"..."
Chen Ye froze in the doorway, his breath caught as he witnessed the rare sight before him.
It wasn't merely rare—this was the first time he had seen every member of the Yozakura Family gathered in a single room.
Not to mention… the presence of two people Chen Ye was seeing for the first time.
Even more surprising, Cecilus Segmunt was here too, along with Kurogane Ouma.
But...
This atmosphere... was truly suffocating!
Chen Ye felt cold sweat begin to dampen his palms.
Without realizing it, his body started to tremble faintly—not from the cold, but from the invisible pressure filling the room.
Earlier, on the sudden orders of the person named Flashy Flash, he had been forced to come to this room.
How could he refuse?
Moreover, this was closely tied to the Sword King's existence.
Even so... Chen Ye had to admit that when people like Kurogane Ouma and Cecilus Segmunt were in the same room, the air seemed harder to breathe.
Even Konno Yūki, who never ran out of words and could always melt the mood with her cheerfulness, now sat silent with her lips pressed tightly together.
Fortunately...
"So... is there something important you two wish to report, Yoruka, Flash?"
A gentle voice broke the suffocating silence.
Yozakura Tsubomi—the petite head of the family—had finally spoken.
Her warm, soothing tone instantly eased the tension gripping the room.
"I won't beat around the bush since our time is limited."
Flashy Flash responded in a serious tone rarely heard from him.
"In the near future, we will face an attack from a certain organization."
"..."
'Straight to the point without any preamble...'
Chen Ye fell silent, slightly startled by Flashy Flash's frontal approach.
"I see..." Yozakura Tsubomi nodded, her face showing no trace of panic.
"Do you already know the identity of the party that will attack us?"
"Yes, and..." Flashy Flash's sharp eyes shifted to Chen Ye with an intensity that made the young man feel as if he were being stripped bare.
"This person has a direct connection to the threat."
"Huh?" Inaba Tsukuyo frowned.
"You've been alluding to his involvement this whole time. Would you two explain in more detail so we can fully understand the situation?"
"With pleasure, Miss Tsukuyo." Kirihime Yoruka answered with a smile.
"Based on the information I managed to gather, it seems a certain organization is actively targeting this young man. If my memory serves me right... the Black Mamba, wasn't it?"
"Black Mamba?" Konno Yūki tilted her head. "What kind of organization is that?"
"We can think of them as a high-level criminal organization, Miss Yūki," answered Kirihime Yoruka.
"Oh!" Konno Yūki nodded quickly. "So... how strong are they?"
"Not too bad for a criminal organization." Flashy Flash answered, though his eyes remained sharp.
"They have a Rank SSS Hunter named Dean as their leader, plus several members who have reached Rank S... Well, personally I'm still confident I can handle all of them."
"Hm... okay?"
Several members of the Yozakura Family fell silent, their lips twitching at Flashy Flash's rather overblown confident statement.
True, Flash was very strong—especially in speed—but there were still limits, right?
"However, if we're only talking about the strength of their members, that isn't a big problem~" Kirihime Yoruka continued in a lighter tone.
"After all, with just Lord Cecilus's presence alone, we could easily defeat combat power of that level. And if the entire Yozakura Family moves together... basically only a handful of forces in this world could stop us."
"I like sincere compliments like that."
Cecilus Segmunt smiled broadly with unbeatable confidence.
"..."
A few others, even Kurogane Ouma, merely furrowed their brows but chose not to comment.
On the other side, Chen Ye was stunned.
From Kirihime Yoruka's explanation, that meant Cecilus Segmunt had at least Rank SSS strength.
So... that man was the strongest individual in the Yozakura Family?!
"However, Rank SSS strength is not the problem. As explained, we have the ability to win against a threat of that class. The real problem lies in... the power hiding behind them."
"Stop making us more curious with this drama. Just lay it all out," Kurogane Ouma said in a piercingly cold tone.
"In short," Flashy Flash glanced at him.
"They have very strong backing. Among them are thousands of professional mercenaries and elite assassins—most likely Rank S—hired from various famous guilds. In addition..." His gaze turned slightly cold.
