Chapter 34 — Operation: Ghost Retrieval
The motel was quiet. Just one flickering light above a dusty doorframe and three versions of Cainen inside one room.
Cainen tossed a towel over his shoulder, glaring at DMK. "Lose the spider shit. You're not creeping through my dreams with eight damn eyes."
DMK sighed, but obliged. The extra eyes receded into his skull like smoke dissolving. "Happy now, Princess?"
"Ecstatic."
The door slammed.
Cainen hit the shower. And for once—no voices, no screaming, no blood. Just hot water and silence. It hit different. Like washing off years of failure, guilt, and grime.
He stepped out thirty minutes later, steam billowing like smoke from a battlefield. Hair slicked back, teeth brushed, a rare moment of peace on his face.
Then...
"HELLOOOO SWEETIES! MAMA'S BACK!!"
Lilith Velka kicked the door open, bat wrapped in barbed wire like always, lipstick smeared like a twisted doll. Her presence? An earthquake.
DMK nearly fell off the bed. "The hell!?"
K ducked under the table.
Cainen blinked. She looks good... wait. We're adults now. She's like a year older. Wait... 39? 40? He squinted. "Are you, like... 40 now or something?"
Silence.
Lilith stopped.
Slowly turned.
Then: BOOM! A right hook straight to his jaw.
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say some dumb sh*t like that."
Cainen groaned. DMK snorted.
She smiled again, tossing her boots off. "An' now I'm takin' a shower. No peeping toms or I slice your necks. Fairtrade?"
"Fair trade," all three agreed instantly.
The bathroom door slammed.
4:00 AM. They were out.
Lilith hotwired a bright pink Adventa — a street-legal demon of a car, capable of 5K mph.
"Dibs on the whip!"
"It's a two-seater!" Cainen yelled.
"Too bad, DMK's already in."
K turned to Cainen. "We got a Budatti nearby."
Cainen found the keys inside a dead man's pocket. Two minutes later he was behind the wheel, immediately swerving like a lunatic.
"damn you can't drive," K sighed.
"yes the hell I can—"
CRASH.
"...Never mind."
K climbed out the windshield. "Hold on. We're hitchin' a ride."
The two climbed atop Lilith's car, gripping onto the reinforced shell.
"YOU BETTER NOT DENT IT OR IT'S YOUR ASS!"
"It's not even yours!"
"Oh yeah—HAHA!"
Four hours later...
The city of Divine Bush was louder than ever.
Kaito's execution.
He stood on a massive pedestal, arms and legs burning in demon-forged chains. His muscles twitched, skin sizzled. His long hair? Cut short. His body? Covered in fresh scars. Ragged cloth barely hung off his body.
Yet... he stared.
Emotionless.
Silent.
The crowd? Losing its mind.
#SexyKaito trended.
#ReleaseKaito trended.
The same people who shouted #KillKaito were now screaming, crying, throwing their panties on stage.
"I WANNA HAVE HIS BABIES!"
"HE CAN KILL ME!"
The Chief Warden stomped the podium.
"YOU BETTER QUIT! bitch"
The women went quiet.
He coughed. "Today, we execute a terrorist. A killer. A man who dared to destroy a statue of the hero Marmer!"
Kaito spat blood. "That old man? Ass Low tier hero at best."
The warden punched him in the gut.
CRACK. A bone broke.
"LISTEN HERE, GHOST. You assaulted officers, impersonated leaders, robbed hundreds of banks, and attempted to kill the Prime Director!"
Kaito smiled. "Guilty."
The torture began.
They whipped him with acid-drenched lashes. Electrocuted him with spears. Shoved spikes under his fingernails. Set rats loose in a box strapped to his chest.
Still, no scream.
They broke fingers. Crushed his toes. Shoved hooks in his shoulders.
Still. Nothing.
Then the crowd roared.
BOOOOM.
The stadium exploded inward.
Lilith. Barbed wire bat in hand, she sprinted through the women's section decapitating every last one.
"YOU THIRSTY BITCHES THINK YOU CAN DROOL OVER KAITO HES MINE?"
Cainen landed beside DMK.
"Uhhh... is this part of the plan?"
DMK shrugged. "I mean... I'm not stoppin' her."
Then it hit the fan.
A new presence dropped onto the field.
Trice.
Fifteen. Special Agent of BlackOps. Elite by age ten. Silver eyes. He cocked a rifle and aimed.
"Ghost squad?"
BANG!
DMK dodged. "Oh, he serious!"
The stadium shook.
The Chief Warden whos name is josh raised both arms. His RAC ignited.
Blood Magic.
His veins burst open. Blood turned to blades. Floating daggers circled his body.
"COME, DEMON!"
Cainen stepped forward.
Eyes black.
Lightning crackled from his spine.
"Gladly."
Final Fight Begins
Cainen dodged the first wave—razor blood shards slamming into concrete. He sprinted in, fist glowing.
The Warden extended his hand, a whip of blood cracking forward.
Cainen caught it.
And pulled.
The Warden stumbled forward—just enough.
BOOM! Cainen's uppercut lifted him six feet.
The Warden recovered mid-air, firing a hail of blood bullets. Cainen spun, lightning flaring around him, vaporizing them.
They clashed.
Fists, knives, blood magic, flame and fury.
The ground quaked.
Then Cainen leapt high, yelling: "K! NOW!"
K (his younger self) appeared, grabbing the Warden from behind.
Cainen charged up, fists black and glowing.
"This one's for my brother."
He punched through the Warden's chest.
The blood magic fizzled.
The crowd fell silent.
Kaito, still hanging... whispered:
"Knew you'd come."
And finally—he passed out.
