Enraged

The heavy, rhythmic footsteps of polished boots echoed through the grand halls of Kayd's estate.

The Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau's higher-ups had arrived.

At the front of the procession, Yuriko Matsunaga's gaze was cold, her face unreadable, yet there was a slow-burning rage in her movements. She walked with purpose, the hem of her coat brushing against the marble floor as officers followed closely behind.

And there it was.

Unknown's corpse.

His body lay lifeless, his blood staining the floor beneath him. The air around him felt suffocating, thick with the remnants of a battle that had long passed.

The detectives stopped, their eyes falling on their fallen enemy.

Ryuji Liang was silent, staring at the body. His jaw clenched. Despite the chaos, despite the necessity of it—there was something unsettling about seeing Unknown like this.

Mikaela Yoon-Himura, standing just beside him, exhaled sharply. She didn't speak, but the tension in her shoulders said enough.

Arata, the one who had delivered the final shot, merely scoffed. "He was nothing but a corpse waiting to happen."

Yuriko? She remained expressionless. But her eyes, dark and sharp as daggers, flickered with something deeper—a quiet, controlled fury.

Then—her gaze snapped forward.

The fight ahead.

Kairi, Kasumi, and Rin moved as one.

Khamphai, the butler, was still standing. Blood dripped from a fresh wound across her temple, but her hands remained firm on her daggers.

She exhaled slowly. "Three against one," she murmured, her voice even. "And yet… you are still struggling."

Kairi wiped the sweat from her brow, clicking her tongue. "You're annoying, I'll give you that."

Kasumi grinned. "You're just mad we're giving you hell."

Khamphai didn't respond.

Instead—she lunged.

Her daggers flashed in the dim light, blindingly fast.

Kasumi dodged left. Rin weaved right.

Kairi met her head-on.

Fists and steel collided. Sparks snapped in the air.

The fight was brutal, a dance of pure instinct. But Khamphai—even against three opponents—did not falter.

And then—

"Tch—damn it!"

A sudden shift.

Rin barely dodged a fatal strike.

Kasumi was forced back.

Kairi took the brunt of the assault, parrying the daggers with swift counterblows, her body moving in perfect sync with her intent to kill.

But something changed.

The air grew heavier.

A presence.

The fighters froze—all except Khamphai, who merely turned her head.

From behind, the Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau's higher-ups stepped into view.

Yuriko Matsunaga's voice was calm. Cold. Deadly.

"End them."

She lifted her arm. Pointing.

At Kairi. At Kasumi. At Rin.

Mikaela cracked her knuckles. Ryuji rolled his neck. Arata loaded his weapon.

Rage simmered in the air.

Unknown's corpse was still warm.

And now?

Another body was about to drop.

The second Yuriko's order left her lips, Rin moved.

Lightning-fast, she snatched Kairi and Kasumi by their collars, yanking them back.

The butler, Khamphai, lunged.

But Rin—she was faster.

A savage kick—straight into Khamphai's gut.

The impact sent her hurtling backward—right into Arata's raised firearm.

The crack of bone against steel was sickening.

Khamphai's body twisted mid-air before she crashed into Arata, sending him stumbling.

And then—Rin went in for the kill.

A flash of movement. Her knee shot up—burying itself into Arata's ribs.

CRACK.

A sharp grunt tore from his lips as his gun clattered to the floor.

Before he could react—Rin pivoted.

Her elbow swung—brutal. Precise.

CRACK.

Mikaela staggered back, blood splattering from her mouth.

Before Yuriko could even process what just happened—

Rin was already there.

Another elbow—straight into Yuriko's jaw.

The force sent her head snapping to the side.

The room fell into chaos.

And then—

Kasumi's voice cut through it all.

Her eyes, wide. Staring. Disbelief turning into something ugly.

Because there—lying in his own blood—

Unknown.

Lifeless.

Still.

"Unknown…" Kasumi's voice wavered. But then—rage.

