The sudden appearance of the mysterious youth left Bell and Wiene completely stunned.
The youth swept his katana upward, forcing Ais to leap back to evade the sudden counter.
"You okay?"
"Eh...? Y-Yeah..."
"Glad to hear it."
The katana in his hand suddenly shifted, transforming seamlessly into a bamboo sword. The youth turned back toward Wiene, crouching down to gently pat her head with a refreshingly bright smile.
"Reinforcements have arrived."
Standing back up, he rested the bamboo sword casually on his right shoulder and looked at Bell.
"You're Bell and Wiene, right?"
"W-Why do you know our names... Who are you...?"
Bell was thoroughly confused. Initially, he thought the man was another bounty hunter. But the way he spoke made it clear he already knew about Wiene's intelligence, and he knew Wiene's name—a secret known only to a select few.
"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. I'm Tsuna's friend."
"Eh... You mean!?"
Realizing Yamamoto was one of Tsuna's comrades from his own world, Bell's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Tsuna asked me for a favor. That's why I'm here."
"B-But Tsuna never said anything about that!!"
Even Bell didn't know...!?
Not only had reinforcements arrived, but even their own allies had been kept completely in the dark. Ais couldn't hide her astonishment.
"Apparently, the boss of the guys we're fighting is crazy smart. So, to keep them from catching on, Tsuna didn't tell you guys either."
The Hestia Familia was currently the center of extremely negative attention, with the Loki Familia and countless other adventurers closely monitoring their every move. If they had shown any sign of expecting reinforcements, Finn would have instantly deduced the truth and prepared countermeasures. To ensure their ambush succeeded, Tsuna had no choice but to keep the Vanguard completely hidden.
"You guys did great holding out this long. Leave the rest to me, grab that girl, and go on ahead."
"B-But!!"
"Don't sweat it. I'm not the only backup who showed up today."
. . . . .
Haruhime & Aisha's Side
"Hah... hah..."
"Aisha-san!!"
Despite Haruhime using Level Boost to raise Aisha to Level 5, the two of them had failed to land a single strike on Bete.
"Just like always, you're all talk."
"Don't underestimate me, werewolf... It's not over yet..."
Aisha had driven her podao into the ground, leaning heavily on it as she knelt on one knee, glaring fiercely at Bete. Her body was battered and broken, and the effects of Level Boost had already faded. Yet, she forcefully dragged herself back up, pointing her massive blade at Bete once more.
"Is that so."
Seeing that she had absolutely no intention of giving up, Bete stepped forward, preparing to knock her unconscious for good.
But then—
"Hold it right there."
A third voice echoed through the alleyway. Suddenly, a cylindrical bundle flew toward Bete from his flank. Bete nonchalantly raised his right hand to swat it away.
Ghk!?
But before his hand could connect, the bundle detonated, instantly swallowing Bete in a massive explosion.
"Tch!!"
Bete dashed out of the flames completely unscathed. But the moment he cleared the smoke, sixteen more bundles rained down from above. Using the wind pressure from a rapid kick, Bete blew them off course, causing a secondary series of deafening explosions.
"Who the hell is there!?"
Bete glared in the direction the explosives had come from. As the smoke cleared, a silver-haired youth stood before him, a cigarette dangling from his lips and sticks of dynamite clamped between every single finger on his right hand.
"The Tenth is currently fighting. I won't let any annoying noise get in his way."
. . . . .
Welf, Mikoto, & Tsubaki's Side
"What terrifying strength..."
"Are you kidding me...!!"
"What a monster..."
Welf, Mikoto, and Tsubaki had fought desperately using Black Mist to blind Gareth while unleashing a relentless barrage of magic swords. However, every single magic sword had been shattered, and too much time had passed; the mist had completely dissipated. Mikoto had also already exhausted her gravity magic, Futsunomitama. All they had left were their standard weapons.
I've been worn down far more than I expected...
Despite shattering their weapons, the overwhelming onslaught of magic swords had taken a significant toll on Gareth's stamina.
"But for their sake, I'm not giving up..." Welf gritted his teeth.
"I feel the same..." Mikoto agreed.
"If I can't test my magic swords, then I suppose I'll just have to test my regular blades..." Tsubaki smirked.
Even though he was exhausted, Gareth still had plenty of fight left in him. He was a Level 6; if they didn't hold him here, Lyd and the others would be in mortal danger. All Welf and the others could do was buy as much time as humanly possible.
But then—
"It's Elgarm!!"
"He's exhausted! Now's our chance!!"
"Take the key!!"
Suddenly, a group of figures clad in white robes swarmed the area, accompanied by a massive horde of entirely new, cyclopean spider-type monsters.
"Who the hell are they...!?"
Evilus reinforcements...!! At a time like this!?
Welf was utterly bewildered by the sudden appearance of this unknown third party, while Gareth's face twisted as if he had bitten down on a bitter bug.
While Welf and the others were fighting blindly inside the Black Mist, they hadn't realized that the remnants of Evilus had used the chaos of their bombardment to attack Gareth as well. During this entire operation, the Loki Familia wasn't just hunting the armed monsters—they were fighting a full-scale war against Evilus simultaneously.
Because the battle against Evilus was their own problem, Gareth had no intention of dragging Welf's group into it. He prepared to face the white-robed cultists alone.
But then—
"Maximum Cannon!!"
A deafening, apocalyptic roar tore through the area. A colossal shockwave shattered the ground, sending massive chunks of debris, Evilus cultists, and monsters alike launching into the sky.
The terrifying shockwave nearly swallowed Welf's group as well, but seeing the Evilus members get instantly obliterated prompted them to execute an emergency evasive dive.
"W-What the hell!? What just happened!?"
