Hajime was in a dire situation, surrounded by ten dolls armed with magical weapons. Behind the green smoke, something even worse awaited him. The boy couldn’t escape; he could only defend himself and his unconscious companion.
“Are you sure you don’t want to surrender? I’d hate to ruin that pretty face of yours,” (Kugutsu)
“No!” (Hajime)
The boy responded with a firm denial. He wouldn’t give up, especially in this circumstance.
The woman sighed, then snapped her fingers, causing the dolls to move toward the boy with silver hair.
They were numerous, but Hajime noticed that these dolls were much slower than the doll that could become invisible—he might have a chance.
(I could never destroy all these dolls; I need to hit whoever commands them. Kugutsu shouldn’t be a physical fighter—if I open a gap, maybe…) (Hajime)
While trying to deflect and block all the attacks from the dolls and their elemental magic, Hajime was searching for a way to open a safe gap, avoiding as much danger as possible. After several seconds, he was struck by an ice spur piercing his abdomen.
“Ugh,” (Hajime)
“It’s over,” (Kugutsu)
“P-power enhancement… [TRANSCENDED]!!!” (Hajime)
**********
A few weeks earlier, Hajime had trained with Veronica to master and strengthen his physical abilities.
At that moment, he was fighting Veronica bare-handed. She skillfully deflected Hajime’s punches and kicks, even as the boy grew faster and stronger every second. However, shortly after, he ran out of mana and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
After a few minutes, he managed to get back on his feet and sit, overwhelmed by pain flooding his body.
“Hmmm… I understand,” (Veronica)
“W-what did you understand?” (Hajime)
“You forgot something…” (Veronica)
“Haaa… what did Veronica-shishou understand?” (Hajime)
“You’ve improved! You unlocked a new technique for your power. Your physical abilities increase every second, but it has a limit. Three minutes, and your body collapses after consuming all your mana. You need to think about how and when to use this technique. Remember, the more mana you consume beforehand, the shorter the duration of this technique,” (Veronica)
**********
Back to the present, Hajime used his new technique, increasing his physical capabilities by at least four times, with a speed that appeared instantaneous to the dolls. He managed to smash to pieces the five closest dolls, then used Kuro’s Lance to throw the scythe, unleashing all his power to spin it like a giant circular saw toward Kugutsu.
Two dolls tried to block with shields, but they were quickly shattered because the force generated was too strong to be stopped. However, Kugutsu didn’t seem worried—in fact, she was becoming increasingly interested.
Just meters from hitting her, a strike from her feline tail deflected the scythe, causing it to crash and lodge in a wall.
“Damn it!” (Hajime)
Hajime was about to be blocked by a doll, which deliberately stabbed itself to trap the boy’s katana, while the remaining dolls tried to limit his movements—one holding his neck and the other blocking his free arm. The doll around his neck was trying to apply pressure to make him faint.
(N-no! It can’t end like this!) (Hajime)
As he was about to lose consciousness, Hajime bit his lip to make it bleed, then manipulated his own blood to create a small needle, which he shot at the doll’s head. The shot was so fast that it perforated her skull, destroying half of it.
Seizing the opportunity, Hajime released his katana and stabbed it into the doll’s temple, eliminating her.
Then, he used all his leg strength to push himself backward, crashing into the wall along with the last remaining doll, splattering her. He then made a maximum-speed dash, aiming his katana to stab Kugutsu.
(Crap… I’ve got maybe 20 seconds left.) (Hajime)
Hajime had already used this technique when he was low on mana, so he had even less than the miserly three minutes of the boost, which would lead to his collapse.
Unfortunately, a huge feline paw blocked Hajime’s path toward Kugutsu, like an impenetrable wall. The skin was so tough that it barely pierced his katana’s tip.
“W-what?” (Hajime)
Soon after, the blade was shattered; an impulse of mana, like a shockwave, sent the boy flying into a metal wall, denting him slightly during the impact.
