The stark hospital light gave way to the pale moonlight as the Seirei Exorcist Group stepped out into the night. Makoto Katsuragi led the way, his face a mask of hardened resolve, mirroring the expressions of his comrades. The city, usually bustling, was eerily silent, as if holding its breath in anticipation. The weight of their mission was heavy in the air, a silent vow to rescue Airi and stop the impending war.
Yana, her brow furrowed with a lingering question, broke the tense silence. "If Ryota can separate Standz from humans, doesn't that make our Standz useless?" Her voice was a low murmur, the concern clear in her eyes as she turned to Takumi Enatsu.
Takumi shook his head, his posture firm. "He can only perform that separation if he gets a user's blood. As long as we keep our distance and avoid contact, we'll be safe." His words were meant to be a comfort, but the grim reality of their peril hung in the air.
Makoto, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, offered a confident smirk. "I have a plan." The words were a quiet declaration, a beacon of hope in the darkness. He quickly shared the details of his strategy to his team. The plan was audacious, risky, and a little bit reckless—exactly what they needed. The group nodded in unison, a silent pact of trust passing between them.
Meanwhile, in his dimly lit office, Ryota sat in a high-backed chair, his fingers steepled in thought. He watched the mind-controlled seireis preparing for battle, their forms shadowy and sinister. The room buzzed with the dark energy of his ambition, the air thick with the scent of ozone and malevolence. His eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the multiple surveillance monitors, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He was in complete control, or so he thought.
Suddenly, the screens began to flicker, their images distorted by static. One by one, they fogged out, leaving only a few functioning monitors. Ryota's smile vanished, replaced by a deep frown. He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What's happening?" he muttered, his voice a low growl. His gaze darted to the last remaining screen, where he saw Makoto moving swiftly, a phantom in the shadows. A surge of white-hot rage coursed through him. "That witch... Eliza must have told him where I am," he snarled.
In a corner of the room, Airi sat tied to a chair. Her eyes, wide with fear, were locked on the flickering screen. A tremor of hope shot through her as she saw Makoto's face. "Makoto!" she cried, her voice trembling.
Ryota turned to her, his face a mask of cruelty. "So, you know him? Perfect," he sneered, a sadistic grin spreading across his face. "You can watch him die in front of you before I let you join him in the afterlife."
Airi's fear was replaced by defiance. Her chin lifted, and she glared at Ryota, her voice steady despite the terror. "Makoto doesn't lose to anyone. You'll regret underestimating him."
Ryota's grin widened, a chilling display of arrogance. "We'll see about that," he said, turning back to the screen as Makoto's form grew closer. "I'll have my seireis pin him down the moment he steps into my office."
The heavy oak door burst open, but Ryota's seireis were met with an empty doorway. A cacophony of shattering glass filled the room as Makoto crashed through the window, shards scattering like diamonds across the floor. The unexpected entry caught everyone off guard, their attention momentarily focused on the dramatic entrance. Makoto landed gracefully, a few splinters of glass clinging to his clothes. He brushed them off, his eyes scanning the room, first for Airi, then settling on Ryota. "Damn," he muttered, rotating his shoulder with a pained grimace. "I think I dislocated my shoulder with that jump." With a sharp pop, he snapped it back into place, the pain receding behind a wall of pure focus.
Ryota chuckled, a low, menacing sound. "You're something else, aren't you? I hate your kind—low-standz freaks like you. It's why I had my first kill." His voice was laced with venom, a hatred born of a deep-seated inferiority complex.
Makoto's gaze hardened. "Drop the act, Ryota. Eliza told me everything." He paused, his voice softening just slightly. "And for what it's worth, your mother was wrong about you."
Ryota's smirk faltered for a moment, a flicker of pain crossing his features before his anger took over. "I don't care what you or anyone else thinks!" he snapped. "I'd rather die than live as a side character."
"You don't have to pick a side," Makoto said calmly, his tone an anchor in Ryota's storm. "I'm not a hero or a villain—I'm just a guy."
"Shut up!" Ryota bellowed, his composure shattering completely. "Kill him!" he commanded the seireis, his voice a frantic scream.
The air grew heavy and cold as the seireis charged, their dark auras making the very walls tremble. Makoto stood his ground, a lone figure facing an overwhelming storm. Without hesitation, he rushed into the fray, his raw, untamed strength his only weapon. Blow after blow landed on him, tearing his skin and leaving deep gashes. But Makoto, a man fueled by defiance, refused to fall. He fought with a ferocity born of desperation, each strike a testament to his unbreakable will.
