The Simon Family?
The term awakened a dusty memory in Tsunayoshi's mind. It was a family that appeared later in the Katekyo Hitman Reborn! manga, but in his memories, there was no image of this red-haired man in a beret.
While Tsunayoshi was still puzzled, the group that had come looking for trouble raised their guns at the Simon Family without another word.
These people were not here to smash up the place at all. They had come specifically for Simon—or rather, to slaughter the Simon side!
Looking at the Simon group again, they did not have any firearms at all. They only carried things like spears and clubs. How were they supposed to fight people armed like this? Had their leader gone mad?
Although he still had not figured out what was going on, Tsunayoshi was already prepared to step in and save them. This Simon leader was definitely closely connected to his current situation.
However, just as Tsunayoshi lifted his foot, he realized he could not sense his usual Reiatsu. His Shinigami powers showed no response, and his Hollow powers were even further out of reach. In that brief delay, the intruders had already opened fire on the Simon group.
Wait—why aren't they dodging?
Tsunayoshi watched as the Simon members simply stood there, waiting for the enemy to fire, with no intention of evading at all.
The next moment, a scene that astonished Tsunayoshi appeared. Just as the bullets were about to strike Simon and the others, an invisible wall blocked their path.
As the enemy fired more and more shots, a wall of bullets instead formed in front of the Simon leader.
Tsunayoshi narrowed his eyes. He noticed a faint red glow radiating from the back of the Simon leader's hand. On closer inspection, the source of the red light was the ring on his hand.
The Simon Ring?
A thought flashed through Tsunayoshi's mind. The Simon Rings were said to rival the Vongola Rings. Unlike the Vongola Rings, which contained the seven Flames of the Sky, the Simon Rings housed the seven Flames of the Earth.
The Simon leader waved his hand, and all the bullets were forced down to the ground. He said coldly, "That's enough. You have no chance of winning. This is Simon territory. Go back where you came from!"
Seeing this, Tsunayoshi could confirm that the leader was using the Earth Flame power of the Simon Ring.
Then, connecting this to the reason he had appeared here in the first place, did that mean his Quincy powers were related to the power of the Simon Rings?
In any case, Tsunayoshi decided to speak with the Simon leader first. Perhaps he could obtain clues about his Schrift from him.
Just as Tsunayoshi was about to step out of the alley, the scenery before his eyes suddenly changed. The bustling town map switched without warning, and Tsunayoshi found himself in a small village out in the wilderness.
He had no time to think about what had happened. Massive explosions kept ringing in his ears. He had actually been placed in the middle of a battlefield, and this small village was the very core of it.
Rat-tat-tat—boom!
A burst of gunfire came at him. Tsunayoshi immediately rolled across the ground. Bullets and explosives landed right where he had been standing.
That was close. He had almost been finished off.
In that hurried moment, Tsunayoshi looked up and saw that the slope was filled with people wearing long coats and cowboy hats. Were they the same group that had confronted Simon earlier?
Before he could think further, another barrage of artillery fire came at him. As he rolled, the pendant slipped out from beneath his collar.
Good. Even without his Shinigami and Hollow powers, his Fullbring was still with him.
A flash of green light appeared, and Lambo's shield manifested in Tsunayoshi's hand. A green lightning defense spread open, blocking all the artillery fire aimed at him.
Something was strange.
Feeling the impact transmitted through the shield, Tsunayoshi realized that these attacks did not seem intended to kill him. Most of the bullets landed around him. It was more like they were trying to drive him into the village.
With Fullbring at his side, Tsunayoshi naturally had the ability to break through the encirclement. However, compared to breaking out, he was more interested in what exactly was inside the village.
So Tsunayoshi simply went along with the barrage, half-pushed and half-willing, and slipped toward the center of the village.
Compared to the heavy fire outside, the inside of the village had not suffered much damage. This further proved that the enemy was determined to trap something here.
Tsunayoshi cautiously approached a wooden house. There was no one inside, nor were there any furnishings. The houses here were like empty shells deliberately constructed for show. There were no traces of people having lived in them.
Interesting.
This was quite an elaborate setup. They had built an entire fake village. What exactly was it for? A trap? Or something else?
Tsunayoshi continued to search. Soon, he heard voices speaking. He moved to the back of one of the houses and listened to the conversation inside. It was still Italian, automatically translated and understood by his mind.
"Cozart, the Vongola are nothing but liars!"
"They lured us here with a request for help, all so they could kill us and swallow up Simon territory!"
"Cozart, still won't you wake up? How many more companions have to die before you can see the truth?"
Argument after argument came from inside the house. Every voice was condemning the Vongola's actions, while their leader, Cozart, had become the target of everyone's criticism.
