Gently holding Mrs. Shinobu's hand, Kira Yoshikage walked to a nearby restaurant that was still open.
"Shinobu, let's have one last taste of authentic Italian food together, a complete meal, and then return to Japan."
Hearing this, Shinobu nodded slightly, a longing for delicious food rising in her heart. "Alright then, after dinner, we'll go to the airport. Let's start with a tiramisu."
They had dinner together, Mrs. Shinobu excitedly talking about where they would go in Japan tomorrow, while Kira Yoshikage listened quietly, occasionally nodding.
However, good times are always short-lived.
Suddenly, Kira Yoshikage's body stiffened violently!
The distorted arm on his back almost broke free uncontrollably. Time was running out, but he could still suppress it for about an hour.
More importantly, he felt a sense of danger. His mutated flesh gave him a special sensation. He abruptly stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back a corner of the curtain.
The street in the distance below the hotel was completely sealed off at some point!
US soldiers in heavy body armor and armed with automatic weapons were setting up defensive lines! Cannons were being dragged in from who knows where, aiming directly at the hotel.
Further away, the silhouettes of armored vehicles and tanks loomed in the night! Several helicopters circled like vultures, their searchlights sweeping across the windows of nearby buildings!
And all of this happened silently. Inside the hotel, there were not only Kira Yoshikage's table but also many other guests enjoying their meals, trying to suppress the fear caused by the city's chaos today.
But they probably wouldn't be able to calm their hearts.
"Kousaku? What's wrong?" Mrs. Shinobu noticed his abnormality and asked worriedly, putting down her food and leaning closer, also wanting to look out the window.
But Kira Yoshikage slowly lowered the curtain, turned around, and gently but firmly gripped Shinobu Kawajiri's wrist. The gentle smile on his face disappeared, replaced by an expression of extreme seriousness.
"Nothing, my dear." His voice was terrifyingly calm. "It's just... our trip, I'm afraid, has to end early."
The next second, he ignored her confusion and fiercely embraced her, holding her tightly, causing Shinobu Kawajiri to blush.
"What are you doing? There are so many people here..."
"You gave me the last bit of peace." Kira Yoshikage slowly let go, ignoring her words, and simply reached out, gently caressing her cheek, his movements even tender. "Thank you."
Then, in the next second after that gentle touch—
Click.
A silent switch was pressed in his heart.
The exquisite gem brooch on Mrs. Shinobu's chest, which he had just given her, and her body wearing it, instantly began to disintegrate.
Mrs. Shinobu's face didn't even have time to show an expression of terror.
Buzz—
There was no loud bang, no flash of fire.
Mrs. Shinobu, along with her clothes and jewelry, in front of Kira Yoshikage, like pencil marks erased by an eraser, silently and completely decomposed and dissipated into basic particles.
Not even a speck of ash, or a hint of scent, remained.
As if she had never existed in this world.
She disappeared in plain sight, and in an instant, the other people in the restaurant who had been watching the affectionate couple with interest fell silent.
Every single one of them was dumbfounded.
Kira Yoshikage's hand remained suspended in the air, maintaining the caressing posture. There was no expression on his face, only a cold void, completely stripped of pretense.
The last bond... was broken. Now no one could threaten him; the US military wouldn't get a hostage.
"Heh..." He let out a soft chuckle, whether it was a sigh or a sneer, it was unclear.
Originally, he had been guarding against Passione, but he didn't expect the US military to arrive. But it was all the same.
Based on everything he had seen recently, the US military's morality was highly questionable, and they would definitely resort to kidnapping hostages to threaten him.
Since that was the case, he couldn't give them a chance; he had to act first. As long as he killed Shinobu, they wouldn't be able to capture her, and thus couldn't threaten him.
Perfect.
"Don't worry, as long as I win, I will return to this time and revive you. Don't worry, don't be afraid, just wait patiently for me to come back."
Looking at the void before him, Kira Yoshikage muttered to himself.
He knew that if he lost, as his lover, Mrs. Shinobu would inevitably die.
