Kazuma: (In a low voice, yet loaded with deadly certainty)
"The time has come for this door to be shut once and for all... No trace of this ruin shall remain, save for a faint, unmemorable ghost of a memory."
(The ground trembled with every step the Beast took, as if Nature itself was forewarning an inevitable collapse. It was then that Bala's scream pierced the silence, saturated with a plea that appealed to what little humanity remained in Kazuma's heart):
Bala: (Screaming, her eyes shaking with entreaty)
"Kaaaaaamsaaaaaakiiii! Don't do it! You'll pay dearly... with your own soul!"
(But the decision had been made. Kazuma placed his left palm, which had changed and was filled with a sticky black substance, onto his right fist, like one dropping an eternal seal on his destiny. He then whispered with a smile laced with tragic arrogance):
Kazuma:
"I won't leave the stage open to welcome more actors... it is time to draw the curtain on this show."
(In the darkness, Eden followed every movement with deadly coldness, as if watching a play whose lines were written in blood. A gloating smile formed on his face, his eyes savoring the realization of the destruction.)
(Kazuma raised his leg, then vanished in a flash, as if Time itself had lost the ability to perceive him. Suddenly, the Beast's eyes widened. Blood gushed from its mouth and eyes like desperate springs, its head slumped in shock, and its mouth hung open in disbelief at what had occurred.)
(But the truth was more shocking and bitter):
(Bala... was the one who stood in the line of the strike, her body pierced through the abdomen, and blood exploding from her in a red torrent, coloring the ground and mingling with the strands of her hair that clung to Kazuma's blood-soaked face. His fist was still embedded in both of them... in the Beast, and in the woman who tried to protect him.)
(Bala's tears flowed slowly, extinguishing the heat of the blood on her cheeks. Her gaze transcended the pain towards a meaning far beyond the moment):
The Beast: (In a husky voice, trembling as it died)
"Why... are you crying?"
Bala: (With a desperate smile, her voice melting like a candle in a storm)
"Because... I am finally free from the cruelty of this life. I found my rest in this annihilation that came only too late."
The Beast: (Swaying, its eyes drowning in a final obscurity)
"But... why did you save me? When I am nothing more than a beast, stripped of mercy and humanity."
(Kazuma stepped forward, his features now a mask of coldness and arrogance, and his voice descended like a final, unappealable verdict):
Kazuma:
"Because together, you both have returned to where you truly belong... to eternal silence. Annihilation does not differentiate between man and beast; it returns everyone to nothingness and oblivion."
(A heavy silence settled, broken only by the drops of blood hitting the ground, like faint funeral bells. The shadows slowly retreated from around them, and the air grew heavier, while Kazuma remained frozen, his hands stained with blood, his eyes fixed on Bala's corpse. He realized, too late, that every victory he achieved stripped away a part of his humanity.)
(The spirits of the Beast and Bala part ways, and they close their eyes.)
(The veins gradually disappear from Kazuma's body, yet on his left neck, a sticky black mark remains, as if part of the skin itself, like an eternal scar.)
(Kazuma leans his back forward and buries his fingers into his face, his eyes wide in the shock of late realization, his face covered in blood.)
Kazuma: (Letting out a loud cry of pain, steeped in his regret and shock)
"I lost my humanity, yes... but in return, I gained something more precious."
Hannibal: (Laughing loudly, reflecting arrogance and absolute confidence)
"I will leave you alive now, only so that we may fight in the future. But remember one thing: Your killing will be by my hand, you catastrophe!"
(Karu was still lying on Hidin's lap, his eyes empty of life. Hidin's eyes were completely devoid of hope, tears bravely streaming down, meeting at his chin and falling onto Karu's absent face.)
(The wind slowly moved Hidin's hair, dropping it onto his forehead then lifting it. Tears flowed against his will. Hidin closed his eyes, gently and affectionately caressing his father's face.)
