Shogunate Pride

by Bluestar076

In the region of Caelum, miles away from the guild of Fairy Tail, there's a special guild made of samurais that is always ready to dive into new adventures to save their region from supernatural threats by clashing their weapons. This is their story, as a girl that controls both light and darkness joins them (SYOC Closed.)

22. A Young Master's Duty

Shogunate Pride Chapter 20: A Young Master's Duty

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! After a month of break, it's time to get back on track, and with a big feat this time! Because we have reached the 20th chapter of this story! Man! To think that we've already reached this far in less than a year! It's surely a first for me, considering that I went on barely for the hype that you guys showed, so really, thank you for sticking with me! This is the second story that reaches Chapter 20 after Digimon Adventure 04, and once again, I hope that even the other stories can get this record and possibly the end. But hey! I still have a lot of time for that, considering that I still was at school when I started all of this! Still, I thank you so much for giving me the chance to continue this story at a decent pace! Leaving this aside, we keep on going with the Crow Clan Arc and we start from where we left off last time with the first group of the expedition! And considering how this started, expect to see some frenetic action! The tough battles are coming back, so I won't take any more time and we can get right into the chapter! As always, I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and CloverWorks.

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Chapter 20: A Young Master's Duty

Bosco – Great Cathedral of the White Church

"Confiteor Deo…Omnipotenti…Beatae Mariae Semper Virgini…Beato Michaeli Archangelo…Sanctis Apostolis…Omnibus Santis…"

As the bells emitted their loud rang, several priests of the White Church were making their way into the main hall of the cathedral, with a bishop swinging the censer, which was releasing its sweetish scent throughout the hall.

The daily ceremony was over, and after one last prayer to the gods, the various holy men were headed back inside the rooms of the cathedral.

One of them, who was wearing a white vest, like the rest of the priests, was rather young compared to the others. By taking a careful look at him, someone could have said that he was around twenty-one years old. He had long flowy green hair and eyes of the same color. And despite his young age, he showed the same devotion as the other priests inside that holy place.

As he finished performing the last chant, he looked up at the main glass window of the cathedral, which was reflecting the white light of the sun on the floor of the hall.

"Be like one…devote yourself to the cause…may the weak be helped…may the innocent be purified from the corrupt…may the sins and the darkness be erased from the just and the pure light of God…and may all souls find salvation and eternal bliss in God's light." As he looked up to that light, he remembered the oath every member of the White Church needed to remember…and be faithful to.

Isaac Martyris – Young member of the White Church

"Young Isaac…" Suddenly, a deep yet gentle voice caught the young's attention, making him turn around to see an older priest looking at him. "Is there something troubling you?"

At that question, Isaac couldn't help but make a small smile. "Oh, it's nothing really. I was remembering my role and my oath in this place." He replied.

The old man chuckled. "So young, yet so devoted. If only there were more youngsters like you." He commented.

Isaac blushed a bit. "No, really. It's not that big of a deal! It's the least I can do to repay what this world has given me…you were the ones who raised me after all."

"Young Isaac…recall the words of our Holy Father Xander…'even if in a small portion' as long as you show your devotion to the cause…you'll still have a big role." The priest told him.

The Cause. Ever since he was adopted inside the White Church, this was the thing they always told him. To pursue. He never knew what specifically this cause was. But it was the thing that the Holy Father cared about the most.

He was known to be virtuous, right, and beloved…therefore…whatever that Cause would have been…it was probably for the greater good, right?

That conviction was enough to put the boy's mind at ease, so he nodded. "Yes. I won't forget it easily." He spoke.

The old man nodded as well, satisfied. "Good, very good. The ceremony is over…we can return to our daily duties." With those words, he left.

Isaac looked up at the altar of the cathedral one last time. Whatever he would have done…he knew that they would have looked over him and the rest of the living beings on all of Earth Land. With a small smile, he left the main hall and went inside the deeper rooms of the cathedral.

After a few minutes of walking, he reached out to his study, full of tables, pens, candles, and a lot of paper. Among the various priests who worked directly under the cathedral of the White Church, his duty was to take care of every manuscript and letter that the church would have received or found. It was a heavy job, but Isaac did it with great pleasure. His mind was open, and he was curious to find out more about the outside world and more things about both the White Church and the other minor churches, alongside their past.

As soon as he sat down, his hands and eyes moved fast. After a few years of doing this, he became an expert despite his young age. Everything went smoothly, between a few certifications, demands from the various kingdoms of Ishgar, and a few texts that according to the laws of the White Church, he had to deem apocryphal ones.

And then…his attention was caught by a letter with a particular seal. "Hm?" When he picked it up, he could see that the seal was nothing less than a guild mark. "A letter…from a legal guild?"

