“Whoosh!”

  From behind, Hirose-sensei swings her [Water Bde] horizontally to the left, trying to strike us both with one hit.

  “Hmmph!”

  Luckily, we managed to react just in time and jump at the opposite direction, thus dodging the lethal attack. Immediately, we set ourselves into position and wait for the perfect opportunity.

  “Now!”

  That opportunity comes only seconds after the strike, as the moment sensei nds on the ground, I shout at my best friend, and she immediately understands the assignment.

  “[Light Strings], attached!”

  “Huh…*whip* what the…”

  As sensei just about to turn around, Mitsuko-chan creates multiple threads from her fingertips and flies them at her. Immediately, they grab her arms and legs, essentially tying her up in the air.

  “Tsk…this is troublesome…”

  At first, sensei is trying to resist, but the more she struggles, the tighter the strings become. Eventually, her [Water Bde] disappears from her hand, which is the signal for my turn of attack.

  “Hargh!”

  Pouring mana into my sword, I charge in with immense speed. We all want to end this fight as soon as possible, but at the same time, I don’t want to harm our own teacher too much, which is why we went for this strategy.

  We’ve developed this kind of pn during our multiple training with Tiamat and Athena, and it all ends with me sshing the opponent with [Mana Burst].

  At least, that’s what I hoped will happen.

  “Hghh…Argh! [Fists of Infinite Pressure]!”

  Mere moment before the inevitable ssh, Hirose-sensei has managed to escape and quickly enough, she charged herself up. Soon after, from her arms, she fired out two water bsts in the shape of two fists.

  “Spsh!”

  The two attacks collide. Normally, [Mana Burst] would explode upon impact, but I was a bit faster and negated the skill. Instead, I transferred those mana into enhancing my sword and now, I’m using it to block sensei’s attack.

  “Hrgrh…come on Yasutaira, you can do this…”

  I guess calling it “Infinite Pressure” isn’t exactly an exaggeration, as it’s pressure really is able to make me struggle. At some point, it even slowly pushed me back, but I managed to stand on my two feet and combat it.

  “Yasutaira-kun, hang in there! [Light Rain]!”

  From behind, Mitsuko-chan raises her arms to the sky and creates a light ptform on top of our heads. From that ptform, numerous light rays descend.

  Those rays aren’t aiming at sensei but rather, the bst she’s firing at me. They don’t do much damage but instead, hitting and evaporating the water, weaken it slowly and steadily.

  “Hold still, hold still…” I whispered to myself.

  Thanks to Mitsuko-chan’s effort, I’m now able to move forward at a decent pace. However, I need to act more quickly, as sensei might use this chance to attack my best friend as a distraction.

  “Boom!”

  My prediction turns out to be accurate, as sensei uses one arm to maintain the water bst and quickly gets the other one to fire another water bst at Mitsuko-chan.

  “Mitsuko-chan, look out!” I shouted.

  “Yeah, I got it!”

  Immediately, she cancels [Light Rain]. She then takes a few steps back and draws her sword out. Before the bst could even reach her, she quickly pours her mana into her weapon and waits.

  “Spsh!”

  Moments before impact, she swings her sword, blocking the attack just in time. Unlike me, she has an easier time struggling against it due to her [Light] element. Not to mention, the bst is much weaker than the one I took earlier.

  Lucky for me, I have the same privilege.

  “Hrghh…”

  Following Mitsuko-chan, I’m now able to shorten the distance between me and sensei. She’s now also in a weird position where she’s sandwiched between two upcoming sshes, and the only thing keeping it from happening is [Fist of Infinite Pressure].

  However, sensei has another idea.

  “Splosh!”

  Suddenly, sensei cancels her skills as well. Right after that, she immediately uses it again, this time to propel herself up in the air.

  “Woah!”

  Her unexpected action almost causes us to lose bance and crash at each other. Thankfully, we’re able to stop just in time before impact. Regardless, I immediately help Mitsuko-chan in case she fell again.

  “Aw, it’s all over my skirt…” she groaned. “Well, at least it’s just water…Anyways, are you alright Yasutaira-kun?”

  “Ah yeah, I’m totally fine. Although, I really need to be more careful…”

  As an aftermath, the leftover water coming off her skill has wetted some parts on our bodies. Even after helping each other dry us up, it still leaves behind several puddles below our feet.

  “You two really expected to stop me with just that? I suppose I haven’t taught you enough.”

  Facing against the main gate’s exit path, sensei appears in front of us with a disappointed face. Immediately, we draw out our weapons and get into fighting position.

  However, sensei still stays put and does nothing but stare at us. We can feel her eyes angrily shouting and yearning to destroy us, which makes her action even more suspicious than ever.

  “Let me show you two how adults fight, come forth!”

  Suddenly, all the water puddles rise up. They then start floating above us while also increasing massively in volume. Soon, the water begins forming into various weapons before aiming them at us.

  “Hargh!”

  “Run Mitsuko-chan!”

  With a loud battle cry, Hirose-sensei descends the weapons upon us. Immediately, Mitsuko-chan and I hurriedly dash around the area in an effort to dodge all the strikes.

  “

  Despite flying down at us with immense speed, we still managed to evade most of them. As for those that actually hit…

  “Argh!”

  A water needle cuts my left cheek shallowly, making me bleed. I stop for a few seconds to check on the wound, only to almost be sshed by a few more ones.

  “Tsk, this is bad…”

  Those water weapons not only travel at a great speed but the sharpness…it’s not something to be taken lightly. As for the needles themselves, upon hitting the stone path, they actually broke a few small chunks of it.

  Seeing that, I try my best to notice the area surround me while also dodging all the strikes. Turns out, some returned to puddle while others broke the path the same way those needles did.

  “But the main focus here is still sensei…” I thought to myself, dodging another water axe coming at me.

  “Yasutaira-kun, watch out!”

  Not too far from me, Mitsuko-chan shouted at me worriedly. Just like me, she’s also struggling to not getting hit, but unfortunately, a few have still slipped through the crack.

  “Yeah I got it, don’t worry!” I responded.

  “You’d better! We can’t just evade them forever! Do you have any brilliant idea to share?” she asked.

  “Ah well about that…I do, although…”

  “I’m going to be your meat shield, is that so?”

  “Yeah, and you know, asking a girl to do that isn’t exactly a good thing to do…hell, it should be the worst.” I answered reluctantly.

  “Well just skip that stage already! I’m taking all those hits and you’re taking down sensei, that’s the pn right?”

  I nod and immediately, Mitsuko-chan aggressively agrees. Right after that, I run towards sensei while she repces me and takes my spot.

  “Hargh!”

  With a speed even faster than before, I grab my sword and charge at sensei. I first swing horizontally to the left, but she times my attack perfectly dodges my ssh. However, I quickly come back in with multiple more sshes.

