Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Osaka.

"He's been in there for almost three hours." Okajima said in an impatient tone. "How long does he intend to make us wait?"

In response, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa looked at Okajima disdainfully. However, she did not say anything.

'You act like he asked us to wait here.' Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said to herself. 'We're not meeting up with him for drinks after work. We're here to ambush him. Please show some self-awareness.'

In fact, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa was not totally on board with the government's plan to subjugate Void. Especially since he had not done anything to harm the country. But since she was a military woman, she could only follow her orders and deal with the guilt later.

"Hey, something is happening to the Gate.!" A soldier shouted from the crowd.

Immediately, both Lt. Yoshikawa, Okajima, along with their most trusted men, turned their heads in the direction of the Gate. And when they did, it only took a moment for Void, or rather, Tatsuo, to appear in front of the unstable Gate.

"Finally." Okajima said with a blood thirsty grin. "I really hope he resists capture. Then, we'll have a reason to show him not to mess with us."

Once again, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa glanced at Okajima disdainfully. But like last time, she did not say anything. Instead, she stepped forward towards Void, who seemed as if he was just regaining his bearings and surveying his surroundings.

"Void, we request that you come with us." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said while walking towards Tatsuo. "The government has determined that you are too dangerous to be left to your own devices. Therefore, we will be taking you into custody until countermeasures have been formed. We ask that you do not resist. And if you should decide to do so, we are authorized to use force… Lethal force, if necessary."

Hearing that, Tatsuo looked around at all the members of Guardian and Freedom Wing surrounding him. Then, he sneered at all of them. And he did nothing to hide it.

"You guys get going." Tatsuo said quietly enough that only Sumire and Hwaya would be able to hear him. "Or, at the very least, get far enough away that you won't be caught in the crossfire when things go sideways."

"Please be safe." Sumire said with a hint of worry in her tone.

Instead of replying verbally, Hwaya only nodded her head. Then, she grabbed Sumire tightly and cast the [Levitation] spell before flying the two out of the encirclement.

"Nee-San, he'll be okay, won't he?" Sumire asked while looking down at the scene from the sky.

"Of course he will." Hwaya replied. "The strongest person here is an A+-Rank. A lineup like that wouldn't even be able to hurt me, a mage, let alone someone as strong as Tatsuo. You only have to believe in him."

In response, Sumire nodded her head while clasping her hands in front of her chest. Yet, she did not even try to take her eyes away from the scene below her.

Meanwhile, Tatsuo finally finished surveying the crowd. Then, he turned his attention to the woman, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa, who spoke to him before.

"And may I ask, who are you?" Tatsuo asked while tilting his head in curiosity.

"I am Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa Noriko, commander of the 2nd Special Infantry Platoon." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa replied crisply.

"I see." Tatsuo replied while nodding his head. "Then, may I ask you another question?"

"Go on." the Lt. Colonel replied with a nod of her own.

"What have I done that was so dangerous?" Tatsuo asked in a sarcastic tone. "Was it when I protected those kids at that high school? Or was it when I protected the prey I hunted from the greedy hands of Freedom Wing? Or maybe it was when I left all the corpses I couldn't carry with me for Guardian and Freedom Wing to divide among themselves? Or... OH, I know! It must have been when the rat from Freedom Wing was unable to track me after I left. Yeah, that's gotta be it."

As he reached the end of his monologue, Tatsuo began clapping his hands as if he had just solved a great mystery. Meanwhile, the people from Freedom Wing were all gritting their teeth in anger. And the worst thing about Tatsuo's questions was the fact that they could not refute any of it.

In fact, the only reason they wanted revenge was because they felt they were disrespected. And as people with high pride and, in their opinion, the strength to back it up, that was unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the people from Guardian had two reactions to Tatsuo's words. First, there were those who were upset, but not overly so, because he was questioning the orders of the government. In other words, the patriots. Then, there were those who agreed with Tatsuo's words, but still had to take him into custody because they were following orders.

And Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa was one of the latter.

"*Sigh* I don't know how to answer your questions, Void." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said in an exasperated toen. A moment later, however, her expression hardened, and she gripped the hilt of her katana. "But that doesn't matter. Just come with us. And I'm sure you'll get the answers you seek."

"Ha! Do you think I was born yesterday?" Tatsuo asked in a sharp tone, his sneer widening as he did so. "Find the answers I seek? Bullshit! The only thing that will happen if I let you take me is me having a collar put on me. And if I continue to resist after that, I'll be executed and have all my actions villainized."

"And that's a perfect example of why you're so dangerous!" Okajima shouted in a gloating tone. "You have no respect for authority."

Hearing that, Tatsuo turned to look at Okajima.

"And who the hell are you?" Tatsuo asked rudely.

Okajima gritted his teeth at the blatant disdain in Tatsuo's words and eyes.

"I'm Okajima Ryoma." Okajima replied. "The leader of Japan's branch of Freedom Wing."

"Oh~~~!" Tatsuo said as if he understood something. Then, he smiled sycophantically.

