In plete darkness and almost no room to move, there were no hints of what was happening. Not even the signs of a bumpy road from travel or shifti from turning. The acceleratioia did. A plete void g any sort of e to reality.

  “At least we’re on our backs,” Yuki said optimistically, “The way he threatened I thought it’d be worse.”

  All six of them id on their backs side by side with ne of movement. They could lift their arms only a few timeters making it impossible to even cross arms. Whatever taihat held them rigidly held them i their chest making evehing a little difficult. It was unfortable and not healthy to breathe so shallowly, likely meant to weaken the prisoner.

  Due to the transportatiohod, they didn’t even know how the group would cross the demon wall. That part still remained a mystery for them. Though it was more of a for what their future would be rather than what they did to cross the border.

  “We ’t move and are pletely isoted from any other space,” bemoaned Saki, “I’m not really ied in the bright side.”

  “It does save us the trouble though. If any war is going to happen, it’ll probably be easier to do something about it on the human side.”

  “Speaking of that,” Seiji interrupted, “Why the hell are you here with us, Manekamaru? You’re a demon.”

  “If my rival is going to the East I will too.”

  “That simple, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “I uand that shit. Just didn’t think you’d let yourself be arrested with the rest of us.”

  “Oh I don’t believe this is the end. I look forward to seeing how things turn out.”

  “You sound like you’re having fun ass time.” Seiji turned his head and pressed more than the rest, having a rger frame thahers. At his left was Saki while on the right was the demon, further dowhe demon was Nerine and then Yuki and Yumi oher side of Saki. “So what’s your story, Saki?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “That old man that you were getting into a pissing test with.”

  “Pissing test?” asked Yuki, a little surprised to hear that Saki had someohat ticked her off. One of the valued qualities that Saki possessed was being posed. “What he do to get on your bad side?”

  Saki remained silent, keeping an immediate answer hidden. She tried to find the best way to expin it without getting into unnecessary amounts of details. “It’s less about him specifically and more the Association itself. He’s just the one I dealt with.”

  “But that’s still not really an answer.”

  “Ugh…fine…”

  Chapter 426 – Undesired Return

  “Shuichi Raikatuji, a respected Demon Hunter, if you ask anyone in the Association that is.” She in truth knew little about the man that wasn’t more than rumors. After their first enter, she tried to keep out of his influenbsp; Though that didn’t alrove successful.

  “They’re really on your shit list,” noted Seiji, remembering that she didn’t speak very well of them in almost any time she had to talk about them. The way she sounded made it seem like they were worse than the demons, the true vilins in this world. But she never fully expi. Seiji got enough of a picture from her that they were assholes at least.

  She barely aowledged Seiji’s ent as she tinued, “He is the leader of a special group within the Association known as the Reverse Eyes.”

  “That man’s their head,” Manekamaru jumped in, having heard things about them. “Most demons don’t know or care to pay much attention to the Demon Hunters, but the Reverse Eyes are well known. Their exploits certainly show the darker aspects of humans.”

  “So he’s a shitty bad guy.”

  Saki ched her hand tightly together. “I wish I could say he is. The problem with him is that he’s saned by the gover in all his as and the as he takes are always in the best is of the survival of the try.”

  “But doing what’s needed is not always good or moral.” Yuki could see where Saki took it. An all too on sort of tale to spin a dark sort of justice where the results justify the a. Inhuman as for the sake of a better future. The world within Yumi stantly reminded him of how plex it wove its world and people. A certainly surprising trait.

  “Yes, the man’s a bastard that will accept any job no matter what because it is deemed necessary by the Association and govero be for the survival of humanity. He’s not someohat takes enjoyment ihings he does, but holds the pride of the Association in the highest position. There is no greater cause or justice, but that of the Association. He believes it wholly, no matter the price it pays.”

  “So how’d you meet then?”

  “I was trying to help someone. They were being exiled because they had bee tainted with demon blood. It put me on their bad side and I became a target for them. In the end, I had to get support from someohy to get them off my back.” It became an annoying reminder for Saki how there were too many things that fists couldn’t solve. There was a time for people with position, money and power to be of use more than what she could do. “I got caught up in more things than I care to talk about. So now I have a target on my baot too unlike Yumi.”

  “But you’re able to move freely and take bounties. You even kill demons and shit, what they got a problem with.”

  “There’s moing on than killing demons, Seiji. Maintaining their power and authority is more important to them than demons.”

  “The hell?! People are dying and they only care about their positions?”

  “They care but they he resped order of the citizens. They he citizens to trust and believe that what they are doing is going to keep them safe. So having someone disrupting that shows weakness and casts doubts on their authority. They haven’t made a bigger deal about it because they mao cover up the i and I don’t stick my o their matters. Not that they would ignore a free opportunity to capture me.”

