Chapter 10: Third District Chief Hozuki: If You Can’t Speak Properly, Don’t Speak at All…

The Third District, Offshore Platform Defense Chain.

The cold steel platform groaned under the relentless assault of violent waves and torrential rain, sounding as if it were on the verge of collapse.

The platform was currently ablaze with lights. Huge cranes bore the flamboyant characters for “Izayoi¹,” and several combat aircraft streaked across the ink-black sky, casting long shadows under the artificial lights of the rainy night.

This was the “Kanagawa” Heavy Industries Defense Platform, a key link in the Third District’s offshore defense chain. It sat on the front lines, deep within the dangerous waters of the ocean, serving as the first line of defense against Anomaly threats rising from the depths.

A salty, metallic sea breeze swept across the platform. Laser beams fired from the fortifications, tearing through the gloomy sky to shred the slimy, hideous marine Anomalies attempting to scale the defenses from the seabed.

Dressed in black combat gear, Correctors of the Third District used cover to their advantage, wielding katanas and mental power to precisely eliminate any stragglers that slipped through the overlapping fields of fire.

However, the true threat that had mobilized the entire defense chain was not these common “seafood” variants.

At the edge of the platform, massive steel support pillars shrieked and buckled under a colossal force. Beyond the platform, the waves were no longer blue; they surged with a viscous, pitch-black substance that resembled oil.

Beneath that darkness, a shadow so vast its full scale could not be observed was slowly rising. The sheer pressure of the mental power it radiated caused the sword-hands of the weaker Correctors on the platform to tremble uncontrollably.

“It’s a High-Sequence Anomaly! At least within the top 100!”

Urgent shouts from scouts blared over the platform’s intercom system: “Has the Family Head not arrived yet?!”

The Third District was ruled by the ancient Izayoi Family. The “Family Head” they spoke of was the youngest District Chief among the seven districts, and the youngest leader in the history of the Izayoi Family – Izayoi Ame.

“The Family Head will be here any second! Hold for one more minute!”

A tall girl with long purple hair tied in a high ponytail shouted into her radio. The lower half of her face was obscured by a black ninja mask. She swung a wakizashi², cleaving through a fish-like monster on the platform. She was clearly a Sentinel; her deep purple eyes glowed with terrifying intensity in the rainy night as she channeled her mental power.

“Awaiting orders, Lady Hozuki!”

Hozuki was the adjutant to the Izayoi Family Head, holding the authority to act in his stead when he was absent. Several Correctors with katanas formed a perimeter around her, standing ready to face the massive shadow looming beneath the platform.

“The Tower, focus fire!”

Hozuki took a deep breath and roared the command.

Several beams of energy instantly converged, slamming into the rising black mass. A deafening explosion erupted from beneath the ink-colored water.

Boom!

Fire and black water shot into the sky. However, as the behemoth continued its slow ascent, Hozuki’s expression grew even more grim.

The blast had only obliterated a small portion of its outer edge – or rather, it hadn’t even touched the main body, only the smaller Anomalies clinging to its twisted surface.

Its main form continued to writhe and expand within the dark tide. Massive tentacles composed of decayed flesh and viscous black water erupted from the sea, lashing out with devastating force toward the platform’s primary support pillars.

Anomaly Sequence No. 78, Y078: Decayed Blackwater.

The platform shook violently. Despair began to spread through the eyes of the Correctors fighting the smaller climbing Anomalies.

“Everyone, listen up! Set power to maximum! We’ll take this thing down with the platform if we have to! We cannot let it reach the shore!”

Just as Hozuki prepared to sacrifice the platform to blow Y078 apart, at the critical moment, she looked up. Her deep purple eyes caught sight of a single drop of dark blue rain, heavy as the deep sea.

“Fall.”

A calm, steady voice rang out clearly over the howling wind and the roar of explosions.

In the next second, with Hozuki’s platform at the center, a strange wave suddenly rippled through the air. This wave was like the deep sea turned upside down, shattering the chaotic clouds into oceanic ripples that blanketed the platform and the surrounding hundreds of meters of sea.

Within this curtain of sea-like rain, time seemed to slow, like an insect trapped in thick amber.

No, it was space itself.

The tentacles of the Decayed Blackwater became sluggish, their movements resembling a slow-motion film. Splashes of black water trailed long arcs through the air. The shocked expressions of the Correctors, and even the shockwaves of the explosions, were all paused in this moment.

Only that dark blue rain, seemingly from the abyss of the ocean, continued to fall without pause.

It pitter-pattered silently, yet it pierced through the frozen air, drifting down from the oceanic dome that had replaced the sky.

It wasn’t real rain, but the manifestation of pure mental power, shimmering with a gentle yet terrifying blue radiance. Every drop fell with pinpoint accuracy onto the stagnant tentacles of decayed flesh and black water.

Sizzle –

The moment the rain touched the tentacles, the flesh of Y078 collapsed into black droplets at a visible rate. The rain from the sky was rapidly deconstructing the physical structure of the Decayed Blackwater, swiftly destroying its Anomaly core.

A piercing, agonized wail erupted from the massive body beneath the surface. It felt the lethal threat; it felt its body and core being unraveled by this strange celestial rain. The tentacles tried desperately to retract, but within the rain’s domain, their movements were agonizingly slow.

The distant, ancient song of a whale echoed from the sea in the sky. Hozuki strained to look up, seeing a massive blue whale gliding through the sea of clouds, maintaining the existence of the entire Rain Curtain Domain.

Then, a figure landed silently behind her.

