Tension hangs over Daimon Island, thick enough to cut with a knife. Yuto and Nishima prepare to face off as the final hour of Nishima’s threat approaches. Nishima’s appearance is almost unchanged, except for the line of small pouches clipped to his waist.
Nishima glares at Yuto, a sly but irritated grin on his face. “You’re annoyingly persistent, like some kind of bad cold. What the hell do you even want with me? Are you really here to help this island?”
“I want to take down the underworld and if I can in the process, show the island that not everything is hopeless.”
“BUT IT IS! THAT’S WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Nishima snaps, his voice rising. “My family was loved by this island, but then they turned on us. THEY TREATED US LIKE GARBAGE, all because of the lies of one corrupt politician!”
“This island has its flaws,” Yuto replies firmly. “I won’t argue with that. But that doesn’t mean you should punish everyone. There are still good people here.”
“You don’t get it, do you? Do you know what it’s like? To have the island you love be the reason your family was taken from you? Wait until that happens to you, and then you’ll be just like me.”
Memories of Yuto’s parents flash through his mind, the ache of their loss cutting deeper every time. He clenches his fists. “No… I wouldn’t.”
“You’re such a fool, ‘Black Knight.’ Why waste your time trying to help something that doesn’t want to be helped?”
“It’s not that my goal is to help the island. It’d just be nice if it ends up happening,” Yuto answers sharply.
Nishima grits his teeth, his frustration with Yuto boiling over. His hand hovers over one of the pouches on his waist.
“Fine. Be stubborn, then.” Nishima yanks out a small black-and-green cylindrical device from the pouch! “THEN YOU CAN GO TO HELL WITH THIS STUPID ISLAND!”
With a flick of his wrist, Nishima hurls the device toward Yuto! Yuto sidesteps it easily, but Nishima breaks into a maniacal grin! The device explodes, blasting out a green gas and knocking Yuto backward with brute force!
Yuto scrambles to his feet, but Nishima doesn’t waste a moment. Pulling out a knife, he charges at Yuto with a flurry of wild slashes! Yuto moves swiftly, dodging every strike!
“DAMN YOU!” Nishima shouts, his attacks growing more ferocious.
Seizing the opportunity, Yuto grabs Nishima’s arm mid-swing and drives his knee into Nishima’s stomach! The impact drives the air out of Nishima, and Yuto follows up with a hard punch to his face, sending him crashing into a nearby wall!
“You can’t beat me,” Yuto says with calm confidence.
“DON’T GET COCKY!” Nishima growls, staggering to his feet. He pulls four more small devices from his pouches and hurls them at Yuto!
Reacting quickly, Yuto swings his cape in front of him, using it as a shield. He twists his body sideways to brace against the blast. Four deafening explosions rip through the room, shaking the walls and shattering glass!
“HE’S DEAD!” Nishima yells, grinning through his labored breaths.
But through the rising smoke, a silhouette moves. Suddenly, Yuto bursts from the haze, moving like lightning. He lunges at Nishima with an overwhelming speed.
“CURTANA IMPACT!” Yuto’s voice rings out as he delivers a devastating uppercut. The blow sends Nishima rocketing through the ceiling and onto the rooftop.
Nishima lands with a thud. His body is bloodied and battered, barely able to move.
***
Meanwhile, on the building’s first floor, Yamato took down a group of armed guards as he continues his search for Riku. The guards lie scattered around him as he continues his search for Riku.
“Doesn’t look like she’s here,” Yamato mutters, scanning the wreckage.
Spotting a staircase to his right, he starts climbing. At the top, he stops dead in his tracks. A heavily armed group of guards stands in front of a doorway, their weapons ready. Yamato narrows his eyes, confident the door leads to Riku.
“Bingo,” he whispers, charging wind energy into his stormcallers.
In one quick motion, Yamato steps into view and releases a powerful gust of wind. The blast crashes into the guards, knocking over half of them to the ground. The remaining guards fire back, but Yamato moves swiftly, picking them off one by one with pinpoint-accurate wind bullets.
Once the room is clear, Yamato strides toward the door. He kicks it open to find Riku tied to a chair, her arms bound and a blindfold covering her eyes.
“W-Who’s there?” Riku stammers, her voice trembling with fear.
“I’m Detective Fujimura,” Yamato says, keeping his voice steady. “You’re safe now.”
