Chapter 29: Unraveling the Truth
The silence after Shin's death followed Ryo like a ghost.
Even back in his cell, away from the blood-soaked sands of the arena, the sounds of the beast's final gasp echoed in his mind. He had ended a life not out of bloodlust, but out of mercy—and that mercy haunted him more than any kill before.
He knew now what the serum did. What it turned people into.And more terrifyingly…
…what it could turn him into.
The next morning, Kael was waiting.
He wasn't supposed to be there. No one was. But the guards were gone. The corridor leading from Ryo's cell was mysteriously unguarded.
Kael stepped from the shadows with urgency in his eyes.
"You're ready to know the truth," he said.
Ryo didn't answer. He just nodded and followed.
They moved fast through the underbelly of the Maw—far below the blood pits and screaming fans. Here, in the deepest corridors, the walls weren't polished. They were rusted, industrial. This wasn't built for show.
This was where the real work was done.
Finally, Kael stopped before a sealed steel door. He pressed a device to the panel. It hissed open.
The room beyond was like a morgue—cold, sterile, lined with glass tanks filled with murky fluid. Floating inside were failures—bodies bloated and twisted by the serum. Some half-human, others barely recognizable as living things.
"This…" Kael said, his voice heavy, "is where the serum was perfected."
Ryo stepped closer to one of the tanks. A young woman, her skin fused with bone, her jaw melted into her neck. Her eyes were still open.
"They experimented on people," Ryo said softly. "Like animals."
Kael nodded. "Prisoners. Orphans. Even former champions. Anyone who wouldn't be missed."
Ryo's fists tightened.
And then Kael handed him a data chip.
"This will show you what they're hiding."
Ryo slid the chip into the port on a nearby console. A series of files appeared—medical logs, experimental trials, names.
And among them…
Ren Takeda.
Ryo's heart stopped.
He opened the file.
SUBJECT 07-A – Takeda, RenStatus: High Compatibility. Injection successful. Mutation: Controlled.Notes: Exceptional aggression response. Psychological conditioning accelerated. Potential candidate for Apex Protocol.Current role: Operative – Enforcement Unit.
Ryo's knees buckled.
"They used him…" he whispered. "They turned him into a weapon."
Kael looked away. "He was one of the first. His body adapted instantly. No side effects. But his mind… they broke it."
"They made him enforce this system?" Ryo asked, eyes burning.
Kael nodded. "He leads the recruitment program now. Finds new fighters. Tests them. If they survive… they fight. If not…"
Ryo didn't need to hear the rest.
The image of Ren's face—his brother, his protector, his family—twisted into a monster of the Maw's design… it tore something in Ryo's chest.
But more than pain, more than rage…
It gave him focus.
"They think I'll become like him," Ryo said, voice low. "They think I'll break too."
Kael studied him. "Will you?"
Ryo met his eyes. "Not a chance."
Back in his chamber, Ryo stared at the data chip.
He had always believed Ren was out there—somewhere, watching over him. But now he knew the truth: Ren hadn't just survived.
He had been taken.
Twisted.
Used.
And still, Ryo felt no hatred for him. Only the burning desire to bring him back. To tear through whatever hell the Maw had built and find the brother he once knew.
But first, he needed allies.
That night, Taro visited.
"You missed the meal," the old fighter muttered. "Unusual for you."
"I found something," Ryo said, sliding the chip across the table. "You need to see this."
Taro inserted it. His eyes scanned the files—name after name of forgotten fighters, failed experiments, and finally… Ren.
When he looked up, the cold fury in his eyes said everything.
"So it's true," he said. "The serum didn't just create monsters… it created enforcers."
"Which means they're watching us," Ryo said. "Studying us. Choosing who to turn next."
Taro rubbed his scarred jaw. "Then we strike first."
They spent the night building a plan—quietly, secretly, speaking in whispers. They knew the walls had ears. Knew cameras followed their every move.
But paranoia was no match for desperation.
And in the heart of the Maw, desperation was more dangerous than any weapon.
As dawn approached, Ryo sat by himself, holding a single photograph.
It was faded now. Creased and smudged from all the fights, all the nights spent clutching it.
It was of him and Ren. Taken years ago.
Ren with his arm draped around Ryo's shoulders, both of them smiling with ramen-stuffed cheeks. The kind of laugh that left your ribs sore.
The kind of laugh that felt like home.
Ryo ran a thumb over Ren's face.
"I'm coming for you," he whispered. "No matter what they've done to you. No matter what you've become."