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Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us-Chapter 74 --
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Chapter 74 --74
The tower stretched into the night like a needle stabbing the sky, each floor a different branch of time, twisted by Enzo's manipulation. The city below was frozen, as if holding its breath for what was about to unfold.
Yeji stood alone on the 6th floor—an abandoned office, ice-coated walls crackling under his feet. His breath came out in clouds as he stared at the version of Enzo before him—massive, armored in smoke and shadows, surrounded by clocks that ticked backwards.
"He's physically strong," Yeji whispered, "but his mind's the real weapon."
Beside him, Ishigo emerged from the mist, blue flame trailing behind him like a comet's tail. "Already healed you," he said, calm and focused. "Let's not waste time."
They nodded to each other. No need for more words.
On the 8th floor, Daigo cracked his knuckles, grey energy pulsing from his core like a barely-caged storm. Yeaga stood beside him, wielding his twin scythes—his breath shallow, but steady.
They had used only 10% of their power to heal each other. Just enough to keep moving. Just enough to end this.
On the 13th floor, above them all—Reika Kagetsu.
She stood barefoot, dressed in a torn black uniform, katana humming with black mist and violet lightning. Wind howled through the broken glass behind her as she stared down the Enzo standing across from her, this one smirking like he'd already won.
Then, her voice echoed in everyone's earpiece, a whisper in the storm.
> "We kill him at the same time. If we're even one second off... he rewinds everything."
A pause.
> "No pressure."
A smirk spread on Yeji's face. "Guess we don't miss."
---
On every floor, a different version of Enzo stepped forward. They were echoes of the real one—reflections split by time. Some were older, some younger. One even wept, muttering about a time he never killed. Another laughed like a god.
But only one was real.
The trick was: They didn't know which.
---
The Enzo on Reika's floor tilted his head. "You think you can kill me with coordination alone?" he scoffed. "I am time."
His shadow burst outward like tar, morphing into harrowing spears that stabbed through the air, each one phasing between seconds.
"I've killed gods slower than you."
Reika's grip tightened on her katana. That's when a voice echoed inside her mind—cold, ancient, and roaring like thunder.
> "May I come out?"
Ryujin. The dragon inside her.
She didn't flinch. "If I call you out now... what if I lose control?"
> "If you give me permission, I'll kill him in one second. No more."
"No," Reika whispered aloud. "Not yet. If I'm near death... I'll call you. But not now."
The katana in her hand pulsed, glowing with violet and obsidian energy. She took a breath, closed her eyes, then opened them—pure purple fire swirling in her irises.
"Everyone," she said, her voice now sharp as steel, "Let's go."
---
At the same moment:
Daigo and Yeaga exploded through a wall on the 8th floor, charging toward the laughing Enzo who summoned a reverse gravity zone.
Yeji and Ishigo leapt forward from opposite corners on the 6th, dodging blades of frozen time as Ishigo's blue flame roared in spirals.
Reika rushed across the 13th floor like a phantom, slicing shadows in half, each step echoing like a heartbeat.
---
Enzo's eyes widened across every floor.
> "This—this is wrong. They're syncing across timelines. I can't rewind all of them—!"
Reika's voice echoed again, slicing through reality like a whip:
> "NOW!"
---
The world stopped.
Just for a blink. A second outside of seconds.
And in that breathless moment—they struck.
Yeji's ice blade pierced through Enzo's side.
Ishigo's flames tore into his chest.
Yeaga's twin scythes spun in a perfect arc, carving through shadow.
Daigo's grey blast shattered bones and bent time with raw force.
And on the 13th floor—
Reika's katana found its mark. Right through the chest. Where his heart should be.
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Blood didn't even have time to fall.
---
The illusions shattered.
Timelines collapsed.
Every Enzo vanished—faded into smoke and static.
All except one.
---
The real Enzo dropped to his knees on the 13th floor, blood dripping, face pale. He looked up at Reika, eyes wide. For the first time—not with rage, but confusion. Fear. Vulnerability.
"A-Am I ugly?" he whispered, lips trembling. "People used to say I was... so I just wanted to ask... you..."
Reika stared down at him, cold and silent.
"...You're handsome," she finally said, voice unreadable.
His eyes widened more—tears forming in the corners.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"...I'm fifty..." he muttered. "People called me ugly when I was human. I thought... if I became powerful, they'd stop. But they didn't."
A tear rolled down his cheek, vanishing in the flames consuming his body.
Reika knelt beside him.
"You should've cared more about yourself than what strangers thought," she said quietly. "Were your parents the ones who called you ugly?"
"...No. They said I was beautiful."
"Then they weren't lying," she said. "They loved you. That's more than what I had."
Enzo's voice cracked. "Then why does it still hurt...?"
"Because you let the world decide your worth," she replied. "You were never meant to become a monster to prove something."
He blinked at her, lips trembling. "...You... might've been my only friend."
Reika nodded slightly. "Then die as one."
His body ignited in violet fire—Ryujin's essence activating unconsciously through her blade. As his body dissolved, the flames flowed into her weapon, strengthening it. Strengthening her.
"Thank you," Enzo whispered, eyes closing.
Reika stood, her blade now glowing with dark power.
"I hope," she whispered back, "you're the most handsome man in the afterlife."
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