From the green smoke emerged a figure—something impossible for a human or any inhabitant of this world to accept at first glance.
“Impossible… what the hell is that?” (Hajime)
At first sight, it could be described as a giant tiger at least 8 meters tall. The tiger had blood-red eyes, and its teeth looked like sabers. The worst part that made Hajime’s blood run cold was that this creature could use and manipulate mana.
“Let me introduce Kroti, my pet! Kroti, do it!” (Kugutsu)
And then the monster called Kroti let out a roar, echoing through the air, causing Hajime to lose consciousness. Besides being exhausted from completely depleting his mana on the previous technique, he couldn’t move and fainted on that cold, metallic floor.
“Good. Take those two boys and bring them to the Cage. We’ll see if Fumio wants to talk when we start torturing his precious students,” (Kugutsu)
********************
Cloe suddenly woke up.
Her heart was beating much faster than normal, like a running train.
Her body was hot as a blazing furnace.
It almost felt like she was about to explode. Sweat soaked the girl as if she had just taken a shower.
Before she could get up or unleash her [magic], which was far from controlled, hands forced her to stay still.
Kuro’s stepsister tried to struggle, frightened by these strangers, but who wouldn’t be?
She had lost consciousness, right after being knocked out by a squad armed with [Black Corps], which in reality were animated dolls shaped like children, or at least that’s what they looked like.
"Breathe in and out! Don’t struggle, you’re safe!"
"God, it looks like she’s about to blow up! Damn it, her [mana] is overflowing!?"
"What kind of poison did they give her!? Damn [Black Corps]! Using such a weapon on a girl!?"
Those few minutes, for Cloe, felt like hours of agony, confusion, and panic.
Only when someone injected her with a syringe of something into her vein could the girl calm down for a moment.
Her heartbeat slowed, and her body temperature dropped to a more normal level, though it was still high by standard measures.
The young [mage]’s breathing stabilized, and the people around her let her go.
"Are you okay, girl?"
"I—I...who...are you..." (Cloe)
"Don’t be afraid, we’re from [New Dawn], like you. We—"
A door was forcefully opened, its hinges barely holding against the kinetic impact. A familiar woman approached Cloe, with a face far from calm.
"She’s awake?! Well then, girl, do you have any explanations to give me?" (Hoshi)
"Hoshi-sama, she isn’t in a condition to answer right now!"
"She’s not out of danger yet!"
"If you interrogate her now, she might not make it! We need more time, or—"
One of the leaders of [New Dawn], Hoshi, had come to the district to gather information about the fall of her organization’s branch, which remained stationed in the Kugutsu territory.
The investigations hadn’t gone well.
And with Fumio’s disappearance and the absence of Yukihime and Izumi, the [Esper]’s patience was at its limit.
After the night passed, avoiding [Black and White Corps], who patrolled all the city’s districts, after the chaos caused by Hajime’s team, it was clear that the remaining bit of rationality had been swept away by the situation.
Luckily, Hoshi knew her priorities: she had managed to guide her group to safety before going to find the responsible parties of the chaos from the previous night (despite the strategic disadvantages of doing so).
The woman had only found Cloe, surrounded by dolls, which she had easily torn apart and burned.
Of course, she recognized her immediately as one of Fumio’s problematic students, and a companion of the boy she still doubted.
Another reason to be angry.
"I don’t care! Just tell me what the hell is going on in this district! And who the hell authorized you and your friends to run such an operation!? Especially now, when we’re on maximum alert!!!" (Hoshi)
Despite her shouting and curses, and the equally loud voices of her team’s doctors, everyone could hear Cloe’s murmur.
"I...my...friends...my...comrades...l-their—"
Trying to get up, the girl ended up falling from the bed she was on, before anyone could catch her.
"Don’t strain yourself! You risk worsening your condition!"
Warm tears began to fall from the 17-year-old’s eyes.