He opened the letter and read carefully the content…only to start widening his eyes. The topic in question turned out to be more important than he expected.

This wasn't something that he could have solved with regular priests. He needed higher authority.

He quickly got out of his study and started to move deeper inside the cathedral, until he went upstairs several times…before reaching a tall and imposing golden door with various ornaments and decorations representing angels, clouds, gods, humans, and much more. Artistically speaking, it was one of the greatest beauties that Earth Land had to offer.

Isaac was hasty at first, but then he remembered that he needed to show composure in front of an important figure like the Holy Father, despite knowing him for many years. So, he took a deep breath…and knocked on the door.

On the other side, stood the throne room of the Holy Father, which consisted of a large hall that went in a single direction with a long red carpet with ornaments, aquamarine floor, walls and ceilings, and several statues of tall men similar to angels that were holding the columns which maintained the hall. On the other side, stood the silver throne, which stood below a statue of Claire, the goddess of purity, which had her arms spread and her eyes closed.

Sitting on the throne…stood Xander, who seemed to be focused on controlling a strange blue source of energy in his hands. The magic that came out from the small globe spread for a bit inside the room…until the man seemed to finally control it. As soon as he did so, he directed the globe upward, apparently going inside the ceiling.

On the outside, someone could have seen something small flying from the roof of the tallest tower of the cathedral.

"Magnificent…" Xander commented, looking satisfied with the result. Then, his attention was caught by the knocking on the door. "Hm? Come in." His deep voice echoed in the room.

Shortly after, he could see the tall door getting slightly opened, revealing Isaac. "Uhm…it's me, Your Holiness."

The Holy Father seemed pleased to see him. "Aaaah…if it isn't my favorite apprentice, Isaac. Do come here." He spoke, inviting him to get closer.

Isaac nodded and made his way through the wide hall until he reached the throne. As soon as he was in front of the Holy Father, the boy bowed down. "Forgive me the trouble..." He spoke.

Xander looked at him with a caring smile before standing up, getting closer, and leaning a hand on his shoulder. "Young Isaac…for how long do we know each other?" He asked.

"…Ever since…you took me in here?" Isaac asked.

"Correct. And I've been the one who taught you and trained you in your arts. You're like a son to me. So, you do know…that you can avoid some of the formalities. Feel free to talk with the tone you please, my boy." Xander continued.

Isaac still felt a bit of pressure, but he nonetheless nodded. He knew that he could trust him. "Yes, master…" He replied before standing up.

"You know…you got me right when I was practicing something new. An experiment…you may say." Xander then spoke.

"An experiment? Of what?" The boy asked.

"As you know…our duty, the same we trespass to the other churches in all of Ishgar, is that of giving eternal bliss and peace to all living beings. We want to make sure that they can finally feel at ease both in life and death and as such, we give them the word of the gods…and carve their way…into the heavens. Still…there's no certainty of where one soul goes after their departure. So, I thought… 'Is there perhaps a way…to make sure that one's road to the heavens is guaranteed?', so I've started to work on it…a way to use magic…and direct souls to a specific destination…I like to call it… 'Soul Transmigration'." Xander explained.

"And…how is it going?" Isaac asked, a bit curious about it.

Xander smiled again. "Well…it's a hard task to try and interact with a soul after they leave the body. But I'm seeing the first satisfying results. But this is only the beginning. After all…nothing is earned without effort…and for every action…there has to be a solid purpose. The intention…is what can make the unexpected happen…turn the impossible into possible. That…is the base of our Cause. Try to remember it well, Isaac."

Isaac looked down but nodded again. "I will, master. There's no reason I would ever doubt you."

"Good to know. Ah ah, sometimes I may go a bit far with teachings…I don't want to fill your head with things to remember…" Xander commented.

"No, please! The more I learn, the better I'll grow into a respectable man of God! I…I want to help as much for the Cause…to make people feel better." Isaac replied.

"Oh, Isaac…you really are one treasure of a boy." The Holy Father continued. "But let's not divulge that far about this. I'm sure there's a reason for you to come here, and I'm more than willing to listen to it."

Isaac widened his eyes a bit like he woke up from a sudden dream. "Oh, right!" He didn't waste time and showed him the letter he got. "I've found this among the various paperwork today. It seems very dangerous."

Xander took the letter and recognized the mark, getting a bit surprised. But still…he couldn't help himself but make an interested grin. "Shogunate Pride? Fate surely likes to play with coincidences…"

"You know them, master?" Isaac asked.