  “Whoosh! Whoosh! Cng!”

  This time, I’m the one with the upper hand, as some of my strikes are able to hit sensei. Soon after, sword sshes have appeared on her face and chest.

  “[Light Arrow]!”

  Meanwhile, my effort has made me able to corner sensei and weaken her attacks on Mitsuko-chan. Using that advantage, she immediately switches from defensive to attacking mode and destroys all the water weapons.

  “Tsk, you two are even more stubborn than I thought…” Hirose-sensei groaned.

  On the other hand, sensei has also fought back with a couple of [Water Fist] and [Water Dagger], alongside [Water Bubble] to stall and me. While the first two skills couldn’t hit the target, the tter succeeded.

  “Glub!”

  Grabbing my head, the water ball starts choking me. At first, I was a bit surprised, thus I had no choice but to struggle until I get it out of my head.

  “[Sea of Crucifixion]!”

  Hirose-sensei sms both her hands on the ground and immediately, a pool of water starts flooding around me. At the same time, it forms multiple arms to grab on my legs, and like leeches, they’re really stick.

  “*Glub* Tsk, I have to act quickly, or else!”

  With that thought, I immediately power up and just not too long after, I free myself from [Water Bubble].

  “Hargh, [Mana Burst]!”

  Pouring mana into my sword, I sm it down with full force. Right away, it explodes, evaporating the hands in the process. During that time, a cross is also shaping behind me, but with my escape, it’s now useless.

  Honestly, if it was something reting to [Light], it might be a bit more effective, as my legs feel a bit tingling from my own strike. Regardless, a way out’s a way out, and I won’t compin.

  “Yasutaira-kun, I’m coming!”

  As I’m charging at sensei, Mitsuko-chan joins in from behind, reestablish the 2v1 from before.

  “Whoosh! Whoosh! Cng! Whoosh!”

  With that advantage, we relentlessly strike sensei with everything we have. Unlike our previous attempts, she now dodges less, and soon, more wounds start appearing on her body and clothes.

  “Grr, just get out of my sight already…[Static Shock]!”

  From her fingertips, she shoots out multiple lightning bolts at us. Since we’re both wet from her previous attacks, we quickly stay away as fast as we could, but unfortunately, it’s still not enough.

  “Argh!”

  Being hit, we both painfully groan while being pushed back a little bit. After that, we’re both stunned by those electrical sparks, and even worse, our bodies are all shaking lightly but non-stop.

  “Argh…[Light Shield]!”

  Luckily, despite the increase in damage, we all have our own protections against her attack, so we’re taking less than it should be. Regardless, if we don’t do something fast, we might not survive through this.

  “Hrgh…Come on body, work with me…”

  As soon as my body is able to move, which didn’t take too long to, I start moving forward step-by-step. While doing so, I also slowly reposition my sword, ready for a counterattack.

  Thanks to [Super Strengthen Magic], the damage from [Static Shock] has decreased quite a lot more compared to [Light Shield]. I should be more concern about Mitsuko-chan’s current state, but we both know that’s not the way to do in this situation.

  “Wai…Wait for me Yasutaira-kun…I’m comin…I’m coming with you…”

  Behind me, Mitsuko-chan has also made her move as well. While a bit slower than me, she’s still doing her best to fight against and move forward alongside me.

  “Grr…Why won’t you just give up!!!”

  Angered by our effort, sensei shoots out even more lightning bolts at us. We’re both stunned for a few seconds, but we quickly recover and continue to approach her.

  “Hargh!”

  Eventually, I break free of the electrical sparks surrounding me. Immediately, I run towards sensei with [Mana Burst] ready to be fired.

  “Boom!”

  Lucky for sensei, she had put on [Mana Shield] just in time, right before I swing my sword. With that, she manages to defend herself from my attack. However, she still has to be pushed back a little bit, and her shield breaks immediately after.

  “[Dragon Roar of Light]!”

  Following my lead, Mitsuko-chan runs past me with her sword now having its bde being covered with a dragon made out of light. As she’s pointing at sensei, a massive light beam shoots out of the bde, heading towards sensei.

  “Roooar!”

  The dragon lets out a loud scream while firing the bst. On the other side, sensei, fear of being defeated by the skill, hurriedly creates another [Mana Shield] in hope of blocking it.

  “Boom!”

  Once again, luck is on her side, as the beam hits the shield instead of her. However, just like my attempt, she’s once again being pushed back even more, only now, she doesn’t exactly hold her ground just as good.

  “Argh!”

  As the result, the shield has broken earlier than she anticipated, thus she now has to tank the bst. Following that, a small explosion also erupts, blocking our vision for a small area in front of us.

  “*cough cough* Oh my, I think I overdid my part a bit too much…” Mitsuko-chan said while covering her face.

  “Yeah, you don’t say.” I replied jokingly.

  With the damage being reduced quite greatly, the impact has also been decreased as well. Thanks to that, the smoke clears out way faster.

  “*Puff puff* Grr grr…Damn it…damn you all…”

  However, behind that dissolving smoke lies a woman more pissed off than ever before. Injured from the attack, her clothes are now torn apart a little bit. Veins start popping on her face, her teeth are grinning non-stop and her eyes…they all turn red furiously.

  “Yup, she’s mad…That can’t be good at all…” I whispered.

  You can say that angering her would benefit us since the chance of her making mistakes will increase, but a part of me inside…it doesn’t want it to be like that at all.

  “Oh dear, I have a bad feeling about this…” Mitsuko-chan worriedly said.

  “Yeah, me too…”

  Gulping, I hold on to my sword even tighter.

  Right now, the situation is on the verge of escating into something we might not be able to handle. Whatever decision we’re about to make, it has to be the definite right one, or else.

  “You two still don’t get it, do you?”

  Suddenly, Hirose-sensei starts asking something. From the look on her eyes, we’re certainly the targets. That fact alone is enough to make us nervously sweat a little bit.

  “While we’re here wasting our time fighting this meaningless fight, that man is out there wreaking havoc! IS THAT WHAT YOU TWO WANT HUH? IS THAT IT?”

  Hearing sensei venting at us, we go temporarily silent for the moment. She has every right to do that, as we both want the same thing: taking down [Soulless Machine].

  However, her way isn’t the way it should be, and somewhere inside her conscious has to know that. If I don’t shake that up to her, she’ll lost forever before she could even realize it.

  “Stop staring at me like two idiots and answer the damn question already! Do I have to teach you how to talk?” she shouted at us.

  “No sensei, you don’t have to…” Mitsuko-chan suddenly responded. “In fact, we have something to say to you right now…”

  “Oh is that so? Enlighten me then.”

  Right next to me, my best friend is taking one deep breath with her eyes closed. After that, she looks straight into sensei’s eyes with nothing but sheer determination.

