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Chapter 15: Ambush (Freya Familia)
Tsuna, Bell, Ais, and Hestia were walking home together after concluding their training session. The group turned down a quiet, deserted back alley in the northwestern sector of the city.
We're being watched.
I've got a really bad feeling about this...
The moment they entered the alley, Ais felt the distinct prickle of hostile eyes on her, while Tsuna's Hyper Intuition flared with a sharp warning of imminent danger. Bell and Hestia, however, remained completely oblivious, happily chatting with each other.
"Tsuna..."
"Yeah..."
Ais and Tsuna abruptly stopped walking. Ais rested her hand on the hilt of Desperate, while Tsuna reached into his pockets and slipped on the '27' mittens.
Noticing the two veterans halt, Bell and Hestia quickly stopped as well.
"W-What's wrong, Tsuna?"
"D-Did something happen?"
"Enemies."
"...!?" x2
Tsuna's blunt declaration, coupled with his immediate shift into Hyper Dying Will Mode, instantly spiked Bell and Hestia's anxiety.
"Come out. I know you're there."
From the shadows of the narrow corridor between the buildings, a figure stepped forward. He wore dark armor with a visor, a dark inner suit, and carried a long silver spear. Perched atop his head were a pair of feline ears, and a long tail flicked behind him.
This man was a Catperson, a demi-human race characterized by their feline traits.
Similar races existed alongside the Catpeople, distinguished by the animal ears on their heads: Renards (foxes), Werewolves (wolves), Boaz (boars), and Chienthropes (dogs). Collectively known as Beast-People, they possessed incredibly sharp senses and naturally high physical capabilities. Their base Status and innate abilities varied depending on their specific animal lineage.
The man standing before them was Allen Fromel. He was an elite Level 6 First-Tier adventurer, known by his alias, Vana Freya. He was a terrifyingly powerful warrior who held the absolute title of the fastest adventurer in the city.
"He's strong... Do you know who he is?" Tsuna asked.
"No. I have no idea."
Seeing the man step out with absolute confidence despite his ambush being exposed, Tsuna immediately recognized him as a high-level threat. He asked Ais if she recognized him, but she shook her head.
"Ais. Protect Bell and Hestia. I'll handle him."
"Eh... but...!?"
"You're exhausted from our training. You're nowhere near top condition right now. So please, leave him to me."
"W-What are you saying, Tsunayoshi-kun!? Their target is obviously Vallen-something-kun! We shouldn't get involved! Let's just run!"
Assuming this was an assassination attempt targeting the famous Sword Princess, Hestia urgently suggested that they, as unrelated bystanders, flee the scene immediately.
"We can't. We're already surrounded. They planned it this way."
"Surrounded!?" x2
Tsuna's Hyper Intuition had already detected the presence of several other enemies lurking in the shadows; Allen wasn't acting alone.
Bell and Hestia gasped in terror.
"Look around. The Magic Stone Lamps lighting this street have been deliberately smashed, and he's wearing dark equipment designed specifically for night combat. This is a highly coordinated ambush. The fact that they chose to strike while we were with her means they're likely planning to use us as hostages to force Ais into submission. Running isn't an option."
"No..."
"Just stay put and don't move. Ais is your bodyguard. Keep your eyes peeled for an opening."
"Understood."
Analyzing the tactical situation and Ais's depleted stamina, Tsuna issued the most logical set of orders to keep everyone alive.
Allen slowly began walking toward Tsuna. Matching his pace, Tsuna walked forward to meet him.
Allen made the first move. The moment his boot kicked off the stone pavement, his body vanished. In a fraction of a second, he materialized directly above Tsuna.
"Drop dead."
Allen violently thrust his long spear downward, aiming to impale Tsuna through the skull.
He reacted!?
Tsuna didn't flinch; he simply leaped backward. The silver spearhead plunged deep into the cobblestone where he had been standing a millisecond prior.
Allen's eyes widened in shock at Tsuna's reaction speed, but he instantly let go of his spear. Using the embedded weapon as a springboard, he kicked off the shaft with his left foot, rocketing into Tsuna's immediate striking range and launching a devastating flying knee strike with his right leg.
This guy!?
Unfazed, Tsuna jumped, using Allen's incoming knee as a stepping stone to launch himself high into the air.
Being used as a literal footstool visibly infuriated the Catperson.
"...!?"
Too naive.
The moment Tsuna launched himself into the air, four small figures wielding a spear, a hammer, a sword, and an axe leaped out from the rooftops, completely surrounding him in mid-air.
