After Bane removed Sayo's oxygen mask, her breathing grew erratic, barely holding on as the remnants of oxygen in her system dwindled. Her life hung by a thread.
"Let's see if this works," Bane muttered. Without ceremony, he popped the red pill into Sayo's mouth and forced her to swallow it with water.
For a brief moment, silence reigned in the room as her breathing slowed to near nothingness.
Then suddenly, her body began convulsing violently.
Bane stepped back, crossing his arms as he observed the effects of the pill. "Stand clear," he said flatly, giving no further explanation.
To everyone's astonishment, Sayo's body began to flush red, her wounds closing at an unnatural rate.
Her bandaged skin, once torn and scarred, smoothed out completely. Her severed leg began to regenerate, sinews and bones knitting together under layers of fresh skin.
Her hair, which had been ragged and uneven, grew back in flowing waves that stopped just above her ankles.
Leone's eyes narrowed. "Woah, that's not normal healing."
"Obviously," Bane replied, his tone dry.
By the time Sayo's transformation ended, her breathing was stable, her complexion healthy, and her body was free of visible wounds.
Only her unconscious state betrayed the trauma she had endured.
"...What the hell did we just see?" Leone asked, glancing at the others.
"Something expensive," Bane said curtly. He turned toward the door, clearly uninterested in lingering.
Tatsumi, who had been frozen in shock, rushed to Sayo's bedside, tears welling up in his eyes.
"She's alive... she's alive…" he whispered, his relief palpable. But as he turned to the bed beside hers, his expression darkened.
Ieyasu lay there, his condition deteriorating rapidly. Black spots mottled his pale skin, and his breathing was shallow.
"Tch," Bane muttered as Tatsumi turned toward him. He knew what was coming.
"Please!" Tatsumi begged, bowing his head low. "Please save Ieyasu too! I'll do anything, just please—"
"No." Bane's voice was flat and unyielding.
Tatsumi flinched as if struck. "But—"
"I'm not a miracle worker," Bane interrupted. "I used the pill because the girl reminded me of someone. That was the only one I had, and there won't be another."
He crossed his arms, his tone hardening. "Although that pill was made from my blood, my blood itself is toxic. You use it without proper refinement, it'll kill your friend faster than that disease will. And the process to make those pills? Long gone with the bastard who created it."
"....."Tatsumi clenched his fists. "There must be something—anything—you can do!"
For a moment, the room was silent. Then Bane's gaze shifted to Sayo, his expression unreadable behind his mask. He stood motionless for a moment.
Finally, he sighed. "Fine. I'll try something."
Tatsumi's head shot up, hope rekindling in his eyes.
"But," Bane added, his voice cold, "I can't promise anything. If he survives, he'll be crippled for life. If he dies, that's on you."
Tatsumi nodded fervently. "I don't care about the risks! Just save him!"
Bane tilted his head slightly. "And in exchange, that girl," he gestured toward Sayo, "stays far away from the capital and me. If she doesn't, I'll kill her myself."
Tatsumi's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "I promise."
The other members of the Night Raid observed silently, their expressions neutral.
Leone raised an eyebrow at Bane's ultimatum but said nothing. Najenda, however, spoke up.
"We'll hold you to that promise, Tatsumi. If this becomes a liability, you'll take responsibility."
Tatsumi swallowed hard, but nodded again.
"Good," Bane said, moving toward Ieyasu's bed. "I'll need two people to hold him down."
Najenda gestured to Bulat, who stepped forward without hesitation. Together with Tatsumi, he secured Ieyasu's arms and legs.
Bane summoned his Teigu, Jörmungandr. Golden sparks flickered across his arms as the serpentine gauntlets materialized.
Their scaled design gleamed ominously, the sharp, transparent claws extending with a metallic click.
Leone's eyes narrowed as she studied the gauntlets. "Teigu, huh? Can't say I didn't expect that."
"Not your concern," Bane said bluntly, activating the poison emission ability. The claws glowed faintly purple as he approached Ieyasu.
Without further explanation, Bane pierced Ieyasu's arm with one claw, injecting a dose of poison.
Almost immediately, Ieyasu's body began to convulse.
His eyes flew open, and a guttural scream tore from his throat. His body thrashed violently, straining against the hands holding him down.
"Hold him," Bane said tersely, not pausing in his work.
Tatsumi gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his face as he held his friend's legs. Bulat's grip remained steady, his expression grim.
Minutes passed, each one stretching endlessly as Ieyasu's screams filled the room.
Finally, blackened blood began to seep from his mouth and nose. His convulsions slowed, and his breathing became shallow but steady.
Bane retracted his claws and injected a second dose of poison, this time a neutralizing agent.
After a tense moment, Ieyasu fell still. His body excreted a sticky black substance, the stench filling the room.
"He's alive," Bane said flatly. "The disease is gone, but the damage is permanent. He'll never fully recover."
Tatsumi slumped to the floor, overwhelmed by relief.
Bane stood, retracting his gauntlets. "Remember your deal," he said, addressing Tatsumi and Najenda.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the room.
---
Outside, Bane lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply as he stared out over the cliff's edge.
The clouds drifted lazily in the sky, but his mind was far from peaceful.
"Liya… Ron…" he murmured under his breath.
Shaking his head, he exhaled a plume of smoke and reclined against the rock, letting fatigue take over.
——
Inside, the Night Raid members cleaned up the aftermath.
"Pragmatic, but effective," Bulat remarked.
"He's a cold bastard," Mine, said.
"Maybe," Najenda replied. "But we need people like that in this occupation."
The others nodded in agreement, their focus shifting back to their work.
For now, they had more pressing concerns than unraveling the enigma that was Bane.