Chapter 88:The Daughter of Liuly and the Shadow of Bakuzan
The tension still hung between them like a fine, persistent mist. The party was in full swing all around, but neither Sally nor her father was really enjoying it. He handed her a cold drink with a small apologetic smile. She took the can, opened it... and a little geyser of sparkling juice splashed on her hands.
Sally (sighing): Great...
She stood up without a word.
Sally: I'm going to wash my hands.
She walked away, passing through the lights and laughter that did not reach her heart. She entered the restroom of one of the still-open restaurants, the walls lit by a pale blue neon. Water flowed softly as she rubbed her sticky fingers. Then she raised her eyes.
In the mirror, a reflection. It was not hers.
Her father. Standing behind her. Or rather, his image. Not really there. Just there, in her head. He was smiling. Tired. The features drawn. The air… sincere.
Her throat tightened.
Why did it make her feel like this now? He wasn't even her real father. He was just a rich man who had agreed to adopt her into the Liuly dynasty. She had never lacked anything, that was true. Never. But she had lived in a house made of marble and glass, with more servants than shared moments.
And yet… he was here tonight.
She remembered his gaze, a little sad, when she had brushed him off earlier. His discreet sigh. And that little nervous laugh he had tried to slip through his clumsy attempts at conversation.
Sally (talking to herself, low): Maybe I was a little harsh…
She sighed deeply, threw the towel in the trash, and left the restroom.
But barely had she crossed the threshold when the night flipped.
Screams. Yells. Sounds of breaking glass. An overturned car. People fled in all directions, trampling their own bags, their shoes, their memories. Black smoke rose above the stands.
Mutants. Massive, grotesque, veins swollen with green light, fangs and hypertrophied limbs. Some climbed walls like spiders, others destroyed game terminals with monstrous crashes.
Sally (panicked): Dad?!
She ran through the panicked crowd, pushing passersby, jumping over overturned tables. Bodies already littered the ground, injured, knocked out. Chaos.
And then she saw him.
Standing. Facing a mutant three times his size. Her father. Holding a poor piece of wood, trembling but determined.
Father (shouting): Let me go get my daughter, you monsters!
He struck in vain the creature about to crush him.
A whistle cut through the air.
Sally: DON'T TOUCH MY FATHER, FILTHY CREATURE!
She appeared like a flash and in a single blow, a sharp wave shot from her arm, striking the mutant squarely on the head. The creature collapsed with a guttural scream.
Her father stepped back, shocked.
Father: Sally…?
She turned, proud, her gaze blazing with a new light.
Sally: Dad, look at your daughter's feats! While you were in your meetings… I was training at the great Mo-Zeus'!
And she charged.
Like a comet. Her body danced between monsters. She slid, struck, sliced. Every movement was precise, every attack devastating. She threw mutants into walls, knocked them down in the air, struck weak points with an elegance almost like choreography.
Her father, stunned, watched her. The world seemed to stop around him.
When finally it was all over, mutants lying on the ground or fleeing into the night, Sally approached, still panting. She smiled.
Father (astonished): So you are… that strong?
Sally (tears at the edge of her eyes): Father… I'm sorry.
She melted into his arms. For a moment, he didn't know how to react. Then he hugged her tightly. As if afraid she might disappear.
Sally (voice trembling): I know you're often very busy… I know I'm not your real daughter… but still, I lack nothing. And even tonight, you tried… You tried to give me attention. Maybe you weren't even obliged, but you did it.
He squeezed her tighter, eyes misty.
Sally: Maybe… you even declined a meeting tonight, just to be with me…
Tears finally rolled down the businessman's cheeks.
Father: Thank you, Sally… Thank you so much, my daughter… Real daughter or not, you are a Liuly. And our blood, our true blood, is the bond we choose. Not the one we receive.
They stayed like that for a few moments, in the ruins of a devastated night.
Then, later, both sitting on a bench, the emergency services beginning to arrive in the distance, Sally sipped a slightly flat but sweet juice. Her father, like a fascinated child, mimicked her gestures:
Father: And there! There you jumped on the ice cream stand and BAM! A flurry of blows like in an old movie! And the mutant with the mohawk? He threw a car at you! You caught it mid-air and threw it right back in his face!
