-4 years ago-

  Rain hammered down on the concrete like stones falling from the sky as two figures sprinted across the rooftops of downtown Osaka.

  “Target in sight!” a female sin hunter shouted into her communication device "there are two phase twos, I repeat, two phase twos. One of them a bird like creature, and the other a snake."

  “Copy,” her partner replied as he vaulted a gap between buildings, boots skidding on slick concrete. “i have my eyes on the bird.”

  Below, the street had already become a warzone.

  The bird Sin ripped through the air, wings of black bone and torn flesh spanning nearly ten meters. Each flap of its wings sent gusts of wind powerful enough to destroy the area around them. windows exploded, cars flipped, and streetlights bent like twigs. Its head was avian, beak hooked and had small beady eyes in comparison to the rest of its body, while its human torso was being consumed by the wings themselves, ribs and shoulders fusing into muscle and membrane leaving only truly the chest, It had no legs only flesh, feathers, and a forest of jagged black quills protruding from its back.

  The snake Sin slithered through the streets below, its body as thick as a train car, scales glistening like wet obsidian. From the waist down it was pure serpent, its massive tail coiling through crushed vehicles, while its human upper half was grafted with dorsal plating running down its back.

  The male sin hunter leapt.

  He aimed for the bird Sin’s wings, trying to pin it before it could take off.

  That was a fatal mistake.

  The moment he landed, the black quills on the creatures back pierced straight through his boots, legs, torso pushing out through his skull and throat. there wasn't a scream or a struggle. Just a sudden, brutal stillness as his body went limp, dangling from the creature’s wing like a cape made of flesh

  The bird Sin didn’t even slow down.

  Rain swallowed the blood before it hit the street.

  “…No,” the woman whispered, breath hitching as she watched him die.

  But it didn't slow her stride. She forced herself forward, forcing herself to move faster.

  She was the only one chasing the snake right now. She held her weapon in hand, a gun, likely modified in some way.

  As the woman shot at the creatures back, the bullet pinged off its body like some kinda bullet proof armor.

  The sin slowly looked back at her, annoyed, it took bullet after bullet as she kept shooting, but nothing did anything to it.

  It rustled the green saliva in its mouth, forcing itself to vomit into its own mouth, before launching the powerful acid at the woman, full speed.

  The acid hit the woman head on.

  Her scream could be heard all across Osaka as the green liquid started slowly melting the clothes of her body. her skin blistered and boiled as it slipped off her body like loose clothes,eyes melting like water. the muscle had begun to break apart and fall off the bone, which quickly started disappearing as well. She collapsed mid-run, hitting the rooftop hard and rolling, her body smoking, convulsing.

  Her comm crackled.

  “Hunter down! Hunter down!” a distant voice shouted.

  But there was no one left to hear it.

  The snake Sin didn’t even slow.

  It slithered past her broken form, tail smashing through the side of building like a mace, causing the building to come crashing down.

  Civilians screamed. Sirens wailed.

  It had escaped... Or so it thought.

  From The clouds above someone fell out of the sky, falling fast enough to cause a deafening sonic boom.

  As the snake looked up, it didn't have time to get out of the way, as a leg came slamming down on it.

  That strike didn't just defeat the sin, it shattered the whole ground like glass being smashed with a sledge hammer.

  Debris and rubble went everywhere as cracks spiderwebbed whole meters every direction all coming out from the crater left in the ground.

  The building could no longer fall as it was being held up by one of the pile ups of rock and rubble that had been stacked up to the sides of the crater.

  The sin was nothing more than a puddle on the ground by this point and the person who did it looked on at his handiwork.

  His licorice black eyes filled with what seemed to be disappointment.

  After that came a bunch of sin hunters, they were the other 5 of the ten agents stationed here.

  "Wh-what the heck" one of the man said, looking down at ash who looked back at them.

  They all had shocked expressions at what they had just witnessed.

  He seemed to be 16, tho it was difficult to tell as he stood around the same height as them at 5'10 and his choice of attire was a tank top which showed off his incredibly well sculpted physique.

  Ash scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly."Oh, hey guys. Sorry about the mess, got a little carried away." He glanced at the pulverized Sin puddle, then back at the stunned hunters

  "Uh... Did I miss any others?" He tilted his head, totally unfazed, like he just dropped in on a casual stroll

  He lightly hopped out of the 12 foot deep hole, landing right next to one of the sin hunters.

  If there was another one, it more than likely ran. He wouldn't have been able to find it.

  For a few seconds, no one spoke.

  The hunters just stared at the crater.

  Then at the boy.

  Then back at the crater.

  “…You what?” one of them finally managed.

  Ash blinked. “I asked if I missed any.”

  One of the older hunters swallowed hard. “That was… a Phase Two.”

  Ash nodded. “Yeah.”

  “…You flattened it.”

  “…Yeah.”

  "...How?"

  " I fell from the sky and slammed my leg into it" the boy explained simply, not understanding their confusion.

  It was then that he heard ringing. It was his phone.

  He pulled it out of his pocket and answered. "Hello!"

  "Oh, really?"

  "Alright then I'll be right there"

  Ash hung up the phone, after that." Alright guys, I'll be leaving the rest to you" he said before putting his phone back in his pocket and running off. Leaving the sin hunters that were still there in confusion.

  Ash traveled through the streets running at speeds that kicked up dust. The slipstream from his running pushed people over slightly

  Ash eventually made his way to the black monolith, walking through the doors and entering. Many sin hunters walked past him, some coming back from their long shifts others leaving for their long shifts.

  Eventually he made his way to the lounge, where two people were talking.

  There was an adult with blue streaked hair kicking his feet up on a desk and an older man with scars peppering his body and a long beard running down his face that was tied with multiple different bands

  Upon seeing the boy walk in, the man with the blue streaked hair spoke up. " Oi, kid, you're not allowed to be in here"

  "Huh?"

  " The lounge is for full fledged sin hunters only, no junior division allowed." The older man said.

  "But I am a sin hunter tho?"

  "Listen kid, I respect the attempt to get in, but if you want me to let you by, you're gonna have to come up with a better excuse than that." The older man said, amused by the boy's seeming persistence.

  "Actually, he is telling you the truth." The older man said which came as a shock to the man with the blue streaked hair.

  "What!? Kagemori be for real with me here. He looks like he's 16 at most, he's not 18 yet. Since when the hell did we let teenagers become legit hunters? "

  "Since kiyohime juryoku"

  Those words were enough to shut the man up for a few seconds.

  "Hmph, yeah well so what if they let her graduate early, she's a prodigy and an angel gear, this kid though. He doesn't exactly look like much." The man said.

  "Um, I'm still in the room" ash said, but the adults ignored him, his ears had started listening in when they mentioned kiyohime.

  "Trust me, when you see him in action, you'll see what they saw." Kagemori, before turning to ash. "Ash, c'mere"

  As the boy walked over he was given a letter with a red stamp on it. A stamp that was one of a kind, no one outside the HAS could produce it.

  "First. Ever since you graduated, three weeks ago, you've been out doing... whatever it is you do and we haven't been able to contact you, fix that habit. Second, I have a mission for you, are you aware of the takemasa family?" He asked, to which ash simply stared at him blankly. "Thought so."

  "Oh come on, he doesn't even know that?" Aoi inserted himself back into the conversation. He sighed before explaining for kagemori "the takemasa family is basically Japanese royalty, miromu takemasa was the first son of that bloodline when he founded the HAS in the nara era. And ever since then the family has been producing prodigies, I mean for crying out loud the last three directors have been from that family, how do you not know this?"

  "I'm not really the best at history." Ash explained.

  "As my associate just explained, the takemasa's are a very important family... Which is why I need you on this. Recently the whole family's been wiped out." The man said

  "Huh?!"

  "There's only one remaining child of that family. We have no idea what could have happened, which is why the girl needs to be protected at all costs" the older man said.

  Ash humphed before letting off a smile "sure, I can do that. I'll protect the heck outta that kid, just point me in the right direction." The boy said.

  ---a couple hours later---

  Ash found himself, on the eastern side of Kyoto, in an abandoned apartment. He would've never thought to check somewhere like this, but he guessed that was kinda the point

  The building looked dead.

  Windows boarded, graffiti peeling, the air thick with dust and mildew. The power was long gone, leaving the stairwell drenched in shadows. His footsteps echoed as he climbed, every creak of the stairs sounding louder than it should’ve.

  He stopped on the fourth floor.

  The hallway smelled like people had been through here recently.

  It smelled like blood, sweat and fear.

  Ash tilted his head. “Yep… definitely here.”

  He followed his nose to the source of the smell. It was the third door on the right, he pushed it open just a bit to see what was inside, before about a dozen weapons were pointed at him.

  His eyes widened at the onslaught of weapons. But, after the initial shock wore off, he just shrugged.

  "Uh... hi?" He said softly.

  When the weapons continued to be pointed at him, he let out an awkward laugh.

  "I'm here to help." The boy said.

  "Who are you?" One of the people asked, looking at him

  "My name's ash, I'm from the HAS and I was told someone in here needed my protection." Ash said, explaining why he was here. Tho it was obvious that the people didn't believe him... Well not obvious to him but to anyone else it would be.

  "Yeah right, get on the ground." Multiple men said as they filed out of the room, surrounding him.

  "Uh sure ok." The boy said getting down on one knee, he wasn't sure what was going on here.

  "Check him for weapons, see what you can get out of him." One of the men said as a bunch of them started searching him.

  Ash didn't seem to have a problem with it, though some of them were accidentally tickling him so he had to do his best not to laugh.

  "Found something." One of the men said before handing it over to the man who had given out commands.

  The man took it, before looking at the red stamp on it. He huffed before reading the letter. After he read the letter he sighed."What's your name kid?"

  "I already told you I'm ash"

  The man sighed, "let him up, he's telling the truth."

  Ash jumped back to his feet after getting the go ahead.

  "How old are you?" The man asked, looking at him with heavy suspicion.

  "Uh 16."

  The man huffed, how could they send a teenager for this? Don't they know how important the girl is? He sighed. Since the HAS knows the importance of the family he guessed he'd just have to put his trust in this kid.

  He lead the boy into the room they were just guarding. Gesturing towards a bed with two teens on it, one of them, a blonde with long hair, looked at him angrily, putting her arms out protectively in front of her red haired friend who seemed to be in the middle of some kind of mental breakdown.

  "When he said a child survived I expected them to be like... 8 or something" ash said scratching the back of his head not knowing what to think, these girls looked to be around 14, tho the red head could've been just a little bit younger.

  "Ganju, calm, he's an ally." The man said, which caused the girl to lower her hands, and go back to hugging her friend who still hadn't noticed him.

  "Meet the last surviving member of the takamasa family, rein takamasa. Tho right now it'd for the best if you didn't call her that. It was her mother's name as well, we're not sure what to call her right now." The man explained.

  Ash glanced at the redhead trembling in Ganju’s arms, blood smeared across her temple and cheek, her breathing shallow and uneven

  He walked closer to her.

  He crouched down, trying to make himself smaller, less threatening. His black eyes softened a bit, though the faint scar above his eyebrow made him look perpetually intense.

  “…Uh,” he started, clearing his throat. “Hey… you… you’re okay.”

  The redhead flinched slightly at the voice finally waking out of what could only be described as, a trance. Her wide eyes darted toward him finally noticing him but unsure whether he was friend or foe.

  Ash held up his hands, showing he wasn't going to hurt her. "It's okay," he said softly.

  He glanced over his shoulder at Ganju. "What happened to her?"

  Ganju gave him a flat look. "What do you think happened?"

  Ash winced. "Yeah. Stupid question. Sorry."

  Rein looked up at him, wide-eyed, barely holding back tears.

  "Uh," he said again, reaching out to touch her arm. She tensed, like she expected to be hurt, this caused ganju to glare at him.

  He pulled his arm back not exactly knowing what to do in this situation.

  "Ash" the older man called to him.

  Ash looked up. “Yeah?”

  The man gestured toward the doorway. “Step outside with me. I need to ask you something.”

  Ash hesitated, glancing back at the bed. Rein was still trembling in Ganju’s arms, her fingers clenched in her jacket like she was afraid it might vanish if she let go.

  “…Okay,” he said quietly.

  He stood and followed the man into the hallway, pulling the door mostly shut behind them, leaving just a crack of light spilling into the room.

  The moment they were alone, the man exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face.

  “Do you understand the gravity of the assignment you've been given?” he asked.

