It was late at night when Rin Nanase, already suited in his Dark Knight armor, soared high above the city skyline. The metallic hum of the flight boosters echoed faintly against the silence of the night. Beneath his mask, his voice was calm but sharp.
“Pinpoint Chizuru’s location through her phone and direct me there.”
“Already done,” Retro replied, his voice crisp through the suit’s audio system.
A holographic route appeared before Rin’s visor. Without hesitation, he adjusted his course, diving toward the edge of the city.
Meanwhile, Chizuru Kawasaki slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing. She found herself on the cold floor of a dimly lit room. The faint smell of dust and metal filled the air. Men surrounded her, though most began to file out of the room as Kevin waved his hand. He paced in front of her, hands in his pockets.
“Kevin…” she whispered.
He smirked faintly. “I didn’t think Nanase would send you into this, Miss Kawasaki.”
“You tried to kill Rin three years ago,” she said, her tone bitter.
Kevin sighed, stopping to look at her. “It wasn’t my choice. He was too dangerous—too unpredictable. We needed him gone if we were going to rebuild Toronto.”
“Rebuild?” she snapped. “You mean destroy it.”
Kevin smiled, tilting his head. “You think I’m the villain here? Toronto’s rotten to its core. It needs a reset, a cleansing. I’m just doing what has to be done.”
“You’re the corruption,” she muttered.
He grinned wider. “Funny. Everyone says that until they see what I see. Things were going fine until a masked man decided to interfere.”
Chizuru froze, unsure how much he knew.
“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” Kevin continued. “Yes, I know who the Dark Knight is. But I haven’t told anyone else. It would be dishonorable to expose my own rival.” He crouched before her, lowering his voice. “Tell me, Miss Kawasaki. Do you know him?”
Chizuru hesitated. Then, with a small shake of her head, she whispered, “No.”
Kevin chuckled. “Nanase or Dark Knight can’t find you here. And while you’re here…” His eyes trailed down her body, dark with intent. “I might as well make the most of it.”
Before he could move closer, the sharp crash of breaking glass echoed through the building. A man burst into the room, panic in his voice.
“Boss! He’s here!”
“Who?” Kevin snapped.
“The Dark Knight.”
Kevin cursed under his breath and started toward the door. Chizuru lunged, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, trying to choke him. He ripped her hands away and hurled her into the table. She fell to the ground with a sharp cry.
“Boss, we have to go!” the man shouted.
Kevin glared down at her one last time. “You’re lucky tonight.” He turned off the lights, closing the door behind him. “Take him out. I’m not dying here.”
Moments later, a dark figure smashed through a window on the other side of the building. The Dark Knight landed silently, glass scattering beneath his boots. One of Kevin’s men turned in shock, only to be met with a brutal punch that sent him crashing into a wall.
Rin moved through the halls like a shadow, every motion swift and efficient. Those who crossed his path were dispatched in seconds.
The last of Kevin’s men approached from behind, spraying a thick cloud of smoke directly at Rin’s mask. The vapor surrounded him—but he didn’t flinch.
“Bad move,” Rin said coldly, slamming his fist into the man’s jaw.
He heard a faint pounding—someone hitting glass. Following the sound, he found Chizuru behind a locked door, trying to break free. He ripped the door open.
She threw her arms around him. “You’re here…”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “You’re safe now.”
“Let’s get out of here.” She retrieved her purse from the floor, quickly checking inside.
“What are you looking for?” Rin asked.
“This.” She held up a small USB-C drive. “They didn’t find it.”
“Good,” he replied. “Looks like nothing was taken.”
“Kevin planned all this,” she said. “He even tried to have you killed three years ago.”
Rin’s tone hardened. “We’ll talk about that once we’re somewhere safe.”
“My place,” she said quickly.
He nodded.
Hours later, Rin landed quietly on Chizuru’s apartment balcony, setting her down before stepping inside. The warm glow of her living room lights felt like another world. Chizuru locked the door behind them while Rin removed his mask and collapsed onto the sofa with a deep exhale.
“Can I get you something to eat?” she asked gently.
“Sure. Anything’s fine.”
She disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with two plates of sandwiches and glasses of lemonade. Rin was already sitting at her computer, the USB-C drive plugged in. Lines of data filled the screen.
“Kevin’s leading his own faction,” Rin said, scanning the files. “But he’s still taking orders from the Yubiwa—the same group from three years ago.”
Chizuru sat beside him, frowning. “He said he knows who you are. But his men don’t.”
“That’s something,” Rin replied. “The fewer people who know, the better.”
He opened another file and froze. “Olsen Enterprise is involved in this?"
Chizuru’s expression darkened. “How?”
“Kevin had a partnership with Olsen Enterprise through my company, and considering Olsen Enterprise specializes in chemical engineering...” Rin’s voice grew grim. “They’re creating a gas that induces hallucinations before killing its victims.”
Chizuru’s stomach dropped. “He’s going to poison the city?”
Rin nodded. “Using what I built.”
Silence fell between them for a moment.
"Is Henry Olsen involved in this?” she finally asked.
Hearing this, Rin was silent for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I couldn't find any findings relating to him. He's in the UK right now and he's probably just as clueless as I was about what's going on."
"Kevin hinted something might happen in a few nights," Chizuru said.
“Then we need to do something fast.” He turned to her. “Tomorrow, go to Olsen Tower. You’ll need to get the antidote.”
“How?”
“I’ve already listed the ingredients here.” He showed her the data on screen. “Give them this, request the formula, then bring it to me. I’ll handle the testing.”
“Alright,” she said softly, lowering her gaze.
Rin stood and knelt before her, placing his hands on her knees. “Hey,” he said quietly, meeting her eyes. “Everything’s going to be alright.”
She smiled faintly, placing her arms over his shoulders and kissing him softly. When she pulled back, her tone turned playful.
“Take off your suit,” she murmured. “Then I’ll really feel safe.”
Rin smiled. “Fine.”
YOU ARE READING
Dark Knight
AcciónA young multimillionaire decides to become a masked vigilante to find the one responsible for eliminating his entire family when he was a child. However, later on, he realizes that the city needs him as a criminal organization hides in the shadows t...
