At the container yard by the sea that night, the whole place clung to the edge of a sheer cliff. Only the sound of waves crashing—violent, terrifying, nearly five meters high—filled the darkness. Below was nothing but jagged stone stacked upon stone.
Valko trembled, chilled to the bone as he glanced around, trying to locate the source of that clear yet haunting voice coming from the loudspeaker.
"No way… That was Mina's voice. How… how is that possible?"
Cold sweat soaked through the collar of his shirt. He had definitely heard his wife.
He stood frozen among the towering cargo containers, spotlights bathing him in harsh white beams. Had he walked into a trap? But Valko was far too panicked to think straight.
"Lift your head."
The same voice echoed again through the loudspeaker—gentle, crystalline, unmistakably hers. There was no one else in the world who sounded like that.
Terrified, Valko raised his head. At the top of the eight-meter control tower, behind the glass, stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long flowing black hair and bright red lips curved into a smile as she looked down at him.
Valko stumbled backward instinctively.
"H-How…? Mina…?"
But Mina only laughed at his utter confusion.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? How's that escape plan of yours—running away from the Kamakiri execution blade?"
At first Valko didn't understand what she was talking about. But then the realization hit him.
He had escaped from the underground prison beneath the Kamakiri estate with Satoru's help. But how did she know he ran because he feared the Kamakiri execute him? Wasn't she supposed to be here to hunt him down?
Seeing that he still looked clueless, Mina's smile vanished. She spoke again—her voice now cold as ice through the microphone.
"Let me remind you. Satoru… and the serpent ring…"
That was when Valko finally understood. She knew.
"H-How did you know about that!? Don't tell me—Satoru… is your man!?"
Mina let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"Who else? Did you really think someone like you—with that tiny brain—could slip past a Kamakiri prison and over a hundred guards outside? If I hadn't helped, how would he have gotten you this far?"
Valko's knees nearly buckled. All this time, he thought Satoru was a Jou spy planted inside the Kamakiri. But no—everything, every step, had been arranged by Mina.
But why?
"So… you lied to me about the Kamakiri planning to kill me? Just so I'd run and become a criminal to them?"
Mina laughed again—light and cruel—covering her smile with delicate fingers.
"You really are naive. But fine, I'll explain it clearly. I didn't lie. The Kamakiri were going to kill you. That was the decision Aunt Tomi and my grandmother made. Your death—quiet and unnoticed—was only a matter of time. And the Jou family couldn't save you even if they tried."
Valko's skin turned icy. She said it so calmly, as if discussing the weather. And they were still legally married.
If they truly wanted him dead… then why did Mina let him escape?
"…But you're probably wondering why I helped you, aren't you?"
Valko swallowed hard, waiting for the answer.
"To live as a Kamakiri, to die as a Kamakiri," Mina whispered, her voice echoing eerily through the speakers. "That's the vow of my family. I'm sure you know it."
Then her eyes hardened—merciless, gleaming.
"But I'm not letting you die like that. I won't let you die quietly. And I sure as hell won't let you tie me down even as a corpse."
A chill ripped through Valko's spine. There was no love in her voice—only venom. Maybe even hatred. But she wasn't done.
He heard the rustle of paper through the loudspeaker. Mina held up a sheet, smirking, then began reading in a falsely sorrowful tone:
"Valko's Will…"
"Huh?" he breathed, confused.
She continued.
"…I, Valko Jou, feel unbearable shame for what I have done. I committed adultery and deceived my wife. I am also the one who unplugged my father's ventilator in hopes of claiming the Jou inheritance for myself. I tried to run, but I have reached the end of despair. After my death, I leave all my power and assets to my sister, Jou Liu Yu. I sincerely apologize to my wife, Kamakiri Mina. Today, I will end my life on this cliff… Jou Valko."
Valko's face twisted in horror. Mina was reading a suicide note—pretending it was his.
He hadn't written that. And he hadn't come here to die—he came here running for his life. But the note even specified the exact place he would die.
He stared at Mina, shaking violently. Was she planning to kill him here and stage it as suicide?
Of course she was. This entire thing had been her plan from the start.
Mina calmly handed the letter back to Satoru, the tall man in a long black coat standing beside her.
"…I don't think I need to explain anything else. You understand perfectly, don't you? Go on—turn around."
Valko, pants soaked with urine, slowly turned.
It was only the sea. Vast, black, and only a few steps behind him. The drop was high.
Jumping meant certain death. Panic exploded inside him. He screamed, trying to flee—left, right—only to see massive container crates being pushed by steamrollers, closing in on him from all sides.
His only "escape" was the sea. Which was exactly the dead end she wanted.
Valko forgot how to speak—only shrieked, covering his face, sobbing like a wounded animal.
None of it moved Mina in the slightest. She looked at him with cold disgust. Satoru's gaze was no less murderous as he maneuvered the machinery.
"…You see your choices, Valko. One: jump on your own. Two: be crushed slowly under these containers. And trust me—you won't die pretty under those wheels. So do us a favor."
But Valko only wailed, collapsing to his knees. He bowed over and over, forehead hitting the ground.
"Please, Mina! Please! I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Don't do this! Please don't kill me! PLEASE!"
Mina didn't even blink.
"I don't have all night, Jou Valko. I'll give you ten seconds."
Valko screamed, voice raw:
"MINA NO! PLEASE! DON'T—!"
Mina began counting.
"1… 2… 3…"
The sudden roar of a motorcycle engine tore through the eerie silence, its rattling exhaust snapping Mina's attention away from her countdown. She frowned, leaned over the edge, trying to see where the noise was coming from.
And then she froze.
Someone was riding a motorcycle on top of the shipping containers, speeding across them like they had a death wish.