Yamato unties her ropes and removes the blindfold. The moment her eyes meet his, Riku bursts into tears, throwing her arms around him.
“Thank you so much!” she sobs.
“Yeah, now let’s get you out of here.”
Yamato stands, helping Riku to her feet. But as he glances up, his chest tightens. An armed guard stands at the doorway, gun raised and aimed directly at Riku. Without thinking, Yamato steps in front of her.
“D-DAMN YOU!” the guard shouts, his voice echoing through the room. The deafening crack of a gunshot rings out.
***
Back on the rooftop, Yuto leaps up through the hole in the ceiling, landing in front of Nishima’s broken body.
“It’s over, Nishima! Give it up!” Yuto commands, his voice firm.
But suddenly, a dizzy sensation hits him like a brick wall! His body goes numb as his vision blurs. His chest feels scorching hot, and he drops to the ground in agony. His breathing becomes erratic as his heart races out of control.
“AHAHAHA! FINALLY!” Nishima’s laugh cuts through the haze. “I KNEW IT! YOU COULD ONLY DELAY THE EFFECTS OF THE DRUG FOR SO LONG. THE WITHDRAWAL WAS INEVITABLE!”
Nishima slowly gets to his feet, towering over Yuto’s writhing body. Yuto weakly reaches out, his will to fight still strong, but his strength betrays him. Nishima pulls off his gloves with his teeth and grips Yuto’s outstretched arm! A wicked grin twists his bloodied face.
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“You know what’s crazy about my power?” Nishima smirks as his bare hand melts through Yuto’s armor. “My body doesn’t just give off concentrated radiation to whatever it touches, well besides clothes for some reason, it melts everything.”
Nishima’s hand slowly melts through Yuto’s armor, burning his skin underneath!
“AGGGHHHHH!” Yuto screams in agony.
“AHAHAHA! DOES IT BURN?! TRUST ME, YOU HAVEN’T FELT THE WORST OF IT YET!”
Nishima lets go of Yuto and starts kicking him in the stomach with all his fury! As Yuto gasps for air, Nishima grabs him by the neck! His burning hand presses against Yuto’s throat, making him writhe in pain!
“You know what I always wondered?” Nishima says, tightening his grip. “Why none of you questioned the radiation drugs that killed anyone who used them. Maybe you all just thought I was crazy. Fair take.”
Yuto struggles, trying to loosen Nishima’s hold, but it’s no use.
“But I had a reason,” Nishima continues, his voice dripping with malice. “Those drugs were created directly from the radiation emitted by my hands. I wanted to test how much was needed to make the mayor’s death as slow and painful as possible. Sadly, he isn’t here right now. SO I’LL JUST HAVE TO SETTLE FOR YOU!”
Nishima presses harder, choking the life out of Yuto. His hold is firm, and Yuto is too weak to fight back.
“It’s about time,” Nishima mutters, standing over Yuto. “I didn’t get the mayor, but at least I’ll get to see the fireworks. You thought you could help this island? Now watch as it explodes!”
He looks out at the city, waiting for the bombs to go off. Seconds pass, nothing happens. A heavy silence fills the air.
“What… WHAT?! NO! NO! NO! THE BOMBS WERE DISABLED?”
***
Meanwhile, in the medical sector, senior detective Kiria stands in a laboratory, waiting for news from the bomb squad. One of the officers approaches him quickly.
“Sir! We’ve disabled the bombs and will have them disposed of shortly.”
“Good work.”
“Thank you, sir, but the real thanks go to you and the senior detectives. Without you, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
The officer moves to help the others gather the bombs, leaving Kiria to watch in silent relief.
***
Back on the rooftop, Nishima glares at the city, pure frustration twisting his face. His anger boils over, and he drops his guard for just a moment.
With the last of his strength, Yuto gets to his feet and throws a powerful punch, landing it square on Nishima’s face! Nishima crumples to the ground, unconscious! The fight is over.
***
On the second floor, Yamato opens his eyes, catching his breath. He turns to see Kiara standing behind him, holding her gun. She’s the one who fired the shot that took down the guard aiming at Riku.
“You guys okay?” Kiara asks, walking toward them.
“Whew,” Yamato sighs, relieved. “I knew it was a good idea to let you know where we were.”
“Hmph,” Kiara pouts. “Of course it was.”
“Kiara, take Riku and get her out of here. I’m finishing this.” Yamato starts to head toward the stairs.
