Durarara!! Saika Arc Chapter 014

This is the 14th chapter of the Durarara!! Saika Arc.

Name: The Ecstasy of Violence

Previous Chapter: Chapter 13

Next Chapter: Chapter 15

Synopsis
Chapter 14 opens with Shizuo reflecting on his own inhuman strength and how it's affected his personal relationships and experiences. During his reflection, Shizuo notes how few people would remain around him aside from his brother, Shinra, and Izaya; who Shizuo acknowledged as only wanting to use him.

Shizuo goes on to say that all he wanted was to be loved by someone, but that he wasn't allowed to be loved due to his strength. He believes that he wields his strength in anger, and that he can't control his emotions from getting the best of him.

The chapter opens back up to Shizuo and Celty, mid-fight with the Saika children as Shizuo lands a reasonable punch on one. Celty watches on in awe, her inner commentary clearly surprised by the inhuman strength she's witnessing before her very own eyes. In her awe, Celty thinks back to something Shinra had said about Shizuo's strength:

"One secret to Shizuo's strength.. is the minimal amount of regeneration. When muscle fibers are damaged, they grow that much thicker.. But his constant rages don't give his cells any rest. So Shizuo's body chose a different route. The bundles of muscle fiber abandoned the process of bulking up, and chose to stay at their current size, just tougher. His joints, his bones, Everything about his body grows differently thanks to what he puts it through. His bones are hard as steel, and his joints are extra tough after endless dislocations. And this all happened within the short life of Shizuo Heiwajima! You might call this, a kind of miracle.."

However, after witnessing the raw strength with her own eyes, Celty dismisses the suggestion of his strength being a miracle, calling the word too 'weak' to describe it. Celty acknoweldges that she has no desire to fight Shizuo when he's like this, but finds him 'cool' instead.

The Saika children suddenly appear distracted, breaking Celty's thoughts as they all turn to look in the same direction. Noticing the strange change, both Shizuo and Celty stop to stare with them, confused and curious about the happening and wondering if it meant something was coming. Shizuo turns to Celty a few moments later, informing her that he can handle the Saika children here if she would go check out whatever they were staring at since she had nothing better to be doing.

Thinking to herself for a moment, the Dullahan materializes two, black gloves, created from the same materials as her smoke. She then informs Shizuo that they'll help protect his hands from the Saika children's blades. Following this, we're shown the inner dialogue of one of the Saika children who is seemingly confused by the lack of an effect their cuts and slashes are having on Shizuo. The girl notes that the fear and pain from a single slash should've been enough to force him to become like them, she then considers the possibility of Shizuo himself not being human before realizing that he must simply lack fear. Seemingly becoming unsettled by the idea that they themselves lacked the confidence to love somebody like Shizuo, the girl then wonders if their 'Mother' is aware of this yet.

Still fighting, Shizuo comments on how it's silly to suggest that people are afraid to love him because it's he who is scared. He claims that his being a 'coward' and destroying them are not mutually dependent, and that he can't afford to lose in-front of those who apparently love him.