An indescribable, inhuman scream erupted from Captain Nezumi's mouth.
The agonizing pain instantly destroyed all his nerves. Blood gushed like a fountain from the wounds in his front and back, staining the sand beneath him red.
Like a maggot pinned to a chopping board, he writhed futilely, only worsening the pain that reached deep into his bones.
His howling, however, lasted only a dozen or so seconds.
The Marine soldiers pursuing him and the furious civilians had already surged onto the shore like a tide.
They stared at Captain Nezumi, pinned to the beach, bleeding profusely and screaming nonstop. There was not a trace of pity in their eyes, only overwhelming hatred.
"Beat that beast to death!"
"Avenge the people he killed!"
"Get him!"
The fury pent up over countless years erupted completely. Fists, feet, stones, wooden clubs... rained down on Captain Nezumi.
Every blow brought an even more piercing scream and the dull crunch of breaking bones.
His body was soon beaten beyond recognition. He lay limp amid blood and grit like a dead rat, with only faint groans proving he was still alive.
Several Marine soldiers fought back their nausea, found some rope, and pulled him off the steel pipe.
The process brought another round of piglike squealing. Then they dragged him back to the foot of the hotel as though dragging a truly dead dog.
At some point, Kirishima Bupai had sat back down in the white plastic chair by the breach on the second floor.
He had even procured a steaming cup of plain tea from somewhere and was sipping it leisurely.
He had moved the chair to the edge of the breach and sat with his legs crossed, his slicked-back white hair gleaming coldly beneath the lights.
Lifting his gaze slightly, Kirishima looked down at