THE DAY HE BECAME A DEMON

While Rigaka and the whole research division are desperately trying to fix the tube in the material plane, Akio's consciousness is trapped in another world – a world he has no prior knowledge of: the mental plane.

Akio has been waiting there for more than 8 years, lost in the same place where he has lost his emotions. As usual, he finds himself gazing at the giant eye in the ethereal void.

"Who are….. "

Suddenly, a noise from behind catches his attention.

Turning around, he is confronted with a nightmarish sight – a massive prison filled with horrifying monsters, all desperately trying to escape.

Their monstrous hands reach out towards Akio, evoking an instinctive fear within him, something he has not felt in over a decade.

"What's this? Was it there a minute ago? Where did this prison come from? And those monsters…?"

Amidst the chaos, Akio notices a peculiar black goat standing before him, its eyes void of any irises.

When he looks into the goat's eyes, he sees other faces within them, and among them, he recognizes a familiar one – his father's.

"Father?"

Memories flood Akio's mind – the tears of his mother, the day his father abandoned them.

If only his father had been there, perhaps his mother and sisters wouldn't have died.

"Just one chance. I just need one chance."

Akio grins, "I swear, I am going to kill you off, old man."

A fierce determination surges within Akio.

He feels a newfound resolve, vowing to confront his father and express his pent-up emotions.

The moment he makes up his mind, the reality in front of him distorts, and he is pulled back into the material plane.

And, after coming to this plane, the 1st thing he discovers is…

"Water?"

Akio noticesthe sensation of water surrounding him. Bubbles float around him, and he realizes he has some accessories attached to his body – in his mouth, hand, and chest.

But why? And where is he?

His head throbs with pain, and he struggles to understand the situation. "Why can't I come out of it? What's happening to me?"

Outside the water, he hears faint murmurs – perhaps human voices. He wonders, "Am I still alive?"

Suddenly, a deafening sound of glass breaking fills the room, and the water around Akio begins to dissipate.

He struggles to breathe as he surfaces, his mind clouded with confusion and pain.

Meanwhile, in the president's room, the sudden sound of an explosion startles everyone present.

President: "What was that sound?"

Announcement: "Alert, Alert, Room F5 has faced a big accident. The tube containing 10 subjects blew up out of nowhere."

Hearing the alarming announcement, panic spreads among the people near the affected room.

Soldiers quickly take up defensive positions, unsure of the situation.

President: "What's going on here?"

Secretary of the president, Grinal: "It seems there has been some sort of problem in Room F5."

Sanjo's memory jogs, "Wasn't there our new subject?"

Grinal recalls, "Y-yes. I think so."

The news of the incident spreads like wildfire, and Risha starts praying for Rigaka's safety as he struggles for his life.

At 6:10 PM, inside Room F5:

The situation is dire. Many people are severely injured, unable to move their bodies. The tube has ruptured, causing horror and chaos.

Rigaka's senses slowly return, and he groans in pain, feeling his eye bleeding.

He surveys his surroundings and notices scientists regaining consciousness and quickly leaving the room, scared and disoriented.

"Everyone is scared, I guess. Can't blame them for not helping others," Rigaka mutters to himself.

Gazing at his injured leg, Rigaka observes it slowly healing.

"For the 1st time, i feel like thanking zord. Because of them I was able to attain charge and it's coming handy. But the healing process is so slow. Wonder when my eye will heal."

Although one of his eyes is damaged, Rigaka can still see using the other eye.

With that eye, he spots Akio's father, Aritsu, searching among the pile of bodies, likely trying to find his son.

However, it's no longer a safe place. Security will undoubtedly investigate the accident, and if they find Aritsu's fingerprint at the scene, he might become a suspect.

Rigaka shouts at Aritsu, "Hey, what're you trying to do?"

Ignoring Rigaka, Aritsu continues his frantic search, mumbling pleas and apologies to himself.

Rigaka approaches him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We have to leave."

Aritsu, still preoccupied with his search, pleads desperately, "Please… please…"

Rigaka insists, "I am asking you something."

Aritsu finally shouts, "Can't you see? I am trying to find my son. I need to find him. I need to find him… and tell him… that I am sorry. I made him hate me for all of his life. I don't have much time left. Just let me…"

Tears stream down Aritsu's face as he cries, overwhelmed by emotions.

"Please, let me… I want to say sorry to him, for just one time."

Suddenly, another explosion rocks the room, and Rigaka and Aritsu are thrown back by the force.

Rigaka crashes into a nearby bench, hitting his head on its corner, causing a deep and painful wound.

Despite the pain, Rigaka musters his strength. The situation demands his composure and focus.

He looks at Aritsu. That old man landed safely. Didn't get hurt much.

Rigaka : "What the hell was that?"

When Rigaka looks in front of him. he sees the figure of a monstrous being rising from the pile of corpses. In an instant, Rigaka recognizes the transformed figure.

"Akio, my son,"

Aritsu cries out as he tries to stand up and falls again without the help of his stick. He sees that his walking stick left behind near the tube.