"I believe in Vongola. He would never do something like this. There must be some misunderstanding…"
"Misunderstanding? Cozart, look at our companions lying there! Can you really still say the word 'misunderstanding'?"
The harsher reprimand directly cut off Cozart's words.
Perhaps because that person's voice had been too loud, a sinister chuckle came from the direction of the door.
"So the rats in the gutter were hiding here. You made us search quite hard, Simon Family."
It was a cold, gloomy voice.
"Not good! Take the wounded and run!" the man who seemed to be Cozart shouted.
As soon as Cozart finished speaking, a series of bullets had already pierced through the door, sweeping indiscriminately across the room.
Tsunayoshi sensed another familiar fluctuation. He had just seen this power before. It was the power of the Simon Ring.
Cozart controlled the Simon Ring and blocked the enemy's attack, buying his family members time to escape. As for himself, in order to maintain the Simon Ring's power, he could no longer get away.
"As expected of the boss. You really are reliable. Catching such a big fish means our trip wasn't wasted."
"Who exactly are you? Why did you deceive us in the name of the Vongola?" Cozart questioned.
"Vongola? We are the Vongola!"
The black-cloaked figures across from Cozart removed their hoods one after another. Cozart's pupils contracted. He recognized their faces.
They were not lying. Cozart had once seen these people at a Vongola banquet. However, they were all radicals within the Vongola.
A bitter smile appeared on Cozart's face. He already understood what was going on.
Just as he had thought, the Vongola boss would never betray him. Someone else was behind this.
After the Vongola grew stronger and stronger, its actions were no longer something its boss alone could fully control. Even if the boss did not covet the position of Italy's foremost Mafia Family, the people beneath him would still push him onto that throne.
It seemed he was bound to die today.
Cozart felt his scalp go numb. He did not regret coming to save Vongola. His only regret was bringing these companions with him. He could only make it up to them in the next life.
Just as Cozart was about to give up, a rush of footsteps came back.
It was the companions who had already escaped. After placing the wounded somewhere safe, they had returned.
"You…"
Something indescribable circled in Cozart's eyes. He knew exactly why these companions had come back.
"We can't escape anyway. Taking even one of them down with us will be worth it."
"Cozart, since we chose you, we'll walk this path with you until the end!"
Encouraged by his companions, Cozart once again mustered the courage to fight. He stood at the front of the group and said, "Then let us give everything we have in this final battle!"
"Heh."
The Vongola men laughed. One of them pointed at them one by one, as though counting soldiers.
"What can a bunch of old, weak, sick, and wounded people like you possibly do? Cozart, can you even still use your power?"
Cozart fell silent.
He was already at the end of his rope. The Earth Flame from earlier had been the last of his strength. It was not just him; the same was true for his other companions. Otherwise, they would not have hidden inside the village without even considering a breakout.
The Vongola man at the front waved his hand and said, "Send our allies, the Simon Family, on their way."
The firing pins struck. Gunshots rang out endlessly. Even if Cozart and the others still had a tiny bit of strength left, after this storm of bullets, being riddled like sieves would be their only fate.
Cozart and the others all closed their eyes. It was an instinctive reaction. They could no longer squeeze out any more strength.
However, the pain they had imagined never came.
Cozart opened his eyes and saw a familiar back standing in front of them. Green lightning flames had formed a solid shield, completely blocking every single bullet.
"Giotto? Vongola Primo?" Cozart shouted in disbelief.
Why would the Vongola boss be here?
The Vongola men opposite him had the same question. When they saw that somewhat familiar face, they all stopped attacking.
Opening fire on their boss—wasn't that asking for death?
Tsunayoshi had no interest in talking to these Vongola members. His target had always been the man called Cozart, the first boss of the Simon Family.
The instant the gunfire stopped, Tsunayoshi turned into an afterimage and moved among the Vongola men. A series of cracks and metallic collisions rang out. Before long, every Vongola member had been firmly restrained by Alaude's handcuffs.
Tsunayoshi chose not to kill these Vongola men. Vongola affairs should be handled internally by the Vongola themselves. What Tsunayoshi needed was to take Cozart away.
Looking at Tsunayoshi as he returned, Cozart shouted with great joy, "Giotto…"
But very quickly, he noticed the problem.
Although the man before him looked extremely similar to the Vongola boss, his hair color and gaze were different. This person did not possess the same aura of authority that the Vongola boss had.
"The first boss of the Simon Family?" Tsunayoshi said. "Let's find somewhere to talk."
First boss?
Cozart suppressed the doubts in his heart and followed Tsunayoshi, bringing the Simon Family members with him to a secluded place.
There was no particular reason.
This man looked far too much like the Vongola boss. That alone was enough for Cozart to trust him.
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