They had managed to dodge the sudden, catastrophic blast, but the sheer absurdity of the attack left them in a state of total panic.
That's...
As the dust settled, Gareth's eyes locked onto a man standing proudly amidst the destruction. He had short, spiky gray hair, an old scar running down his left temple, and white bandages wrapped tightly around both of his fists.
"Sasagawa Ryohei, has arrived to the EXTREME!!"
. . . . .
Finn's Side
My thumb is throbbing even harder now... Is it Sawada Tsunayoshi!?
The pain in Finn's right thumb, which had been a dull ache, suddenly spiked. Finn logically deduced that Tsuna had come to eliminate him, the commander, and readied his spear, settling into a combat stance.
"Captain!!"
Suddenly, Raul stumbled into the camp. He was covered in wounds, clutching his left arm with his right hand. Considering the high probability that Tsuna was using illusions to disguise himself as an ally, Finn instantly flashed a secret hand sign. Raul weakly returned the correct gesture.
"What happened, Raul? Was it Evilus?"
"I was attacked by an unknown man!! Everyone else is—Gah!?"
"Raul!?"
Mid-report, an invisible force brutally smashed into Raul's back, sending his body flying across the camp.
"A 100cm tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed spear user... So you must be Finn Deimne."
A black-haired youth strolled calmly into the camp. He wore a crisp student uniform, a red armband reading "Discipline" pinned to his right shoulder, and wielded a pair of steel tonfas dripping with fresh blood.
"I heard you're supposed to be a genius?"
. . . . .
Lili's Side
"Hah... hah..."
Having consecutively cast transformation magic over and over to lead the adventurers on a wild goose chase, Lili was completely drained. Even though she had been chugging potions to restore her Mind, the sheer physical exhaustion was crushing her.
I don't have time to rest...
While she was hiding, Bell was out there fighting for his life. Lili forced herself to stand, preparing to begin her chant once more.
But then—
Ghk!?
Before she even realized what had happened, she was slammed face-first into the dirt. Glancing up, she saw Aki straddling her back, a dagger pressed dangerously close to her neck.
Hearing reports that adventurers were being systematically led astray, Finn had dispatched Aki to hunt down the decoy.
"Why...?"
"You're the only one who doesn't smell like anything. You're using an odor-eliminating item, aren't you? It might work if you're hiding alone, but when you're moving through a crowded group, having no scent at all makes you stick out like a sore thumb."
In a chaotic battlefield filled with sweat, blood, and monster stench, erasing one's scent completely was highly unnatural. It was a tactic that only benefited those trying to hide from tracking. Ironically, her lack of scent had become a glaring beacon.
This is bad!! If I get captured here...!?
If the others found out she was captured, it would undoubtedly cause them to panic and throw the entire operation into jeopardy. Lili desperately racked her brain for a way out, but no viable escape plan came to mind.
"Eh...!?"
Suddenly, Aki's body began to float into the air. Before Aki could even process what was happening, an invisible force violently blasted her away.
"Thank goodness. I made it just in time."
A male voice reached Lili and Aki's ears. Both of them immediately snapped their heads toward the source of the sound.
"Wha... !?"
"No way...!?"
Standing before them was a red-haired youth. He wore heavy gauntlets on both arms, and a brilliant flame—a stunning mix of clear and vermilion earth tones—burned brightly on his forehead and gloves.
Seeing someone with an ability so strikingly similar to Tsuna's left both of them completely speechless.
"You're Liliruca-san, right?"
. . . . .
Tione & Tiona's Side
"Ahhh!! This fog is so damn annoying!!"
Not only were they completely unable to locate the armed monsters, but the thick mist obscuring their vision was driving Tione absolutely crazy.
"Getting mad at the weather isn't gonna fix anything, Tione~"
"Shut up!! You're the one who let that monster get away, so you better search harder!!"
Before Wiene had reunited with Bell and Haruhime, Tiona had crossed paths with her. However, during that encounter, Wiene had saved a human child from being crushed by a collapsing building. Having witnessed a monster risk its own life to save a human out of its own free will, Tiona couldn't bring herself to strike. She let Wiene go. Of course, she couldn't exactly tell Tione she had spared a monster on purpose, so she lied and claimed it had managed to escape.
"Tione, Tiona!!"
Hearing their names called, the twins turned around to see Finn running toward them.
"The Black Minotaur has appeared!! We need to move immediately and—"
"Don't screw with me!!"
Tione—who loved Finn more than anyone else in the world—suddenly dropped her respectful tone and exploded with rage.
"How dare you disguise yourself as the Captain and try to trick us!! You better be ready to die, Tsuna!!"
Anticipating that Tsuna would use illusions to deceive them, Finn had strictly ordered the entire Familia to use specific hand signs to verify their identities. However, because of her deep, obsessive love for Finn, Tione saw right through the fake Finn instantly without needing any secret signals.
"Lo nego."
The response she received was a completely unfamiliar language spoken in a calm, female voice.
"Il mio nome è Chrome."
The fake Finn was suddenly engulfed in a swirling pillar of indigo flames.
"Chrome Dokuro."
As the flames cleared, a purple-haired girl stood in his place. She wore a skull eyepatch over her right eye, carried a massive trident, and had an owl resting quietly on her right shoulder.
"Eh!? It's not Tsuna!?"
Assuming it had been Tsuna's doing, Tiona couldn't hide her surprise.
"I don't care who you are!! Anyone who dares to impersonate the Captain is dead!!"
"Your opponent is me."
Tione was practically radiating murderous intent toward the girl. But suddenly, Tsuna dropped gracefully from the sky, landing quietly beside Chrome.
"Focus on your fight with me."
----
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