The storm howled over the city, wind tearing at rooftops as if the heavens themselves raged. Floodlights burned through the rain, trapping the Ribbon Reaper in a cage of steel and sirens.
Detective Arata Kurogane stood firm in the center of the chaos, pistol raised, every muscle tight with anticipation. For weeks he had chased shadows, for months he had heard whispers. But now, standing before him, was the man—or monster—responsible.
"Ribbon Reaper!" Arata's voice cut through the storm. "Drop the act. It ends tonight."
Lucian staggered forward, rain dripping from his golden hair, his smile shattered into something raw and broken.
"It's not me… please, you don't understand—"
But then came the other voice.
Colder. Sharper. Inevitable.
"You waste words," Kane growled through Lucian's throat, ribbons flickering crimson in the downpour. "Justice doesn't need excuses."
The officers froze. Half of them raised weapons higher, the others faltered, unnerved by the sight of two voices spilling from one body.
From above, Sera Kurobane's scope quivered. Through the rain-streaked lens she saw it all—the split seconds where Lucian's eyes burned golden with fear before drowning in Kane's abyssal black.
Her heart pounded. She could end it now. A single bullet to the head, and Arata's war would be won. But as Lucian's voice cracked—pleading, human, terrified—her finger froze on the trigger.
That's not just a monster down there… that's him.
Kane moved first.
Crimson ribbons lashed outward like whips, disarming officers with inhuman speed, coiling around weapons and snapping them to the ground. His movements were too precise, too clean—far beyond what Lucian could ever manage.
Arata didn't flinch. He surged forward, dodging the strikes, his pistol barking through the rain. Bullets tore through shadows, barely grazing Kane's silhouette.
Lucian's voice screamed within the chaos: "Arata, stop! Don't—don't make me—"
But Kane roared, overpowering him: "You are weak! I will carve justice from your hesitation!"
The clash was brutal—steel against crimson, will against fury. For every strike Arata countered, Kane's ribbons tore closer, forcing the detective into the very storm he had summoned.
For a heartbeat, Arata's shot rang true. The bullet grazed Lucian's cheek, drawing blood. Kane's mask cracked. Lucian stumbled, clutching his face, golden eyes flickering wildly.
Sera gasped, finger tightening on the trigger at last.
Lucian fell to his knees in the rain, ribbons dissolving for a flicker of a moment. His voice broke free, raw and desperate.
"Please… don't let him out again…"
But as Arata took a cautious step forward, Kane's laughter rose once more—low, furious, unstoppable.
The ribbons ignited crimson in the storm.
The battle wasn't over. It was only beginning.