MTL NOVEL Chapter 19: Chapter 16: Hunted in the Dark
No Rest for the Weak
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Prologue: No Safe Haven
The streets of Kuroyama City stretched before them like an endless maze, the towering buildings looming under the cold neon glow. A city that never slept, but always watched.
Akira and his team moved swiftly through the back alleys, wounded, breathless, and on edge.
They had fought.
They had survived.
But the Phantom Syndicate was still hunting them.
There was no safe place to hide.
Every step felt like it led deeper into enemy territory.
Every shadow felt like it concealed another trap.
Every distant footstep could be the Syndicate closing in.
Kenji leaned against a damp wall, panting. Blood dripped from a deep wound on his arm. "We need to stop. Just for a second."
Hiroshi wiped sweat from his brow, gripping his sword tightly. "If we stop now, they'll find us."
Haruto, barely holding himself up, gritted his teeth. "We won't last the night like this."
Akira's mind raced. They needed shelter. A place to regroup.
And then—
A name surfaced in his mind.
Mei Takeda.
The Silent Blade.
If anyone could hide them from the Phantom Syndicate… it was her.
But Mei Takeda was not an ally.
She was a ghost. A rogue Stand user. A killer.
And the last time someone tried to find her?
They disappeared.
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Phase One: The Hunt for a Ghost
Mei Takeda was not someone you simply found.
She was a whisper in the underground, a myth among mercenaries, a blade that moved without sound.
But Akira had a lead.
A gambling den hidden beneath the city's neon-lit slums.
It was a place where mercenaries, criminals, and Stand users gathered.
A place where deals were made in blood and betrayal.
It was the last place Mei had been seen.
And it was their only chance.
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Phase Two: The Den of Wolves
The entrance was nothing more than a rusted door behind an abandoned bar.
A small metal slit opened, revealing a single, unblinking eye.
"No outsiders," the guard growled.
Akira slipped a bundle of yen through the slot.
The eye flickered with amusement. The door creaked open.
Inside, the air was thick with cigarette smoke, sweat, and danger.
Men and women sat around poker tables, stacks of cash exchanged with cold, calculating glances.
The scent of alcohol and betrayal filled the air.
Eyes turned toward them—hostile, predatory.
A low voice muttered, "They shouldn't be here."
Another chuckled. "They got a death wish?"
Akira ignored them. His eyes locked on a single table in the farthest corner.
A woman sat alone, shuffling a deck of razor-sharp metal cards between her fingers. Her movements were silent, deadly, precise.
Mei Takeda.
Her gaze lifted lazily to meet Akira's.
Unimpressed. Uninterested.
"You've got five seconds," she said flatly. "Talk."
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Phase Three: The Negotiation of Blades
Akira didn't hesitate.
"We need protection. You're the only one who can hide us."
Mei arched an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"
Kenji clenched his fists. "The Phantom Syndicate is hunting us. If they catch us—"
Mei smirked. "Then that's your problem."
A blade flashed in the dim light.
Her Stand, Razor Symphony, materialized behind her—a silent force of spinning, deadly steel.
"And I don't do charity."
Hiroshi stepped forward. "Then name your price."
Mei's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Price?"
She stood, walking toward them with slow, deliberate steps.
"I don't deal in money. I deal in survival."
She flicked her wrist—
And three masked enforcers stepped forward.
"If you can survive five minutes against them," Mei said lazily, "I'll consider it."
The enforcers lunged.
The fight began.
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Phase Four: A Battle in the Den
Hiroshi was first.
A dagger aimed for his throat.
His sword flashed, intercepting the attack.
The enforcer was fast—but Hiroshi was faster.
Blazing Ronin ignited, the heat warping the air.
The enforcer barely dodged—but Hiroshi was already moving.
A swift kick to the ribs.
A downward slash.
The enforcer collapsed.
One down.
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Daisuke was next.
His opponent moved like a blur, his Stand allowing him to phase through attacks.
Daisuke's first punch missed.
His second punch missed again.
The enforcer grinned. "You can't touch me."
Daisuke smirked. "Who said I need to?"
A sudden gust of wind exploded from Gale Phantom.
The enforcer was thrown backward.
And before he could recover—Daisuke's knee met his jaw.
Two down.
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Nao was the last to fight.
Her opponent was different.
He moved without a sound.
Nao barely avoided a dagger aimed at her spine.
She countered—a surge of crimson energy rippling from her fingertips.
Crimson Reverie.
Her blood whips lashed out—but the enforcer vanished.
A whisper behind her. "Too slow."
Nao's eyes widened.
The dagger descended—
But never connected.
A shockwave of sound exploded through the room.
The enforcer froze mid-motion.
Akira stood behind Nao, Echo Chamber humming with residual energy.
The fight was over.
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Phase Five: The Deal is Sealed
Mei watched from her seat, tapping a metal card against the table.
Then—
She laughed.
"Well, well. You're not completely useless."
She leaned back, arms crossed. "Fine. You have my attention."
Akira exhaled. "Then we have a deal?"
Mei's eyes gleamed.
"Not yet."
She tossed a single metal card onto the table.
"Meet me at this location tomorrow."
Her smirk widened.
"If you survive the night, then we'll talk."
Akira picked up the card. A set of coordinates.
And in that moment—
He knew their fight was far from over.
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