The Dance of the Dead.

Something flew from the darkness of the side tunnel. It wasn't a beast, but it didn't move like a human either.

When it was upon him, Ken's mind collapsed at the truth. It was Kenta. But it was no longer the fearful boy he knew. It was a rotten, broken version. His face looked like it had been pulled from the fires of hell; the skin was black and necrotic from the Regent's energy, and his eyes were white, without irises.

"Gaaah..." groaned the thing that used to be Kenta, lashing out with a clawed swipe.

In his confusion, Ken reacted a moment too late. The filthy nails tore through his sweatshirt sleeve, ripping the fabric but, luckily, not reaching his skin. Ken stumbled back, gasping, trying to comprehend.

But there was no pause. A third shadow attacked from his left flank. A kick impacted Ken's ribs, sending him flying backward several meters.

Ken rolled across the ground and looked up, expecting to see another monster. His heart stopped. It was Naomi. She was standing, her head bowed. When she lifted it, Ken saw the mortal wound in her stomach had stopped bleeding, cauterized by a dark energy. Her eyes, once warm, were now empty and filled with hatred aimed directly at him.

"W-why...?" Ken whispered, his voice broken.

From the back of the chamber, the Warrior Regent watched. Beneath its helmet, the macabre laughter echoed again, but this time it was different. It wasn't mockery; it was satisfaction. It was telling Ken, without words, that this was his punishment. You dared to touch me, human? Now you will kill what you loved.

Ken felt a sudden, burning heat surge through his entire body. It wasn't just adrenaline. It was the essence of that power that had awoken. He felt his blood boiling, as if lava ran through his veins. The pain was so intense he wanted to throw himself to the ground, writhe, and tear his skin to let the heat out.

But his friends gave him no time. Hiro, Sato, Kenta, and Naomi. All four lunged at him like a pack of rabid wolves.

Ken raised his arms to block a blow from Sato, barely withstanding the supernatural strength of the undead. "Stop!" he shouted, though he knew it was useless.

He felt cornered. Guilt crushed him. I did something wrong, he thought as he dodged a bite from Kenta. I failed as a leader... This is my fault. He was about to give in. Letting them kill him seemed the only way to atone. He lowered his guard, ready to receive the final blow.

But then, a flash crossed his mind. An image appeared. His older brother. The promise to find him. If I die here... I'll never know what happened to him.

That thought was the spark that ignited the inferno. Ken clenched his teeth so hard he nearly cracked them. No! I refuse to fall here!

With a roar, Ken caught Sato's arm with his left hand. With his right, he charged a fist imbued with that strange visual distortion and drove his punch into his former comrade's stomach. The force was such that Sato's body shot away like a projectile, smashing into a column several meters away with a dry crunch.

The impact halted the other undead for a second. Even the Regent, in the back, tilted its head, observing.

Ken stood up. The aura of heat distorted the air around him, making his silhouette seem to vibrate. In his eyes, tears streamed down his dirty cheeks, but behind those tears was an indescribable fury.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

Without another thought, he charged at them. He was no longer fighting to defend himself. He was fighting to liberate them. He finished Hiro with a blow to the face. He shattered what remained of Kenta with a spinning kick. One by one, his friends fell, inert once more.

Until only she remained. Naomi.

She lunged at him, trying to claw his face. Many would think Ken would hesitate. That he would try to talk to her. And yes, he hesitated. For an instant, he remembered the smile she had given him. The only one who saw through his lie and chose to trust him. You'll be a great leader, she had said.

That memory gave him the strength to do what was necessary. Ken dodged Naomi's attack and closed the distance. But he didn't strike her. He hugged her. He trapped her in a strong, desperate embrace, pressing his chest against hers to immobilize her.

Naomi writhed, snarling like an animal, trying to bite his shoulder. Ken closed his eyes, crying, and drew his knife. "Forgive me..." he whispered into the girl's ear. "Thank you for trusting me."

With a fluid and painful motion, he drove the knife straight into Naomi's heart. The girl's body tensed one last time, then went limp. The dark energy left her eyes. Ken held her as she fell, laying her gently on the stone floor, closing her eyelids with care.

From the back, a sound broke the mourning. Clap. Clap. Clap. The Warrior Regent was applauding. It began to give little hops, dancing on its armored feet, laughing with delight. It had loved the show.

That laughter was too much for Ken. The pain, the sorrow, and the guilt fused into pure hatred. "YOOOOOOOOOU!"

Ken exploded. With suicidal speed, he launched himself at the S-Class. He leaped towards its face, throwing a punch with all the energy he had left, aiming to wipe that mocking mask from existence.

But reality was cruel. Just before his blow connected, a massive hand intercepted him in mid-air. The Regent grabbed his head as if it were a tennis ball. It stopped Ken's momentum instantly. Ken was left dangling, kicking uselessly, as the creature brought its face close to his, laughing softly.

The Regent slammed Ken's head against the stone wall once.

It did it again.

And a third time.

Ken felt his skull crack. Blood covered his vision. He hung there, dying, semi-conscious. The Regent looked at him for one more second, and then, with contempt, opened its hand. Ken fell to the ground like trash.

The creature sheathed its sword. He wasn't worth killing. He was already broken. In the eyes of the S-Class, the toy was no longer useful.

Turning its back, the Regent began to walk away into the darkness of the ruins, laughing as its silhouette faded, leaving Ken in oblivion.

Ken lay on the ground, unable to move. His body was shattered. His mind, blurred. The cold of death began to creep up his legs. In the distance, he saw the blurry figures of his dead friends. I'm sorry...

He felt himself leaving this world. The darkness called to him.

Until he heard voices. They were two female voices. One seemed to come from very far away, almost like an echo in his mind, sweet and sad. The other was nearby. It felt real.

The last thing Ken saw, through his failing eyes, was a figure running toward him. A woman with purple hair kneeling beside him with an expression of terror he had never seen on her face.

And then... Nothing.