Tsuna had successfully drained Alfia's mana.
"Let's finish this, Alfia."
"Gah!?"
Tsuna vanished in an instant, driving a hyper-accelerated elbow strike directly into Alfia's face.
"!?"
Blinded for a fraction of a second by the impact, Alfia forced her eyes open, only to see Tsuna already sliding aggressively toward her feet. She immediately raised her right leg to crush him.
"Guh!?"
But from his sliding position, Tsuna fired his flames against the ground, rocketing upward while simultaneously launching a devastating rising kick that slammed perfectly into her jaw.
Flipping backward in mid-air to orient himself, he unleashed a merciless, high-speed barrage of punches into her abdomen, finishing the combo with a brutal double-palm strike that violently blew her away.
This boy… he converted my mana into his own physical power…!? Even though she had been drained of her mana, Alfia's physical stats were still overwhelmingly high. Yet, she hadn't been able to react to Tsuna's movements at all. She instantly realized that Tsuna hadn't just absorbed her magical energy—he had forcefully converted it into raw, physical power to drastically boost his own speed and strength.
─────
Reborn's Group.
"Tsuna's movements suddenly got way faster…?" Hogni murmured, utterly bewildered.
"[Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised]," Reborn answered simply.
"Zero Point…?"
"It's Tsuna's skill. It absorbs the opponent's magic and converts it into his own power."
Learning that Tsuna possessed a skill that could completely negate magic and steal its power sent a shockwave of despair through the Freya Familia dependents.
He is the absolute natural enemy of us Elves… Not only was Tsuna a terrifying close-quarters combatant, but he could completely nullify offensive magic and steal the caster's power. Hedin immediately realized that any magic-oriented race—especially Elves—would be completely slaughtered against him.
"Wait, if he could do that, why didn't he just absorb her magic from the start?" Tione asked, failing to grasp the mechanics of the technique.
"Because if you mess up the timing of the absorption, not only do you fail to absorb the magic, you take the full brunt of the attack in a highly vulnerable state," Reborn explained for her benefit. "Sound is completely invisible, making it practically impossible to time the absorption perfectly. That's why he paralyzed her and drained the mana directly from her body."
Watching Tsuna flawlessly execute the exact lesson he had drilled into him during the battle with Iemitsu, Reborn couldn't help but let a proud smirk touch his lips.
─────
Tsuna & Alfia.
"Gospe—Guh!?"
Recovering from being thrown, Alfia immediately tried to chant a spell. But before she could even form the first syllable, Tsuna crossed the distance at blinding speed, driving a vacuum-shredding flying knee strike directly into her forehead. The impact violently interrupted her chant, triggering an [Ignis Fatuus] that engulfed her in a massive explosion of magical backfire.
His speed increased again…!? Alfia realized that Tsuna was moving even faster now than when he had first drained her mana.
Previously, Tsuna had used his flames to propel himself by firing wide, diffused bursts in multiple directions. Now, he was exhibiting terrifying, microscopic control over his output, narrowing the flames into highly concentrated, high-pressure jets. This vastly increased his propulsion efficiency, granting him explosive, pinpoint acceleration.
But raw speed alone wasn't enough to intentionally force an [Ignis Fatuus] against a master mage. Tsuna was relying entirely on his Hyper Intuition to perfectly read Alfia's thoughts, breathing, and magical fluctuations, allowing him to strike at the exact millisecond her chant became unstable.
─────
Reborn's Group.
"An [Ignis Fatuus]!?"
"To think he would actually attempt something so insane…"
Riveria and Gareth were absolutely horrified. To intentionally force an [Ignis Fatuus] against a mage capable of ultra-short chants with apocalyptic firepower was an unprecedented, suicidal tactic.
"Even if his speed is vastly superior to Alfia's…"
"If he hesitated for even a microsecond, he would have been obliterated by her magic…"
It was a terrifying, all-or-nothing gamble against the unleashed Monster of Calamity. Even Finn, armed with his precognitive thumb, and the battle-hardened Ottar admitted they lacked the sheer insanity required to attempt such a stunt.
─────
Tsuna & Alfia.
To think I would be subjected to an [Ignis Fatuus]… I thought only Maxim and that wretched Empress were capable of such a feat… Images of the deceased Captains of the Zeus and Hera Familias flashed through Alfia's mind.
"It's over."
"What…?"
"The damage you've taken and the time you've spent fighting have severely drained your body. Fighting any longer is pointless."
As they fought, Tsuna's Hyper Intuition had noticed that Alfia's physical condition was steadily deteriorating.
[Gif Blessing] guaranteed a permanent Limit Off state, but forced her to endure severe combat-induced spasms, poison, paralysis, and organ failure. While active, it semi-permanently drained her overall abilities, Stamina, and Mind. Even though she had been cured of her disease and could fight far beyond her prime, she hadn't actually overcome the brutal drawbacks of her Skill.
Coupled with having a massive amount of her mana drained, and taking a relentless beating from a heavily powered-up Tsuna, the resulting [Ignis Fatuus] had pushed her past her absolute limit. Mathematically, Alfia had zero chance of winning.
