Regret, contempt, fear, anguish, anger, disappointment, shock... All these emotions surge from inside me as I clutch my aching broken arm and stare in horror at the guy who represents my biggest trauma from the previous timeline.
This man not only had caused me a great deal of suffering by killing Catherine Belster right in front of my eyes and giving me a brutal beating that ended up killing me as well in the previous timeline, but now he has also appeared in this one to attack me surreptitiously right in the same place.
And the worst part is that he has once again murdered innocent prisoners with his strategy of catching me off guard. Even though they weren't my target to protect on this mission like Catherine was, those two ladies were innocent civilians who had done nothing wrong, and he had just riddled them with bullets. That disgusts me.
Anger and hatred surge from the depths of my chest. The urge to lose control and stop this devious man resonates within my soul, with my body ready to spring into action despite my arm being disabled. Yet this time, I am able to regain my composure and refrain myself.
'The reason I failed on my first attempt was because I let my momentary emotions control me and acted carelessly. That resulted in a nasty Nen curse to plague my body and Catherine to die at the stomp of that killer, which consequently caused me an even more pronounced emotional stress that led me to take several more imprudent actions.' I think rationally, trying to clear my mind and ease my pounding heart with controlled breathing.
'In this new timeline, Catherine Belster is safe and no one is threatening her daily life, and although my arm hurts a lot from the blow he gave me before, this is not even comparable to the horrible and nauseating condition I had to go through back then.'
'So this time I won't let myself be mindlessly carried away by the spur of the moment, and I'll try to gather as much information as I can about the circumstances before acting.'
"Pay close attention to everything he does. At any unusual movement or fluctuation in his aura, be ready to act." I whisper to my doppelganger beside me, who nods in confirmation as the man in front of us speaks again.
"What the hell are you whispering to that fucking Nen double of yours? Do you by any chance have the delusional idea that you can surpass me just because there are two of you? If that's the case, forget it. Don't you dare compare me to these assholes." He says rudely, as is his custom.
"When the bosses foisted me into this dirty, godforsaken place to monitor and defend these bunch of insignificant minions, I was pretty sure they had made a mistake. Day after day, all month long, wasting my time doing nothing and listening to the mindless crap of these shitheads."
"But when I received the announcement that an assault unit composed of only 4 people had successfully breached the base just a few minutes ago, I assumed that they had to be Nen users and got a bit excited of breaking out of the monotony."
"That's why, while the spineless coward they have for leader ran away, I prepared an armed reception unit and positioned us where I knew you would eventually come: the warehouse with the goods. After all, anyone who attacks this forgotten place must do so for this reason."
"However, I didn't expect you to come on your own, much less that you'd manage to defeat them all while sustaining only minor injuries. Not that they weren't small fries worth less than the air that comes out of my ass, but I had provided them with weapons Enhanced by my ability, so I expected they did a better performance."
'Enhanced by his ability? Then he's the Nen user responsible for distributing weapons powerful enough to penetrate Nen defenses? If so, then that's all the more reason to capture the leader alive.' I think back to when he shot me while I was hiding during the first infiltration.
'He couldn't have found me so precisely hidden behind that box if he weren't a Nen user, so if he wasn't who Enhanced the guns, then it's safe to assume he's responsible for the escape-preventing Nen barrier on these cages. And even if he weren't, he surely knows who put it there.'
'Knowing this, the leader and his henchmen must be captured alive at all costs for later interrogation. Although Riven and the boss's doppelganger are already aware of this possibility, I'll send them a message to confirm it and prevent them from taking any drastic measures.'
'But that will have to be put on hold for the time being, because my most pressing objective right now is to stop this wretch once and for all!'
"You must be proud, as you have the honor of my acknowledging that you've done a good job getting this far against the odds. But unfortunately, your luck ran out the moment you entered this warehouse, brat." The man says, changing his tone and vibe.