“Wait,” Kiara says, stepping in front of him. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out three syringes, holding them out to Yamato.
“What’s this?” he asks, taking them.
“The blood sample helped. We still need time to create a cure for the people exposed long-term, but this will help anyone with just one or two doses of the drug.”
“Kiara…”
“I may not like that vigilante, but I’m not heartless. I don’t want anyone to die today.” Kiara crosses her arms. “Out of respect for you, I won’t push for his arrest, but I will report this. I’m sorry.”
Yamato smiles faintly. “It’s fine. I get it. Thanks.”
“... Oh, and let me explain the syringes. The white one is for the drug. The blue ones are for radiation. The scientists took Nishima’s radiation into account and made something to counter it.” She looks him over. “I knew you were exposed to his radiation, and I brought another one for your ‘friend’ just in case.”
“Wait, where’d you find scientists willing to stay and make these?”
“There were a few who stayed behind to help despite the danger. Luckily, I found them fast and got to work.”
“Nice, well thanks for everything. I should get going.”
Kiara nods. “Yeah, I’ll take Riku from here.”
Yamato heads up the stairs while Kiara leads Riku to safety.
***
On the rooftop, Yuto is on the ground, writhing in pain. The withdrawal symptoms are hitting him hard, leaving him too weak to move.
“Shunji,” Yuto whispers into the mic in his mask, his voice faint and trembling. “Thank you… for everything.”
“NO!” Shunji shouts desperately. “KEEP FIGHTING, YUTO!”
Suddenly, Yamato leaps up through the hole left in the rooftop from earlier. He rushes over to Yuto and quickly injects him with two of the syringes.
A few tense moments pass before Yuto finally snaps back. Slowly, he rises to his feet, his strength returning.
“Nice timing,” Yuto mutters, still catching his breath.
“Kiara did most of the work, she helped the scientists come up with a cure. It’ll take time, but you don’t have to worry about the drug’s effects, or the radiation anymore.”
Yuto nods. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
The two stand side by side for a moment, staring out into the night sky.
“It’s finally over,” Yamato says with a quiet, relieved sigh.
“For now,” Yuto replies. “But something tells me there’s more trouble coming for this island.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s still the underworld to deal with. And Nishima… There are too many unanswered questions about him.”
“Like what?”
“For one, how could he have hidden himself for so long without anyone noticing? It’s not like he was some random person no one knew. I’m sure he had outside help, I just don’t know who it was from. And two, some of those armed men he had were skilled. Way more skilled than some druggie off the street. Someone supplied him with those men, probably mixed them in with the addicts so we wouldn’t notice.”
“I see,” Yamato says, nodding slightly. “You’re right. There’s still a lot more to uncover… So, what will you do now?”
“For now, I’ll keep attacking the underworld. I’m confident that’ll keep me moving in the right direction.”
“We’ll probably cross paths again, then,” Yamato replies, his tone thoughtful. “But will it be as friends, or enemies?”
“Whatever the situation calls for,” Yuto answers calmly.
“Well, that’s comforting… I guess.” Yamato glances around as the sound of police sirens grows louder, their approach imminent. “You should go. The police will be here any minute. And… thanks for trying to be a hero and all. We needed that.”
“I’m not a hero,” Yuto says, walking toward the edge of the rooftop. He pauses for a moment. “But hopefully... I can be the reason there are heroes.”
Yuto leaps off the roof, firing his grapple. He glides down through the night, landing softly before taking off into the distance. He disappears into the shadows, headed for his motorcycle.
***
The chaos on Daimon Island is finally over. The streets have calmed, and the crowd outside the DIPD has dispersed. Inside, Riku has been reunited with Mayor Hoshiga. Her maid, Faith, and Kuro arrive at the precinct to see her, relief written all over their faces.
Meanwhile, Yamato stands in front of the senior detectives, enduring a well-deserved scolding for his reckless actions. Kiara stands nearby, nodding along with every word, her arms crossed with satisfaction.
***
In a small house in the Commons Sector, Chiori Hirayama sits behind a desk in her quiet bedroom. Her computer glows softly on the desk, displaying a blurry photo of "The Black Knight" taken and shared by the media.
Chiori’s eyes remain locked on the screen. She clicks through a folder on her computer, eventually opening another file. A school photo of Yuto Sasaki appears on the monitor.
“Yuto Sasaki…” she murmurs under her breath, her expression unreadable as she stares at the picture.