Fragment #4 (2/2) - Have You Protected What You Needed To Protect?

"..."

Her head exploded. Flesh, Blood, Bone fragments, and brain matter sprayed all over the kitchen.

As my eyes were open wide in surprise, some of her blood got inside, making them burn.

"...."

Perhaps Sawada Natsuha, the witness, was the target from the very beginning.. Perhaps the assailant knew that I'd dodge.. Perhaps he shot at me willingly, so I'd dodge, which would kill Sawada. And even if I didn't dodge, the shot would decapitate me instead. It was an attack with a hundred percent sure-hit effect.

I turned around to take a good look at the attacker.. but as soon as my neck twisted..

THUMP!

..my eyes cried out again in deep agony.

[ Gandr ]

I immediately swung my body to the right, barely dodging the shot aimed at my heart. It brushed past my silhouette and exploded somewhere in the wall behind me.

Gandr, a simple Nordic curse. But the magecraft version of its shots were lethal. As soon as it touched the surface of an object, it'd stress all the mana to the center and generate enough pressure to the point that it'd self-destruct and cause a high-energy explosion. It was undoubtedly the work of..

'A mage..'

No doubt about it.. My attacker, and the predator serial killer, was in fact a magecraft user.

The guy was standing at the other side of the kitchenette, a gray hooded figure. Based on his body structure and his voice, he was an adult male, probably middle-aged or older. He was probably hiding in one of the wall cabinets. That way, he was able to keep an eye on my movements through a gap.

But the 'whodunnit' or 'howdunnit' wasn't important. What was important at that time was 'The Subjugation'.

He glared at me.. I glared back.. We were simply waiting for the thread to tear before absolute chaos ensued.

THUMP!

The guy held his pointer at my direction, probably preparing another Gandr shot. As soon as my eye gave me the predictions, I instantly threw my body forward and mantled over the kitchenette. Before he could finish his chant, I slapped his hand away, causing the shot to ricochet over to the sofa. He then pushed his other palm and tried to cup his hand over my face. His palm was getting warm by the second.

Without wasting any time, I quickly grabbed his wrist with one hand, and with the other, I sent a palm strike directly at his solar plexus.

"Puuh!!" he made an airy grunt as all the air in his lungs escaped from his mouth. My grip on his hand tightened. As a desperate means to escape, he threw a Gandr shot at my feet. But I moved my legs, which caused it to go off on the floor, catching both of us in its range. In the midst of all the chaos, I let go of his hand and fell backward.

The guy was somehow able to handle the damage and remained on his feet. He regained his footing and started kicking me repeatedly, as I tried my best to get back on my feet. At some point, he stopped and tried to point another shot at my head. I saw an opening and kicked him in the side of his kneecap.

"AHHHHHH!" The guy let out a scream as he stumbled backward, jumping on one leg. I pushed myself off the ground and on the half-way, I crossed my arms forward and directly lunged at him, successfully pushing him against a wall.

Due to the struggle, the curtains of the window came off, and the metal tube fell on my head. He grabbed onto my neck from above, trying his best to choke me. But I didn't try to pull his hands off.

Instead, I brushed the curtain over his face, making him blind. Then I threw another palm strike on his ribcage, weakening his grip on my neck. After that, I immediately grabbed him by his belt, kicked the back of his knee, and used my own body as leverage to throw him over.

Thud!!

His foot slipped and we both fell on top of each other. My weight fell directly on top of his chest, adding to his damage. Without wasting a second, I sent a chop down his crotch, which made him unintentionally let go of the chokehold.

If I fought strength with strength here, there was a slight chance of me losing. So, I chose to finish it quickly.

When the dizziness subsided, I immediately stood up, wobbling. After locating him on the ground, I placed both my knees on top of his palms, making him groan in pain. His face was still covered by that white curtain, but I could see the outlines of his face. I clutched my palm into a tight fist and lifted it above the head.

*KIIIEEEK-KUGUGUGU!!!!

Lightning struck outside. I could suddenly see the shadows of raindrops stuck to the window. It was an untimely rain in the Winter. Normally, I would grumble because of the increasing coldness in the air. But right now..

..it was rather fitting.

*Crack!

"AAAAHHH!" The guy let out a devilishly loud scream. I broke his nose with a single punch. He tried to move his arms toward the face, but my knees stopped them. Which resulted in him thrashing around in agony.

*Thud!

"AUGHH-...!!" I applied some pressure in my free hand and smothered his mouth so that his screams wouldn't go out of the room. Then I punched him again.

*Thud!

"HNGGH!" His screams turned into muffled whimpers.

*Thud!

"HNNN!!"

*Thud!

"NGH..!"

*Thud!

"..."

"Hah~.." I let out a sigh. For a second there, I forgot how to breathe. I stopped punching for a second and took deep breaths to recover my stamina. It may have given him the hope of this being the end.

So, after recovering, I started punching again...

*Thud!

..and again.

*Thud!

..and again.

*Thud!

*Thud!

*Thud!

*Thud!

*Thud!

*Thud!

As I was about to hit him again, I stopped. He was now motionless. The curtain that was white moments before, now had a shade of crimson red outlining where his face was.

Did he get unconscious? Probably.

I moved away from the body and checked the back of my palm. It was trembling. The assailant's blood was sticking to the rubber fabric of the hand glove, probably mine too, underneath it. Every time my fist made contact with his facial bones, it would send currents of pain in my body.

