The words Star Plasma Cult sent a chill down Suguru's spine. Those scumbags…
"Nanako, Mimiko, wait here. I have something to handle."
He stood and turned to Toji Fushiguro. "Take care of them. I'll be right back."
Toji glanced at the two girls. Suguru's cold expression and the scar on his lip made him appear intimidating, causing Nanako and Mimiko to huddle together.
"Tsumiki, step aside!" Toji quickly interjected. "Dad, you scared them!"
Toji scratched her head in exasperation. "That's just how his face looks! I can't help it!"
Several members of the Star Plasma Cult walked down the street, unaware that Suguru was tailing them.
Soon, the group reached the cult's headquarters. Spotlights illuminated a high platform where Shigeru Sonoda, a high-ranking cult officer, delivered a fervent speech. Below, a sea of cult followers cheered as if intoxicated.
Suguru ignored the spectacle. Memories of the mission flickered in his mind. If Riko really died, these people would probably celebrate around her corpse. The thought turned his stomach.
"Making mistakes out of ignorance is foolish, but knowing the truth and still clinging to ignorance and pedantry—that's irredeemable scum."
Suguru's mind echoed Shion's words. A smirk spread across his face.
His unrestrained laughter suddenly drowned out Sonoda's speech and the cheering crowd. Suguru ascended the platform step by step, seizing the microphone from Sonoda.
"Ahem! I have an announcement: from this moment forward, the Star Plasma Cult is officially disbanded. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"
"I object!" Sonoda bellowed. "Who are you? Who gave you permission to step on stage?"
"This guy is wearing a student uniform! He's just a college student!"
"A college student shouldn't interfere in our affairs!"
"Get out! This is the Star Plasma Cult's business, not yours!"
Angry murmurs and curses surged from the crowd.
Suguru scratched his ear expressionlessly. "Since that's the case… Bodhidharma!"
Bang!
A Daruma doll fell, and Sonoda was crushed instantly. Blood sprayed, shocking the crowd.
"You… you actually killed a non-sorcerer! Aren't you afraid of being hunted by the sorcerer world?"
Suguru nodded calmly. "Fair point. So we won't leave any witnesses."
"Sandworm—Earth Burial Devouring Nothingness!"
Boom!
A colossal sandworm swallowed over a hundred people at once, leaving no time for screams. After that, Suguru finally allowed himself a satisfied smile. That feels good.
Scanning the area, he noticed activity in the headquarters' backyard. Following the trail, he found a cage. Inside, a boy huddled, his face marred by severe burn scars.
"Rikyu!"
Suguru turned to see a pink-haired girl around fifteen or sixteen, her eyes wary.
"A sorcerer? Aren't all the cult members ordinary people?"
The girl, Manami Suda, explained: the boy, Toshihisa Negi, was also a secretly trained sorcerer. The cult hired sorcerers sparingly to save money, training their own henchmen instead.
Manami's ability, Return of Light, was a gentle healing technique similar to the Reversal Technique but less potent. Negi's Exploding Firefly was a dangerous fire-based attack. After a training accident that burned his face and injured cult members, he was imprisoned in the Earth Cage. Manami had cared for him throughout.
Suguru kicked the cage open. "Those scum died too easily!"
Negi flinched, shrinking back.
"Don't be afraid." Suguru placed a hand on the boy's head. The Reversal Technique healed his wounds, though the scars remained.
"The Star Plasma Cult no longer exists. From now on, you'll follow me."
Manami and Negi exchanged glances and silently obeyed.
Suguru then swept through the headquarters. He wasn't greedy, but with four children to care for, he didn't hesitate to take the cult's ill-gotten gains.
Among the valuables, he discovered information on sorcery. A few items caught his attention:
Miguel, a sorcerer from South Africa.
Raru, a European sorcerer.
A special spell tool, the black rope, capable of destroying spells.
While the foreign sorcerers didn't interest him much, the black rope piqued Suguru's curiosity. Mimiko's technique, Rope Bondage Doll, matched its properties perfectly. Perhaps he could prepare one for his "second daughter." Moreover, the black rope's destructive formula might neutralize spells with no limits.