  Ash tilted his head. “Protect the kid. Don’t let her die. Got it.”

  The man stared at him.

  “what division are you from?" The man asked looking down at the boy carefully.

  "Uh, thirteen, I'm an agent of senior division 13"

  The man balled his fist in annoyance, division 13 was well known for being the worst among the 13 divisions. He sighed, calming himself down. The HAS has always been serious about the protection of the family so there had to be something about this kid That he wasn't seeing. Something that was out of plain sight.

  "We'll be heading out in a couple of minutes. We were held up here waiting for you." The man said.

  "Well where are we going?" The boy asked.

  "To a more secure location until they can find who did it."

  "A more secure location? Like, an HAS base?"

  "Something like that." The man said before looking him over. "...How good are you at combat?"

  "Id say I'm pretty good."

  "Kid, combat is an inevitably in a situation like this. in order to complete this mission you'd need to be more than pretty good. You'd need to be unbreakable."

  "Okay then I'm really good"

  "This isn't a jo-" the man held his tongue, they needed all the help they could get, and if he's who the HAS was gonna send then so be it.

  The man stared at Ash for a long moment, then turned and knocked softly on the door.

  “Five minutes,” he called. “We move.”

  Inside, the room stirred with quiet urgency, bags zipped, weapons checked, whispers exchanged. Ganju helped rein to her feet, keeping an arm firmly around her shoulders. The redhead flinched at every sound, her eyes darting to the door, to the new face she didn't recognize. She stared at ash like he was something alien

  Ash leaned against the wall outside, hands at his sides, gaze unfocused.

  After a pause, Ash suddenly straightened up, his head tilting slightly like he'd just noticed something important.

  "Wait," he said casually, scratching his chin. "You never actually told me your name."

  The older man blinked.

  "...Kazuma."

  Ash grinned. "Nice to meet ya, Kamazuma!"

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Kazuma sighed at how his name got butchered. "...Just keep up."

  Ash saluted lazily. "Aye aye, cap'n."

  Inside, Ganju shot him a skeptical glare as she ushered rein toward the door. Ash gave her a thumbs-up, which only seemed to make her more suspicious of him.

  She walked up to kazuma "do you really trust that guy?"

  "Right now we have no other option"

  As the group filed out into the dim hallway, Ash took up the rear, his easygoing demeanor didn't change. He still looked to be rather lost mentally.

  He hummed a song under his breath. He had heard it during his walk into the HAS building and it was really catchy. What was the name of the sinner again? Risa?

  The building groaned around them like a dying beast as they descended the stairs.

  Ash's eyes scanned the building as they walked through, he still seemed easy going, tho he was still rather relaxed. He heard footsteps from the floor above them, very silent steps but footsteps none the less.

  "Something's wrong." he whispered, his gaze darting between shadows and doors.

  Kazuma glanced over his shoulder at Ash, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

  Ash shrugged, trying to remain casual. "Just a feeling, but it kinda feels like we're being watched, Don't you think so kamazuma?"

  "Then trust that feeling. Right now we need to be as cautious as possible." The man said, ignoring how badly he butchered his name again.

  They continued the walk

  they stepped out onto the quiet street, ignoring the rain fall which blocked out the beautiful sun light.

  Tho, rein was being covered by the coat of one of the guards, to ensure she didn't get sick.

  Ash scanned the area, searching for any sign of movement. He understood that it was raining right now and he hadn't expected a ton of people to be out right now but he expected at least a few more than this.

  Suddenly, in a motion no one else was fast enough to see, ash put his hand out in front of rissa's face, for seemingly no reason.

  "Hey what the hell are you doing?" Ganju yelled at him. Only for him to show his hand, revealing a bullet.

  The group froze as the realization sank in.

  "What..." Ganju stared at the bullet in Ash's hand, her eyes wide.

  Kazuma's eyes turned suspicious. "How did you..."

  Ash looked up to where the bullet came from, on top of a building.

  It was a dark skinned man, wielding duel pistols with golden lining. His golden eyes looking down on the group

  Ash glanced at the bullet in his palm, then flicked it aside like trash. It clattered against the pavement.

  “…Rude,” he muttered.

  Ganju immediately shifted, pulling rein behind her while Kazuma drew his weapon, eyes locked on the rooftop.

  “Sniper,” Kazuma barked. “Formation-"

  Ash raised a hand. “Not a sniper. Pistols. ” He tilted his head, tensing just a little bit. He was about to say something but before he could, he disappeared.

  The guards watched the boy disappeared and were confused.

  "Huh?"

  "What the?"

  The next thing ash knew, he was standing on a rooftop. How did he get here? He had no idea.

  He was just on the street so how-

  Before he could finish that thought he was punched in the face, sending him across the roof

  Ash flipped mid-air before landing in a crouch that didn't entirely stop his momentum, so he kept skidding for just a second longer.

  The punch that had launched him didn't actually hurt in the slightest, but it was a surprise as he hadn't expected it.

  He looked up to identify the culprit, and he saw a boy who looked to be about the same age as him, not the man from the roof no this guy was different. He looked about Ash’s age, maybe a year older, short dark hair plastered to his forehead, he wore a dark leather jacket. His eyes were green.

  The boy looked at him with a confused smirk "dang, I didn't expect you to survive that hit. Congrats, you're tough for a normal." The boy said mockingly, tho what caught ash off guard was the fact that he was speaking English. He could understand the language of course but he hadn't expected it.

  Ash’s eyes narrowed as the green-eyed boy squared up, the rain bouncing off his body. He held out his right hand, and suddenly he appeared in front of ash.

  "What the heck?" Ash said, not even seeing the boy move. It was like he teleported or something. Then the boys left fist struck his face, with way more force than the average human punch could dish out.

  The mysterious boy was surprised when when mmash simply took the punch to the face. It looked like the boy hadn't taken a hint of damage from it, and moreso, ash had taken the opportunity to grab his wrist and start crushing it. The amount of force being applied made his wrist feel like it would shatter, even despite the fact that ash didn't look like he was putting all that much effort into it.

  The boy opened his left palm which was being gripped, and as a red glow engulfed ash's face, he appeared 7 meters away. It's not like some invisible force hit him or anything, he just... Teleported to the other side of the roof.

  Ash blinked in surprise, what the heck was happening?

