Chapter 140– War Room
Somewhere Above Europe
The jet was silent.
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Not normal silent.
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Not sleepy silent.
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The kind of silence that happened before battles.
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The kind of silence that happened when everyone knew what was waiting at the destination.
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Keifer's Private Jet
Usually felt chaotic.
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Percy yelling.
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JJ stealing snacks.
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Honey laughing.
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Someone arguing.
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Someone getting threatened.
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Usually alive.
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Tonight—
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It felt different.
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Heavier.
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Nobody Slept.
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Not one person.
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JJ
Sat at the conference table.
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Files spread everywhere.
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Pictures.
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Maps.
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Names.
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Sato Clan members.
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Financial records.
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Property locations.
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Known allies.
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Possible enemies.
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She hadn't looked away from them in three hours.
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Alex
Walked past.
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Alex
"You should rest."
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JJ
Didn't even glance up.
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JJ
"We rest after Ash is safe."
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Alex didn't argue.
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Because nobody could.
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At The Back
Cole sat alone.
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Near the window.
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Watching darkness pass below.
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Watching clouds.
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Watching nothing.
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And everything.
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He Hadn't Moved.
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Not really.
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Not since takeoff.
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Rhys
Sat nearby.
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Watching him.
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Because everyone was worried.
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Cole
Was functioning.
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Working.
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Planning.
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Breathing.
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But sometimes—
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He looked toward the empty seat beside him.
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The one nobody sat in.
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And his expression changed.
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Just slightly.
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Only for a second.
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Then It Was Gone.
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Care.
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Still everywhere.
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Even now.
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Flashback
Hospital cafeteria.
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Care stealing his coffee.
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Running.
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Cole chasing her.
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Threatening her.
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Failing to catch her.
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Because she always laughed and escaped.
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Present
Cole closed his eyes.
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Just briefly.
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Then looked back out the window.
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At The Front
A different battle was happening.
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JJ
Holding medical supplies.
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Keifer
Trying to escape.
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Keifer
"I'm fine."
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JJ
"No."
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Keifer
"It's a scratch."
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JJ
"That's not a scratch."
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Keifer
"It's barely—"
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JJ
"KEIFER WATSON."
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The entire jet turned.
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Percy
Immediately.
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Percy
"Oh."
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Percy
"He's dead."
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Honey
Honey
"Absolutely dead."
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Keifer
Looked personally betrayed.
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JJ
Was already unwrapping the bandage.
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JJ
"You fought an army."
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JJ
"You got stabbed."
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JJ
"You lost blood."
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JJ
"And your plan was what exactly?"
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Keifer
Thought carefully.
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Keifer
"...Ignore it?"
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JJ
Stared.
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Percy
Started laughing.
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Actually laughing.
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Percy
"Wrong answer."
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JJ
Immediately hit Keifer's shoulder.
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Not hard.
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But enough.
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Keifer
"Ow."
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JJ
"Good."
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For The First Time
A tiny smile appeared.
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Just a tiny one.
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Then
Percy stood dramatically.
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Because Percy Mariano couldn't tolerate sadness for long.
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Percy
"Attention everybody."
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Nobody looked up.
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Percy
"I have decided to improve morale."
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Silence.
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Percy
"I shall tell a joke."
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Alex
Immediately.
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Alex
"No."
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Rhys
Rhys
"Please don't."
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Honey
Honey
"I support them."
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Percy
Ignored everyone.
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Percy
"What do you call a rich ghost?"
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Silence.
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Percy
"A boo-llionaire."
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Silence.
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Absolute silence.
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Nobody Reacted.
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Not one person.
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Percy
Looked offended.
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Percy
"That was good."
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JJ
Without looking up.
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JJ
"No."
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Keifer
Keifer
"Not even slightly."
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Honey
Honey
"I'm reconsidering our relationship."
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Percy
Collapsed into his seat.
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Percy
"I miss Care."
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Silence.
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Because Everyone Did.