Hozuki turned, her voice thick with emotion: “Family Head!”

In the shadows of the platform, the figure walking toward the edge became clear.

He appeared to be a young man, dressed in the Third District uniform with a black Haori³ bearing the Izayoi crest draped casually over his shoulders. He had smooth, short black hair with two long strands framing his face, reaching past his collarbones. His pupils were a rare sight – a series of overlapping blue rings.

Hearing Hozuki’s voice, Izayoi Ame pulled his gaze away from the agonizing struggles of Y078 in the sea. He looked at his adjutant, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere. “Your new wet-look hairstyle looks good.”

Izayoi Ame gazed at his childhood friend and subordinate, nodding in appreciation.

Hozuki touched her cherished long hair, suppressing her anger as she spoke. “My Lord, I’m like this because of the rain!!!”

If you don’t know how to give a compliment, you don’t have to say anything!

“Ahem.” Izayoi Ame coughed twice. His face, which was far too young for a District Chief, regained the majesty befitting his status. He spoke: “Correctors.”

His voice carried a sense of command that brooked no argument: “Draw your blades.”

“Yes! My Lord!”

All the Correctors on the platform instantly snapped their attention back from the world-shaking scene before them. They rushed toward the nearest Anomalies.

Beneath the curtain of rain, the Correctors were well-trained. Their movements were swift, precise, and silent as they struck unerringly at the cores of the Anomalies. Lights of various spiritual powers lit up the platform. Simultaneously, the full firepower of the defense towers poured onto the massive mass of corrupt black water.

“Hiss-!!!”

The corrupt black water let out an even more shrill wail. Its massive body rolled violently, causing the sea to erupt in turbulent waves. It finally gave up on attacking the platform and began to sink rapidly, attempting to escape the terrifying assault and the rain.

“Trying to run?”

Izayoi Ame watched the giant monster indifferently. He didn’t even reach for the blade at his waist. Instead, he raised his right hand, fingers spread, and made a gentle clenching motion toward the sinking shadow.

Since the Rain Curtain domain was already open, he might as well use it. Cutting things with a blade was far too exhausting.

The rain curtain shrouding the platform suddenly contracted. The falling blue rain was no longer a drizzle but instantly transformed into a torrential downpour, precisely locking onto the area of the sea where the corrupt black water was sinking.

Under the scouring of the heavy rain, the massive Anomaly rapidly disintegrated. The shrill screams came to an abrupt halt, leaving only large fragments to be swiftly swallowed by the churning waves.

The blue whale Spiritual Body in the sky let out a melodious cry, sounding almost like a sigh. The rain curtain began to dissipate, and the Anomalies that had been frozen in place by the “water” fell to the ground, turning into heaps of dead fragments.

On the platform, the surviving Correctors couldn’t help but erupt into cheers of relief.

“We’re saved!”

“Long live Lord Izayoi!”

Amidst the cheers, Izayoi Ame lowered his hand expressionlessly. He didn’t look at Hozuki, only speaking.

“Casualties?” Izayoi Ame’s voice remained cold.

“Three minor injuries, no fatalities, my Lord,” Hozuki reported in a low voice.

“Mm,” Izayoi Ame responded faintly. Maintaining his dignity as District Chief, he cast his gaze toward the distant horizon, where the sea still shimmered with an ominous blackness.

He recalled the prophecy from Y009 mentioned by the Council Chairman last night… This was already the third large-scale surge of Anomalies he had dealt with this week. The Anomalies in the sea were gradually becoming more active, and the possibility of Y008 Kraken awakening was rising rapidly… Then there was the headquarters…

Before Izayoi Ame could even sigh, the communicator on his wrist began to vibrate. He lowered his head with a headache, only to find it wasn’t the difficult elders of his family, but an encrypted message from the Tree Tower Academy headquarters.

【The “Salvation” squad will arrive in the Third District tomorrow. Captain: Yun Zhou. Members: Du Shui, Liu Ming, Ying Huo. Mission: Investigate clues regarding the Y009 prophecy and assess the Anomaly erosion of Y008. Please provide necessary assistance.

Approver: Black Swan.】

Izayoi Ame narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked at the four names on the communicator, especially “Liu Ming.” The corners of his mouth twitched downward ever so slightly, revealing an unmasked look of annoyance.

“Tch.” A faint sound of irritation was swallowed by the whistling sea breeze.

He turned off the communication and turned around, the hem of his black Haori fluttering in the wind.

“Clear the battlefield and reinforce the defensive lines.”

He assumed his authority as the family head and issued orders to Hozuki behind him, his voice steady and calm. “Additionally, get ready… to welcome our ‘honored guests’ tomorrow.”

He strode toward the helicopter parked nearby, his eyes cold to the core.

Sending a group of inexperienced Tree Tower Academy students with complex, messy backgrounds—who might even be carrying major trouble themselves—to the most dangerous front line at a time like this to “investigate” clues about the Y009 prophecy?

Principal Black Swan… likely intended for him to act as a babysitter for this new team.

After all, a new project needed a platform and impressive results to be accepted by the heads of other districts. The Third District, with its relatively complete defense chain, a young District Chief, and the circulating prophecy about the impending awakening of the King of Water, was clearly the best choice.

Izayoi Ame’s fingers unconsciously brushed the hilt of the long blade at his waist. Feeling the cold touch, he let out a long sigh.

He hoped this group of troublesome people wouldn’t cause any problems on the defensive line he had spent years building.

He hated trouble more than anything.

Translator’s Notes