The long-faced young man was dead, his neck broken, his life snuffed out as easily as a candle in the wind.
Aoki couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise.
These men knew how to fight. They were strong. They'd attacked with a desperate fury. It wasn't impossible that his neck had snapped in the chaos.
Still, it was a convenient accident.
Akiyama Keisuke jolted, snapped back to reality. The sight of another body on the ground had jolted him awake.
It was over.
This had gone too far.
The events had spiraled out of control, a whirlwind of violence that had swept them all away.
No, it was worse than that. It had surpassed everyone's expectations.
They'd thought Aomura would be the victim. But the opposite had happened.
Fujita Seiyu, in his arrogance, had never imagined Aomura's response would be so brutal, so final.
In his last moments, did he regret his choices? Aoki wondered if the fear had finally outweighed the hate.
Akiyama Keisuke felt a crushing weight of responsibility. A sparring match... It had led to this carnage, this senseless waste.
Their dojo was stained with blood.
He had to stop it. He had to put an end to this madness.
Akiyama Keisuke inhaled deeply, a desperate attempt to steady his shaking hands. He walked forward, his voice strained. "Aomura, Fujita Seiyu is dead. The one who started this is dead, too. The others... They made mistakes, but they don't deserve to die. Let them go."
Aoki turned.
Akiyama Keisuke flinched, a reflex born of fear. Then, his face flushed, shame battling with his terror.
"Fujita Seiyu framed you. You killed him. Maybe you had a reason. But if you kill again... There's no going back." His voice was pleading, a fragile hope that he could still reach the man beneath the monster.
Aoki didn't react to his fear. His voice was calm, almost indifferent. "Don't worry, Keisuke. I wasn't going to kill them. I'm not a butcher."
Fujita Seiyu was dead. The mastermind had been killed by his own pack. The survivors would live with the memory of this night, a shadow that would haunt their days.
For him, it was enough. It was a twisted kind of justice.
He didn't enjoy killing. He'd taken more than a hundred lives tonight, a heavy toll on his soul.
But he wouldn't slaughter for the sake of it. He wasn't a monster. Not yet.
Aoki spoke. The other men crumpled, their bodies slumping like puppets with cut strings. Some sobbed, silent tears streaming down their faces.
"Thank you," Keisuke said, his voice thick with relief.
Aoki looked at the dojo. "Keisuke, this is goodbye."
Keisuke blinked, slow to understand. "You're leaving now?"
Aoki nodded.
Fujita Seiyu and his cronies were a small problem.
Yagihime Society, that festering wound on the city's soul, was a bomb waiting to explode.
He'd cleaned the surface. But the storm hadn't ended. It was just beginning. The fallout would tear this city apart.
He was at the center of it. If he stayed, the chaos would find him.
His fighting style was taking shape. He had money. He'd even solved a missing person case, a twisted bonus.
The goals were met, even if the path had been unexpected.
Why linger? Why wait for the storm to break?
"Okay," Keisuke said, a sad smile on his lips. "I won't stop you."
He remembered something. "Oh! Miss Kanroji came looking for you today. I told her to tell you not to come back to the dojo.
She was looking for you all day.
Say goodbye before you go."
"I know."
Aoki nodded. "Thank you for everything, Keisuke. I have a small gift for you."
Aoki Dojo would face trouble. But he believed his gift would be enough. It would heal the wounds, mend the broken pieces.
"A gift?" Keisuke blinked.
"Goodbye, Keisuke." Aoki didn't explain. He smiled, a flash of warmth in his golden eyes. Then, he vanished, a whisper of darkness swallowed by the night.
Keisuke stared at the empty space, sighed. "Aomura... You're not like anyone else."
Thump, thump, thump.
Quick footsteps.
"Keisuke, Aomura's back? What hap—"
Mizuno Kengo hurried out of the dojo.
He stopped. His face went white. He stared at the blood, the headless body.
Dead... Someone was dead?
What had happened?
"Master!" Keisuke walked to Mizuno Kengo.
Mizuno Kengo inhaled, a long, shuddering breath. He tried to calm himself. "Keisuke, what happened?"
Keisuke told him everything.
Mizuno Kengo's face changed. He listened, silent.
"Aomura?"
"He left," Keisuke said.
Mizuno Kengo nodded, slow. "It's for the best. For him. For us."
Keisuke's face was serious. "There will be trouble."
Two police officers hurt. Two dead. One from the Fujita family. It was a disaster.
The killer had been a student at their dojo.
Mizuno Kengo's face relaxed.
"Keisuke, I've been thinking. This is a chance."
Keisuke knew what he meant. A flicker of sadness crossed his face. "Master!"
Mizuno Kengo held up a hand. "Lately, I've felt weak. I can't lead the dojo anymore. You know Aoki Style. I'm thinking..."
He stopped.
Quick footsteps. They echoed in the night, coming closer.
Someone was coming.
Mizuno Kengo and Keisuke turned.
A figure ran from the darkness, wearing a strange, flowing gown. She threw herself into Mizuno Kengo's arms, sobbed.
"Dad!"
Her voice was a mix of fear, relief, and lingering terror.
Mizuno Kengo froze. He lifted a hand, slow. His fingers trembled. He held it above the girl's shoulder, afraid to touch her.
He feared it was a dream.
He'd had this dream countless times.
He always woke up before he could touch his daughter.
If it was a dream, he wanted it to last.
Keisuke was stunned. He stared at the girl in his master's arms.
He didn't see her face. He didn't know the strange clothes. But he knew her. He knew her as surely as he knew his own heart.
Tears streamed down Keisuke's face. His lips trembled. He spoke her name, a whisper torn from his soul.
"Ta... Ta... Taeko... Is it you?"
The girl lifted her head, turned. She ran to Keisuke, buried herself in his arms.
"Keisuke! I'm so glad to see you!"
The girl stepped back. Mizuno Kengo finally woke.
It was real!
Not a dream!
Taeko was home!
Tears streamed down Mizuno Kengo's face. He reached out, hugged his daughter and his student.
They held each other, wept.
---
Hello there ShixT9 here, caught up already?
Extra Chapters in my patreon right now go check it out.
patreon.com/ShixT9
Don't forget to drop stones and a good review if you like the story so far ^-^