Airi watched, her hands trembling as she saw the toll the battle was taking on him. Bloodied but unbowed, Makoto recited the hand signs and chants, his voice a low, steady chant amidst the chaos. One by one, the seireis fell, their dark forms dissipating into wisps of smoke. When the final one vanished, Ryota took a step back, his face a mask of disbelief.
"You've lost," Makoto said, his voice firm despite his battered body. "The villain always loses."
Ryota's face twisted with fury. He lunged for Airi, his nails pressing dangerously close to her neck. "Move, and I'll pierce her skin. Her blood will be mine, and her standz will disappear forever."
Makoto froze, his heart pounding in his chest. "What happens to her if she loses her standz?" he asked cautiously, his mind racing for a way out.
Ryota's cruel grin returned. "Why don't you ask the other contenders I've taken Standz from—oh wait, they're all dead."
The tension in the room was suffocating. Makoto's mind searched for an escape, any way to de-escalate the situation. Ryota's grip on Airi tightened, his gloating voice a constant, grating presence. "Back off, or I'll end her right here."
A soft, almost pained laugh escaped Makoto's lips. "You're so dull-minded," he said, shaking his head.
Ryota's smile vanished. "What did you say?" he growled.
"Let me ask you something," Makoto continued, his tone deliberate. "Who do you suppose malfunctioned your cameras?"
As if on cue, a loud clatter echoed from above. Takumi, Yana, Miwafe, Rin, and Haruko dropped from the air vent, a coordinated assault that took Ryota completely by surprise. They landed on him in a tangled heap, pinning him to the floor. Haruko stood first, a look of confusion on his face. "Something broke my fall," he muttered, before realizing he was standing on Ryota.
Yana and Miwafe quickly secured Ryota, their movements practiced and precise, while Rin and Haruko rushed to untie Airi. Takumi approached Makoto, concern etched on his face. "What took you guys so long?" Makoto asked, his voice weak, his body now giving way to the pain of his injuries.
"Crawling through vents isn't as easy as it looks," Takumi replied, a hint of a smile on his face.
Pinned beneath the group, Ryota struggled and screamed, "What's going on?!"
Makoto leaned against the wall, a weak smirk gracing his lips. "You haven't figured it out yet? When I first came here to apply for a job, I memorized every detail of this building. I knew where the cameras were, which routes to avoid, and how to use them against you. Takumi used his strings to disable your cameras while staying out of sight. While you were focused on me, the others used the vent to sneak up on you."
Ryota's face contorted with rage as Makoto began to cough up blood. Miwafe rushed to his side, but Ryota saw his opportunity. With a sudden surge of strength, he grabbed Yana, using her as a human shield. "If any of you move, she's dead!" he barked.
Yana struggled in his grip but remained calm, using her Standz to read his mind. She saw his plan—he would throw her aside and jump out the window to escape. Subtly, she pointed toward the window, a desperate plea for help.
Makoto's sharp eyes caught her signal, but his body refused to move, the pain of his injuries an insurmountable obstacle. As Ryota hurled Yana aside and lunged for the window, Airi acted. With a swift, powerful kick to his jaw, she sent him crashing to the floor, his head hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
"Nobody—and I mean nobody—kidnaps me," Airi declared, her voice firm and her eyes blazing.
A wave of relief washed over the group, and a weak smile spread across Makoto's bloodied face. Ryota, desperate and defeated, forced himself to stand. "I refuse to lose," he muttered, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and despair.
"Stop hurting yourself," Makoto said gently, his words a surprising offer of empathy.
"What would you know?!" Ryota snapped, his anger a last, desperate defense.
"You're right," Makoto replied. "Maybe I don't. But someone else does."
At that moment, the door opened, and Eliza entered the room, her face streaked with tears. "Ryota," she said softly, her voice filled with a heartbreaking tenderness. She wrapped her arms around him, a gesture of unconditional love. "I couldn't stand up for you back then, but I'm not afraid anymore. Please, stop."
Ryota froze in her arms, his anger melting away. Tears streamed down his face as he hesitantly hugged her back, his body trembling with the release of years of pain and bitterness. Makoto watched the scene, a faint smile on his lips as the tension in the room dissolved, leaving only the quiet sound of Ryota's sobs. He had won, but not in the way he had expected.