"I met them a few weeks ago during that patrol in the region of Caelum. They were pushing back a guild of hunters that aimed at the Great Akihabara Market and…I gave a small hand to them. They're a respectable legal guild made out of samurais, and if I'm correct, they recently added a new member to their ranks. To think that I would help them again! Ah ah! Maybe that day, the red thread of destiny wanted me to interact with them a bit longer...which is something I'm willing to do. Both as the Holy Father…and as a Wizard Saint." Xander explained while opening the letter.

"Right…apart from spreading good…our task is to help who's good…on behalf of the gods…" Isaac remembered.

Xander gave a quick read to the request and immediately realized what was going on. "Another demon problem…people are really desperate these days." He commented with an annoyed expression.

"What should we do?" Isaac asked.

Hearing that, Xander grinned again and looked at his servant. "Simple. We investigate further. As messengers of the gods, we are the main executioners of things such as demons apart from legal guilds…and luckily, we do have some ancient texts about Jaquio. Hopefully, we can find something that may counter whatever this Crow Clan is planning to do with those bones."

"So, we can help those guilds, unlike we weren't able to do with Zeref…" Isaac commented.

"Young Isaac…unfortunately, that was a more complicated question for us. We couldn't deal with them that easily, considering the power of the Alvarez Empire. Luckily, it all turned out well, as they were able to stop him." Xander explained. "You already experienced some of those situations, but there are times that there's nothing much to do…apart from having faith in others. This world has survived a lot of crises ever since its creation…and thanks to righteous people such as us and all the legal guilds controlled by the Magic Council…it will continue to strive. All we have to do is keep faith…and I'm sure the gods will bless us with strength…"

Despite the initial comment about Zeref, Isaac soon calmed himself after hearing those words. In the end…he was right, like all the other times. He knew for a fact that the White Church had always been righteous and that there was no reason to doubt it, as their humility and goodness had always been confirmed in the past through their various missions of exorcisms, assistance, and charity for poor people. And the Holy Father was always there to confirm that.

They were in the right…and the gods knew that. That was why they were always able to win.

"…Yes…I agree, master." He said with a happy tone.

"Now…let us come back to your study. You may be of great help with finding out and deciphering those texts about Jaquio. So, we have plenty of work to do…" Xander concluded.

As they exited the throne room, both his words and the closing doors echoed throughout the room. Another day of purity for the White Church had begun…

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Caelum – Suijin Island – City of Roppongi

"Nice to meet you, Koichi Miyamura!" All four mages said together.

It didn't take long for the elegant boy to realize what he had said earlier. He silently looked elsewhere with a dumb face, and then…

"Uh oh…"

Not only that. Apart from the four mages and the celestial spirit, even other people who were standing in the playing room looked at both the boy with wide eyes.

"…What's with all those eyes?" Tammy asked.

"Well, we're still talking about a mob leader…" Cal whispered.

"I…have a bad feeling about this. Get ready…" Yori said. And he was right.

In less than a second, some of the watchers took out Lacrima guns and started to shoot everywhere, even though they were able to miss the target for some reason.

"AAAAH!" Other people, who were simple bystanders who just wanted to play ended up instead lowering themselves to not get shot.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK!" Koichi, instead, started to jump from one spot to another to not get killed, until Iori stepped in front of him and got rid of his aggressors.

"Gale Dragon's Sonic Rain!" In an instant, he thrust one of his katanas to send a rain of short air blasts that not only knocked out the enemies but also opened a hole in the wall. He then grabbed Koichi and turned to the others. "The road is clear! Let's get out of here!"

The other three samurai mages and Aki followed shortly, jumping down alongside the people they were looking for, who, considering that he just wanted to play, was in full panic.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Despite the attack, one of the aggressors, who was probably another mob leader, remained conscious, even if wounded, and took his Lacrima phone to call his minions. "Koichi Miyamura is on the loose! Don't let him escape!"

Meanwhile, the four samurais went down the road with Koichi in hand and started to run as fast as possible. Tammy activated her Birds Eye View spell to have a complete vision of the city. And doing so confirmed her suspicions. "They're calling reinforcements!" She exclaimed.

"How can they be this fast!?" Ronin exclaimed.

"Gangsters always tend to move quickly. I know something of it!" Cal answered.

"Tammy, try to find a place where we can be safe!" Yori ordered, making the girl nod.

And during all of this, Koichi started to get pale in his face. "WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON!?" He exclaimed.

"No need to worry. We're not here to arrest you or anything. Just hold it tight." Iori assured him with a calm tone.

"As soon as we get you somewhere safe, we'll be able to explain everything," Yori added.

Koichi wasn't still that convinced of their answers, especially considering that they were carrying him at high speed. But after playing with him at SCAN-2-GO, he could sense that he was sincere. So, he decided to trust them…for now.

"I-In that case…we can go to the hideout of my gang." He spoke.

"Sweet. Where is it?" Aki asked.

"It's just a few meters North from here, I'll tell you where to- AAAAAAH!" While Koichi was about to give information on where to go, they could see a small blast of golden energy pass from behind them. Luckily, Iori moved to the right in time, but when they turned around, they could already see more gangsters trying to reach them with two carriages and several blasters in their hands.

"There they are! Keep firing!" The gang leader who called his men for support earlier, ordered. His men kept on firing with the same frequency as a machine gun.

The samurai mages were agile enough to move around while proceeding to dodge the energy blasts, but those chasers would have become a nuisance pretty soon.

"We can't go that far with these guys stuck with us!" Tammy exclaimed.

"Then leave it to me! I know a perfect way!" Aki answered before stopping himself. He then turned around and saw the carriages getting closer.

Seeing how one of them stopped, some of the blasters aimed at him. "Get rid of the cosplayer!" The gang leader ordered.

Aki turned red in a second. "COSPLAYER!? That's it! You wanted this!" Pretty much annoyed, Aki slammed his iron gauntlet to the ground, releasing a violent electric shockwave that ran over the two carriages, electrifying all the mob men.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" The vehicles exploded, and the men ended up getting fried, giving Aki a chance to get back with the others.

But just as they thought that the road was clear, the small group widened their eyes at the sight of more gangsters appearing from the roofs, aiming at them with cannons and crossbows.

"Are you kidding me!?" Ronin exclaimed.

"Here at Roppongi, we're all enemies between gangsters! It's kill or be killed!" Koichi explained. "That's why I got worried when you said my name loud!"

"Well, you did point out the question of the bone," Yori told him.

To that…Koichi didn't know how to answer.

But Tammy was already preparing her bow. "Don't worry guys, I know how to handle this. Long-distance enemies are my specialty!" As soon as she raised her bow with the arrows, the game was done. "Target Hunt!" The arrows scattered, attacking all of the enemies that aimed at them, knocking them out.

"AGH!"

Just as they continued, another mob man appeared from a sewer. It was an imposing figure, around 201 cm tall.

"YOU WON'T PASS AND YOU'LL LEND ME THE BOY! FOR I AM-"

"Applied Magic: Ice!" Not wanting to lose time, Cal applied ice magic on his blade and made one single cut that allowed the others to proceed.

The man stood still, but he was clearly out of the game as he had a long cut on his belly and his body was starting to freeze out. "L-Let me at least finish, dammit…" He then fell on the ground, knocked out.

More gangsters tried to circle them in an attempt to take Koichi down, but the mages of Shogunate Pride knew how to answer. Yori in particular, swung his long sword like a lance and wiped out most of the obstacles.

"A-Amazing…" Koichi commented. "You must be mages from a guild, correct?"

"Shogunate Pride at your service! You can thank us later for our magnificence!" Tammy answered.

"I don't think that moment will come any soon." An external voice suddenly said.

"Uh!?" All the mages and the celestial spirit raised their heads, just to find out Daisaku, who was looking at them with a convinced grin.

"Another one?" Cal asked. But Yori assumed a more serious expression.

"No…this one seems different…"

"Gotta say, you had put on quite the good show…but unfortunately…it ends here. That guy comes with us…" Daisaku spoke before spreading his arms. "And so his bone!" As soon as he said it, a good number of cannons started to appear behind him.

Tammy widened her eyes at such a sight. "Those are the cannons that destroyed our ship earlier! It must be him!" She exclaimed.

"What!?" The others exclaimed back. But there was no time to be shocked or anything that Daisaku already ordered the cannons to shoot.

"FIRE!"

Several cannonballs were shot, making loud noises and releasing a lot of smoke.

"Everyone, scatter!" Yori ordered. Everyone did so, jumping away from each other. Yet, the impact was devastating, and several explosions followed by craters rose.

The bystanders who looked at such a scene started to run away in panic, but a woman tripped and fell. And when she raised her eyes, she could see a cannonball go right at her. "OH NO!"

Luckily for her, Cal grabbed her in time and jumped away to save her. The woman quickly thanked him before running away like the rest of the surrounding citizens.

Cal took the chance to glare directly at Daisaku. "Just to get at us you would even destroy an entire town…you're not ashamed even a little!?"

"Do you think I would care for smaller fish when I have the main target in front of my eyes? Sorry if it bothers you, but if that's the case, then you clearly don't know how the world works, especially between gangsters! It's like in the jungle out there, kiddo! Only the fittest survives!" Daisaku replied.

Right after saying that, he could find Tammy above himself ready to shoot with an arrow. "That's it! You didn't even introduce yourself and you drew the line! So how about I take you and your cannons out for good!? Target-" She was about to shoot her spell again, but she soon found herself wrapped up in several strings. "AGH!"

"Tammy!" Iori cried out.

Aki started to sweat as he found those strings…familiar. "Wait…those nets…are the same as those two ninjas!"

His fears were confirmed, as someone else came out near Daisaku.

Kigami looked pleased as Tammy tried to struggle. "I like your perseverance, girl. But we don't need it." After saying this, he moved the arm, so that she could throw away the girl.

Tammy felt her strings tighten around her, making her bleed before getting thrown away. "GAAAAAH!"

Koichi, on the other hand, started to tremble and get terrorized. "Who…who are these people…? These aren't normal gangsters…this time I'm dead for good!" He spoke.

"Don't panic…we won't let them lay a finger on you. Our approach may have been harsh, but we'll assure you that we're on your side." Iori tried to assure him. "Even if you're a gangster…you can trust us."

Koichi didn't know what to say. He fell into deeper debt with them.

On the other side, instead, more strings started to come out from Kigami's fingers. "Now! If you're willing to step in our way, samurais, we'll just have to repay you for such an act! Kumo ninpō - shi no wana" The strings on his fingers stretched themselves and went towards the mages, attacking them and limiting their range of movement.

"Everyone! Fall back!" Aki warned them as he started to move backward with the others. Still, the strings were agile enough to reach them and form bleeding cuts in their body.

"NGHHH!"

"Cal!" Iori cried out for his colleague, who answered.

"Right away!" The two boys reached each other and made a singular cut infused with wind energy to slice down all the strings around them.

"Applied Magic: Wind!"

"Gale Dragon's Air Slash!"

The strings were cut down, but both Kigami and Daisaku didn't seem concerned about it.

Yori, on the other hand, looked at the vice leader of the Crow Clan while starting to sweat. "That man seems extremely dangerous. We need to make sure that he doesn't attack us…"

But right before they could even talk about something, a sudden rain of boulders started to attack them from above.

"What!?" The samurai mages were forced to move around with Koichi again, as Daigo appeared atop another house.

"Ha! Bet ya didn't expect that how about it!" He exclaimed.

Iori gritted his teeth. "Another one!?" He exclaimed.

Even Azumuku appeared, already imposing his hands in a ninja pose. "And that's not all...how about you'll be a part of my next masterpiece?" He asked. "Nendo ninpō – nagekinotenshi" Several statues of angels appeared around him before he ordered to attack the samurais.

"There's even a fourth one!" Ronin cried out. Just as the clay angels were about to come down on them, Aki stepped forward and released a large electric shockwave from his gauntlet, destroying them.

"Dammit! They all seem strong! They must be like Tekina and that other guy from the ball!" Aki warned out.

Soon, all mages stood with their backs against each other, as the four hitmen from the Crow Clan looked at them.

"So! How is it, Shogunate Pride? Did this performance give you a bite of what we can do? I'm sure you're now regretting trying to intercept us!" Daisaku said.

"I gotta say that you've impressed us by how you were able to resist our initial attack on your ship and how you were able to find Koichi quite soon. But you couldn't have gotten that far, unfortunately. After you reached the island, I could use my psychic powers to sense your presence. All that was left was to find you, which is nothing difficult for ninjas like us. Am I right, boys?" Azumuku added.

As soon as he said it, lesser ninjas appeared from behind the buildings, surrounding them.

"Dammit! They had us from the moment they attacked!" Cal exclaimed.

"And if that guy can really use psychic powers to sense us or read our minds, this can only get worse…" Yori added.

"W-What do we do?" Koichi asked.

"Stay calm for now…I may have an idea..." Iori told him before looking at his exceed friend.

It took a while for Ronin to understand what he meant, but as soon as he did, he made a resolute nod.

"Now…as you can see, there's not much you can do to save yourselves from this situation. But we always put business first over violence, so we're counting on solving this easily." Kigami then said. "If you hand over the boy, we'll let you leave alive. Or even better! The boy could directly tell us where he holds his precious bone."

Koichi was startled at the hearing of that. Were they after him for that? Did that bone bring him trouble once again?

He looked at the mages of Shogunate Pride. Maybe they were there for the same reason after all. They did expose him after he mentioned the bone. For a moment, he didn't know who to trust anymore.

Yet…they didn't try to threaten him or attack him to get the bone…he still wanted to trust them, especially considering that one of them assured him that he would have come out with something.

This whole situation was a mess he didn't want to be the center of. And yet here he was…all for a stupid bone, a remnant of his family.

To be honest, he didn't want to know what would have happened to that bone. He wasn't a strong gangster and never looked up to be one. All that he wanted…was to get safe.

So, he looked at Koichi and whispered. "Please…do something."

Iori nodded and whispered the idea to the others, who soon agreed.

Daisaku was ready to shoot with the cannons at any time, and seeing how they were staying silent started to annoy him. "Well!?"

"Give them time," Kigami told him. "We owe them completely, after all."

"Yeah, they surely aren't dumb. They know what's better for not gettin' their asses whooped!" Daigo added.

Tammy, on the other hand, raised her head from the ground and looked at the scene while using one of her spells to grasp the situation.

And in the end…they've all looked at the Crow Clan.

"Well? What shall it be?" Daisaku asked.

"Hold tight…" Iori whispered one last time to the young gangster.

"What do you mean-?" Koichi asked confused. But the samurai was already talking to his enemies.

"You want this boy so bad?" Iori asked as he started to lift the boy.

"H-Hey! What are you-"

"Then TAKE IT!" Then…the young samurai threw Koichi as high as possible, under almost everyone's shock.

"What!?"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Koichi had tears in his eyes as he got higher and higher.

"Now, Ronin!" Iori called out.

"Leave it to me, Iori!" Ronin didn't lose any time and spread his wings, flew high, and grabbed Koichi, starting to fly as far as possible from the battlefield.

"What!? Where did that exceed come from!?" Azumuku explained before looking at the group. "Dammit, so that's why they were whispering!"

Daisaku, on the other hand, clenched his fist. "DAMMIT! I knew we should have killed them on the spot! FIRE!" Without wasting any other time, he ordered to shoot with the cannons, which erupted balls one after another.

"I-I hope you don't suffer any type of sick motion!" Ronin warned Koichi as he started to make several movements and spins to dodge the cannons while not hiding the fact that he was afraid as well.

"OH, MY GOOOOOOOOD!" Koichi, on the other hand, tried his best to resist and not puke.

"That's it! I had enough!" Daigo got annoyed as well and used his ninpo to generate several boulders that went at full speed ahead against the little exceed, only to see several arrows destroying them. "WHAT!?"

Tammy, on the other hand, was able to rise again and reach the others. "Eh eh! Thought you had me?" She asked.

"You're ok?" Cal asked.

"It wasn't delicate at all! But I can still move!" Tammy replied. "I used the Eye Link to see through one of you and listen to the plan. Now I think we can answer properly!"

"Then let's do it. Now that Koichi is safe, there's nothing that limits us." Yori ordered. Soon, the four mages and the celestial spirit prepared themselves.

Even Kigami started to get annoyed from behind the sunglasses. "Alright, you put up a good number. But this is as far as you'll go. Get them."

As soon as he ordered, all the ninjas jumped against the samurais, attempting to ambush them, but Yori stood in front of the others and spread his arms. "Furukaunta-Vanish!" As he released some of the energy he gathered earlier, all the ninjas were run over by an outstanding power and got wiped away.

"GAAAAAAAAAH!"

"M-Man…He still scares me…" Aki commented.

"WHAT THE HELL!? HE CAN DO THAT!?" Daigo exclaimed. He was stunned by such a sight, but a part of him made him turn around in the direction of Ronin. "Ah piss off! I'm going for the fish! He won't escape!" That decision made him turn into a crow and start to chase the exceed.

"Scatter!" Yori warned. The others did so, aiming to engage in battle with the dangerous elements of their attackers. The outcome and Koichi's fate would have been decided by those clashes.

"I'LL GET YOU!" Daigo increased his speed while he was flying, but he was stunned to see a bigger figure above him. "Eh-?"

Without hesitating, Iori dived against him with one of his two swords infused with wind, making him crash to the ground before jumping away from him.

"AGH!" Not expecting that answer, Daigo crashed down and turned back into a human, and when he stood up, he could see Iori getting ready.

"If you want to reach them, you'll first have to deal with me. I hope you're ready." Iori told him with a cold tone.

Daigo was annoyed at first, but when he realized the type of magic his opponent was using, he somehow felt calmer and more confident, as he looked at him with a smirk. "I see…your element is wind, then?"

Iori was confused by such a sudden mood change. "What do you mean?"

As an answer, Daigo made a small laugh as he put a fighting stance with a large grin. "Oh oh oh, ya'll soon see! I'll just let you know that you made the biggest mistake of your life by tryin' to mess up with me! But don't worry! I'll make sure it'll be your last!"

At that sentence, Iori sweated a little but remained prepared to fight. He had heard that the main members of the Crow Clan were dangerous, judging by Hoshiko and the others' experience two days earlier, so hearing him like that could have only been a bad omen. But he couldn't allow himself to falter.

He needed to do it for both Koichi and his friend Ronin.

