In the boxes, there are dead bodies. The city of Neo-Tokyo is fueled by the victims of its high criminality rate!
Akihiko, Haruno, and Aimi all stood in silence for a second. In Neo-Tokyo, seeing a dead body is a daily occurrence, but they didn't expect that their job would imply working with dead bodies. Aimi was the first one to break the silence:
-Wait a second... Energy swords use blood, we are at an ENERGY plant, so that means... THAT IT WAS ALL IN THE NAME!
And in what way did she break the silence! The obvious realization created a comic relief that ended up destroying all the build-up from the last chapter!
The boxes were each equipped with an alarm so that when one is opened, the security is announced. It didn't take too long until the three were surrounded by security staff. One of them, dressed differently approached them. He probably was in charge of the security team.
-You know the rules. You shouldn't have opened it. Hands above your head.
They followed the instructions and were handcuffed. Aimi tried to explain that it was an accident but it was all in vain. Accident or not, they did see the contents of the box. Meanwhile, Akihiko was looking at his handcuffs.
"These handcuffs are pretty cool looking, I wonder what they are made of..."
𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤!
While inspecting them, he accidentally snapped their chain in half.
"Oops"
Luckily for him, no one noticed what happened. He kept his hands as nothing happened and walked like normal. After a few minutes of walking, the three arrived at their destination. It was an auxiliary building of the energy plant. In there were many boxes stacked up, probably filled with dead bodies. One of the security staff brought an empty box and placed it in front of Haruno saying:
-Get in.
-Why?
But he didn't get an answer, he was just pushed by two other men inside. The boss of the security team took from inside his pocket a small piece of paper and started reading it aloud.
-"If anyone unauthorized sees the content of the boxes, he is to be captured and silenced." These are the rules.
Akihiko realized what was going to happen and tried to stop it. But his legs wouldn't move.
"Come on! Move! Run! He is going to die! Don't be afraid! You have the power to save him! Be a hero!"
In the end, he didn't move an inch. One of the guards fired his gun and a hole appeared in Haruno's head. He was dead. A loud scream followed. Aimi, knowing that the same thing will happen to her and Akihiko, tried to explain the mistake and ask for forgiveness. Of course, Akihiko wasn't afraid of dying. He was immortal after all. But he was trying his hardest to find a way to save himself and Aimi from there. He remembered an event that happened shortly after he died:
-Wake up, Akihiko Takahashi.
-Huh? Where am I?
He found himself under a tree at the top of a hill. It was a nice and sunny day. Someone was standing next to him but it was so bright he couldn't see that person's face.
-What happened? he asked
-Don't you remember? You died.
-Oh yeah... so, is this heaven?
-Heaven? No. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥!
Everything around him started to collapse. The son was gone and he was all alone in the darkness. The only thing he was hearing was that person's voice repeating:
-If they see your power, something terrible will happen!
-If they see your power, something terrible will happen!
-If they see your power, something terrible will happen!
The next thing he could remember was being in Neo-Tokyo.
And that's why, even though he was the strongest human in that whole universe, he couldn't help anybody with his powers. The only people who can witness his true power are the people that he plans to kill. He doesn't know what will happen if anyone survived after witnessing his power, but he never tried showing them to someone. Why? Because deep down, 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝.
Aimi was now in the box, with a gun pointed at her. Akihiko couldn't do anything but look and despair. He hated himself for being so helpless, despite his immortality. In her final moments, Aimi stopped her cry and looked into Akihiko's eyes, smiling. The next thing Akihiko saw was her being shot and her body dropping into the box. His legs were shaking and tears were running down his face. But now, he didn't need to worry about any consequences, since he was going to 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥!