"Operation XX."
『Understood, Boss. Initiating XX-Burner firing sequence.』
The targeting interface materialized within Tsuna's pupils. Soft flames jetted from the exhaust ports mounted on his gauntlets, acting as stabilizers to anchor his position in mid-air.
─────
Reborn's Group.
"Both hands forward!?"
"That's a completely different stance!?"
Seeing Tsuna take a different posture than when he delivered the finishing blow to the Demi-Spirit, Raul and Alicia gasped in shock.
"Don't tell me… he's going to fire from both hands…!?"
"If he does that, he'll blow himself away!?"
Ais and Tione instantly grasped what Tsuna was about to do. Knowing the apocalyptic recoil of the attack, they panicked, certain he would be violently blasted backward. However, Finn quickly dispelled their anxiety.
"No. Look closely. He's firing stabilizing flames from the exhaust ports on those gauntlets to anchor himself."
"To think he had an attack even stronger than that one…" Riveria murmured.
"What a ridiculous bastard…" Bete scoffed.
Learning that the catastrophic attack Tsuna had unleashed during the expedition wasn't even his full power left Riveria and Bete in awe.
Meanwhile, those who had never seen the [X-Burner] could infer what Tsuna was attempting, but having no frame of reference for the actual firepower, they could only watch in bewilderment.
"Show her, Tsuna. Show her your true power."
─────
Tsuna & Alfia.
"[Root of blessing, curse of birth, original sin of the body that devoured its other half. There is no purification. There is no cleansing. There is no salvation. The sounding timbre of heaven is my sin.]"
Completely ignoring Tsuna hovering above her, Alfia began her super-long chant.
This was the exact spell she had used to deal the killing blow to the Leviathan. It was her ultimate, absolute magic.
『Counter Burner and LR Burner flame voltage rising.』
"[Trumpets of gods, harps of spirits, melody of light, namely the brand of sin and calamity.]"
Tsuna concentrated immense volumes of Sky Flames into both palms, while Alfia continued her solemn incantation.
『Gauge Symmetry firing standby.』
"[Shatter, my fate loved by the miniature garden. I hate you. The price is here. Destroy all things with the proof of sin. Cry, Sacred Bell Tower.]"
The energy in Tsuna's hands reached maximum capacity. Simultaneously, Alfia completed her chant, and a colossal, ash-silver bell materialized high above her head.
"Come at me with everything you've got, Alfia."
"Insolent brat."
Though she scoffed at his provocation, Alfia felt absolutely zero displeasure.
"[XX-BURNER]!!"
"[Genos Angelus]!!"
An astronomical torrent of Sky Flames erupted from both of Tsuna's hands. At the exact same moment, the colossal bell above Alfia shattered, unleashing a shockwave of incomprehensible scale.
The two apocalyptic energies collided in mid-air.
"UUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
The attacks deadlocked, grinding against each other in a terrifying struggle for supremacy. Tsuna and Alfia's roars echoed across the battlefield. The kinetic backlash of the collision birthed violent hurricanes that tore the very earth apart.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
Slowly but surely, Tsuna's flames began to push back Alfia's shockwave, inch by agonizing inch, until finally, they shattered her ultimate magic.
Nothing short of magnificent.
Watching her magic be overpowered and destroyed, Alfia calmly accepted her defeat. In the next instant, her body was swallowed by a massive cloud of dust and debris.
"!?"
Alfia had closed her eyes, fully preparing to embrace death, but the searing heat of Tsuna's flames never touched her.
I see… so that is why…
She immediately understood why she was unharmed. Opening her eyes, she looked behind her. Carved into the earth, directly in the path of Tsuna's attack, was a gargantuan, bottomless crater.
Tsuna had purposefully taken to the sky to force Alfia to aim her magic upward, ensuring the catastrophic crossfire wouldn't reach Reborn and the others watching from behind. Furthermore, it allowed him to protect Alfia.
In a direct horizontal clash, he couldn't destroy her magic without the residual blast incinerating her. But by firing downward from a higher altitude and slightly skewing his trajectory, he was able to perfectly obliterate her spell while intentionally missing her body.
─────
Reborn's Group.
"""""""…"""""""
Whether they had seen the [X-Burner] before or were witnessing it for the first time, the world-ending devastation of the clash left everyone paralyzed, unable to utter a single sound.
"Well done, Tsuna."
─────
Tsuna & Alfia.
"You lose, Alfia."
"So it seems."
Tsuna landed and quietly declared his victory. Hearing his words, Alfia looked down at her hands. Her body was becoming semi-transparent. She immediately understood that her time limit had arrived.
"As promised, you're going to tell me about the person who resurrected you."
"Ah, yes."
"Where is she?"
"She uses Rakia as her base of operations. When I awoke, I was deep within the kingdom's underground facility."
"I knew it…"
"However, right now, she is somewhere in this immediate vicinity. She was absolutely desperate to witness my power."
"Got it."
Having suffered total defeat, Alfia answered Tsuna's questions without a hint of resistance.
"Do you have any last words?"
"No. I am a woman who died long ago. I have no lingering attachments, and my blood relatives are no longer in this world."
"I see…"
"However, I do have one question for you. Though I doubt you would know the answer."
"What is it?"
"Do you know of a small, abandoned church in the northwest district of Orario?"
"A-Ah, yeah… I know it… Actually, that church is currently our Familia's headquarters…"
Tsuna was surprised that the legendary Monster of Calamity was asking about the crumbling church that served as the Hestia Familia's first home.
"I see… So it still stands."
"Was it an important place to you?"
"It belonged to my younger sister."
"I see… In that case, I owe you an apology…"
"What do you mean?"
"A little while ago, we were attacked by another Familia, and the church was destroyed… It was already incredibly old and falling apart, but now it's basically just a pile of rubble…"
"To think such utterly foolish Familias still exist… I do not know which Familia it was, but had I known that before fighting you, I would have drowned them all in a sea of blood."
That was close…
Tsuna broke into a cold sweat as an unprecedented, terrifying wave of killing intent rolled off Alfia. He was deeply relieved she hadn't known; if she had, the Apollo Familia—both current and former members—would have been slaughtered to the last man.
"We want to rebuild the church, but… our Familia is currently drowning in debt, and because our faction Rank went up, our taxes increased, so things are pretty tight… I'm sorry, but we can't afford to fix it right now… I'm truly sorry."
Even though he wasn't the one who destroyed it, Tsuna felt a pang of guilt and bowed his head in sincere apology.
"It seems my time is up."
Her translucent body began to fade even faster, and Alfia realized she only had seconds left.
"There is no point in dealing in hypotheticals, but… had you been there fifteen years ago to participate in the subjugation of the Black Dragon, the outcome would have been different."
"I wonder. But I'm not the kind of person who can become a hero like you."
"…Who is he?"
Hearing a warrior of Tsuna's caliber speak of someone with such absolute certainty piqued Alfia's interest.
"He's a member of my Familia. It only took him one month after becoming an adventurer to [Rank Up] to Level 2. And a month after that, he reached Level 3. He holds the fastest growth record in history. In Orario, he's known by the alias, [Little Rookie]."
"That certainly sounds promising. As a final parting gift, tell me. What is this man's name?"
Realizing the boy was an even greater prodigy than she had imagined, Alfia asked for his name.
"Bell Cranel."
"!?"
The moment she heard that name, Alfia's eyes widened in shock.
I see… So he is here… in Orario…
For the first time since her resurrection, the corners of Alfia's lips rose, forming a remarkably gentle, maternal smile.
Meteria… your child has grown into a fine young man…
With a satisfied smile gracing her lips, Alfia faded into nothingness.
----
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations