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Chapter 23 - Imperial Artifact Number 30

"Who are you, kid? I've never seen you around here before," said the girl.

"You better tell me who you are," said Mogi.

"I've never seen you around here before either. Tell me, are you human?" said Mogi.

"How rude! Didn't your mother ever teach you how to speak to a lady?" said the girl.

"Hey, you look like you're 22. I don't think you're old enough to call yourself a lady," said Mogi.

"Well, you're right, but you have to be more polite when talking to your elders," said the girl.

"I'm 18," said Mogi.

"Well, this is awkward, but are you going to tell me what you're doing here?" said the girl.

"That's what I'm asking you. You don't seem normal. Anyone could consider you a normal blonde girl with long hair," said Mogi.

"But no one can ignore your animal ears and tail. The way you look, it doesn't even seem like a percentage," said Mogi.

"That belt you're wearing in the middle has a gold gem-shaped brooch, so that must be the Kōki," said Mogi.

"So you know about it," said the girl.

"Yes, I know about it. It's the 30th imperial artifact, Lionel, the king of the wild lions," said Mogi.

"Wow, so you know them," said the girl.

"Four years ago, it was revealed that the bandit group that had robbed a barracks had stolen the imperial artifact," said Mogi.

"They had been attacked by another group who killed them and stole the imperial artifact," said Mogi.

"The strange thing was why that group attacked them, because if I remember correctly, that group only goes after the capital of any kingdom," said Mogi.

"But it all makes sense when you consider that the bandit group was led by a corrupt soldier," said Mogi.

"He wanted to keep the imperial artifact for himself to dominate the capital, but that group killed everyone, including him," said Mogi.

"And they kept the imperial artifact, since they are against a kingdom," said Mogi.

"That group was called Night Walkers. No one knows their names, but it was said that they harmed the kingdom where they were," said Mogi.

"And you are one of them, right? That brooch can't be a coincidence," said Mogi.

"Well, you hit the nail on the head, friend. I am part of the group," said the girl.

"My name is Hana Fujimoto," said the girl.

"I am the member with the most brute strength in the group," said Hana.

"You don't know how much I wanted to hear that, to face one of the Night Walkers," said Mogi.

"Besides, you're the strongest, so prove it!" shouted Mogi, launching himself into the attack.

"Thirty percent power," whispered Hana.

Hana dodged Mogi's attack and hit him hard, knocking him to the ground, causing cracks to appear, and Mogi's body lay on the ground.

"That's enough, I have to go," said Hana.

"Akutagawa, no!" thought Rebecca.

"Wait, this isn't over yet," said Mogi, getting up.

"Do you think you can just leave like that? First you have to finish me off," said Mogi, coughing up blood.

"You don't even have the strength anymore, and you already had another wound that prevents you from fighting properly," said Hana.

"What does that matter to you? If I'm not dead yet, it means this isn't over," said Mogi.

"Seriously, you have no common sense. You won't beat me," said Hana.

"Geniuses think they're so great because they have talent, but those who love to fight always want to surpass themselves," said Mogi.

"By facing someone impossible to defeat!" shouted Mogi.

"Well then, get ready, idiot," said Hana.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I swear I'll destroy anyone to achieve my goal," thought Mogi.

Mogi uses the last of his electricity and dips his katana in blood to make it electric, then launches himself into the attack, swinging his katana hard and slashing at his opponent.

Hana dodges and quickly gets under him and punches him in the abdomen, causing Mogi to spit blood and fly through three walls behind him.

Mogi falls unconscious on top of the rubble, while Rebecca saw everything that happened.

"Akutagawa, damn it," thought Rebecca.

"I told you, kid, you wouldn't beat me even if it was the last thing you did," said Hana.

"I hope you've learned something from this, and even though you tried to hide it, I detected the truth," said Hana.

"What do you know about me?" said Rebecca.

"Yes, I know about you. Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. It seems you don't know how to fight," said Hana.

"You're not going to attack me," said Rebecca, coming out of her hiding place.

"Don't worry, I won't. Wow, you look beautiful. That letter is very sweet," said Hana.

"But don't worry, I just came for something. Go to your partner. He's still alive. Obviously, that blow won't kill him so easily," said Hana.

"Well, goodbye," said Hana, leaving the place.

Rebecca walks ahead through the holes and approaches Mogi's body, noticing that he is still breathing. Rebecca feels relieved for a moment.

"I told you your attitude would get you into trouble," Rebecca says to Mogi, who is still unconscious.

