They all advanced toward Shinji, knives in hand.
Shinji, still gripped by madness, thought he saw Neko at the alley's exit, but it was already too late.
He hadn't believed in anything for a long time. Not in Neko, not in this test, not in himself.
— We've finally found him after all this time, Hayato murmured.
— Tonight, at last… After all these years…
His gaze, which had concealed his resentment, no longer bothered to hide it. He revealed his true nature, no longer needing to mask it.
Once they reached Shinji, Hayato's followers—likely the rest of the Zephyr camp—attacked without warning. Punches rained down on his ribs.
Then knee strikes. To his back.
Then several more followed, not meant to kill—just to hurt. Just enough to ensure their resentment toward him was conveyed in its rawest form.
— Why?! he thought, dazed, as the ground rushed closer.
Ryouma watched, arms crossed, standing back.
— Be careful, he said calmly. He… must not die.
— But nothing says he can't suffer what his existence has cost us, one of them shouted.
A foot slammed into Shinji's side. Then a second, harder.
Blood spurted from his lip. He no longer had the strength to scream.
— What did I do to them? Why so much resentment? Who the hell am I?
He wanted to look into their eyes for some kind of answer, but all he found was a resentment he couldn't comprehend.
A whisper escaped him as his mind began to falter.
— This world wants to crush me…
He felt his consciousness slipping, and himself along with it.
As his vision blurred, he saw several figures in the distance, all wearing long black robes.
The Zephyr members turned.
— Hey, Hayato, who are they? Ryouma spat.
Hayato frowned.
The black-robed figures approached, then stopped, murmuring in an almost divine voice:
— We've been waiting for you. Welcome, heir of hatred.
— Heir… of hatred? Shinji murmured, his body at its final reserves.
Everyone in this world seemed to know him, while he no longer knew himself.
On the edge of unconsciousness, a final, fragile, irrational spark of hope flickered within him:
— Embrace the hatred within you… Argus.
The figures were three men, their faces hidden by the shadows of their hoods.
A tension filled the air in the alley as they drew closer to the Zephyr.
They stopped a few meters from Hayato and Ryouma. To their left lay the butcher, still sprawled on the ground.
— That man… he's Kades' brother, one of them declared, pointing at the butcher.
— Are you sure? asked the one standing at the center of the three.
— Yes, Danme-sama.
Hayato and Ryouma stepped back.
— Kades' brother? Hayato murmured.
Ryouma seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation as well.
— That means…
— As you can see, you're dealing with the last faithful of Envy. If you recognized Kades, that means…
Hayato and Ryouma raised their knives, ready to strike before the man could finish.
— So be it… He betrayed us, after all.
Danme signaled to the one who had noticed the butcher to take him.
As he began to lift him, new figures leapt from the rooftops, blocking the alley's exit.
— So you weren't at full strength… You should've warned us, Selemen. That was your job to check, said the man on the right of the three.
— My apologies, Clay-sama. I haven't fully mastered the third eye yet, said the man who had started to carry the butcher.
He set him back down immediately.
Hayato and Ryouma regained their composure and positioned themselves between the three men and Shinji, still on the ground.
— Go get reinforcements, Hayato ordered the Zephyr on their side of the alley.
— What reinforcements? one of them asked.
— Doesn't matter, head to Qualyoth. Bring back elite guards, Hayato said, gesturing for them to leave, then muttering to himself:
— You'd only be dead weight against them.
— If it's the butcher you want, take him and get lost, Ryouma shouted.
— You know full well it's him we're after, the man at the center replied, pointing at the unconscious Shinji.
Hayato and Ryouma instinctively stepped back again. Hayato's right foot even brushed against Shinji's body.
The ground seemed to tremble, as if the earth itself held its breath.
Clay stepped forward.
— You could have joined us… after the war. We know how to distinguish between you… and your father.
His gaze settled on Ryouma.
— You know, don't you? The rumors are true… Your father did betray us.
Unable to contain his emotions, Ryouma charged at Clay, but Hayato stepped between them.
Clay slowly turned his head toward Ryouma.
— He didn't know, then? You're the smart one. You were even back when your father brought you to the temple nearly fifteen years ago.