"It doesn't matter if you're from a family that attempts to steal the business or punching up; the dons have entrusted me with this place, so now I'm going to show you just how terrifying this world can be before going after your colleges and doing the same."
"Oh please, can you stop boasting so blatantly?! Listening to some two-bit thug spout such a so hackneyed speech with such a disgusting voice is making me lose brain cells, and I need them for my work!" I say, raising my voice with fervor, leaving a disturbing silence lingering in the air.
Given my upbringing as a young nobleman and my position as a high-achieving student in academics, I've always tried to maintain a proud and composed demeanor in front of others, and yet this guy has managed to unnerve me so much in two different timelines that I ended exploding in such vulgar yells.
Fortunately, this time it wasn't an uncontrolled outburst of rage.
"You keep bragging that you're a really strong guy, that everyone else is inferior to you, and that you're going to make me and my partners go through hell, but the truth is that you're nothing more than a coward who can only achieve anything by hiding and attacking by surprise."
"Forget about reaching the others; your combat skills aren't even on my level. Even if I have a broken arm, it's still two of us against you, so you can forget about that illusion you've created in your deranged mind, because we're going to stop you now." I say this last part while getting into a fighting stance, flaring my Ren and summoning my tablet, with my doppelganger doing the same.
Even though my actions might suggest I'm letting my emotions get the better of me just like the last time, it's all a ruse of provocation.
Although this second time I have also been exposed to a range of bad things upon encountering this guy, this time it isn't so overwhelming, so instead of acting hastily in an uncontrolled state, I am able to manage these feelings to my advantage against him.
This bastard has claimed that he is the one who increased the power of the firearms used by this criminal gang, and while I don't rule that out, it's possible he lied to brag or confuse me.
Our last fight was very one-sided, so I didn't get to see his Hatsu in action. Although I don't think he's the barrier-type ability user since he was recently recruited, facing him without verifying what his true ability is could end up costing me dearly.
So instead of carelessly rushing forward, I'm going to use all this rage and hatred to fuel a performance that will make him lose his fragile composure and inadvertently show his hand.
'This underhanded strategy isn't typical of my usual way of acting, but guiding my enemy to act in my favor is part of real Nen combat. It's another thing I learned from watching the boss.'
'So come on. Take the bait and show me what you've got.'
While I remain on guard, ready for my enemy next move, I watch as he begins to exert his ominous aura on the other side of the corridor.
"Hey." He says, finally breaking the silence. "If you really think you have the upper hand against me, you should take a closer look around the place. I'm not the one who's outnumbered, you little shit."
My strategy obviously has worked, as he tells me this with a murderous glare and the veins near his eyes bulging with fury. So, following his advice, I scan the area around the warehouse, and using Gyo, I notice four turrets hidden high in the shadowy corners of the place, each emitting aura.
"Did you think my preparations to face 4 Nen users were limited to giving upgraded weapons to a handful of useless, expendable trash while I sat back doing nothing? Don't mess with me."
"The bosses entrusted me with the task of protecting this operation, so of course I was going to take every scenario into consideration. Otherwise, I wouldn't be any different from those brainless assholes who carry it out."
As he continues to boast about his superiority, he pulls some kind of control out of his pocket and the turrets begin to rotate, pointing in our direction.
"In addition to empowering weapons with Nen, I also have another ability that allows me to remotely control the weapons into which I have poured my aura. So this isn't a 1 vs. 2, it's a 2 vs. 5."
"I alredy told you, right? Your luck ran out the moment you entered this warehouse. Now drop—"
The manager is unable to finish his sentence when my double and I dart forward him at top speed and simultaneously strike his chin with two Ryu enhanced punches, sending him flying backwards spitting blood and crashing into some worn-out processing machinery.
'As if I'd give you time to act after saying all that. Until now, I'd refrained from attacking because I didn't know if you were hiding any nasty abilities, but now that I know how your powers work, I have no reason to hold back.' I think as I summon a mace and launch myself back towards the man.
'While that double uppercut should have been enough to knock him out, I'd better make sure this is over.'