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Flashback
Mansion kitchen.
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Care making dessert.
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Cole pretending to criticize it.
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Then eating half of it himself.
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Flashback
Hospital.
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Care yelling at Rhys.
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Rhys yelling back.
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Both immediately helping each other.
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Flashback
Movie night.
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Care screaming over a spider.
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Jumping directly into Cole's arms.
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Flashback
The proposal.
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The smile.
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The ring.
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The happiness.
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Present
Nobody spoke.
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Because every memory hurt.
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And somehow—
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Nobody wanted them to stop.
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Hours Passed
The jet crossed continents.
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The sun disappeared.
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Returned.
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Disappeared again.
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Then
A notification appeared.
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Manila Team Confirmed.
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Rory.
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David.
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Felix.
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Eman.
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Calix.
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Denzel.
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Freya.
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Mica.
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Grace.
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Everyone.
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Already flying.
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Already heading toward Japan.
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JJ
Read the message.
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Then finally smiled.
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A real smile.
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Small.
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But real.
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JJ
"Good."
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Keifer
Looked up.
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Keifer
"They're coming."
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JJ
Nodded.
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JJ
"All of them."
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Because This Time
Nobody would fight alone.
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Not Ash.
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Not Yuri.
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Not anyone.
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Hours Later
The cockpit door opened.
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Pilot
Looked back.
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Pilot
"We're beginning descent."
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Silence.
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Everyone stood.
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Almost immediately.
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JJ
Moved to the window.
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Keifer
Beside her.
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Cole
Finally left his seat.
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Percy
Stopped joking.
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Alex.
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Rhys.
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Lyra.
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Everyone.
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Then
The clouds parted.
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And there it was.
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Far below.
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Bright.
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Massive.
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Beautiful.
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Dangerous.
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Tokyo.
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The city where Ash was waiting.
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The city where Yuri was fighting.
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The city where the Sato Clan ruled from the shadows.
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The city where the war would end.
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Or begin.
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JJ
Looked down.
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Eyes hard.
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Determined.
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Fearless.
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JJ
"We're coming."
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And somewhere in Tokyo—
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The enemy had no idea.
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An entire family was about to arrive.
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Hanamitchi Hotel
Tokyo
The jet landed at 7:42 AM.
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Nobody admired the city.
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Nobody admired the skyline.
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Nobody admired anything.
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Because every single person was thinking the same thing.
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Ash.
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Hanamitchi Hotel
The tallest building on the block.
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Elegant.
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Powerful.
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Untouchable.
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The headquarters of one of the most influential families in Japan.
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And currently—
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The center of a war.
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The Lobby
Was waiting.
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Yuri
Standing at the front.
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Aries
Beside him.
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Freya.
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Cin.
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Edrix.
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Waiting.
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Watching the doors.
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Then
The elevator opened.
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And the London team appeared.
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JJ.
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Keifer.
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Cole.
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Percy.
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Honey.
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Alex.
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Rhys.
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Lyra.
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For A Moment
Nobody spoke.
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Because they had all changed.
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Too much.
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Too fast.
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Yuri
Looked at Cole.
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At Keifer.
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At JJ.
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And immediately knew.
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Yuri
"Kaizer?"
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Cole
One word.
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Cole
"Dead."
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Silence.
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Aries
Closed his eyes briefly.
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Freya
Lowered her head.
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Cin
Exhaled.
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Edrix
Stopped typing.
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Just for a second.
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Because One Chapter
Had ended.
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And another had begun.
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Then
JJ moved first.
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Walking straight toward Freya.
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And hugging her.
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Tightly.
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Freya
Immediately hugged back.
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Because neither of them needed words anymore.
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Percy
Almost tackled Aries.
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Percy
"I MISSED YOU."
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Aries
"I didn't."
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Percy
"Liar."
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Aries
"Move."
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Percy
Hugged him harder.
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Keifer
Actually smiled.
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The first real smile in days.
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Then
The smiles vanished.
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Because everyone remembered.
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Ash.
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Yuri
Immediately turned.
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Yuri
"War room."
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Nobody argued.
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Top Floor
The private Hanamitchi War Room.
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The room only used during crises.
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The room nobody outside the family entered.
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Today
It was full.
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A Massive Screen
Covered the far wall.
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Maps.
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Pictures.
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Timelines.
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Financial records.
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Hidden routes.
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Connections.
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Everything.
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Edrix
Walked forward.
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Edrix
"Okay."
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Edrix
"This is everything."
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The lights dimmed.
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The screen changed.
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Names Appeared.
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Kaizer Watson.
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Watson Elders.
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Shell companies.
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Political figures.
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Criminal organizations.
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Unknown sponsors.
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Then
More lines connected.
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And more.
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And more.
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JJ
Immediately noticed.
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JJ
"That's not random."
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Edrix
Nodded.
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Edrix
"Exactly."
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Keifer
Stepped closer.
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Studying the board.
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Cole
Already looked dangerous.
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Because he knew what was coming.
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Edrix
Clicked another file.
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More Connections Appeared.
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Japan.
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Europe.
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America.
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Philippines.
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Everything connected somewhere.
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One Name
Kept appearing.
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Again.
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Again.
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Again.
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Ryosuke Sato.
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Silence.
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Edrix
Opened another file.
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Then another.
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Then another.
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Every single trail.
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Every transaction.
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Every attack.
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Every hidden account.
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Every order.
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Every dead end.
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All Led Back
To one man.
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Ryosuke Sato.
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Yuri
Finally spoke.
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Quietly.
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Yuri
"It wasn't Kaizer."
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Nobody moved.
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Yuri
"It was never Kaizer."
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The Room
Felt colder.
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Yuri
Pointed directly at the center of the map.
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Ryosuke Sato.
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Yuri
"Kaizer was a puppet."
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Silence.
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Yuri
"A useful puppet."
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Yuri
"A dangerous puppet."
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Yuri
"But still a puppet."
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Cole
Looked at the board.
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Then at Yuri.
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Cole
"How certain?"
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Yuri
Didn't hesitate.
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Not even for a second.
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Yuri
"One hundred percent."
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Silence.
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Absolute silence.
---
Because suddenly—
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Everything made sense.
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The attacks.
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The manipulation.
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The money.
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The assassinations.
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The wedding.
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The knife.
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Care.
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Everything.
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JJ
Slowly sat down.
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Because for the first time—
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The real enemy had a face.
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Ryosuke Sato.
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Percy
Spoke first.
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Quietly.
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Percy
"So..."
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A pause.
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Percy
"We found the monster."
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Nobody answered.
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Because the real problem wasn't finding him.
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The Real Problem
Was where Ash currently was.
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Rhys
Realized it first.
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His face changed immediately.
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Rhys
"...Ash."
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Silence.
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Alex
Looked at the map.
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Then at Yuri.
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Then back at the map.
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Alex
"No."
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Lyra
Already knew.
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Her face went pale.
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Lyra
"She's with him."
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Nobody Spoke.
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Because saying it out loud made it real.
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Right Now
At this exact moment—
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Ash Alvarez.
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Their friend.
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Their family.
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Their sister.
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Was sitting inside the territory of the confirmed mastermind.
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Ryosuke Sato.
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JJ
Immediately stood.
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Chair scraping loudly.
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JJ
"We move."
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Cole
Agreed instantly.
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Cole
"Now."
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Keifer
Already reaching for the files.
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Already planning.
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Already calculating.
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Because there was no longer any doubt.
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No more theories.
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No more guesses.
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No more maybe.
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Ryosuke Sato
Was the enemy.
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And Ash was standing in the middle of his kingdom.
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Alone.
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The Screen
Still glowed in the darkness.
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One name sitting at the center.
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Like a spider in a web.
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RYOSUKE SATO
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And for the first time—
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Everyone understood just how dangerous this war really was.
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Chapter End.
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