  “We may be luckier than you sensei, so the whole “How can you even rete or understand my pain?” can be applied, and we don’t deny that.” Mitsuko-chan said. “However, that doesn’t stop us from doing what’s right. It’s not just our duties, it’s our responsibilities: To save someone from falling down, to hold onto their hands and tell them “It’s alright, we are here for you no matter what”.”

  She then points her sword at sensei. Seeing that, she can only reluctantly take a step back while her face is sweating a little bit.

  “So sensei, we don’t care how harsh your words are or how brutal you actions can and will it be. We’re putting a stop to this madness once and for all. We don’t want to see you like this, and a part of you knows that too. Please sensei, don’t make this any harder for us.”

  With a soft yet powerful voice, Mitsuko-chan gave out a warning. No need to see sensei’s reaction, even I was shocked to hear that. Regardless, she still had said everything I was going to, and that matters the most.

  “…”

  On the other side, sensei still hasn’t responded to us just yet. Her silent raises many questions in us, to which I’m having some thoughts about it already.

  “Yeah Master, I don’t think she’s buying any of her words at all.” Tiamat said to me telepathically.

  “Huh, you think so too? Athena, what about you?”

  “Well Master, as much as I love to disagree with her, I’m afraid I can’t. Even worse, she might pull out something terrible on both of you. I can smell it even from far away…”

  “Yeah, I thought so…”

  Using this little time of silence, I tell Tiamat to contact Mitsuko-chan, telling her all of our suspicions. Soon after, she’s looking at me concernedly.

  “Don’t worry, we have each other. We’ll be fine.” I reassured her.

  “I see, so that’s how it is huh…Very well then, you two ask for it…”

  “Huh?”

  Standing afar from us, Hirose-sensei mumbled something. I don’t know what that was all about, but soon enough, I learn just what that is.

  “Thud!”

  Suddenly, sensei’s shadows start appearing below her from all sides, with her at the center. Then, she starts descending down slowly, disappearing from our sights completely.

  Seeing that, I quickly look down and realize the shadows have now clumped together into one giant ball of darkness. Right next to me, Mitsuko-chan has also noticed it as well.

  “Hey Yasutaira-kun, isn’t this, you know, “that”?” she asked.

  “Yeah well, not exactly. Still, we have to be careful. We don’t know what she’s up to…Hrrk!”

  Suddenly, the shadow clump starts sliding at us. Before I could even finish my sentence, it overwhelms by body, choking both of us in the process.

  “Mmmph… Mmmph!”

  We try our best to fight against it with everything we have. Unfortunately, it still isn’t enough, as the shadow creates hundreds of arms just to push us down even further.

  Eventually, the three of us disappears from the surface, never to be seen again for a while.

  “*puff puff* No, this can’t be real…It can’t be…”

  Desperately gasping for air, a man hurriedly runs for his life.

  Just a few hours ago, he’s still just a low-life thug working for a notorious criminal gang in New York. He even promised his new girl a dinner that same morning.

  However, things changed drastically when he returned to the ir after an entire day of collecting debts. As soon as he opened the gate, a pile of death bodies greeted him, making him look as white as a sheet.

  “No way, don’t tell me that…”

  Swallowed his fear, the man started investigating the pce. Soon, he realized what kind of person could have done it and immediately, he escaped as fast as possible.

  “*puff puff* I have to hurry before he finds me…I still have something to live for, I can’t die like this…”

  He had been heard about it, and he had been fully aware that they would soon be the target as well. It just that it happened so fast and so sudden, they didn’t even have the chance to fight back.

  “Hey, watch where you’re going pal!”

  Bumping into a random guy on the street, the man frantically apologizes. After that, he continues his escape through a stream of people until he comes across a small alley.

  “*puff puff* Just a little bit more and I’m safe. Come on legs, don’t give up on me now…”

  Stopping at nearby trashcan with cardboard boxes, the man quickly takes his breath. He’s very near the secret hide-out he’s been dying to get there. That man cannot find him there no matter how hard he tries.

  At least, that’s what he thought.

  “Huh, what the…?”

  As the man is about to continue his way, he just suddenly can’t move his left leg. He looks down and is immediately horrified, as it’s tied up by some kind of shadow hand rising from a dark pond below.

  “Hey, let go of me…Argh! What the hell?”

  The hand then grows out its nails, stabbing the man’s leg. Right away, he falls down and let out a painful scream while bumping himself into the trashcan.

  “Argh…This thing…why is it this tough…I can’t let it go…”

  Sitting down, the man tries his best to remove the hand, but to no avail at all. He even uses [Mana Crusher] as the st resort, but that didn’t work as well.

  “Whiff!”

  As he’s struggling to escape, a cold shivering wind just blows right past him. Something else has also flowed past the man, but he didn’t notice it at all. That, however, is the biggest mistake he made that night.

  “Huh, there’s somewhere here too…Hey, a little help please…”

  The man turned around and asked for some help. Unfortunately, before he could even finish his sentence, his face quickly turns pale, as a giant fring clump of shadow appears in front of him.

  “Argh!!!”

  Following that desperate scream, the shadow furiously swallows the man, and with that, his existence has completely vanished from the Earth’s surface, never to be found ever again.

  “Urgh…My head…Where are we…What is this pce anyways?”

  After being swallowed by sensei, which sounds disgusting out of context, we’re now trapped inside another realm that’s not the Earth.

  At first, I remain at the same location to quickly recover before setting out to find Mitsuko-chan.

  “Yasutaira-kun, over here!”

  Luckily, since we weren’t being split too far away, it doesn’t take us much to regroup. We then immediately ask after each other, making sure we’re still both fine.

  “Yeah, besides falling down to this pce, I’m completely okay. Still, where are we?” Mitsuko-chan replied.

  “Well, there’s only one way to know.” I said. “She’s the one dragging us here, if we can find her, we’ll know the answer.”

  “That is assuming she’ll listen to us, and from the recent track record…yeah we might need to try another approach method.”

  With that in mind, we both wander around the realm. There’s no sign, signal or direction to go, just pure darkness surround us. We have nothing but our instincts to rely on.

  “I have to say Master, I don’t like the feeling of this realm at all…”

  “Yeah Athena, you don’t say…” I replied.

  Meanwhile, the goddesses have also voiced their opinions, and they aren’t looking too good either. After all, this pce is the exact opposite of [The Void].

  “Should I work on that name again? I know we’ve done it once, but well, let’s ask them ter...I’m sure they can read this anyways.” I thought to myself.

  Suddenly, we sense something. Immediately, we keep our guard up and look around, trying to find the source of that “something”.

  “Welcome to [Shadow Pit].”

  A familiar voice echoes in our ears. Following that, a small glowing shadow clump starts rising in front of us. As we’re covering our eyes, it begins reshaping into something, or should I say someone.

