The night was cold, and the neighborhood square seemed deserted, except for the gathered group. Rafa's brother sat calmly, as if merely observing the conversation, but Isa and Lucas had already mentally pieced everything together: his words, his presence at suspicious events, and the photo of the black car from Claws' parents' accident. The truth was finally revealed.
"Isa…" Lucas said, his voice low and heavy with tension, "I think we know who the killer is."
Isa's eyes widened as she made the connection.
"It can't be… but everything points to him."
Rafa was in shock, staring at her brother, who remained calm.
"Brother… you… how could you?" Her voice faltered, mixing disbelief and pain.
Claws felt an intense rage surge through his body. Rafa's brother, someone so close, manipulating and killing people around them—including indirectly his parents—was too much to tolerate. Without thinking, Claws lunged forward.
"This ends now!" Claws shouted, and Rafa's brother quickly stood, revealing a defensive and agile stance.
The confrontation began brutally. Rafa's brother dodged with precision and attacked with calculated, rapid movements, the result of years of gang training. Claws responded with strength and technique, using skills he had learned from his grandfather and from gang conflicts. Every strike was lethal, every dodge intense, while the emotional tension increased with each second.
Matheus stepped into the middle of the conflict, trying to prevent serious injuries.
"Stop!" he shouted, running between them. "It's not worth it!"
He managed to evade punches and kicks from both, without taking a single hit. His presence, though firm, couldn't contain Claws' fury or Rafa's brother's precision. Matheus maintained perfect balance, dodging, jumping, and blocking without directly engaging, simply protecting the space around the group.
Trembling, Rafa grabbed her phone and quickly called the police.
"Please, come quickly!" she said, her voice almost breaking. "Rafa's brother is attacking Claws and… we need help!"
Rafa's brother launched a precise strike, which Claws blocked at the last moment. The fight seemed endless, with blows from both creating chaos in the square: broken benches, swaying trees, pieces of wood and concrete scattered across the ground.
Isa and Lucas watched closely, noticing every move and recalling details that confirmed Rafa's brother's guilt. Every gesture, every word, every past attack now made sense. The killer was there, in front of them, and the confirmation brought a mix of relief and terror.
Claws shouted once more and managed to push Rafa's brother against a broken bench. The impact was strong, but his brother quickly rose, facing Claws with a cold, calculating smile.
"You really think you can stop me alone?" he taunted.
"It's not about 'thinking,'" Claws replied, his rage pulsing. "It's about stopping you from hurting anyone else!"
At that moment, a police siren sounded in the distance. The sound caused Rafa's brother to pause, his expression shifting from provocation to surprise. Rafa took a deep breath, realizing help was on the way.
"Now!" Isa shouted, signaling everyone to step back. "He's surrounded!"
Rafa's brother tried to flee, but Claws and Matheus quickly blocked his escape route. Agile and alert, Matheus ensured he couldn't get away without injury, dodging attacks and keeping Rafa's brother contained.
When the police arrived, the officers swiftly surrounded Rafa's brother, who finally realized he couldn't win. With his hands raised and a frustrated expression, he was handcuffed, while Claws breathed heavily, still trying to recover from the confrontation.
"It's over…" Claws murmured, looking at Rafa's brother. "This ends here."
Rafa fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"Brother… I can't believe it…" she said, mixing pain with relief. "But… at least you'll pay for what you did."
The entire group felt a huge weight lift from their shoulders. Isa and Lucas exchanged glances, aware that all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together. Marta remained silent, watching the scene with a mix of fear and surprise. Antônio, Claws' grandfather, even from a distance, knew the game wasn't yet complete, but at least this immediate threat had been neutralized.
Claws stepped away from Rafa's brother, still breathing heavily. The square was in chaos: broken benches, damaged trees, and the ground marked by the intense fight. But the most important thing was that the killer had been identified and detained.
"We need to keep our eyes open," Claws said, looking at the group. "There are still many pieces of the board we don't know. But at least now we know who was behind the recent murders."
Finally taking a deep breath, Rafa approached Claws.
"Thank you…" she said, her voice still trembling, "for facing him."
"We did it together," Claws replied, looking at Isa and Lucas. "This is just the beginning, but at least now we have a direction."
The black car slowly passed by the nearby street once again, reminding everyone that surveillance and danger were far from over. But in that moment, the feeling was one of victory and relief: the immediate killer was contained, the police had arrived in time, and the group had overcome another stage of the deadly game surrounding them.