Her fingers trembled as they curled into fists. Her chest burned.

"He's dead…" Her breathing grew sharp. Erratic.

"Those bastards…" Her gaze locked onto the Bureau's officers—pure hatred burning in her eyes.

Rin's lips curled into a snarl.

Kairi? She was silent.

Not because she didn't care.

But because the violence in her heart spoke louder.

The air was thick with the weight of death.

And yet—

The fight was far from over.

They ran.

But Kasumi stopped.

She stood frozen, her back to them, shoulders trembling.

"Kasumi, we need to—" Rin started, but then—she saw it.

The way Kasumi's fists clenched. The way her breathing turned ragged.

The way her face darkened.

Kairi grabbed her wrist. "Kasumi, we don't have time for—"

Then she saw the tears.

They slipped down Kasumi's face silently, falling like shattered glass.

Not from fear.

Not from weakness.

But from something deeper. Something raw.

"Unknown…" Kasumi's voice broke, a whisper laced with fury.

She turned to face them—and for the first time, her expression was unreadable.

Anguish. Wrath. Grief. Love.

All twisted together into something dangerous.

"I can't just leave him here like this."

Kairi's grip on her wrist tightened. "Kasumi, don't do this."

"You don't understand," Kasumi hissed, eyes locking onto Kairi's.

And for a moment—Kairi did understand.

That rage, that ache deep in her bones.

That feeling of someone ripping a piece of your soul away and expecting you to just keep moving.

But still—they had to go.

"Kasumi," Kairi's voice softened—but it wasn't enough.

Because Kasumi had already made her choice.

She pulled away.

"I loved him," she whispered. "And now he's gone."

Her fingers brushed over the blood-stained floor, where Unknown's body lay.

And just like that—something inside her shattered.

Jin and Aiko moved quickly, their breaths controlled, their hands steady as they worked on the knots binding Celeste.

The room was dimly lit—too dimly lit.

Celeste's wrists were raw from struggling, the thick ropes cutting into her skin. Her eyes flickered open, glassy but filled with urgency.

"Hurry," she rasped.

"We got you," Aiko whispered back, slicing at the bindings with precision.

Jin's gaze flicked around the room, something gnawing at the edge of his instincts. Something felt off.

Too easy.

Too quiet.

His fingers brushed against the last knot—and then he felt it.

A presence.

Two of them.

His breath hitched.

Aiko froze, her grip tightening on the blade.

Celeste, still too weak to move, barely managed to croak, "Behind you…"

The cold click of a safety being released broke the silence.

Jin and Aiko didn't turn immediately.

Didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

Then, a low voice from the darkness:

"You really thought you could just walk in and take her?"

The air turned suffocating.

The hunt had just begun.

Jin didn't look away from the darkness. His body tensed, coiled like a spring, ready to snap at the first sign of movement.

Aiko, blade in hand, exhaled slowly. Steady. Controlled. Deadly.

Celeste swallowed hard, her breathing ragged. She tried to move, but her limbs were too weak, the ropes having cut off circulation for too long. She felt useless.

Jin turned his head slightly, just enough for Celeste to see his expression—sharp, determined, unwavering.

"We'll get you out of here. But first—"

His voice dropped into something colder.

"We need to deal with them."

Aiko flicked her blade once, letting the dim light catch its edge. "Stay put, Celeste. We'll handle this."

The air cracked as the first man lunged. A shadow with a knife.

Jin twisted, parrying the attack with his forearm before driving his fist into the man's ribs. The sickening thud of impact sent vibrations up his arm, but he didn't stop.

The man staggered—only for Aiko to move like a phantom, her blade slicing toward his throat.

Blocked.

The second enemy was faster. Too fast. He intercepted Aiko's strike mid-swing, catching her wrist and twisting violently.

Aiko didn't scream.

She dropped—a feint—before snapping her leg up, cracking her heel into the man's chin.

