Miura rushed out of the labyrinth at full speed, his heart pounding with anticipation. He had a specific goal: to check whether Bun had managed to escape the Minotaur or not. Upon reaching the edge of the maze, he eagerly scanned the surroundings in search of the precious Link of the East, that magical thread that would signal the success of his Machiavellian plan.
"If the Link of the East hasn't appeared, it means he hasn't managed to defeat the Minotaur."
His hopes were raised when he saw that the Link of the East still hadn't appeared, a sign that Bun hadn't triumphed over the Minotaur. A glimmer of satisfaction lit up Miura's eyes: his plan had worked. The trap he had set for Bun had paid off.
Without wasting a moment, Miura hurried to join his real group to tell them the news. With a smile on his lips, he shared his discovery with them, savoring every word as a personal victory.
"I swear to you! There's no way he could have defeated it in his condition!"
But time was running out: with only three minutes before the imminent explosions, it was unlikely that Bun would be able to defeat the Minotaur in time.
Overflowing with satisfaction hidden behind a mask of apparent calm, Miura savored this moment when his plan was taking shape, hoping that his group would be able to take advantage of it.
When Miura's group made the decision to check the situation at the exit of the labyrinth for themselves, there was palpable tension among the members. They moved forward with some apprehension, aware that their future depended on the outcome of this encounter.
The group leader did not fail to remind Miura of the disastrous consequences that could result from his actions if he failed to follow instructions.
"I hope this isn't yet another lie on your part... Don't forget what could happen to him..."
It was a veiled threat, but explicit enough for Miura to understand the stakes involved. Despite this, Miura remained confident in the success of his plan, bolstered by the assurance of his own cunning.
"Don't worry, everything went as I planned."
However, when their eyes fell on the scene unfolding before them, Miura was struck with utter astonishment. In front of him, in a deplorable state but visibly alive, stood Bun, emerging from the maze with the unexpected help of Ishikawa. The surprise was so intense that Miura remained frozen in place, unable to react immediately to this unexpected turn of events.
The contrast between his expectations and reality hit him hard, as the truth of the situation dawned on him with disconcerting clarity. Everything he had carefully planned seemed to be collapsing before his eyes, replaced by an unpredictable and disconcerting reality.
"Impossible!"
However, in the face of adversity, the leader of Miura's group did not falter. In a gesture of determination, he drew his sword, ready to take action and attack Bun directly. His gaze expressed unwavering determination, resolved to face this new reality with firmness.
However, before he could strike a single blow, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, abruptly interrupting his movement. It was Edano, emerging like an unexpected protector, ready to defend Bun and Ishikawa against any imminent threat.
"Did you think you had the field to yourself, you bastard?"
[The explosions will take place in 3 minutes.
From now on, you cannot leave your area until the explosions are over!]
After a threatening notification appeared announcing that the explosions would take place in three minutes, the leader spoke in a mocking and cynical tone. A smirk stretched across his lips as he uttered his contemptuous words.
"Do you really think I'm going to go after Bun?" he exclaimed, letting out a sarcastic laugh. 'There's only one person responsible here...' His gaze then fell on Miura, pointing to the real culprit behind their situation. A shiver of fear ran through Miura's body, and he felt his limbs begin to tremble as the other members of his group began to converge dangerously on him, filled with anger and mistrust.
Despite Miura's betrayal, Ishikawa stood firmly between him and the rest of the group. His gaze was filled with determination, ready to defend his former survival companion at all costs.
[Time remaining before the explosions:
- 5 seconds.]
"You have no heart to exploit a defenseless child," he said in a firm voice, denouncing the cruel and ruthless attitude of the leader and his acolytes.
The leader, irritated by Ishikawa's insolence, exploded with anger and responded violently.
[The explosions are about to go off!]
"Stop being such a hypocrite! That's how it's always been in this world... If you're weak, you'll get walked all over. The strong dominate the weak, that's how it's always worked."
However, Ishikawa calmly retorted.
"It's pretty cowardly of you to say that, knowing that you exploit vulnerable children rather than adults your own age. But it doesn't matter... I will always continue to intervene to protect the weak from the abuse of the strong!"
Miura, embarrassed by Ishikawa's unexpected defense despite his betrayal, lowered his head, aware of his own fault.
The atmosphere was electric, charged with a palpable tension that seemed to envelop the group in a relentless vice. The leader's anger, as hot as a dragon's breath, engulfed everything in its path, even the sound of the explosions brewing in the shadows.
Under the effect of his anger, the sound of the detonations, usually deafening, seemed to fade away, as if muffled by the leader's unleashed fury. The explosions, usually thunderous and threatening, turned into a distant murmur, stifled by the intensity of his emotions.
In this whirlwind of rage and despair, the roar of the detonations was lost, drowned out by the tumult of human feelings. The voice of anger, embodied by the leader, masked the destructive din, as if it itself decided the fate of the sounds around it.
A mysterious glow suddenly invaded the oppressive darkness that reigned, as the childlike voice, coming from the heavens, pierced the tense silence. His words echoed like a distant echo in the charged atmosphere.
"Dear solver, tomorrow will mark the last breath of these tormented lands, only two areas will escape the fury of the final explosions. PS: I don't think you understood that clue. Too bad! It's too late for you now."
The words of the voice, imbued with undeniable gravity, seemed to seal the fate of the survivors, plunging them into an abyss of uncertainty and despair. Time, relentless, flowed inexorably toward an outcome whose contours remained shrouded in mystery.
In the wake of the enigmatic announcement from the childish voice, the leader, closely followed by Miura, slipped away, leaving Ishikawa with a grim premonition about their next encounter.
"We'll meet again."
Saé then appeared.
"Bun! Ishikawa! Thank God you're still alive."
With the shadow of mystery still hanging over them, Ishikawa turned to Bun, seeking answers in his companion's eyes. "Do you know what the child's words mean?" he asked, but Bun remained silent, casting an additional veil of mystery over their uncertain fate.
Realizing that answers might not come immediately, Ishikawa suggested joining the others to ponder the implications of the child's announcement. They needed to gather together to share their thoughts and devise a strategy for the ultimate challenge that lay ahead.