  “A bottomless realm that can only be accessed by those who possess [Seal of Darkness], this pce has been the grave of so many poor victims of my father. It’s the one-of-a-kind technique passed down by those in the [Shadow Cn].”

  That “someone” is none other than our teacher, Hirose-sensei. Judging from her introduction, it seems like this pce is somewhat simir to [The Void]. However, there’re key differences.

  “Don’t worry, you won’t sense the blood of those victims. Each seals generate difference realm with the same attributes of one another. Out of those attributes, let me show you my favorite.”

  Immediately, a dark aura starts covering sensei, and with that, she powers up drastically. I have to turn on [Super Strengthen Magic] just to stay on my two feet.

  “Hurgh…”

  Right next to me, Mitsuko-chan is also struggling as well. Fortunately, we both manage to stand firm. Although, we can only watch as sensei is just getting stronger and stronger over time.

  “All those darkness you’re seeing, they’re my reserved mana. The more I channel them into my body, the more powerful I become. Oh and I forgot to mention, that’s just the basic.”

  Despite that, the power she’s showcasing to us has to be equal to [Apocalypse Warlord], maybe more. I can’t be so sure, but I still think she has the edge over sensei.

  “And now, you two shall know what it’s like to spend all those years living in the shadow of your past. Be prepared, because I will not hold back just because you’re my lovely students.”

  With a cold and haunting voice, Hirose-sensei gave out a warning. Right after that, she submerges herself into the floor.

  “Huh, where did she go…”

  Unfortunately, we can’t just sense her and anticipate her next move, as this entire pce has basically become one with her. She’s everywhere and so does her mana.

  However, when there’s a will, there’s a way.

  Facing that dilemma, relying on our good old senses is a viable option. With that in mind, my eyes, nose and ears start working at full capacity, and so does Mitsuko-chan. There has to be slip of the crack we can exploit, and we have to use it right now.

  “There!”

  From behind, two shadow hands flies straight at us. Immediately, I shout at Mitsuko-chan, and we both jump at the opposite direction. With that, we manage to dodge the lethal attack aiming at us.

  “Huh, what the…”

  Just when we thought we made it, the hands start creating two massive swords and swing them at us. Coming at full speed, we can only raise our weapons to block it hurriedly.

  “Cng!”

  As the result, we’re both being pushed back a little bit. We then spend the next few minutes struggling against the deadly bdes, and eventually, we’re all moving forward.

  “Hargh!”

  Letting out a battle cry, I quickly sneak to the side and slice the arm into half. As the hand is falling down, the arm quickly grows out another one, with the sword being fully intact as well.

  “Whoosh!”

  The arm then continues to swing at me fiercely. Luckily, I’m able to dodge them all, and soon, I step far away from the hand.

  “Hey Yasutaira-kun, how’s yours doing?”

  Not too far from me, Mitsuko-chan has also escaped from the hand and now she’s running towards me. Hearing her calling me, I hurriedly get to her, only to be tailed by the hand from my side.

  To make matter even worse, the hand from Mitsuko-chan’s side is also following her as well in an attempt to sandwich and take down both of us.

  “[Mana Burst]!”

  “[Light Howl]!”

  However, we immediately read the situation and with just a nod and switch of dance partners, we run past each other and destroy both hands. After that, we return and quickly move away as far as possible before they could even finish regenerating.

  “Hmmp, don’t think you’re getting away that easy.”

  Sensei’s thought didn’t reach us. What’s trying to do that however are the shadow hands, now smaller, faster and generate even more than ever. Not to mention, they’re not just coming from one direction, they’re heading towards us from multiple angles.

  “Whoosh! Cng!”

  “Urgh! Argh!”

  Those upgrades alone are enough to give us a hard time. Equipped with weapons, those hands keep on hitting us with full speed and force. Despite our best effort, we can’t deflect them all, thus wounds start appearing on our bodies.

  Fortunately, since Mitsuko-chan’s elemental ability can counter sensei’s, we’re not being too overwhelmed. Eventually, we’re able to somewhat make a comeback and slice those hands in half quite a few times.

  “Hargh! [Final Fatality]!”

  As some of them are regenerating, Mitusko-chan charges her sword and aims it at them. Her sword then lightens up and creates multiple small light beams that immediately destroy the hands upon impact.

  “[Judgement Strike]!”

  Following her attack, I quickly power up my sword and use it to vaporize a rge chunk of shadow hands as well. Surprisingly, that’s actually what making other hands stop attacking us.

  Despite are just emotionless objects, those shadow hands are still being controlled by someone after all, and that certain “someone” must have felt hesitant. Even I didn’t expect that.

  “I know she’s his daughter, but oh my god what the hell was that power? Those things weren’t even that dangerous to begin with, and now they’re just shredding us like cabbages.”

  “Yeah, and that might not be all…”

  Right next to me, my best friend starts showing her frustration. After all, she made a good point: Sensei is still holding her punches. Either we’re being toyed, or it’s just an interlude to something far worse.

  “Look out!”

  Suddenly, something just flies straight to Mitsuko-chan’s face. Lucky for her, I reacted to it just in time, and quickly enough, I push her to the side, dodging the attack entirely.

  “Boom!”

  Immediately, that “something” explodes behind us. Mitsuko-chan then looks at me all-sweating, not because she didn’t see that coming, but rather the damage she could have been taken from that strike.

  “Oh that’s not all…”

  As both of us is standing up, we look around and realize that once again, we’re surrounded by those same hands. Only this time, they’re attacking with their palms.

  “Whoosh! Cng! Whoosh!”

  The same previous cycle of sshing and dodging continues, with the main difference being that we now also have to work with each other in order to defeat those hands.

  “[Light Crasher]!”

  Mitsuko-chan generates mana into her hands and sms them down the ground. Immediately, multiple light bolts pop out from below and travel to the hands with immense speed.

  “Boom!”

  As those bolts hit the hands, they easily pierce through them, ultimately destroying them in the process.

  “Whoosh!”

  However, some still managed to escape. They then swiftly dodge the bolts before flying at Mitsuko-chan for revenge.

  “Not so fast!”

  From behind, I run towards the hands and quickly dispatch them one by one. Soon after, Mitsuko-chan also joins as well and within a few minutes, we destroy the rest of the hands.

  “[Shadow Assault]!”

  Suddenly, from behind, multiple sshes shallowly cut through our bodies.

  “Argh!”

  The surprise attacks caught us off-guard, and so, we’re all leaning forward in pain. As we’re on the ground, bloods start dripping down from the freshly wounds.

  “Rargh!”

  Sensei furiously charges at us from the front with two [Darkness Bde]. Fortunately, we were able to stand up just in time and blocked the attack with our swords. However, we’re still being pushed back a little bit.

  “Whoosh! Cng! Whoosh!”