These four attackers were Pallums. Even in adulthood, they barely reached 100 celchi in height (roughly equivalent to 100 cm in Tsuna's world). Pallums were generally inferior to other races in terms of raw strength and durability, leading them to be widely regarded as the weakest race in the world. Very few Pallums ever managed to make a name for themselves as adventurers.
These four, however, were an exception. They were quadruplets: the eldest, Alfrigg, wielded a spear; the second, Dvalinn, wielded a hammer; the third, Berling, wielded an axe; and the youngest, Grer, wielded a sword. They were masters of coordinated combination attacks, collectively known by their alias, Bringar.
"You thought you dodged, but that was a foolish move."
"A foolish move indeed."
"Far too foolish."
"So foolish it's not even funny."
The four brothers mocked Tsuna's decision to jump, simultaneously bringing their weapons down upon him for the kill.
"...!?" x4
The brothers had surrounded him perfectly. But in the blink of an eye, Tsuna vanished. The four Pallums stared at the empty space in utter shock.
He used those flames for reverse propulsion to dodge right before the attacks connected!?
Watching from below, only Allen was fast enough to comprehend how Tsuna had escaped the mid-air trap.
That bastard!! He used me as bait to draw them out!!
Tsuna had intentionally jumped into the air, deliberately creating an opening to lure Alfrigg and his brothers out of hiding. Realizing he had been used as a pawn, Allen's rage boiled over.
"You're the ones who made a foolish move."
"Gah!?" x2
Tsuna dive-bombed from above, slamming both of his feet into Grer and Berling. The twin impact sent the two brothers crashing violently into the stone pavement below.
"Next."
"Gah!?"
Tsuna grabbed the shaft of Alfrigg's spear with his right hand, using the eldest brother as a makeshift flail. He swung Alfrigg around and smashed him directly into Dvalinn, sending the hammer-wielder plummeting to the ground.
"You're next."
"Tch!!"
Determined to finish the job, Allen rocketed up into the air toward Tsuna. In response, Tsuna hurled Alfrigg directly at the incoming Catperson. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Allen didn't hesitate; he brutally kicked Alfrigg out of his way, using the recoil to flip backward and land safely on his feet.
"Gah!?"
"Doh!?"
The kicked Alfrigg flew back toward Tsuna, but Tsuna met him with a devastating roundhouse kick, sending the eldest brother crashing directly on top of the downed Dvalinn.
"That bastard... I'll kill him...!!"
Even though it was his own fault for dropping his guard, being kicked away like trash by Allen infuriated Alfrigg.
"You're the only one left."
Tsuna glanced back at Bell and the others. The remaining ambushers who had tried to flank them lay unconscious on the ground, having been swiftly dealt with by Ais.
"What exactly is your objective here?" Tsuna demanded.
"A warning."
"A warning?"
"Yeah. But for the Sword Princess, not you. And yet, you decided to get in the way and make things complicated."
"You guys ambushed us first. You have some nerve acting like the victim."
"I have no business with you. Move out of the way."
"Not going to happen."
"Then die."
Allen violently kicked off the ground. In an instant, his figure blurred into nothingness, leaving only the sharp, tearing sound of his high-speed movement echoing through the alley.
No matter how fast he reacts, he'll slip up eventually. And when he does, he's dead.
Allen's strategy was simple: maintain his absolute maximum speed and barrage Tsuna with attacks until his reaction time faltered.
"You're fast. But high-speed movement isn't your monopoly."
"...!?"
Blasting a burst of flame from his gauntlets, Tsuna instantly vanished, reappearing directly behind Allen. The Catperson's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
This guy!? He's faster than he was before!!
Allen realized that Tsuna was moving significantly faster now than when he had dodged the brothers' ambush.
"Don't underestimate my speed."
"Don't get cocky!!"
Enraged by Tsuna's provocation, Allen pushed his acceleration even further. But Tsuna matched his pace instantly.
I can't shake him!!
Allen desperately tried to outrun him, but Tsuna casually stayed right on his heels, not even breaking a sweat. Allen's face twisted into a mask of genuine panic.
The Dying Will Flame excelled in both destructive power and mobility. Among the seven attributes, the Sky Flame possessed the absolute highest propulsion capabilities. There was practically no one alive who could outpace Tsuna in a contest of pure speed—not even the fastest adventurer in Orario.
"What's wrong? Is that your limit?"