"There is a possibility that a Transcendent being is involved in their plan."
"..."
"O-okay... it seems the situation is a little..."
Konno Yūki looked awkward, her words hanging in the air.
The entire room fell into a tense silence.
Even Kurome, who had been absorbed in chewing the snack in her hand, stopped.
Although the Yozakura Family had power sufficient to fight Rank S through SSS Hunters, a Transcendent being was a different story.
It wasn't that they couldn't be defeated, but it would surely cost lives on their side.
Rank SSS and Transcendent beings were basically equal in raw power, but the problem was that, unlike Rank SSS, Transcendent beings were nearly "immortal"—killing them required extraordinary and almost impossible effort, like trying to kill a cockroach.
Of course... if one spoke of Rank Unknown, that was a far different story...
"It can't be that easy." Ji Xuanyuan finally spoke, breaking the suffocating silence.
"Would they truly not consider the reputation of the two founding families of this city? Besides, isn't there also the Hunter Association, which—"
"I'm afraid I must disappoint your hopes, Miss Ji Xuanyuan." Kirihime Yoruka cut in gently.
"It seems some kind of secret agreement has been made between the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family and the enemy."
"..."
The room's atmosphere grew even heavier.
Cecilus Segmunt was seen stroking his chin, sunk in deep thought.
"For this reason, in all humility, I beg the Sword King to share his valuable knowledge with us~" said Kirihime Yoruka with a smile.
"Haah... it seems this old man has brought an enormous problem to the Yozakura Family."
The Sword King—his figure in white robes fluttering faintly, his long hair white as snow—sighed deeply with an expression that looked utterly weary and full of regret.
"You have a personal feud with the Black Mamba, don't you?" Flashy Flash looked at him with an inquisitive gaze.
"It's not a complicated story to understand."
The Sword King lifted his head, his once-shining eyes now dim with the weight of the past.
"In short, the Black Mamba is an organization that worships a Transcendent being no one should ever worship—a being known as the 'Demon Dragon Lord.'"
What followed was a long explanation.
The Sword King laid out the details of the Demon Dragon Lord.
In summary, the Demon Dragon Lord was a being obsessed with attacking exceptionally powerful sword users.
Even other Transcendent beings were not spared—including gods and goddesses who specifically used swords as their main weapons; all became targets.
What was the purpose of this terrifying obsession?
It turned out the Demon Dragon Lord wanted to use the pure souls of sword users to create a weapon capable of killing even a Rank Unknown being.
During that horrifying process, the Black Mamba was created as a shadow organization that specifically attacked, captured, and "processed" master swordsmen.
Of course, the other Transcendent beings would not sit idle in the face of such a threat and tried to fight back by every means.
Unfortunately, they all realized the Demon Dragon Lord's power was abnormal even by Transcendent standards.
Because of that, the only hope was to form an alliance to fight this common threat.
One who joined this alliance was the Sword King himself.
Counted carefully, there were three Transcendent beings and four Rank SSS Hunters at the time, forming the strongest alliance of swordsmen in the history of humanity.
Sadly, that hope-filled alliance ended in tragic failure.
They did manage to inflict grave injuries on the Demon Dragon Lord, but at a terrible price—nearly all the members of the strongest swordsmen's alliance died in that final battle.
At the most critical moment, when they were on the verge of victory, the members of the Black Mamba attacked them.
The result was a massacre—nearly all of humanity's strongest swordsmen died in one dark night...
"I was fairly lucky because of my status as a Transcendent being, so it's not so easy for me to truly die. But you can see my condition now."
The Sword King raised his transparent hand. "I exist only as a bound soul and my power level can now only touch Rank S."
"..."
All the members of the Yozakura Family listened to this with full attention.
Chen Ye also looked deeply shocked… this was the first time he had heard this tragic story from his master's past...
"But you can trust my words completely," the Sword King continued in a firmer tone, trying to convince them.
"No matter how strong the Demon Dragon Lord is, he is still gravely wounded. There is almost no way to heal that injury because it was the combined result of our entire alliance's attacks at that time."
The Sword King explained hurriedly, his tone reflecting a hidden desperation.