  Once again, I’m the one to sneak out to the side first. Immediately, I come in and attack sensei, but she was still faster and resists. Regardless, that’s all I need to see in order to break free my best friend.

  “Hargh!”

  Mitsuko-chan then charges in right away. With her by my side, the pying field has once again been leveled.

  “Whoosh! Whoosh!”

  “Cng!”

  I charge in first with a ssh down, but sensei easily blocks it. However, Mitusko-chan immediately uses that to get behind her and deliver a thrust.

  “Hargh! Hmmph!”

  Struggling for a bit, sensei quickly deflected my strike to perform a backflip, dodging Mitsuko-chan’s attack from behind.

  “Gyargh!”

  Fortunately, she’s able to stop herself before crashing into me. Using that, I come in and transfer my mana to her, strengthening her in the process.

  “Ah thanks Yasutaira-kun, just what I need. Now, let us continue shall we?”

  Immediately after, she hops backward with the sword holding even tighter than ever. Coincidentally, where she’s heading is also where sensei just nded.

  “[Luminous Vortex Ssh]!”

  Covering her sword with [Light], Mitsuko-chan spins around and sshes sensei with it. A loud “cng” immediately shakes up the realm, followed by the shining light and a small explosion to end things up.

  “Heh, how’s that for teamwork sensei?” Mitsuko-chan said, gasping a little bit.

  As the smoke quickly clears out, our teacher reappears with a few bruises and wounds from the attack. It didn’t do too much on her, but regardless, it’s a wakeup call for her, at least that’s what we hope.

  “You call that “teamwork” Mitsuko-chan? Clearly you two are still a bit too confident don’t you think?” sensei furiously responded.

  With that, both let the fight go on. We would continue to take turns, attacking and defending against sensei together. During that time, we would also put on even more pressure on her.

  “[Judgement Strike]!”

  “Tsk, [Dark Sky Protection]!”

  With a shield made out of dark clouds, sensei blocks my attack, but not with additional side effects: The ground starts rumbling a little bit while a loud explosion also erupts in front of her.

  “Hargh!”

  Not waiting for the smoke to clear out, Mitsuko-chan immediately heads towards sensei to attack. Unfortunately, before she could even do something, sensei once again submerges into the floor, dodging the strike entirely.

  “Hargh!”

  “Cng!”

  Immediately, she emerges from behind and strikes Mitsuko-chan. Luckily, she dodges it just in time, but sensei soon follows up with a second [Darkness Bde], this time sshing from behind by a [Dark Clone].

  “Whoosh!”

  Fortunately, my best friend once again reacts quite quickly and once again, dodges the attack by jumping up.

  “Where do you think you’re going huh?”

  Mitsuko isn’t able to have the st ugh however, as sensei has outsmarted her and sends another [Dark Clone] to attack her from above. To make matter even worse, as she’s floating in the sky waiting for the strike, two more clones comes right at her from the front and behind.

  “[Five Stars Darkness Crusher]!”

  The two other ones below quickly charge at Mitsuko-chan, making it a five-way attack with no inch given. In addition, they’re both powering up their weapons, ready to fire at her as the final touch.

  “Mitsuko-chan, look out!” I shouted.

  “Don’t worry Master, she got it.”

  As I’m about to jump in, Tiamat suddenly speaks up, telling me to sit back trust her. At first, I wasn’t buying it, but as soon as I saw her smirk, I quickly change my mind.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, she’s a direct counter to sensei, so I assume she could whip out something to free herself.”

  “And that to me Master is more than enough. Now, let the light show begins, shall we?”

  As I’m looking up to the sky, the five figures are now just centimeters away from Mitsuko-chan. However, that’s not the highlight up on the air.

  “[Burning Light]!”

  Retrieving her sword, Mitsuko-chan quickly charges herself up and soon, she’s covering in a yellow aura. That aura is none other than the mana she’s about to release, and the moment it bursts out…

  “Boom!”

  It disintegrates the clones entirely while shining bright the entire sky. Not to mention, as it’s lighting up the dark realm, wind starts blowing stronger than ever. I have to cover my eyes while trying my best not to fall down, which didn’t take much effort.

  “Oh my, now that’s what I called a show.”

  “Yeah Tiamat, although not anyone can see it…” I responded.

  After that little exchange, a few minutes then go by like a blink of an eye.

  During that time, instead of waiting, I hurriedly ran to Mitsuko-chan, who was on her knees gasping for air after the attack.

  “Man, that thing really drained me out quite a bit…” she excimed.

  “Yeah, that’s the cost of putting on a show you know?”

  “Well, not thanks to a certain “someone” who could have just helped me you know. If I ever found that guy, I’m mincing him into pieces.”

  “Isn’t that against the w Mitsuko-chan?” I responded jokingly. “I don’t think that guy would appreciate that…”

  All of a sudden, the realm starts shaking as we’re standing up. Immediately, it knocks us back down on the ground, which will soon go through an unexpected change.

  “Huh…woah woah, what the…”

  The floor would rotate ninety degrees and as the result, the entire realm is now acting like a bottomless pit like sensei described to us, with the ground now becomes a wall for us to hang on.

  “Hey Mitsuko-chan, are you alright?”

  “Ah uhm yeah, I think so.”

  Luckily, we all manage to do just that with our swords. How long can we do that however, is a question we’re all afraid to find the answer, except for one person.

  “[Midnight Thunder]!”

  From above, two bck thunders strike down at us. Since we’re hanging on for our dear lives, we can only take the hits and scream out painfully as we’re doing so.

  “Ouch, that was hurt…”

  Lucky for us, we both found a way to reduce the damage from the attacks. Thanks to that, we’re still standing, even though not literally, but not for too long.

  “Hey Mitsuko-chan, are you still good?”

  “Well not too much.” she responded. “We’re still here, meaning there’s more to go from her. She’s not going to stop until she sees us falling not for thirty minutes, but for eternity.”

  “Yeah you’re right…but we can’t exactly do anything much in this situation. Unless we find a way to revert it, we’re just going to be her punching bags for god know how long…”

  As we just finish our small conversation, another wave of [Midnight Thunder] hits us, followed by [Wrathful Roar], a howling tornado filled with [Dark] element. Quickly enough, Mitsuko-chan blocks them with [Light Shield], preventing them from striking us even more.

  “[Erebus’s Punishment]!”

  Immediately, above us, a bck skeleton with dark angel wings and silver armor lets out a loud howl. Right after that, it fires out a dark beam made out of bck dusks at us.

  “Boom!”

  The beam easily destroys our shield before slowly splitting into numerous dark particles. As they’re falling on us, those particles create multiple small explosions, causing cumutive damage on our bodies and covering us in the smoke.

  “Hrgh…Argh!”