  The boy pulled out a water bottle with his left hand. He popped the cap, and threw out the water. However what came out of that bottle wasn't some small amount, no it was a lot, and the amount of water that came out doubled, then quadrupled, then octupled, until a giant wave of water flooded the rooftop.

  ---Meanwhile---

  The guards were hiding behind cars and other objects while the dark skinned man with the golden eyes stayed on the rooftop ducking behind a giant rooftop exhaust fan.

  Both parties had been firing at each other for a while now, hiding behind their respective covers to protect from gunfire, the guards were having a rough time, Even though there were more of them, the man's guns were not ordinary handguns, the bullets were way faster, even faster than that of a rifle, and each bullet had the power to punch through metal. If he had to guess, the muzzle velocity was most likely 4'300 feet per second, tho it was likely faster. A lot of their guys had gotten clipped by bullets.

  Kazuma cursed, looking at the two teenage girls who were hiding behind a sedan with him. He grumbled. What was the point of sending a bodyguard if the boy was gonna disappear before the action started.

  Another round punched through the hood of the car, metal screaming as it folded inward.

  “Stay down!” Kazuma barked, dragging rein lower just as a golden-lined bullet tore through the windshield.

  The bullet barely grazed his cheek, it didn't cut deep enough for blood to run out.

  Meanwhile on the rooftop.

  Ash barely had time to react before the wave of water slammed into him like a freight train.

  The rooftop vanished beneath a roaring torrent, the concrete vanishing under the churning tsunami that overflowed down the sides of the building.

  Ash held his breath as he dug his feet into the roof, the water crashing against his chest like a living wall.

  The force pushed him back several meters, his heels carving shallow grooves into the concrete before the water finally ran out.

  Across from him, the green-eyed boy stood calmly on the dry patch of roof, not a drop of water touching his skin.

  Ash spat out water as he looked back at the boy who had just flooded the entire roof. "Now I get it! You're an angel gear!" The boy said staring at him.

  "You're correct, I am an angel gear. Just like you" The boy said before lifting his left palm at ash.

  Suddenly a powerful gust of air shot off like a rocket forcing ash to leap out of the way, barely dodging and landing on the roof of the building that was behind the one he had been standing on before

  Ash took a second to recall back to when he aimed his palm at him. There was a red symbol on his palm. Like a red X.

  Suddenly ash was once again standing in front of the boy, without ever moving. Ash was even more confused now, cause not only had he suddenly been teleported in front of this boy, so had the building he was standing on.

  The space between the two buildings vanished and the buildings were inside one another.

  Before the boy did anything else, ash noticed that there was a symbol on his right hand as well, this one a cross with a dot above it and a dot below it.

  Then the rooftop got cold, then it got colder, then it got way colder, before the whole rooftop had frozen over, the water all over the roof has transitioned to ice and ash, who had been soaked, was now basically completely frozen over.

  He had frozen the whole rooftop? What exactly was this guy's ability? He could teleport ash wherever he wanted, summon water and now he could freeze the whole roof over?

  Ash quickly started shattering the ice that had entrapped him, his pure brute strength causing the ice to crack with every movement. Suddenly the boy placed out his left hand, just before ash Could break out, and just like that, he blasted ash with a torrent of fire that got hotter and hotter by the second.

  On the street below, bullets tore through the rainy day.

  The dark-skinned man with golden eyes leaned out from behind the rooftop fan unit and fired again. The muzzle flash lit up the night, and one of the guards barely ducked in time as the bullet punched through the hood of a parked car, shredding metal like paper.

  “Move!” Kazuma barked.

  Ganju yanked the red head down as another round tore through the windshield above them. Glass exploded outward, raining down over the street.

  Rein screamed, curling into herself.

  Kazuma fired back, his shots forcing the man to duck, but it didn’t slow him much.

  The assassin rolled, popped up on the other side, and returned fire with brutal precision. Another guard went down, clutching his shoulder as he scrambled behind cover.

  “These aren’t normal rounds!” one of the men shouted. “They’re cutting through everything!”

  Kazuma cursed under his breath. “Suppressing fire-now!”

  Three guards leaned out and fired in unison. The rooftop above them sparked and chipped as bullets struck concrete and steel, forcing the golden-eyed man to retreat behind the fan again.

  For half a second, there was silence.

  Then something whistled.

  Kazuma’s eyes widened. “Down!”

  Multiple grenades had been thrown to the ground with their pins pulled, it took a second for some of the men to realize, and that second was too long as the grenades exploded, sending cars flying, alarms blaring, and the guards off their feet like ragdolls.

  Kazuma slammed into the side of a van, gasping as the air was ripped from his lungs.

  Ganju was tossed into a light post as the force of the grenade hit. Rein however was fine, staying shielded behind everyone.

  She watched the carnage with wide terrified eyes.

  So many people getting hurt. She couldn't handle it, how was she supposed to handle it?

  Rissa's heart hammered in her chest, each beat echoing the blasts that had just torn through the street. The air reeked of smoke and scorched metal, and the groans of the injured guards mixed with the distant wail of sirens. She pressed her back against the crumpled car door, her fingers digging into the pavement until her nails bled. Why? Why is this happening? The thought looped in her mind, a desperate plea with no answer

  Ganju staggered to her feet nearby, blood trickling from a gash on her forehead, her blonde hair matted and wild. She grabbed Rissa's arm, hauling her up with surprising strength despite the pain etched on her face. "We can't stay here! Move- now!"

  Rissa nodded numbly, her legs wobbling as they scrambled toward better cover, ducking behind an overturned dumpster. Kazuma was already there, reloading his weapon with grim efficiency, his scarred face set in a mask of determination. "That bastard's playing for keeps," he growled, peeking over the edge. "Where the hell is the kid?"

  Up on the rooftops, the battle raged on in a surreal storm of strangeness.

  Ash took the fire head on, his tank top had totally melted off revealing his incredibly wide and sculpted physique, he looked like he was carved from marble by the gods themselves.

  He rolled out of the fire, his pants were fine though, they were HAS issue and created for battle they were of course fire proof.

  The heat warped the air, turning the frozen rooftop into a hissing mess of steam and melting ice. He came up grinning, though his black eyes held a sharper edge now, less disappointment.

  The green-eyed boy lowered his palm slowly, the flames flickering out into wisps of smoke thanks to the rain. The rooftop was a disaster now, half-frozen, half-scorched, with puddles of slush steaming under the residual heat.

