Hollow

[07:00, 20th November, 2109.]

The Capital city Neo-Tokyo, of the nation of Japan.

The capital of this nation of over seventy million people could best be described as an chaotic city. That not only described its long history, but hinted that life here was as not simple, changing and moving as it had always been — among other things.

It was also a fortress city.

It was so named because it was defended by three layers of walls. The city was divided into multiple sections or parts, from A to Z. Each section served a different purpose. The center of the city was the most important and was where the government and other important buildings were located. The outskirts of the city contained commercial buildings and apartment complexes.

The outer edges of the city were divided further into even smaller sections, some of which contained the homes of the rich and powerful or places to live for those who didn't want to live inside the city walls.

The city, even though it was chaotic, had laws, rules, regulations and security. It was considered one of the most secure and safest cities in Japan. However, all of its security meant it also hosted countless secret organizations, crime syndicates and mercenary companies, to name a few.

That much was obvious the moment one walked the streets.

A single man was walking in district H of Neo-Tokyo.

The surrounding houses were old and plain for the most part. Hardly any of them were new or fancy. However, there were many ways to view this piece of street scenery. Some would consider it to be steeped in historical flavour, while others would consider it boring and stale.

But of course, nothing could remain unchanged forever.

The innermost district's like F was the administrative area of the city. In addition, the district also contained storehouses for rations. Thus, it was heavily guarded.

Between these two areas was the residential district — H — where the people of Neo-Tokyo made their homes.

This place best fit the image that came to mind when one thought of a futuristic city.

There were several plazas here, and the largest of them was called the Central plaza. It was filled with stalls selling vegetables, spices, and other such commercial products which were very very expensive, more than a normal person's two month's salary and this is only for one singular product.

Amidst the crowds, the stall owners energetically shouted their sales pitches to the people walking by, while the older women haggled with the sellers as they looked for fresh food. Drawn by fragrant scents, young men purchased skewers of mass produced lab grown roasted meat which oozed with chemical juices.

The rowdy, energetic atmosphere of this place should have lasted until the sun went down. However, it suddenly went silent as a man emerged from a five-story building nearby.

Everyone in the plaza froze where they stood, their eyes were drawn to the man.

He was tall, around 7ft, with short black hair and red eyes.

He had broad shoulders and a pair of muscular arms. His upper body was clad in a loose white body armour. His lower body was also wearing the same white body armour, it has intricate designs on it made of black. The persons face was covered by a full face mask with only his eyes visible.

The black mask made him look frightening. It was completely opaque and showed nothing.

Even though the clothes he was wearing were white from top to bottom, there was not a speck of dust on the clothing. It was clean as if he had just worn it right now. Furthermore, the body armour he was wearing was definitely not something that normal people could buy. It was definitely custom made.

The man looked around, and the fully armoured person took a step forward. The onlookers watched the man vanish into the distance, and then immediately began whispering about what they had seen. They did not seem afraid of his arms and armour.

That was because the building the pair had just left was called the

"Merc Company." It was a place that only mercenary professionals would visit, so it was hardly strange to see armed people coming out of there. In fact, several other similarly equipped people had left the building in the Meantime.

Those with keen eyes might have noticed a black sticker on the man's armour.

That said, the man had drawn all this attention because of his height and armour.

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The man walked quietly down a narrow road.

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Artificial lights reflected off the water caught under car tries on the road. Unlike proper asphalt roads, said water mixed with the earth and sand, which made for treacherous footing. A moment's carelessness might have led to fall, but the man possessed excellent balance, and so he moved along the road almost as quickly as a proper one.

It seemed like the road in this area had been destoryed for some reason and still hadn't been build.

After verifying that there was nobody else around him, the seven-footed man turned behind him and looked beside him and before he could say something, someone else said:

"Lucif—"

"—No, my name is Sato. Neither are you Oxy, a level 60 Jester but Ox, A cosplayer and Sato's partner."

The person in full plate — Lucifer — interrupted the boy — oxy — halfway

Through his reply.

"Ah! My apologies, Sato-sama."

"Also, don't call me -sama. We are simple mercenaries, and companions. It would be weird to address me like that."

"B-But! How could I possibly be so disrespectful to the one who created me?"

Lucifer gestured at oxy to keep his voice down. He had raised it in his excitement. Then, in a tone that was somewhere between resignation and helplessness, he replied:

"Like I've already said, several times, in this place I am Sato and your partner. So don't call me -sama. That's an order."

After a short silence, oxy reluctantly replied:

"Understood, Sato-san..."

"Forget it, this is fine too. Actually, dropping the -san would be good as well.

After all, how shall I say this, addressing your partner as -san might make people think there's a distance between us."

"But… would that not be too disrespectful…?"