Clay let out a mocking smile.
— All this time, you could've found a way to tell him, Hayato.
Hayato responded without hesitation.
— That won't work on us. We know he disappeared.
Clay burst into hysterical laughter.
— You're not as smart as I thought.
A silence fell.
Then he slowly lowered his head.
— You're not leaving me much choice.
It was sudden.
[Hands of Envy]
Clay extended his arms. The shadows on the walls tore free, rushing toward him like vipers, forming a multitude of black hands, all reaching for the twins.
A muffled cry escaped Ryouma's throat as one of the hands seized him by the neck.
— You must have seen Kades use them before, haven't you?
— What did you do to him? Hayato shouted.
— You're a dead man!
Hayato charged toward Shinji.
[Chain of Remorse]
The Hands of Envy that weren't gripping Ryouma's throat surged at Hayato like rabid beasts.
But before they could reach him, a chain materialized in the air.
— What's that?
The chain vibrated, and the hands around it froze.
Then, with a sharp tug, the chain wrapped around the hands, and Hayato used it to pull them toward him.
Ryouma was freed from the hands strangling him at that moment.
Clay fell to his knees, gasping.
— He… he took something from me… he murmured.
He didn't know what had undone him. But Hayato had seen it. He'd seen that suppressed scene, that memory he'd tried to bury. He'd pulled on it like a thread.
[Weapon of Retribution]
— Use it! Hayato shouted.
Ryouma, still recovering, extended his arm, and his knife glowed in his palm.
He hurled it at Clay with full force. Though Clay tried to dodge, the knife seemed to adjust its trajectory, as if guided to its target.
The knife grazed Clay's face, leaving a faint scar. A red glow appeared on it.
— I saw it, Ryouma said hoarsely, his throat still raw from the Hands of Envy.
— What he took from you. You could have saved Shiro that day, but you let him die like worthless trash. You remember, don't you, Clay?
Clay began to waver, as if Shiro's death replayed endlessly within him. He fell to his knees, the shadows around him fading.
— So you were that close to replacing him, Hayato. He could've at least ensured that before betraying us.
Danme approached Clay to check his condition for continuing the fight.
— You should've been more careful. They are his sons, after all.
He laid Clay on the ground.
— You've got a few minutes left, Clay. I'll try to wrap this up quickly.
He half-turned toward Selemen.
— Can you handle them alone, Selemen? he asked, referring to the Zephyr blocking the alley.
— Don't worry about me, Danme-sama. I'll hold out as long as it takes.
— Looks like I'll have to deal with you myself.
Hayato didn't flinch at Danme's threat and helped Ryouma to his feet.
He turned to Danme.
A silence followed before Hayato roared:
— Now!
Danme had no time to react as hundreds of arrows filled the sky, raining down toward him.
The Zephyr blocking the alley charged at Selemen.
Danme dodged the arrows with ease and rushed to shield Clay from them.
Selemen struggled to parry the Zephyr's relentless attacks, standing on trembling legs.
The chaos sparked by Hayato's command created a fog. Ryouma tried to use it to grab Shinji, but Danme had already taken him.
Hayato, seeing Selemen distracted by the Zephyr's onslaught, seized the moment to grab the butcher, then shouted:
— Fall back!
Ryouma and the Zephyr fled the alley at once, slipping into other narrow streets to shake any pursuit from Kades' faithful.
— Why did we take him? Ryouma exclaimed, referring to the butcher.
— Don't forget, he found Shinji before we did. He must know more about him. We're taking him to camp, Hayato replied.
As the fog cleared, Clay began to stir.
— What… happened?
— They had an escape plan. His sons are as cunning as he was, Danme replied, tying up Shinji.
— No! No! No! Selemen screamed.
Clay, still dazed, turned toward him.
— What's wrong?
— They took Mamoru with them…
— Damn it, we can't trust you, Clay shouted.
— Go easy on him. Remember, you're his senior, Danme said calmly, scratching the back of his head.
— The problem is explaining this to Kades…
The three men set off, Shinji slung over Danme's shoulder, still lost in unconsciousness.