The pain returned to my eye again. I fished the [Eye Killer] out of the blazer's pocket and placed it on my eyes. Had I not taken it off, I would've been lying there on top of Sawada as a bloodied mess.

I pulled my phone out and searched for Shuuji's contact. I wanted to call him up here to help me secure this bastard.

'Finally..' I thought. Even though there was a very expensive casualty, the serial killer who had been the cause of terror for a few months on this island was caug-

*Crash!

Suddenly, a vase exploded on my side profile. A crippling amount of pain struck me on the side of my head, stripping me out of my consciousness for a second. I slowly stood up and placed my fingers on where the vase hit me. Even through the gloves, I could feel something warm and sticky. When I brought my hand forward, I could see droplets of something dark red sticking to it.

"!!!" I felt a push on my shoulder, causing me to stumble backwards. A gust of wind breezed past me. A gray shadow-like figure escaped my vision.

The world around me started spinning. To support my weight, I stumbled against a tea table, only to unintentionally flip it over.

I fell flat on my face.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

.....

....

....

'Annoying!'

The beeping noise ringing in my ears was annoying. The sharp pain in my temple was annoying. The sensation of ceramic shards sticking to my face was annoying. The pain in the back of my eyes was annoying. The headache was annoying. The dizziness was annoying. The darkness was annoying. The dim light was annoying. The sound of rain was annoying.

Annoying.. Annoying.. Annoying.. Annoying.. Annoying.. Annoying!!!

Why does everything have to be.. SO.. FUCKING.. ANNOYING!!!

"Hah," a cold sigh came out of my lips, blowing a speck of dust which formed into a dust cloud on my face. I violently pushed against the ground and got on my feet. The [Eye Killer] got off and dropped on the floor, but I didn't bother picking it up.

[ Lindern ]

I muttered while repeatedly slapping my head sideways, which made the pain, alongside the beep in my ears subside. I grabbed my own head and twisted it rightwards, a satisfying crack came from my neck.

But even then, my head was burning. My eyes went cold.. The veins in my arms popped as they grew warm.

I just had one thing spinning around in my mind.

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

I took one final glance at the corpse of Sawada, before soundlessly shutting the door behind me.

When I looked around, I didn't see anyone in the lobby. With stable and calculating strides, I ran toward the elevator.

"Hm.."

My eyes narrowed as I crouched down, intensely scrutinizing the elevator's control panel. Something red was sticking to the silver button, most likely blood. I instinctively turned my gaze up toward the terminal that displayed the position of the elevator car. It was on the sixth floor.

I had missed him by a hair's breadth.

Without wasting a second, I ran toward the staircase. But instead of sprinting downwards, I began running upstairs. It was indeed a strange decision, but I had a clear mind map of what I wanted to do.

While running, I tried to call Shuuji, but my phone broke when I was fighting the predator. I wanted to tell him to..

..Run away.

If he came face to face with that guy, he would stand no chance against him. But warning him over the phone was not an option anymore.

The treads of the staircase ended on the seventh floor. But there was a locked iron door in the penthouse, preventing me from getting access to the rooftop.

The lock was an eyesore!

I took one of my gloves off and gently brushed my bare fingers on the metal lock.

[ "Spur, und Sezieren" ]

My fingers heated up in an instant. Dissection points in the form of straight overlapping lines appeared on the lock, directly sending all the material information to my brain. The next instant, it was dismantled to the point of being as large as fine dust specks. I aggressively pulled the door open and ran outwards.

*KIIIEEEK-KUGUGUGU!!!!

Lightning struck in one of the lightning poles, momentarily filling the surroundings with blinding whiteness. Cold wet breeze accompanied by raindrops enveloped me at once. My body shuddered at the sudden change in temperature. I quickly approached the edge of the building.

There was another building right next to me under construction. It was a four storied building. A distance of almost thirty feet from the spot where I was standing.

"Tch!" I clicked my tongue in frustration. There was no other choice. I backed away from the parapet of the edge. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I took a stance.

I closed my eyes and chanted...

[ Leichter als eine Feder... Schneller als der Schall ]

...

...

...

*Woosh!

The air rushed toward the spot where I stood milliseconds ago, trying to fill the temporary void in the space.. In the blink of an eye, I reached the edge of the roof. Concentrated mana exploded below the heels of my shoes, yanking me up with great force. My feet lost contact with the ground and I was sent flying in the air before I started gravitating toward the roof of the fourth floor

I jumped off the building.

Thump..

The sound of my heartbeat. Time felt like it stopped as I could almost count the individual raindrops surrounding me. My left eye cried out in pain from all the predictions. All of them led to the same thing..

Death.

[ Konzentrieren, und Verfestigen!!!! ]

Somehow, I managed to yell out the chant moments before hitting the ground. The magic circuits in my legs went ablaze and began emanating in an azure glow. It was unseeable, but I felt something consolidating around my legs up to my kneecap.

Three seconds.. That's all it took for me to crash down. Fortunately, I landed on my legs.

Consolidation saved my legs by converting mana into a similar amount of reaction force and applying them on the opposing vector, canceling out most of my fall damage. Though I had to take a small burden of the hit, it was still better than facing the full force of Mother Nature's affection.

"That was insane," and it will remain the same, no matter how many times I try to rationalize it.

In my twenty-one years of life, I had never done anything as ruthless as this. If Touko saw this, she'd slap me in the back of my head until I blacked out. But jokes aside, she and I, 'd both know that just like her, I have a few wires loose in the head.

Because in the next instant, I jumped off the four-storied building, earthbound... again.

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

I gritted my teeth, enduring the crippling pain while running toward the main entrance of the residential building.

The rain lashed against my face, each and every drop felt like tiny ice picks. It was a cold rain, the kind that seeped into your bones and chilled you to the core.

I hated the rain. It blurred the lines with the irking grain of raindrops, making everything uncertain. But some things were much more important than this minor inconvenience.

"Shuuji!" I shouted as I approached the first building where I initially jumped from. After hearing my call, Shuuji ran out of the building under the portico, confused.

"Levent?" he asked in a confused voice. He seemed completely flabbergasted after seeing my face. "What're you-? Weren't you supposed to be upstairs?"

"Run! Get away from there!"

"Huh? Wha- What're you-?"

*Ting!

It was the sound of the elevator. Shuuji must've heard it because he was trying to turn around.

"GET AWAY, SHUUJI!" I yelled, desperately.

...but it was too late.

"A-Aa..ah.. huh?"

Shuuji's eyes grew wide open as if they were threatening to jump out of the sockets.

He looked down at his chest, just a little over to the left.. where his heart was.

....

....

....

A dot.. A red dot seeped out of his white woolen sweater. It wasn't part of a polka dot, or a design pattern, or things like that. It was something.. warm.

The red dot grew in size... Slowly permeating through the entirety of his white sweater.. Creating something chaotic, and beautiful at the same time.

"A-Ah..!"

Shuuji's voice grew erratic as he tried to bring his hands toward the spot where the red dot came from. He tried to push the spot, trying to stop the redness from spreading any further.

But it was no use.

In the years of being stuck with this guy, there had been countless times when I'd seen him drooling over the girls. Even earlier today, he was drooling over Kirisaki's thighs. I'd always reprimanded him by commenting 'Gross', 'Disgusting', or, 'No wonder why you're still single.'..

But, now.. instead of drooling saliva like usual.. this time... what came out of his mouth was...

Blood.

"L-Levent?" He looked at me..

Tears rolled down his cheeks before his insides exploded under the portico.

*Splatter!

"..."

I watched as Shuuji's lifeless body splashed all over the ground.

Before I could even process the death, my gaze immediately shifted to the person approaching the gate of the building. He ran out, making sure to step over the remains of what was once Shuuji.

I stared at him with a blank gaze.

He was clutching his arm as if he was in pain. The signs of mana exhaustion. He seemed confused when he saw me standing outside, but nonetheless, he ran in the opposite direction. He was trying to escape toward the parking zone, where he must've parked his car.

Following his movement, I rushed toward him. On the way, I ran past the portico where Shuuji was breathing seconds ago. As I threw a glance at him, what awaited me was a very graphic and grotesque sight.

Blood, Bones, and his innards were sprayed all over the place. His upper body was barely attached to his lower body. The coils of his intestines were spread around like torn ropes on the ground. What lay in front of me could barely be called a human corpse. It was more like meat wrapped in clothes with a head sticking to it.

I stopped for a moment and walked toward the destroyed body of Shuuji. I was probably contaminating the crime scene, and there was a big chance of the blame being pushed onto me. But fuck that.

After taking off my blazer, I placed it on top of the gap where his chest was. It was the least I could do to honor his death.

I closed my eyes for a second and reminisced about the times we'd been together. That face clung to me despite all the backtalking I received in high school. The idiot who followed me to study criminal science, just because it seemed 'fun'. The dumbass who would always annoy me by whining all day about his failed confessions. It was his full-time job to annoy me, he said.

'He never listened to my bits of advice, till the bitter end.'

I will definitely miss him.

"Hah.." I stood up and threw one last glance at his face before running off into the rain.

Because I will never see this face again.

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

The grim grey sky resembled the dying evening light. It was still raining. Running under the rain in the winter was beyond madness. Yet, there I was, running through the slick, and deserted streets.

Shuuji was caught in the casualties, but it wasn't the time to mourn.

I sped across the pavement toward the parking area where the assailant vanished off. From afar, I could see him getting inside a black sedan. The number plate was taped off. When he saw me running at him, he immediately started the car and lunged at me.

My eyes widened as the car rammed against my body.

*THUD!

I faceplanted on the windshield of the sedan. The hard asphalt below my feet vanished and was replaced with air. I became dizzy after sustaining such a heavy impact. Yet I managed to cling onto the body of the car.

I looked at the guy through the glass. He pulled a middle finger before making a hard turn. Because of the inertia, I got yanked out of the car and crash-landed on top of the cold asphalt.

"Huughh!" I let out an airy grunt as I held my head with one hand. I pushed myself up with the other and blinked a few times to reconnect with the surrounding world. The dizziness hadn't subsided yet, but I could clearly see the black sedan speeding off.

I looked around, crouched down again, and picked up a pebble the size of a peanut from the ground.

'Tsuuu..'

*The air whistled as I took a deep breath, and held it inside. My left hand slowly raised in front of my face. The pebble was placed between my pointer finger and the thumb before I drew a rune in the air with discharged mana. My eyes were always glued toward the back of the running person. I placed the other hand inside my pocket, holding a piece of emerald gem before taking a stance...

At first, I aimed directly at the oil tank to make it explode...

"..."

...but I decided to lower my arm and pointed at one of the tires. When everything was ready, I gave one last cold look at that person before proceeding.

[ Pierce. ]

The projectile immediately discharged from the tip of my finger, rushing toward the assigned coordinates with a speed faster than light. A jolt of pain washed over my arm. It was from the recoil due to the reaction force. I probably dislocated some bones in my finger. But.. I didn't care about that.

I stared at the car with a blank gaze as it lost control and crashed into the forest. With a loud noise, the guy kicked off the car's door and crawled out. He made a run for it uphill inside the forest.

While pulling my finger and relocating all the bones, I also rushed toward him.

The area suddenly became dark as I walked through the veil of greenery. The visibility was at an all-time low, so it was getting hard for me to track down the assailant.

[ Licht und Schatten ]

Light emanated from the shadows of my palm. The concept of this chant was contradictory. 'Where there is Light, there is Shadow. Where there is Shadow, there is Light.' But in this case, it happens in a literal sense. I crumpled my palm in a way as if I were holding an invisible cylinder. Of course, light came out from the hollow gap, making it seem like I was actually holding a torchlight.

The guy had a head start because of the car. He was way ahead of me. But because of that, he couldn't help but leave a trail behind. I began tracking him based on the disturbance in the leaves and grasses.

Soil and mud splattered all around as I ran, some sticking to my pants. The tie was an overlapping dark knot over the whiteness. My drenched colorless shirt that clung to me like a second skin was stained with the deep crimson blood of multiple people.

Sawada.. Shuuji.. And that guy..

But even this, even the blood of the murderer was a cold comfort.

Water splashed on my face as I pushed through all the vines and bushes. A few red marks of bug bites appeared around the uncovered areas of my body. The entire forest area was infamous for being infested with tropical snakes and deadly insects. My instincts were screaming at me to go back and wait for reinforcements. But my rationality ordered me to sprint forward and hunt him down.

While rushing past the dense elmwood and oak trees, I looked forward through the gaps of the leaves. The trail slowly led toward a structure on top of Najima Hill, the tallest hill on the entire island.

*[A/N: Remember, Levent is Half-Turkish ;) ]

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

'Haahahaa.. Tsuuu.. Haahahaa..'

That was not a laugh. That was my ragged and shaky breaths from the coldness. My fingers were trembling. My brain was banging against the skull. My body temperature dropped to a dangerous level. Any more, and it could cause hypothermia.

I focused some mana on my palm and slapped it on my neck. The warmth permeated inside the jugular veins, which later permeated to the blood, which later permeated all over my body. It made the cold a bit bearable.

THUMP!

Suddenly, I stopped running and leaned backward. A loud bang reached my ears as a projectile swooshed past my face and pierced through the ground behind me.

THUMP!

*Plop!

Another shot brushed past my shoulder. A chunk of bark fell off from the tree that fell victim to it. I checked the spot where the projectile went through. Smoke came out, and there were traces of something dark in it. Burnt gunpowder, most likely.

It wasn't a shot made from concentrated mana, but rather something primitive.

'A bullet, huh?'

In Japan, it was illegal for civilians to carry firearms. Only the JSDF, law enforcement groups, and mafia gatherings like the Yakuza were in possession of them. It was an extremely rare occasion for a Japanese citizen to even see guns.

As far as I knew, there were no Yakuza, nor any stationed army members on this island. So that only left the local police force. And for this guy.. to carry one must mean one of the two scenarios.

Either, he killed or stole from one of the Police officers carrying the firearm.

Or, he was part of the Police from the very beginning.

THUMP!

That guy was a mage, undoubtedly. But if he retorted to using his gun that could even expose his identity, only to try and parry me...

...he must be getting quite desperate, huh?

"Huup!"

I pushed all my energy into my legs and rushed forward. A loud noise came from the spot where I was standing earlier.. My legs maneuvered through the dense vegetation rushing toward the top of the hill.. Examining the angle of the bullet hole, I was able to narrow down the direction. It was about a hundred steps from where I was.

*Bang!

Another gunshot.

He fired four near-accurate shots at me, through the dense and foggy forest. What's giving him the accuracy?

I looked at my palm which was glowing in a white light.

Of course. It was almost like I was running around, carrying a beacon; almost begging him to shoot me. His earlier shots were probably based on the light emanating off my palm.

I immediately wanted to dispel the light from my hand but decided not to.

He'd already wasted four of his bullets on me. If the gun was a regular pistol handed to an officer for self-defense, he should only have six slots in them. Which means he has only two shots left in his magazine.

If he wasted those two, he'd become completely unarmed.

As I neared the peak of the hill, the forest surrounding me was beginning to lose its density. And all of a sudden, it stopped raining and everything went calm. The complete opposite of the utter chaos two minutes ago. Not a single shot was fired for that long.

It felt unsettling.

Maybe he'd learned to hold onto his last two bullets?

I stopped running and immediately snuffed the light off my palm. He didn't take the bait, so it was of no use anymore. The clouds moved away from the sky, and the half-moon revealed itself. Everything around me became visible again.

*Pant *Pant *Pant

White clouds formed in front of my face as I panted for air. My drumming heartbeat slowed down as I relaxed.

THUMP!

"Tst!" I hissed in pain as my eyes went ablaze.

Head!

I was thinking about dodging to my right to let it brush past my ears and right as I did...

THUMP!!

