107 people have already died, so the bounty has increased for the additional 4 hours that have passed: 3,000,000 yen, 3,500,000 yen, 4,000,500 yen, 5,450,000 yen. This is based on how long many of them lasted before dying, only 100 people remain.
Ocho waits for the boy, but he doesn't move at all. Ocho is puzzled by this and doesn't know what's going on, but he doesn't hesitate and lunges forward—which is exactly what the boy wanted.
The moment Ocho approached, the boy suddenly moved faster, and Ocho reacted by throwing a punch; the boy dodged it without trouble and counterattacked just as his strike connected.
Then the boy delivers a knee strike to Ocho's face and follows up with a straight punch to his stomach. Ocho steps back slightly, only to see the boy return to a boxing stance.
Ocho doesn't move, thinking it's a trap, but he's surprised when the boy throws a right jab. Ocho dodges it, but as he gets closer to the boy, the boy slows down and returns to his stance.
Ocho is confused because he thought the boy would attack him, but he didn't. Suddenly, the boy moves with his arms in a guard position, as if in a boxing match. Ocho throws a punch, but the boy dodges it by ducking low and landing a straight right to the lower left ribs of Ocho's body.
Ocho feels immense pain but counters with a knee strike, which the boy blocks by raising his arm to shield himself with his forearm. He grabs Ocho's leg and slams him to the ground, but the boy has forgotten about someone.
The burly man was behind the boy; the burly man throws a punch, and the boy does a backflip, using the man's arm as a support before delivering a powerful kick to his face.
The burly man staggers back and bleeds profusely; he even loses a few teeth from the impact of the kick he received. The boy steps back and smiles, then returns to a boxing stance while lightly hopping on the balls of his feet.
Narrator—That boy's ability is called the Subconscious. Like Sifon and Ocho, he is a Cosmic Liberator from the Powers branch, and his ability is based on SONAR—not a sound-based ability, but the device itself.—said the narrator.
Narrator—SONAR is the device used by those who work as sonar operators on submarine detectors. His ability is based on a part of his subconscious; he uses SONAR as a skill that relies on listening to sound—in this case, the rhythm of people.—said the narrator, continuing with the explanation.
Narrator—The boy created a technique using his ability, a technique based on the zone—those zones used in common detection devices like trackers or cameras. The boy is able to use that zone within his subconscious.—said the narrator.
Narrator—As you know, there is something similar in the body that is also known as a zone. It's like something in your body that, during an activity, makes it as if you ignore the world around you and focus on what you're doing, but then you start to feel the world again, this time differently, with yourself as the center of attention.—said the narrator.
Narrator—That's known as the zone, but what if the zone actually focused more on detecting and identifying patterns in people? This is where the boy's ability comes in—based on SONAR, but creating a technique that uses SONAR combined with the zone to detect, locate, focus on, and repel at the same time.—said the narrator.
Narrator—He calls that very technique the "People Opedator." The only limitation of that technique is its range; that's why it requires a specific range where his technique is defined—one must get close to execute it perfectly.—said the narrator, finishing the explanation.
The boy moves again, but this time he gets a little closer and positions himself to the side of Ocho, then throws a few right jabs. Ocho dodges them and then throws a punch that the boy dodges, but as he passes close by, his fist brushes past Ocho's face, prompting him to launch a well-executed boxing counterpunch that lands squarely on Ocho's face.
Ocho is a little dazed by the blow, but just then the boy throws another knee strike, which Ocho blocks by putting his left forearm up to absorb the impact. Ocho steps back and regains his composure, realizing that the boy really is a prodigy.
"Hey, you know, you're the first one who can give me a fight like this. Well, some can, but others can't. Man, you must be something special," said the boy.
"My name is Tsurugi, nice to meet you, and well, I think this will be over soon," said the boy named Tsurugi.
"I see," said Ocho.
"I don't know much about your ability, but I imagine you have a technique with a range, right?" asked Eight.
Tsurugi was taken aback by this. "How the hell do you know that?" said Tsurugi.
"It seems I was right. I know because I noticed how you kept drawing me in, always staying close to you," said Eight.
