“My name is Jin Makoto.”

Jin introduced himself to Miko and his group with a smile on his face. He had messy black hair and eyes that reminded one of the Night. He was dressed in a jet black trench coat with a black top and pants underneath. He was also wearing a mouth mask and had his hair tied back with some of it still dangling over his face.

“Truly like an angel of death.”

Miko mumbled after seeing Jin.

“I’ve heard of you, Jin Makoto.”

“I’m sure you have. After all, you collected information on everyone of importance in this city.”

“I was merely curious of what kind of place I was coming to. Anyone with sense would do the same.”

Miko chuckled a little.

“But I must say, when Bloom said that she was going to assign someone to watch me I didn’t think it would be the city’s Death God.”

Miko smirked.

“It seems she’s still convinced that I’m a threat.”

“And you’re saying that you aren’t?”

“No, I’m a huge threat. So much that I scare myself sometimes.”

Miko laughed.

“I see. Then I guess you don’t mind me doing this.”

Jin disappeared from where he was and suddenly appeared at Miko’s side. He stretched his hand out towards and a green light came from Miko’s waist.

*Clang!*

Ishma appeared and cut his hand with her bladed arm.

“Tsk!”

She, however was only able to blow his hand back and wasn’t able to even scratch him.

“He’s wearing armor.”

“So this is the demon sword Ishmavael? Your reaction to protect is commendable.”

Jin thrust his hand down and pressed Ishma face down on the ground in an instant.

“Oh?”

He could feel another blade on his neck back. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“That won’t do, Jin.”

Miko had a cheerful smile on his face while pointing Regis at Jin.

“You can’t push a lady down when you just met her.”

His voice became cold.

“You have to get to know her first.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Jin released Ishma.

“Thank you.”

Miko immediately slashed Jin’s back with a smile.

“Oh? I wasn’t able to leave a scratch. That coat is pretty durable. That’s too bad.”

He started laughing. Jin turned around and looked at him in silence. He even evade a sneak attack from Ishma while keeping his eyes on Miko.

“Say Miko, if you and I were to fight who do you think would win?”

“You.”

“An immediate response….Then if I came for your life and you had the chance to flee would you still fight me?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“Because it would be fun.”

“Even though you might lose your life?”

Miko nodded.

“That’s insane.”

“So? That still doesn’t stop it from being exhilarating.”

Jin looked at Miko and sighed.

“I could never understand your type. Your way of thinking is too dangerous. This is why I was against allying with you.”

“So what? You’re gonna try and get rid of me?”

“No. Bloom made her decision, I’ll just accept it and clean up her mess if necessary.”

“I see. Sounds like you have a tough job.”

“You have no idea.”

Jin once again avoided an attack from Ishma with minimal movement.

“I’m curious. Why did you reveal yourself to me? Wouldn’t it have been better for you to watch from the shadows?”

“No reason.”

“What?”

“I just felt like revealing myself. Besides, you know who I am and what I’m capable of right?”

“….Are you threatening me?”

“Of course not. Threats would only have the opposite affect on your type. I merely want you to know that I’m watching you, that’s all.”

“Oh? Well, aren’t you confident?”

“You seem to think that I’m looking down on you but it’s quite the opposite. I’m honestly frightened by what you can do which is why I’m coming at you like this. Honestly, it would be better if we could be friends, that way I won’t have fight a tough battle that I might lose my life in. That being said…”

Jin’s black eyes seemed like they were vortexes sucking in the light of the world.

“If you become a threat to Bloom I will make it my life’s mission to eradicate you from this world. Satan or no Satan.”

“?!”

Miko’s eyes widened with shock.

“You….Who are you really?”

“Jin Makoto of MYTH. I’m the one responsible for protecting Bloom.”

“MYTH?”

Miko started smiling.

“I see. Then you’re a part of New Era. However, you just stated that you would erase me…Wouldn’t that piss your bosses off?”

“Like I care.”

Jin’s eyes became sharp.

“Anything that threatens Bloom is an enemy. Whether it be mortals, immortals, Gods, demons…”

He pointed at Miko.

“Or Satans.”

Miko could feel a stifling murderous aura coming from Jin. It may sound weird but it reminded Miko of his own. This caused him to be stun for a while.

“Regardless of Who you are from the moment I declare you an enemy I’ll give it my all to kick you in the burning pits of hell.”

“Oh? And what about family?”

“What about them? Don’t they bleed as well?”

Jin spoke with such a detach tone that even Tiamat was amazed by his lack of fear.

“Hahahaha!”

Miko on the other hand was amused.

“You said that you couldn’t understand my type but aren’t you the same?”

He pointed at Jin.

“You’re as insane as I am!”

“……..”

Miko walked up to Jin and offered a handshake.

“I like you, Jin Makoto. You’re an interesting man. I hope that we can be friends.”

Jin looked at his hand for a bit and shook it.

“For both of our sakes, I hope for the same thing.”

*******

Newgate City, The Silver Nest.

“I can’t believe that you threatened Miko.”