  As we’re enduring the ongoing pain, we let out our excruciating groans. I can feel my pupils being dited while my entire body is putting on even more stress and pressure due to the circumstance.

  “*puff puff* Argh, she really didn’t hold back at all huh…”

  A few minutes after the particles stop exploding; the smoke has also been cleared as well. My mouth alongside the fresh wounds are bleeding non-stop while my clothes are quite torn. Luckily, the USB still survives for some reason.

  As I’m heading my attention to my best friend, the result comes back as I anticipated.

  “Hehe, yeah…I think I’ve broken a few ribs…Well, at least my body can go for a few dozen more waves.”

  Mitsuko-chan, now with more bruises and wounds than ever, weakly said while parts of her body are also bleeding as well. Despite that, she’s still somewhat fine. I’m quite impressed she’s still confident she can take on more.

  Unlike me with [Super Strengthen Magic], she has to take on more damage, yet with nothing but sheer will, she’s still not giving up.

  “Hey Yasutaira-kun.”

  “Hmm, what is it?” I asked.

  “Now would be a great time to think of something to turn this table. I can’t even think of one when these wounds keep screaming for medication you know.” Mitsuko-chan said jokingly

  “Well, I think I got one, although it has to be in a specific scenario in order to work…”

  I then spend the next few minutes telling her what the pn is. In the meantime, we were patiently waiting for the next attack wave, which didn’t happen. That leaves us some space to breathe and prepare for a comeback.

  Well, at least that’s what we hope to get.

  “I must say, I have to give you two credits for surviving that long and that much.”

  To Mitsuko-chan’s right, Hirose-sensei emerges from the wall. Her face is a mix of surprise, annoyance and a slight anger also. Needless to say, she is not too happy with us at all.

  “Which is also what bugged me the most: Don’t you see how pointless it is trying to resist? This mission of yours, what good is it going to do when the real threat is still out there rampaging huh?”

  With a fed up voice, sensei belittled us. Just from the way she’s standing with her left hand on her hip, we can tell that she views this fight as “meaningless” and “a waste of time”.

  It may sound weird to say this, but I agree with her, just not in the way she expected.

  “Well you see sensei…At least we’re trying to do it in the most harmless way we can think of, not going around messing with someone’s business. Besides, I thought you’re smarter than this sensei?”

  Slightly exhausted and fatigued, I said those words with sarcasm. I’m not trying to make fun of sensei here, more like knocking some senses into her while I still can. The sensei I know might still in there, so even if the chance is near zero, I still want to take it.

  “I see my lovely student, so that’s the faith you’ve chosen for you and your friend…”

  Whispering something, sensei then submerges into the wall. It doesn’t take us too long to know where she’s heading, as soon after, she’s floating mid-air right next to me with her left arm raising at us.

  “You and your best friend are one of my proudest students, so it’s a shame that you keep refusing to understand, Yasutaira-kun. I suppose leaving you two here for eternity would suffice.”

  As sensei is saying those words, a bck ball starts forming in front of her left palm. Looking at the way her mana is rolling, this attack might be the killing stone that kills two birds in front of it.

  “Last warning Yasutaira-kun: Give up on this nonsense or face the consequence of your stupidity. There won’t be another chance, so chose your next words wisely.” Hirose-sensei coldly said.

  The dark ball then grows even bigger than before, proving she wasn’t bluffing. However, Mitsuko-chan and I have another idea.

  “Alright sensei, you got us. I’ll let go of it this instant. It’s just that…there’s a condition.”

  “And that condition would be?”

  The moment she asks that, I quickly shout at Mitsuko-chan as the signal. Hearing it, we both let go of our swords and start freefalling down. Our sudden unexpected action has left sensei speechless and confused for a short while, which gives us an advantage.

  “Hey Yasutaira-kun…Are you sure this is going to work?”

  “Huh? Ah uhm…yeah, I’m fifty percent sure.”

  “Fif…I’m sorry did you just say “fifty”? That isn’t going to be enough you know!”

  “Uhm well…just trust me on this. She’s going to take the bait, just wait.”

  While falling, we have a quick conversation, which wouldn’t make possible if it wasn’t for Tiamat’s dubbing our words to each other. Speaking of her, she also pys a key part in this pn as well.

  That “key part” however will depend on how this scenario pys out.

  “Bamf!”

  Suddenly, we hear the sound of something just teleported. Both of us know what that sound is and who was making it, which ties in perfectly into the pn I was having in my head.

  “And this…this is for having the balls to hide it from me this entire time.”

  Following the teleporting sound, the wind starts blowing strong below us as I can feel an immense amount of mana gathering at one singur point. Once all of them are released, it would be the death sentence to us.

  However, that day will have to be postponed.

  “Now!”

  A few dozen meters away from sensei, I shout aloud, and in our hands, our weapons have returned. However, we would only be using Mitsuko-chan’s, and before that, I transfer my enhanced mana to her as we’re both powering up.

  “[Golden Judgement Strike]!”

  In a surprising twist, we turn our bodies to sensei and fire out a golden bst. It’s the same move we’ve used to defeat Kuroto-senpai, and now, it’s our trump card and the ticket to get us out of this pce.

  “Tsk…[Lilim Burst]!”

  Shocked for a short while, Hirose-sensei immediately triples the size of the bck ball. After that, she punches it up with her right arm. It doesn’t travel for too far, as the beam quickly approaches the ball, preventing it from hitting us.

  “Boom!”

  A massive explosion roars through the realm as the beam shines up the pce as well. In that time, we both hold on to the sword more tightly than ever while keep on pouring our mana into the attack.

  “Hrrgh…Come on, just a little more…We can do this…” I thought to myself.

  As we’re floating in the air due to the attacks colliding, the bst and the giant bck ball are struggling to reach its opponent. One moment, we’re having the advantage, but in the next minute, sensei’s attack just pushes the bst back.

  “Hmmp, just how stubborn these two can be?” sensei whispered. “WHY DON’T YOU JUST GIVE UP ALREADY HUH?”

  Hirose-sensei shouts something aloud, but the sound of two attacks hitting each other prevents us from hearing it. Despite that, it didn’t stop us from putting even more than what we already had on our bst, and so does sensei.

  “Fwoosh!”

  As the result, the light then starts shining even brighter than ever, and soon, it blinds us completely. Another massive explosion then follows it, shaking the entire realm up as it happens.

  That explosion is happened to be the st thing we remember before losing our consciousness entirely.

  (Kiriwatari-sensei’s POV)

  A few hours after giving out the mission to Yasutaira-kun, I quickly got to Vegas with Mark-san and Kariuda-chan. Obviously, we’re not here to gamble but rather…to confirm something we got from our intel.

