My Young Husband, The Assasin-Chapter 81: The black crow at the gates of hell

The painkiller and stamina potion Yuki had cooked up gradually started to wear off. The pain in Tetsuya’s left chest grew serious enough that he could hardly catch his breath. Not only that, but whether he could move was a different story, struggling against Ryoji as he fought through the pain.

Tetsuya thought to himself that his luck had truly run out. Although he hadn’t been killed, Tetsuya had sustained serious injuries from the fierce battle.

"Give up," Ryoji said, realizing that the situation was heavily in his favour compared to Tetsuya.

"You give up," Tetsuya replied with a crooked smile.

"You’re so arrogant! Even on the brink of death, you’re still stubborn!" Ryoji shouted in frustration.

"Whether I surrender or not, I’m going to die anyway. So, I might as well fight to the last drop of blood."

"Impressive. I admire your attitude—like that of a great warrior."

"I don’t need praise from someone like you."

"Suit yourself. Whether you accept it or not, you’re still going to die by my hand."

"We’ll see about that."

The two continued their sword fight, even though Ryoji could have simply shot Tetsuya and ended his life instantly. But Ryoji chose not to. He wanted to torture Tetsuya and make him suffer before killing him.

Tetsuya’s breathing was laboured, and cold sweat dripped down his face. Fresh blood continued to flow from the wounds on his body caused by Ryoji’s merciless sword strikes. Meanwhile, Shin could only stand and watch as Ryoji brutally beat Tetsuya, who was now weak and helpless.

"Ugh~" Tetsuya coughed up a thick, dark red blood when Ryoji punched his left chest with full force.

Tetsuya’s weak spot was indeed his left chest, but few knew about this except those closest to him who knew his condition.

His entire body went numb, unable to move at all after Ryoji’s attack. His left chest had been struck several times recently, worsening the pain in his heart and aggravating his illness.

Was the end of his life near?

Unwilling to give up until his last breath, Tetsuya used every ounce of strength to rise to his feet. Though he looked utterly exhausted, he managed to stand, albeit unsteadily. He still held his katana in hand, making it clear to Ryoji that he was not weak and would not be easily defeated.

"Ugh~" Tetsuya vomited blood again.

With all his might, Tetsuya stood tall, even as pain wracked his entire body. He wasn’t sure if he could dodge if Ryoji attacked again.

Ryoji laughed heartily, relishing Tetsuya’s pitifully desperate state despite still trying to act tough. "I’ll end this now," he said, lunging forward, pushing his sword toward Tetsuya’s left chest.

The katana in Tetsuya’s right hand now seemed unbearably heavy, and he found he could no longer keep it raised. His power was entirely infused with energy. He shut his eyes and prepared for Ryoji’s last assault.

Regret filled his heart as he felt useless, unable to do anything. But at least God had granted his final wish—to die in battle, even if he was reluctant to die at the hands of Ryoji, the man he had so desperately wanted to kill.

’Goodbye, everyone,’ Tetsuya thought, a smile on his face.

Ryoji’s sword was knocked away as a bullet struck his hand, fired by Arashi, who had arrived just in time to save Tetsuya from death.

"Who are you...?" Ryoji hissed, clutching at his bleeding hand. Ryuji stood behind Arashi, assisting Tetsuya.

Tetsuya was shocked and disbelieving at the sight of the two young men. How dare they even consider entering such a perilous situation?

"Are you okay?" Tetsuya’s body was covered in cuts and bruises, and Ryuji gulped nervously.

"Why are you two here? Did Issei-kun come too?" Tetsuya asked weakly, inquiring about the blonde-haired young man.

If Issei had come here, it would mean his feelings for Saki were deep and genuine, which made Tetsuya feel even more guilty for what he had done to Saki. Even though his actions were meant to save her life, it still didn’t feel justified.

"No. It’s just the two of us who came to rescue Saki," Ryuji replied.

"Did something happen to him?" Tetsuya asked again, his face filled with concern as he worried that something bad might have happened to Issei.

"Don’t ask about that coward anymore. He chose to sacrifice Saki and handed the problem over to the police," Ryuji said annoyedly.