  He regarded Ash with a cool, almost analytical gaze, his short dark hair barely ruffled by the chaos he'd unleashed. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, like he was sizing up a puzzle rather than an opponent.

  "Curious, aren't you?" the boy said, his voice smooth and measured, carrying a faint accent that Ash couldn't quite place? He flexed his fingers, the red symbols on his palms pulsing faintly before fading back to normal skin. "Most people don't get the chance to impress me. They just... end up like the roof. "

  Ash wiped a streak of soot from his cheek, his skin unmarked. He hopped lightly on his toes, shaking off the last bits of ice clinging to his boots. "Yeah, well, I'm not most people. You teleport stuff- me, buildings, whatever. Pull water out of nowhere, freeze it, burn it.That's some wild angel gear. But it's gotta have a theme, right? It's all gotta come from one central ability right"

  The boy chuckled softly, circling Ash slowly, his green eyes gleaming under the city lights. "Now why would I go and tell you that?" he continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Tell you what, I'll let you go. You are an angel gear after all. And I'd rather not kill my fellow powered"

  "Hey, what do you mean you'll let me go? You started attacking me?!"

  "That was before I learned that you're an angel gear."

  Ash turned his head to the nearby street. Watching as the dark skinned man attacked the people he was supposed to be protecting.

  "If you don't wanna fight, then call him off"

  "Can't do that. I've got a job to do"

  Ash’s eyes narrowed, the grin fading for the first time.

  “So do I.”

  The green-eyed boy tilted his head. “Then we’re at an impasse.”

  The two stared each other down for a while. Ash had taken the time to examine him, the way his breaths exited his mouth. The way he sweated. He could tell that the boy was exhausted. He couldn't tell if it was their fight that caused it or something else.

  There were a few more seconds of staring before the green eyes boy let out a laugh"You're a tough cookie you know that?" Ash could tell the exhaustion in his voice, that must've been the reason he was backing off. He lifted his left hand, aiming at the golden eyed man. "Don't think you've gotten rid of me. I'll be back."

  Just like that, the boy disappeared.

  He appeared in front of the golden eyed man.

  "What the-?" The man said as the boy appeared in front of him.

  "Time to go"

  "What do you mean go? I'm doing my damn job?"

  "Malcom." He said, glaring down at the man. "We're leaving." He said grabbing the man with his left hand, before they both disappeared.

  Ash jumped down to the street, walking down to the guards

  Ash landed hard on the street, cracking asphalt beneath his boots as he straightened up.

  The battlefield was a ruin.

  Cars were overturned and burning, smoke drifting lazily into the rain-soaked air. Guards were scattered, some groaning, some unconscious, some bleeding but alive. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder by the second.

  Ash scanned for rein.

  He spotted her crouched behind the overturned dumpster with Ganju and Kazuma. The moment Ganju saw him, her grip tightened

  “You,” she snapped. “Where the hell were you?!”

  Ash jogged over, raising his hands. “Busy. Long story."

  Ash sat down next to Ganju, not reacting to her hostility. He didn't try to explain himself or make excuses. "What happened? You all okay?" He asked.

  Kazuma grunted, his gaze sweeping the wreckage. "Lost two more men. Most of them are way too hurt to continue on straight away. We need to find a place to rest and get them back in walking shape"

  It took a while but they eventually found a warehouse on the edge of an old industrial district, rusted chain-link fence half-collapsed, windows boarded with warped plywood, a faded sign that once read something about steel fabrication now reduced to peeling letters.

  The side door hung slightly ajar, lock long since pried open by scavengers or vagrants.

  Kazuma pushed it wider with the muzzle of his pistol, swept the interior once, then nodded.

  “Clear. Move.”

  Inside smelled of motor oil, old sawdust, and damp concrete. Massive shelves lined the walls, most empty except for scattered crates and forgotten pallets.

  A few ancient forklifts sat like sleeping dinosaurs in the corners. A little bit of rain leaked through cracks in the high ceiling, painting pale stripes across the floor.

  They dragged several tarps and empty crates together to form a rough barricade near the back wall, away from the main doors. Two guards took up watch positions, one near the front entrance, one by a side loading dock. The rest collapsed against the crates or sprawled on the floor, weapons still in hand.

  Ganju guided her friend to a relatively clean section of tarp someone had spread out. The redhead sat without protest, knees drawn to her chest, staring at nothing. Ganju dropped down beside her, back against a crate, pistol resting across her lap, she had taken it off one of the men who were currently injured in order to protect herself if need be.

  Kazuma moved among the men, checking wounds, redistributing what little medical supplies they had. He spoke in low murmurs, painkillers, pressure bandages, quiet reassurances that reassured no one.

  Ash found a spot a few meters away, sitting cross-legged on the cold floor with his back to a steel support beam. He didn’t look tired. He didn’t look particularly alert either. Just kinda.. there. He'd gotten a shirt while they were searching, it was rather tight on him but, he didn't mind much.

  One by one, the others succumbed to exhaustion.

  The guard by the front door slumped first, head tipping forward until his chin rested on his chest.

  Another curled on his side, weapon still clutched like a teddy bear. Kazuma fought it longest, pacing once, twice, checking sightlines, before he finally sat heavily against a crate, eyes half-lidded but still scanning.

  Eventually even he drifted off, head lolling to the side.

  Ganju lasted a little longer, stroking her friends hair in slow, absent circles while muttering something soft and soothing.

  Then her hand stilled. Her breathing evened out. She was gone.

  The warehouse grew quiet except for the soft drip of water somewhere in the rafters and the distant rumble of a passing train. It was understandable that so many people had fallen asleep despite it only being 7:36, they had a very long day.

  Ash hadn’t moved.

  He sat exactly where he’d been, elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped in front of him. His black eyes reflected the thin moonlight that passed through, absorbing light. He hummed that same song that had been stuck in his head.

  Across from him, rein was still awake.

  She hadn’t cried again since the street. Hadn’t spoken either. She just sat with her arms wrapped around her shins, chin resting on her knees, red hair falling in tangled curtains around her face.

  Every few minutes her shoulders would hitch, like she was remembering how to breathe.

  Ash watched her for a long moment.

  Then, very quietly, he shifted. Not closer- just enough to face her more directly.

