Chapter 7 of Lost Judgment starts and ends at Sawa's apartment, though the events that connect those two points are anything but straightforward. Players will have to overcome some of the toughest fights in the game so far, with Tak needing to defeat the brute-force behemoth that is Akutsu no fewer than three times throughout the chapter.
Unlike the game's other chapters, players are unable to complete any side cases or School Stories during Chapter 7, making it both the shortest and the most linear chapter in Lost Judgment. Most would probably agree that it's also one of the most exciting though, and a big part of that is down to how fast-paced the chapter ends up being.
How to Defeat Akutsu (1)
Before players can learn about the connection between Kuwana and Sawa or why RK is after the handyman in the first place, they'll first need to take care of Akutsu and some of his RK goons. It's best to use Crane Style here to take care of the weaker enemies, before switching to Tiger Style once Akutsu is the last man standing.
As with most of the other fights in Lost Judgment, players should be utilizing the dodge button as often as possible, hitting circle/B whenever prompted to deliver a deadly counter. Once Akutsu goes down, Kuwana will flee, leaving players to deal with the last few RK thugs on their own. These ones are nowhere near as challenging as the others, though players should still exercise caution due to the narrow fighting area.
Eventually, Tak will decide to go after Kuwana, but will need to take care of some armed backup before leaving Sawa's floor. Players should focus on the guy with the sledgehammer first, as he has the potential to dish out some serious damage if left unchecked. There'll be a few more smaller groups of RK members to deal with as players make their way down to the ground floor, where they'll eventually run into Akutsu once again.
How to Defeat Akutsu (2)
This fight is a little tougher than the last one, largely due to Kawana abandoning Tak almost immediately after it kicks off. That said, the strategy remains the same, with players advised to deal with the weaker enemies first to allow themselves to focus all of their efforts on Akutsu a little later on. After defeating him again, Tak will get distracted and ends up losing consciousness after taking a baseball bat to the side of the head.
When Tak comes around, he'll be tied to a chair in a room full of RK members. Soma and Akutsu will quiz him about Kuwana for a while, after which, Soma leaves and Akutsu prepares to dismember the detective using a chainsaw. Thankfully, Kaito and Sugiura show up before he can do so and another epic battle ensues.
How to Defeat Akutsu (3)
Given that he is armed with a chainsaw, it's best to steer clear of Akutsu until some of the other enemies have been taken care of. Weapons can also help players to damage him without getting in range of the chainsaw. Thankfully, the game is pretty generous with healing items in this fight, so, if they need to, players can pick up the green health items to avoid a game over.
Once Akutsu's health is low enough, he'll attack Tak with the chainsaw which leads to a QTE sequence. Players will simply need to press the triangle (PlayStation) or Y (Xbox) button five times in order to disarm him, after which, finishing him off should be fairly straightforward. Unfortunately, however, he'll escape before providing any useful information.
The heroic trio will then head outside and take a taxi over to Sawa's apartment, with Tak stopping to thank Saori for sending back up before heading inside. There, he finds that the door is unlocked and the apartment has been completely trashed. In the bedroom, he discovers the lifeless body of Sawa and the chapter ends with him crying out in anguish.