The Night of Ruin
---
FEW HOURS AGO
Shin walked down the dimly lit street, his steps heavy with exhaustion. His part-time job had kept him late again, and he sighed as he thought about the excuse he'd have to give Hikari when he got home.
She's going to be mad...
His phone was dead, so he hadn't even been able to call her. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.
Before he knew it, he had reached his destination—a modest apartment on the second floor. It wasn't much, but for the three of them, it was home.
Shin lived with Hikari Kuroda, a 23-year-old woman who had taken him in when he had nowhere to go. She had always been like an older sister to him, the only family he had ever known. Then there was Kendo Kuroda, her older brother—though calling him "family" felt like a stretch. Kendo rarely showed up unless he needed money, and when Hikari refused to give in to his demands, trouble always followed.
Please don't tell me he came today...
With a sense of unease creeping into his chest, Shin slowly turned the doorknob and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, his body stiffened.
The room was a disaster.
Furniture overturned. Broken plates on the floor. Clothes and papers scattered everywhere.
His heart sank.
Kendo... it had to be him.
Shin's hands curled into fists. He had seen this before—Kendo demanding money, Hikari refusing, and then Kendo losing his temper. But this time... something felt wrong.
Shin cautiously made his way toward the other rooms, his pulse quickening.
Hikari...?
As he stepped past the wreckage, his breath caught in his throat.
Just ahead, in the dim light of the hallway—
Hikari's body lay motionless on the floor.
For a moment, his mind refused to process what he was seeing.
Then—everything snapped.
His vision blurred. His heart pounded violently against his ribs.
"Hikari!" he shouted, his voice trembling as he rushed toward her.
Dropping to his knees, he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently. "Hikari! What happened?! Are you okay? Wake up!"
No response.
Panic set in.
He pressed his fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse.
Nothing.
His hands trembled. His breathing became ragged.
No. No, no, no...
This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.
Then—
A voice.
Cold. Familiar.
"Stop it. She's already dead... and now, it's your turn, big boy."
Shin's entire body froze.
The voice came from behind him.
Slowly—dread creeping up his spine—he turned his head.
Shin's breath was ragged as he slowly turned around.
Standing before him was Kendo Kuroda—his towering frame casting a dark shadow across the room. His fiery red hair, wild and unkempt, matched the madness in his bloodshot eyes. A cruel, twisted grin curled at the edge of his mouth.
Shin's fists clenched. His voice trembled as he forced the words out.
"Kendo... what did you do to her?"
Silence.
Kendo didn't move, his eyes filled with nothing but cold amusement.
Then, finally—his voice came, slow and eerie.
"I didn't need her anymore." His lips curled into a sneer. "She was useless to me... so I killed her."
Shin's body froze.
The air around him felt suffocating. His mind refused to process what he had just heard.
He... killed her?
The weight of those words sent a violent tremor through Shin's entire being.
Kendo took a step forward. "And now, Shin... it's your turn."
He moved.
Fast.
Kendo lunged at him, his fist swinging straight for Shin's head.
Instinct took over.
Shin dodged. Barely.
The force of Kendo's punch crashed into the wall, cracking the plaster.
Shin's body moved on its own. His leg shot up—a powerful kick to Kendo's face.
A sickening crack echoed through the room as Kendo stumbled back.
But Shin didn't stop.
His vision was red. His heart burned.
His entire body trembled with rage.
His eyes locked onto Kendo, fury overflowing. He gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with venom.
"You bastard..."
His breathing grew heavier. His vision blurred with rage.
"You killed your own sister?! Your own flesh and blood?!"
Kendo spat to the side, licking the blood from his lip. His expression was unchanged—cold, detached.
Then, with a chilling smirk, he caught Shin's incoming fist.
His grip was like iron.
Shin's breath hitched.
Kendo leaned in, his voice filled with nothing but cruelty.
"She was just a bitch."
His eyes gleamed with malice.
"Who cares?
Shin's body trembled with uncontainable rage. His nails dug into his palms, his teeth clenched so hard they might break.
"I care." His voice was deep, raw, shaking with fury. "She was everything to me! And you—"
His eyes burned as he glared at Kendo.
"You're going to pay for it—with your life."
Kendo let out a low chuckle, his lips curling into a mocking smirk.
"Heh... You think you can kill me, little brother?"
Without warning, Kendo lunged forward, his arm swinging—
A flash of silver.
Shin's eyes widened as he saw it—a knife.
The cold steel gleamed under the dim light, aimed straight for his chest.
Move.
His instincts screamed at him.
Shin twisted his body—just barely dodging the blade.
The air around them tensed.
Before Kendo could react—Shin struck back.
A heavy punch—straight to Kendo's jaw.
A loud crack echoed through the room as Kendo's head snapped to the side. Blood sprayed from his mouth, staining the floor.
But Shin wasn't done.
With a furious snarl, he grabbed Kendo by the collar and threw another punch—this time to his gut.
"You're going to pay for everything!" Shin roared, his voice filled with rage.
Kendo coughed, staggering back—but his eyes burned with just as much fury.
"Damn brat...!" He spat blood onto the floor and lunged again.
Their fists collided.
A brutal exchange began—punches, kicks, raw violence with no hesitation.
Neither held back.
Shin felt his knuckles split open as he struck Kendo's face again. Kendo's fist slammed into Shin's ribs, sending a sharp pain through his side.
But Shin didn't stop.
He wouldn't stop.
Not until Kendo was on the ground.
Not until he made him suffer.
In the chaos—the knife slipped from Kendo's hand.
It hit the ground with a metallic clang.
Kendo's eyes widened—he reached for it.
But Shin was faster.
His hand closed around the knife.
He gripped it tightly.
Kendo's eyes locked onto the blade—for the first time, there was hesitation.
For the first time—he looked afraid.
Shin slowly stood up, blood dripping from his knuckles, his breath ragged.
The knife felt heavy in his hand.
His fingers tightened around the handle.
This was it.
Now—Kendo would pay.
---
Then, suddenly—a voice.
A voice too familiar.
But it wasn't mine.
It was me, but it wasn't.
It felt like someone else entirely. Someone dark. Someone monstrous.
"Kill him. It's time. You're going to enjoy it. Kill him with your anger. Your hatred. Kill."
I tried to resist.
But my hands moved on their own.
The blade in my grip felt like an extension of my own body—like it had always belonged there.
Before I knew it—I stabbed.
Straight into Kendo's left eye.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
His scream filled the apartment. A sound of pure agony, of raw suffering.
He clutched his bleeding face, thrashing on the ground.
"Stop! Stop! It hurts! Shin, stop!"
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Something inside me had snapped.
The knife came down again—this time into his right hand.
Then—his neck.
Blood sprayed across the floor, warm and thick.
I wasn't thinking anymore.
I wasn't human anymore.
My mind was empty. No joy, no sadness, no hatred—just pure action.
Why was I doing this?
Why couldn't I stop?
And then—silence.
Everything was still.
Kendo's body lay there, unmoving.
I stared at him—at what I had done.
And suddenly, it hit me.
I had killed him.
Just like that.
My grip on the knife loosened, and it clattered onto the bloodstained floor.
My body trembled. Guilt, horror, regret—all of it crashed down on me at once.
I could have stopped. There were a million other ways to handle it.
But I didn't.
I chose to kill.
Again.
And this time—no one else could judge me.
No law. No god. No one.
Only I could decide whether I was right or wrong.
And right now—
I hated myself.
I turned—and ran.
I ran as fast as I could, as far as I could.
Because if I stopped—
I would have to face what I had become.
---
(Time Remaining: 00:00:38)
My breath was ragged, my body aching from the beating I had taken. Blood trickled down my forehead, but I didn't care.
Then, once again—that voice.
My voice. But not mine.
"Run. You need to survive. For me. For me."
It was the same voice I heard that before. The time I killed Kendo.
I didn't have time to question it.
Just 8 meters away, a blue flag appeared—its glow piercing through the dim chaos of the battlefield.
But I wasn't the only one who saw it.
Another boy—about my age—had his eyes locked on it too.
He was closer.
If he grabbed it first... I was dead.
My body moved on instinct.
I lunged forward, my legs burning with the last of my strength.
The boy did the same.
We both reached for the flag—a split-second battle for survival.
Then—the voice took over.
"Take it. No matter what."
Without hesitation, I shoved him back.
Hard.
He stumbled, his hands reaching out—but it was too late.
I grabbed the flag.
(Time Remaining: 00:00:12)
The boy recovered, his eyes wide with desperation.
He lunged at me, trying to rip the flag away.
I shoved him again.
Harder.
He hit the ground with a pained gasp.
(Time Remaining: 00:00:09...)
He scrambled back up—but he wasn't fast enough.
(00:00:03...)
I gripped the flag tighter, my heart hammering in my chest.
(00:00:02...)
(00:00:01...)
Then—
A deafening voice boomed from the sky.
["Okay, let's stop here."]
Everything stopped.
Everything stopped.
The chaotic screams, the desperate footsteps, the sound of people fighting for their lives—all of it vanished.
For a brief moment, there was silence.
A strange, almost calm sensation washed over me.
Then—
A window appeared before my eyes.
---
[STATUS UPDATE]
Nation: Japan
Population:93,934,895
Region: KAJP-06-S
Population:11,339,442
Sector: S9GP002
Population: 40,583
---
Before I could process what I was seeing, the Messenger's voice rang out again.
["Wow... How amazed I am."]
The voice dripped with mockery.
["I truly can't believe it. How foolish you humans are."]
Her tone wasn't impressed. It was filled with disgust.
["You had a chance to save 80% of your people... yet you chose not to. Wow."]
Her laughter echoed in the air—cold and unforgiving.
["And it's the same everywhere—in this sector, in this region, in this nation."]
I clenched my fists.
["In this sector alone... only 68% of you remain. I'm in shock at how poorly you handled the situation."]
Her voice lowered, dripping with contempt.
["Fools. You're nothing but garbage."]
My stomach twisted.
People had died.
And it wasn't just here—it was everywhere.
The game had only just begun, and already... millions were gone