The chapter begins the next day.
We see Arisa arriving at Saito and Elena's hideout. She needed to tell them something crucial—or rather, confess the terrifying incident from yesterday. At the same time, Saito and Elena were looking for the right opportunity to discuss everything they had uncovered. It was the perfect moment for the truth to finally surface.
Outside, the weather had completely turned, just as the news reporter had predicted—a heavy, darkening storm was fast approaching.
Volume 2nd Finale !
Chapter No.24 The last chapter - Choice - begins..!
Saito pulled out a chair for Arisa. Without wasting a single second, she sat down and spoke immediately.
Arisa: "Did you two find out anything? And can you tell me what the hell happened yesterday?"
Saito laid out the basic details for her, explaining only what was strictly necessary to understand the situation.
Saito: "...So yeah, that's pretty much everything. Dr. Z is none other than Daigo Kurasaki... or should I say, Kye's father. And I don't think Kye had any idea about this until now."
Arisa: "Now I understand what happened yesterday..."
She lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.
Arisa: "That's why Kye was acting so strange... but still, why did he do something like that? I just can't wrap my head around it. Was he looking for physical comfort... But I don't think Kye is the kind of guy who would want things like that, rather I think he was desperately seeking for mental support? Hah... I don't know anything anymore."
Elena: "Even so, considering Kye's background, we have to remain extremely cautious. I know we can trust Kye, and I don't think he's a bad person either, but still... his powers, his mindset... everything about him is far beyond that of a normal human."
Hollow stepped forward, his expression grave.
Hollow: "I need to talk to him too. Arisa, do you know where Master Kye is right now?"
Arisa: "No... He came to my apartment, but left without saying much. I don't even know what he actually wanted from me."
Saito: "Then the picture is clear. I don't think Kye is going to help us anymore. We'll have to handle the rest of this operation on our own. We can't just step back now just because Kye walked away, right?"
Arisa: "But Saito... is it really okay to leave Kye all by himself?"
Hollow: "Maybe Saito is right... but still, I am definitely going to speak with Master Kye. And I'll help you look for him too, Arisa."
Arisa: "Thank you, Hollow."
She tightened her grip, a quiet determination burning in her eyes.
Arisa: "I know Kye has his own life, and my own life is important to me too, but still... I'm not leaving him alone. When I was going through my worst moments, he was there for me. How could I ever abandon him now?"
Hearing those words, memories flashed through Saito and Elena's minds—remembering that exact moment when Kye had literally saved their lives from the brink of death.
Elena clenched her fist tightly, a surge of renewed resolve filling her voice.
Elena: "Arisa is right! We're definitely going to help Kye too—maybe not directly, but in whatever way we can. We'll complete our mission, and we'll save Kye!"
Driven by this overwhelming hope and newfound motivation, the scene shifted naturally...
To the rooftop of an apartment building, where heavy rain poured relentlessly from the dark sky, overlooking the vast, endless sea of concrete skyscrapers below.
We see the rooftop—and standing there amidst the downpour was none other than Kye himself.
He was completely drenched in the pouring rain, water dripping down his hair and face.
'It's better if everyone just stays away from me,' Kye thought, his mind weighed down by the agonizing truth. 'I don't know who my family really is anymore, or what those people connected to them are capable of doing.'
He let out a hollow breath, looking down at the city lights blurring through the rain.
'Even though I liked staying with them..."Even though they were useful... somewhere along the way... they became more than that." I can't let anything happen to them because of me. Things will only be better if they stay away from me forever.'
Kye slowly tilted his head upward, gazing into the dark, storm-filled sky as the heavy rain beat against his skin.
"That day... when I uttered those words," Kye muttered aloud, his voice barely audible over the sound of thunder. "Those were the exact words buried deep inside my heart..."
[Flashback]
The exact scene flashed back—the moment Kye had abandoned his old home to step onto a new, dark journey, uttering those chilling words:
"Destruction... it's my way to peace."
[Back to the Present]
"Looks like those words weren't wrong after all,"
Kye whispered, a cold smirk flickering across his face. "Things were always meant to be like this right from the very beginning. Back then... I just wasn't ready to accept that that man was my father."
He gritted his teeth as another memory surfaced.
"That day... when I was almost dead..."