For a moment, Tetsuya was stunned. He found it hard to believe Issei would do something like that, considering how loving they looked as a romantic couple. Issei was a coward, not man enough even to sacrifice for whom he loved, which is ironic. On the other hand, there was Arashi, whom Saki only recognized as a casual friend, but he still mustered the courage to come here and help. As for Ryuji, his involvement was understandable since he was here for Keiko, his girlfriend.

Arashi stood tall before Tetsuya and Ryuji as if shielding them both.

"I’ll kill you, you son of bitch!" Ryoji shouted.

Shin grabbed Ryoji’s arm, stopping him from pulling out the gun hidden under his clothes. "Calm down. Let me handle this," Shin said, offering to take on Arashi one-on-one.

Shin removed his black coat and rolled his white shirt up his sleeves. "It’s you, young man," Shin challenged Arashi.

There was a smile on Arashi’s face, happy to be challenged. He hadn’t had a good fight to indulge in his hobby for a long time.

"Who’s afraid?" Arashi answered, rising to the challenge.

Whereas Arashi was serene and chill, Tetsuya was the opposite. He knew exactly how strong Shin was. After all, Shin was one of the secret members of Tetsuya’s group, possessing combat skills far above the average person.

Fighting Shin was practically suicidal. In terms of ability, Tetsuya was stronger than Shin. Still, in his current state, Tetsuya was on the verge of death—struggling even to walk, let alone fight. Fujita was the only person who could match Shin, as both had extraordinary physical abilities and stamina. But if it came to defeating or killing Shin, Renji was the only one capable of that.

Unaware of who he was up against, Arashi fought with confidence. As Tetsuya had predicted from the start, Arashi was no match for Shin. Arashi was bruised on his face from the punches delivered by Shin within minutes. But Arashi was not about to surrender, and he fought on even as he was battered to a pulp. In the meantime, Ryuji was fighting Ryoji, who was attempting to murder Tatsuya.

Tetsuya’s anger filled my heart as he turned his eyes to the front of the arena, where both fighters were battling their best.

"Damn, this cursed illness!" Tetsuya cursed inwardly.

After a fierce fight, Arashi finally punched Shin in the face, sending him staggering backwards.

"Tch~" Shin spat out blood mixed with saliva, looking at Arashi with admiration for landing a hit on him.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve had a worthy opponent," Shin said pleasedly.

This time, Shin would fight seriously, no longer holding back as he had before. Arashi looked like a tough opponent to take down. Shin’s wild, hungry look  panicked Tetsuya, who was afraid Arashi would die at Shin’s hands.

One way or another, Tetsuya needed to stop Shin. In the meantime, Ryuji was still having a tough time-fighting Ryoji, who kept swinging his katana towards him.

In a fit of rage, Ryoji would instead attack Tetsuya. Even so, Ryuji was immediately there to protect him, using his back for Tetsuya as a literal shield.

"Argh!" Ryuji screamed in pain.

His body fell in front of Tetsuya, blood gushing from the deep wound in his back. It was a nasty, painful wound that made Ryuji want to cry. He managed to hold back his tears like a child, yet.

Because of Ryuji’s injury, Arashi’s focus wavered slightly, allowing Shin to land a punch that sent Arashi crashing to the floor and rolling into the wall.

"No one can stop me from killing you now, Tetsuya!" Ryoji aimed his gun at Tetsuya.

"Don’t you want to hear my last words?" Tetsuya said, trying to buy time as he glanced at Shin, who was walking behind Ryoji.

"I don’t care," Ryoji replied, and a gunshot echoed.

Thinking Tetsuya had been shot, Ryoji was instead met with shock and pain as Shin used his own body to shield Tetsuya. Ryoji fired multiple shots, and Shin died instantly from the bullets lodged in his body.

Just before dying, Shin faintly whispered an apology into Tetsuya’s ear, feeling he had failed his duty. But he had kept his promise to protect Tetsuya until his last breath, and he proved it with his final act.

"No!!!!!" Ryoji screamed in frustration, seeing the person he loved die by his hand.

He pushed Tetsuya away from Shin’s body. Overcome with grief, Ryoji tightly hugged Shin’s blood-soaked body.

