Chapter 54: Today is my day!
"Damn Yuno... She was right..."
The sun painted the horizon red as it set over Hinamizawa, the sky reflecting the carnage Ryan left in his wake. His breathing was labored, his chest rising and falling with effort as drops of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"...I really love this side of me..." he murmured, a crooked smile forming on his lips as he leaned against a wall near the hospital entrance.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Ryan closed his eyes and forced his mind to rewind the events. Slowly, the world around him began to unravel, like a film being rewound.
The reversed chaos was grotesque. Exploded heads reassembled with a wet, disturbing sound. Bloodstains flowed back into bodies. The scattered cartridges on the floor returned to the chambers of the guns. At the center of it all, Ryan saw his own body reversing every wound, including the bullet that had pierced his shoulder, his face briefly contorted in pain.
"Damn... It's getting harder to hold this..." he thought, sweat dripping down his forehead. When the timeline reached the point he wanted, Ryan let the flow stabilize, regaining control.
Back in action, he didn't hesitate. He grabbed the nearest soldier and used him as a human shield against incoming gunfire. With almost monstrous strength, he yanked the shotgun from the man's hands and launched his offensive.
The soldiers fell one by one, unable to counter Ryan's lethal precision as he stormed through the hospital like an unstoppable force. They retreated, seeking refuge behind doors and furniture, but their hiding spots only made them easier targets.
In the corridor, Ryan held the bullet-riddled body of the soldier he had used as a shield. He let it drop to the floor with a dry, morbid thud, his face bearing a sadistic grin as he surveyed the trail of destruction around him.
"Wow, you guys lost your nerve pretty quickly, huh..." His voice echoed down the hallway, dripping with mockery.
Ryan's blood-soaked footsteps reverberated through the space. He kicked a few scattered cartridges as he walked, adjusting the shotgun in his hands.
"Look, folks, I just want to have a chat with a very hot blonde named Takano Miyo... You know, maybe invite her to a candlelit dinner or something?" He laughed, his voice laden with irony as he scanned the corridor for targets.
One soldier acted quickly, throwing a flash grenade. But Ryan, with superhuman reflexes, shot the man's hand before he could complete the motion.
The blinding flash and deafening sound filled the corridor, but Ryan remained unfazed. He reloaded the shotgun with swift, precise movements and sneered, "Unless you guys have some brilliant plan up your sleeves... You're screwed. I destroyed all the vehicles out front. No escape, my friends."
He laughed, the dry, mocking sound echoing like a slap in the face. "Come on, people! You're an army! How do you manage to lose to some random kid? This is getting embarrassing."
The remaining soldiers were visibly terrified. Every shot from Ryan was pinpoint accurate, as if he knew exactly where and when they would appear. They whispered among themselves, trying to devise a strategy, but their desperation was evident.
Bored with the lack of action, Ryan rolled his eyes and pulled a grenade from his pocket, looted from one of the bodies along the way. He examined the explosive in his hand with a cruel smile and said, "You guys really need to be more careful with what you leave lying around..."
With a deliberate motion, he pulled the pin and held the grenade for a few seconds, letting the tension build in the air. "Countdown, everyone..."
At the perfect moment, Ryan threw the grenade with surgical precision. The explosion's roar filled the corridor, followed by the screams of agony from the soldiers struck by shrapnel. He watched it all with an almost amused expression, muttering to himself as he advanced:
"You're trying... I'll give you that. But unfortunately, today's my day."
Ryan strode toward a door at the end of the corridor, his footsteps echoing amidst the destruction he had left behind. A smug smile curled his lips as he noticed the bodies strewn near the entrance. Tilting his head, he observed the scene as if admiring a work of art.
"Hmm... Something tells me this is where my dear queen is hiding..." he remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Without caution, Ryan grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open carelessly, almost as if daring fate. But to his surprise, Takano was waiting on the other side, armed and ready. The room erupted in sound as she fired a volley of shots. Several struck him, causing Ryan to stumble backward.
"Bitch..." he muttered with a forced smile as blood oozed from the holes in his clothing.
Without wasting time, Ryan forced time to rewind, watching the events play out in reverse until he was once again standing before the door. When the flow stopped, he faced the entrance again, this time with a look of malice and the corner of his mouth twisted into a sadistic grin.
"Bitch..." he muttered, raising the shotgun with precision.
Not taking any chances, he fired repeatedly at the door, the shots sounding like thunderclaps that shook the corridor. The wood splintered into shards, and he heard Takano's muffled scream as she dove to the floor for cover.
Ryan entered the room, kicking aside chairs and tables in his path, his steps heavy with brutal determination. He approached the woman slowly, who lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes wide but struggling to maintain an air of defiance.
Blood trickled from small cuts on her face, likely caused by the door's splinters. Ryan tilted his head, observing her as if she were an intriguing curiosity.
"Ahh... Sorry for messing up such a pretty face..." he commented, his voice laced with malice that made the room feel smaller and more oppressive.
Takano, despite her fear, tried to fight back, pulling her weapon to shoot him. But Ryan was faster. Moving with superhuman speed, he lunged at her before she could even aim.
With a swift and brutal motion, he pinned her down, gripping her wrists with crushing force against the floor while his knee pressed into her abdomen, making it hard for her to breathe.
Ryan's eyes gleamed under the fluorescent lights, reflecting a mix of madness and determination. He smiled—a smile that churned the stomach—and spoke in a voice carrying an almost playful threat:
"Time for a little chat with the arc's villain, dear Takano. Let's see what that brilliant mind of yours can do now—besides entertain me."
As his eyes fell on Takano's hand, Ryan noticed the weapon she was holding. His expression shifted instantly—from genuine surprise to a wide, almost childlike grin.
"Oh my God! Look at this little treasure hiding out here in the middle of nowhere!" he exclaimed, easily snatching the gun from Takano's hand.
Standing up, Ryan examined the pistol with reverence, spinning it in his hands as if it were a sacred relic. "A M1911! And just look at its condition... immaculate!" His voice carried an almost exaggerated admiration, like a child receiving their favorite gift.
As Ryan marveled at the weapon, speaking to himself about his new "treasure," Irie appeared behind him. Silent but visibly tense with every movement, he held a syringe, advancing slowly with the clear intent of taking advantage of Ryan's distraction.
"1890s design..." Ryan continued, running his fingers over the pistol. "Man, how the hell did they create something this beautiful? The design, the weight... it's pure art!"
Irie was mere inches away from reaching him, the syringe poised to pierce Ryan's skin. But before he could complete the motion, Ryan, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly turned.
A gunshot rang out, slicing through the silence.
The bullet hit Irie's shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain as he collapsed to the floor, the syringe rolling away from his trembling fingers.
"Ahhh, what a wonderful sound!" Ryan exclaimed, his voice overflowing with genuine enthusiasm as he watched the smoke rise from the barrel of the M1911. "Even the gunshot's sound is beautiful! This weapon is simply perfect!"
He spun the pistol one last time, as if performing in a private show, before lowering his gaze to Irie, who groaned in pain on the floor. Ryan took a step toward him, the same devilish smile plastered across his face.
"Now, come on, sweetie..." he said, pointing the gun at Irie, his voice dripping with menace. "Try any other little tricks, and I'll show you exactly what this beauty can do, shot by shot. How about that?"
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