  “Hey,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “You've had a long day, I can tell you're tired so why are you still awake?”

  Rein's gaze moved to him. She shook her head multiple times as if to say no,

  She swallowed. Her voice came out small, which was to be expected for a girl in her situation.

  “…Why are you still awake?” she repeated the question he asked her.

  Ash shrugged one shoulder. “Dunno. I don't get tired as easily as others do I guess.”

  She stared at him for a moment, studying his face, as if trying to see if he was telling the truth “Are they… gonna come back?”

  Ash didn’t insult her with false promises. He tilted his head, considering.

  "Probably."

  Rein's knuckles tightened, sighing, she had kinda expected him to lie or something, but then again it's not like he was an adult or anything, she figured he wouldn't be looking down on her like a few of the adults did.

  Ash leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees. "But they won't get to you," he said simply.

  Rein blinked at him, her eyebrows raised. "...How?"

  Ash grinned, giving her a hearty smile, a genuine smile. "Because I'm here."

  A pause. Then, quieter:

  "And I'm really good at what I do."

  The redhead studied him for another long moment, she wasn't sure if he had proved her wrong and was looking down on her intelligence or if he genuinely believed in what he was saying. Tho for some reason it did reassure her.

  "...Okay."

  Ash looked at her for a second. Whenever he felt kinda down talking usually helped to cheer him up. He didn't see a reason why the same thing wouldn't work here.

  "So, tell me about yourself"

  Rein had been half-zoned out when he spoke, and the sudden question drew her attention back. She looked as if she was trying to study him. Trying to figure out his game.

  Ash just stared back, expression nonchalant, his hands folded behind his head.

  "M-me?" she said, raising a hand to her chest, "Why would you want to know about me?"

  Ash shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, right now you're kinda just 'the girl we're protecting.' That's boring. You got any talents? Like singing or something?"

  "Well I mean... My mother always told me I have a strong lung capacity." The girl said, growing a little more down after mentioning her mother.

  Ash picked up on the way her expression darkened slightly when she mentioned her mother, but he didn't pry. It wasn't hard to guess the reason behind that reaction.

  Instead, he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

  "Strong lung capacity?" he repeated, a hint of humor in his voice. "You train as an opera singer or something?"

  " No. I can't sing"

  Ash snorted. "Alright, so not singing. But strong lungs are useful- ever tried underwater swimming? Or blowing up balloons?" He paused, then added with a smirk, "Or really annoying whistling?"

  Rissa actually let out a tiny, surprised laugh, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, as if she hadn’t meant to. Her cheeks flushed slightly.

  "...That last one," she admitted quietly. "My father used to say I could summon pigeons with how loud I could whistle."

  Ash grinned. "See? That’s a way cooler skill than 'just some girl we gotta protect.' Pigeon-summoning is practically an Angel gear on its own."

  She ducked her head, but for the first time since they’d met, Ash saw the faintest ghost of a smile on her face.

  Progress.

  Rissa hadn't the ghost of a clue why, but ash's presence... It felt different, from everyone else's, it felt different from ganju, it felt different from kazuma's. Despite only having had one conversation with him, something about him just made her feel... Safe, not just physically but emotionally. He felt like a friend.

  Her eyes looked through the room, watching the sleeping forms of everyone else.

  There was something.. a feeling, that welled in her chest, was it- anger? No more like wrath.

  She hated seeing them like this, so hurt. So... In pain.

  -Hours later-

  The morning light filtered through cracks in the warehouse walls, painting thin golden stripes across the dusty floor. Ash stretched, rolling his stiff shoulders, he hadn't actually slept, he just kinda... Been there. For hours. Sure he had gotten a light workout in during that time but nothing major.

  Rissa was curled up under Ganju's arm, both of them finally asleep. Kazuma was already awake, silently checking his pistol's magazine. He glanced up when Ash stood.

  "How long have you been awake?" The man asked.

  "All night." The boy said, not looking at all tired.

  "Kid that ain't healthy." The man said, worried for two reasons. They couldn't have anyone functioning below their peak. Plus, this was still just a teenage boy.

  "Don't worry kamazuma, I can go three days without sleep, it just kinda.. all comes down on me at once later." The boy explained.

  "Kazaum once again ignored the butchering of his name "and how long have you been awake so far?"

  "3 days"

  ...

  "Kid," he grunted as he got up. "We can worry about your sleep schedule later, right now, we need to talk."

  Ash shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered over. "Yeah?"

  Kazuma led Ash a few steps away from the others, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t wake Ganju or Rissa.

  “You vanished in the middle of a firefight,” he said flatly. “ When you came back, the attacker was gone.”

  Ash blinked. “Yeah… that sounds about right.”

  Kazuma stared at him for a long moment. “What happened?"

  Ash shifted his weight from one foot to the other, sounding about as casual as one can be. "I got kinda sidetracked"

  Kazuma's eyes narrowed skeptically. "You got distracted? In the middle of a fight?"

  "Well I mean there wasn't just one assassin." The boy said.

  The man groaned, that's right he'd forgotten about the other one after the fire fight. He had seen both during the massacre. "You should've said that earlier."

  Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah...probably. But hey, they're gone now, right? Mission accomplished."

  Kazuma rubbed his face in annoyance, muttering something about problem children under his breath. "Describe him."

  "Hm?"

  "Describe the kid you were fighting. In as good a detail as you can. I didn't get a good look at him"

  Ash blinked, then tilted his head, thinking.

  “…Alright. Uh. He was about my height- maybe a little taller. Athletic build, not bulky, but strong. Looked fast. Like… built for moving, not standing still.”

  He scratched his chin.

  “Skin tone was light, maybe olive. Short dark hair- black or really dark brown- kind of messy, like he doesn’t bother styling it. His eyes were green. Like, really green. Not normal green. More like he was calculating something, I don't know why it just looked a lot like he was calculating stuff.”

  Kazuma listened silently, eyes locked on Ash.

  Kazuma’s jaw tightened.

  “And his hands,” Ash continued. “Both palms had like, these little red symbols. One was like an X. The other was like a cross with a dot above and below it. Every time he used an ability, they lit up.”

  Kazuma’s eyes narrowed. “an ability?”

