One month has passed since the monster invasion of Suisei High School by terrorists from the Ghost Nebula organization. Japan has entered winter, and the temperature is turning cold in many areas, especially in the highlands such as Mount Kumotori.
During the afternoon, many Realizers gathered in front of the mountain's entrance. They came from all over Tokyo and numbered at least in the hundreds. The people who came were the senior Realizers and the juniors from high school. They came to that place wearing their combat gear to participate in the joint mission of the three organizations.
Besides the people from official organizations, illegal Realizers also came to the place, and their numbers were not small. They dared to come because the three official organizations promised not to arrest them during the mission unless they did anything suspicious.
Illegal Realizers participated in the mission for various reasons. The first is to fight monsters and increase their phase. Secondly, the three organizations promised that illegal Realizers owned the rights to the corpses and cores of the monsters they had killed.
At a certain spot in that place, the students from Suisei High School had gathered. They numbered over a hundred people, and they were first-year to third-year students. Akina, Takaya, and Noboru participated in the mission. Akio and his group were also among them.
Apart from them, Hijiri also didn't want to be absent from the mission. Setsuka, the student council members, and several teachers also participated and were responsible for watching over them, especially the first-year students. This was their first time participating in a large-scale mission.
People from the three official organizations gathered at another spot. Kirika, Ichiro, and Akihiko sat with the Realizers from the League of Heroes while Daisuke was among the people from Holy Union.
They gathered before the Kumotori mountain entrance as the people from the three organizations conducted their identity checks. The official Realizers only have to show their license and phase, while the illegal Realizers have to show their true face apart from their powers.
"He didn't come." Kirika looked at the students from Suisei High School and said disappointedly.
"What's wrong, Kirika? Why do you look gloomy?" Ichiro asked after seeing Kirika's expression.
"It's nothing." Kirika smiled slightly and shook her head. On the other hand, Akihiko could only grit his teeth when he saw Ichiro approaching Kirika. He couldn't do anything about it because the other party was his senior, either as a Realizer or an actor.
At the same time, the students from Suisei High School had finished their identity checks. They were waiting for the people from the three official organizations to test illegal Realizers before they entered Mount Kumotori.
"Is Tenku not going to participate in this mission?" Akina looked around and asked Takaya because she didn't find Tenku anywhere in that place. She contacted him several times today, but his smartphone was off.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Yes. Tenku will not be participating in this mission because he has another business. I've tried to persuade him several times, but he still refuses. Takaya replied.
"Do you know what business it is?" Akina gave another question.
"I already asked him about that, but..." Takaya answered Akina's question, but someone suddenly interrupted his words.
"That's just an excuse for not participating in the mission. He would not dare fight monsters with his low-ranked Phantasmal Objects. He is a real coward." The one who said it was Daichi. Sitting with Akio and the others, he overheard Akina's conversation with Takaya.
"What are you saying!?" Takaya narrowed his eyes and said coldly. He was angry that Daichi mocked Tenku and cut him off when he spoke.
"Huh? Aren't my words true? He did not participate in this mission because of fear. Isn't that so, Akio?" Daichi smiled playfully and looked at his best friend next to him.
"Yes, that's exactly what you said. But he had made the right decision. He is too weak and will only become a burden on this mission." Akio answered.
"You!" Takaya was furious and intended to reply to their words, but Noboru quickly stopped him.
"You don't have to respond to their words. We better focus on this mission and not get distracted by other matters." Noboru reminded Takaya.
Daichi was irritated when he heard Noboru's words. He wanted to say something, but Akio raised his hand to stop him. He didn't want them to cause unnecessary commotion in that place and become the center of attention from the Realizers around them.
On the other hand, Setsuka clenched her fists tightly when she heard Daichi and Akio's words. She felt furious, but she couldn't do anything under the eyes of so many people. Setsuka was one of the people in that place with impressive appearances, besides Hijiri and Kirika.
Her power leaked, and the temperature around her dropped. Luckily, it was winter now, and no one noticed except Kaede. Setsuka would have frozen Akio and Daichi if there weren't so many people in that place.
"Calm down, Sesuka. Those first-year students didn't know Tenku's true power. If they know, they will be frightened and dare not say such things." Kaede whispered and patted Setsuka on the shoulder to calm her down.
"I know. But I can't hear them insulting Tenku. I will warn them if they dare to repeat anything bad about him. I don't care if a lot of people see that." Setsuka said seriously.