"What… what the hell!?" Mina gasped. She couldn't make out who it was, but before she could say anything, the rider slammed the throttle, launched off the bike, flipped in the air with terrifying grace—
—and landed right in front of Valko, who was still kneeling.
The abandoned motorcycle crashed ahead and exploded into pieces.
The rider—shockingly—was a tomboyish, stunning girl in a black PU leather jacket.
It was Duyen.
"DUYEN!?" Mina screamed, unable to believe her eyes.
Why was Duyen here!? How did she even know!? And how did she survive that insane jump without breaking a single bone!?
But Mina didn't even have time to question anything.
Duyen was already standing in front of Valko, shielding him, glaring at Mina like she was ready to shoot bullets with her eyes.
"Mina! Stop it right now! Before you regret this!" Duyen shouted.
Her voice snapped Mina back to reality. She yelled into her mic, panicked and breathless:
"DUYEN! GET OUT OF THERE! YOU CAN'T BE THERE!"
But Duyen refused to move, even as the containers and massive rollers crept closer, pushing them toward the edge of the sea.
Mina's panic surged. She wanted to kill Valko—but she never wanted Duyen to get in the way.
Sensing danger closing in, Duyen yelled again, louder this time:
"MINA! STOP THE MACHINE!"
Mina spun around to the endless panel of unfamiliar buttons. The one actually controlling the crane was Satoru.
"Satoru! Stop it! STOP RIGHT NOW!" Mina ordered.
But Satoru only stared at her, confused why she was suddenly rescinding the command. Then everything spiraled.
Valko drew a hidden dagger and lunged behind Duyen, pressing the blade to her throat. Mina's voice broke with rage and terror.
"VALKO, YOU BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? LET HER GO!"
Valko had truly lost it. Behind him, just a few more steps and both of them would fall straight into the ocean below. His voice shook with fury and desperation:
"I'm dead either way! If I can't escape death, then I'm taking her with me! Kamakiri Mina! You will NEVER have peace!"
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Mina screamed, voice cracking.
Her eyes burned with hatred—and fear for the woman she loved.
But when Valko least expected it, Duyen twisted, knocked his hand away, and flipped him down with shocking ease.
"Are you insane!?" she shouted. "I'm trying to save you!"
"Over my dead body!" Valko snarled, charging at her again with the knife.
The two struggled hard in the narrow space, inching closer to the cliff's edge. Valko slashed wildly, but Duyen moved with uncanny speed, dodging everything.
It only enraged him further.
Up in the control tower, Mina panicked.
"Satoru! Why aren't you listening!? STOP THE CRANE!"
But Satoru acted like he didn't hear her. He kept moving the containers forward.
"SATORU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" she screamed.
His reply sent chills down her spine.
"…Valko must die. And you must become the heir of the Kamakiri family. Miss Mina, if you want greatness, you can't let emotions cloud your judgment. You must be willing to sacrifice her."
"What…?" Mina's blood ran cold. And he pushed the controls even faster.
But right now, Mina didn't care about the Kamakiri inheritance. She didn't care about Valko.
Her mind was filled with only one thing:
Duyen.
She tried pulling Satoru away, but he was twice her size—he didn't budge.
So Mina grabbed a chair and smashed it against his head with all her strength. It barely hurt him, but it stunned him long enough to loosen his grip on the lever.
Mina lunged for the controls. She had no idea what she was pressing—she just hit everything she could.
By some miracle, she hit the emergency stop. The containers halted. Duyen and Valko stopped fighting and looked up, confused.
But then—
A violent gust of wind slammed into the crane. The wooden platform beneath Duyen and Valko was suddenly lifted into the air.
"What the hell!?" both of them shouted as they struggled to balance.
Mina frantically checked the controls again. Satoru shot up, frowning hard.
"…This is bad. Don't tell me the system jammed? I can't control anything."
"What!?" Mina cried.
Suddenly—the door burst open. Mina and Satoru whipped their heads around. Shana stood there, radiating pure killing intent, her blue eyes glowing.
Satoru tried to protect Mina, but Shana threw him across the room like a ragdoll. Then she was on Mina in a flash, pinning her by the throat to the wall.
"What the hell is going on!? STOP THE CRANE!" she snarled, fangs bared.
"I—I don't know!" Mina choked.
Shana glanced outside—Duyen and Valko were still dangling high in the air. Below them was nothing but the raging sea.
Shana released Mina and jumped out the window, ready to fly toward them—
But an even stronger, unnatural gust slammed her back.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Shana roared at the unseen force.
The ocean suddenly churned violently. Thunder cracked. A storm erupted out of nowhere, hurling containers across the dock. Massive waves battered the wooden board where Duyen and Valko clung, drenching them both.
Valko slipped first.
"No! Wait!" Duyen grabbed his wrist, holding on with everything she had. The board tilted dangerously.
She gritted her teeth so hard her gums bled. "No… I won't let go…"
Valko clung to her, terrified—but the rain made everything slippery.
Shana fought through the unnatural storm, screaming:
"DUYEN! LET HIM GO! YOU'LL DIE WITH HIM!"
But Duyen refused. She would not let another person die in front of her.
Shana's nine tails burst out, glowing with power. She roared, forcing her way through the invisible force trying to keep her away.
"DUYEN! LET—HIM—GO! NOW!"
"I can't! If I do, he'll—!"
Then—
A pair of colossal serpent-like eyes opened beneath the sea.
A bolt of lightning struck the wooden plank, shattering it. Duyen and Valko were thrown into the air.
"ARRRGH!"
Shana dove and caught Duyen mid-fall—
—but Valko…
"NO! NOOO!" Duyen screamed.
Valko plummeted into the raging ocean below and disappeared into the swirling darkness.