Sally (laughing): You're exaggerating a bit, aren't you?
Father: I swear I'm not! I saw everything! I was there! You looked like a superhero from a fighting manga!
They laughed together, lighthearted for the first time in a long while. In their bursts of laughter and regained complicity, even the broken neon lights seemed to want to light up again.
The limousine doors opened silently, and the two Liulys took their seats. Outside, the flashing lights still painted red and blue reflections on the sidewalks, but inside the vehicle, an almost unreal calm atmosphere reigned.
It was nearly 11 p.m. The leather seats were warm, the lighting dimmed, and the city slowly passed behind the tinted windows.
Father (looking at Sally with admiration): You know, I always thought strength… was a matter of heritage. Of blood. But now… I realize it's a question of will. Of identity.
Sally (smiling): Yet, you always say Liuly blood is sacred.
Father (amused): I used to say that… before my daughter started smashing mutants in evening gowns.
They laughed together, like accomplices. Sally crossed her legs, rested her elbow against the window, her gaze dreamy.
Sally: You know what Mo-Zeus taught me one day? That every movement must contain intention. That even in a kick, you have to put a thought. Crazy, isn't it? He said thought precedes force.
Father: I understand what he meant. It's like in my board meetings. The most powerful decisions aren't the loudest, they're the ones with the most… invisible weight.
Sally (curious): Do you use what you know often at the office? Do you scare people?
Father: (laughs) Scare, no. But… make them think, yes. And sometimes… you have to know how to wear a mask. Maybe that's what we have in common, you and me. You with your feats, me with my strategies.
Sally: We pretend to be weaker than we are… until the right moment.
They exchanged a deep, knowing look. The kind of look that only happens when two worlds long apart begin to come together.
Suddenly, her father's phone vibrated in the inner pocket of his jacket. He took it out, a slight frown on his face. The screen briefly lit his face. Unknown number. He answered while looking at Sally.
Father (hesitant): Uh… Sally?
She looked at him, surprised by the suddenly serious tone, but her smile remained relaxed.
Sally: Go ahead, you can answer. Please.
She made a small hand gesture, as if to say I'm here, don't worry.
He nodded, slightly troubled, then brought the phone to his ear.
Father: Hello…? Yes, I'm here.
The limousine glided softly through the deserted city streets. Sally, leaning against the window, watched the streetlights and neon reflections pass by. The leather seat was comfortable, the interior hushed… but she no longer listened to her father.
He was still on the phone, his tone low but tense. It had been almost ten minutes now.
Sally (thinking): Who could that be at this hour?…
She looked away outside again, a bit annoyed, when the car entered a darker alley. There, her gaze lingered.
A fleeting silhouette had just passed under a streetlamp.
Sally frowned, leaned forward a bit.
Sally (whispering): …Looks like I know that person…
She squinted. A long dark coat, a familiar, almost floating gait.
Her heart jumped.
Sally: But it's… Bakuzan? What is he doing here at this hour?!
She straightened up immediately, leaned forward.
Sally: Driver, stop the car!
The vehicle braked gently. Sally's father jumped, pulled out of his conversation.
Father (surprised, phone at ear): Huh? What's wrong, Sally?
Without answering, she suddenly opened the door and jumped out of the car.
Sally (shouting): I'll explain everything later, Dad, go home without me!
Father (half getting out of the limousine): But have you seen the time?! Sally! Come back here!!
But she did not turn around. Already, she was plunging into the alley.
Sally (running): It really was him… I know it!
She moved quickly, her steps clacking on the wet cobblestones. The silhouette had disappeared. A dead end.
Sally: Huh? He was here though… Where could he have gone?
She instinctively looked up.
Up there, on the edge of a building, a shadow. Dark, motionless, almost unreal.
Sally (clenching her teeth): He's probably above…
She dashed. Her body cut through the air in a fluid breath, a trail of luminous energy behind her. She landed softly on the roof.
Facing her: Bakuzan.
A horned mask, a white expressionless face, black soulless eyes. His dark coat rippled in the night wind.
Sally: Bakuzan! Stop!
