Gulp—
The moment Alise saw Silence again—exactly as she'd appeared three years ago—a familiar weight pressed down on her chest.
And it wasn't just her. Every girl from the Astraea Familia who had once stood against Silence felt that same suffocating pressure all over again.
"Oh~ the likeness is uncanny. Looks exactly like she did three years ago."
Loki leaned closer to the Puppet, circling it with fascination before letting out an appreciative whistle.
"Indeed," Astraea nodded, her expression calm but thoughtful. "This version of Silence is almost identical to how she appeared back then. The only difference is that the real one was constantly suffering from illness. Her complexion was paler—more frail."
As someone who had met the real Silence, Astraea's words carried weight.
The resemblance of Tsuna's Puppet was nearly perfect. The only thing it lacked… was life.
"And the rest is just as you said," Astraea went on. "You don't have a precise grasp of her actual strength. You can describe fragments, yes—but three years ago, when Silence confronted Alise, she was holding back. Even their entire team's experience wasn't enough to truly comprehend how overwhelming she was."
The implication was clear.
Recreating Silence's full power was practically impossible—
Unless Silence herself was resurrected and fought before Tsuna's eyes.
But that was a fantasy.
"As for her abilities," Astraea continued, "even within the entire Labyrinth City, the knowledge we have is incomplete. To understand Silence's full data, you'd need to meet Hera directly. Appearances alone won't cut it."
Tsuna nodded in full agreement.
"Yeah… just like Lady Astraea said, without knowing her exact skills, what I can make is mostly just a shell."
He raised his hand, thoughtful. "But if I know the three types of magic she used and her Status parameters, I can reconstruct a simplified version—by combining Finn and Riveria's data to model a Level 6 benchmark."
With a snap of his fingers, the hollow Silence vanished. In her place, energy threads intertwined—an amalgamation of Finn's agility and Riveria's magical framework taking form.
Then Silence appeared once more.
Her eyes, previously closed, lifted slightly—releasing a presence that struck the air like thunder.
"—!"
The crushing weight hit instantly. Finn, Gareth, and Riveria all froze, their faces paling.
It was the same suffocating aura they had felt long ago—back during the Great Feud.
And this wasn't even Silence's true Level 7 power. This was merely her reconstructed Level 6 version.
"Short-text chant magic, short-text enchantment magic, and long-text ultimate offensive magic…" Tsuna listed calmly. "A single blow capable of killing one of the Three Great Quests—the Leviathan. Its destructive potential… could wipe out half the Labyrinth City."
He paused. "If we add that kind of imagination—"
Before he could finish, cracks began spiderwebbing across the Puppet's body. The Silence construct destabilized and broke apart within seconds.
Tsuna sighed.
"Still too much deviation. Either the imagined framework collapsed, or the compatibility between their skill sets didn't hold up."
He brushed his hair back and smiled wryly. "If I remove her ultimate-level magic, though, the structure holds just fine."
Silence reformed again—this time stable, her aura even heavier, more focused.
Yet Tsuna shook his head slightly as he looked at her.
"In the end, she's still just a Puppet with similar abilities—rebuilt through my power. Her real strength came from her combat experience. I don't have that kind of experience, so I can't imagine her instincts, her reactions, the way she fights."
He crossed his arms. "She's strong, sure—but too conspicuous. Not something I'd casually put on display."
"Still," Tsuna continued, turning toward the Astraea girls, "this Puppet's strength is something you could challenge… but I don't recommend it."
His tone dropped, calm but firm. "Because unlike the real Silence, this one doesn't know how to hold back."
"...!"
Alise's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes darted to Silence's hand—
the same hand that had nearly ended her three years ago.
Her voice trembled. "Th-that's… that's how strong Silence really was?"
The Puppet silently stepped back, returning to Tsuna's side, her expression serene and unthreatening once more.
"I'd love to say 'yes' to spare your pride," Tsuna said with a rueful smile, "but no. This version was built after I deliberately removed her strongest killing move. What you just saw? That was only her normal state—her Level 6 baseline."
He exhaled. "It's not even her full strength."
As much as he wanted to soften the blow, the point of reconstructing Silence was to show them the gap in power. Otherwise, there'd be no meaning to it.
"To be blunt," Tsuna said, voice quiet but unflinching, "if the Silence from three years ago had really wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have even lasted long enough to call it a battle. It would've been over in an instant—just like my Puppet showed you now."
Alise took a deep breath, her face tightening despite all her efforts to stay composed.
Three years ago, what they'd thought was resistance… had only been play.
Back then, Silence hadn't just been holding back a little—
She'd been playing around with them.
Otherwise, as Tsuna said, the fight would have ended before they even realized it had begun.
Their so-called resistance had been nothing but a joke.
In truth, they'd never even had a chance to fight back.
Still—Alise straightened her posture, her voice firm despite the weight in her chest.
"Tsuna, we'll still challenge her."
He raised a brow. "Oh?"
"No matter what happened three years ago, we still have an unfinished fight with her," Alise said, forcing a grin. "But… maybe tone her power down a little. At that level, we wouldn't stand a chance."
A few awkward laughs followed.
Even the weakened version of Silence was already too much for them to handle.
The challenge would stay the same—but they'd need her strength lowered a notch.
Level 6… was just too high.
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You can read up to chapter 155 on patreon.com/NiaXD.