  “Huh, so this is the pce…Man I haven’t got here in a while…Oh well it’s not like I’m here to throw my money out of the window, figuratively and literally…”

  Where we’re at right now is ARORA Resort & Casino, a pce packed with the wealthiest and most desperate people on the pnet. We’re not both, but if we don’t do our job, the tter might soon be us.

  “Welcome to ARORA Resort & Casino, how may we help us?”

  Greeted by the waiter at the entrance, we quickly tell him why we’re here and who we would love to speak to, and after showing him my ID card as a bonus, he immediately leads us to the reception table where a woman is standing there.

  “Oh so you’re looking for Mr. Santiago…Uhm just wait us a minute…”

  The receptionist immediately picks up the phone after we told her everything. After a short while, she hangs on the phone and tells us that the owner will be here in a minute.

  “Really? Thanks a lot. We promise we won’t waste any of his precious time.”

  “Haha please, don’t make a promise inside a casino. It’s the st pce you ever want to do that you know?” the receptionist said jokingly.

  “Oh I know, which is exactly why I made it. That man is not going to love it, and I will enjoy that distaste in his mouth.”

  “I…would not recommend that, but well, to each of their own I guess…”

  After that, we spend the next few minutes waiting and have another conversation with each other, mainly about the owner himself. We’ve known each other for quite a long time now, but this is the first time I’ve ever visited him in the st five years.

  “Ah Ms. Kiriwatari, you’re actually here! I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Speaking of the devil, as we turn to the right, a middle-aged man with mustache and branded shades is slowly walking towards us. He’s about as tall as Yasutaira-kun but way plumber that him

  The mustache, the cowboy hat and even that all-white tuxedo…it can’t be mistaken: He’s Jorge Santiago, owner of ARORA Resort & Casino.

  “Me too Jorge-san, it’s always nice to visit a good old friend of mine don’t you think?”

  Immediately, I walk to him. We then give each other a hug before happily shaking our hands. After all, keeping a somewhat friendly retionship with everyone is what I do best besides gathering intel.

  “Oh man, you haven’t changed that much at all! It’s been what, four years?” he excimed.

  “Pretty sure it’s five, Jorge-san. Anyways, you got my call didn’t you?”

  “Oh yes, Chiyoe, yes I did. Follow me.”

  The three of us then walks alongside him as he’s leading us to the security room. It’s on the ground floor, and it’s also not too far from where we were just standing. In just a few minutes, we’re already there.

  “Ah excuse me gentlemen, you guys don’t mind giving me the access to the video surveilnce please? It’s business.”

  We tell Jorge-san about what we want to see, and he immediately conveys them to the securities. They then quickly rewind the footage to exactly where and when we asked for.

  As I’m sitting down to watch everything, all the dots have now been officially connected, and they don’t give back a great result at all.

  “*sigh* I should have known it sooner…Damn am I getting rusty?”

  What’s shown in front of us are footages of [Dark Blood], a criminal organization that’s been fallen off for the st few years. They stayed at this pce for a short while celebrating before leaving, which bother me a lot.

  Led by the Giordano family, they were once a thorn in our eyes with how brutal and efficient they were back in the days.

  A feared name no one didn’t even have the balls to disrespect; but even since the death of their don, things went south uncontrolbly. They’ve managed to drag themselves out of the mud, but those glory days are still far away from their hands.

  Now, whenever someone mentions them, they become the prime example of an all-powerful empire that couldn’t withstand the test of time.

  That is, until around two weeks ago.

  “Wait sensei, so from these footages…does that mean…”

  “Yeah kid, it seems like those intel are true. All the recent bloodbaths were their doing. It’s not business, just pure revenge. In other words: They’re the one behind everything.” Mark-san continued.

  One of the reasons for [Dark Blood]’s dominance back then was thanks to the work of Hirose Toshikata, or [Soulless Machine] to be more specific. He unfortunately is also the reason for their fall-off with the capture and years rotting in jail.

  “And now, with the return of their ace, they’re on the run to return to those glory days.” I concluded.

  Right next to me, Jorge-san is quite pissed off at what he’s seeing. After all, Toshikata-san was there too, but he made sure no cameras could catch him, so even if his boss or colleagues were talking to him, the casino would not even tell.

  “Tsk, hey Chiyoe, there has to be something fishy behind this right? I’ve heard rumors about them before, so you’d better confirm that to me now!” Jorge-san angrily shouted.

  “Now now old friend, calm down. This isn’t you at all buddy. There, open your phone.”

  I then quickly send an email to him, detailing all the information regarding [Dark Blood] and Hirose Toshikata. After a few minutes, he finally cools down his composure.

  “I see, so those pendejo were the one organizing the prison escape I’ve been heard…Idiota! They even dared bringing that man here without my permission or knowledge at all!”

  Venting out a little bit, he then makes a few calls before putting his phone back into his pocket. After that, he takes off his shades and puts them on his breast pocket.

  “Alright Chiyoe, you have my words: I’ll help you with this. I know I won’t benefit much from this, but those pendejo had the nerve to fool me like that. By any means, I’ll make them pay!”

  With that, I shake his hand, sealing our deal right at the spot.

  “Alright, let me just make a few calls and ask for some favors. In that meantime, if you need anything else in here, just tell my men. They’ll get you whatever you want in no time.”

  After saying that, Jorge-san then leaves the room. While he isn’t here, Mark-san quickly uses this time to check if the cameras had caught any footages of Hirose-sensei.

  “Ah right away sir. Alright let’s see…” the surveilnce officer replied while clicking non-stop. “Ah there we go. Here is what you asked sir, come take a look.”

  Mark-san checks all the cameras thoroughly, making sure he isn’t missing something. Alongside him, Kariuda-chan is also helping as well. Both take notes of what Hirose-sensei did, where she went and after a while, they come back with a few theories.

  “Hmm, what the…my phone is ringing…Who could possibly call me this time of the day.”

  Feeling the vibration, I immediately pick up my phone, and to my surprise, it’s [Maestro] who’s calling me.

  “Hey Chiyoe, it’s me.”

  “[Maestro]-kun? What a surprise. Why are you calling me now?”

  “Well, normally I would love to say it’s urgent because you know, whenever two [Elites] are on the phone, it has to be something major. Unfortunately, I’m only here because my men couldn’t.”

  “Your men?” I asked.

  “Yeah, the one I tasked to help you with the investigation. He is on a mission right now, so I’m his messenger for this one time. Check the mail I just sent you.”

  I temporarily hang up the phone to do as he said. After a short while of reading, I instantly get everything he’s giving me.”

  “Huh, that is bad…” I whispered. “Alright, thanks for the information. Well, I have to go now. He needs to know this as soon as possible. Have a great day [Maestro]-kun.”

  “You too, Chiyoe.” he replied. “Make sure this mission comes back victorious, got it?”

  With that, I end the call with my colleague. Little did I know, on the other side of the globe, a fight is about to start in just a short while.