Jin, meanwhile, was a storm.

His opponent swung again—a switchblade flashing toward his face.

Jin ducked.

Pivoted.

Elbow to the jaw.

A grunt. A stumble.

Jin caught the man's wrist mid-swing, twisting it at a grotesque angle until the switchblade clattered to the floor. Before the man could even scream, Jin drove his knee into his gut and finished with a brutal hook to the temple.

One down.

Aiko's fight was still raging. Her opponent was relentless, using sheer strength to keep her on the defensive. He swung wild, but each strike had killing intent.

Aiko dodged. Slipped past his defenses.

Then, she dropped low.

One clean sweep of her leg—and he was off balance.

Jin took the opening.

A brutal step forward. A downward punch—full weight behind it.

Bone crunched.

Second one down.

Silence.

The air was thick, the scent of sweat and blood lingering.

Jin turned back to Celeste, crouching beside her. His knuckles were red.

"Now," he murmured, finally softening, "let's get you out of here."

Jin crouched next to Celeste, his fingers curling around the ropes that bound her wrists. Too tight. Dug too deep into her skin. He frowned.

Aiko, still catching her breath from the fight, wordlessly handed him her knife.

"Hold still," Jin muttered.

Celeste didn't move. She just watched as Jin's hands worked with a precision that didn't match his brute force in combat. The blade sliced through the ropes cleanly, freeing her wrists first, then her ankles.

As soon as the last strand snapped, Celeste exhaled shakily, rubbing at the deep red marks on her skin.

"Can you walk?" Aiko asked, her eyes sharp despite the hint of concern laced in her tone.

Celeste nodded. She had to.

Jin stood first, offering a hand. Celeste hesitated only for a second before taking it, letting him pull her up. Her legs wobbled, but she refused to fall.

Not now. Not yet.

She glanced at the two bodies sprawled across the floor. Still. Silent. The stench of blood filled the room, mixing with the tension that still hadn't faded.

"We need to move," Jin said, adjusting his grip on Aiko's knife before handing it back. "Kairi and the others are ahead."

Aiko wiped the blade clean on her sleeve before tucking it away. "Then let's go."

Celeste didn't argue. Didn't hesitate.

The three of them slipped out of the room, their movements quick but calculated.

The halls were eerily silent now, but it wasn't peace—it was the calm before the next wave of bloodshed.

They had to find Kairi.

And whatever was waiting for them ahead…

It wouldn't be pretty.

The hurried footsteps of Jin, Aiko, and Celeste echoed through the dimly lit corridors of Kayd's mansion-like fortress. Blood smeared the floors. The scent of gunpowder still lingered.

As they turned the final corner, they found them.

Kairi, standing with her arms crossed, her usual smirk absent. Rin, her body tense, still on edge, like a beast ready to lash out. And Kasumi…

Kasumi, with her head slightly lowered, fists trembling, and eyes red from freshly shed tears.

Jin and Aiko halted. Celeste, still weakened but aware, immediately sensed the weight in the air.

Something happened. Something irreversible.

Jin's sharp gaze flickered between them before landing on the lifeless body a few feet away. Unknown.

Kasumi's shoulders shook as she muttered, "He's gone." Her voice was hoarse, her usual fiery defiance shattered.

Aiko exhaled, gripping her knife tighter. Celeste, despite her own exhaustion, took a step closer.

"Kasumi," Jin called, his voice softer than usual.

Kasumi barely reacted, but when she finally lifted her head, her eyes burned—not just from tears, but from something darker. Something raw.

Rage. Pain. Loss.

She wiped at her face roughly, her fingers stained with blood—not hers, not Unknown's, but someone else's. Her tears had mixed with the violence of the night.

"This isn't over," Kairi finally said, her voice cutting through the suffocating tension.

Kasumi took a shaky breath, then turned to the others, her sorrow momentarily masked by something colder. Determination.

"Then let's end this."