After a while, Sanjo arrives at the room, only to be greeted by a harrowing sight.

The room is in shambles, and a huge clock that once hung on the wall now lies broken on the floor, its glass shattered, but the clock still ticking, showing the time as 6:16 PM.

Smoke fills the air, and the water from the tube has scattered all over the place.

Rigaka is now struggling to get up. Akio's father, Aritsu, is trying to find his stick to stand up. And inside the tube, someone is there. Among all the corpses , there is someone.

"Monster."

Akio's whole body is covered with flesh. His skin doesn't look good in the middle of those flesh. Only one of his eyes can't be seen. And that eye doesn't feel like having any life since there's no iris in his eyes.

"He is no longer a human. He has turned into a monster," Rigaka gulps, fear creeping into his voice.

Akio suddenly moves with a deadly intent, aiming to attack Aritsu.

Aritsu shields his eyes in terror, and Rigaka cries out a warning, fearing the worst.

The bullet strikes Akio.

And Rigaka, looking toward the door, realizes that Sanjo is the one who shot his son.

In that moment, Sanjo fires a shot at Akio's chest.

Rigaka looks at the door and discovers that the one who shot Akio was none other than sanjo.

Sanjo replies, "It seems so."

Rigaka remarks sarcastically, "By the way, still great timing."

As they observe Akio's monstrous form, Sanjo questions how Akio could have ended up like this.

Rigaka speculates, "Maybe it happened because of the interference with the tube. Not sure though. Just a theory."

Sanjo inquires further, "What interference?"

Glaring at Sanjo, Rigaka retorts, "Even I don't know. Stop with your questions. It's a bad habit of yours. Now focus on this situation. It's not the time for that."

Sanjo refocuses his attention on Akio.

Suddenly, a large number of soldiers enter the room, taking up defensive positions, all armed with powerful charge-guns.

Rigaka warns, "Those charge-guns are crazy strong, and the bullets within those guns are modified. They can take down an entire elephant. I hope it works against this guy."

Aritsu hesitates, worried about the situation.

Rigaka reassures him, "Don't worry. They won't dare to kill a subject. They will make sure that Akio regains control of his own body."

Aritsu murmurs, "I know that much. I am not talking about that. I am talking about Akio."

Rigaka glances at Akio.

Even though Akio was shot, he manages to get back up, undeterred.

Sanjo mutters in disbelief, "No way… Are you kidding me?"

Rigaka responds with a realization, "Oh no, I get it."

Sanjo inquires, "What?"

Rigaka explains, "Akio is acting based on his emotions. His body has adapted to the situation, giving him this monstrous form to act on his remaining emotions and keep himself alive. Look, he has no iris in his eyes. It supports this theory."

Sanjo questions, "Are you saying he is using charge?"

Rigaka confirms, "There's no other explanation for it. Is there?"

Sanjo nods, understanding the gravity of the situation.

Rigaka expresses concern, "The thing is, he is using charge subconsciously. That's rare."

Both Rigaka and Sanjo observe Akio, who is struggling to maintain his balance, looking back at Aritsu with dreadful eyes.

Rigaka warns, "You can't take him down that easily, Sanjo."

Sanjo acknowledges the challenge ahead, saying, "I know that much."

Akio once again attempts to attack Aritsu, and Sanjo fires another shot, but Akio manages to evade it.

Sanjo becomes increasingly worried, "Oh god, this monster is starting to think and adapt to the situation."

Rigaka exhales, "If we don't do something, he will take over Akio's entire body."

Sanjo realizes the gravity of the situation and exclaims, "Goddamn it. I have no choice."

Sanjo calls for reinforcements, instructs them. "On my mark, everyone, aim at him at once with your charge-gun and shoot him down. Let's do it. It's now or never."

Rigaka jests, "Such a cringe line. Never liked it."

But there is no time to waste. Akio shows no signs of stopping his attack on Aritsu.

Sanjo urges, "Now!"

All the soldiers unleash a barrage of charged shots at Akio.

Despite his monstrous form, Akio's strength wanes under the relentless assault. His body begins to break down, and he cries out in pain while attempting to reach Aritsu. The soldiers' continuous fire keeps him at bay.

Rigaka observes, "Akio is down. The bullets are working."

However, Akio refuses to give up. He tries to stand up again, displaying an astounding level of resilience.

Sanjo realizes, "He won't go down that easily. He's still fighting."

Rigaka nods in agreement, "That's true."

Sanjo's determination intensifies, "We can't stop now. We have to keep firing until he's completely under control."

The soldiers maintain their barrage, surrounding Akio to ensure he can't escape.

Sanjo pleads with a heavy heart, "Trust me, Akio. We didn't want to do this to you. So sorry."

Akio lets out a terrible roar, but the constant fire barrage keeps him from moving.

The room becomes filled with the sound of bullets being fired, signifying the intensity of the situation.

And all of a sudden, the firing stops.