So if he lost, whether he killed her or not wouldn't matter; the outcome would be the same. At most, it would give people another reason to curse him, and perhaps even make Mrs. Shinobu's name sound better.
And if he won, he could naturally return to this time and revive her, and none of this would have any impact.
Therefore, this was the most rational and correct choice, but why did his heart hurt so much?
A heartache exceeding the physical pain of being shot full of holes earlier gradually emerged, making Kira Yoshikage feel increasingly uneasy.
"Is this love? It hurts so much..."
Recalling the past few days, the absolutely rigid Kira Yoshikage lifestyle gradually faded. With Mrs. Shinobu's companionship, he began to eat and move freely like a normal person.
He wouldn't wake up at the exact same time every day like a human alarm clock, but would sleep until broad daylight. Thinking of all this made him feel even worse.
At the same time, unconsciously, amidst Kira Yoshikage's inner pain, one of Kira Yoshikage's two obsessions—the perfect hand—was already complete.
But he wanted to quietly reflect on the past few days, and someone else was unwilling.
Outside the window, the US military's loudspeaker issued an ultimatum demanding surrender.
"Attention, armed personnel inside, you are completely surrounded. All escape routes are sealed. Resistance is futile."
The loudspeaker's voice penetrated the gaps in the ruins, echoing through the empty streets. "You have ten minutes to lay down all weapons, put your hands on your head, and exit the building. We will guarantee your basic human rights and safety.
If you refuse to surrender after the deadline, we will take all necessary measures, including military strikes. All consequences will be your responsibility. This is the final warning; there will be no second chance."
This harsh sound made the guests in the restaurant, who were silently trying to move towards the door while the murderous madman was distracted, curse inwardly.
They didn't know why that person died, but they knew very well that the strange Japanese man with the black pineapple-like hair was definitely a dangerous individual. If he reacted, wouldn't they be in trouble?
Sure enough, Kira Yoshikage slowly turned around, facing the window, and quietly looked at the curtain.
He made no other movements, but the guests in the room felt immense pressure and dared not move.
But eventually, someone couldn't take it anymore. A blonde white man suddenly shouted, then turned and ran, directly rushing towards the door, knocking over a chair in the process, making a clattering sound.
The commotion he caused directly triggered a chain reaction. Several other young people who could no longer endure also frantically ran away. The elderly also wanted to run, but they couldn't run fast enough.
Kira Yoshikage didn't move at all. Several small cars appeared behind him, directly crashing into and exploding all these people.
This time, he didn't even use Killer Queen's explosion ability itself, too lazy to command it.
Those people instantly turned into one blood flower after another. Being hit by a small car with A-level power was actually no different from being hit by a large truck.
It's just that one is flattened into two dimensions, and the other is smashed into a donut.
Listening to the screams behind him, Kira Yoshikage's consciousness gradually returned, and his expression slowly became calm again. "Don't worry, Shinobu, I won't be disheartened by this. I will keep striving and revive you in the future."
His suit began to rip, and four pale, distorted arms on his back suddenly extended, flailing wildly!
Black blood vessels beneath his skin writhed violently, and his spine let out a grating crack! More mutations were occurring within his body!
His gaze completely transformed into an abyss of coldness, hunger, and destructive desire.
"Alright..." he rasped, his voice no longer human, but like two stones constantly grinding against each other, his tongue also transforming into a venomous snake-like monstrosity.
"Now... I can unrestrainedly..."
"Go wild."
He calmly walked towards the door, ignoring the threatening words. Killer Queen appeared behind him, and endless power surged forth.
The energy of the chain reaction of explosions surged and roared within him, bringing with it the terror of fully embracing this distorted power, an absolute strength!
Judging by the feeling of being punched into a wall by Star Platinum back then, his current physical prowess far exceeded Star Platinum's by an unknown margin.
He felt that he could now punch a tank apart. His physique was no longer comparable to that of a human. This physical mutation was truly powerful, but it was also easy to die.
The moment of destruction had arrived.