Lucifer shrugged as oxy mumbled.

"We cannot reveal our true identities. You understand that, right? Also, can't you stop being invisible now?"

"Umm... I think I'm afraid to," oxys voice faintly echoed as he spoke.

Lucifer chuckled quietly at Oxys answer, the tone of which was similar to a child who had been reprimanded by his teacher.

"Then, keep hiding. But you'll keep talking to me, right?"

"Of course, master." Oxys voice sounded closer and Lucifer could sense he was now right next to him.

"Don't call me that either."

"Ah! S-Sato-kun, then."

"Yeah… yeah, that's fine."

After their little talk was over, he immediately appeared. The air beside Lucifer shimmered for a moment, and then the invisible oxy gradually became visible.

"That's better." Lucifer muttered. Oxy, instead of wearing his normal jester clothing was in a different appearance right now.

His well-toned body was slender and appeared delicate despite its impressive musculature. His very handsome face is ghastly pale which gives him the impression of a classic pretty boy. However, his physical beauty is somewhat concealed by his peculiar makeup and getup.

He had straight Indigo blue hair which were long enough to cover his whole back and were tucked behind his ear on the left side of his head. His face was decorated with a light-lavender powder, purple lipstick, and purple eye shadow that is adorned on his right eyelid.

His left eye is also bedecked with eye shadow that is more elaborate than the right's eye shadow and covers the whole area around the eye rather than just the eyelid. He wore a black hat, a suit with top and bottom with different shades of purple, along with red and black boots and a cape.

His entire outfit and appearance were very extravagant and theatrical and appeared as though he was wearing a costume to a play. They definitely looked out of place here.

His entire outfit and appearance were very extravagant and theatrical and appeared as though he was wearing a costume to a play. They definitely looked out of place here.

"Of course."

"…Your tone… mm, forget it. In any case… what I want to say is that you must be very careful in your words and actions."

"…Understood, Sato-kun. However, is it really all right for me to accompany you? Would not the beautiful and gentle dark-sama be better for this task?"

"dark?…"

Lucifer's words betrayed his complicated feelings as he replied:

"I need her to go on a mission for me while I am traveling."

"As you say. Sato-kun."

"You know. I am fully aware that this is potentially dangerous."

Lucifer raised his right hand and wiggled its ring finger.

"However, I must go in person. If I stay in my home, there is a chance that I may make a miscalculation. Therefore, I need to personally make contact with the outside world… indeed, there are other methods I could use, but all of them make me uneasy, given that there is so little we know about the situation."

Oxy replied, "I see," with a look of understanding on his face.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at him through the slits of his helmet, and then asked in a somewhat uneasy tone:

"Incidentally, I have a question… Do you think humans are inferior lifeforms?"

When Lucifer posed that question, Oxy immediately responded with a matter of fact look on his face.

"Of course. Humans are clearly inferior, after all. They are weak, powerless beings, incapable of defending themselves, and unable to even reach an advanced stage as species because they die too quickly before having a chance to pass on their knowledge. In addition, they are greedy, stupid, foolish, short-sighted, cowardly, arrogant, and many other unpleasant characters as a whole, so it is a fact that they should live under the authority of those who have the ability."

His cold and clinical words, devoid of any trace of emotion or pity, made it seem like he was talking about some kind of wild animal, instead of a species that he was a member of or atleast, he used to be.

"And by those who have the ability i mean you of course."

He said it so easily and naturally that Lucifer was a little taken aback.

However, his question was not merely intended as a joke and a small test. Lucifer wanted to understand his companion's thinking better, especially on that aspect.

That was why he did not stop at his response but instead continued to inquire further:

"And why do you think that is?"

"Because," Oxy continued, still with that same indifferent expression.

"Humans never change. They are a race that is so stubborn to their very nature, yet at the same time, they are so quick to make their own assumptions. Their stupidity is so deeply ingrained into their nature, that even if you have the power to change everything, they will always choose to rely on their own, outdated way of thinking, and try to cling to their small, insignificant pride, even when it brings them to ruination."

Lucifer muttered, "Ah, so you felt that way too," but his voice was too soft to reach oxy's ears.

"Ox, I won't tell you to cast away those thoughts, but at the very least, you must control yourself. This is a human city, and we do not know what exceptional individuals they have among them. Therefore, we should try our best not to make enemies."

Ox bowed deeply to him to show him loyalty and obedience. Lucifer extended his hand to him, to bid him raise his head. Then he continued:

"There is one more thing. When we intend to fight in earnest, we might radiate a… killing intent, which humans might be able to sense. Well, something like that might happen. Therefore, you are not to get serious without my permission. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Sato-kun."

"Very good… Then, the inn we heard about should be nearby."