"Shin..." he murmured sadly.

"Wake up. Please wake up... I’ll save you, so please wake up," Ryoji cried, tears rolling down his face.

Shin’s eyes, still closed, did not open even slightly. His soul had departed his body, and all that was left was his corpse.

Not only Ryoji but also Tetsuya were overcome with grief and shock. He hadn’t expected Shin to remain loyal to his promise, especially since Tetsuya had suspected Shin might betray him after falling for Ryoji. He had been completely wrong.

"No!!!!" Ryoji screamed again.

Filled with rage and sorrow, Ryoji began firing his gun wildly in all directions, trying to kill Tetsuya. One of the bullets hit Arashi, severely injuring the orange-haired young man.

With all his strength, Tetsuya took cover while dragging Ryuji, who was nearly unconscious from the deep wound on his back.

"I’ll kill all of you!!!!" Ryoji roared in anger.

Ryoji had lost his mind, driven mad by Shin’s death. Who would have thought that his feelings for Shin were genuine and heartfelt?

Amid the chaos, a woman arrived and shouted.

"Stop this, Ryoji!"

The gunfire stopped. Ryoji turned, through swollen eyes, toward the voice. Worry almost read in his eyes as they widened on the woman he recognized far too well.

"Hanae ..." he whispered as if he was seeing a ghost and not a flesh-and-blood person.

Next to Hanae was a middle-aged man with blonde hair. Earlier, Yuki had met the two of them, handing a piece of paper to Haru, saying, The black crow at the gates of hell. This meant that Tetsuya was referred to as the black crow, while the Ishikawa Mansion was the gate of hell—where many deaths were bound to occur.

Fortunately, Haru managed to guide Hanae through the chaotic battlefield of fighting men without sustaining a single injury.

"You should have died along with that mad professor!" Ryoji shouted in anger.

"Perhaps. But it seems God has given me another chance—to reveal the truth," Hanae replied calmly.

Hanae was the daughter of Tanuki, a former member of the Hiroshi Okada Gang.

Her father had been branded a traitor within Hiroshi’s ranks when he planned to expose the truth about who Hiroshi Okada was. Because of this, Tanuki, his wife, and his daughter were forced into hiding, pursued by Hiroshi’s men, who sought to kill them all.

A year later, Tanuki’s wife died in exile. In her absence, Tanuki trained his daughter, Hanae, to carry out his revenge against those who had destroyed their family. But before he could complete his mission, Tanuki succumbed to illness, leaving Hanae all alone.

Luckily, Tsuchihebi found Hanae and took her to work at his laboratory. Hanae took on the name Hanae Koharu after losing both her parents, hoping to hide her ties to Tanuki Shigaraki — worried that Hiroshi’s gang was still hunting her.

But Hiroshi eventually found her despite her efforts. Hiroshi’s men went to great lengths to remove her by destroying Tsuchihebi’s laboratory because of the scientist’s deadly knowledge of poisons and medicines — both of which are considered dangerous to the organization. But they also wanted to kill Hanae — so all evidence of what they had done would be buried forever.

It was for the same reason that Hanae’s late father had been branded a traitor and hunted down. However, he never wavered in his loyalty to Hiroshi. As it would so happen, Tanuki had exposed the deepest secrets of Hiroshi’s darkest sins and crimes that he committed to maintain power.

"Hiroshi Okada is the mastermind behind all of this!" Hanae screamed, her voice filled with sorrow.

"He visits ruin upon all with his avarice, ready to do everything to fulfil his ambition of world domination. He is a demon!" She described the pain she had suffered and how she had lost her parents, tears streaming down her face.

"Mind your mouth , you bitch!" Ryoji hissed, his shoot-through glare splitting her in half.

"Hiroshi killed Nono-san to keep her from getting in the way of his plans!" Hanae made the deafening truth clear to Ryoji.

"No!" Ryoji bellowed upon hearing such blasphemy that questioned the core of his loyalty.

"Lies! You’re lying!"

"I’m being honest, Ryoji-san," Hanae said.

"No!" Ryoji cried, breaths sputtering with anger.

"I saw it with my own eyes—Kaito drove his sword through my mother’s body!"

...