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Chapter 32: Partner (Natsu)
Reuniting with Riveria and the Vanguard, the expeditionary force left the 18th Floor and plunged into the Colossal Tree Labyrinth, spanning Floors 19 through 24. It was a massive, subterranean jungle teeming with powerful status-ailment monsters and deadly traps.
"Gah!?"
Tsuna charged headlong into a herd of Sword Stags. Without missing a beat, he shattered their ranks, sinking the beasts one after another with single blows from the front.
Almost immediately, a colony of mushroom-type monsters known as Dark Fungus erupted from the undergrowth, simultaneously scattering a massive cloud of highly toxic spores.
"Oooooohhhhh..."
Unfazed, Tsuna thrust his left hand forward, projecting a massive wall of orange flames as he dove straight into the fungal swarm. The lethal toxins were instantly purified by the Harmony characteristic of the Sky Flame. Stripped of their deadly defense, the Dark Fungus were mercilessly annihilated.
The deeper one descended into the Dungeon, the stronger and more frequent the monsters became. Yet Tsuna completely ignored the difficulty spike, hunting down every beast in his path with terrifying efficiency.
"I can't catch up to him at all!!"
"He's way too freakin' fast!!"
"Piece of shit!!"
"!?"
Fired up by the sight of Bell's heroic victory over the Minotaur, Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Ais had been eager to unleash their own strength. However, Tsuna was moving at such blistering speeds that he eradicated every monster before they could even draw their weapons, leaving the elites drowning in frustration.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Vanguard was practically sprinting just to keep up with his relentless pace, yet they were still completely left behind.
"Just what on earth is going on with that boy...?" Tsubaki was unable to hide her astonishment.
Having never seen Tsuna fight firsthand, the High Smith was utterly stunned. Even Finn, who had a general understanding of Tsuna's capabilities, couldn't help but marvel at the sheer absurdity of it.
"With his level of strength, this is only natural. But I admit, he truly is a monster outside the bounds of logic..." Finn murmured.
"But it's strange, ain't it? He should be fighting these monsters for the very first time... How can he move without a single shred of hesitation?" Tsubaki asked.
"His past combat experience and his unparalleled battle instincts make it possible," Finn explained. "But in his case, it goes far beyond that."
"What do you mean, Finn? Is Tsuna-kichi doing something else?"
"Once he defeats a monster, he completely sees through its movements. The next time he faces the exact same species, he executes the most optimal evasion and strikes with perfect, lethal efficiency. Simply put... he grows stronger with every single battle."
"Isn't that a bit too far beyond the norm...!?"
Knowing he was already unfathomably strong, the revelation that his growth speed was equally monstrous left even Tsubaki speechless.
"Still, the girls seem awfully fired up today. Did something happen?" Gareth asked, stroking his thick beard.
Normally, the Loki Familia prioritized letting their younger members handle the Vanguard encounters in order to foster their growth and let them gain experience. Yet today, elite executives like Ais and the Amazons were pushing to the absolute front.
"They found a rather interesting adventurer. Watching him fight lit a fire under them," Finn smiled, recalling the image of the young, white-haired boy standing bravely against the Minotaur.
"But at this rate, the youngsters won't grow at all. And since he's hunting every monster in sight, Ais and the others are just building up frustration."
"It can't be helped this time. Even if he wasn't here, the result would be the same," Finn replied. "Besides, having him accumulate experience isn't a bad thing."
"What are you scheming?"
"We might need his power again very soon. No matter how strong he is, he is still a rookie adventurer. Letting him gain deep-floor experience now will be vital for what's to come."
"Are you talking about that matter?" Riveria asked quietly, keeping her voice down.
"Yes."
"Furthermore, having him display this overwhelming strength serves to motivate our own members. That is why I specifically asked him to take the vanguard and slaughter to his heart's content."
"He might end up breaking their confidence instead," Riveria warned.
"Perhaps. But even so, there will be those who keep moving forward. Those who lose their confidence, only to claw their way back up. True strength isn't defined by someone who has never tasted defeat. It belongs to those who suffer, despair, and still find the resolve to rise again."
As Finn spoke, the image of Ottar crossed his mind. He knew exactly how many times the Warlord had been crushed into the dirt, only to continuously rise until he claimed the title of the city's strongest. That was why he had unleashed Tsuna.
"Bees?"
As Tsuna continued his relentless advance, a massive swarm of avian insectoid monsters blotted out the canopy. These were Deadly Hornets—monsters infamous for their lethal agility, earning them the moniker "Veteran Killers."
That's...
Past the swarm, Tsuna's eyes locked onto something shaped like a pinecone hanging from the thick branches above. They were Bloody Hives. These were rare stationary monsters that coexisted with the Deadly Hornets. A Bloody Hive could not move; it could only secrete a sticky fluid. The fluid lacked any killing power and only served to immobilize targets.
On its own, the Hive was harmless, but the Dungeon had bred a terrifying synergy: the Deadly Hornets would swarm and slaughter any adventurer trapped by the glue. Worse still, as long as the Bloody Hive remained intact, it would spawn an infinite number of Deadly Hornets. Countless adventurers had been overwhelmed by the endless swarm while desperately trying to destroy the nest.
I see. They're monsters, but they act as a literal hive. And they'll keep spawning endlessly. How annoying.
Instantly deducing their mechanics, Tsuna realized that fighting them conventionally would be a massive waste of time and stamina. Raising his right hand, he glanced at the intricate metal ring adorning his finger, shaped like an animal crest bearing the Vongola emblem.
This was the Vongola Gear. Upgraded from the legendary Vongola Rings—ancient, priceless artifacts steeped in centuries of bloodshed—the Gear was a physical manifestation of his resolve.
Then...
Tsuna ignited his Dying Will Flame, channeling it directly into the Vongola Gear. The metal flared with blinding, radiant light. To wield the Dying Will Flame, one needed an appropriate ring and an absolute, unshakeable resolve. Without both, summoning the flame was impossible. The gap in power between a flame user and an ordinary fighter was akin to the heavens and the earth.
"Gau!!"
"Leone di Cieli Version V."
In a burst of brilliant orange flames, a small, majestic lion cub materialized on Tsuna's right shoulder, its mane composed entirely of pure Sky Flames. This was Natsu. Tsuna's partner and his exclusive Box Weapon.
Box Weapons were advanced combat tools that stored flame-infused animal familiars or armaments inside small, cubic boxes. To deploy them, a user had to inject their Dying Will Flame into the box. However, Tsuna's unique setup allowed him to summon Natsu directly from his Vongola Gear.
"GURURU... GAOOOO!!"
Natsu let out a ferocious roar, unleashing a massive shockwave of Sky Flames from his jaws. The blazing wave washed over the swarm of Deadly Hornets and the Bloody Hives clinging to the branches. Instantly, their bodies were instantly covered in wood, halting their movements. The petrified Hornets plummeted from the sky, shattering into splintered wooden fragments upon impacting the earth.
This was Ruggito del Cielo (Roar of the Sky). By unleashing the Sky Flame's unique Harmony characteristic via a shockwave, Natsu forcefully harmonized the monsters with their surrounding environment. In this case, he had harmonized them with the Colossal Tree Labyrinth, transforming their biological matter into brittle bark.
With the swarm neutralized, Tsuna closed the distance in a single bound, instantly appearing before the petrified Bloody Hive. He casually threw a right straight, shattering the wooden nest into a cloud of splinters.
Looks like that's the last of them.
Standing atop the massive branch, Tsuna scanned the area. Confirming there were no further hostiles, he hopped down, landing softly on the forest floor.
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