Speaking of which, thanks to the opportunity that the small group created together, Ronin was able to get as far as possible from the battlefield alongside Koichi. Looking around, he could see more citizens running away or getting worried.

"Man…this will probably be a story that will end up in the newspaper between them and the gangsters that attacked us…how come this city is so exposed to such people?" The small exceed wondered

Koichi finally got a chance to breathe out and when he stood up, he could hear what the small creature had said and came closer.

"…Because in the end, that man's words were right. In this town…it's like a jungle. Through false testaments and lies…the families and organizations that run the business in this city managed to keep a good figure in the face of every authority." He explained.

Ronin turned around to listen.

"…It's not like I'm in the position to say anything. After all…I am a gangster myself, even if a little one. But…seeing how colorful and full of entertaining things this city is and then knowing about the people that run it…really disgusts me. The citizens who live here and the tourists think that they can spend their days calm and entertained but in the end…the money they use and their activities here…are all manipulated by disgusting worms just as us. And every day, they have to assist to a shooting range or smoke caused by explosions such as this! And how do these people answer the empire? 'It was an accident! A kitchen exploded!'" As he vented off the problems in Roppongi, Koichi released another deep breath. "Sometimes…I wish someone like the imperial guards or even the Shinsengumi could come here and finally clean all this mess…or at least…that the empress would hear about these problems to fix them."

Ronin stood quiet to let him talk. He could feel the frustration perfectly, and that made him have a saddened expression on his face.

Koichi noticed that. "…Sorry. I…let it go without knowing it."

"Hey! It's no problem, really! I can actually understand your feelings…I would feel uncomfortable as well to live in a city like this. And…it's not the first time I heard something like this." Ronin answered.

"How so?" Koichi asked.

"We're a legal guild, after all! Hearing about criminals, and taking care of both them and corrupted people is a part of our daily bread, after all. And every time, hear about people who take advantage of innocent ones through money, extortion, blackmail, and threats really saddens me. It always had." The exceed explained.

Hearing him like that made Koichi look down. "…Do you think…that I'm as disgusting as those people?" He then asked.

"I don't know…did you ever do one of those things they do?" Ronin replied with another question.

"Not really…I've tried to handle my small organization in a way that could have been legal. We produce bows used in sports competitions." Koichi replied, a bit ashamed. "The gang isn't even mine at all. My father was the one who had it. I've just…inherited it after his death a few years ago. But…I couldn't be like him. I just…wanted to feel more…clean of that dirt."

Ronin made a small smile at hearing that. "…Well…the fact that you are trying to run your business in a better way than most of the shady gangsters in here is already a change, don't you think? This is already a victory for me! And well, since you're here…why don't you try and make a first step in changing things?"

"What? Me? How could I do that? I had to be saved by you and got exposed because I can't keep my mouth shut!" Koichi asked, confused.

"Just because you're not strong, it doesn't mean that you don't have other strong points that could help this city to improve!" Ronin said. "The Master of our guild likes to say that every human being and every action they make is unpredictable in this life and that there's nothing such as a pre-written event unless someone doesn't do anything to not make it happen. I think…you're a proof of that. If you want things to change in a city that you love that much…then…how about you could be the one to make the first step? I'm sure that would help!"

"…Why are you being so kind to me? If I'm correct, you were looking for me because of the bone I have, right? I didn't even understand what the hell that thing is supposed to be…" Koichi asked.

"That's true…but at the same time…we couldn't just do anything and let those other gangsters fill your body with bullets! We have to defend those who cannot defend themselves! Not only as mages…but it's also part of our bushido! Plus…after hearing you like that, you seem like a very good guy. There's no way we would leave you alone! Especially if our enemy is aiming at you." Ronin answered before looking toward the direction of the battle.

"…So you think that…I could do something like you're doing now?" Koichi asked.

"Well, it doesn't have to be exactly like us! But still something of importance! I have my trust in Iori and the others, so I know they'll make it!"

Those words… that sincerity…that kindness…made Koichi feel something. It was still incredible to hear that strangers would have still helped him despite his identity and their goal.

For once…he felt like he was listened to and understood. And for that reason…he walked away for a moment. He then took a Lacrima phone and called for someone.

"I'm sure you've heard the booms towards the center of the city…call up for reinforcements."

"Reinforcements? For who, young masters?" The man on the other side asked.

To that answer, Koichi made a small smile. "…Friends."

---

"HM!" Yori threw attack after attack with firmness and violence against Kigami, who moved backward in a confusing way for the samurai.

As he moved around to dodge Yori's attacks, he left what seemed to be afterimages that still followed him. It was like a phantom that kept on carrying his trap instead of placing it.

"Is he that fast? Then I need to change my ways of attacking…" Yori thought.