But he did not answer. With a fluid gesture, he rose into the air, fast as a shadow pulled by the night.
Sally (frustrated): Tss… he's fast!!!
She rushed after him.
They crossed the sky like shooting stars, drawing luminous curves above the sleeping city. The roofs flew by, the lights disappeared. Until they reached…
A mountain, standing like a throne of silence above the Swif village.
Bakuzan landed silently. Sally followed him at a distance, cautious. She knelt behind a rock.
Bakuzan watched. Below, the village lived. Children laughed around a fire, listening to the elders' stories. Mothers tucked in their children, dogs slept peacefully. Nature breathed softly.
But the man with the mask raised his hand.
His aura rose. A dark, shadowy energy burst from his body. The atmosphere became heavy, suffocating.
Bakuzan (cold, distant): …Die. All of you.
In a slow, ceremonial gesture, he let fall from his palm a dark mass, like a drop of liquid night.
It fell silently.
Then… it exploded.
No fire. No sound. But an invisible, black wave spreading rapidly.
Those it touched died instantly.
Without a cry.
Without understanding.
Their bodies blackened, as if rotten from the inside. Animals, men, women, infants… even insects fell, their wings folded, frozen forever.
The numbers, invisible but real, scrolled like a curse:
4,067.
8,670.
10,777.
22,897.
The Swif village… was no more.
Bakuzan, still frozen in his judge's posture, watched without moving. His white, expressionless mask reflected silent death. No pity, no emotion.
Sally, behind him, saw the horror.
Her fists trembled.
Sally remained frozen behind the rock.
She saw the bodies… lying… lifeless… blackened as if something ancient, impure, had drained them of all essence.
The Swif village… erased.
In a few seconds.
Her legs trembled.
Sally (whispering, throat tight): …What did… I just see?
She blinked several times. Useless. It was not a nightmare.
Sally (panting): No… it's impossible… that's not… Bakuzan, it's not him. He would never…
She saw again that dark silhouette, standing like a statue, impassive before the horror he had just unleashed.
Sally (thinking): The Bakuzan I know… would have given his life to protect others. He made me laugh because he was often so strict and serious, he talked to me about justice. He… he told me just things!
She closed her eyes, an image flashed: Bakuzan smiling, looking embarrassed, hand in his hair with Salomé, Sakolomé, and Bakuran beside him, telling how he wanted to build a future where no family would be oppressed.
She opened them again. The dark silhouette had not moved.
Sally (murmuring): It's not him… It can't be him…
And yet.
The silence weighed like a tomb.
Her fists clenched. Her throat tightened. A sob burst out, broken.
Sally (in tears): …Why…? Why Bakuzan? Why did you do that…?
A tear fell, then two.
Then her hand trembled. Her breath became erratic.
A heat rose inside her. Fierce. Devouring.
The pain transformed.
Into rage.
She jumped up, heart ready to explode.
Sally (shouting): MONSTER!!!
She charged.
A first blow.
Bakuzan slightly turned his head. He dodged.
A second blow, accompanied by a furious cry. He simply raised his arm, parried the strike.
Sally (hitting): Why did you do that, huh?!
Third, fourth, fifth blow her fists were nothing but blades of fire. But he did not flinch.
He retreated, dodged, blocked, but did not return a single blow.
Sally (tears in her eyes): YOU JUST KILLED MORE THAN 20,000 PEOPLE!!
FAMILIES! CHILDREN! ARE YOU PROUD OF YOURSELF?!
She hit again, and again. Her aura vibrated, her blows cracked like thunder. But they hit nothing.
Bakuzan… was calm.
Too calm.
Sally, she, was collapsing inside.
Her blows became disorderly. Then slower.
Then she stopped. Out of breath. Trembling.
Her gaze, blurred by tears, finally met that of the masked man. She saw the mask… but she searched for the eyes behind it.
Her voice broke:
Sally: Bakuzan…
Is it… really you?
Why did you do that?
Why… huh?
An abyssal silence followed.
The wind passed. Carrying the smell of silence and ash.
Then…
Bakuzan slowly raised his eyes to her.
His voice finally crossed the mask, muffled, contained, almost painful:
Bakuzan:
I had no choice…
Sally.