Yuki and Denji stood facing each other.

Both were making sure to keep an eye on each other. The only difference between them was that Denji had to look out for the third A-Rank agent that was lurking around.

Bookkeeper: "Denji, make sure not to bomb everywhere."

Gambler: "Hm? Bomb ev'ryth'ng? Okay!"

Bookkeeper: "No! You idiot!"

Denji grinned as a large cube of trion appeared above his head.

Yuki went wide eyed and moved back just as the large cube split up into multiple smaller cubes.

The smaller cubes flew in multiple directions. Each time one of them hit one of the houses there was an explosion that followed.

Denji continued to grin as he fired off Meteora as much as he liked. He did not seem to care about if he even hit the main fight between Jin and the other A-Ranks, or even if he accidentally hit his own teammate.

Yuki moved around the area to dodge the explosions. As he did so, he could see threads begin falling to the ground. He frowned at the sight.

Yuki tried his best to dodge the Meteora shots while watching as Minoru released Chameleon so he could properly defend against the shots.

Yuki moved on light feet to move away from the Meteora shots.

Deciding on a tactic, he ran forward in a side-to-side motion as he drew his blade.

Once he got in a certain range, he dropped Kōgetsu and disappeared in an instant.

He reappeared above Denji and brought out a Scorpion blade from his foot to try to stab Denji in the head. He was blocked by the other's Kōgetsu.

He disappeared again only to reappear where he left his Kōgetsu.

Just as the blade made of trion hit the ground, Yuki grabbed it and used Senkū.

Denji jumped back to dodge the extended slash. He noticed something to his left and twisted his body.

He landed on the ground and saw a small cut on his side.

Yuki teleported in front of Denji with his arm already in a slashing motion.

Each slash was easy enough to block, but Denji noticed something again, this time from his right. He reacted by creating small cubes of trion around his back and sides. It seemed to work as the "something" that was there seemed to move away for a brief second.

Deciding to use the cubes of trion in that brief second, Denji fired off Meteora at point blank range in front of Yuki.

Yuki had already determined what he would do thanks to his Operator and used Teleport to move forward to dodge the shots.

"!"

Denji held Kōgetsu right above Yuki with his arm making the same motion that Yuki had.

Minoru, using Chameleon, came up from the side to slam his foot into Denji's side.

Yuki fired off his own Meteora before jumping to the side and out of sight.

.

White Fox: "Thanks for that."

Deer Prince: "It's fine. We need to get around his Meteora, though. He fires it off so indiscriminately that it's hard to really get anywhere."

White Fox: "..."

Deer Prince: "What?"

White Fox: "Nothing... I'll stall his Meteora while you try to take him out. See if you can land some Lead Bullets on him to slow him down."

Yuki narrowed his eyes a bit while he looked around the corner to see Denji lazily looking in the direction of the other fights.

If he keeps fighting like this then we'll be fine. But if he starts talking now...

Yuki knew better than Minoru when it came to this opponent. Although the other two had entered Border around the same time, Yuki is the one who had fought Denji the most between the two.

There was one thing that Yuki always remembered concerning this man.

He was a gambler.

That fact would not mean anything to most, but Yuki knew that this meant Denji wouldn't do most things fair-and-square. Fights were one of those things. Each time the two had fought, Yuki was put under the same attack. So much so that he never let it affect him anymore.

I need to take him out before he deals the final blow to Minoru or myself...

Nodding to himself, Yuki got ready for the next round.

"..."

He was too late.

Denji opened his mouth to speak.

Unlike his usual choppy speech, that not many understood, this tone and speech was clear and easy to understand.

"Hey, Minoru. How are your siblings doing?"

Yuki moved forward.

"Oh, wait."

Yorushi looked at the monitor with careful eyes.

He had purposefully let Misaki shoot him so that he would Bail Out.

He did not do it for the sake of Tamakoma. He did it so he could keep a better eye on his captain.

He knew how ruthless and difficult Denji could be.

He knew how Denji would go about fighting Yuki and Minoru, so he wanted to be there to stop the captain if he went too far.