"!!!" my eyes grew in size.

I immediately twisted my left arm and bent it in front of my chest.

[ Verfe-...!!!! ]

Before I could even finish it, the second bullet clashed against the weak barrier of consolidation. As it was an incomplete chant, the barrier wouldn't even hold for a second. It'd immediately penetrate through my arm.

But that single fragment of a second it bought, was enough.

As soon as I felt the pressure, I flung my hand to the side, pushing the bullet away from me. Blood-curdling amount of pain washed down my bones. I gnashed my teeth to swallow the agony. Due to the impact of the projectile clashing against its opposing vector, a few of my fingers broke. My left palm was pretty much out of commission because of that.

Nonetheless, that was a small price to pay that safeguarded my heart.

The guy wasted his last bullets in hopes of catching me off guard. But he failed.

Before the guy could come up with something else from his ass, I sped through the dense forest and climbed the peak of the hill. What stood in front was a considerably large, approximately thirty-foot-tall cross-like structure. Double transepts, Spires, Bell tower. It was undoubtedly an old church. I'd heard a lot about this place, but this was my first time seeing it in person.

St. Pablo's Catholic Church was built by the Allied army during WWII. It was built to convert the residents and spread Christianity in this region. However, the islanders not only rejected their message, they completely isolated the entire place as a form of resistance and revenge for their defeat. Even to this day, some islanders are hostile toward foreign tourists.

When I approached the spot where I last saw the guy firing bullets, he was no longer there. The church's entrance had a few mud prints leading up to it. I don't think he was being desperate.

It was too obvious.

"..."

A damp smell went through my nose as I treaded inside the narthex of the abandoned building. The age of the structure could be felt from just a glance at the interior. Because of years of negligence and ignorance, the place could barely be called a church anymore.

*BLANG!

Suddenly, a blunt object hit the back of my head with great impact. The next instant, I lost consciousness.

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

[ "If you're going to go somewhere for training, go to Wakayama." ]

I remembered the conversation I had with Touko before coming here.

[ "Out of all the other places in Japan, why there?" ] I questioned.

[ "Why not? Everybody I know would love to go there." ] Touko replied in her usual nonchalant tone.

[ "...Touko, please take this seriously. I'm going for supplementary training, not a vacation.." ]

[ "It's a six-month training, no? You'll probably enjoy the rest of the winter in a tropical environment while training. The dried squid there is a delicacy too. It's honestly a win-win for you.]

[ "Still doesn't explain why I have to go specifically to Wakayama?" ] I replied.

[ "Ah, such a mood killer aren't you? Very well.." ] she said. [ "There's an old acquaintance there who I had the honor of doing business with. He's in a considerable position within the police force there. My reference could help you get those extra brownie points for your uni. Such a kind guardian, aren't I? Be grateful for this, brat!" ]

[ "Suspicious.." ]

It was even more suspicious that she was willing to send me there herself. She never really cared about what I did in university. She was usually aloof, always answering with nonchalant things like 'Ah, is that so?'

But she was giving me opportunities now. She never did that unless she had something to gain from it. How would she use me this time? What could she possibly benefit from this?

[ "' What could I possibly benefit from sending you there', is what you're thinking, right?" ] she said.

[ "Did you get your hands on a mystic eye of telepathy or something?" ] I deadpanned.

[ "My, even after all the years we've been together, you still don't trust me?" ]

[ "No." ]

I did not trust Touko in too many different aspects to count.

[ "Well, whatever.." ] she sighed, as if giving up. [ "Of course, I have my own benefits. But you wouldn't have to worry about that. It doesn't involve you for anything." ]

{ "Really?" ] I raised an eyebrow.

[ "Yeah, definitely." ] she said, a devious smirk crept over her face.

....

....

....

After regaining consciousness.. I found myself tied up inside the church. I was lying down at the center of the nave. The bonfire from the barrel beside me emitted orange light, making everything a bit visible. Apparently, he didn't kill me but rather immobilized me. He probably wanted to take revenge on me after I regained consciousness.

"You're up." said the guy while sitting on the bench. The gray hooded figure was holding a knife and a piece of rope, probably part of the same rope he used to immobilize me.

"I was starting to think that you might've croaked from just a slap in the head. That would've been pathetic, to be honest."

I pushed my chest against the ground, sat down, and sent a cold glare at him.

"You... Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"Still haven't realized it yet?" he sneered. "Tch, that's no good, I expected better from you, Levent... or should I say-"

With fluid movements, he brushed the knife against the thin ribbons of his mask, which slipped past his cheek and hung to the other ear. Even though the light was dim, his face was clear under the orange glow. My eyes slightly widened at the revelation.

It was 'him'.

"Hmh.." Seeing me speechless, he let out a chuckle; a sinister smirk immediately grew on his face. But unironically, it was the most genuine I've ever seen him.

"Good evening, offspring of the headhunter."

"....."

I was not surprised that he knew about my identity. If he had business with Touko, it wouldn't be weird for him to know who I was. What surprised me was the face behind his cover. Shuuji called me insane for even suggesting it. After all, it was a face no one could ever expect.

"You killed them all, didn't you? Department head Miyamura Ryuunosuke."

"Yes, I did." His smile grew in size. The wooden bench creaked as he hopped off and stood up.

To think this ever-smiling, kindhearted old man.. with his own two hands.. killed his own flesh and blood.. with no remorse.

The world really is a cruel place.