Mocking me!? I am the fastest adventurer in the city!! And above all else, I am Her chariot!! I will absolutely not lose!!
His pride deeply wounded, Allen roared in fury, shifting into his absolute top gear. But Tsuna simply accelerated right alongside him.
He's keeping up with my maximum speed!?
Allen was moving as fast as his Level 6 body would allow, yet Tsuna was still trailing him effortlessly. A cold sweat broke out across Allen's forehead.
W-What the hell is this!? I can't catch him!!
Allen suddenly realized the horrifying truth: he wasn't running away from Tsuna. Tsuna was slowly pulling ahead. The fastest adventurer in the city was losing a footrace.
I don't care what happens to me... but if I fail here, I'll bring shame to the Goddess who granted me this power!! I can't let that happen!!
Driven by sheer, desperate loyalty, Allen pushed himself beyond his limits, trying to close the gap. But it was useless; the distance between them only continued to widen.
"It's about time we end this."
"Gah!?"
Tsuna vanished. An instant later, his fist slammed brutally into the center of Allen's back. The Catperson's spine bowed violently inward under the impact.
"You piece of shit!!"
"Too slow."
"Gofuh!?"
Allen frantically twisted his body to sweep his spear at Tsuna, but Tsuna simply ducked underneath the blade and drove a savage uppercut directly into Allen's jaw.
"Haa!!"
"Gah!?"
Using the momentum, Tsuna spun and delivered a crushing backhand strike directly into Allen's armpit.
This guy!? He's precisely targeting my jaw and armpit...!?
The jaw and the armpit were critical human weak points. A solid strike to the jaw induces a severe concussion, while the armpit houses a dense cluster of highly sensitive nerves.
Reeling from the consecutive critical strikes, Allen's consciousness began to fade. Biting down hard on his own tongue, he forced himself to stay awake through the pain.
"Go to sleep."
Tsuna drove a devastating right straight deep into Allen's stomach, folding the Catperson cleanly in half.
"...!?"
But Allen refused to fall. Dropping his spear, he desperately grabbed Tsuna's right arm with both hands and locked his grip, refusing to let go.
Seeing an opening, Alfrigg and his brothers leaped from the rooftops, diving toward Tsuna's exposed back.
"Haaaa!!"
"...!?" x5
Faced with a coordinated five-man assault, Tsuna didn't panic. He simply unleashed a massive burst of raw Sky Flames. The explosive shockwave roared outward like a hurricane, blasting Alfrigg away and sending him crashing into a nearby wall.
"I... won't let go...!!"
Despite taking the brunt of the blast, Allen didn't budge. Driven purely by spite and sheer willpower, he clung to Tsuna's arm, his grip tightening with enough bone-crushing force to shatter solid steel.
I'll snap your damn arm in half!!
Tsuna's arm creaked ominously under the pressure. A bloody, defiant smirk spread across Allen's face as he poured every ounce of his Level 6 strength into snapping the bone.
"X-Cannon."
"...!?"
Opening the palm of his trapped right hand, Tsuna fired a hyper-condensed bullet of flame at point-blank range directly into Allen's chest. A massive explosion engulfed both of them in a violent cloud of smoke and fire.
"Tsuna!!" x2
"Tsunayoshi-kun!!"
Seeing Tsuna caught in the blast, Bell, Ais, and Hestia screamed his name.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Tsuna and Allen became visible once more.
This guy... He knew he'd be caught in the blast, but he fired it anyway without a second of hesitation...!?
Allen, whose entire front was heavily scorched and smoking, stared at Tsuna in absolute horror before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed backward onto the pavement.
Tsuna, however, was largely uninjured. The clothes he was currently wearing were the same ones he had used during his training with Reborn. They were woven from Leon's shape-shifting thread, a material highly resistant to the Dying Will Flames. Because of this, Tsuna suffered minimal damage from his own point-blank explosion.
"You managed to stay conscious through that?"
"Are you completely insane...?"
Tsuna was genuinely surprised that Allen hadn't passed out immediately. Allen, meanwhile, was deeply terrified by the sheer, suicidal conviction of a boy willing to blow himself up just to secure a hit.
"That's my resolve. And you lost because your resolve was weaker than mine."
"True Dying Will means having the resolve to bite back, even if it means breaking your own body to do it."
Tsuna recalled the words of the mysterious man who had taught him how to fight during the Representative Battle of the Rainbow. It was because of those teachings that Tsuna was able to pull the trigger without hesitation.