Seeing that, a smug expression appeared on Okajima's face, thinking that his name and title had let the kid in front of him figure out his place in the world.

"You're one of those 'so-called authority figures,' aren't you?' Tatsuo asked, his voice dripping with so much disdain that it was impossible to miss. "Well, I have a question for you, 'Mr. Authority Figure.' What gives you the authority that you're so proud of?"

Immediately, Okajima's mana began to stir. It was clear that he was just a moment away from attacking.

"Is it your strength?" Tatsuo asked as he, too, flexed his [Energy] that far surpassed Okajima's. "Or the people you command? Or maybe the fancy little title you were given because there was no one stronger to take it?"

With that, Okajima's mana flared to its limit. Yet, by some miracle, he did not order the attack yet.

By this point, the unstable Gate had finally dissipated, revealing the majesty of Osaka Castle. However, no one was in the mood to admire its brilliance. Instead, everyone's eyes were trained on Tatsuo, ready to capture him if necessary.

"I wonder if you would still be the branch leader of Japan's Freedom Wing if I decided to join them." Tatsuo said as he leaned towards Okajima with a disdainful sneer on his face. "What do you think? Do you think I'd be the new branch leader of this branch? Or would you remain in that position. Hmm? Such an interesting topic, don't you agree?"

"Enough!" Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa shouted just as Okajima was about to lunge forward to attack. "Void, should I take it as you resisting arrest?"

"Oh, now it's arrest?" Tatsuo said playfully. "And what exactly am I being arrested for?"

In response, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa could only shake her head.

"Take him down." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said, giving the capture order.

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

Immediately, the weaker members of Guardian raised the firearms they were carrying and opened fire at Tatsuo. However, Tatsuo seemed completely unbothered. Instead, he used his footwork to dodge most of the bullets flying his way. And for those he could not, he cut them in half with the [Thunderclap Daggers].

"Come on, those things wouldn't even work against B-Rankers." Tatsuo said while continuing to avoid the bullet storm. "Why would you even try them on someone like me?"

As he finished speaking, Tatsuo's weapons lit up with purple-tinted, black [Energy]. Then, he began sending out [Spatial Rends] along the firing lines of the bullets he split in half. And with a masterful display of [Energy] control and spatial awareness, he cut the barrels of all the firearms in half without harming the shooters in the slightest.

Seeing that, everyone on the scene was completely shocked. However, that did not stop their actions for long.

"You made a big mistake, boy!" Okajima shouted as he dashed forward. "Freedom Wing! Attack!"

While he charged forward and gave his order, the water molecules in the air began to gather around Okajima's hands. Then, they took the form of water whips. And when he was close enough to Tatsuo, he swung them at Tatsuo's head and shoulders.

Not only Okajima, but all the members of Freedom Wing attacked. While those who had abilities that enhanced their bodies dashed forward with Okajima, those who were better suited for ranged combat fired projectiles of all kinds of elements at Tatsuo to cut off his avenues of escape.

"You guys really are coordinated." Tatsuo said as he watched all the incoming attacks. "And if you were fighting anyone else, this would be a great strategy. But you forgot to factor in two things."

Reaching that point, Tatsuo swiped his right hand's bladed knuckle duster through the air, severing both water whips that were approaching.

"First, I'm much stronger than you." Tatsuo said, his voice growing cold as he did so. "So, there's no reason for me to run from anything you can throw at me."

Then, Tatsuo stepped forward towards Okajima, who was still charging at him. A moment later, he was standing right in front of Okajima. He then threw a left low kick at Okajima's front leg, destroying his balance, before planting his left foot on the ground and slamming his right knee into Okajima's gut.

"Gahh!" Okajima grunted as the wind was knocked out of him.

Following the knee strike, Tatsuo grabbed Okajima by the back of his collar and swung him into the path of a fireball that was aimed at his back. Then, he ducked down quickly to avoid a wind blade that was flying towards his waist. At the same time, he spun on his pivot foot and swept Okajima's legs out from under him with such force that Okajima was suspended in the air horizontally, causing the wind blade to fly past both of them harmlessly.

Seeing that, all the Awakened who were attacking from a distance were dumbfounded. They had never seen anyone with such spatial awareness or battlefield instincts before. And although none of them would admit it aloud, they admired Tatsuo, or rather, void, for it.

A moment later, Tatsuo unequipped the [Thunderclap daggers] as he threw an elbow strike behind him.

"Argh!" A woman with a body enhancement ability groaned as she doubled over when Tatsuo's elbow struck her abdomen.

However, before she could make another sound or move to defend herself, the back of Tatsuo's fist flew up and struck her in the chin, reaping her consciousness instantly.

After that, Tatsuo stood up and kicked Okajima in the back, causing him to fly back up to Tatsuo's waist height just before he could fall to the ground. He then completed this series of moves by throwing aside kick into Okajima's ribs, sending him flying into another Awakened holding a spear and sending them both rolling away.

"And the second thing you didn't factor into your plans was…" Tatsuo said just before [Blinking] away from where he stood.

In the next instant, Tatsuo reappeared among the long ranged fighters from Guardian and Freedom Wing.