  New York, ten in the morning with nothing but sunshine and the warmth of the summer, it’s dream scenario for those who loves to have a good time that could st forever.

  However, when there’s yin, there’s also yang. Even the brightest pces have the darkest corners, and we’re about to see one in just a few moments.

  “Gehahahaha! Excellent! Amazing! That’s more I like it!”

  In an office filled with cigars, boozes and the smell of money, a man in his early thirties is ughing deviously as he’s hanging his legs on the table. In his hands lies a phone full of footages of bloodbaths and dead bodies.

  With a white t-shirt mixed with bck waistcoat and a fancy branded tie, he really comes off as an elegant gentleman. However, do not let them fool you.

  “Ah Toshikata-san, you really are a master of your work. No wonder my dad used to keep you around for years.” the man said, lighting up another cigar.

  Born into a mobster family, Giovanni Giordano had spent his entire life living in the luxury and glory his father had built. However, with the unfortunate demise of the don came the inevitably fall from grace.

  As the only child in the family, Giovanni was expected to take over his father’s business. In fact, that was the don’s will before passing away, and Giovanni did just that in honor of his legacy.

  “Ah Giovanni-sama, this is just light exercises compares to what I’m truly capable of. After all, I’ve been out of action for a while. These sughters…I’m thankful to have it.”

  “Well, years of being looked down on can give you something good to offer you know, and revenge is the best and sweetest one.”

  As he mentioned, in the years since his takeover, Giovanni had tried his best to make his father proud. Unfortunately, he cks the brain and the composure, and to make matter worse, he’s also a pyboy with more than just notorious reputations. Those reputations however did not help him at all.

  Thus, day by day, the empire keeps crumbling down, to the point that even the most loyal and trusted men had left him behind.

  With everything he’s been through, it left him no choice but to seek vengeance, and who’s better to do it than the mad dog that is [Soulless Machine].

  “No, no, no! Arguh!!!”

  “Spsh!”

  In the misty and heavy smoke coming from the cigar, the current don of [Dark Blood] continues to walk through all the videos. It’s not just a fetish but rather an accomplishment, a sign that those who dare to mess with them will not end up well at all.

  “*Knock knock!* Sir, may I come in?”

  “Yes, come in!”

  Giovanni’s secretary opens the door after the affirmative. A young fine dy with red wavy hair, she slowly walks towards her boss with a tablet in her arms. As she’s standing in front of the desk, she bows her head down, then comes near Toshikata-san to shake his hand.

  “So Daisy, has the money been transferred into our account?” he asked while putting the phone away.

  “Oh yes sir, it appears that the transaction has been completed: Five million dolrs, all fresh and clean. Nobody will be able to trace them down even if they wanted to.” she said, giving the tablet to her boss.

  “Gehahaha, excellent job Daisy, I know I can count on you!”

  “No need to sir, it’s just my job. I’m here to repay for everything your father had done to us, I don’t deserve your praise.”

  Giovanni smiles satisfactorily while holding the tablet. He might not be as bright as his father, but the man still knows how to handle business when he needs to, and frankly, the solution is quite simple.

  “Well, if you said so. Anyways, is there any new request for us?”

  If the same old paths don’t work out anymore, find a new one that suits the most. In this case, they became a mercenary organization, receiving killing tasks from clients all around the world.

  At first, things didn’t go too smoothly, and others were still looking at them with despise, but it’s still better than nothing. Slowly but gradually, they’re making a comeback for themselves.

  “Uhm let me check…well, there’s a few ones with low rewards here…”

  “Huh, haven’t seen that in a while…Alright, let the goons handle those. It’s essentially a holiday for them anyways, why not throw in some extra “spice” too it?”

  “Roger that sir.”

  Then, something happened, or should I say being made to happen.

  With the new income flowing in, Giovanni had finally able to free his father’s trump card, and for the st two weeks, a good chunk of his enemies was eliminated, including the one that makes him five million dolrs.

  “Huh, there’s another one here too…I wonder who sent it…”

  Noticing a missing request, Giovanni mentioned it to his secretary. Immediately, she asks to get the tablet back and her boss happily agrees. After a quick scrolling, the information finally pops off, and she unhesitatingly gives it to him.

  “It’s an anonymous request, and the target is Kiriwatari Chiyoe, nicknamed [Phantom Mist]. The bounty is fifteen million dolrs, cash only. Once the job is done, the money will be sent within the next twelve hours.” Daisy expined.

  “Oh. And the location to receive the cash?” Toshikata-san asked.

  “The client will reveal it and their identity after we finish our job. Until then, it remains unknown.”

  “I see, seems quite fishy if I’m being frank…”

  [Phantom Mist], those words together alone are enough to make him shiver and sweat quite a bit. That name needs no introduction, not because of her power, but the endless connections she possesses as well.

  Not anyone is her ally, but they won’t be dumb enough to be her enemy, well besides [Rising Phoenix], but that’s not his concern at all.

  “Well, I don’t think they would make such a mistake like this at all. So now, it begs the question: Who can it be?” Toshikata-san questioned.

  Whoever sent this request either has the balls and the financial or cks the brain to think it thoroughly, and that’s coming from Giovanni. He can think of a few names and forces, but there’s no proof to back it up.

  “High risk, high return” they said, but in this scenario, you either get rich or die trying. There’s no way out or in between.

  “*sigh* Well, fifteen millions are fifteen millions. My brain would explode if we keep trying to figure out my client’s identity right now. Alright, we’re taking it.” Giovanni concluded.

  Taking off the shades, he then also takes his feet off the table and stands up as well. After a little bit of stretching, he asks the secretary for the tablet so he can sign on it, officially taking the request.

  “One of our first rules when doing this job is “Accept first, question ter.”. Their identities aren’t our top priority, so let’s not focus too much on it.” Giovanni said.

  He then gives the tablet to Toshikata-san. Without saying a single word, he immediately understands what his boss’s intention is and reads the information thoroughly from top to end.

  “A target like this needs our top service, and that’s when you steps in, Toshikata-san. I’m leaving this to you.”

  “I see…Then Giovanni-sama, I won’t disappoint. I promise you and our customer her head.” the man calmly said.

  “Ah, that’s the spirit!” Giovanni excitedly excimed. “Alright, gear up, we have a job to do! We don’t have all day though, so let’s make it quick!”

  With that, the three people get to the door to leave the office. Before that however, Giovanni comes near Daisy and whispers something to her ear. Hearing it, she immediately reacts, but then she regains her composure back.

  “Yes sir, I’m doing it right now. Although, it may take a while…”

  “Then tell him to speed things up. It’s fifteen million dolrs we’re talking about. He won’t get the slice of the pie if he scks off.”

  Daisy nods her head hearing it. After that, the three finally leave the room, preparing for the newest and unfortunately, their st mission ever.