Detective Conan: Death Note

"Asshole!"

Saijo Taiga, who had been toying with Hattori Heiji in a brutal one-on-one, was now livid. The chaos across the battlefield ignited a fury in him. His carefully trained disciples—beaten down by girls using karate and aikido, or outmaneuvered by an elementary school student half their size?

And then there was him.

The blood, the mangled bodies littering the temple grounds, and his cowering students... all thanks to Hayashi Yoshiki.

With a roar, Saijo Taiga lashed out, kicking away Heiji, who had still been barely standing. His furious voice echoed:

"You bunch of garbage!"

"Teacher, no!" one student shouted, panic in his eyes. "The police are coming soon!"

"...What did you say?"

"They already called the police—and gave them the location of the statue! The Yoshitsune school... we're finished!"

At that moment, a chill swept up from Saijo Taiga's spine.

The police…?

My school… finished?

The flickering light from the bonfires cast harsh shadows across his face, twisted in disbelief. It felt as if his face had turned to stone.

And then it cracked.

His lips quivered. His eyes twitched. The expression on his face contorted into something monstrous.

"Are you fucking kidding me!!!?"

He charged straight at Hayashi Yoshiki, swinging his sword with the fury of a madman. Hayashi didn't meet the blow directly—he twisted back just enough to evade. But Taiga had anticipated it. As the blade missed, he instantly redirected it in a tight arc, slashing again with frightening speed.

Hayashi leaned back, narrowly avoiding the edge that flashed through the cold temple air. At that moment, their eyes met—Taiga's bloodshot and raging, Yoshiki's calm and amused.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"I'd advise you not to make promises you can't keep."

CLANG!

The two swords met in a dazzling shower of sparks. Taiga slashed again, a relentless barrage of strikes. Hayashi met him head-on.

The swordplay between them exploded into a storm of clashing metal, cold light, and flaring sparks.

"Hattori, are you okay!?"

Conan dashed to Heiji's side. The detective was down on one knee, clutching his shoulder, face pale.

"I'm... fine," Heiji muttered. "But that guy... that little brother... damn."

Conan nodded grimly.

"Yeah... he beat every delinquent in his school back in high school. But this is the first time I've seen it."

Hayashi Yoshiki's fighting style—cold, calculated, cunning. He taunted. He baited. He struck when least expected. There was no hesitation.

And the ground around him was proof of it—blood, limbs, defeat.

It was terrifying.

Back in the duel, Hayashi Yoshiki parried another vicious blow and laughed:

"So this is the Yoshitsune school? Years of training, and you still can't beat a layman like me? You're proud of this?"

"No wonder you need to play samurai dress-up in some back-alley dojo."

"SHUT UP!!!"

Saijo Taiga was livid.

And truthfully, his kendo was good—clean, sharp, practiced. But Hayashi Yoshiki was faster. Too fast. Too sharp.

Saijo Taiga was just... ordinary.

Yoshiki had considered, in the past, whether this man was worth keeping alive—perhaps useful as a pawn, a villain. But compared to monsters like Curaçao or Kyogoku Makoto, Taiga was... small fry.

"In that case—how about this?!"

Taiga suddenly shoved Yoshiki back and reached for something at his waist.

He drew a dagger.

"This isn't ordinary. The blade's coated with a deadly poison. One scratch—and I'll make you a Buddha!"

Yoshiki's eyes narrowed slightly.

He almost wished this were the Death Note so that he could've written: After saying that line, he licked the blade and dropped dead.

But Taiga just grinned wickedly, waving the blade with pride.

"What a despicable man!" Ran hissed from the side.

Unashamed, Taiga flourished the dagger, testing its weight like a man showing off a new toy.

Yoshiki calmly dropped the battered sword from his left hand.

"What...?"

"You still don't get it, do you?"

He took a step forward, his tone cool, cruel, and pitiful.

"You studied kendo for years. I'm an outsider. And yet, the gap between us is vast."

"I have no interest. And you—have no talent."

Taiga's blood boiled.

"BASTARD!!!"

He roared, charging again.

"Be careful, Brother Yoshiki!!" Ran shouted anxiously.

The long sword came crashing down—Yoshiki blocked with his own, only to see the poisoned dagger swing from the side!

He twisted his body just in time, narrowly evading.

But Taiga anticipated even that—he thrust forward. The tip of the sword scraped past Yoshiki's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

"If this were the dagger, you'd be dead now," Taiga sneered.

Yoshiki said nothing.

He kept watching.

Taiga slashed again. Yoshiki was forced onto the defensive, the poisoned dagger always keeping him at bay. But his eyes... were calculating.

Observing. Measuring.

And then—

"STAY AWAY FROM YOSHIKI BROTHER!!"

A sharp sound whistled through the air.

CRACK!

A stone, hurled with incredible force, struck Saijo Taiga's temple. He staggered.

Yoshiki moved instantly.

He brought his sword down like a guillotine.

CLANG!

Taiga managed to raise his right hand, barely blocking the blow—but the impact numbed his hand, and his long sword flew from his grip.

CLATTER.

His eyes darted to the side—there stood Ran, arm still raised, eyes burning.

"You little—!"

Yoshiki was already closing in.

Now armed only with the short, poisoned dagger, Taiga slashed desperately. Sparks flew as the blades collided again and again.

Then—

THUD!

A brutal kick to the stomach sent Taiga flying back several steps.

Before he could recover, Yoshiki surged forward and swung—

WHOOSH!

The sword came slicing through the air.

Panicked, Taiga brought up his dagger to block.

CLANG.

The sword flew from Yoshiki's hand and landed with a metallic groan.

"…"

Taiga blinked.

Unarmed?

His lips curled into a grin.

He tightened his grip on the dagger and charged.

"Go to hell!"

The blade came down like lightning.

Yoshiki had no choice—he raised his left arm to block.

A split second before the poisoned dagger landed, Taiga's mind played out the satisfying aftermath—the arm severed, the poison taking hold, victory.

DING~

The sound that rang out... was metallic.

Taiga froze.

He stared in disbelief at Yoshiki's arm.

Beneath the torn sleeve—was steel.

"Checkmate."

Hayashi Yoshiki grabbed his wrist, yanked him forward—and buried the dagger into Taiga's abdomen.