Kaizen had already anticipated Tucker's death.
Not just Kaizen—Tucker had expected it too.
Joining the Dark Night, aligning with the Revolutionary Army, and taking action against Oster...
Tucker's death had been sealed from the beginning.
As someone who could barely be called a friend, Kaizen still respected his choice.
Tucker loved his country. That's why he was willing to die for it.
Still, Kaizen couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
With Tucker's talent and potential, if he had been born anywhere but the United States of Saherta, his life could've been brilliant.
But in this world…
There are too many things worth regretting.
Meteor City, Taris Country, the Kurta Clan, Heavens Arena…
A good life was never what Tucker sought.
Old memories with Tucker surfaced in Kaizen's mind.
"I just hope his death pushes the United States of Saherta a little closer to the future he envisioned."
"And I need to pick up the pace here, too."
Kaizen looked up.
At some point, the sky had darkened.
Clouds gathered.
BOOM!
A thunderclap split the sky.
The first droplets of rain fell.
Then more.
Until it poured.
…
Oster Manor.
Corpses and severed limbs littered the ground. Blood pooled into rivers. The bodies of hundreds were strewn across the estate.
Most were Oster's guards.
The rest were Dark Night operatives.
Oster stood at a vantage point, looking down at the carnage.
"They underestimated me. That brat thought he could kill me? Too naïve."
His butler approached, checking over the battlefield.
"My lord."
"What is it?"
"One's missing."
"Missing?"
"Yes. Eight members of the Dark Night infiltrated Oster Manor. We've only found seven bodies."
"Who's unaccounted for?"
Oster's gaze sharpened.
"Nessley."
"Take me to the bodies."
"Yes, sir."
…
Soon, Oster stood among the corpses.
Tucker's body was slumped in a corner.
He'd been on the front lines, shielding the others with his defensive ability. The more hits he took, the stronger he became—but in the end, he'd taken far too many.
His body was unrecognizable. Torn open in dozens of places.
He looked like meat pounded flat on a chopping board.
And yet…
Tucker's eyes still burned with hope for his homeland.
Oster sneered.
Nearby, a girl with pink twin-tails had a gaping hole through her chest. It was clear from her expression that even in her final moments, she couldn't believe what had happened.
Oster remembered her.
A sniper with devastating long-range power—he'd taken her out the moment the battle began.
Another girl with long black hair lay headless. Oster had decapitated her himself, yet even after losing her head, her arms had still tried to swing her blade.
But the strike never came.
Then there was a green-haired young man, snapped in half at the waist. His bones shattered, his body folded like a broken doll.
Nancy's corpse lay flat on the blood-soaked ground.
A massive pair of scissors impaled her through the chest, driven so deep they'd pierced the earth beneath her—like a nail pinning her to the world.
The white-haired captain of the Dark Night had been Oster's greatest challenge. The strongest among them.
Back when the others were still alive, Oster had struggled against him.
But once the team was gone, Oster had taken his time.
He didn't kill him right away.
Instead, he tortured him.
Pulled off his arms.
Tore off his legs.
Left him a twitching mess of pain and pride.
He could have ended it in an instant.
But he didn't.
…
"Nessley?" Oster turned to his butler.
The butler nodded gravely.
"I remember tearing someone in half. You're sure her body's not here?"
"Yes, my lord."
"You're telling me she survived that? Is it some kind of ability?"
...
The Dark Night was annihilated.
Only seven corpses lay at Oster's feet.
If one had escaped, Oster didn't care about who—but how.
If Nessley survived, it meant her ability was beyond normal.
And that made Oster uneasy.
"Any word from Ravik?"
"No, sir. Nothing yet."
Oster's expression darkened.
"Still nothing? Either Ravik hasn't found Kaizen, or something happened. Don't tell me Kaizen managed to beat him…?"
Something was off.
Even if Ravik hadn't located Kaizen yet, he should have reported in.
Radio silence meant one thing—trouble.
"Why is Kaizen so strong…?"
"Or... is someone helping him?"
Oster's brow furrowed deeper.
Tucker's lifeless gaze still burned with conviction, and it made Oster grind his teeth.
He walked over to Tucker's corpse.
A swirl of aura formed at his feet.
Then he kicked Tucker's skull with all his might.
CRACK!
Tucker's neck snapped instantly.
His head flew like a soccer ball.
It burst midair—
Red. White. Yellow.
Everywhere.
Some splattered on the butler.
But the man didn't dare flinch.
He knew Oster's mood was volatile.
Say the wrong thing, make the wrong move—
And death would be a mercy.
…
Suddenly, a phone vibrated.
Oster pulled it from his coat and arched a brow.
"Ravik finally pulled it off? I knew I could count on him. Unlike those idiots Dog and the Four Beasts..."
But as he unlocked the phone and read the message…
Oster's face changed.
"…What?"
In the next instant, Oster vanished.
His aura flared—and he was gone.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)