  “Yeah,” Ash said flatly. “Multiple. Teleportation. he merged two buildings into the same space, don't know what if call that. Water manipulation, freezing, fire, air pressure… they couldn't have been separate powers tho, he's an angel gear so it has to all fall under one ability, I just don't know what it is."

  "And did he ever say his name during that encounter?"

  "Nah, we just fought."

  "Alright then." The man looked at the boy, "gimme your phone, I need to send this information through to the HAS, see what information they can gather."

  Ash gave the man his phone without hesitation

  Kazuma took the phone and started tapping away, typing up a quick report for the HAS while Ash waited, leaning lazily against the support beam.

  Ganju stirred at the sudden light, opening her eyes, then sitting up with a quiet groan as she stretched.

  her eyes looked around trying to remember where she was before the events of yesterday hit her like a tow truck.

  She then noticed kazuma and ash in the corner, kazuma using a phone. She raised an eyebrow.

  It took a while before the two males heard the phone ring. It was HAS headquarters directly.

  Kazuma stepped away to answer, his voice lowering to a murmur.

  Rein had woken up as well, blearily peering at the group from behind a crate. Her eyes widened when she saw Kazuma on the phone, Ash standing a few meters away.

  She glanced from the two of them to Ganju, but the woman was staring across the warehouse, trying to listen to the low conversation.

  Rein cautiously stood up, tip-toeing closer to where Ash was standing so she could listen in on the conversation.

  The person on the other end of the line spoke up, it was a womans voice. "This is, mizuha torishima of the analysts division. You recently requested a thorough search through our personnel database sir?"

  "Yeah." Kazuma said voice gruff. "We were recently attacked during a mission and I would like to know who did it"

  "Well, we've uncovered the identity of these two people you listed. If I'm not wrong, the boy you described is Thomas jones Ervin, more regularly called tj. He's one of America's seven current angel gear, and according to many accounts, he's the strongest of all of them." Kazuma groaned. Of course they were Americans. He wasn't entirely surprised by this, recently the American and Japanese government have been at each other's throats. No one really knows why, that's classified information but everyone had suspected it had something to do with the takamasa family, so this kinda confirmed that.

  "What is his ability?" The man asked, he knew that countries were always eager to show off the power of their angel gears, especially America, so he doubted there wouldn't be anything useful in his file.

  "Well, it says here that his angel gear allows him to multiply or divide anything he touches."

  "Like distance? Or temperature?" Ash asked. He could hear the conversation despite the phone not being on the phone and even though he wasn't all that good at math, he understood the basics.

  "Yes. And the other man you asked me to search, is Malcolm Garcia, an American sin hunter well known for his skill and consistency."

  "Skill and consistency," Kazuma repeated, the words tasting like copper in his mouth. "That’s a nice way of saying he’s a professional killer who doesn't miss."

  Suddenly another call was coming in, interrupting the current one. The caller id read, kiykiy.

  "Huh?"

  "Oh I have to take that." The boy said

  Ash snatched his phone back with lightning reflexes before Kazuma could react. "Hey Kiykiy!" he answered cheerfully, his chatter casual, implying that he was speaking to someone he knew very well.

  Kazuma looked like he wanted to strangle him.

  "Oh, where am I?" Ash repeated the word of the person on the other side of the phone. "Uh... I'm gonna be honest I don't know"

  ---Meanwhile---

  In HAS headquarters, in the analysis wing of the building

  An entire room full of computers and monitors buzzed and beeped quietly. Every wall was lined with banks of monitors, most showing live footage from various news stations, government cameras, and other sources.

  In the middle of the room at a central monitoring station, Mizuha Torishima leaned back in her leather office chair, watching the screens through half-lidded eyes. She was used to working into the morning hours by now.

  Her attention drifted from the live footage to a blinking icon at the corner of the closest screen.

  It was the icon most well known, for representing danger.

  Suddenly in that moment, the entire room went red as alarms blared.

  At once, the room was thrown into motion. People moved like a storm of activity—shouting at each other, typing furiously at their computers.

  "No way, a phase 3?"

  "A phase 3 has appeared?"

  "How could we let this happen?"

  "We're all doomed!"

  Everyone in the room talked over each other as they moved from place to place.

  "Somebody contact the director, we need authorization for nuclear force" somebody said.

  "Are you crazy? Isn't that a little bit overboard?" Another person replied.

  "Not for a phase 3!" someone else said.

  "Everybody calm down!"

  The whole room shut up at the sound of that voice. Every head whipped around to the owner of the voice.

  The voice belonged to kagemori, who had walked in upon hearing all the chatter about a phase 3.

  Everyone in the room held a lot of respect for the man as he was a pretty big name among the HAS. "No authorization will be granted for nuclear force, the death toll will be too high and it's not even guaranteed to work. There are two angel gear out there right now, they will not let it live."

  The room didn't calm much at that, they all trusted the man's word, he'd been there longer than any of them, but... Two people? Against a phase 3? They weren't so sure.

  ---Meanwhile---

  Kazuma was looking at ash with an expression that couldn't be read in anyway other than- HANG UP THE DAMN PHONE!

  Ash meanwhile, was talking just low enough for the rest of the people in the building to not hear him.

  "You're doing what? No no really I don't need it." He rubbed the back of his head.

  Kazuma facepalmed. Who the hell was he talking to?

  He hung up the phone.

  Ash slipped the phone back into his pocket with a casual flick, ignoring Kazuma's death glare. The older man's face had twisted into something between fury and disbelief, his scarred knuckles whitening around the grip of his pistol.

  "Who," Kazuma ground out through clenched teeth, "the hell was that?"

  Ash blinked innocently, like he'd just been caught raiding the fridge. "Oh, uh... Kiyohime? She's a friend. Asked if I needed help"

  "And you turned her down?" Kazuma's eye twitched. He didn't know who this kiyohime girl was, but they needed all the help they could get.

  "Eh, she's waaay too far away to actually get here. Besides this is my mission and I'm more than enough" the boy said.

  Kazuma groaned, he was frustrated but.. this kid was kinda right. He had blocked one of the assassins bullets with his hand, that wasn't something any normal human should be capable of doing, it was definitely something none of them were capable of doing, and he had apparently fought an angel on his own.

  Kazuma pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly like he was trying to summon patience from the far beyond.

  The warehouse felt smaller now, the fog that had rolled in thanks to the rain hadn't rolled out yet, keeping the air a little bit chilly.