"Well, I'd better get you out of here as soon as possible," says Rebecca, carrying Mogi on her back.

At the same time, at the main entrance, Julius is wearing his mask while sitting on the ground with one knee bent and the other leg stretched out. He is injured and tired.

He gets up and stands guard, ready to attack. He has some mini knives in his hands. Julius takes a deep breath and exhales calmly.

"I won't let you pass, I told you," Julius said to a person in front of him.

"Yes, I know that, but you're the one who's tired," said the girl.

"Damn, I don't know who it is, but they're very strong. It must be the captain or something. I don't know, but those details don't matter to me right now," thought Julius.

"Wow, you're still blocking the entrance. You're reckless," said the girl.

Narrator: That girl's name is Aiko Nishimura. She is a 28-year-old woman and a high-ranking member of the Port Mafia, supervising Draken, Mogi, and Rebecca and reporting on their progress, said the narrator.

"She is here because of what is happening, but she is not in a good mood since they called her on her day off, and she is taking out her frustration on Julius in the fight, battling him when she found him at the entrance," said the narrator, finishing his explanation.

"Well, stop getting in the way. I don't have much time, you know. Everyone has their own life. Why don't you get on with yours instead of standing there?" said Aiko.

"Seriously, do you think I'll let you pass? You idiot, I won't do that," said Julius.

He lunges at her, trying to stab Aiko, but she just moves her head, dodging the attack, grabs Julius's arm, pulls him toward her, and throws him to the ground.

Julius gets back up and this time tries to feint, but once again his attack is blocked and he receives a blow to the stomach. He tries to attack again and ends up getting punched in the face.

"I already told you, you're not going to beat me so easily. I'm someone who has trained her whole life not to have stupid weaknesses," said Aiko.

"And to compensate for my physical weakness and support skills, I've become someone who attacks without being primarily an attacker," said Aiko.

"This is how it will stay. You can't beat me. Let's just postpone this fight until later, understood?" said Aiko, going inside.

"Damn, I couldn't beat her. She's on a different level than me. Maybe she's on par with Mr. Seven," thought Julius.

"No, what am I saying? That woman can't compare to him. He's even more skilled in hand-to-hand combat," thought Julius.

"It's better to leave this in your hands. Anyway, I just had to keep watch outside," thought Julius, sitting down.

Inside the place, Aiko walked around, looking around to see where the others were, searching the whole place until she passed one and stopped.

"Come out of there, Draken. It's me. You don't have to hide," said Aiko.

"I see you spotted me without even looking, Miss Aiko," said Draken, coming out from where they were hiding.

"Well, where are the others?" said Aiko.

"They're on the fourth floor," said Draken.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's hurry up. I have an appointment at a spa to relax," said Aiko, running down the hallways.

"You're always like this, Miss Aiko," said Draken, chasing after her.

Draken and Aiko ran up the stairs to the room and walked down the hallways.

But they ran into Rebecca, who was carrying Mogi on her back. She saw them and let go of Mogi, putting him on the floor.

"What happened? The wound is deep, but it looks like a mammoth ran over him," said Aiko, seeing Mogi's condition.

"We were attacked by someone, and Akutagawa was left in that state after two blows," said Rebecca.

"I see, and you always face an enemy before thinking," said Aiko.

"Well, leave it to me," said Aiko, snapping her fingers.

Aiko activated her ability by drawing blood from a bite on her thumb. With her blood, she began to heal Mogi, and then she began to glow.

"As always, it's great to see her, since she's the only healer in the group and the best fighter," said Draken.

Suddenly, Mogi's sheridas healed little by little until everything was healed. He woke up and sat up a little, still dazed.

"So you came after all," said Mogi.

"Yes, exactly as you expected," said Aiko.

"That means I have another chance to face her," said Mogi excitedly.

"Hey, I already healed you. I don't think it's a good idea for you to get hurt again," said Aiko.

"Here I come, you bastards! Bring on the second round!" shouted Mogi, standing up and leaving quickly.

"We'd better follow this idiot so he doesn't get himself into trouble again," said Aiko, watching as she took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Yes, that would be best," said Draken and Rebecca at the same time.

They followed Akutagawa everywhere until they reached the auction room, which was empty, but on the stage they saw the secret door open.

"So that's where it is. I'm going in. Don't wait for me. I won't be long," said Mogi.

"This idiot doesn't think," said Aiko, slapping her face with her open hand.

They all went down the secret passageway, descending the steps one by one until they reached the corridors, where they saw the cells but also some bodies there.

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