Honestly, he had to admit that the only hope for himself and Chen Ye was this Yozakura Family.
After all, the Yozakura Family had a monster of Cecilus Segmunt's caliber, equal to Rank SSS.
Much as he hated to admit it, even he sensed that Kurogane Ouma had power equal to at least Rank SS+.
That was not even counting terrifying individuals like Kokushibo, Xiang Yu, Kirihime Yoruka, and Flashy Flash, who were probably at Rank S or even S+.
Although several other members such as Inaba Tsukuyo, Tomioka Giyū, Aoi Sui, Konno Yūki, Kurome, and perhaps Tsukuyomi Tsukasa were still around Rank B to A… that was not a big problem.
After all, the Yozakura Family also had figures like Ji Xuanyuan with her Art of Taixuan Sword, claimed to be able to kill Transcendent beings—though the Sword King himself still had doubts about that claim.
Overall, the Yozakura Family's total combat strength was nearly equal to several top guilds.
And the Sword King's worries were not misplaced.
At this moment, nearly every member of the Yozakura Family appeared to be weighing the option of simply handing over the Sword King and Chen Ye to avoid unnecessary conflict...
But...
"I'm afraid... their goal is not as simple as merely seeking the Sword King and Chen Ye..."
Yozakura Tsubomi's soothing, gentle voice sounded.
Some people looked surprised at the statement, while some others—especially the more experienced ones—seemed to realize something.
One of the first to understand was Cecilus Segmunt.
"Ah, so that's what she means."
The young man chuckled in a tone more dangerous than before.
"It seems they're after our small, cute family head. They're greedy enough to want everything at once."
"What do you mean?"
The Sword King looked totally confused. Shouldn't the Black Mamba only be interested in him and Chen Ye?
"You two are just a cover—far from the real objective." Aoi Sui, seated beside Yozakura Tsubomi, had a very cold expression.
"The true aim of this attack is... the unique ability the Family Head possesses."
"Eh?"
That statement only added to the confusion, especially for Chen Ye, who began to feel his head throb.
But no one had any intention of giving that poor young man further explanation because...
"It seems we have some uninvited guests."
Cecilus Segmunt suddenly said in a casual tone, smiling.
Chen Ye couldn't smile at all, because several purple circles radiating an evil and terrifying aura suddenly appeared one by one, encircling every member of the Yozakura Family with frightening precision!
The expressions of the Sword King and Chen Ye turned to total panic as they recognized the magic pattern.
"DANGER! This is a forced teleportation circle—"
𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙎𝙃!
—But just before the Sword King could finish his warning, every one of those evil circles shattered into pieces like glass struck by a hammer, destroyed without a trace.
A dumbfounded, stunned expression was plain on the Sword King's face.
The old man truly hadn't expected to witness such an event...
"W-what just—"
"Calm down, old man," Inaba Tsukuyo said in an indifferent tone.
"Do you think the Yozakura Family is so easy to breach?"
Several members like Konno Yūki looked as if they wanted to laugh, amused by the Sword King's exaggerated panic earlier.
But... the fact that the enemy had dared to launch the first attack could not be ignored.
"Okay, now we have to move with our own strategies. But since the enemy's true objective is still gray—we can't be sure whether the Family Head is also a main target—we have to play it very safe. So..."
Since when, no one knew, Cecilus Segmunt had moved and was now right beside Chen Ye.
With a seemingly casual motion, he grabbed the poor young man by the back of his collar and tossed him easily toward Yozakura Tsubomi.
"Woaaah?!"
"For the time being, take this guy along with the Family Head to the 'Root' to keep them safe. As for the rest of us..."
Cecilus Segmunt ended the sentence with a smile. "Well, there's no need to continue, is there?"
***
"So, we're going to the place called the 'Root'?"
Chen Ye asked in a trembling voice, nervousness clear in his tone.
In the dim, dark corridor, five figures moved hurriedly.
Their footsteps echoed, creating a tense rhythm.
Inaba Tsukuyo led at the front, wary, followed by Chen Ye, who glanced back restlessly from time to time.