[Flashback]
A brief, brutal flashback surfaced—the moment Kye was lying near-fatal, battered and bloody on the open field, as Raven approached him to finish the job. He was half-unconscious, hovering on the brink of death.
In that fraction of a second before losing consciousness, his mind had locked onto the documents Elena had handed him. The image of Dr. Z—the realization that he couldn't ignore the horrifying truth any longer.
That overwhelming desire to learn the truth before dying... was the exact trigger that unleashed that strange, monstrous power buried deep within his body.
[Back to the Present]
"Now... I know exactly what I have to do," Kye said, his voice turning dead serious.
He clenched his fists, his eyes glowing with a cold, terrifying resolve.
"I can't back down anymore. Whatever happens, happens. Evil will be wiped out... or rather, executed. There is no place for evil in this world. Taking the life of an innocent carries only one absolute punishment..."
He paused, the rain streaming down his emotionless face.
"And that is"
Death!
With a completely blank, cold expression, Kye stood tall in the pouring rain.
Without a moment's hesitation, he stepped off the edge—leaping into the dark abyss of the city below.
And with that... the scene shifted naturally!
We see the exact same ordinary man who had given Saito and Elena the information outside the abandoned hospital—claiming the place had been shut down weeks ago.
He was currently standing in a chillingly familiar room.
It was the very same luxurious, horrifying domain belonging to that monstrous Unknown Lord—the exact place where that poor spy had been boiled alive in a melting steel chamber.
The Unknown Man leaned back in his grand chair, his deep voice echoing through the dark hall.
Unknown Man: "So... Code 01. What intelligence did you gather for me? Do not disappoint me... you know what happens to those who do, don't you?"
Code 01: "Yes, Master."
Unlike the sniveling spy from before, Code 01 stood completely straight. His posture dripped with supreme confidence—he wasn't afraid of his master in the slightest.
He laid out the entire situation, breaking down every single detail of what had transpired at the hospital, Kye's arrival, and the team's movements.
The Unknown Man listened in dead silence, a subtle, dark smile spreading across his face.
Once the debriefing was complete, Code 01 folded his arms and spoke with a sharp smirk.
Code 01: "So... my Master—or should I say, the 4th Chief of the Special Executive Chiefs... Lord Borius Villie... Is this information sufficient for you?"
Lord Borius burst into a thunderous, echoing laugh!
BOOM!
Borius slammed his heavy fist onto the expensive wooden table, grinning like a maniac.
Borius: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Exactly what I expected from you, Code 01. Out of all four of my Special Executives, you are by far the most useful! You never fail to entertain me!"
He turned toward the terrified guards stationed nearby and casually waved his hand.
Borius: "Guards! Prepare tea and snacks for Code 01 immediately! We can't have our finest Special Executive sitting around with an empty stomach!"
And with that strangely dark, bizarre moment... the scene shifted naturally!
We see Daigo and Mira sitting inside a moving car, their expressions deadpan serious. They were heading somewhere far away—somewhere unknown to anyone else...
Daigo: "Finally... that day has arrived, Mira. I always knew this moment would come, but... I never expected it to be this soon."
Mira gently placed her hand over Daigo's, her grip warm yet firm.
Mira: "Don't worry, Daigo. Things were always meant to unfold this way. From now on, everything depends on the choices we make next."
The two of them locked hands tightly, sharing a quiet, unwavering resolve.
Daigo & Mira: "We are completely ready now."
The perspective shifted to the rain-soaked streets below.
Kye walked calmly down the empty road, a strange, unreadable smile playing across his lips.
Kye: "So... now that everything is set in stone... I'm ready too."
The scene shifted once again—to the hideout.
Saito, Elena, Hollow, and Arisa stood side by side,their eyes filled with newfound determination.
Saito, Elena, Hollow & Arisa: "So finally... we are ready to move forward!"
And lastly... the camera swept across the dark, high-tech chambers of SS Partners.
All four Special Executive Chiefs—Null, Fang, Bansho, and Lord Borius Villie—stood in the shadows, cold smirks spreading across their faces as they spoke in unison.
The Four Chiefs: "I hope you're ready too... Kye Kurasaki!"
And amidst this overwhelming storm of preparation and impending doom...
[ END OF VOLUME 2 : THE TRUTH THEY BURIED ]