"Do you think he'll go too far? Should we get-"

"It's fine. We'll make him force Bail Out if he takes it too far. The main issue with that is... Hatohara has much more sensitive topics than Tsukiko. That's not mentioning the fact Tsukiko has fought him multiple times and won't listen to what Denji is saying anymore."

Yorushi pushed his glasses up as he continued to look at the monitor.

Denji always knows where it hurt for the people he was fighting against. He would use that to weaken his opponent mentally and take them out when they were weak. It's not just during fights... Those few times with civilians... When he pushed people too far.

Yorushi clicked his tongue when he thought about his captain and how he did not show much in the way of regret when hearing things in the news.

While Yuki had his own skeletons, Minoru's were much more unforgiving.

Denji would not think twice about mentally harming others, so this was a rather dangerous fight for Minoru. Even a Bail Out could not help when it came to the mind.

Denji... Watch what you say.

The sound of explosions and harsh words could be heard.

The sounds had already surpassed that of the other fights going on. It was hardly a battle of regular agents at this point. Every strike was followed by a loud noise that rang out through the area, causing the concrete on the ground to tremor and destroy the empty houses around.

Bakuto Denji and Tsukiko Yuki.

On the streets filled with separate fights, the two A-Ranks clashed. This was what was happening in the Forbidden Zone at night.

"Hhhhhhhaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

Yuki let out a loud cry as he used the extended slash known as Senkū. He wanted to make sure that Minoru, who had yet to launch another proper attack, couldn't hear the foul words seeping from Denji's mouth like venom.

As he fought he continued to switch us his style of fighting.

If Attacker strikes were ineffective, he would use a Shooter's shots.

If Shooter shots were ineffective, he would use Sniper-like tactics.

If the Sniper-like tactics were ineffective, he would use Attacker strikes.

Using such a method to mask the weaknesses of other styles, a one-of-a-kind style filled with destructive power.

The copycat style Yuki was use to.

No matter how great the numbers or how strong the person, no one should be able to survive it and not Bail Out.

Denji's Kōgetsu blocked the strike and, after trading a few hits, it was clear to Yuki that Denji likely knew as many tactics as he did, possibly even more.

To bypass this, Yuki switched from Attacker to Shooter, but Denji immediately changed his defensive stance. The huge amount of trion attacks clashing between them continued to change, and in this battle another element was currently underway: A mental battle called "reading the moves".

"Weak~ You would think that someone taught by Akasora would do better~ Oh yeah, and where is Minoru exactly? Aren't you two fighting me together? Maybe he just wants to leave like his sister?"

Another explosion cut through the air.

Yuki clicked his tongue in a rare sight of annoyance. He knew that Minoru was being stopped due to something else and the words coming from Denji. He wanted to make sure that Minoru was fine, but knew that he couldn't do much right now and left it to Minoru's Operator.

"Hey, Kiyoshi, it's kinda insulting that you aren't showing that left eye of yours. It might help with your copycat style of fighting."

Denji created yet another cube of trion and fired off Meteora towards Yuki.

In response, Yuki lifted his blade.

"Senku! Kōgetsu!"

Yuki moved his lips, and the extended slashes destroyed the shots and continued on to Denji. Denji quickly increased his attack rate in response. Using his Kōgetsu to block, turning his head to avoid, in front of Denji, who continued to create extended slashes with the blade of trion - suddenly, a large amount of trion cubes surrounded him.

"Eh?"

The cubes of trion started to shoot forward. The moment Denji realized this, the sound of explosions swallowed his entire body. A second explosion followed, then a third, then finally a slash from a blade basked in trion light. The sounds of continuous attacks could not be heard. It was happening too fast; the sounds had become indistinguishable.

But Denji was not there.

Moving away from the direction Yuki was looking, Denji flew to the concrete floor ten meters in front of him.

A cut was on his face. Maybe he had cut by the end of one of the extended slashes; it was a small cut, after all. Despite the cut's small size, however, it was a wound, one of the few inflicted upon him despite the huge number of people he had fought against in his time at Border. The green gas-like substance seeped out of Denji's face, and he said silently, "As expected of someone in that family."

He used his index finger to cover the small cut before moving it.

"..."

Yuki could hear the small whispers being said by Denji, but ignored them. They meant nothing to him.

"I hope you can correct your words," Yuki sheathed the sword in his hand, lowering his center of gravity and preparing to draw his sword again. "It's true that I was born into that family, but I don't just follow my instincts anymore. My style may seem cowardly, but I use it with respect to the people I've seen it from. So don't lump me in with them. I will never agree with those humiliating words of yours."

His hand on the sword grip tightened, "What about you? You understand what effect your words have on others, yet you attacked other Border agents without mercy. You have no right to look down on others like that."

But these words could easily be turned back on Yuki. For a certain reason, he had used harsh words to discourage others and take them down. The words he had just spoken may have been punishment to himself as well.

"...To become angry over something as small as that is immature."

Ten meters. To a well trained A-Rank, it could not even be called a distance.

The scene of confrontation between these two was like a traditional Japanese drama, and yet it felt more similar to an American Western.

"This is a battlefield, there can't possibly be any sure-fire strategy or an escape route or safe zone, let alone any gentleman's rule. These things don't exist on any kind of battlefield. Purposefully making all the conditions exactly the same, making the chances of winning equal for everyone... such a thing can only be called a sport. You should know, #3. Anyone can expect the outcome when an ill-armed infantryman meets a tank. The tank will attack without mercy, and the infantryman will inevitably be dust on the battlefield. Are you telling me your battlefield is different?"

"That is just your reasoning."

"But you and your people are the ones walking onto someone else's battlefield," Denji was not even mocking them, just calmly stating an observation.

"..."

No warning at all.

Yuki took action.

With an instant Teleport that would make any professional soldier feel the battle in front of them was a mirage, Yuki raced into Denji's arms, and maybe the sheath touched the concrete floor as sparks followed Yuki's cuts, the Kōgetsu had already started to hack into Denji.

The two agents called Tsukiko Yuki and Bakuto Denji clashed, both staring into each others' eyes.

"You're really irritating," Yuki said with a dull look that only a very few amount of people have seen. "You already know how dangerous words like those are to someone who is already having trouble, yet... You continue on as if you don't care about what happens to them!"

A voice that no one heard of before, one roar that revealed all his emotion. Because Yuki and Denji were both A-Ranks. Or rather, A-Ranks bearing the painful experience of hurting others.

Speaking during a fight was something that only appeared in fiction, but this was different. This talking was a way for Yuki to stall for time. He wanted Jin and Arashiyama Squad to finish up their fights so that this whole thing could end. He made sure to keep things busy enough to where the most likely mentally hurting Minoru wouldn't let out any reckless attacks.

Between these two colliding forces, the cubes of trion around them continued to release minor explosions. Both their blades started to glow, and both A-Ranks used the opportunity to increase their distance. Yuki slightly backed away from Denji, who still held onto the sword and remained unmoving.

They both let out their extended slashes and watched them clash.

"Show me if you are stronger than Kushikage now."

Poor Arashiyama-san. I guess that just means I'll have to do my best here then, Suzume thought as she had Lightning in one hand and a Scorpion blade around her middle finger on the other hand.

"Arashiyama-san, where are the others?" Miwa asked as he stood in front of a kneeling Arashiyama. "Aren't you acting as bait for a surprise attack? Or is the girl going for the others?"

Once Miwa and Izumi had found the #5 A-Rank captain, they went on the offensive with Izumi letting out an onslaught of Asteroid. Arashiyama had blocked most of the shots with a Shield, but could see they were being wary of the agents they couldn't see.

"...Who knows?"

"Wow. You suck at lying, Arashiyama-san."

Miwa brought up his gun and shot two bullets at the fallen man. His Lead Bullets' effects kicked in and brought the #5 A-Rank captain's left arm down with its weights.

The whole scene didn't look good for Arashiyama since one of his legs had already been shot with Lead Bullets, making it weigh down his body.

"Either way, we'll knock you all out, one at a time!"

Two cubes of Trion appeared as Izumi held out both of his arms.

Now!

The moment those cubes of trion went towards him, Arashiyama used Teleport and appeared high in the air.

From his spot on the balcony of an empty building, Tōma zoned in on Arashiyama as he hung in the air for a few seconds.

"His teleport destination is a few dozen meters beyond where he was looking."

He lined his shot perfectly with a guaranteed shot.

He fired and landed the hit.

"—!"

Or rather, that was how it should have been.

The moment his finger touched the trigger, the top of his head was severed.

He looked back and saw Kitora there with a Bagworm on and a Scorpion making up her leg.

The ones on the ground saw the light in the area before it shot off and headed for the Border base.

"Tōma-san!?"

"Just like you said... It was a surprise attack, with me as bait."

Just as Miwa and Izumi were about to shoot at Arashiyama, three shots were fired from somewhere, taking off their hands.

Both Miwa and Izumi were shocked by not only the shots but by the fact that Miwa had a finely sharpened Scorpion in his face while Izumi had a Lightning pointed straight at his face.

The blade and gun were courtesy of Suzume.

"I owe you this for glaring at my captain the other day," Suzume said with a smirk.

"You shouldn't have come out in the open, Miwa."

That was when they saw two more people Bail Out.

The lights flew through the air and headed for the Border base, like all of the others.

"Argh! We lost! Jin-san won seven on one!?" Izumi said, astonished by the outcome. "A Black Trigger is crazy powerful!"

"Hahaha! Looks like we're done here." Suzume put away her Scorpion and lowered her Lightning. "It's always honestly fun when it comes to you guys."

"Mission complete."

"Arashiyama-san, did you see my twin sniping?"

"Yeah. Well done, Kitora, Ken. You too, Mitsuru, Ayatsuji." Arashiyama then turned to Suzume and said, "Of course you deserve a thanks too, Suzume and Nikko."

"No problem. You should honestly thank Yuki-san since he's the one who sent me," Suzume said with a hair flip. "I was just following the order given to me by my captain."

"Suzu-chan, Nikko-chan, did you see my twin sniping!?" Satori asked with a grin on his face.

"Of course! It was still honestly great!"

"Did you see my one-handed snipe!?"

Suzume and Satori high-fived before the male started bouncing around with Svantje.

"L'ks l'ke w're d'ne h're."

Denji lazily looked over at the ones who had Bailed Out.

He was covered in small cuts, had a few holes in his body and was missing an arm. None of this seemed to worry him as he put his blade away.

He turned his attention to the two in front of him as he continued speaking.

"W'll, th're's n'thin' m're f'r m' ta d' n'w. I s'pp'se w' coul' k'p figh'n', b't 'm k'n'a b'red n'w."

Yuki and Minoru did not try to stop Denji from leaving. They didn't even look like they could stop him from leaving. They each had cuts of their own, holes here and there, but Yuki was missing an arm and leg while Minoru was one leg short.

"Yuki, there's no need to continue. I want to hit him as well, but we've completed the mission for tonight."

"Right..."

Still not sure if the fight with Denji was over, Yuki and Minoru kept a close eye on the man.

His personality was a foul one that hardly anyone liked. The words from his mouth was like venom from a snake; ready to take effect and take out the prey. He always seemed like an arrogant person who wanted to have the world in his hand.

"You two really are strong."

Both of the other A-Rank flinched a bit at the words. They thought that since he was speaking with complete sentences that he really was going to fight them.

"You both deserve those spots as A-Ranks. The fact you could get me to this kind of state proves it. All three of our reasons for joining Border are different. One is for the ones he cares about, another is to repay a debt and protect his way of life, and the last one is because he just wants the thrill of a fight. Even with people knowing that, they lump us three together. Hm. As the mongrel who loves the thrill of a fight, I feel honored to be lumped together with you two."

"..."

Yuki and Minoru just stared.

Their expression didn't change in the slightest.

They didn't believe a single thing coming from the man.

They refused to believe anything coming from his mouth at this point.

"Aw~ Ya r'lly d'n't b'l've me? Oh w'll~ M'yb' n'x' t'me."

Still grinning at them, Denji waved his hand towards them.

Instead of taking a step closer, both took steps back to get away from him.

"C'm'n n'w! Look, I 'nly wanna t'lk t' Yuki th're."

The two looked at each other before taking another step back.

"Really! I j's' w'nn' t'lk!"

.

Yuki let out a sigh.

Trusting the man in front of them was never a good thing, but there was a reason he had to listen.

We're both unneeded.

Rejecting him here would only cause a conflict later on.

Knowing that, he looked over to Minoru with a gesture that it was fine.

White Fox: "Mei, can you also just leave it to the two of us?"

Wisteria: "Trusting you with that guy. Try again when you think that will actually work."

White Fox: "If I didn't think it would work, I wouldn't have asked you to leave us alone."

Wisteria: "..."

White Fox: "It will only be for a bit. It's not like the two of us can really fight any more than this."

Wisteria: "I will give you five minutes at most. If I do not hear from you by then, I'll force you to Bail Out."

Saying anything would only agitate her more, so he remained silent.

That was just how things were for them.

All that was left was...

"Mino?"

"I get it. Fine. I'll leave you be. But I won't be far. Just out of normal earshot."

He sent a smile of gratitude as Minoru took his leave.

Straightening his face, Yuki faced Denji. The hair covering his eye had been moved behind his ear to give him full vision on both sides.

I should still be on my guard. Even if we have that in common, he still isn't a good person at all.

They both understood just how unneeded each other were, but that meant nothing. It was only simple knowledge to them that could be tossed aside if it had nothing to do with the situation.

But right now it was why they could face each other.

"So what do you want?"

"So mean, so mean. I just wanted to talk to this faceless person who decided to oppose me."

He held nothing back with the start of his talk.

"Even a faceless person can stand up as a wall for others. It doesn't matter if they have no name, as long as they are will to do something about what is in front of them."

"You say that, but you also used Minoru to get in the way. The two of you have nothing to do with this situation at all. If anything, you are obstructing me as a person by doing this."

"Are you saying the hatred the two of us feel for you isn't enough?"

"That's not it," Denji said. He turned to the sky, but only the black of it could be seen.

All the lights that had been prevalent moments ago were all gone and the only thing they could see were what they could make out with their eyes.

In his case, Yuki could make out all of the holes and slashes he had managed to make in Denji's trion body.

They were signs that he was keeping up well enough to where Denji would talk to him like this.

"But the amount of hatred I would have gotten from Tamakoma would have likely been far worse than what you have. The hatred of a faceless person means nothing."

If a person who others could not even think about were to say something, it would mean that what they were saying held no value in conversations.

That was what Denji was saying here.

I already know how things are. You can't get anything more from me since I have nothing else to give in that regard. So just leave me alone.

He could not bring himself to say those words out loud.

They were not his to say in the first place.

After all...

A faceless person's words hold no value in a conversation.

Hey.

"Tell me."

What are you looking to find out with your eyes?

"Would you be saying these things if it was Sekai-san standing before you like this?"

"Would you be so ready to throw yourself away if it was Sekai who was telling you these truths?"

The grinning expression was gone from his face.

A dull gray expression was held in place and his eyes seemed to be looking at nothing.

"You might be annoying, but don't go comparing yourself to that guy. What he has to give is not the same as what you are trying to lose. The same goes for me. What I'm trying to take is not as heavy as what he has already lost. Do you understand?"

Could anyone understand without already knowing how things were?

Yuki found himself unsure about his own answer.

But...

"Hah. Guess you wouldn't. A faceless person can't understand what the rest of us think about. You can only try to figure out what to do as things go by you. That's why..."

He covered the distance in an instant.

Yuki had only heard a few steps, but Denji had managed to reach him in only those few steps.

He felt a hand on his head, but refused to look up.

"If you feel like getting in the way here, follow that through. You had better watch those Tamakoma people through to the end. Watch their faces as they struggle with everything that will be coming to them. Once you think you have seen enough, stop trying to get in the way and instead meet the rest of us at the starting line."

He wanted to say something.

To let out his thoughts so that Denji understood him.

But nothing came out.

Instead, he was pushed back by the hand.

Looking up, he saw Denji grinning down at him again.

"Guess I should go now. Make sure to tell your squad to be ready, because the next time I see them..."

The way he held out his hands as if he was grabbing something started to irritate Yuki.

He knew where this would be going.

"'m g'nna gr'pe the h'll outta 'em!"

Yuki drew his blade in that instant and teleported forward.

He felt the feedback of his blade cutting through Denji's neck.

"So mean~"

Yuki only clicked his tongue as he placed Kōgetsu back.

"Idiot."