Chapter 85:- Why So Serious?

"Why so serious?" - The Joker-Batman The Dark Knight Rises

And soon Akari's figure distorted and what followed next filled them with horror.

They didn't know who Thanatos was, as Thanatos had cut the connection between Fukuoka where he had made his debut, and the rest of Japan, and once he was done, no one had the guts to say his name openly, so Thanatos's name was not that well known.

But his look was something that they had seen for days, countless days where they had to do day-night duty without a break searching for the man in the video who was behind the Aldera incident.

Yet now here he was right in front of them.

"Allow me to introduce myself again, I am Thanatos, the person behind the Aldera incident and the conqueror of Fukuoka prefecture, and now I am back to cause more chaos, afterall I can't let people of this city rest now can I?" said Thanatos as he reintroduced himself.

Miyuki and her accomplices had their blood go cold and had a look as if their spirits had left their bodies, they could see their deaths in front of them.

Kaito and his men had a look of betrayal in their eyes as if they were betrayed by someone they trusted so much.

Thanatos saw their looks and had a smile on his face, although the face was covered with a black orca skull mask so it wasn't clearly visible.

"Why?" asked Kaito.

"I'll ask you again Kaito san, did you really think there are angels here who offer solace in your moment of despair? saints who would be generous enough to let you have your revenge? When the very law that you strove to protect drove you guys to the point of suicide, did you think some secret organization, or some minister, or pro-hero was helping you?

Your lives were finished the second that you lost the case, everyone, who you have been working with for years, people you grew around since childhood, people you worked hard to protect, people for whom you risked your life, no one believed in you, not a single soul stood by your side, you pleaded your innocence and what you got? Stones.

Why bother with such people, join me, and you will get your respect back, your honor back, and also a place far better than others in this society as I conquer it, the choice is yours, either you live working under me or you die here, I would give you a heroic death but that's it, and don't think you can escape me and report it to the police, for I have evidence which would prove you infiltrated Miyuki's mansion for revenge and took down guards and all only to be played by me who came after you got rid of a nuisance only to get killed by me, now the choice is yours," said Thanatos explaining the whole situation and the choices they have hereafter.

Kaito's gaze burned with a smoldering anger, laced with the bitter ash of betrayal. His fingers clenched around the hilt of his katana, the metal biting into his palm. Miyuki and her team stood frozen, trapped in a nightmare they desperately wished to wake from. The air crackled with a tension so thick it felt like suffocating smoke.

"Revenge isn't justice, Thanatos," Kaito's voice rasped, each word an accusation. "The law may have failed us, but that doesn't give you the right to become the villain, to stain your hands with innocent blood."

Thanatos's masked face tilted, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Villain? Hero? Those are labels clinging to a broken system, Kaito, and what innocent blood are you talking of Kaito? This city, this society, they're rotten to the core. I offer you a chance to tear it down, to build something new, something where honor and justice rule, not deceit and corruption."

Miyuki stepped forward, trying to save her ass, her voice trembling but resolute. "You speak of honor, Thanatos, yet you orchestrate chaos and fear. You claim justice, yet you wield violence and manipulation. Your path leads only to more darkness, not the light you promise."

Thanatos's laughter echoed through the chamber, echoing the hollowness Kaito felt gnawing at his soul. "Perhaps," he conceded, his voice losing its mocking edge. "But what alternative do you offer? To sink back into the mire of a system that failed you? To cower in the shadows while they feast on your despair? Sometimes society needs that necessary evil to achieve the greater good that they once so idealized, and if some people need to die then it's a small price to pay for a better life"

"And what if there was a loved one of yours in those some people who needed to die for the greater good?" asked Kaito hoping he would get some change he desired to see, with a thought that maybe his words could bring back the astray Thanatos to the path of good

"Well if they are in that some people then so be it, they should feel honored to die at the hands of someone whom they know and love, rather than by some canon fodder, also, isn't it their fault for being within those few people who are going to get sacrificed," said Thanatos nonchalantly as if it was the most obvious thing to say.

Silence descended, heavy and suffocating. Kaito looked at his comrades, their faces reflecting his own inner turmoil. Miyuki stood defiant, her eyes pleading with him to see the abyss at the edge of Thanatos' path as Miyuki said, "Kaito let go of me, he is the real villain here, not me, and if required I will surrender and confess to my wrongdoings, but we need to fight him and bring him to the station," said Miyuki trying to use her physical strength with is nonexistent to try and break the cuffs.

"Remember well Kaito it was you who wanted revenge, retribution against the people who wronged you, where was your this so-called justice when you were going to commit suicide, before when Akari told you about revenge and vengeance you were smothered thinking about following every order Akari told you to follow that too without any questions, why because you didn't know that I was behind Aldera.

Aren't you a hypocrite, don't blame the evil, blame the good and ask what was wrong with good that people decided to become evil. Evil people, villains aren't born they are made, I suggest you think this through before making any choices or coming to any conclusions, for every action has consequences that follow, you might not want to be on the wrong side of the path," said Thanatos as he gave them one last chance to make choices.

The choice, Kaito realized with chilling clarity, wasn't just between joining Thanatos or resisting him. It was a choice between vengeance and hope, between succumbing to darkness or clinging to the embers of justice. The weight of that choice threatened to crush him, the future stretching before him a labyrinth with no easy answers.

He closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath that tasted like ash and steel. With eyes blazing open, he turned to Thanatos, his voice resolute, a storm brewing within.

"I choose neither your wrath nor your hollow promises, Thanatos. I choose to carve my own path, to fight for justice within this flawed system, however long and tough the journey may be. We are not your pawns, Thanatos. We are the embers of hope, and we will not be extinguished."

A flicker of surprise, then grudging respect, crossed Thanatos's masked face. "A noble sentiment, Kaito. But remember, the embers can turn to ash just as easily as they can burn. Be wary of the shadows, for they hold both allies and nightmares."

"Whatever it is I shall face it on my own," said Kaito with a steeled resolve.

"And what about the rest of you, are your answers the same as that of your leader?" asked Thanatos

All of them nodded to which Thanatos sighed as he said, "I wish you understood the world I was trying to build,"

With a final smirk, Thanatos vanished in a swirl of shadows, leaving the heroes standing in the shattered remnants of their illusions. Following which gunshots were heard, many gunshots were heard following which was a morning bringing yet another horror.

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