Chapter 28 — The Broken Heart of Kaizen
Kaizen kept fighting brutally, his blows shaking the ground as Musukoni blocked and countered, giving Jin Yuan an opening.
Kaizen: "Ah!"
He gritted his teeth, but before he could react —
Jin Yuan's giant katana came crashing down, shattering both of Kaizen's gauntlets into pieces.
Kaizen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kaizen: "No… it can't be…"
And then, the memories returned.
---
Flashback – Earth
A younger Kaizen sat in class, his messy hair falling over hopeful eyes.
Next to him sat Omaini, a girl with long, reddish hair and a bright smile.
Kaizen: "Um… I want to tell you something."
Omaini: "What is it?"
Kaizen's cheeks reddened.
Kaizen: "I… I like you, Omaini. More than a friend."
Omaini smiled faintly, then looked away.
Omaini: "I like you too… but… I already have a boyfriend."
Kaizen froze. His heart shattered silently.
Kaizen: "Oh… I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again."
He stood and walked away, his world collapsing inside.
---
That evening, walking through an empty park, Kaizen saw something that destroyed him further —
Omaini's boyfriend, kissing another girl.
Kaizen (thinking): No… this is wrong. I have to tell her. She deserves to know.
He ran all the way to the café where she usually stayed, breathless and trembling.
Kaizen: "Omaini! Your boyfriend—he's cheating on you! I saw him! Please, believe me!"
Omaini's eyes narrowed.
Omaini: "Stop lying! You're just jealous because I rejected you!"
Kaizen: "No! Please, I'm telling the truth—"
Omaini: "Shut up! Get out! Don't ever show me your face again!"
At that moment, her boyfriend walked in. Kaizen turned, furious.
Kaizen: "You're cheating on her! Stop using her, you bastard!"
The boyfriend's fist connected.
Kaizen hit the ground.
The beating continued — punches, kicks, humiliation.
Omaini stood still, trembling, but said nothing.
Boyfriend: "Let's go, babe."
She left without looking back.
Kaizen lay there, bleeding, staring at the floor through tears.
---
Days passed. Omaini stopped coming to school.
One sunset, Kaizen found her alone on a park bench, crying.
He walked up slowly, careful to keep his distance.
Kaizen: "O-Omaini… are you okay?"
She looked up, her face streaked with tears.
Omaini: "You were right, Kaizen… he cheated on me. I'm so stupid. You warned me."
Kaizen knelt beside her, wiping away her tears.
Kaizen: "Don't say that. He's the one who's worthless. You deserve better."
Omaini: "I'm so sorry… for what I said that day. I thought you were lying. I was blind. You must hate me now."
Kaizen shook his head.
Kaizen: "No… I could never hate you. I still love you, Omaini."
She smiled weakly.
Omaini: "I love you too, Kaizen… let's start over."
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Kaizen: "R-Really!?"
Omaini: "Yes… from the start."
Tears fell freely. Kaizen hugged her tightly, still kneeling.
Kaizen: "I love you so much, Omaini."
Omaini (laughing softly): "I love you too, Kaizen—"
A screech of tires.
A crash.
A truck slammed into Omaini before the sentence finished.
Blood spread across the road.
Kaizen froze in disbelief.
Kaizen: "W-What the hell…?"
Police arrived.
Cop #1: "Drunk driver. We're sorry for your loss."
Cop #2: "We'll compensate you financially—"
Kaizen: "You think money will bring her back!?"
He punched the officer dead on the spot. Rage consumed him.
The other cop trembled.
Kaizen grabbed him, smashing his head against the truck.
The driver tried to flee —
— but Shinjukuna appeared, catching him by the throat.
Shinjukuna: "Running won't save you. Such a pathetic display…"
Kaizen: "Leave him! I'll kill him myself!"
Shinjukuna: "I can feel your pain… your loss. I can offer you something."
Kaizen: "What!?"
Shinjukuna: "Join me. Serve me. Help me build a world without betrayal, without pain, without heartbreak."
Kaizen hesitated — then nodded fiercely.
Kaizen: "Yes! I'll do anything for you!"
---
Back to the Present
Kaizen's broken gauntlets clattered to the floor.
Tears streamed down his face as memories flooded in.
Kaizen (screaming): "Aaaaaaah!!!"
Musukoni turned to Jin Yuan.
Musukoni: "He's lost his gauntlets. He can't fight anymore."
But both froze in shock —
Kaizen stood tall, barehanded, his eyes burning red and blue.
Kaizen: "I'll kill you humans! You're all the same!"
He charged forward — but then,
a soft voice behind him.
Omaini: "Please… stop, Kaizen. This isn't the man I loved."
Kaizen froze. His trembling hands lowered.
Tears welled up again.
Kaizen: "If that's what you want… I'll stop."
He picked up one broken gauntlet from the ground, activated its self-destruction, and embraced Omaini's fading spirit.
Kaizen: "I finally found you…"
A warm smile crossed his face.
Then —
BOOM!
A massive explosion tore through the building.
Musukoni had already predicted it, signaling Jin Yuan —
They both leapt into the air, barely escaping the blast.
The smoke cleared. The building was gone.
Musukoni: "Why did he kill himself?"
Jin Yuan: "Maybe… he was just a broken heart."
---
End of Chapter 28