"Is that I can be wherever I want on this battlefield." Tatsuo said, finishing his earlier sentence.

From there, Tatsuo was like a wolf in a flock of sheep, utterly dominating the long ranged Awakened while occasionally dealing with a melee fighter who managed to get close. And whenever he felt the population density in an area was too high, he would simply [Blink] to another portion of the long range fighters and start the entire process all over again.

Half an hour later, Tatsuo struck down the last of the long ranged fighters, a woman with the ability to control lightning. In fact, she was the hardest of all the opponents that attacked him to handle, as she was also quite fast. Though, she had no skill to speak of in close combat.

However, there was still one foe left to face.

*Clang!*

Just as Tatsuo pulled his fist from the lightning user's stomach, Tatsuo quickly equipped the [Thunderclap Daggers] once again. Then, he crossed them over his left shoulder to block a diagonal slash from a katana coated in mana.

"I was wondering when you were going to attack, Lt. Colonel." Tatsuo said with a smile. "Honestly, I thought it would be much sooner. I mean, it couldn't' have been easy to watch all your forces be taken down like that, right?"

"To tell you the truth, I didn't want to fight you at all." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said while putting more force into the blade locking contest. "I knew this was a bad idea from the start. I mean, you were graded as SS-Rank for a reason. I knew it was even worse when the government didn't send any S-Rankers to assist us."

"Hmm? Sounds like someone wanted to get rid of all of you, doesn't it?" Tatsuo said in a cheeky tone.

In response, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa could only shake her head.

"To a soldier loyal to the country, that doesn't matter." The Lt. Colonel replied. "All I have to do is follow orders. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that will lead me to my death one day."

This time it was Tatsuo's turn to shake his head.

"Well, at least today won't be your turn, or any of these people's turns, to die." Tatsuo said. "unless the government plans to get rid of all of you for failing this mission."

"That's a distinct possibility." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa replied.

"Well then, I can only wish you good luck." Tatsuo said as he slid is weapons backwards, down towards the guard of Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa's katana.

Once he felt his weapons come in contact with the guard of the katana, Tatsuo twisted his wrists, causing the blade to veer to the left. Then, he disengaged from the blade locking contest and grabbed the Lt. Colonel's right wrist, lunged backwards and forced his left shoulder into her torso, then shoulder threw her to the ground.

To Tatsuo's surprise, however, the Lt. Colonel showed a masterful level of bodily control and managed to get her feet down before she slammed into the ground. After that, taking advantage of Tatsuo's split-second of shock, she spun on her feet and swept her katana at Tatsuo's legs.

Unfortunately for Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa, Tatsuo was not surprised long enough to be hit by her surprise move. However, instead of counterattacking, he leapt backwards to make some distance between the two.

"That technique…" Tatsuo muttered while staring at Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa. "How do you know it? There should only be one person alive that knows it."

In fact, the technique lt. Colonel Yoshikawa used to defend from Tatsuo's shoulder throw was a technique that his mother in this life practiced before her untimely demise. And she always used to tell Tatsuo stories about it when he was a child.

That defensive technique, although nothing particularly special, was something that his mother in this life developed with her best friend from childhood when they were both studying judo. However, after they both graduated from high school the two took different paths. While Tatsuo's mother went on to university and met his father, her best friend ended up joining the military.

The two did not have much contact after that. But Tatsuo's mother always spoke fondly of her best friend from childhood.

While Tatsuo was thinking back about conversations he used to have with his mother from this world, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa was completely frozen in shock. She had heard Tatsuo's muttering, which should not come as a surprise, considering that she was the only A+-Ranker from Guardian assigned to the task of capturing Void.

Tatsuo's words made her think of the only other person who should know that defensive technique. And those thoughts caused her mood to soured immediately. Even so, she looked at Tatsuo with shock.

"The technique you're talking about, did you hear about it from---" Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa began to ask.

"You're probably thinking of the correct person." Tatsuo said, cutting off the Lt. Colonel's words while glancing at all the people lying around the area.

At the same time, after being cut off, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa also looked at all the defeated members of Guardian and Freedom Wing.. And she noticed that although none of them were still capable of fighting, many of them were still conscious.

With that realization, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa had a moral dilemma. By now, she was almost certain that Void was the son of her deceased best friend from childhood. And that was where the dilemma lay. Should she use this information to find out where he lives and lead the forces of Guardian and Freedom Wing to besiege his home, or should she keep the information to herself and find him during her private time to find out about how her friend lived after they separated so many years ago.

"Well, I think I've had enough for today." Tatsuo said as he relaxed his body. "I'm not usually into mass murder. But if this kind of thing happens again, Japan is going to have a lot fewer Awakened by the end."

Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa recognized Tatsuo's words for the threat they were. And that's when she came to the realization.

'He didn't kill anyone.' Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa thought to herself. 'But if we try this again, there's no guarantee that things will be the same, huh?'

While Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa was pondering the ramifications of attacking Void again, Tatsuo cast [Return]. And the destination was his bedroom in his apartment back in Tokyo.