The Sword King floated like a ghost, while Tomioka Giyū carried Yozakura Tsubomi in a bridal carry—the petite girl looked so fragile in his sturdy arms.
"Yes," Tomioka Giyū nodded calmly.
"In a dangerous situation like this, where the Family Head could be the main target, only the Root can guarantee her safety. There is no safer place in all of Master Swordsman City."
Chen Ye furrowed his brow, curiosity overcoming his fear.
"But what exactly is the 'Root'?" He glanced at the Sword King, who also looked puzzled upon hearing the name of the place.
"In short," Inaba Tsukuyo answered as she kept walking, "it's the safest place in the Yozakura Family and..."
"A part of my power..."
Yozakura Tsubomi's gentle voice suddenly sounded, weak but clear enough for everyone to hear.
Chen Ye gasped.
His eyes immediately fixed on the girl being carried by Tomioka Giyū.
Yozakura Tsubomi's pale face looked peaceful, but there was something deep behind her words that had not yet been revealed.
'A part of her power?' Chen Ye wondered in his heart. 'What does she mean by—'
𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆!
A horrifying cracking sound like a giant pane of glass shattering suddenly split the silence of the night.
The sound was so loud and shrill it was as if the sky itself were being torn apart.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
A tremendous explosion shook the entire building.
Dust and fragments of stone rained down from the ceiling.
They stopped at once, their bodies stiffening as they felt a terrifying pressure from above, a pressure so heavy that the air felt thick and hard to breathe.
"I take back my words," Inaba Tsukuyo said in a flat tone, though cold sweat began to run down her temples.
"The Yozakura Family's barrier has been breached."
'Is this the time for that?!'
The next second, terrifying auras full of killing intent began arriving from various directions.
Heavy, choking pressure after pressure began approaching them as if giant monsters were drawing near with evil intent.
Even more terrifying, glowing red magic circles began to appear around them.
One, two, three... until dozens of magic circles floated in the air, surrounding them from all directions with blinding light and a terrifying aura.
Sensing the deadly danger, Tomioka Giyū immediately shouted in a voice that split the air!
"SCATTER!"
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
A thunderous explosion destroyed the place where they had been standing!
A whirlwind of ash and dust rose into the air, creating a thick fog that stung the eyes and throat.
Chen Ye coughed violently, tears streaming from the stinging dust.
But as the fog thinned slightly, his face turned deathly pale when he saw something terrifying.
A huge, pitch-black fist—the size of a car—was hurtling at high speed straight toward him!
The pressure emanating from that fist was horrifying.
This was no joke—this was the power of a Rank S Hunter!
'Damn! I won't have time to dodge—'
Just as Chen Ye felt his end was at hand, his body was suddenly shoved hard to the side by someone.
His eyes widened in horror when he saw the petite figure of Inaba Tsukuyo taking his place, standing upright with her katana raised to meet the deadly attack!
𝙆𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
"Ngh!" Inaba Tsukuyo winced in pain.
The girl did manage to block the giant fist with her katana blade, but the defense lasted only a few seconds.
A horrifying shattering sound rang out as her beloved katana broke into pieces like glass.
Without protection, her small body was thrown violently, crashing through the wall of a nearby house with a painful impact.
"Huh?"
The owner of the earlier attack—a giant of a man over two meters tall—looked slightly puzzled.
His swollen muscles and the scars across his body showed how dangerous he was.
The Rank S aura wafting from his body made the surrounding air feel heavy and suffocating.
"It seems there was a little insect that blocked my attack just now?"
He shrugged indifferently, a cruel grin carved on his scarred face.
"Well, never mind. Anyway, she wasn't my target."
His sharp, malicious eyes shifted to Chen Ye, Tomioka Giyū, and Yozakura Tsubomi.
"You are the ones I'm after."
"You bastard! How dare you—"
Chen Ye, filled with rage, was about to lunge, his red eyes burning with deep hatred.
But his arm was immediately held by Tomioka Giyū, who shouted in a cold yet firm tone!
"Calm down!" Tomioka Giyū looked at Chen Ye with serious eyes.
