Many rooftops on normal buildings were used for attractions, either open-air ones or using glass domes. People came to building rooftops for dining, recreation, or just to enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the city from very high places.
However, the JinCorp Infinity Tower was not normal.
Shingo’s heart was pounding hard when he stepped into the Hall of Containment, on the rooftop of the JinCorp Infinity Tower. It was covered with a very thick glass dome that could withstand massive explosions. People outside couldn’t see into this hall, but people inside the hall could see the starry sky outside, like now.
His gaze gradually shifted toward the sophisticated pieces of equipment and gadgets scattered neatly around the hall. But, there were two things here that seized almost all his attention.
One was a gigantic thing that sat in an egg-like incubator like a king sitting on his throne. It was the gigantic, grotesque brain of a fallen alien monster king named Styrx.
The second one made Shingo’s heart skip a beat as well. He saw a kabuki white-haired scientist standing casually on the platform right below Styrx’s brain.
Shingo recognized him at once as Yasuaki Abe. It turned out Abe was the true mastermind behind the Infinity Project. Noboru Jinbei and Akiba Maeda were just pawns in his insane plan, while he was the brain.
The air was thick with tension as the fighters and mages gathered, ready to take down the man who had caused so much chaos, strife, and destruction.
Shiori stepped forward, her voice firm and resolute. “You pretended to be unconscious after Hannya left your body. But in truth, you wanted to go straight here.”
Yasuaki chuckled. “Yes, it was so obvious, wasn’t it? I never wanted to share Mayadenava’s infinite power with anyone else. I knew I and Nishi were going to lose to you, so I secretly put extra protection energy on Nishi and myself to survive your rampage.”
Nishi’s face twisted in anger and hurt. “You’ve deceived me, Father! I thought you wanted to turn over a new leaf and leave all of this behind, so the two of us could live a happy life.”
Yasuaki shook his head. “Yes, I wanted that, but I want to attain it my way. Once I begin something, I’ll go all the way to the finish. There’s no stopping midway because it will torture me for the rest of my days until I’m working on it again.”
Chiyo spoke up, her voice calm and measured. “Sounds like a certain author’s mindset. It’s good at one point, but in this case, it’s better to sacrifice one’s sanity for the good of many.”
Yasuaki nodded fervently. “Now that’s the case. You don’t know how many times I’ve been thinking of stopping midway, but it keeps calling me back! The infinite power! It tortured me! Haunted me! Driving me crazy, literally! You don’t know how frequently my tantrums occurred! Especially when I remembered Nishi’s pleading face!”
Nishi’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke. “So, that’s the real reason you’ve been avoiding me all this time? For coming home and meeting me only once a year?”
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“I’ve already said that,” Yasuaki replied with a shrug. “You don’t have to ask twice.”
Shingo took a step forward, his eyes hard and determined. “Sorry to hurt your feelings once again, Nishi. But we have to fight and stop him again!”
“He has become a mad scientist!” Shiori declared, her voice rising in anger. “He’s no longer the father you once knew!”
Nishi nodded, her voice shaking with emotion. “I know! I don’t want to help him anymore, and I can’t persuade him to go home with me. So, it’s safe to say he’s lost, taken by his mad scientist persona.”
Keiji spoke up, his voice ringing out clear and strong. “By the authority of the Goemon Investigations Agency, Yasuaki Abe, you are hereby under arrest!” The fighters rushed forward, ready to apprehend the mad scientist. The mages stayed back, preparing to launch long-range attacks.
Suddenly, sparks of lightning filled the Hall of Containment, stopping the fighters in their tracks. Shingo and his friends screamed in pain and agony.
Yasuaki chuckled, reveling in the surprise and helplessness of the fighters before him. “Funny how an incredible team of fighters can’t detect the traps I’ve sprung,” he said, his voice laced with amusement. “Is it because they’re tools of science undetected by your auras? Or are you youngsters too proud and conceited after defeating me and Hannya the first time?”
Shingo gritted his teeth, feeling the anger and frustration build up inside him. He couldn’t let Yasuaki win again. He had to find a way to fight back.
But Yasuaki continued, thanking them for “tenderizing” the clones, espers, and hostages for him. He gloated over the fact that they had fallen into their traps, and now he was going to extract the collective energy from all of them, including the infiltrators, hostages, espers, spirits, Jinbei, and Akiba.
Mariko’s voice trembled with fear. “T-this is bad! Even with my magic, I can’t shake it off!”
Gale added, “At this rate, our energy will be drained empty and we’ll be too weak to fight!”
But Ryonoken had an idea. “W-wait! T-this is a purely scientific contraption, right? Let me try a jutsu to disable it.”
He quickly started mumbling a certain spell while joining his two palms and fingers in various combinations, moving quickly and with great difficulty. Shingo watched in awe as Ryonoken’s fingers moved with lightning speed, his concentration absolute.
Yasuaki seemed amused, watching Ryonoken’s attempts to disable the machine. “Ah, good!” he said, looking at the energy gauge. “The energy gauge is full! Now, it’s time to transmit it to outer space, to the coordinates Styrx has pointed to!”
Shingo’s heart sank as he realized they were out of time. But he had to try something. He couldn’t just stand there and watch as Yasuaki destroyed everything they had fought so hard for.