Mission Start: Rescue the Ghost.
The motel was quiet. Just one flickering light above a dusty doorframe and three versions of Cainen inside one room.
Cainen tossed a towel over his shoulder, glaring at DMK. "Lose the spider shit. You're not creeping through my dreams with eight damn eyes."
DMK sighed, but obliged. The extra eyes receded into his skull like smoke dissolving. "Happy now, Princess?"
"Ecstatic."
The door slammed.
Cainen hit the shower. And for once—no voices, no screaming, no blood. Just hot water and silence. It hit different. Like washing off years of failure, guilt, and grime.
He stepped out thirty minutes later, steam billowing like smoke from a battlefield. Hair slicked back, teeth brushed, a rare moment of peace on his face.
Then...
"HELLOOOO SWEETIES! MAMA'S BACK!!"
Lilith Velka kicked the door open, bat wrapped in barbed wire like always, lipstick smeared like a twisted doll. Her presence? An earthquake.
DMK nearly fell off the bed. "The hell!?"
K ducked under the table.
Cainen blinked. She looks good... wait. We're adults now. She's like a year older. Wait... 39? 40? He squinted. "Are you, like... 40 now or something?"
Silence.
Lilith stopped.
Slowly turned.
Then: BOOM! A right hook straight to his jaw.
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say some dumb sh*t like that."
Cainen groaned. DMK snorted.
She smiled again, tossing her boots off. "An' now I'm takin' a shower. No peeping toms or I slice your necks. Fairtrade?"
"Fair trade," all three agreed instantly.
The bathroom door slammed.
4:00 AM. They were out.
Lilith hotwired a bright pink Adventa — a street-legal demon of a car, capable of 5K mph.
"Dibs on the whip!"
"It's a two-seater!" Cainen yelled.
"Too bad, DMK's already in."
K turned to Cainen. "We got a Budatti nearby."
Cainen found the keys inside a dead man's pocket. Two minutes later he was behind the wheel, immediately swerving like a lunatic.
"damn you can't drive," K sighed.
"yes the hell I can—"
CRASH.
"...Never mind."
K climbed out the windshield. "Hold on. We're hitchin' a ride."
The two climbed atop Lilith's car, gripping onto the reinforced shell.
"YOU BETTER NOT DENT IT OR IT'S YOUR ASS!"
"It's not even yours!"
"Oh yeah—HAHA!"
Four hours later...
The city of Divine Bush was louder than ever.
Kaito's execution.
He stood on a massive pedestal, arms and legs burning in demon-forged chains. His muscles twitched, skin sizzled. His long hair? Cut short. His body? Covered in fresh scars. Ragged cloth barely hung off his body.
Yet... he stared.
Emotionless.
Silent.
The crowd? Losing its mind.
#SexyKaito trended.
#ReleaseKaito trended.
The same people who shouted #KillKaito were now screaming, crying, throwing their panties on stage.
"I WANNA HAVE HIS BABIES!"
"HE CAN KILL ME!"
The Chief Warden stomped the podium.
"YOU BETTER QUIT! bitch"
The women went quiet.
He coughed. "Today, we execute a terrorist. A killer. A man who dared to destroy a statue of the hero Marmer!"
Kaito spat blood. "That old man? Ass Low tier hero at best."
The warden punched him in the gut.
CRACK. A bone broke.
"LISTEN HERE, GHOST. You assaulted officers, impersonated leaders, robbed hundreds of banks, and attempted to kill the Prime Director!"
Kaito smiled. "Guilty."
The torture began.
They whipped him with acid-drenched lashes. Electrocuted him with spears. Shoved spikes under his fingernails. Set rats loose in a box strapped to his chest.
Still, no scream.
They broke fingers. Crushed his toes. Shoved hooks in his shoulders.
Still. Nothing.
Then the crowd roared.
BOOOOM.
The stadium exploded inward.
Lilith. Barbed wire bat in hand, she sprinted through the women's section decapitating every last one.
"YOU THIRSTY BITCHES THINK YOU CAN DROOL OVER KAITO HES MINE?"
Cainen landed beside DMK.
"Uhhh... is this part of the plan?"
DMK shrugged. "I mean... I'm not stoppin' her."
Then it hit the fan.
A new presence dropped onto the field.
Trice.
Fifteen. Special Agent of BlackOps. Elite by age ten. Silver eyes. He cocked a rifle and aimed.
"Ghost squad?"
BANG!
DMK dodged. "Oh, he serious!"
The stadium shook.
The Chief Warden whos name is josh raised both arms. His RAC ignited.
Blood Magic.
His veins burst open. Blood turned to blades. Floating daggers circled his body.
"COME, DEMON!"
Cainen stepped forward.
Eyes black.
Lightning crackled from his spine.
"Gladly."
Final Fight Begins
Cainen dodged the first wave—razor blood shards slamming into concrete. He sprinted in, fist glowing.
The Warden extended his hand, a whip of blood cracking forward.
Cainen caught it.
And pulled.
The Warden stumbled forward—just enough.
BOOM! Cainen's uppercut lifted him six feet.
The Warden recovered mid-air, firing a hail of blood bullets. Cainen spun, lightning flaring around him, vaporizing them.
They clashed.
Fists, knives, blood magic, flame and fury.
The ground quaked.
Then Cainen leapt high, yelling: "K! NOW!"
K (his younger self) appeared, grabbing the Warden from behind.
Cainen charged up, fists black and glowing.
"This one's for my brother."
He punched through the Warden's chest.
The blood magic fizzled.
The crowd fell silent.
Kaito, still hanging... whispered:
"Knew you'd come."
And finally—he passed out.
Mission Start: Rescue the Ghost.