The Assassin's Resolve

CHAPTER 36: Time for the Inevitable Death

Near the tunnel gate was an infamous deep well that only few had used. Dr. Yukimura had to regain his energy after the run but receiving the news of Kaito's death from Akari struck him down, "My son wanted to see his mother badly." he cried, "I need to make things right—no, with all my sins and mistakes, I don't think I can make things as I originally wanted, with Saki. But I should at least end everyone's misery."

Akari embraced him tightly like it was the only thing that she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

"Dr. Yukimura. We don't have much time—" Nagisa reminded. He was to track Koro with his ability before he collapsed, and his surroundings suddenly became nothingness. He lost all his abilities. He tried to speak but he could not hear his own voice. It was worse than drowning. His skin and bones felt numb and before his head hit the ground, his heart stopped beating.

Everyone was in utter shock. Everything happened in a flash-- nobody felt the uninviting presence that found them.

"All the rats in one place. You made everything easier for me." Kotaro appeared, blood soaked his white shirt, but what disturbed them most was,

"Irina." Aguri was not sure, but more likely, she's denying what she just saw.

Kotaro dragged Irina's cold body by her hair on his right and carried a whole arm on his left that he soon threw on his way.

They tried to believe that that wasn't real. Irina was lifeless, and the arm,

"Koro."

Their eyes obviously say they were terrified, but no one moved or even breathed. Without the strongest people who always saves them, how can they stand a chance to Kotaro? Nagisa was still unresponsive, Koro must be bleeding out to death, and Irina...

Hopelessness rapidly consumed them.

Akari instinctively turned to check her grandfather, she should at least try to make Koro's plan happen, but to her disbelief, Kotaro was already standing beside her, strangling the hopeless Akihito to death. Nobody saw it coming. Even Rio didn't expect that Kotaro was faster than Koro and Nagisa combined.

Aguri did her best to beg and cling into Kotaro's arm but to no avail. Kotaro mercilessly seized her jaw with his free hand and finished her first. Aguri's head made a heavy contact with a tree trunk and she fell unconscious.

Akari jumped in shock as she watched her sister being thrown like a paper. The tree was too far for her to know if the blow was fatal. She didn't even know what to think of at that moment—

"If he is alive, there's a chance that he can make an antidote for this disease."

Yet, she was well-oriented with their goal. Nagisa told her everything.

They all reacted rashly, reaching to whatever they can use as weapons. Rio pointed her gun at Kotaro, though she knew it was useless whilst her attention was divided to Nagisa, Koro and Irina's well-being. She only hoped that Karma and Karasuma was there. Her hands started to shake as reality struck her. There's no way out of here. At this rate, Akihito won't hold out.

The moment she took a grip of the situation, she saw Dr. Kasamoto moving closer to Kotaro and Akihito, unnoticed. Rio searched shortly when she finally found what was in his hand.

Maybe there is. There's always something.

Akari glanced at Rio and to her injured foot, and back to Nagisa. She made a gamble to crawl and check Nagisa without being killed. She looked up at Kotaro and saw that his eyes turned all white while he was in an unconscious state while Akihito was still locked in his hand.

Could it be—

Akari immediately turned to Rio again, trying to converse what she had just realized. Fortunately, Rio was quick to grasp the situation.

Could it be the smoke grenade?

The smoke grenade designed to make them lose their consciousness worked!

"It worked". Hideyoshi Kasamoto teared up. And Rio was sure that it wasn't a joyful one.

"Rio! Shoot him now!" Akari called out and Rio did so, and she didn't miss, that's what she thought.

Kotaro finally regained his consciousness but not before Dr. Yukimura forced his weight towards the mouth of well to drag Kotaro down with him.

What he did was so sudden that no one expected him to do that, except for Dr. Kasamoto who planted the explosives inside the deep well.

"Do it, Hideyoshi." Was Dr. Yukimura last words before the ground trembled along the loud explosions coming from the well.

That was supposed to be a series of ear-splitting sounds, but Akari have not heard any of that sound. She screamed but all she recognized was the ringing sound in her ear. Her  heart raced like she was the one falling into the depths of darkness. The next thing she knew, Rio has pulled her in a tight embrace.

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