The boy screamed, lunging at Kakashi with a bone-tipped weapon. Just as the weapon was about to strike, Megumin, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed the boy's arm, twisting it with surprising strength and hurling him into the midst of a nearby struggle.
"Kakashi, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice sharp with concern, as she saw him standing motionless amidst the carnage.
"I don't want to kill because someone says we should," Kakashi replied, his gaze distant and unfocused. "I don't have the right to take someone's life."
"So does that mean you're going to stay here until someone else kills you? Don't you want to see her?" Megumin pressed, her voice laced with urgency. Kakashi remained silent, his expression unchanged.
She reached into his pocket and pulled out the family photograph his mother had given him.
"Don't you want to see Tokah?" she shouted, thrusting the photo into his face. Kakashi stared blankly at the picture, his eyes unseeing. Another child attacked them, but Megumin swiftly neutralized the threat.
Kakashi couldn't understand why Megumin cared so much.
_I mean, not that I didn't expect it, but she shouldn't go to this length because of me,_ he thought, a wave of guilt washing over him.
According to Megumin, her mother had died during childbirth, and her father had blamed her ever since. She had been sold to these people and had lived in the lab for twelve years.
But she was different now. Before, Megumin had shown no desire to escape. But after the fight between Kakashi and Kenji, something had shifted within her. She now craved freedom as much as the others. Kenji and Saito had taken it upon themselves to ensure Megumin saw the outside world, at least once.
"What do you suggest we do?" Kakashi asked, snapping out of his reverie.
"The only way we'll get out of here is if we kill him," Megumin said, her gaze fixed on the man who had orchestrated this horrific game. "Do you want to still go on with the plan?"
"Okay," Kakashi replied. Megumin has changed.
"You remember the plan, right?"
"Sure, I'm ready," Kakashi confirmed, his voice resolute.
"Okay, you wait here while I get Kenji and Sa…" A gunshot shattered the air, silencing the chaos.
Megumin crumpled to the ground, her head bleeding. Kakashi fell to his knees, cradling her in his arms.
"Megumin?! Please answer me! Megumin?!" Kakashi cried out, his voice filled with anguish. The man who had initiated the slaughter was laughing, relishing the scene.
"Didn't you hear what I said? I said if you don't fight, we'll kill you where you stand," he taunted. "So it's not my fault."
Saito, with a burst of rage-fueled power, stretched his body, seizing the man's leg and pulling him from the platform. Before he hit the ground, Kenji unleashed a devastating slash of karma, severing the man in two.
The sudden silence was deafening. Kakashi looked up at Moroboshi, the fear in his eyes palpable.
"YOU'RE NEXT! YOU HEAR ME, MOROBOSHI, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!" Kakashi roared, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Kill them!!!" Moroboshi screamed, his voice cracking with terror.
The guards hesitated.
"But…what about…" one guard stammered.
"I SAID KILL THEM!!! Kill every one of them!!" Moroboshi shrieked, fleeing towards the back of the hall.
"JUST KEEP RUNNING!!! You hear me, keep running!" Kakashi yelled, his voice fueled by adrenaline and grief. "But just remember, YOUR DEATH HAS ALREADY BEEN DECIDED!!!"
The guards, their minds overwhelmed by fear, opened fire, spraying bullets wildly across the hall, hitting everything and everyone in their path.
Kakashi watched in horror as people fell, some running, some crying, all dying. He held his head, unable to bear the sight any longer. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
_It's my fault. It's all my fault. It's still happening. We kill others trying to save ourselves, but instead, we end up creating more problems for ourselves. We killed him to save ourselves, but ended up causing everyone's death,_ he thought, his heart shattering.
"Kakashi, don't blame yourself. What we did wasn't right; I know that. But I can't say it's wrong either," Kenji said, pointing to a section of the wall. "Go. There's an exit there; just break that wall."
"What about you, Kenji? What will you do?" Kakashi asked, his body trembling, a bullet grazing his left hand. He clutched it, groaning in pain, with Megumin still unconscious in his arms. "Why don't you come? Let's go together."
"No, take Megumin. She's low on karma, so she can't heal quickly, and at this rate, she might die," Kenji warned, kneeling beside them and transferring a significant amount of his karma energy to Megumin.
"Why did you do that?" Kakashi asked, shock evident in his voice.
"I can't survive, not with this injury," Kenji said, his voice weak, his hand moving slightly to his abdomen, revealing a deep wound. "But at least, I'll be able to save you."
"But…why would you do such a thing?" Kakashi asked, his voice choked with emotion.
"You remember my brother that I told you about, right?"
"Yes, what about him?"
"I was never a good brother to him, and I just wish I was able to see him for the last time to tell him, "I'm sorry", but I believe in you; I know you won't let our deaths go to waste'," Kenji said, his voice fading. He used his body to shield Kakashi and Megumin. "I want you to find the Kenji clan. And I want you to be his elder brother."
Kenji was shot multiple times, yet he continued to shield them. He mumbled something Kakashi couldn't quite understand, but he caught the last part.
"Kakashi…run…"
Kakashi stood, holding Megumin, and dashed towards the wall. Saito provided covering fire as they ran.
_Kenji, Saito, your sacrifice won't be in vain. I WILL GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE, AND I'LL AVENGE YOU!_
Reaching the wall, Kakashi sensed it was hollow. He kicked it down, revealing a vent leading outside. He tossed Megumin into the vent and turned back for Kenji. Saito was carrying him, but a demon suddenly appeared.
Kakashi froze as the demon lunged towards him, its hand outstretched, its smile wicked and familiar.
"Kakashi…run!!" Saito yelled, grabbing the demon's hand and pulling it back. The demon, however, spun around, seizing Saito's head and smashing it against the ground. It turned back to Kakashi, its smile even more menacing.
The demon lunged again, reaching for Kakashi's face, but Saito, in a final act of self-sacrifice, jumped in front of him, taking the blow.
Saito slowly turned, facing Kakashi.
"Why did you do that?" Kakashi asked, his voice trembling.
"Kakashi…I can't feel my face," Saito whispered, his face beginning to swell grotesquely. "It feels…like it's going to explode."
The right side of his face exploded, revealing his brain. Saito fell to the ground, lifeless.
Kakashi's breath hitched. He didn't know whether to cry or scream. When he closed his eyes and opened them again, the entire building was in ruins.