A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest can stir up a storm in North America. That's the famous butterfly effect—a small event triggering a chain reaction of drastic consequences.
It all started when Kaitou Kid impulsively saved Ophelia. Rafaela saw that and thought she could use the same method to save her sister. After recovering, Luciela used that strange phenomenon to blackmail Rubel.
Then Rubel sent word back to his country. Just like that, the Test Continent slipped into the fog of war. Even with spies meddling in things, a perfect weapon had still emerged. That couldn't be ignored. Blackmail? What a joke. How could a great nation let itself be extorted by a weapon? After receiving Rubel's urgent message, his homeland made a decision—to wipe out the Test Island to remove all future threats.
In the past, Claymores had too many flaws. Rubel's earlier reports were all dismissed. But this time, they weren't taking any chances. The only option was to destroy it.
And so, a warship set sail from the Continent of War, slicing through the waves toward the Test Continent. Onboard were creatures known as the Descendants of the Dragon.
No one realized how big a storm Kaitou Kid's tiny action would stir up.
Kid had no idea either. But he was determined to help the Claymore girls. He didn't plan to get involved in local conflicts, but lending a hand to the Claymores counted as humanitarian aid, didn't it?
With Ophelia protecting the base, everything was pretty safe. So by the time everyone realized, Kid had already vanished. He was out roaming the continent. But not randomly—he was specifically heading to where Claymores were active.
And sure enough, today he spotted four Claymores dashing through the forest. He instantly knew this was a hunting party, and their target had to be an Awakened Being. Kid's eyes lit up. He made a decision on the spot and quietly followed them.
Each of the four had their own unique charm—one with long hair and elegance, another short-haired and efficient, and one with a sharp, slicked-back style full of presence.
Hmm, that last one jogged Kid's memory. Before he got isekai'd, he'd read the manga. That slicked-back style left quite the impression. That must be Jean—Spiral Sword Jean, ranked No. 9. She created her own Spiral Sword technique, said to be the most damaging move among all Claymore skills. Of course, the downside was the prep time. Without backup, using it was basically suicide.
From the look of things, they were probably off to hunt the Awakened Being in the West. In the manga plot, this hunt was actually a trap set by Riful of the West. During the fight, her lover Dauf would barge in. Then the hunting party would get captured and forced to awaken. Of course, if you weren't strong after awakening, you'd get killed immediately.
Just like in the South, there was a town near the border in the West where a lot of humans lived. The sudden arrival of four Claymores in town spooked the residents. People quickly stepped aside, clearing the road for them to pass.
"They don't seem to be here for me?" Clare, staying at an inn, peeked out the window and let out a sigh of relief. She grabbed her Claymore, which she'd stuck in the floor as a backrest, and got ready to head out and keep asking around about Naki.
Luckily, she still had some of the special medicine the Organization had given her. Otherwise, she would've already been exposed. The secret drug suppressed a Claymore's yoki, letting them temporarily regain natural hair and eye color. It was meant for undercover missions.
"Huh?" After the four Claymores passed through, Kid also strolled through town not long after. Clare blinked in surprise. She didn't know who he really was, but she did know he was powerful. Why would he be here? Something was up. She had to follow him—something might go down.
A Claymore girl forced into awakening stood no chance under the assault of four Claymores. She hadn't even adjusted to her new powers before she was hacked to death by the hunting squad.
"Huh? They said she was an Awakened Being, but she wasn't that tough." Clearly, it was this Claymore's first time fighting an Awakened.
Jean, ranked No. 9, frowned. Real Awakened Beings wouldn't show up this recklessly. She hadn't even gained full control of her power and still let herself get spotted by the Organization? This mission was going way too smoothly. As Jean pondered, a sharp sound suddenly tore through the air from afar.
"Ah!"
The long-haired Claymore girl stared blankly at her stomach. A thick rod had pierced straight through her abdomen, and blood was dripping steadily down the shaft.
"Ambush!" Jean shouted, turning back-to-back with the others and scanning the surroundings.
There he was. A huge man with a stone-like muscular body, short hair, and only a pair of pants. His face looked dumb and vacant—that was Dauf. He wasn't smart, but he obeyed Riful of the West without question.
Dauf had been tasked with intercepting the hunting squad. He'd done it many times before. Even with low intelligence, he'd learned how to carry it out.
The long-haired girl clutched at the rod in her belly, trying to pull it out. Blood and bits of her insides oozed out along with it. To suppress the pain and heal the wound, she released 30% of her yoki in an instant. Her face twisted. Her teeth grew into sharp beast-like fangs.
But Dauf wouldn't give her the chance to recover. His muscles bulged, and more rods, just like the one used for the sneak attack, extended from his back.
These rods were insanely tough—even Claymore blades couldn't cut through them. And when Dauf fired them, they moved so fast it was almost impossible to dodge.
Whish, whish~~
Eight rods blasted out from Dauf's back, mercilessly impaling the Claymores. They didn't even have time to react.
Getting skewered didn't kill them outright, but the pain was unbearable.
Even Jean, ranked No. 9, only managed to block one. It pierced her chest and pinned her together with the Claymore behind her on the same rod.
But the worst hit was the long-haired girl. Her earlier wounds hadn't healed yet, so she couldn't dodge at all. In the blink of an eye, her body was riddled with holes—stomach, shoulder, even half her scalp was peeled back. It was gruesome.
By the time Kid arrived, Dauf had already wrecked the entire squad. The blood loss and pain had knocked all of them out cold.
It was brutal. To avoid killing them, Dauf had deliberately let them bleed just enough to lose consciousness. But when he looked at the badly wounded long-haired girl, he knew she'd die for sure unless she awakened.
Faced with awakening or death, she chose death.
Dauf didn't care. He still had three bodies this time—better than last time. If he killed them all, Riful would definitely scold him.
But three? Riful might actually praise him. Dauf was feeling pretty pleased, though his expression remained blank as ever. He wasn't stupid—just slow.
The three Claymores were slung over his shoulder like sacks of rice. They felt weightless to him. He was ready to head back. Maybe Riful would reward him. That thought made a silly grin creep onto his face.
"Hey, big guy. Put those girls down."
??
Dauf wasn't expecting anyone. He turned around with confusion and saw a man in white. The outfit was too flashy—so flashy it was weird, so weird it was hard to even comment on. Well, not that Dauf knew how to complain.
"You've already got a girl at home. If you bring more back, Riful's gonna be mad." Kid smirked.