Episode 12: Duel under a Blood Red Sun:

Kouta and Nyuu had been waiting for hours but Kanai still hadn't returned home. They were just about to get in the car and start searching when suddenly Nyuu received Kanai's desperate cry for help. She had never felt her daughter in so much pain or so scared. She instantly knew what must be happening. The killer was torturing her only daughter to try draw her out! Nyuu felt a tempest of emotions rise within her. She was terrified, heartbroken, and also beyond enraged.

Kouta: "Nyuu? What is it? Did you Kanai?

Nyuu: (emotionless)"Kouta…get that suit that Arakawa dropped off and meet me in the car. Our daughter has been captured by the killer. We're going to save her, and I'm going to murder whoever did this."

Kouta quickly put on the suit as ridiculous as it appeared and ran to the car as fast as he could. He had already lost his father and sister. He thought he had lost Nyuu 18 years ago. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain of losing his only daughter.

It was now past 5 in the afternoon and the sun was a bright red over the ocean. They drove quickly in the direction that Nyuu had received the signal. Suddenly, she received another as strong as the first.

Nyuu: "I'm coming for you Kanai. Just hold on a few minutes more."

Kouta and Nyuu pulled up next to an abandoned stretch of beach. Tourism had taken a nasty hit over the last decade and the pandemic hadn't helped matters. This stretch of beach was littered with garbage and there was a small beachside shack in a dilapidated state. The embers of the campfire were still hot. This was it.

A young man walked out of the shack and welcomed them in a booming voice.

Akuma: "I'm so glad you came! Do you remember me dear sister?"

Nyuu: "Akuma? Is that really you?"

Akuma: "Very good! I was only 5 when we last met. I'm glad you've kept your looks. It wouldn't be quite as satisfying to flay an old bag!"

Kouta: "Kanai! Are you alright?!"

Akuma: "Don't worry about the girl. It wouldn't be any fun to kill her just yet. First, I'm going to duel you in vector-to-vector combat. Then after we've settled things in the style of our noble race, I'll make you watch as I kill your primate husband and half-breed daughter as slowly and painfully as possible."

Nyuu: "I'm sorry that you've become your father. None of us are destined to be evil. I wanted to believe that if you were still alive, you would be living a peaceful existence somewhere. Now I'm going to have to do what I vowed 18 long years ago to never do again. I'm disturbed by how much I look forward to killing you!"

Kouta was shocked. Nyuu's eyes had completely changed. This was like a different person. The one who killed all those soldiers on the bridge. The one who once killed his family!

Akuma: "Wait! I've been waiting 18 years for this! Don't rush to your death so soon!"

Akuma reveals his 30 vectors and shows off their incredible length.

Akuma: "When I was only 4, I already knew that I was born to be the Emperor of all Diclonius. I had 30 vectors while even the great Mariko only had 26."

Nyuu: "Very impressive. I remember being astonished when your father brought you to my containment room and had you show off your talents in front of me. I would say it's too bad that mother wasn't around, but seeing how you turned out, it's a mercy she died when she did"

Akuma: "So, you've really been living among humans for 18 years? Does this monkey in the ridiculous costume even know what you really are? Please let me be the one to tell him! I'm afraid though that he may be a little heartbroken when he finds out you're actually a mass murderer of human filth, just like me!"

Kouta: "Shut the Hell up you egotistical piece of shit! My wife has killed people before, but she is nothing like you!"

Akuma: "I wanted to savor this moment and drag things out, but I'm afraid I can't allow a human to address me like that! Let's get this over with."

Akuma launched his 30 vectors at Nyuu in a frenzied mass, only to be shocked as Nyuu's vectors managed to parry them all away! This infuriated him, but his 2nd attempt met with similar failure.

Akuma: "What…what the hell is this?!"

Nyuu: "I don't owe you an explanation, but I suppose I could be nice and explain why you're about to die. You've never even fought another Diclonius have you? I've always been worried there could be another Mariko out there, so my close friend and I have done plenty of sparing over the years. I now have perfect control over 8 vectors. Your number, range, and strength are all incredible, but you move most of them as a group. Our brains are special in that we can create vectors, but our ability to process information and multitask isn't much better than ordinary humans. You have 30 vectors, but you just flail them around and try overpowering your opponent with raw numbers. You fight like a little girl I met once."

Nyuu hoped her explanation would enrage him into making a mistake. While her explanation was partially true, she omitted the fact that she had no way of getting close to him and finishing the fight. If this continued, he would wear her down and kill her with his clear advantages in number, length, and raw strength despite her vastly superior control.

Akuma: (smiles) "It seems I vastly underestimated you. Your defense is quite formidable! Now let's test out that husband of yours!"

Akuma launched his vectors at Kouta but was shocked as Kouta simply ran straight through all of them! With adrenaline pumping through his body, Kouta punched Akuma square in the nose as hard as he possibly could. Kouta followed this up by grabbing his horns and smashing his face with a ferocious headbutt. Kouta was typically an incredibly gentle and docile man, but typically his daughter's life wasn't on the line.

Akuma (staggers and clutches broken nose) "A human rodent actually made me bleed?!"

Akuma realized that absurd suit was cancelling out his vectors, so he targeted his own limbs instead. With psychic reinforcement, Akuma's blow crunched into Kouta's ribs and sent him sprawling. Kouta gasped in pain as several of his ribs were now clearly broken.

Akuma: "I'm going to enjoy every second of this! I'm going to crush-"

He never got to finish that statement as his head was suddenly separated from his body. In his blind rage, he had focused entirely on Kouta and forgotten his other opponent.

Nyuu: "Kouta! Are you ok?! I'll call an ambulance right away!"

Kouta: "I'll live, just go check on Kanai!"

Nyuu ran towards the shack and could hear her daughter's cries coming from inside.

Nyuu burst through the door and saw Kanai still chained to the wall with steel manacles. Akuma's torture hadn't done any physical damage, but she was still beyond stressed and exhausted from the pain. Akuma's vectors had essentially told every pain receptor in her limbs that she was on fire.

Nyuu: "Kanai! Can you hear me? I'm here. We came to save you!"

Kanai: "Mommy?! You're covered in blood!"

Nyuu: "Not my own. Let's get these chains off you!"

Nyuu focused her vectors to their maximum cutting capacity and managed to free her daughter.

Nyuu: "Your father was hurt in the fight. Please help me move him gently and get him into the car. We're going to the nearest emergency room right now!"

Kanai rushed towards her father, barely stopping as she noticed that her tormentor was lying headless in a massive pool of his own blood.

Kanai: "Dad! Are you hurt bad?!"

Kouta: "I'll be fine. I'm just so relieved we got here in time!

Kouta wept tears of joy as she attempted to embrace his daughter but couldn't due to the sharp pain he felt in his chest.

Nyuu and Kanai carefully used their vectors to move Kouta and got him in the backseat.

Nyuu: "I'm going to call home to see how the boys are doing. Kanai, take my wallet and get yourself a taxi home. I need to stay with your father until I know he's going to be alright."

Kanai: (tearing up) "You guys really came and saved me. Even after what I said and what I did!"

Nyuu: "Of course we did! We're not the perfect people we pretended to be, but we never lied one bit about how much we both love you!

Kanai: (crying) "I love you both too!"