"Father, the supreme order..." Akira hurried into where her father was, followed by six men dressed in red and black who only had one order: to keep her safe.
Seeing the man they were looking for in this hotel, Akira knew they would all be labeled as traitors, so they would be killed. "What is that man doing here?"
"Mr. Wick is our guest..." Koji said, directing his attention to where the men were, but when he noticed one of them wasn't wearing a mask and had a cross on his cheek, he said nothing.
"Father..." Akira was boiling with fury.
"Stay here; I'll talk to them; they don't know he's here." Koji said as he stood up and headed for the exit.
Akira grabbed her father's arm and said, "Please..."
"Stay here..."
After saying those words, Koji headed for the exit, but it was clear to him that tonight would be one filled with blood. What comforted him was that apparently his daughter's fiancé was here; at least with his presence, he could protect his daughter.
...
"The hotel has been surrounded; what are your orders?"
Anton, who was adjusting his all-covering white suit, didn't respond immediately.
"They don't need to die here for a fight that doesn't concern them. I'll stay and help however I can. All of you should fall back and secure an escape route. Communicate with the teams outside to be prepared; don't worry about my safety; worry about yours."
These words made Jack nod.
"I could stay with you to protect your back; do you really not need it?" Jack asked, somewhat against being away from Anton.
"I'll be fine," Anton said as he placed his white pistols on his suit.
Although this suit should be worn during the day, night fell on this city without him being able to do anything, so it was inevitable to use it at night.
Even though many would die tonight, Anton wouldn't feel guilty because all these people were not innocent. They all had blood on their hands and lived with the idea that they could die at any moment doing this job.
His behavior could be seen as good or bad, but as he had known before, he was not a good person. At least now he could do what he really wanted without fear of being judged by his appearance. The feeling of maintaining a reputation had been left behind in his previous life, so now he would simply do what his heart commanded.
Still, Anton thought that keeping Akira alive, a woman who had not yet lived according to her own desires, was what he wanted to do. He had not met anyone during all this time who understood him, looked at him with a sense of indifference, and took him as someone else.
Possibly, the risk of getting involved in this fight would be his death.
So, to avoid that, he must be sure of what he would do.
As he walked through the corridors, he met Koji, who looked at him from afar. "You shouldn't be here; why don't you go look for Akira?"
"She fears for her life, sir. Do you think it's appropriate to make my fiancée cry and be alone at the moment she gets married?" Anton said, not referring to himself as the possible man marrying Akira.
Koji smiled slightly. He liked the new character Anton was showing, so he said, "Are you good at killing?"
"I've killed creatures bigger and stronger than a bear. Do you think being human is a challenge for me? If you allow me, I would like to fight alongside my father-in-law and make sure you stay safe." Anton bowed as the Japanese typically do to ask for or show respect.
Koji nodded, walked to Anton's side, and whispered, "Take my daughter no matter what it costs; don't care at all about my safety."
"Is this really worth it?" Anton could and couldn't understand.
"That's not for you to know."
Despite this answer, Anton wasn't upset; on the contrary, he put on his white mask and followed Koji, who had already confronted the Marshal's envoy.
Although he was mentally tired of having his hands stained with blood, Anton knew he had to do this.
"I'll make sure to put an end to those who don't enjoy the life that I myself have taken care to keep safe."
Tonight, blood will definitely rain.