Let go.
Believe in him.
Rin's mind screamed at him.
Let it go.
Let go of his fears.
Let go of the trauma.
Let go of the anger he had carried toward the people who judged him without ever trying to understand him.
All those words.
All those looks.
All those years.
Let go.
Rin closed his eyes.
He took a breath.
Then—
...sigh.
He finally let it go.
"Y-yes, sir..."
His voice trembled.
"Thank you..."
Daniel smiled brightly.
"Good!"
He looked directly into Rin's eyes.
"Your eyes look fine now!"
Rin slowly opened his eyes.
Something felt different.
His eyes had warmed.
The hopelessness that had filled them before was gone.
In its place...
Was hope.
Shinjo watched his son quietly.
He couldn't help but feel grateful.
Grateful to Daniel.
And grateful that he had brought Rin here.
For the first time in a long time...
He could see hope in his son's eyes.
Daniel turned around and began walking toward the grand entrance of the newly built mall.
The program was about to begin.
Light followed him.
He looked at Daniel with even more respect after watching him talk to that kid.
Father really is amazing...
Bosvel looked at the enormous crowd surrounding them.
He sighed.
"Look at the commotion you caused..."
Daniel simply smiled.
Sophia stood beside them, fanning herself.
"It's getting hot already..."
She looked down at her overly fashionable clothes.
"...Why did I wear this?"
Nobody answered her.
Meanwhile...
In a corner of the basement of the same mall...
A phone call was already connected.
Four people were on the same call.
One of them spoke.
"Has he entered the building yet?"
The voice from the phone responded.
"About to."
The first man looked toward his own corner.
"How's your corner?"
"All set."
A pause.
"The same on the other two corners too."
"Good."
Silence followed.
Their voices became quieter.
The excitement was gone.
Only anticipation remained.
And nervousness.
Then—
Daniel stepped foot inside the mall.
The atmosphere changed.
A huge wave of pressure suddenly descended upon everyone inside.
People froze.
The air itself seemed heavier.
Deep beneath the building, the four men were hit by it.
Their bodies were forced down.
One of them dropped to his knees.
Another caught himself against the wall.
A third struggled just to lift his head.
Their breathing became heavy.
"What..."
The pressure was unbearable.
Yet somehow...
They remained standing.
One of them forced the words out.
"He's... inside the mall!"
The voice on the call struggled to respond.
"Yeah..."
He took a breath.
"I can feel it!"
Main Event Floor
Nothing seemed wrong.
People moved freely around Daniel.
He smiled.
He waved.
Cameras flashed.
Japanese fans had gathered everywhere.
Children excitedly watched him.
Rin stood among them, still unable to believe that he had spoken to Daniel himself.
And it wasn't only the fans.
Martial artists from across Japan had gathered too.
Anyone who knew Daniel's fighting record wanted to see the legendary King of Heavens in person.
The inauguration continued normally.
People laughed.
People talked.
Daniel waved at the crowd.
But beneath them...
The four corners of the basement were filled with malice.
After some time, it was Daniel's turn to give his speech.
He confidently climbed onto the stage.
The crowd quieted.
Daniel reached for the microphone.
Then—
Deep beneath the building...
One of the men spoke through the group call.
"Now!"
Another immediately responded.
"He's on the stage!"
The first man looked upward.
"At the dead center of the building!"
Silence.
Then one of the voices spoke nervously.
"Are we really gonna do this...?"
Nobody answered.
Another voice finally responded.
"We have to."
A pause.
The nervous voice returned.
"...Fine."
Another breath.
"On the count of three..."
Everyone became silent.
"One."
"Two."
"Three..."
Click!
Click!
Click!
Click!
Then—
BOOM!!
The four points of the basement erupted at once.
The foundation shook violently.
The basement began collapsing.
The floor above cracked.
Pillars buckled.
The entire structure began to lose its support.
Main Event Floor
Panic erupted.
People screamed.
They scrambled toward the exits.
Some fell into the collapsing hollow beneath them.
Others desperately pulled themselves away from the broken floor.
Daniel's expression changed immediately.
He looked across the event hall.
Then he saw Bosvel.
Far away.
With Light and Sophia.
"Bose!!!"
His voice thundered through the hall.