Closing the distance in the blink of an eye, I retreat my weapon to strike my fallen enemy. However, sensing the surge of his bloodlust, both my doppelganger and I swiftly jump to the side, narrowly dodging the barrage of fire from the turrets scattered around the area.
Contrary to my expectations, this fight isn't over yet.
"NOW YOU'VE REALLY DONE IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU TO MAKE A JACKET AND THEN I'M GOING TO PULL YOUR HEART OUT THROUGH YOUR MOUTH TO PLAY HOCKEY WITH IT!!!" With that furious shout, the man enveloped in aura launches himself to attack me while his turrets continue firing at us.
The battle that followed was intense. Even though I am in better shape than in my first try, this man is extremely slippery, using the whole warehouse blind spots to his advantage, and his Nen technique helds strong, allowing him to move unseen and unheard before attacking brutally.
In addition to that, there are the turrets placed in the four corners of the warehouse constantly firing, and they are all imbued with Nen, meaning I have to focus on defense or let them run through me.
And the worst part is that I can't even get rid of them because this damn scoundrel intervenes if we try to get close to smash them, and I don't have good aim, so I can't shoot them either. It's certainly a disadvantageous scenario.
If it wasn't for my doppelganger provided backup, I wouldn't have lasted two minutes in these conditions.
During the fight, we both use my Nen ability, Ultimate Programming, in tandem: One tries to keep the opponent occupied, and the other takes advantage of the greater freedom of action to study their fighting style and then send the real-time through Information Transfer.
With our combined skills, we gradually gain the upper hand in this relay fight, becoming able to read the criminal possible moves, countering his savage attacks with swift blows and shifting the pressure on him despite his initial advantage.
Also, alongside our growing advantage, the man also becomes more unstable and deranged, which helps us keep up with his intentions.
"You're so damn persistent! DO YOU WANT TO GIVE UP THIS USELESS RESISTANCE AND DIE ALREADY, YOU MADDENING INSECT?!" The man shouts this as he throws a punch charged with much of his aura, but I deflect it with a touch to the forearm and grab his wrist to make him spin upside down in the air.
"Go for him now!"
With that yell of mine, my doppelganger closes the distance and throws a Ryu powered punch straight to his sternum, sending him flying against the bars of an empty cage coughing blood. With the scoundrel injured on the ground, we step forward with a stern look and firm aura.
"It's over. You've lost. Surrender now, and maybe I'll let you live to see another day. Try to get up or use those turrets again, and you can be sure you won't see another day." I say, trying to sound as confident and decisive as possible in order to intimidate this heinous criminal.
"He he he. Stupid. Do you really have the delusional idea that it's all over now? You seriously think you've won? That you will arrest the bad guys and these abused whores will live happily ever after? What a joke!" The manager says, looking up at me with a mocking smile.
"You see people walking down the street, having casual conversations, and happily living their ordinary lives, as if all those big problems and incidents they hear about on the news were just stories from some book unrelated with them."
"That image of peace and freedom is nothing more than a smokescreen forged by to protect the sheep-like masses false sense of security. People like me, who live in the shadows of this society, know how things really work."
"People interpret the world from a narrow perspective, relying on flimsy principles and believing that the law, the police, and justice protect them from misfortune. That they are safe from any harm. And then something expands that vision."
"It might be the murder of a family member, the loss of their savings, making a wrong decision or anything else, like what's happening here. What is the same for everyone is that when they look into that darkness, they can no longer escape its gravity."
"They enter a chaotic, cruel and unjust world in which they become aware of their own irrelevance in the grand scheme of things, and they have no choice but to either sink before this overwhelming new reality, run away or fight through this sea of shit to continue living and fulfill our ambitions."
"Stealing, betraying, kidnapping, torturing, killing, drugging, trafficking... In the underworld, we do all these daily, as if it were second nature. The age-old rule that the strong eat the weak. Nothing else."
