Ends

The black cat sat motionless on a steel crate, its eyes glowing in the dim light of an abandoned warehouse. The room was filled with Akudama, fresh from their prison break—bloodied, bruised, but alive.

Courier leaned against his motorcycle, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Brawler laughed, flexing his fists, still high off the thrill of combat.

Doctor checked her nails, unimpressed. Hacker adjusted his goggles.

Cutthroat stared at Swindler, his lips curled in a permanent, eerie smile.

And Hoodlum… well, Hoodlum was just trying not to die.

The cat’s voice crackled through unseen speakers, smooth and emotionless.

“Mission complete. Cutthroat is free. But your real job begins now.”

The silence was thick. Tension buzzed through the air.

“Real job?” Brawler scoffed. “You mean that was a warm-up?”

The cat blinked.

“In three days, you will infiltrate the Kansai Central Bank and steal an item from its vault.”

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Brawler let out a booming laugh.

“A BANK ROBBERY? HELL YEAH!”

Doctor smirked. “Not a bad job. A little cliché, but I do love a challenge.”

Hacker’s fingers twitched with interest. “Their security is top-tier. Should be fun.”

Courier remained silent. No job was too big for him. If there was a delivery, he would make it happen.

Swindler?

She wanted to run.

But the collar around her neck blinked, reminding her of the explosive reality of her situation.

She wasn’t going anywhere.

The mission was set.

---

Executioners on the Hunt

Across the city, the Execution Bureau was in chaos.

The prison attack had been an unprecedented disaster.

Master sat at the control desk, watching security footage of the Akudama massacre. His expression didn’t change, his posture still, his breathing calm.

But his eyes burned with something cold and lethal.

Beside him, his apprentice—Pupil—fidgeted. Young, eager, and desperate to prove herself.

“We need to mobilize,” she said, barely containing her anger. “They’re out there laughing at us!”

Master finally spoke.

“We don’t chase criminals.”

His voice was smooth. Heavy. Unshaken.

“We eradicate them.”

Pupil clenched her fists.

“Then let me handle this.”

Master finally turned to look at her. Studied her.

A long pause.

“…Fine.”

She didn’t hesitate.

In the next hour, the streets of Kansai would bleed.

---

The Akudama’s Night Out

It should have been simple. Three days to prepare. Three days to survive.

But Akudama didn’t do “simple.”

Hoodlum, eager to act like he belonged, suggested they celebrate their successful prison break with a night out.

To his surprise, Brawler and Cutthroat agreed immediately.

“Can’t fight on an empty stomach!” Brawler grinned.

“Ooooh, I like food,” Cutthroat giggled. “Red food. Bloody food.”

Doctor rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Fine. As long as someone else pays.”

Swindler?

She wanted no part of it.

But she was already in too deep.

So they walked the streets of Kansai like they weren’t some of the most wanted criminals in the city, neon lights casting their shadows long and distorted.

It was a terrible idea.

They did it anyway.

---

Blood and Takoyaki

The food stalls of Kansai were crowded. People drank. Laughed. Pretended the world wasn’t a dying husk of steel and control.

Swindler clung to the illusion.

She sat quietly, watching Brawler inhale his twelfth skewer of grilled meat.

Cutthroat licked Takoyaki sauce off his fingers, eyes twinkling like a child at a birthday party.

Doctor sipped sake. Hacker typed away on his portable console.

Courier, of course, refused to sit. He was always on the move.

And Hoodlum?

He was running his mouth.

“We’re untouchable, y’know,” he boasted, waving his drink. “Kansai’s biggest dogs now! The Executioners don’t stand a—”

The neon lights above them flickered.

The air grew heavy.

And then the Executioners arrived.

---

A Hunt in the Dark

The first bullet missed by inches.

A spray of Takoyaki sauce splattered against the wall as Swindler ducked instinctively, her heart hammering against her ribs.

The second shot wasn’t a bullet—it was a blade.

It tore through the table, splitting it in half.

Then she saw them.

Executioners.

Two of them.

One was a girl with fiery eyes and an eager stance.

The other—a shadow at her back.

Pupil grinned.

“Found you.”

---

The Fight Begins

Brawler was the first to react.

He moved like lightning, his fist colliding with Pupil’s sword. Steel met flesh.

And the steel lost.

The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves through the street, cracking pavement, knocking over food stalls.

Pupil stumbled, her expression flickering between shock and exhilaration.

“…Finally,” she whispered, licking her lips. “A real fight.”

Master remained still, watching. Calculating. Waiting.

Then he moved.

He didn’t sprint.

He glided.

And in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Courier.

The motorcycle engine roared, but Master’s blade was faster.

Courier barely dodged. The tip of the Executioner’s blade grazed his shoulder.

A single cut.

Deep. Precise. Intentional.

Master was testing them.

---

Swindler Runs

She couldn’t breathe.

This was too much.

The mission. The Akudama. The Executioners.

She needed to get out.

So she did the only thing she could.

She ran.

Dodging the debris. Weaving between bodies.

Her lungs burned. Her legs screamed. But she kept running.

And then—a hand grabbed her wrist.

She spun around, heart pounding.

It was Cutthroat.

His red eyes glowed under the neon haze.

His smile wasn’t human.

“You almost left me behind,” he whispered.

His grip tightened.

“…Don’t do that again.”

Swindler couldn’t speak.

Because in that moment, she realized something terrifying.

Cutthroat wasn’t protecting her.

He was claiming her.

---

The Fight Ends, But the War Begins

The battle didn’t end in victory.

It ended in retreat.

Master and Pupil didn’t pursue.

They didn’t have to.

They had learned enough.

Master wiped his blade, his face unreadable.

Pupil—panting, bruised, but thrilled—grinned.

“They’re strong,” she admitted.

Master nodded. “They won’t last.”

She smirked.

“Want to bet?”

---

The Job Ahead

The Akudama escaped, but the night had changed everything.

Swindler knew she wasn’t getting out of this alive.

Not unless she became something else.

Something stronger.

Something dangerous.

The heist was in two days.

And the Executioners would be waiting.

---

To Be Continued…

The streets of Kansai were restless.

The neon signs flickered.

The countdown to the biggest job in history had begun.