Her only thought now was to ensure the safety of her friends and companions.
Especially considering they had already lost Fumio: as far as Cloe knew, their master might already be dead.
".t-they...ugh...they’re my—"
Cloe’s eyes rolled back as she lost consciousness.
"I need adrenaline! Her heart is stopping!"
"Damn it............." (Hoshi)
Hoshi would have to wait a long time for her answers.
Angrily, raising her body temperature by a few dozen degrees, the woman left, leaving the three doctors to their work.
(Everything is falling apart... I can’t let this happen! All our sacrifices, the bloodshed, won’t be in vain!!!!)
***********
Meanwhile, Fumio was waking up in his cell.
His injuries from yesterday had been healed, but the pain still persisted.
His fingers had been cut off one by one, slowly and deliberately.
All of this had happened after he was nearly drowned in a vat of acid, which corroded his skin.
No scream came from Fumio, despite the constant torture he endured.
His willpower was truly adamant.
"Wake up, [New Dawn], we have a surprise for you!"
Two [Black Corps] entered the cell, untying the man from the chair he was tied to.
"Tsk! He can’t even stand, pathetic."
"A bunch of shit would have more dignity."
Fumio paid no attention to the belittling insults. It was another form of psychological torture, meant to mess with his mind.
They weren’t the first to do this; every part of him, with his tormentors, had been like that.
"Come on, get up! You won’t keep Kugutsu-sama waiting any longer!"
Fumio’s legs were so weak he couldn’t support himself. His body, despite healing after each torture, was beginning to give in under the stress.
As he was dragged naked through the corridors of the base, like an animal, Fumio couldn’t help but think of the only comfort he had after so much suffering.
(I must not give in... Yukihime-sama has already found a solution... I don’t value victory over Goto... I’m willing to sacrifice myself and stay here... if in the end, we win... and as long as my students are safe, I—) (Fumio)
"Good morning, I have some gifts for you. Despite your bad manners, I am a polite woman, Takeda Fumio." (Kugutsu)
Kugutsu’s voice woke the [mage] from his stupor and thoughts, but he didn’t lift his gaze to her. The woman had tried everything, but not a breath escaped from her prisoner.
"How? You don’t want to look after all the effort I made to capture them? No, no, no, that’s not acceptable, get his face up." (Kugutsu)
A hand grabbed his hair, forcing him to lift his gaze from the floor.
"?"
For the first time in years, Fumio felt a force so strong it made him want to scream with anger.
"Impossible—"
In front of him, there were Kimiko, Hajime, Kuro, and Kohaku, all tied up by the enemies’ forces.
They had all lost consciousness.
Kohaku had still some dried blood outside her nose.
Kuro had no wounds; she had fainted due to the toxin.
Kimiko and Hajime were the worst, with multiple fractures and Hajime with fresh blood still dripping from his head and a wound on his abdomen.
"Fufufufu, what were you saying earlier? Ah, yes, that you would never open your mouth to a Killer like me... and now you want to talk?" (Kugutsu)
"Y-You... Bitch! Don’t you dare! Don’t hurt them!" (Fumio)
Kugutsu smiled slightly, having found a crack in the man’s armor.
"No, I won’t. If you start talking to me." (Kugutsu)
The man’s heart stopped at those words, yet his answer was always the same.
"Kkkh... never!" (Fumio)
"Fine... fine, just do as you’re told... take the girls away, as they say..."first the men," right? You know what to do." (Kugutsu)
The woman left the room, while Kohaku and Kimiko were forcibly dragged away. Meanwhile, the [Black Corps] agents, armed with electric batons, approached Hajime and Kuro, waking them forcefully.
The brutal beating that followed was as painful as it was brutal.
But never as much as what Fumio endured, forced to watch the scene helpless and unable to help his students.
Kugutsu had begun another form of torture, one far more painful than the previous ones.
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