"────You as well."
"?"
"To think a man of your caliber would disappoint me just as thoroughly as those wretched girls from the Astrea Familia!!"
"Eh…?"
Tsuna was utterly confused. Why was Alfia suddenly bringing up Ryuu's former Familia, the Astrea Familia?
"You weren't here seven years ago, so I suppose you wouldn't know. I allied with the Evilus and turned Orario into a living hell. And in the end, I was defeated by the Astrea Familia."
"What!?"
A legendary hero who supposedly fought the Black Dragon to save humanity had actually become the greatest enemy of Orario. And the cause of her death was directly linked to the Astrea Familia. The sudden influx of completely unbelievable information caused Tsuna's brain to momentarily short-circuit.
"A thousand years. The Gods descended to the lower world and granted humanity their grace. Since then, adventurers have endlessly polished their skills to slaughter the monsters pouring out of the Dungeon."
"The Three Great Quests…"
"Exactly. We successfully slew the Leviathan and the Behemoth, standing on the absolute precipice of humanity's greatest dream: the completion of the Three Great Quests. But even with all of our insurmountable power, our attacks did absolutely nothing to the Black Dragon. We were utterly defeated, and I was plunged into despair. It was then I realized the truth. Unless we regress the era and forge a true hero, the Black Dragon can never be defeated."
"Regress?"
"Before the Gods descended, humanity fought and survived against monsters without the power of Falna. And although he borrowed the power of a Spirit, the hero Albert eventually gouged out the Black Dragon's eye and drove it away from Orario. Therefore, by bringing about the return of the era before the Gods, we could forge a hero capable of matching the Black Dragon. To accomplish that, Orario had to fall. That is why I allied with the Evilus."
"You're lying."
"What?"
Alfia had explained her grand, twisted objective, but Tsuna's Hyper Intuition instantly saw right through her.
"It's probably true that you allied with the Evilus seven years ago and attacked Orario. But if you had truly fallen to evil, Finn and the others would harbor far more hatred toward you."
When Alfia appeared, the veterans had been terrified, shocked, and humiliated by their past defeats. Yet, not a single one of them had spoken a word of genuine hatred or condemnation against her.
"Your goal wasn't the destruction of Orario. Your goal was to become a wall of despair—an insurmountable trial for the next generation to overcome, forcing them to grow strong enough to defeat the Black Dragon. Isn't that right?"
Because Reborn constantly subjected him to brutal, life-threatening trials solely to force his growth, Tsuna instantly recognized the exact same twisted parental logic in Alfia's actions. He also realized that the veterans of the Dark Age hadn't condemned her because they had eventually figured out her true intentions.
"Do not presume to see through everything. It is deeply unpleasant."
"I knew it…"
"I will say this: I have absolutely no hesitation in slaughtering you all. Even though I am stronger now than I was in life, if you cannot even defeat me, surviving the Black Despair is utterly impossible."
Hearing her response, Tsuna knew his deduction was completely accurate, even if Alfia refused to explicitly confirm it.
"Furthermore, my disappointment in you is entirely genuine. You showed mercy to an enemy. But above all else, you have absolutely no intention of overcoming the Black Despair."
Clashing with him, Alfia had perfectly read Tsuna's core nature. He possessed unimaginable potential, but he completely lacked the conviction and resolve of a true adventurer.
"Reborn really wants me to slay the Black Dragon, but I have absolutely no desire to fight it. To begin with, I never wanted to be an adventurer, and I certainly never planned on coming to Orario. The only reason I'm an adventurer right now is because I just went with the flow."
"To think I finally found a true prodigy, only to discover he possesses such a pathetically fragile spirit."
"It's fine. Even if I don't fight, there are plenty of other talented people who can."
"It is fine, you say? Even after seven years, that Boaz is still stuck at Level 7. And from what I can see, the rest of them—and even the new faces—are capped at Level 6. There is only one person who has reached the level I stood at in life, and you tell me to be at ease?"
"There's another Level 7 outside the city. A guy named Leon."
"That half-dwarf brat? He is nowhere near strong enough to face the Black Dragon."
Though Alfia was surprised to learn a second Level 7 existed, she immediately dismissed him as irrelevant against the apocalyptic threat.
"As for other potential talents… I suppose the Ganesha Familia and the Astrea Familia might hold some promise… though I highly doubt they could ever hope to match the strength of the fools standing behind you."
"The Astrea Familia was annihilated by the Evilus five years ago. Only one person survived, and she's already retired from adventuring. The Goddess Astrea left the city, too."
"So even those who managed to defeat me—albeit through cheap tricks—have perished."
Learning the tragic fate of the Astrea Familia, Alfia simply accepted the reality without showing a hint of emotion.
"We have wasted enough time talking. Let us finish this. You know what comes next."
"Yeah."
Realizing Alfia had absolutely no intention of backing down, Tsuna ignited his flames and blasted into the sky.
"Natsu. Cambio Forma."
Thrusters materialized on both of Tsuna's arms. He crossed his wrists and aimed his palms directly down at Alfia.
"Operation XX."
----
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