"Inaba Tsukuyo is fine. She won't go down from an attack like that. Besides..."
His eyes swept across the surrounding area. "We must first ensure our safety before doing something stupid."
Chen Ye managed to calm himself though his breath was still ragged, but the young man kept staring at the Rank S Hunter before him with a gaze full of blazing vengeance.
Their situation was indeed terrible.
They were now surrounded by dozens of Hunters and assassins from every direction.
Some stood on the ground in attack stances, while others perched on rooftops with bows or long-range weapons.
Black shadows moved in the darkness, showing there were still many more enemies hiding.
Most frightening, their power was truly no joke.
Some of them even radiated auras no less than Tomioka Giyū's!
"Hahaha!"
A booming laugh broke the silence.
"What a pleasure to meet you all on this beautiful night!"
The giant man stepped forward with thundering strides, making the ground tremble beneath his feet.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am the Rank S Hunter who leads the Blade Assassin guild. My name is Quila."
He bowed in a mocking motion.
"And I hope you will be kind enough to hand over that sweet girl named Yozakura Tsubomi to us."
Tomioka Giyū looked at him with a gaze cold as ice. "You want her?"
He slowly raised his hand to the hilt of the nichirin katana at his waist.
"Then come and try to take her."
"Hahaha! I really like that kind of stubborn attitude!" Quila clapped enthusiastically, but his eyes grew more dangerous.
"Unfortunately... this isn't a 'request' that can be refused."
As a terrifying grin formed on Quila's rough face, Chen Ye's danger instincts screamed in his head.
Every cell in his body warned of deadly danger approaching!
Reflexively, he and Tomioka Giyū leapt away at full speed!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!
The spot where the two had stood moments earlier exploded into a small crater, shards of stone and earth flying in all directions.
But the attack didn't stop there—the dozens of Hunters and assassins waiting around immediately launched coordinated attacks from various angles!
Arrows glinting with light, daggers thrown with deadly precision, and small magic explosions began raining on them from all sides.
Realizing the situation was growing dire, Tomioka Giyū shouted again in a loud, decisive voice.
"Chen Ye! Take the Family Head to the 'Root' right now!"
"Huh?!"
Chen Ye was stunned, his eyes wide as Yozakura Tsubomi's figure was suddenly thrown toward him, carefully yet urgently!
The sudden weight pushed Chen Ye back several steps, but at the same time that movement managed to save him from a swipe of the assassins' daggers that nearly tore out his throat!
"You fool! You have to move faster than this! They've started going for your life!"
The Sword King's voice scolded sharply in his mind, worry clear in his tone.
"I know!"
Chen Ye gritted his teeth in frustration.
The problem was that he had no idea which way to go to the place called "Root"!
But...
"Don't worry," Yozakura Tsubomi's gentle, soothing voice from within his arms somehow made Chen Ye's frantic mind clear again.
"I will guide you..."
Chen Ye looked down at the girl now in his arms.
Her small, light body hardly felt like a burden.
The fragrant scent of cherry blossoms wafting from her body gave a strange calm amid the raging battle.
Trying to steady his heaving breath, Chen Ye asked, "Where should I go?"
"Keep going straight like this," Yozakura Tsubomi answered in a soft yet confident voice.
"You'll be fine..."
"All right!"
Chen Ye nodded with firm resolve. His expression turned serious and full of concentration.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately ran at full speed, leaving the increasingly chaotic battlefield behind!
On the other side, Tomioka Giyū now faced Quila and five other Rank B Hunters who surrounded him in a neat and dangerous formation.
"I must admit and praise your courage," Quila said as he raised his big hand, the muscles in his arm tightening ready to attack.
"Even though you're only a Rank B Hunter, you have the guts to stop all of us alone. Truly admirable!"
Tomioka Giyū didn't answer.
He simply stood upright with his hand gripping the hilt of his nichirin katana tightly, his sharp eyes never leaving the movements of the enemies around him.
"But unfortunately, you are greatly mistaken if you think we are the only ones who came to this place tonight," Quila continued in an ever crueler and more terrifying tone.
Tomioka Giyū furrowed his brow.
There was something in Quila's tone that made him uneasy. At that moment—
The sky suddenly turned darker, as if the lamplight had abruptly gone out.
"𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗥!!"
A thunderous, terrifying roar accompanied by an extremely heavy, gloomy aura spread throughout the city!
The aura of darkness was so thick and terrifying that it made anyone who felt it shudder to the bone!
Everyone except Quila looked greatly shocked and horrified as they looked up and saw two giant black-purple dragons flying across the night sky!
Their huge bodies covered the moon, their purple scales gleamed like steel, and their glowing black eyes stared down with a bloodthirsty hunger!
Even more terrifying... the two darkness dragons radiated an aura equivalent to a normal Rank SS Hunter!
"Insane! Totally insane! The Black Mamba is truly insane! HAHAHA!"
Quila, witnessing this astonishing sight, couldn't help laughing uproariously with extraordinary satisfaction.
Honestly, attacking the Yozakura Family with a force of thousands of Hunters and tens of thousands of mercenaries did sound extremely excessive and unreasonable.
But for the fantastic payment from the Black Mamba, his guild had to join this massive assault.
After all, the amount of money offered was too large to ignore—enough to make a small guild like his one of the richest guilds!
He had initially thought the number of troops gathered was already outrageous, but it turned out the Black Mamba was far more serious about this attack to the point of being willing to summon two Darkness Dragons to destroy the Yozakura Family!
"Damn, this makes me even more curious about what secret the Yozakura Family is really hiding!" Quila said, his eyes sparkling with excitement!
Not only him, but several other assassin guild members also hired by the Black Mamba looked extremely excited and bloodthirsty!
"So..." Quila looked at Tomioka Giyū with the gaze of a predator ready to pounce on its prey.
"Are you ready to die a painful death?"
All eyes looked at Tomioka Giyū with cruel, bloodthirsty stares.
***
"Hmm... I don't recall our guild hiring this many assassins and mercenaries?"
From atop a tall tower overlooking the Yozakura Family residence, one of the Black Mamba's Rank S Hunters looked slightly surprised at witnessing how many Hunters were swarming in and attacking so aggressively.
Not only him, but the three other Black Mamba Rank S Hunters standing with him on the tower were also astonished at the scene below them.
After all, the number of attackers was not merely tens of thousands as originally planned, but nearly hundreds of thousands!
A sea of armed people packed the entire residential area, like ants flooding a bowl of sugar.
Dean, the Black Mamba's leader, standing at the very front, also furrowed his brow in deep confusion.
He felt it was very odd that among the attackers there were also several Hunters who appeared to come from local guilds in Master Swordsman City—people his guild had never hired or invited!
This made Dean stare sharply at Observer α.
"What have you done?"
"No need to look at me with such a serious and frightening gaze~"
Observer α laughed in a melodious, charming voice, though something dangerous lay behind her smile.
"You all still underestimate the true strength of the Yozakura Family members, so I merely added a little... 'motivation' that could draw out the malicious intent of the Hunters in this city~"
She touched her lips with a fingertip, teasingly.
"There's a Yozakura Family member named Tsukuyomi Tsukasa. She has an extremely rare and astonishing Rank SS Talent called Immortal Being - Hourai Elixir, which makes her immortal and eternal..."
Observer α paused for a moment, letting the information sink in, before continuing with an ever-widening smile.
"And whoever manages to eat the flesh of Tsukuyomi Tsukasa will gain the same immortality."
As Observer α finished that shocking explanation, not only the Black Mamba Hunters but even Dean's gaze turned unstable and turbulent!
Dean's breathing grew heavy and irregular.
He stared at Observer α with a glint of madness beginning to appear in his eyes. His voice turned very deep as he asked.
"Is that information truly accurate?"
The question was perfectly understandable.
After all, unlike Transcendent beings, who never die from natural aging, even Rank SS or Rank SSS Hunters still had a lifespan limit. Their maximum lifespan reached only around 300 to 400 years at most.
And Dean... was a Rank SSS Hunter who was over 400 years old.
The reason he had survived this long was thanks to a special blessing from the Demon Dragon Lord, who had saved his life in the past.
