Chapter 17: Cosplay Festival IV

Night at City Z’s metro station… 8:00 PM.

Platform A was crowded. Then they arrived.

Abyss.

Clad in black tactical suits and helmets, carrying rifles and handguns.

The first warning shot rang out across the platform.

“Everyone freeze!” one shouted, probably the squad leader, firing blanks into the air.

The Abyss squad moved in, surrounding Platform A. The lead shouted again, louder this time:

“We are the Abyss. We are here to do something… stay where you are. If you move an inch, you will be eliminated. We show no mercy.”

Panic swept through the crowd. Most froze in place; some crouched in terror… and, as always, a few ran without a second thought.

Then the unexpected happened, those who ran were shot down to the ground, and the panic escalated to chaos.

Meai and Fumino were at the center of the crowd. Meai grabbed Fumino’s hand.

“Don’t panic, Fumino-chan, okay? Everything’s going to be fine,” she said, trying to comfort her friend.

Fumino noticed, however, that Meai’s hand was shaking, but she didn’t say anything.

Soon after gaining control of the crowd, the Abyss surrounded everyone. The security guards at the gates had already been shot.

“Everyone, now!” the leader commanded through their communication channel, and the soldiers moved in.

They started taking the children.

A little girl screamed as a soldier pulled her from her mother’s arms. Her mother tried to grab her, but another soldier pushed her back, holding a gun to her shoulder. The girl kicked and cried, but it didn’t help.

Nearby, a boy stumbled while trying to run. A soldier grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. His backpack fell, spilling pencils and papers all over the floor.

Another small girl clung to her father’s leg, crying, “Don’t take me!” The soldier bent down, grabbed her by the arms, and dragged her forward. The father tried to stop him, but two other soldiers held him against the wall.

In the middle of the chaos, Meai stayed calm. She gripped Fumino’s hand even tighter.

Then two soldiers reached for Meai and Fumino. One of them stared at Meai and spoke into the channel. “We got another twelve-year-old here,” he said, thinking she was just a child because of her youthful look.

Fumino just stared, deadpan.

“H-Hey! Who are you calling a twelve-year-old, you stupid morons? I-I’m a high schooler! I’m seventeen!” Meai blurted out, holding up her ID. “See… here!”

The soldier glanced at the ID and froze for a moment, clearly confused.

“Anyway… just capture her,” a command crackled through the channel.

He stepped forward to grab Meai—but Fumino moved in front of her, holding Meai’s hand tight.

“Fumino-chan…” Meai whispered, a small, tense smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Tokio, Blade, and Eyepatch ran up the stairs to Platform B, hearing the gunshots echo through the station. People were fleeing outside, but they pushed against the flow of panicked civilians and entered Platform B. From there, they could see Platform A—the other side was in chaos.

“It’s the Abyss,” Eyepatch said, his voice low.

“So the internet rumors were true all along…” Tokio muttered, sliding his hands into the bag he carried.

“Yeah. Indeed,” Blade said, a smirk tugging at his lips as he clenched his fists, ready for what was coming.

An automated voice echoed through the station.

“Attention please. The train on Platform B is arriving. Please stand behind the yellow line.”

A siren blared as the train appeared on the horizon. The driver saw the chaos on the platform from afar. Instead of stopping, he slammed the accelerator, sending the train hurtling forward.

“Lemme go, bastards!” Meai yelled, struggling with all her strength. She kicked and twisted, but it was no use; the soldier’s grip on her arm was too strong as he dragged her forward.

“Meai—let her go!” Fumino shouted, her voice breaking. She pulled against the soldier holding her back, trembling with panic. Her stomach sank as she watched her friend being dragged away, unable to do anything.

Then the train started passing the platform. Suddenly, cracking sounds echoed from the maintenance pipes and ducts above… and a black figure dropped from the ceiling, landing in a cool, controlled pose. It was obviously Blade.

“Aaaggh… this mask sucks,” Blade muttered, clearly annoyed.

“A donke—” one soldier started, but before he could finish, Blade slammed him with a spinning back-roundhouse kick.

“Shoot!” a command echoed through the radio channel.

All the soldiers raised their weapons toward Blade, laser sights locked on his dark outfit.

Suddenly, a steel cane dropped out of nowhere. Everyone’s attention went to it, but before anyone could react, it turned out to be a smoke grenade. It exploded, filling the area with thick clouds.

“Everyone, run!” a voice shouted. Tokio yelled over the chaos.

Within seconds, chaos returned in full force, and every civilian ran for the exits.

“Everyone stop!” the lead shouted, but no one paid attention. One soldier began firing blindly into the smoke and accidentally hit the leader’s foot.

“Aaaggh… it’s my leg! Motherfucking idiot! Stop firing! Aaaggh!”

Blade took the chance and rushed forward, taking them down one by one. They couldn’t shoot blindly in the smoke, so all they could hear were heavy punches and sharp kicks echoing through the thick cloud.

Tokio and Eyepatch reached Platform A, running across the foot-over bridge.

“Good thing I kept these stupid masks with me,” Tokio’s voice came from behind the rabbit mask.

“Yep. Really came in handy,” Eyepatch said, adjusting his neko mask.

“And since when do you even carry smoke grenades?” Tokio asked, confused.

“From the package, of course,” Eyepatch replied. “And stay here, Tokio-senpai. I’ll take care of the rest.” He said that, then jumped off the foot-over bridge.

“Hey, wait—”

Another high-speed train blasted through Platform A, the roar shaking the ground. As the smoke faded, everyone’s vision began to clear. They could finally see Blade’s movements again.

One soldier fired at Blade, but he dodged at the last second. Even so, he was now trapped in the center, guns aimed at him from every direction.

Suddenly, a soldier was slammed to the ground by a strong kick.

Neko appeared out of the fading smoke, cutting in like a silent shadow. The last of the smoke vanished completely.

The soldiers opened fire at him instantly.

Before they could react any further, Blade darted toward the train tracks, knocking aside a rifle with his forearm and driving his elbow into a soldier’s chest. He finished with a high kick, knocking the man straight onto the tracks.

Neko moved right after him, quiet and smooth like flowing water. He swept another soldier’s legs with a sharp, clean kick. The man hit the ground before he even knew what happened.

Two more soldiers charged at Neko.

He stepped between them, blocked the first punch with his arm, grabbed the second soldier’s wrist, and flipped him over with one quick motion. The man crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.

Blade wasn’t graceful. He was pure chaos. He grabbed one soldier, slammed him into another, then kicked them both down like metal pins in a bowling lane.

Eyepatch stood at the edge of the platform, calm, brushing dust off his clothes after taking down several soldiers.

“That’s enough,” a sharp voice echoed among the squad.

A woman soldier stepped forward. She dropped her weapon, stomped toward Eyepatch, and launched a powerful 180° kick. He barely dodged it by leaning back.

“Impressive,” Eyepatch said.

“Shut up and die.”

She rushed in low, raining fast karate-chop strikes toward his neck and shoulders. Eyepatch matched her calmly, dodging and blocking each hit with clean, practiced movements.

Before she realized it, he had shifted positions, slipping behind her. With one smooth push, he sent her stumbling off balance and straight into the train tracks.

“Oops,” he said flatly.

Meanwhile, Meai was being dragged outside the station toward a long truck with its back doors hanging open.

As soon as the smoke rolled in and everyone panicked, she sank her teeth into the soldier’s arm.

“Aggh! You little brat—”

She stopped, leaned back in his grip, pressed her right cheek with a finger, and stuck her tongue out with a smug little wink.

“Booo.”

He froze for half a second, confused.Then she sprinted away before he could react.

Inside the platform, Fumino stood alone. Her face had gone dark, like guilt was crawling under her skin, whispering that she’d failed her friend. Her eyes slowly locked onto the soldier who had grabbed her while Meai was taken.

Her grief twisted into cold fury. No scream. No warning. Just a quiet, burning rage.

She lunged at him without thinking, grabbing him from behind. It did nothing. He slipped out of her grip and stomped her down hard, knocking the breath out of her. He cocked his rifle, aiming it at her—

Then he froze. A blur cut through his vision.

Something slammed into him with brutal speed.

A tube-light smashed straight into his neck, shattering on impact.