"Get out of here with them!!!"
Bosvel immediately nodded.
He knew Daniel wouldn't take no for an answer.
He grabbed Light and began pulling him toward the exit.
Sophia followed.
"Daniel!!"
She looked back.
"Get out!!!"
Tears began forming in her eyes.
Daniel didn't move.
He was already trying to reach the people trapped inside.
Rin and Shinjo were already outside.
They had been close to the entrance and managed to escape.
Rin turned around.
His eyes widened.
Daniel...
Suddenly—
The upper floors began breaking down.
The pillars supporting them had become dangerously weak.
Thirty floors of weight began descending.
The ceiling above the trapped civilians started coming down.
A man looked upward.
His eyes widened.
The enormous ceiling was falling directly toward him.
No...
He couldn't move.
The ceiling came closer.
Closer.
Closer.
He shut his eyes.
And then—
It stopped.
Just before reaching him.
Silence.
Then—
CRACK!
A horrible impaling sound echoed through the collapsing structure.
Everyone froze.
Slowly...
One person turned toward the sound.
Then another.
Then everyone.
Their eyes widened.
Standing beneath the collapsing thirty-floor building...
Was Daniel, with a rebar impaled through his neck to the clavicle...
He was holding it.
The entire building.
One man.
Thirty floors.
The impossible weight resting above him.
Daniel's body trembled under the pressure.
Blood gushes out of his eyes, nose and mouth.
His breathing was ragged.
Yet he refused to let the building fall.
"G-g-get..."
His voice shook.
"OUT!!!!"
The trapped civilians stared at him in disbelief.
Then someone ran.
Another followed.
Then another.
Suddenly, everyone began rushing toward the exits.
Daniel grunted.
"Aghhhhhh!"
He strained against the enormous weight.
But he didn't move.
He kept holding.
He watched every person escape.
Outside the building...
Bosvel, Light and Sophia finally reached safety.
Then they looked back.
Their expressions froze.
Daniel was still there.
Holding the building.
Sophia covered her mouth.
"Daniel..."
Light stared.
Father...
People around them weren't even helping.
They were taking pictures.
"Woah! That's insane!"
"He's gonna die!"
"How is that even possible?!"
"Is that really a person?!"
Thousands of reactions erupted from the crowd.
Nobody understood what they were witnessing.
Then someone noticed something else.
"Wait..."
They looked at the building.
"Why isn't the building collapsing around him?!"
Another person stared upward.
"What is happening here?!"
Someone else shouted—
"How can the upper floors not collapse and fall down?!"
Silence.
Then the realization hit.
"If that building falls this way..."
A man looked toward the distance.
"...we won't be safe here."
"How far do we have to go?"
"Far."
"How far?!"
"At least a few kilometers!"
Panic returned.
Everyone began running.
Light suddenly broke away.
He rushed toward Daniel.
Bosvel grabbed him.
Light fought against him.
Sophia grabbed him too.
"Light!"
They barely managed to hold him back.
Light's eyes remained fixed on Daniel.
Father!!!
He tried to scream.
But—
Nothing came out.
Reality struck him.
He was mute.
He couldn't call him.
He couldn't tell him to stop.
He couldn't even say his name.
Daniel was still holding the building.
Still waiting.
Still making sure everyone escaped.
One minute passed.
Then another few seconds.
The impossible continued.
1 minute and 59 seconds.
For exactly one minute and fifty-nine seconds...
Daniel held up a thirty-floor building by himself.
And somehow...
The building didn't collapse around him.
Finally—
The last civilian escaped.
Daniel looked toward the distance.
Light was there.
Far away.
Being dragged back by Bosvel and Sophia.
Daniel's eyes softened.
I-i... saved them all...
A faint smile appeared.
And now...
...to pay for my sins.
His body began to relax.
He was ready.
Ready to let go.
Ready to accept what came next.
But before he could—
He heard something.
A voice.
Unidentifiable.
Not a word.
Not a sentence.
Just—
"AAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Daniel's eyes widened.
Light was screaming.
His first sound.
His first voice.
It wasn't Father.
It wasn't Mother.
It was simply a scream.
A scream born from watching the person he loved most disappear before his eyes.
Daniel looked toward him one last time.
And smiled.
Then—
Splat!