The situation was dire as the bomb was still set to explode once it received the message from the bosses. Yuri and Reiji were at a stalemate of equal speed. But the Artificial Intelligence had been analyzing the gangster with a hammer's movements and Yuri began to gain the advantage.
"AI, we need to move fast, or the bomb will explode," Yuri said. He held his Magitek sword and slashed it diagonally across Reiji but he was able to block it with his hammer. The constant blows sent waves of force destroying the surrounding walls with air pressure.
"I'm not here to kill you!" said Yuri. "I'm here to save those people." Reiji looked into Yuri's eyes and saw genuine concern. "The bomb is attached to a smartphone that's waiting for a signal from up top." He rested the hammer on his right shoulder.
"If you want to save them, then leave me be... And do something about that bomb. I need to protect someone too," said Reiji. Both of them slowly lower their guards and aim their weapons on the ground.
"Leave," Yuri said. Reiji slowly backed away and went to the other side of the building to find a safe route to escape where the police couldn't follow him since they set up a perimeter in the area.
Yuri did not know if he could trust the man but that wasn't the biggest problem he had now.
Further down the hall, the hostage-takers had camped with the thirty hostages tied down. One of the hostages was Mazoku who was familiar with using Magitek Weaponry.
"System," Yuri said. "Forge a Lesser Magitek Shield merged with E-class Brawn and Finesse."
The System generated the shield and Yuri put it in his inventory. "We gotta go now."
He swiftly moved toward the door where the Yakuza and the bomb were.
Niko spammed his AK-47 at the door leaving it with bullet holes all over. "Don't come in! Or we're going to shoot the bomb!" Niko shouted. The hostages had gags covering their mouths; they screamed. "Shut up!" Niko shouted. The other Yakuza pointed their guns at the door.
"AI, can you do something about the bomb?" Yuri said.
"Yes, master. Hacking phone now." Yuri took cover outside as the Yakuza kept shooting their guns. The AI started to hack the smartphone and connected it to its network reaching the phone of the bosses. "Master, I have tracked the location of the Yakuza bosses."
"That's good," Yuri said. "Use your Offensive Cyber Capabilities to hack the phone, make it overheat, and destroy it."
The AI infiltrated the network and when reached the boss's phone and destroyed it.
"Master, the Yakuza temporarily cannot proceed with remote detonation," the AI said.
"Alright, that should buy us enough time. Send the location to Botan, and tell them to assemble nearby and wait for me."
Yuri needed to do three things in the span of a short time. Isolate the bomb and keep the Yakuza from shooting at it with their guns. Keep the hostages safe, and disable the 6 Yakuza gangsters currently holding the hostages.
"AI, can you help me with my aim? I'm going to throw something," Yuri said.
"Yes, master. I'm on it," the AI said.
He held the Lesser Magitek Shield in his left hand and the sword in his right. Yuri's Dexterity was still a lot faster compared to the Yakuza but that doesn't mean he could be in two places at the same time. He needed a good strategy to avoid any of the hostages from being shot or letting the Yakuza shoot the bomb.
He charged in with a swift dash and threw the shield toward the Mazoku Wrestler. The wrestler recognized the man in the Exosuit and knew he was the one that provided them with the Magitek Weaponry. He had managed to untie the ropes that bound him through sheer strength and a dislocating of a few of his bones.
He jumped to the shield and used it to smash the two Yakuza with Automatic Rifles behind him. And helped the hostages escape and shielded them from any bullets from the Yakuza.
Yuri charged toward the other three Yakuza's shooting their guns at him, but he blazed through with his Exosuit, taking in the bullets but not one bullet was able to penetrate. He leaped toward them and made a roundhouse kick to a Yakuza's head and he rotated with a sword swing that cut the other Yakuza's hand in half. The blood spilled out of his wrist but instead of closing the blood flow, he charged at Yuri and tried to hold him down.
During the split second where Yuri was being grappled by two of the Yakuza gangsters, the one holding the duffle bag with dynamite explosives threw it at the center of the room and the bag was about to drop to the ground. Niko had taken cover in the corner, he knew the situation was too dire and the bomb explosion was long overdue. The bosses still hadn't done anything, something must have happened, he thought.
Niko aimed his AK-47 at the bomb so he could end it all, and fulfill his mission. While he was aiming his gun, a wall in the room was smashed, and a man with a hammer came rushing through with the debris with great speed. It was Reiji, shirtless, tattooed, with a Mjolnir hammer, looking like a Samurai Thor. He ran to the bomb and grabbed the duffle bag, just in time before Niko could shoot it with his gun.
The hostages were able to escape during the fight with the help of the Mazoku wrestler and the shield. Yuri pushed the Yakuza that clinched him and sent them flying to the walls.
He jumped from wall to wall to stop Niko, but he already ran away and headed to where the princess was since he could still use her as leverage.
"Get him!" Reiji shouted at Yuri. "He has the princess. I'm going to the top of the building with the bomb."
Yuri nodded and they ran in separate directions. Yuri went looking for Niko throughout the building.
Reiji was quick enough to arrive at the top of the building with his Dexterity, as he passed through the Elevator shaft. Smashing through the ceiling of the top floor, he was outside on the top of the building in the open. The duffle bag still hadn't detonated and Reiji had a pistol behind him.
With his Dexterity and Brawn in E-class, he tossed the duffle bag in the air and batted it with the hammer throwing it up the sky as high as possible. The bomb went almost a hundred feet up in the air. Before it could reach the summit of the throw, Reiji took the pistol from behind him and aimed it at the bomb. He closed one of his eyes to aim properly. He was one of the best marksmen in the Yakuza and had been practicing for a long time when he was sent out to do business abroad.
He aimed well at the bomb and pulled the trigger.
Bang* Bang* Bang*
Three gunshots were heard. One of the bullets hit the bomb, and it blew up in the sky, causing a huge explosion that sent a wave of smoke and fire across the area. The sound wave broke several windows but the explosion was at a distance safe enough, not to cause any harm to the people on the ground.
Reiji stood still, as he stared blankly at the sun on the horizon. It was about to set and he could feel the fresh breeze from the mountains pass by his face amidst the dust and smoke from above. His tattooed skin had rabble and gunpowder all over and he could swear that he could still smell the perfume his little sister had jokingly sprayed on him before he left the house. She wanted him to look good when he went outside, so he could find a good wife. She said she wanted a niece already, and his brother was too old to stay single and keep working all day.
Reiji fell to his knees on the hotel's concrete top floor. He dropped the hammer and the pistol, and they bounced on the ground.
He put his hand on his chest and could feel two bullet wounds leading straight to his heart. The blood gushed outside and Reiji could do nothing but look at the setting sun and think of his little sister in his final moments. As he looked at the sun, he could see the silhouette of a police sniper aiming at him and smoke coming out of the rifle's nozzle.
"Sorry, Lil sis-" he said. "I couldn't get you that smartphone. Kinda dangerous coz they seem to blow up." He teased as he imagined seeing his sister hugging him and saying goodbye.