Amidst the crowd filled with shouts, there were two lifeless eyes. They were watching Masaru, yet nobody in the crowd noticed, not even Masaru himself.
"We've reached the end of the show, dear citizens," Masaru was confident that he had seized the presidency. There was no flaw in the plan; everything was leading them to the grand finale. Now, he had to move on to the next phase, digging the pit for the last presidential candidate. Was this special treatment driven by a revenge motive? No, Larry had no connection to Masaru; he was doing it for Kenshin. There was only one person Masaru looked at with a revengeful ambition, and that was none other than the creator of this city.
"Yes, people, let's disperse," Anton signaled for everyone to scatter. He approached Masaru, "You were truly incredible, Masaru," he said, extending his hand with a genuine smile. Masaru, seeing someone treat him this way for the first time, didn't dwell on it. He reached out and smiled back at Anton. In the end, the fate of Anton and others was the same. There was no problem to ponder; just one truth, one ending; he had to continue with what needed to be done.
"After this successful performance, you must be tired. Dinner is on me, Masaru, the representative of justice." Justice? Was Masaru's justice the right justice? Like all other questions, these were insignificant. What mattered was the grand finale, Masaru's last show. Masaru nodded happily and followed Anton.
"What are your plans next?" Anton asked Masaru as he set down his glass, addressing Masaru, who was filling his stomach in front of him. "I'm sure becoming president is inevitable, but there's another candidate, and after all this, they'll take significant steps too."
"Don't worry, Anton, I know what I'm doing, relax." Anton put the glass on the table and served himself a plate of food. He sat across from Masaru. "As I said, I'm always here for you, Masaru. Don't hesitate to consult me if you need help."
"Alright, thanks, Anton. Now, I have things to do, as you said, another rival awaits, and I must go." Masaru smiled at Anton and left. "Let the Second Grand Show begin," his eyes sparkled with passion as he headed off for preparations.
"Alright, baby, I'm coming." Larry closed the communication device in his hand. He had many questions in his mind. Where was Ken? Who was Masaru? Nothing was going as the great leader had said. His show had been taken from him; someone else had replaced all those presidential candidates with himself; all the power of the people was now in his hands. Who was this guy named Masaru? But right now, he had more important things to do; he had to meet his pregnant wife in the square. Luckily, he was walking freely without getting caught in the crowd; everyone had joined Masaru's new musical celebration, and the surroundings were empty. Who knows, maybe he would have a romantic moment with his wife in the square after a long time. Quickly pushing aside the questions in his mind, he set off.
Today, he believed it was his lucky day. Upon arriving, he saw his wife standing with her back turned, waiting for him. Wanting to surprise her, he quietly approached from behind. "Boo," when he grabbed his wife's arms, he received no reaction. "Uh... hey, sweetie." Larry, feeling a sense of fear, couldn't bring himself to turn his wife towards him, but he had to. Gathering his courage, he turned his wife towards him. He started trembling at the sight. "H-how, why, who, why?" There were numerous cuts all over; a gash dividing her face in half, a cut separating her wrists from her hands; these cuts were deep, but his wife's body still stood upright. "Did you like the mastery I demonstrated, Larry?" He looked at the man who had opened his hand from the pole above. "Y-you're him." "Ah yes, that's me." Masaru's face took on a smile. "Right now, I'm giving you a chance to save your wife; that soul power you've been hiding from everyone here will now be the savior of your wife; as you can see, I'm holding your wife steady with these invisible strings. Don't worry, she's not dead, just unconscious; I'm preventing her from bleeding out this way." His wife slipped away from Larry's hands and began to float. Masaru had raised his hand into the air. "Now, I want you to appreciate the value of the options I presented to you: You can save your wife, but is she worth saving? What if I told you the child she carries in her belly is not yours? You were trying to mend things with your wife, Larry; you thought that the child she was carrying would be a hope for you, but that child is not yours; it's just a child conceived with someone else's sperm while you thought it was your own creation. Life, how cruel it can be, right?
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THIS?" Larry had lost himself. "I do my job, Larry; oh, do you remember the trap you set up that day, this is its equivalent." Masaru jumped down. "Don't worry, look, like a pulley system, your wife is hanging there." Masaru approached Larry, and with yellow and gray pupils, he instilled horror into Larry. "Y-you're Ken, but how?" Larry stumbled in fear and fell to the ground. "No, no, I'm not Ken, but I know everything that happened; you were always weak, Larry, you thought of yourself as successful just because someone was behind you," he continued to approach Larry slowly. As he did, the woman's body rose on the pole. "Tell me, where is that Larry who set a trap for Ken and Makoto; well, you didn't do any of it, did you? You're just a toy." Larry couldn't make a sound. "Now, let's get to the decision stage, Larry; this woman betrayed you, that's a fact, and you know I'm telling the truth, but you have two arts needed to save her, right? Of course, you won't be able to hold her body as steady as I can, so your time will be limited. The decision is yours; you can abandon her to death, thus getting rid of her, or you can save her; but I warn you, saving her will come at a price." Masaru watched Larry with eyes ablaze. Larry was terrified, but his bond with his wife showed which choice he would make.
He opened his hands and wound the strings around his wife. "This area has corrupted you, Larry; you've weakened, and that will serve my purpose; everything is as it should be." Masaru suddenly disappeared, and along with his disappearance, the music that filled the surroundings also stopped. Larry was solely focused on his wife. He began lowering her slowly, using the flow in his hands to slowly mend deep cuts; he understood the cost of saving her, but before being sent to that place, he had to save his wife at least.
He could hear footsteps, the steadily approaching sound of footsteps. He had dealt with his arms, legs, and feet; only her head remained, but it was too late; the crowd saw him, and they all froze. "HE'S A SOUL USER!" The crowd started shouting angrily at Larry. "HE HANGED HIS OWN WIFE!" "HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OUR FESTIVAL AND TORTURED HER WITH HIS POWERS!" Larry was trembling. "PLEASE, JUST LET ME SAVE HER!" "YOU TURNED OUT TO BE AS DIRTY AS THE OTHER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, WE TRUSTED YOU!" Larry couldn't drown out the crowd's voices; even those who trusted and supported him were shouting disappointment at him. "LET'S PLEASE BE QUIET, PEOPLE!" Masaru stepped forward from the crowd, and it was enough to calm these voices. "Larry, it seems you had secrets hidden as well." He turned to the crowd. "PEOPLE, LARRY IS A SOUL USER, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, RIGHT?" "ARENA!" "Exactly, but since such an incident has occurred, I don't want to fall into a liar situation myself; I also have hidden truths." Everyone looked at Masaru in astonishment. Masaru approached Larry and touched the woman's face with his hand; the woman now had smooth skin all over. Masaru knelt in front of the crowd. "Unfortunately, I am also a soul user, and according to the rules, I too must go to the arena, I'm sorry, my people, I will leave you without a president." Anton immediately stepped forward, "M-Masaru, no, but we can't-" "I'm sorry, Anton, rules exist to be followed, right, my people?" The crowd fell into silence; their only trusted presidential candidate turned out to be a soul user.
Masaru stood up and turned to Larry. "Now, you and I are going to the arena." He whispered to Larry's ear, "You separated them, and I separated you from this woman. Now, you will settle the score with the person you parted ways with." Larry couldn't break his silence; he was filled with apprehension. Masaru lifted Larry. "TAKE US TO WHERE WE DESERVE." People followed Larry and Masaru towards the arena path with complex emotions. Anton was very worried about Masaru; Masaru gave him his usual trouble-free smile, which somewhat reassured him. Masaru was approaching the desired end with each passing minute; everything was perfect.