Hidin: (With deep calm, repeating his father's last words)
"As you said, Father, the world is cruel... there is no place in it for the weak."
Hidin: (With terrifying composure, his eyes widening and harboring a dormant savagery)
"Eden, you had a direct hand in our father's murder. I will be the phantom that haunts you everywhere."
(One day passed. Kazuma lay in bed, eyes closed, his face pale, with dark circles under his eyes indicating exhaustion. A wet cloth was on his forehead, and he was trembling.)
(Hidin and Ai were tending to him.)
Ai:
"His condition is bad. His temperature is extremely high."
Kazuma:
"I want to go back to my village. I have a bad feeling haunting me."
Scene Transition: Lightning Village
(Events shift to the Lightning Village. Flames fill the area, debris is strewn, and the alleys are deserted, as if life has vanished from this place. The sky is red like spilled blood.)
(Rin was running, panting through the alley, covered in scratches and wounds. She sat down against a wall, her hands stained with blood.)
Rin: (Looking weakly at the sky)
"Lord Tami, I wish you success in facing this Hell."
The Narrator: (In a rough voice)
"A great event has occurred in the village, we truly do not know its cause. It is as if a full-scale war suddenly broke out."
Return: Inside Kazuma's Consciousness
(We return to the quiet city of Kimura. Kazuma is still trembling, having moved to an endless dark place, and the Beast appears again.)
The Beast: (In a rough voice, welcoming him sarcastically)
"It seems you have returned to me again."
Kazuma: (Sighing in despair)
"Fine, what do you want from me now?"
The Beast: (In a rough and tempting voice)
"I want but one thing: for you to submit to me."
Kazuma: (Smiling in denial)
"Impossible that I would submit to a beast of my own making."
(The Beast began to fade.)
The Beast: (Laughing a deep laugh)
"You will come to me one day, and you will need me. Just remember, you will inevitably become like me."
Reality: Consolation and the Vow of Revenge
(Ai was standing in front of Karu's grave, decorated with flowers. Hidin was standing behind Ai.)
Hidin:
"I never imagined I would mourn my father, who left me and was absent from my life for so long."
Ai: (In a broken voice carrying a struggle)
"I am trying to cry, but I must endure... I must be strong."
Hidin: (A single tear falls from his eye, with words carrying the wisdom of pain)
"You must cry, Ai. It is the only way to empty your heart of the pain it carries."
(Ai then began to cry intensely and violently, and Hidin embraced her.)
:
(Kazuma is still lying on the bed, and Takiura is sitting in front of him with calm attention.)
Takiura: (In a steady, calm voice)
"How do you feel right now?"
(Kazuma looks up with narrowed eyes, as if weighing his words.)
Kazuma: (With fretful calm)
"Nothing worth mentioning."
Takiura:
"Alright."
(Tears suddenly flow from Kazuma's eyes, and he lets out a stifled sob.)
Kazuma:
"What I feel is a heavy ache in my heart. I never expected my courage to be replaced by fear in front of someone, as it did with that old man."
(Takiura narrows her eyes in understanding.)
Kazuma: (His tears increase)
"When I faced him, my desire was burning to attack, but a part of me, a weak part, whispered that my end was inevitable."
(The camera moves smoothly, focusing on Kazuma's expressions.)
Kazuma:
"I searched for an answer to this painful question, but I couldn't find it."
Takiura: (With calm wisdom)
"Weakness is an inherent characteristic of human nature. Each of us carries a fragile side within, even if we try to project absolute strength. And fear is a feeling that stems from the depth of our awareness of a threat. The fault is not in being weak; the true fault is in surrendering to that weakness."
(The camera cuts to black, then returns with the text appearing on the screen):
Twenty-four hours passed
(Kazuma stands alone on a long railway track.)
The Narrator: (In a deep, moving voice)
"Kazuma has left the city of Kimura, searching for a new destination worthy of his ambition and his pains."
(The Arc officially ends