"Besides, there was no way someone with hesitation in their heart was going to beat me when I'm fighting with Dying Will."
"Hesitation...?"
"Yeah. The hesitation festering inside you is putting a lid on your true strength."
"...!?"
The moment Tsuna said that, the image of another Catperson flashed vividly through Allen's mind.
No!! I threw her away so I could get stronger!! That useless deadweight has nothing to do with this!!
Though Allen clearly knew exactly what Tsuna was talking about, he violently rejected the truth, refusing to confront his own guilt.
"It seems you know exactly what I mean."
"Shut the hell up!! It's none of your damn business!!"
"..."
It was painfully obvious that he had struck a nerve, but Tsuna decided not to press the issue any further.
"Consider this a warning. If you've learned your lesson, don't ever lay a hand on Ais again. If you do, I won't hold back next time."
With that, Tsuna turned his back on the downed Catperson and began walking slowly toward Bell and the others.
"Wait..."
"What?"
"Why... didn't you finish me off immediately...?"
He hated to admit it, but Tsuna was faster and definitively stronger than him. If Tsuna had wanted to end the fight instantly, he easily could have. Allen couldn't understand why he had dragged it out.
"Because I knew that if I beat you instantly, it wouldn't break your fighting spirit. I figured the only way to completely crush your will to fight was to beat you head-on at your own game—speed. Well, your spirit didn't completely break, but I think I managed to convince you that going after Ais again is a terrible idea."
Dammit...!? He intentionally provoked me into a speed battle just to prove he was better than me!?
Allen finally realized why Tsuna had taunted him during their high-speed chase. It was a calculated move to assert absolute dominance and crush Allen's pride. From the very beginning, Allen had been dancing perfectly in the palm of Tsuna's hand.
"It was the same with those four. I deliberately let them execute a flawless, guaranteed-kill ambush, only to completely dismantle it and instantly turn the tables. It's the most effective way to demonstrate an absolute difference in power."
He didn't just play me... he played them too...
Realizing that Tsuna had manipulated the entire battlefield, completely controlling the flow of combat for all five of them, Allen was left utterly speechless.
"We're done here. If you don't want to get hurt again, I suggest you stay quiet."
Leaving those final words behind, Tsuna rejoined Bell, Ais, and Hestia. The group quickly left the alley, taking a different route back to the church.
.....
Some time after Tsuna and the others had completely vanished from the area.
"I certainly didn't expect things to end quite like this."
A White Elf with pale skin, blond hair, and glasses stepped out from the shadows, stopping next to the paralyzed Allen.
"Hedin... Were you watching this whole time?"
"Given how incredibly unpredictable you lot can be, I deemed it necessary to keep an eye on you. Though, I must admit, I was treated to quite the entertaining spectacle."
"You bastard...!?"
"Do not misunderstand. I find absolutely no amusement in watching you get beaten into the dirt. Although, if you were to vanish from this world entirely, that would be a different story."
"I'll kill you...!!"
Instead of defending himself, Hedin delivered a ruthless, cutting insult. Enraged, Allen glared at him with pure murderous intent, but because of the massive damage he had sustained from Tsuna, glaring was all he could do.
"What I found entertaining was the man you were fighting. He was completely aware of my presence the entire time. Even while fighting you and the Bringar, he never once dropped his guard against me. Had I intervened, he would have undoubtedly countered me."
"What did you say...!?"
Allen was genuinely shocked to learn that Tsuna had possessed enough surplus focus to monitor a hidden Level 6 executive while simultaneously fending off five high-level combatants.
"Even though I didn't actively participate, that man effectively won a six-on-one battle against us. I do not know of a single soul capable of such a feat. And yet, a man possessing that caliber of strength is completely unknown. It is an undeniable anomaly. That is why I found it entertaining."
"I don't give a damn about what you find entertaining. The real problem is that we failed to execute Her orders."
"Regarding that, we have no choice but to report the truth exactly as it happened. Making an enemy of that man would be highly ill-advised. If we provoke him, Her desires may never be fulfilled. Furthermore, the Sword Princess belongs to the Loki Familia. They likely wish to keep her association with him a secret as well. It's highly probable they will cease these frequent training sessions moving forward."
"Tch!!"
Knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do, Allen could only click his tongue in bitter frustration.
However, with combat capabilities of that magnitude... he might prove useful in saving that person.
Hedin adjusted his glasses, his gaze drifting upward, locking onto the monolithic peak of Babel piercing the sky.
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