Rain poured like a curtain over the city, turning the streets into mirrors of flickering neon. The chaos from the trap still roared around the warehouse district: sirens, shouting officers, and the clash of wills that had already begun.
Arata Kurogane tightened his grip on his pistol, eyes locked on the figure before him. Kane's ribbons shimmered crimson under the storm, coiling and whipping with inhuman speed. Every move was precise, calculated, deadly.
"This ends tonight," Arata growled, advancing cautiously.
Lucian's golden eyes flared for a moment, pleading inside the storm.
Don't let him take over… please…
Kane's voice echoed from within Lucian:
"You are too slow. Too weak. Justice requires decisiveness, not hesitation."
The ribbons struck again, snapping weapons from officers' hands. Kane moved like a predator, weaving through the trap Arata had meticulously set. Each movement was perfection—the perfect blend of speed, intelligence, and lethal force.
Lucian's voice tried to surface:
"No… not like this… people will see… I can't…"
But Kane roared, overpowering him entirely:
"Silence!"
Above on the rooftop, Sera Kurobane's scope trembled. She had followed Lucian for weeks, gathering evidence, understanding the layers of his fractured psyche.
Her finger hovered over the trigger. One pull, and the Ribbon Reaper could be stopped—but she hesitated. In that fleeting moment, she glimpsed the human trapped inside the storm of Kane's control.
Her heart screamed. He's not just a monster… he's still Lucian.
Arata darted forward through the rain, bullets tearing through the storm, forcing Kane to react with lightning reflexes. For the first time, Arata realized just how dangerous the Ribbon Reaper truly was—no mere vigilante, but a force that could anticipate his every move.
Yet, he pressed forward, the intensity of the chase and his obsession with justice driving him.
The storm mirrored the chaos of his mind—righteous fury clashing with doubt, instinct pushing against reason.
For a heartbeat, Kane faltered. Lucian's golden eyes broke through, and the storm of control wavered.
"Please… stop…" Lucian begged, his voice trembling.
Arata's finger twitched on the trigger, the perfect moment to unmask the truth, to confront the person behind the Ribbon Reaper. But before he could act fully, Kane surged back, ribbons snapping violently, forcing both detective and officers to retreat.
The storm raged on, the battle unresolved, the veil between identities thinner than ever.