“Bastard!!” Tokio’s voice snapped from behind his rabbit mask.

The tube-light burst apart, spraying glass across the soldier’s tracksuit. He choked, stumbled, and dropped instantly, unconscious before he even hit the ground.

Tokio grabbed Fumino’s hand and started running. Fumino didn’t fully understand what was happening. She didn’t know it was her classmate Tokio, but somehow she felt safe—warm, trusted, protected.

Now, what the heck is she doing here? Were they even inviting me to this festival? And what kind of situation is this? Tokio’s thoughts raced as they ran.

They burst out of the platform, panting, and came to a stop.

“Thank you so much… for saving me,” Fumino said, her voice trembling slightly.

Tokio gave a simple thumbs-up, deadpan. He couldn’t risk speaking too much and getting noticed.

Then Fumino noticed his left hand was cut from the tube-light explosion. Her eyes widened. “Oh no…”

Quickly, she pulled out her favorite handkerchief and gently wrapped it around his hand, tying it firmly but carefully. Her hands brushed his as she worked, and Tokio froze for a second, a rare flicker of appreciation crossing his otherwise calm face.

“Thanks…” he muttered quietly, though his tone was barely audible.

Before Fumino could say anything else, Meai appeared, running toward her.

Tokio noticed her coming, then waved at Fumino and left instantly, avoiding the risk of being exposed.

“Fumino-chan…” Meai called, hugging her tight. Her eyes glistened as tears spilled onto Fumino’s chest.

“Glad you’re safe,” Fumino said, placing her hand gently on Meai’s shoulder.

A brief silence hung between them.

“By the way, who was that weirdo with you?” Meai asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I don’t know… but he really was such a nice guy.”

At the same time, near the entrance of the festival…

A warning gunshot cracked through the air.

Abyss soldiers emerged and closed in from all sides. Black tracksuits. Black helmets. Rifles raised.

The area was sealed off in seconds, leaving Rey and his friends frozen at the center.

“On the ground! Hands up! Don’t move!”

Rey and his friends stood stiff with fear. Tachibana’s breath hitched, her knees nearly gave out, but she forced herself to look calm.

Another gunshot fired into the air. Everyone flinched.

“PLEASE—!” someone in the crowd screamed before being shoved to the ground.

Then Tachibana felt a hand clamp around her wrist.

She gasped.

A soldier had grabbed her, fingers digging into her skin as he yanked her toward him. Her vision blurred instantly.

“L-let go—!” Her voice cracked. Fear swallowed the rest.

Rey reacted without a second thought.

“Hey! Don’t touch her!” He stepped forward, heart hammering, hands shaking as he reached out.

A rifle slammed into his chest.

He hit the ground hard, the air knocked clean out of him.

“Stay down,” the soldier growled, pressing the barrel against Rey’s shoulder.

Rey lay there, helpless, teeth clenched, watching Tachibana struggle as the soldier dragged her closer. She was crying now, pure panic, eyes wide and unfocused.

“I don’t want to go—I don’t want—!”

“Rey—!” Maru shouted, then froze as a gun snapped toward his face.

Rey heard screams from his other friends as they were grabbed and pulled away.

Then his turn came. But then—

A sharp hook caught the soldier’s neck.

The curved J-handle of an umbrella snapped up under his jaw and yanked him backward with brutal precision. The soldier choked, his grip breaking instantly.

Jin stood behind him. Calm. Upright. Unshaken.

The soldier collapsed at Jin’s feet, gasping.

“Step away from the kids,” Jin said quietly.

Rey stared, frozen. Jin stepped forward, placing himself fully between the guns and the kids.

All guns turned toward him. Then rapid gunshots fired at once.

Jin opened his umbrella in one smooth motion.

He angled it like a shield. Its flexible metallic fabric deflected the bullets.

Gunsmoke hung in the air. When it cleared, Jin stood untouched, gripping his umbrella like a professional.

Before the soldiers could reload, he had already taken down half of them with precise strikes and martial arts.

One soldier rushed him. Jin snapped the umbrella shut and hit the man’s temple. Another aimed at him—Jin twisted the rifle, stripped it from his hands, and tossed it aside like trash.

A third lunged. Jin caught his wrist, twisted, and sent him face-first to the ground.

In seconds, rifles clattered across the floor.

Then—

Heavy footsteps. The Abyss soldiers suddenly parted. One man stepped forward, probably the squad leader.

Unlike the others, he was empty handed.

He cracked his knuckles instead.

His helmet was marked differently. Scratched. Worn. His stance was low, balanced, ready. Definitely a fighter.

“So, you’re the shield,” he said calmly. “Interesting.”

Jin didn’t answer. He adjusted his grip on the umbrella.

The man moved first. Fast.

A sharp combo of punches landed straight at Jin’s center. Jin blocked the first, sidestepped the second but the third landed. Hard. Jin slid back a step.

The soldier pressed on, relentless. Elbow, knee, spinning strike. Jin matched him blow for blow, deflecting every hit. With a quick move, Jin pushed him backward.

“Impressive,” the soldier said, smirk in his voice.

“Run, Master Rey,” Jin said, not looking back. “Now.”

Rey hesitated. He was standing still.

Behind them, Rey’s friends froze.

“This is bad,” Shin whispered, already backing away.

“He already told us to run,” Maru said quickly, almost desperate. “He literally told us to run.”

“If Rey sees us hesitate, he won’t move,” Hitoshi muttered. “He’ll stay.”

Saito clenched his jaw. “Then we don’t hesitate.”

They grabbed Tachibana’s arm.

“Come on,” Maru urged. “Now.”

Tachibana didn’t argue. She ran with them. Rey didn’t notice.

They pushed through the crowd, breaths ragged, feet pounding against the pavement. Screams and gunshots echoed behind them, but no one looked back.

Except Tachibana. Her chest felt tight. Too tight. Each step felt heavier than the last.

She slowed.

“Keep moving!” Hitoshi snapped.

“I—I can’t,” she said, voice shaking.

She stopped. The others kept running.

“Tachibana!” Maru shouted once, but fear won. His voice faded with the distance.

She turned around. And ran back.

Meanwhile, Jin was matching the soldier evenly.

His movements were smooth, controlled. Every strike, every block, flowed through the umbrella in his hand. It wasn’t just a tool. It was his balance. His center.

The soldier frowned.

“Damn… he’s fast. And that umbrella—”

His eyes narrowed. “So that’s it.”

Suddenly, the soldier pulled a gun from his back and fired at Jin. Jin opened his umbrella—but it was only a blank. Just a distraction.

Jin raised the umbrella to counter—

Crack.

The umbrella shattered in his hands. For the first time, Jin’s rhythm broke. Just for a fraction of a second.

That was enough.

A brutal kick slammed into Jin’s head, sending him crashing to the ground.

“Jin—!” Rey shouted.

Jin tried to rise, but his body didn’t respond the same way. Without the umbrella, his movements were slower. Heavier. Off-balance.

“You know how to fight,” the soldier said, stepping on the broken umbrella, crushing it under his boot.

“So that was the secret of your strength.”

The Abyss squad began to reform around them.

At the edge of the cleared area, Tachibana stopped, her breath catching.

Jin lay on the ground.

The soldier stood over him, one boot pressed firmly against his chest. The shattered umbrella lay beside him, useless now.

Jin wasn’t moving.

“Rey! Rey—!” Tachibana cried, her voice breaking.

Rey stood a few meters away, frozen.

His mind split in two. One side screamed to run. The other refused to leave. His legs wouldn’t move. His chest burned. The world felt too loud, too fast.

The soldier noticed him.

“Capture him,”

Jin forced himself to move, just enough to shout.

“RUN, YOUNG MASTER REY—!”

The shout snapped something in Rey. He ran. He barely made three steps.

His foot struck a loose stone and he crashed forward, skin tearing as his hands scraped the ground. Pain flared up his arm. His breath knocked out of him.

Behind him, boots rushed closer.

“Tachibana—!” Rey shouted.

She was already being pulled away.

Maru grabbed her wrist hard.

“Move!” he yelled.

Tachibana looked back once.

She saw Rey on the ground. She saw the soldiers closing in. But she didn’t stop. Fear won. Tachibana turned away and ran. She didn’t look back.