"In this fight you have had countless opportunities to kill me, and yet you haven't done so. I haven't even felt genuine bloodlust coming from you, and that's given me a pretty good idea of your character:"
"You're just a little kid playing the strong, brave hero who defeat the bad guys and makes the world a better place, aren't you?! So pathetic! You still don't know how deep and terrifying the darkness of this world you've just entered really is! Ha ha ha ha!"
While I endure listening to his disgusting laughter echoing through the warehouse, I tense up when I notice his suspicious movements.
"The thought that I, one of the Shadow Beasts, have been defeated by a weak and spineless worm like you truly infuriates me! It infuriates me! It disgusts me! I hate it so much than you can't even imagine how much I hate it! For someone in the direct service of the Ten Dons, this is the most humiliating thing I can possibly imagine!"
"So go ahead, arrest me! Stop the trafficking operation, free those women, hand over the criminals, and go back to your little house to celebrate, maybe with the first beer of your life!"
"It'll be all for naught. As soon as you hand me over, our contacts in the police will take care of passing the news through our information network until it reaches my bosses."
"I will be released before a file is opened, and after locating and slowly murdering all the escaped merchandise and their families, it'll be your turn next."
"The mafia's influence is widespread and powerful. It doesn't matter how much you run, hide, or pray to God! We will find you and your loved ones and make you pay for interfering in our business!"
"And I can assure you that once we catch you, which we will, the fun will never end: We will cut you up, electrocute you, sell you in pieces on the black market, experiment on you, and things so awful that I can't even begin to imagine!"
"YOU AND YOURS WILL LIVE THROUGH AN ENDLESS HELL, AND ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE BALLS TO FINISH ME OFF!!!"
As I listen to this scoundrel hurl all those threats with a smug smile plastered on his face, I can't help but clench my teeth and fists as my rage grows with every word.
'I have been the victor of this battle.' I start thinking.
'Despite his excessively haughty attitude and his advantage on the field, I managed to defeat him through the excellent use of my Nen abilities and leave him incapacitated. My victory is an unquestionable fact.'
'And yet, not only he doesn't appreciate my willingness to spare his life, but he also has the audacity to threaten my well-being and that of my loved ones. How can anyone be so despicable?'
'Is this what the boss had to deal with? Having to endure witnessing such despicable acts committed by vile and heinous individuals? Being surrounded by the darkness of society's hidden side all alone? Is that why...?'
As I become more and more irked and distracted by these thoughts arising in my head, the silver-haired man moves his hands slightly more, with me barely noticing the insignificant change.
"You should have finished it all with that first uppercut, and you held back instead. You're too soft, and that's why I've always had the advantage in this fight!" With this nasty comment, the manager takes out the controller of his pocket and uses it to rotate the turrets at our backs.
However, I can instinctively sense that the bloodlust of the weapons aren't directed towards us.
"As a parting gift, let me give you a preview of what awaits you in the future!"
I and my double widen out out eyes on a bad hunch in response to these ominous words, and when we turn around to check, we are both shocked to see where they are pointing.
The four turrets are pointed at the cells where the women kidnapped by the traffickers are imprisoned, including Catherine Belster's, and each one is loaded with Nen ready to fire.
"SAVE THEM IF YOU THINK YOU CAN, LITTLE HERO!!!"
Without warning, the manager tries to pull out a Nen enhanced weapon with his other hand, thinking that this distraction would make me run to protect the prisoners and leave me open.
*Bang*
All of this lasted only 1 second. A single, fast second of commotion followed by a deathly silence.
Right now I'm petrified in place. Fear and confusion assail my mind as I anxiously inhale and exhale, watching what just happened before me.
"What have you done?" My double questions in disbelief at the horrifying image before him.
Date: August 13th, 2011.
Place: An abandoned power plant northwest of Kituso, in the United States of Saherta.
On this day and in this place, I, Nicholas Van Rossum, have just killed another human being for the first time in my life. An act, that would change me forever.