But he was keenly aware this was only a temporary solution.
Sooner or later, even with the Demon Dragon Lord's blessing, he would still die as his age kept increasing...
"Fufu, who knows~" Observer α merely responded in a teasing, mysterious voice, as if she enjoyed the uncertainty she created.
"Besides, it seems we have a guest I'd really rather not see~"
"Well," a casual voice suddenly came from an unexpected direction, "now I'm curious what makes a beautiful girl like you not want to see me."
At that moment, the expressions of everyone on the tower turned wary and cold at once.
They all simultaneously stared warily at the figure of a young man who had suddenly appeared without a trace or any sign of presence at all.
The young man had brilliant blue eyes, sharp as diamonds, and his long dark blue hair was tied casually into a slightly messy ponytail.
Though his expression looked relaxed and unconcerned, everyone who saw him instantly took up a ready stance and even... their bodies began to tremble because their survival instincts screamed that this person was extremely dangerous!
Dean also did not dare underestimate this young man's presence because... he had heard his fearsome name and reputation.
"Cecilus Segmunt... it is truly unexpected to meet you in a place like this."
"Oh?" Cecilus Segmunt raised an eyebrow with a feigned look of surprise.
"You recognize me? Hmm..." He stroked his chin in a casual motion. "I suppose this is one of the risks of being too famous as the strongest, isn't it?"
For a moment, the atmosphere turned very quiet and tense.
No one dared move or speak.
Cecilus Segmunt.
Not much information was available about him for a very simple reason... everyone who had fought him in a serious battle no longer existed in this world.
The only thing they knew for certain was that Cecilus Segmunt was one of the strongest swordsmen among all of humanity today!
So even Dean, with all his experience and strength as a Rank SSS Hunter, had to treat this young man with the utmost seriousness.
"I don't know what reason made you choose to join the Yozakura Family, but..." Dean said in a cold tone.
"The Yozakura Family is finished. Tonight is their last night."
Cecilus Segmunt blinked a few times, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! What the heck is that?! You sound like you're delivering a small-time villain's line from a cheap novel!" He wiped away tears that came from laughing too much.
"It's just that..." His expression turned serious with a confident smirk. "It seems it's time for the Yozakura Family to show its true class, doesn't it?"
Cecilus Segmunt grinned with extraordinary confidence.
At first, Dean and the others did not quite understand the meaning behind Cecilus Segmunt's seemingly arrogant words.
But in the next second—
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
A truly astonishing and astounding sight unfolded before their eyes.
One of the Darkness Dragons rampaging in the sky was suddenly struck by a tremendous tornado spinning at extraordinary speed, creating a wind vortex that pierced the sky all the way to the clouds above!
Not stopping there, six different elements—blazing fire, freezing ice, roaring wind, rumbling earth, striking lightning, and thick darkness—spread in every direction in the form of energy swords that shredded and annihilated thousands of attacking troops!
Two figures stood magnificently atop the roof of the main residence.
Kurogane Ouma and Ji Xuanyuan.
The two of them, though merely standing side by side calmly, instantly gave everyone who saw them the feeling of aura pressure no less terrifying than a Rank SS Hunter!
But the display of power was not over yet.
From various corners of the city, over a dozen bright green lasers moved in intricate zigzag patterns, traveling at the speed of light and blowing up the majority of the mercenaries who didn't have time to dodge!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
A thunderous, terrifying roar came from a huge figure that looked like a blend of human and mechanical horse.
His metallic body gleamed under the moonlight, with blazing green flames surrounding his entire body.
Four to six sharp, slender swords moved swiftly around him, plunging straight into the battlefield and rampaging while hacking to pieces every enemy within reach!
"What the heck is that?!"
"An artificial human?! No, a robot?!"
Everyone was clearly very shocked and confused at seeing this figure that looked human yet clearly was not.
The heat radiating from the green flames on his body forced anyone near him to back away to avoid burns!
On top of that, what truly shocked them was that the creature's power was no less terrifying than a Rank SS Hunter's!