"I intended to kill that whore in a much more elegant way.. But you ruined it." He said as he began closing the distance on me.

"It hurts you know? The bleeding. Even after neutralizing the wound, it wouldn't stop. Touko, taught you this, didn't she?"

I didn't answer. I stared at him, blankly. He smiled and crouched in front of me. His face was now clearer than ever. The traces of dried blood from his nose were apparent. His lips were a mess of clogged blood. Some of them which managed to drip down to his chin painted his white beard strands into red.

"And I have to hand it to you, Levent. You, really took good care of me." He said while lightly rubbing the rough surface of his damaged nose. "The time in the apartment... wheew! Didn't your parents teach you not to raise your hands against your elders? Go easy on me next time, will you?"

"...."

"Ah! My apologies.." he said while sliding the rope across my neck with his left hand. "After all, there will be no next time for you, Levent."

Ryuunosuke pulled the rope into a loop and tightened it around my neck. It was tied in a rescue knot used by the scouts in training. He intended to kill me with a knot that's supposed to save lives, just like he did to his early victims.

....

"Why did you kill them?" I asked. I needed to keep Ryuunosuke busy. He wouldn't kill me as long as he was talking. "Tell me the reason."

"The reason?" Ryuunosuke's revealed his teeth in a gleam. He stopped tightening the noose and sat on the ground as if having a leisurely chat. "My first kill was my very own sister."

He began telling his story. Disgust formed on his face as he explained the details of his sister's actions.

"I remember clearly.. the way she used to seduce her classmates and strangers. With her cutesy appearance and vulgar body, she would often extort money and favors from them. I found it.. utterly revolting. That's why I killed her and rid the family of that parasitic skank."

"..."

" 'T-th-the boys scout taught me how to do.. r-rescue knot. I..I was just trying it out on her but I think I made a mistake. What should I do?! ' ----is exactly the excuse I gave them. I was only a nine-year-old kid at that time. I shed a few tears, and the old man totally bought it. My acting must've been pretty good." He said, pride overflowing in his tone.

As he was left-handed, the knot he tied must've been left-handed as well. I pulled my left hand slightly to the right, then put the right hand on the top and began moving my fingers holding the shard.

"The country, at the time was focused on the Fuyuki incident. So my father snuffed the case as suicide and threw it under the other cases."

"You also killed your mother, didn't you?" I asked in a glacial tone.

"Oh, looks like someone did their homework. You must've been popular among the teachers, weren't you?"

"....."

I had my suspicions about this man from the moment I saw the noose tied in a left-handed knot on a right-handed person's suicide. On the surface, Miyamura Ryuunosuke always did things with his right hand. But I'd noticed his tendencies to stop his left hand from working from time to time. He must've been killing people for a very long time to maintain such a façade. However, even if habits can be controlled, instincts can not. Which made me do a little bit of research on him prior to this day.

"Though my father was easy to deceive, my mother was much sharper than she seemed. One day, she sat me down at dinner and asked why I killed her daughter. Do you want to know what I replied?"

"....."

" 'It's because she looks nothing like my father. She has dimples like you. She has a short nose like you. But not a single feature that looks like him. She's your daughter, but is it really his...? You cheated on him with her real father and had her, didn't you?' "

Ah.. So, not only his sister, his mother was a whore too.

"That's what I said before she tried to kill me and commit suicide herself. I naturally escaped and ran to my father. When he took me home, she was already dead. Of course, not because she committed suicide or anything. I had forced half a liter of bleach down her throat myself." He said while puffing his chest.

The murder objective was now clear. He intended to kill all women that resembled his mother and sister. To him, it was a sin to commit infidelity.

"Is that why you kill?"

"That's exactly why I kill. Those lustful and wicked skanks, I judged them for the deity. I purified the island from these succubus. I did the world a great favor by ridding it of these parasites."

I could understand why he did that. I could empathize. And I couldn't have cared less about what he did from now on. However...

"What about him?"

"Who?" he asked, genuinely confused. But then his eyes widened as realization dawned.

"Ah... By him, did you mean Shuuji?"

"...."

"Well, it was his fault for butting in where I specifically told him not to. He ignored it and joined hands to stop me. It was his punishment for standing in my way. And to be fair, there's no need for a dog that bites back on its owner, is there?" he replied nonchalantly. He was talking in a way as if Shuuji was someone else, and not his own son.

.....

"You think this is a joke, you fucking lowlife..." The ropes that once held me fell to the ground, and I immediately lunged at him.

"WHAT GIBBERISH IS THAT?!"

I punched him in his face and fell back on the ground alongside him. Dismantling the rope on my legs, I pushed against the ground and stood up. He was trying to get up as well.

"Scumbag.." I kicked him on his liver. With a loud grunt, he fell back to the ground. I walked toward him, held him up by his uninjured leg, and broke his kneecap.

"Hyaaaaah!!! Hagh! Hagh!" He looked at me, a look of confusion and nervousness took over his face. But no fear was ever present there. "H-How did you-?"

Psychopaths are extremely narcissistic. Bragging about their accomplishments is almost like second nature to them. I knew he wouldn't miss the chance to raise his ego. That's why I asked him about his reasons. To escape. I could've used dismantle immediately. But the mana concentration would've alerted him. To catch him off guard, I simply chose the oldest trick in the book.

"You should've killed me when you had the chance."

