Chapter 226: Rules Dictate Life and Death

Kanto panted heavily, his chest rising and falling like a beast crushed beneath the weight of the deep sea. Yet, in his eyes burned an inferno of unyielding rage. His fists clenched tightly, knuckles pale from exertion, as if the very air would shatter in his grasp the next moment.

"Damn Sudou…" he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice laced with a barely contained madness. His pride had been trampled repeatedly, every failure scorching his soul like fire. Alarms blared in his mind, yet crushed by the dual weight of fury and humiliation, he chose to ignore them.

"All in!" Kanto roared, as though commanding himself, a declaration of resolve. His head snapped up, his gaze sharpened into unwavering determination, radiating a courage borne of desperation.

Meanwhile, Yuyou maneuvered his supercar with practiced ease, his eyes locked on Kanto's airborne silhouette. His expression remained calm as still water, exuding an aura of control, even as Kanto bet everything on a final, desperate leap, grasping at the last shred of victory.

"Jump, Lixy!" Kanto's thunderous cry cut through the wind.

Lixy moved swiftly, scaling Kanto's shoulders with feline agility. Her long legs clamped around his waist like steel tongs, her body pressed tightly against his head. Grasping his hair for balance, she held on with all her strength.

Kanto gritted his teeth, his legs surging with power as his muscles strained to the brink of tearing. With a guttural yell, he propelled himself and Lixy upward, carrying the sniper pack as well. The sheer inertia carved an arc in the sky, like a loose arrow racing toward the edge of the high overpass.

Below, the motorcycle lost control, tumbling across the asphalt with a series of screeches and sparks. It collided heavily with the guardrail, fuel spilling forth to ignite into a consuming blaze. The vehicle was engulfed in a deafening explosion, the shockwave rippling through the air, painting the night sky in hues of fiery red.

Amid the flames, Kanto and Lixy's figures resembled a raging beast, clawing at fate on the brink of life and death. For a moment, they seemed to hover in midair before diving like eagles, aimed directly at the cover ahead.

In mid-leap, Kanto was a tempestuous hawk, his hands moving with blinding speed, almost like phantoms. As the sniper pack burst open during their fall, its components scattered in all directions. Undeterred, Kanto displayed remarkable dexterity, swiftly assembling the parts into a makeshift RPG launcher.

Wind howled past his ears as flames roared behind him, casting wild shadows across his manic grin. His eyes shone with frenzied intensity, driven by a fevered obsession. His voice erupted in a beastly growl: "Sudou! Die!!!"

Lixy shut her eyes tightly, sensing the fury and resolve surging from the man beneath her. At that moment, an inexplicable emotion stirred within her—an unsettling blend of fear and awe.

Yuyou's gaze remained fixed on the RPG in Kanto's hands. His composure betrayed neither surprise nor fear. Slowly, he raised a hand, a faint glimmer of cold light flashing across his eyes.

As Kanto's finger tightened around the trigger, a flood of voices erupted in his mind.

"You're a mistake—I should never have brought you into this world!"

"Every time I see your face, I just want to tear your skin off!"

"Wow, your son's so capable—not even a doctoral candidate could manage that, huh?"

"No, not at all. I've always been grateful I gave birth to such an outstanding son. That's the one thing I did right."

"No matter what you do, as long as it's you, it's wrong!"

The jeering, contempt, and mockery that had seared his soul now surged like a tidal wave. His hands trembled involuntarily, the mania in his eyes fading, replaced by darkness and anger.

"Damn it… these cursed memories…" Kanto's voice was low and hoarse, his expression twisted as if his darkest emotions were tearing him apart.

With those words, he hoisted the newly assembled launcher and pulled the trigger. A torrent of fiery exhaust erupted as the rocket soared through the air, leaving a blazing trail toward its target.

But in that instant, time seemed to abruptly fracture. The scene splintered into disjointed fragments, followed by an indescribable sensation of distortion.

"Boom!!!"

The detonation erupted violently, shattering the stillness of the night. Scorching flames engulfed Kanto and Lixy's figures, a tidal wave of heat rippling outward, compressing the air into an invisible shockwave. It swept through everything in its path, turning the surrounding area into a chaotic inferno.

The night sky blazed like day as fragments and burning wreckage rained down like a meteor shower. Explosive echoes lingered, each aftershock radiating destruction, reducing the area to a hellish wasteland. The churning smoke and dust blurred the scenery, the chaos overwhelming even the night wind.

Yuyou's car wavered slightly in the shockwave but pressed onward with unyielding steadiness. His hand firmly gripped the wheel, while the other tapped a button, resetting the dashboard's readings to zero. Gradually, he slowed and parked at the roadside with deliberate calm.

As the flames subsided, the once-blinding inferno left only tendrils of smoke curling into the air. The night sky returned to its silent depths. Shattered debris littered the scene, and time began to erase the chaos, as if it had all been a fleeting nightmare.

A shadow plunged from the heavens, slicing through the embers of the night. Its trail bore the marks of fire, like a meteor falling in ruin, leaving a fiery arc as it crashed into the distance.

"Splash—"

A massive spray of water erupted from the sea below, waves crashing and sending silvery shards into the moonlit air. The surface churned briefly before settling into tranquil stillness, as though nothing had happened.

Yuyou sat quietly in his driver's seat, his gaze steady and unruffled. Tapping the edge of the window twice, he murmured to no one in particular: "Those who defy the rules—no matter who they are—don't belong in this world."

With that, he turned back to the car, started the engine, and drove off into the fading echoes of the highway, leaving behind a night consumed by silence.