"Don't panic! Attack them all in formation—"
One of the Rank S Hunters tried to mobilize and organize the Hunters, who were starting to flounder, but suddenly a terrible earthquake shook the entire city and made them lose their balance!
"What's happening?!"
At that moment, all their eyes were drawn to a figure resembling a giant dinosaur of which only the skeleton remained, moving at extraordinary speed while firing devastating destructive energy from its gaping mouth!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈!
And the figure atop the skeleton monster's back was Kurome.
The black-haired girl raised her katana, which radiated a terrifying dark glint, and suddenly strange creatures began to emerge one after another from the ground!
Five humans and two monsters!
They all gathered around Kurome in a protective formation, ready to carry out their master's orders!
Without the slightest hesitation, Kurome immediately gave the order in a cold, deadly voice.
"Attack. Destroy everything."
Her skeleton dinosaur immediately roared with an ear-splitting voice while firing energy that instantly turned the whole battlefield into a sea of fire and destruction!
𝙆𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
Dean narrowed his eyes sharply at this, then his gaze pierced toward his opponent.
"I see... no wonder you can remain so calm but... it won't last long."
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!
A thunderous burst of [mana].
Tremendous energy radiated from Dean's body, so powerful that the clouds in the sky turned a sinister deep purple!
"All your composure..." Dean spoke in a low, threatening voice, "means nothing before me."
Without taking his eyes off his enemy, Dean gave firm orders to his subordinates.
"All of you, go help the others in the battle. Now!"
"Understood!"
In the blink of an eye, several Black Mamba members—including the Rank S Hunter who had stood beside him—vanished like shadows, leaving a trail of fierce wind.
Now only Dean and Cecilus Segmunt remained in this oppressive arena of battle.
Observer α, the girl, had vanished since who knew when.
But Dean did not care at all about her whereabouts.
His focus was entirely on the man before him.
Dean stared at Cecilus Segmunt with a blazing gaze.
"You don't intend to stop the Hunters I brought?"
"Ah?" Cecilus Segmunt tilted his head as if the question were amusing.
"Stop them? Why would I bother doing something like that?"
A faint smile was etched on his calm face.
"Besides... you're all destined to fail from the very start."
A vein at Dean's temple twitched as he suppressed his anger.
"Heh, you really are good at making people angry. I wonder—does your strength match your big mouth?"
"Hahaha!" Cecilus Segmunt's laughter echoed in the night air.
"How interesting! So you want to experience for yourself the power of one of the strongest humans in this world?"
Slowly but surely, a terrifying aura began to gather around Cecilus Segmunt's body.
Energy flowed like thick fog, making the air feel suffocating.
"All right..." he whispered, his tone turning dangerous. "I hope you won't bore me."
***
In a very different place, a masked figure stood upright atop a tall building, looking down at the chaos below with cold eyes.
"Everything is going according to plan," Lux murmured softly, his voice muffled by the mask covering his face.
The scene before him showed the Yozakura Family's territory under ceaseless siege.
Explosions and screams filled the night, but Lux's expression did not change.
To ensure the situation remained under control, he made use of the power of one of his Templates.
In the blink of an eye, his body vanished from the border of the human continent and reappeared in Master Swordsman City by teleportation.
Yes... as could already be guessed, this massive attack on Master Swordsman City was the result of Lux's careful planning from the very beginning.
But he was not naive.
Lux knew very well that no plan was perfect.
There were always unexpected variables that could throw everything into chaos in an instant.
But this time was different.
This time he had prepared for every possibility with great care. From the number of Templates prepared, the involvement of Chen Ye—the Son of Destiny—to cooperation with various secret organizations..
Everything had been arranged in the scenario.
Thanks to the help of Observer α—who resembled a super artificial intelligence in gathering information—Lux had managed to compose an almost perfect strategy.
But why was all this being done?
The answer was both simple and complicated.
Besides collecting the points he needed, Lux also wanted to test just how formidable the "Yozakura Family" he had painstakingly created really was.
But most important of all was... the "little experiment" he had been planning for a long time.
He wanted to see how this "world" would react when his experiment succeeded...
Lux's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception shone with a cold light.
"So show me your best..."