I dropped the bloodied glass shard from my left hand. He blankly stared at the shard as it dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces. The moment it did, I stepped on him, repeatedly. Then I crouched and placed a knee on his chest. I punched him, I punched him, I punched him. I-

"Tsst!" I hissed in pain as blood came out of my left eye. But the second I raised an elbow to try and stop the metal bar Ryuunosuke lifted..

*BLANG!!!

A portion of it already hit me in the side of my temple.

I fell sideways on the ground. A crippling pain crept over my skull. The vision became blurry and dark. But I didn't let my consciousness slip. I crawled on my knees and elbows, trying to shake off the dizziness. But it only made me more dizzy.

Ryuunosuke shoved me off his body and tried to crawl out of there.

...

'Ah, this annoying son of a whore..'

With a trembling body, I tumbled upward. With shaky unstable strides, I walked to him again. He tried his utmost best to stop me.

[ Gandr ] A desperate shot whoozed past my head that I immediately dodged. Blood dripped over my left cheek as I crouched down. I clutched his shoulder, almost digging my nails into his flesh. He yelled out in pain as I turned him over to face me.

"You love killing people by strangling them, don't you?"

My fingers brushed against his old wrinkled skin as my palms wrapped around his neck.

"Die."

I slowly tightened my grasp. His face began to go red as his body began wiggling in desperation.

"Ughh! Gkhk! Gah!"

[ Kill him! ]

I will.

[ Someone like him should be killed. ]

I know.

[ Strangle him. ]

I am.

[ More. More. More. ]

The strength behind my grip increased at a rapid pace. The thin neck of this old man felt like a squeeze toy. The more I squeezed, the more I wanted to apply strength. I wanted to break his neck. I wanted to pull his teeth out. I wanted to cut his tongue. I wanted to dismantle his corpse until it was barely recognizable. I wanted to killkillkillkillkillkill!!!!

[ Don't kill him! ]

Another voice.

[ Don't kill him! ]

.....

I slowly released the strength from my grip.

"*cough *cough! Hah!"

Ryuunosuke coughed as he wheezed, desperately trying to breathe. Color returned to his face as he stared at me. A bloodied smile crept on his face.

"W-what's wrong...? Hah!? Can't even kill an old man like me?" Ryuunosuke arrogantly shouted.

But Ryuunosuke.. It wasn't that I couldn't kill you. It's actually the opposite.

I will kill you.

I will definitely kill you.

Slowly.

Gently beyond comparison.

Cruelly beyond numbness.

I will violate your life.

The grip tightened again. Ryuunosuke's eyes widened, not expecting me to strangle him again. This time, my grip was stronger than ever.

"Ughk! Ukh! Ugh!"

He desperately gasped for air, eyes wide with a nascent fear that I never thought I'd see in him. Under my fingertips, I could feel his life force leaving him. And even then, I squeezed tighter. The cold rain washed away any sense of guilt and empathy I had for him.

What I previously did was to give him a temporary break, to let him breathe. I wanted to make him suffer longer that way. It wouldn't be fun if he croaked in just a second.

The way his arms and legs darted... The way he desperately tried to suck air through his lungs... The way he was salivating like a fucking dog...

"Heh..." I could feel my lips arch upwards.

Why wouldn't it? It was truly a satisfying sight. The arrogant look on his face earlier was non-existent. He was now looking at me with a terrified look. As if he was staring at a monster.

Don't look at me like that. All your victims probably made the same expression when you killed them. This is just fair enough retribution.

I did the same choke and release thing repeatedly, for as long as I could. I made the process as slow and agonizing as possible. It was his fetish to choke people, so might as well send him down in a similar manner.

...

At some point, his body went limp.

The yellow eyes of Ryuunosuke glazed over as I went upwards. When I released the grip, his body slumped onto the cold concrete. Motionless.

I checked his nose. He wasn't breathing.

I checked his pulse. His heart wasn't beating.

He was dead..

"I killed him.."

I, Levent, with my own hands, personally took the life of another human being.

"Huup!"

With a light push, I stood up from the dirty ground. My wet clothes turned brownish grey from all the dirt sticking to them. The red stains on the shirt and my gloves were the only evidence, that remained.

I looked at the lifeless body of Ryuunosuke. Under the orange dim light inside the abandoned church, his lifeless face glazed due to the wetness.

"..."

I felt bad for this entire situation. In a single day, three lives were lost. In a single day, the Miyamura family lost half of its members. And one of them was killed by the hands of their own.

But, somewhere, deep within me, a cold, dark satisfaction bloomed. There was no guilt, no remorse, no regrets. Only hollow emptiness remained, which surprisingly felt liberating. I knew I had taken the law into my own hands.. but at that moment, the only law that mattered was... me.

"Hah~"

Leaving a cold sigh, I turned and walked away. The façade of humanity the islanders knew and loved me for, washed away under the cold raindrops of this early winter.

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

Epilogue:

"Fuuu~"

Smoke gushed out through the gaps of my mouth. I snuffed the burnt-out cigarette and pulled the box out of the pocket for another stick. It was already empty. So, I crumpled the box and threw it toward a nearby dustbin.

....

It fell outside.

"Hah~" letting out a sigh, I walked toward the dustbin and dumped it properly.

"Seems like you're having a tough time."

I turned toward the feminine voice that called out to me from behind.

"What made it obvious?" I asked.

"I dunno. Gut feeling, I guess?"

