Page 365 of Mercy Written in Blood

"I thought visibility would protect you."

Haruki understood the flaw. Visibility prevented disappearance. It did not prevent panic. If one weapon fired outside, cameras would preserve the deaths from every angle. That did not make anyone safer. It only ensured there would be no hidden version afterwards.

Mori moved closer to Haruki.

"We need to clear the entrance."

"No."

"If the crowd breaches—"

"They won't."

"You cannot know that."

Haruki looked towards Mrs Okada. Towards the people standing quietly beside her.

"They did not come to attack."

"They came because he told them there were monsters inside."

Sota heard.

"I told them the people who held their answers were here."

"That distinction will disappear the first time they see a vampire," Mori said.

Riku's mother pulled him closer. Several human members of the Unveiled looked towards Renji. He stood beside Haruki with blood staining his shirt. No attempt to appear harmless. No attempt to hide what he was. The Casino lights reflected faintly in his eyes.

Sota looked at him too.

"This is what the First Law created," he said.

Renji's voice remained calm.

"No. This is what people created while using the First Law to avoid responsibility."

Sota almost smiled.

"You still defend it."

"No."

The answer changed his face. Renji continued.

"It is unjust."

Mori looked towards him. Several Accord officers did the same. Renji did not turn.

"It cannot survive unchanged," he said. "But ending it is not the same as preparing for what follows."

Sota's eyes narrowed.

"What preparation would ever satisfy them?" He indicated the Accord.

"None," Haruki said.

Sota looked towards him. Haruki shifted his weight. Pain moved beneath his ribs. Ken tightened his grip without comment.