"And you'd make the second move right after I made the first move to attack you," said Eight.
"You know, if you have a technique based on people, it must be almost identical to mine, but with a difference," said Eight.
"But that also depends on how much one specializes in it, and therefore, I have the advantage over you," said Eight, activating his ability to increase the effect a little more.
You can see how Ocho's eyes turn slightly red (this is what's known as a visual effect when you boost your ability; this happens with all releases except for the Cosmic Release, where it's visible on the body, and also with the Eclipse Release, where the inner branch is visible on the body—the changes in the other releases are only visible on the outside).
Ocho moves quickly, surprising Tsurugi, who activates his ability and then his technique. Tsurugi throws a punch, but Ocho dodges it easily and lands a punch to his face, causing Tsurugi to stagger backward.
He tries to strike, but Ocho stops him and elbows him in the face—not just once, but several times, because Ocho trapped him with his legs, holding his body and landing multiple blows. Tsurugi manages to break free from that hold and pushes him away.
Before Ocho can fire his gun at Tsurugi, something sounds. "It's all over now. The five winners can stay there and wait until we open the door," said a voice.
"What?" thought Tsurugi and Ocho as they heard that, while they point their weapons at each other—Ocho with his gun and Tsurugi with a small knife.
"While you were fighting, we took care of the others. Every single one of them is dead," said a voice.
It was the man with the spiked gloves on his hands. "And the others are right there behind me," said the man, pointing behind him.
There were Sifon and the burly man, who had managed to survive and kill more people. Tsurugi and Ocho realized that it seemed everything was already over.
95 people have already died in 5 hours; it's already very late at night. The bounty amounts are 4,200,000 yen, 5,000,000 yen, 5,590,700 yen, 5,950,000 yen, and 6,650,500 yen—those being the bounties for the dead.
The prize for those who bet on them is 10,000,000,000 yen, and for the five people who bet on them, a door then opens.
Tsurugi, Ocho, Siphon, the man in gloves, and the burly man turn around and see the door, where a girl in an office worker's suit stands. She steps out, moves to the side, extends her hand, and points to the open door.
"Please come in," said the girl.
A short while later, everyone is seen going down in an elevator with the girl, who guides them. After they exit, the girl leads them to a room where Norichi is sitting in a comfortable armchair, drinking wine.
"Sir, here are the winners," said the girl.
"Yes, that's fine. Leave us alone," said Norichi.
The girl leaves, and Norichi stands up and looks at the others. "So you're the winners, huh…" said Norichi.
"Hey, just tell me what you want—I'm not here to chat," asked the man in gloves.
"Before that, let me ask you a question: Which do you prefer? Money or life?" asked Norichi.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the man in gloves.
"I just want to know what matters most to you," said Norichi.
"In life, there are things—money, fame, power—whatever you want, if you can get them," said Norichi.
"Look, we all have a goal in life. If you have one, you can achieve it with money; if not, then you just die, and that's it," said Norichi.
"What the hell are you talking about? I only came for the bounty on your head!" shouted the burly man angrily.
"You have no ambition," said Norichi in a cold voice, his gaze empty and devoid of darkness.
"What did you say?" the man asked.
"You have no ambition. That's what I said, and that's it," said Norichi.
"Damn you!" the burly man shouted with great rage.
But Norichi killed him by shooting him in the head with a pistol. "That's what I mean when I say you have no ambition," said Norichi.
"Ambition is the only thing that moves the world, and if you don't have great ambition, you can't even try to really kill me," said Norichi.
"Want my head as much as you want it, as if you wanted to use me as a decorative ornament for your girlfriend," said Norichi metaphorically.
"That way you'll know how much you want that money and how much ambition each of you can actually have," said Norichi.
"Besides, since this is a paid contract, you have to truly want to kill me," said Norichi, turning to look at Sifon and Eight.
"My subordinate paid a huge sum, didn't he, to hire two top-tier people—even though one of them isn't actually top-tier," said Norichi.
"Wait, this guy was the one who hired us for this mission," thought Sifon and Ocho at the same time, surprised.
"In the end, you didn't disappoint me, did you?" said Norichi.