"Alright. I will help you to advise them. You don't have to do anything." Kaede couldn't help but smile wryly when she heard Setsuka's words.
"Thank you, Kaede." Setsuka smiled slightly but was distracted when she heard the roar of a motorcycle engine.
Vroooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmm!
The other Realizers also heard the sound and turned their eyes. They saw a man wearing an all-black jacket with a hood and covering his face with a mask. He was riding a motorcycle and stopped not far from that place. That person was Tenku, and he participated in the mission as The Reaper.
"The Reaper..." One of the Realizers muttered when he saw Tenku's appearance.
"Huh! He is The Reaper!?"
ραпdα---nᴏνa| сom "Was he the one who had frequently appeared in space collapse and single-handedly slaughtered monsters for the past few years?"
The place was in an uproar after the Realizers learned about Tenku's identity. They were shocked, scared, and curious about him because he was famous in Tokyo.
"I knew he would come." Setsuka smiled sweetly when she saw Tenku. She felt that there was something different about Tenku, but she didn't know what it was and didn't think about it any further. But then Setsuka's face darkened after she remembered one of the requirements of the three organizations for illegal Realizers to participate in the mission.
Hijiri was grinding her teeth not far from Setsuka because she remembered when Tenku easily defeated her at Lake Shima.
Akina, Kaede, Takaya, Noboru, and Kirika looked at Tenku strangely because they were sure that this was the first time they saw Tenku. But they felt they had seen him somewhere but couldn't remember.
Tenku stopped not far from where the Realizers had gathered. He got off his motorbike and kept it in his space pocket. After that, he walked over to where the overseers of the three official organizations were conducting identity checks.
The Realizers around him kept their distance and made way for him. They looked wary of Tenku, and some manifested their Phantasmal Objects. Tenku stopped in front of the three overseers from the official organization and opened his mouth.
"I want to participate in this mission." Tenku said in a hoarse voice.
"Yes, you can. But before that, can you show us your face? It is one of the requirements of the three organizations for Unregistered Realizers to participate in this mission." One of the three overseers said.
The other Realizers approached because they were curious about the face of The Reaper. Tenku was silent and did not immediately do what the overseer said. It made the atmosphere in the place tense.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOn the other hand, Setsuka clenched her fists tightly because she felt nervous. If Tenku removed his mask, everyone in that place would know his identity, bringing him trouble.
"Hmm... Can you take off your mask?" Another overseer asked.
"I understand." Tenku nodded and slowly took off his mask. The Realizers around him focused their eyes on his face.
After removing his mask, they saw the face of a middle-aged man in his forties. That surprised the Realizers in that place, including Setsuka. Even though his face changed, she was sure that person was Tenku. Setsuka didn't know what trick he used, but she was relieved that it could help him pass the identity checks of the three organizations.
"Can we check your face closely?" The last of the three overseers asked. He had to ensure that Tenku wasn't wearing a leather mask to disguise his face.
"Sure. But only briefly because I don't like someone touching my face." Tenku said coldly.
"I understand." One of the overseers approached Tenku and scrutinized his face. After a few minutes passed, he sighed, quickly keeping his distance from Tenku.
"You have passed our first requirement. Secondly, please show your strength." the overseer said, taking out a device to measure a Realizer's genesis power. It could display a person's full strength even if they were hiding.
"Yes." Tenku answered curtly and unleashed his power.
When the overseers saw that Tenku only had the amount of Genesis power in the asteroid phase, they sighed in relief because they felt that The Reaper was not as strong as they had heard. That way, the people from the official organization would have no trouble fighting him if The Reaper made any suspicious moves.
The Realizers who saw that were disappointed; some even mocked Tenku in low voices. They thought The Reaper was very strong from the stories they heard, but it turned out to be so-so. It made their interest and curiosity toward him disappear.
Tenku didn't want those people to know his true strength. He was using the power of the Golden Revolver when the overseers checked him. Therefore, the device could only measure his power in the asteroid phase.
"Alright. You have fulfilled our requirements. You can participate in the mission. Please wear this on your wrist as this is your participation token." One of the overseers gave Tenku a black bracelet.
Tenku accepted it and put it on his wrist without hesitation. Afterward, he covered his face again with the mask and quickly left the place. Tenku went to a tree not far from where the students from Susiei High School were gathered.
He sat under the tree and leaned his back against the trunk. Then he removed his hood and covered his ears with his favorite headphones. But he heard someone talking to him before Tenku played music on his smartphone.
"Are you The Reaper?"