"I... I, am..."
Garando collapsed, staring at the ground with hollow, vacant eyes.
His voice was a strained rasp, as if the words were being squeezed from his very soul. When he finally fell silent, his shoulders sagging in total defeat, Raiha turned to Ryuga with an anxious expression.
"Did you... I mean, is he...?"
"I struck him down, but he's still alive. He needs to face the judgment of the law."
Ryuga explained that he had only dealt enough damage to strip away the man's power as a Magic Armor Beast. Raiha let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
A small smile played on her lips as she caught a glimpse of his underlying kindness—the fact that Ryuga could remain so fierce in the heat of battle yet still refrain from dealing a fatal blow. Seeing her reaction, Ryuga continued.
"We should summon the Security Force immediately. Jinba-san is an acquaintance of Yugo's; he should be able to get here quickly."
"You're right... but will this truly be the end of it?"
"I don't know. But securing both the catalyst of this chaos and the primary instigator is a massive step forward."
As he spoke, Ryuga gestured toward the horizon. Raiha followed his gaze and gasped. A vortex of fire was swirling through the night sky.
She watched as the flames engulfed a distant silhouette, culminating in a massive explosion. Though she couldn't see the details, she instinctively understood: Yugo had defeated Glonas in his Magic Armor Beast form.
"We’ll leave the rest to the Security Force. We’ve done all we can."
"...Yes."
They had apprehended Glonas, the leader of the Society of Friends of the Night, and Kurotobari, the Executor of Justice his followers worshipped.
But was it truly over? The specific power to transform into Magic Armor Beasts might have been neutralized, but there was still a chance the remaining members of the Society would riot in an attempt to liberate their leaders.
As if giving voice to Raiha’s lingering dread, Garando hauled himself up unsteadily. His eyes were wide and manic as he fixed his gaze on the two of them.
"This... this will not end! Even if I fall, my comrades will carry the torch! A second Kurotobari will rise, then a third! The justice I have built is eternal!"
The obsession Garando harbored was deep-rooted, a madness that could not be easily purged.
Ryuga felt a flicker of regret that his silent prayer for the man's peace had gone unanswered. Just as he opened his mouth to retort, a voice he didn't recognize sliced through the darkness.
"Hahaha! You’re a real moron, aren't you?"
"Who? Who’s there? Where are you hiding—augh!?"
Garando spun around, searching for the source of the mockery.
In the next heartbeat, a wet, dull thud echoed through the air. Garando froze.
A stinging agony flared in his chest. Looking down, his eyes went wide as he saw a blood-stained arm protruding through his own torso.
He realized his body had been skewered from behind. In the final seconds before his consciousness flickered out, a mocking voice whispered in his ear.
"Saying justice is eternal is just common sense. After all, whoever wins becomes justice. In other words... the moment you lost, you became the villain."
"Agh... guah... h-help..."
"Just die already. Not as some Ally of Justice, but as a pathetic loser."
The words stripped away the last shreds of Garando's pride, negating his entire existence. He tried to muster a final protest, but his strength failed him. The curtain fell on a life defined by hatred and vendetta.
Garando’s head slumped forward. The stranger withdrew his arm from the lifeless body and carelessly tossed the corpse aside. He turned his attention to Ryuga and Raiha, who stood paralyzed by the sudden brutality.
"Well, that takes care of the loose ends. Case closed."
"Who the hell are you!?"
The man spoke with a bright, casual tone while blood dripped from the right hand he had used to gut Garando. Everything about him screamed abnormality.
He had spiky grey hair and a powerful, muscular build, but it was the aura of pure, unadulterated madness radiating from him that put Ryuga on high alert. Ryuga leveled his katana as the man smiled.
"Easy now. I’m not here to start anything today. Not today, at least."
"...Who are you? Give me a name."
Ryuga didn't buy the man's peaceful posturing for a second. He kept his guard up, his eyes locked on the intruder.
The man’s lips twisted into a jagged grin. He introduced himself with a chillingly cheerful voice.
"Me? The name’s Zaraki. Dragon Eater Zaraki. If you’re from Yamato, I’m sure you’ve heard of me."
"What...!?"
Dragon Eater Zaraki—the notorious criminal who had committed the ultimate taboo of consuming dragon flesh, using the stolen power to slaughter countless innocents.
Zaraki watched Ryuga’s shock with amusement before continuing.
"Relax. I only came because a benefactor of mine asked me to scrub this guy out. Apparently, he knew too much. It would be a real headache if he started singing to the authorities."
Zaraki casually licked the blood from his right hand, savoring the taste of Garando’s life.
He shifted his gaze from Ryuga to Raiha, his eyes narrowing as he chuckled.
"Don't give me that look. We’re all from Yamato, birds of a feather. We should really try to get along."
"Shut your mouth. There isn't a fool in the world who would 'get along' with a murderer who kills in cold blood."
"I guess that's fair," Zaraki barked, laughing loudly at Ryuga’s response.
After a moment, the laughter died down, replaced by a dark, predatory smile.
"My work here is done. I'd better vanish before things get messy. Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon enough. Try to enjoy the trembling until then."
"Wait!"
With that, Zaraki kicked off the ground and surged into the sky.
He was gone in an instant. Ryuga stared at the empty air, his face contorted with the frustration of letting such a monster escape.
Beside him, Raiha was trembling violently, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white.
(That man... there’s no doubt about it. It was him...!)
A visceral, paralyzing terror welled up inside her. Her face was ashen, and her breathing had become shallow and frantic.
"Are you all right, Utsusemi-san? Try to breathe. Just stay with me."
"Ah...! Y-Yes... I'm okay..."
Ryuga’s voice broke through her panic. She managed a stiff nod, though her body remained rigid.
Ryuga glanced at her, then looked down at the silent, broken remains of Garando. His voice was soft, laced with a bitter sense of failure.
"...A man was murdered right in front of us. I understand your shock. I’m sorry. If only I had sensed him sooner..."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Ryuga-san. You didn't do anything wrong..."
Ryuga’s heart was heavy. Criminal or not, Garando was a man who deserved to face the law, and he had failed to protect him from a summary execution.
As Raiha tried to comfort him, she found her own voice catching in her throat, weighed down by a different, much deeper kind of fear.