It was Kirisaki, who replied in a nonchalant tone as she approached me. Her white coat fluttered because of the cold north wind.

"Gut feeling, huh? Well, I'd be lying if I said I'm comfortable with this situation."

"You seem to be taking it rather well." She said.

"...Hmm.. Am I?"

I remained motionless, while blankly staring into the space. I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel mad. What I felt was simply.. emptiness.

"How long do you have till your internship ends?" Kirisaki asked.

"About two weeks? I'll probably return to the mainland after sorting a few paperwork."

"Hm.. Is that so?" Kirisaki leaned against the parapet wall of the rooftop, next to where I was standing. "At any rate, congratulations on solving the case, intern Aozaki Levent."

"Hm.." it wasn't surprising that she knew about my real identity now. I was given all the credit alongside another guy who wasn't with me anymore.

I turned my gaze toward the street below us and silently stared at it. The cars were running in their usual motion. Pedestrians were walking on the roadside like little ants. The Seagulls were crying like usual. The waves were crashing against the shore like usual. The Earth was rotating at its usual velocity. Nothing really stopped. Even after three days had passed since the incident, the world was still normal, like usual.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, I felt a poke in my cheek. I turned around to see what it was. It was a stick of cigarette. Kirisaki held one out for me.

"Need a smoke?" she asked with an expressionless face. As I was about to go buy another pack anyway, there was no reason for me to refuse. I silently accepted the cigarette and placed it between my lips. Pulling the lighter out, I burned the leaves and puffed a smoke. I offered the lighter to Kirisaki, but she refused.

"That won't be needed."

Saying this she placed a cigarette on her lips and walked in front of me. Bringing her face close to me, she brushed her cigarette on top of mine to let the ember spread from one to another. I could feel her breath on my face. Her eyes gazed at mine, as I deeply pondered what the hell was going on..

"Fuuu.. Haah.." she puffed her cigarette as she backed away from me, with a smug smile sticking to her face. "My, did your heart skip a beat?"

"Now isn't the best time to flirt," I spoke with narrowed eyes, smoke coming out of my face.

"Really?" she let out an amused smirk. "Are you saying this because you're down? Or is it because of what the people will say?"

"I wonder. Maybe it's none of that. Maybe it's a bit of both. Who knows?" I vaguely replied.

"Is that so?" she said before puffing a big one and closing her eyes as if pondering about something. "About that instructor of yours.."

"It's suicide. There really is nothing to investigate there."

Long story short, after losing the love of his life, Igarashi broke down into a deep depression and hung himself. Surprisingly, he didn't blame me. Even till his last moments, he blamed himself for failing to protect Natsuha. End of story.

"And what about you? Aren't they going to punish you for faking identity?"

"I got a slap in the face, but ultimately, it wasn't my fault. Igarashi pushed the duty on me and gave me his badge in the first place, so the blame went six feet under the grave with him." I responded.

Of course, I made sure to burn the note I left asking to borrow his badge so that the evidence couldn't be pointed at me.

"Lucky you, huh?" she sneered.

"If such is considered being lucky, then I honestly pity those who are on the opposite end of luck."

"You can call yourself lucky that you survived, even after literally walking next to a serial killer this whole time."

"....."

The details of the incident were shoved under the carpet. If it was revealed that the department head Miyamura Ryuunosuke was the serial killer, the public would've lost its faith in the island's police force. Hence why they made Shuuji, the serial killer, and Ryuunosuke, the brave father who killed his murderer's son and committed suicide.

The killer is now the hero. And the victim is now the monster. Ironic, isn't it?

"In the end, the guy took a total of Juu-Ichi (eleven) lives, including himself." I wondered aloud.

Eight women, Shuuji, Ryuunosuke, and Igarashi.

"Juu-Ichi (Eleven).. Heh, I bet that's your favorite number."

"Is there something wrong with that number?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Your first name, Levent, and the English of Juu-Ichi is Eleven.. Wait, it actually matches when you say 'Levent, the Eleventh.' "

"Hilarious." I rolled my eyes and stuffed the cigarette on my lips as she snickered in the background. But nonetheless, thanks to that, my chest felt a bit lighter. I looked at the blue sky above us.

Somewhere out there, they are watching me. They're keeping an eye on my every action. What I do, or why I do it, or for whom I do it for. Keeping that in mind, I shouldn't bore them with a dull and boring life. Instead, I should continue to live on, a life that I will never regret.

That's what really matters.

[E: Ending, sucked. I know. Fuck me.

BTW 16k+ words for a single fragment! It would've gotten boring, so I spread it in different parts.

So.. What did we learn from this?

The woman he desperately tried to save got killed. His easy-going, but reliable instructor committed suicide. His best friend got killed. He had to kill the very person who had brought him to this island. The world sure is cruel, huh? *evil laugh intensifies*

Honestly, I loved writing this. I know the story is full of plot holes.. But I'm satisfied with this for now. ( DO point my mistakes, and ways to improve this story though.. *_*)

The main topic of this fragment is about 'Psychopaths' and how they operate. I'm already planning about what to write next in the next Fragment #5. It'll probably reveal why levent had to go through all the headaches.. and why he became so emotionless..in a neuropsychological way..

Anyways.. Back to the original COTE timeline we go (Gosh I hate this >_<)< p>

BTW you should join COTE Fanfic Discord (not the official one). You may find me there goofing around on the VC from time to time.