Bloom was talking to Jin who was standing in front of her.

“When dealing with someone like him, being passive will only lead to your lost. You have to show your aggressive side to him and show him that you’re serious. That’s the only way he’ll truly respect you.”

“Well, you’re not wrong but what if he had chosen to do battle with you then and there?”

“He wouldn’t.”

“Why are you so certain? Remember that Momo was there. If she backed him up you would die.”

“It’s not a matter of winning or losing with him. From the information we’ve gotten on him, I can tell. Miko’s the type to enjoy a good battle or rather a good challenge. However, he’s also cautious and won’t hit outside of his class unless he has a chance at winning by HIMSELF.”

“So you’re saying that the difference between the two of you is too large and he won’t ask for help either so he definitely wouldn’t fight you then?”

“That’s right. From his battle with Tang Xian and Dragon Storm I can tell that he doesn’t like fighting in groups and is against ganging up against someone. If that wasn’t the case, he would’ve had the Dragna clan destroy Dragon Storm for him. There’s also the fact that even after his apostles won their battles they only watched as he fought Tang and didn’t assist; that means he ordered his people to leave Tang Xian to him.”

“Well, it must be his pride as a warrior.”

“Pride? Don’t be stupid, Bloom.”

“You know, I’m starting to wonder if you guys realize that I’m your queen.”

“More importantly…”

(More importantly he says.)

Bloom sighed and listened to what Jin said.

“Has there ever been a time when Miko seemed prideful to you?”

“….Well, no. He seems like the type that would do anything to win.”

“Exactly. Do you think someone like that would have a warrior’s pride? To him, a win is a win. But why doesn’t he believe in ganging up on someone?”

“It’s because he’s a battle maniac who doesn’t want anyone to ruin his fun.”

“Well, that is true but I think there’s another reason.”

“Which is?”

“Miko doesn’t truly trust anyone.”

Bloom became surprised.

“Isn’t that too much? From what I hear, he trust his apostles with his life.”

“You’re misunderstanding me. Maybe it’s because of the way I phrased it. He trusts them on a surface level but he can’t seem to rid himself of doubts.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a theory but I think Miko is the type to only depend on things that he have control over. By this, I mean he only trusts himself and his own abilities.”

“Then why did he create such a force around him?”

“Isn’t it better to have multiple options to rely on when achieving a goal?”

“……..”

“This is how I see it. He gathers talents around him to help achieve his goal like many do, but he also set up various back up plans without anyone knowing. So if things go south he’ll still come out the winner.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that. That shows that he’s smart.”

Jin nodded.

“Yes, he’s very intelligent.”

“….Jin, just what are you trying to say?”

“I’m basically telling you not to underestimate him.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Jin looked at Bloom in silence and thought to himself.

(What I couldn’t tell you Bloom is that there’s a couple guys like Miko in New Era. They move people around like pawns to achieve their goal but to them those pawns aren’t really necessary, they’re just a bonus. Even the “plans” they use are disposable. If they lose their pawns and their plans fail that’s that. If the pawns do well and they succeed then it’s a bonus for them. What make these guys terrifying is that their true plans always work but they come with unbelievable collateral damages. There’s also the fact that they’re able to pull everything off by themselves. Miko doesn’t possess their power but his intellect is on par with theirs; this makes him more dangerous because there’s no telling what he’ll do if he’s backed in a corner.)

The look in Jin’s eyes changed.

“Bloom, if you and Miko were to go to war do not fight him personally.”

“Are saying that I would lose?”

“No. At the moment, Miko can only compete with you in terms of intelligence. However, I believe it’s better if I deal with him.”

(The initial reason New Era wants Miko is because of his Satanic origin, but it’s different now. His skills has been acknowledged by all five leaders and is seen as one of our highest priorities. Someone like that shouldn’t face Bloom.)

“Hello!”

At that moment someone entered Bloom’s office.

“Oh, Sapphire. Did you hear that Jin was here?”

Bloom greeted Sapphire with a smile. As for Jin-

“Oh, Sapphire my darling!”

He suddenly pounced on Sapphire and started hugging her and rubbing his face on her’s in a creepy manner.

“Oh, have I missed you!”

“Hahaha! I missed you too.”

Sapphire said while petting his head which made jin happy.

“If he had a tail it would be wagging right now.”

“How rude! Don’t compare me to a dog!”

Jin shouted.

“I think a tail would look cute on Jin.”

Sapphire said.

“Really? If you want I can grow one.”

Jin popped out his phone.

“Really, I know a guy.”

Sapphire laughed while Bloom shook her head.

“Why are both you and Kaido like this?”

“Sapphire, let’s go on a date.”

“Wait, weren’t we in middle of something?”

“Oh, that can wait. Let’s go!”

Jin quickly left with Sapphire leaving Bloom by herself. She was reminded of the time Kaido ran off to be with Hana after he just came back.

“Jin and Kaido are considered my trump cards….”

She leaned back in her chair.

“I‘m starting to wonder if that’s really ok.”