  Up until meeting up with Seiji, they had nothing they could do against her. Since she had no ties to aside of her sponsor, who they couldn’t toubsp; It left them with no as to bckmail her. But with her friends, they could beo their will much easier.

  “So what’s the pn?” Seiji had already tried making a on his own and failed. Getting any sort of leverage or position to get any force proved impossible and eve was uain if he had the power to break out.

  Yuki remained silent until it seemed that everyone expected him to say something. “I’ve just been enjoying the free ride that I don’t have to provide.”

  “an, you took turns with Nerine.”

  “It’s still exhausting keeping the exact same mental image for half a day.”

  “You did all that shit for the boat ride.”

  “And I got tired out then too.”

  “But not as quickly and you bounced right the hell back.”

  “Either way, I’m just resting.”

  “Yumi, got any ideas?”

  “Huh?”

  “The situation, got any ideas for what the hell we do ?”

  “Oh…” She came back to reality. Ever since her capture, she kept silent and distracted. Her mind fixed ouation outside. It seemed more clear that Masa’s as would end up having a greater effe the humans and demons than her. Though, that didn’t seem to be an issue anymore. The Demon Hunters focused on her, either because they thought she was Masa or actually believed she was root. Everything she did was going to be weighed against her. It shouldn’t matter to her in a fake world, but it gnawed on her what was happening. Perhaps because it all seemed too real to ignore.

  Uh Atntis, she didn’t have Yuki to pardon them. They had no oo fix things for them. Those with the real power would judge her and she would have to take the responsibility this time.

  Fairness in the world was gone.

  Back to Seiji’s question, Yumi had no answer for him anymore than she did for her personal crisis. “I don’t have anything right now. As we are right now, we’re stubsp; Ohey let us out, maybe we escape.”

  “In the middle of the damn city?”

  “I don’t know Seiji. I’m not used to this. I don’t have a pn. I just make it up as I go.”

  “Well just give me a damn signal then. I’m ready to act.”

  “I doubt he’ll make that easy for us. Shuichi isn’t a fool. You may be required to act, Yuki.”

  It wasn’t missed on him. He would keep to their agreement for as long as he could. However, letting Yumi die wasn’t part of it. “I know. If it es to it I’ll step in. But let’s try to find a solution that limits my exposure.”

  Silent resumed in the b. Small idle talk kept them from going pletely insane. But it wasn’t until the ck of food and water started to wear on them. In silehey could hear each other starting to hit that point of wanting food. Yet it remained unattended by their captors. Their prison made no signs of ging.

  The ck of any sense of time made it even hard to know how long they had been ihe void. Ohe huarted hitting they guessed it had been half a day. But now that it had gone unanswered even longer, it might have been a day or two, maybe three. Though it wouldn’t be much longer, especially without water. They wouldn’t st, Yuki and Neri the very least.

  When it seemed that they might have the threat of death, the void broke down. For the first time in who knew how long, they had light. And it was blinding, havirapped in darkness for so long. Their bodies weakened from ck of food and poor ditions, none of them could move.

  “Where are we?” Yumi asked, trying to see through the light. She couldn’t eveheir captors. It seemed like they were all alone. But as she fumbled about her hand hit something solid. She expected a wall or bar, some sort of physical prison that they were dumped in, but it didn’t have that feeling. The light started to fade for her, giving her a first glimpse of the prison.

  A transparent soft white glow hugged the barrier that locked them into their cell. Talismans of some sort lined every part of the stone walls and floor. It seemed that they were the part of the barrier keeping them in. She tried to peel one off, but it refused her. Some powerful energy sealed it. Attag the stone did the same thing.

  No escape, not a simple o least.

  Recovered fully, they all gathered up at the ter of the cell. It had been more than an hour without seeing the sign of any one. They didn’t know where their captor would return about the arrest and charges. “We o e to an agreement on what we’re doing,” Yumi started.

  For whatever responsibility that she felt, she couldn’t die in a cell or whatever they had pnned. She would take responsibility, but differently. It was all she could do for now. Not that she knew anything about what that would mean. She only decided that she couldn’t stay inside.

  However before they could get too far into their pns, a creaking from the door silehem. Distant footsteps echoed through the underground before the individual could reveal themselves. It seemed most likely that it would be Raikatuji finally ing to give them their sentence or t them to be judged. It was uhe order that they went through.

  Against their expectations, it wasn’t him that appeared. To their surprise and relief, it was Yori, wearing a Demon Hunter uniform. “Yumi! You’re safe!” He came running to the cell with his hands up against the barrier. “I finally found you!”