  The surviving guards were stirring, groggy groans, quiet curses as they checked wounds and reloaded weapons.

  Ganju was already on her feet, hovering protectively near rein, who sat wide-eyed and silent, absorbing the tension like a sponge.

  "Fine," Kazuma finally muttered, his voice a low rumble. "You're 'more than enough.' But if you're wrong-if those bastards come back with reinforcements-we're all dead weight. You get that?"

  Ash shrugged, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. "Sure. Got it Loud and clear boss man kamazuma"

  It was hard not to get a little bristly under Kazuma's scrutinizing stare. He was being treated like a rookie, a reckless kid who couldn't handle himself in a fight.

  …Well, he could admit, one of those things might be true.

  There was a long moment of silence, broken only by the groans of the waking, and the occasional click of a weapon's safety switch.

  Ash's eyes wandered to rein, who still sat huddled in a corner and watching them with wide, unblinking eyes. There was something about her demeanor that reminded him of a deer in headlights.

  "Alright so, tell me about this sanctuary you plan on going. Cause you still haven't really given me anything." Ash said

  Kazuma raised an eyebrow, studying Ash carefully for a moment.

  "What part do you wanna know? There's security measures, defenses, resources… it could be a long conversation."

  "Just like, where, and why."

  Kazuma crossed his arms, leaning back against the nearest support beam.

  "It's a place owned by the HAS. A top-secret facility on a private island, equipped with enough resources to last decades."

  "Oh! Yeah I know that place. I've been there before, it's one of the most secure places I've ever been to."

  Kazuma's eyes narrowed at that. "You've been there?"

  That was unexpected. Most people didn't even know about the sanctuary's existence, much less actually go there.

  "Yeah, me and my friends were there last year."

  Kazuma stared at Ash like he'd just claimed to have tea with the Emperor. The warehouse air felt thicker now, the morning light slanting through the cracks doing nothing to ease the tension in the older man's shoulders. Ganju, who was eavesdropping from a few paces away with rein tucked behind her, shot Ash a skeptical glare if it wasn't clear alread, she did not trust him one but.

  "You've... been there?" Kazuma repeated slowly, his voice laced with disbelief.

  He uncrossed his arms, stepping closer as if proximity might force the truth out. "Kid, that place is locked down tighter than Abaddon itself. Only top-clearance HAS brass and protected assets get access. How the hell did a sixteen-year-old nobody waltz in?"

  "15"

  "Not helping your case boy."

  "Listen it was a whole situation and it's way too long to explain right now. But yeah it's probably safe enough" Ash said moving on

  Kazuma looked like he wanted to argue further- his jaw worked silently for a moment, eyes portraying both frustration and reluctant acceptance. It was difficult to tell which one was the dominant emotion. Finally, he exhaled sharply through his nose and gestured toward the boarded-up warehouse doors.

  "Fine. Then you know the drill, we move fast, stay off main roads, and pray nobody catches us before we hit the coast."

  Kazuma turned away from Ash, his boots scraping against the gritty warehouse floor as he barked orders to the remaining guards. "Pack up! we're rolling in five. Check your ammo, bandage what you can. Ganju, you're on point with the girl."

  Ganju nodded sharply, already helping rein to her feet. The redhead looked paler in the morning light, her freckles standing out like specks of rust on porcelain, but she moved without complaint, clutching a small backpack someone had scavenged for her. Her eyes darted to Ash once, lingering with a mix of curiosity and lingering fear, before she fell in behind Ganju.

  Ash hung back, watching the group mobilize with the efficiency of people who'd danced this deadly tango before. He flexed his fingers absently, the faint ache from being blasted with fire had already disappeared, there weren't any burns, but his body did feel hot all night. Then he thought to himself... That guy... TJ. If he was truly the strongest in America, then he surely had more tricks up his sleeve than what he showed off back during that fight. He smiled a little at that. He couldn't wait

  "Kid," Kazuma grunted as he shouldered a duffel bag, falling into step beside Ash at the rear. "You sure about the sanctuary? If you've been there, you know the approach is a gauntlet, choppy waters, strong winds, the works. And if those Americans are involved..." He asked the boy to make sure, he wasn't so sure a teenager with a lack of sleep could survive the way there.

  Ash grinned, unfazed. "Yeah, it's solid. Last time I was there, they had these automated turrets that could shred a Phase 2. If something isn't supposed to get in. It's not getting in." He said, not recognizing the man's concern, he thought the man was just worried the place wasn't safe enough.

  Kazuma figured the boy didn't understand what he meant, but he gave a stiff nod anyway, he would deal with that problem when it became an issue "Fine. Then let's move before those bastards catch up."

  As the group shuffled toward the warehouse exit, Ash caught rein and ganju glancing back at him, curiously.

  He flashed them both a quick thumbs-up.

  Rissa smiled back, ganju on the other hand did no such thing. However, she didn't at him this time.

  Small victories.

  The warehouse doors creaked open, daylight spilling inside.

  The group walked for a while, weaving through Kyoto's back alleys like thieves in the morning mist. It must've been six o clock at most.

  The city was waking up, vendors rolling up shutters, salarymen shuffling to trains, the distant hum of traffic starting up so that it can eventually jam.

  The group walked through all of this, the streets with a lot of people on them, the places where people undoubtedly were even if they couldn't be seen.

  Normally in a situation like this, they'd be weaving through allies or sticking to the shadows, where they couldn't be seen.

  But in this situation, these two assassins were American. Attacking the takamasa family is one thing, but attacking, a crowded city area with many people? That was terrorism, and the Americans absolutely wouldn't want to fall into that trap.

  It was then that ash suddenly felt a very familiar sensation. Like a sort of Instinctive pull. He felt the immense urge to go kill the thing. This was his biology as an angel gear acting up. Telling him that there was a sin, somewhere closeby.

  The rest of the group stared back at him in confusion, wondering why he stopped and was just staring upward.

  It was then that they all felt an instinctive sense of dread and fear. As if they're bodies were warning them of danger.

  they looked up, to see a giant sin descending upon them from the sky. It was was the same sin that ash had missed earlier. It must've become a phase 3 because it was, waaay bigger.

  It's appearance was also a lot more monstrous than before, looking terrifying as hell.

  Ash looked up at the thing, his calm, normal fun smile, had twisted into something a whole lot different, something predatory.