"…Why…
Enough already!
I can't take this anymore…
Let this f**king torment end!
I'm so tired…
And still, no one has come!
Why?
Why do I think I'm going to be saved?
If I saved many people, that means I'm strong, right?
And if I'm strong, then I don't need help…
I can save myself, HUH?!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
MYSELF?! HAHAHAHAHA!!
I CAN'T DO SHIT!!
AND I F**KING HATE THAT!!!
I WANT TO KILL THAT FKING SON OF A BCH!!!
NO!!! EVEN MORE!!!
DEATH WOULD BE TOO MERCIFUL FOR HIM!!!
I WANT TO RIP HIM APART, CHEW ON HIS INTESTINES!!!
GOUGE OUT HIS EYES!!!
SHOVE MY FINGERS INTO HIS NOSTRILS AND RIP OFF HIS NOSE COMPLETELY!!!
I WANT TO MAKE HIM FEEL THE PAIN OF HELL!!!…"
At that moment, the door opens again…
The same two figures… Ghost and the young man enter.
"See, Brody… I told you he's completely lost his mind…"
Then turning to Zack…
"Want a gift?"
"Hhhhhh.."
Zack, as if realizing what he meant, stares into his eyes with a mix of HATRED and FEAR…
The room is completely dark, with only a beam of light coming from the open door.
Ghost raises his hand.
He's holding a head…
But he's clearly gripping it from underneath.
Zack, involuntarily, looks a little closer…
It becomes clear Ghost is holding the head by a long, thick beard…
Zack's eyes widen…
"B-b-b-b…"
He can't finish the word…
And Ghost says:
"Brody, send the other one in…"
Brody (the young man) kicks a round object at his feet…
Krauser's head rolls forward into the light…
"Hhhaa….hhh…"
Zack wants to scream, but he can't…
His vocal cords are in agony…
And screaming would do no good…
"Haaaa!! What's wrong?! No reaction? Not even a scream? Hahahahahahahahah!"
Zack grits his teeth…
His body is destroyed…
His hair has grown long and messy, falling over his face…
Ghost reaches for a war axe on the side…
"Yes… I can feel it… the hatred in your eyes…"
And with a swift motion, he swings the axe at Zack's neck!!!
Zack's head is separated from his body!!
Brody watches…
"Come on! Show me your power! If you can't even handle this—"
His sentence is cut short…
Suddenly, a black substance oozes from the body and flows beneath the head… merging them together…
"Yes!! Hahaha…"
Brody looks slightly surprised:
"So he really does have the Dark Angel…"
he thinks.
"Brody… watching this gives me pleasure… You can stay if you want, but I want to play with this kid…"
"I'll leave…" Brody says, exiting the room…
⸻
Why…?
Why can't I die…?
Why do I survive…?
Is it because of Helios?
If so, why did my brother die?
Because he didn't have the Dark Angel…?
"Hehehehe… no, quite the opposite… your brother did have the Dark Angel…"
That voice… that laugh…
It's familiar… deeply familiar…
"But your brother was so pathetic,
he could only activate that power on his deathbed…"
"GGRRRRAAAGGHHH!!! AAAAA!!!"
"Come on! Is that it? That's all you can take?!? Wake the monster inside you!!! COME ONNN!!!"
I…
"Don't worry… this is the only place you feel peace, right?"
says the girl in black clothes…
How long have I been here…?
"Who knows…?"
Did everyone really die…?
While I was wishing for them to save me, were they suffering too?
"…"
Ha..ha ha… hahahahah…ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
"…what's so funny…?"
Ahahaha… it's just so…
The ones who abandoned me to rot like this… are now DEAD… ahahahahahaha
"I see… you're really not okay, huh?
You're truly exciting me…
Yes… you don't need those charlatans…
Look… in every moment…
I was right there by your side…"
Ahahahahahahahahahahah…
You?
Who the hell are you?
You're nothing…
Just some entity I created in my mind…
"Do you really think all of this is that simple to explain?"
Zack's painful laughter halts…
"Do you really think everything is just a reality your brain invented?"
⸻
Ghost:
"Come on, kid! Awaken your power…!"
Ghost continues to tear Zack's body apart…
⸻
Taka City — In the Taka Family Skyscraper
(Also known as The Hawk's Nest)
Ayato leaves his room and heads toward the third meeting room.
"If we really want to find him, we have to move fast. If we wait for the power wave, it'll be too late. I doubt that man can control the Dark Angel…"
With these thoughts, he enters the room.
Bıfrat, Denis, and Krauser are inside…
Ayato steps to the head of the table and says, without sitting:
"I'll be brief. If we wait for the power wave caused by the awakening of the Dark Angel—also known as Apex Helion—it'll be too late. So I've taken things up a notch and started interrogating OptiPax agents these past few days. It's been almost a month since Zack was kidnapped. 25 days to be exact. With my contingency plan, the 'testimony gambit,' I've extracted a few locations. I had each location scouted by my men. A few looked like real shelters. But we don't need their shelters—we need the place where Zack is being held.
Right now, we have three potential zones:
The first is inside the Taka region itself; technically it's close, but very near the border. I've already sent men there.
The second is in the Dragon region; I've sent Liv there and am waiting for a report.
The third is in the Xirat region; Xirat is known to be OptiPax territory. But the part near us—specifically Fade City—is right on our border. The eastern gate of that city is just 3km from our lands. That's the closest point. I've sent agents there as well.
For now, we're waiting for reports."
"Impressive. You know your work well, despite being young…" says Bıfrat.
"Oh, by the way. Our enemy's combat skill is weak. But that doesn't apply to their Leader and their Second-in-Command, Brody. To take them on, we'll need someone skilled in battle…
So I arranged someone you might be familiar with…"
At that moment, the door opens…
Bıfrat, Denis, and Krauser turn around…
When they see who enters…
Bıfrat and Krauser's expressions shift…
A thick, large cloak…
A hood covering the face…
⸻
File #022
The Hawk's Nest
A symbol of the Taka family, this skyscraper is located at the very center of Taka City. Commonly used as the business headquarters for the Taka leaders, this building also provides high living standards for their families…