Kigami, on the other hand, noticed something from above while he kept on dodging Yori's attacks. "Hm?"

"The Sniper!" Tammy climbed up to a building nearby and shot the uppermost precise blow from her bow.

The ninja noticed the power of the blast, forcing himself to jump back to dodge. And as soon as he landed on his feet, he could see Yori already diving against him with the blade.

In less than a second, he made several ninja moves with his hands and created a barrier made out of strings that reacted with the attack. "Kumo ninpō - okō dōmu!"

"NGHHHH!" Yori tried to push further by giving himself more energy with magic, but in the end, he was forced to recoil from it.

Kigami, on the other hand, smirked as he deactivated the barrier.

Tammy reached Yori. "How can he be so damm strong!?" She exclaimed.

"His strong point is not strength himself. Apart from being a talented mage, he must have perfected his movements and reflexes to be as fast as he was now. It's his agility the main problem…" Yori commented.

"The spider is one of the deadliest predators out there in nature. They take you right into their grasp when you least expect it. Even if our ambush didn't work out as expected, the main idea doesn't change." Kigami explained before fixing his hat. "I'll drag you down in my silk either way. I make sure to clear all business." At that moment, even his sunglasses shined.

"I can understand how you're so confident right now. But don't forget that putting too much trust in your skills could be your downfall. I have yet plenty of cards to show for you." Yori warned.

"I think you've mistaken me for a cocky individual, samurai. I simply put tasks and business over anything, and I make sure at 101% that all my deeds will succeed. This is how ninjas survived for centuries. And, after all, I cannot piss off my lord already." Kigami countered. "But judging by your expressions, it seems that you don't believe me. Well then…" Once again, long strings came out of his fingers. "How about I give you a valid proof of that?"

"Get ready, he's coming!" Yori warned the other mage, who prepared herself, even if a bit uncomfortable about that.

"Not again…"

"Kumo ninpō - shi no wana!" The strings on Kigami's fingers stretched themselves to reach out for Yori and Tammy, moving violently like possessed vines.

Yori moved around while cutting down all the strings that were after him with his sword as best as he could. But inevitably, some of the strings reached out for his body. One of them in particular gave him a cut in the spleen. "Ngh!" Yori gritted his teeth to endure the pain like he had been used to for a long time. "If it keeps up like this, I'll be reduced to slices…I need to find a way to contrast those strings and reach him directly! Wait a minute…I may have an idea…" He then thought.

"WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tammy was in a completely different mood as she ran around, trying to not get hit once again by the strings. Her short dimension let her jump and move more easily than normal, and sometimes, she even made the strings blend.

Inevitably, as she moved around, she ended up getting closer to Kigami in a perfect spot. "That's it!" Not wanting to waste the chance she quickly prepared her bow and charged several magical arrows. "Phoebus Myriad!" She shot all of them at a fast pace, like a rain of arrows sent by an army.

"Kumo ninpō - okō dōmu!" Kigami quickly called back the strings back to generate the barrier from before and defend himself.

The repeated impact continued for a few minutes. Tammy was starting to sweat cold to see that her enemy's defense was strong even with such an attack, but she kept on attacking until the impact formed a small pile of smoke.

Tammy looked at the scene with tension, and she went pale to see that all that she was able to do was just a red cut on Kigami's shoulder. "No way…"

The vice leader of the Crow Clan smirked as he touched the wound. "Gotta say! For being legal mages like all the others, you're quite stubborn! Not many who faced me got to this result. "But I think we've played enough." Kigami then started to move the fingers at an outstanding speed. The consequence was that the strings moved all around crazily and multiplied, forming an authentic cage around the two mages of Shogunate Pride.

"Dammit!" To answer this, Yori called upon all of his reflexes to attack at outstanding speed with his sword, shredding down the strings around him. By relaxing his mind and putting the right energy in the arm muscles, Yori was able to swing his sword with the same speed as an automat and cut down all the strings before they could reach his skin. But as he looked elsewhere while keeping on attacking, he could see that Tammy wasn't as lucky as him.

"GAAAAH!" The girl was pushed away as the strings kept on attacking her with berserk rage.

"Tammy!" Yori cried out, but he couldn't move easily with the strings attacking him. All that he could have done was give her tips. "Don't let the pain take over you! Find the breach like we always do!"

Tammy gritted her teeth tightly as the pain started to get unbearable. But she still tried to look up for something. Even if…in a cage like that…the task seemed impossible.

"F-Fuck…I can't see anything with all those strings. I even lost sight of him! Wait a minute…the strings!" But suddenly…she realized that the very thing that could have almost killed her could turn out to be the right strategy to use.

Even if she was constantly attacked by the strings that started to gather around her, she found the strength to raise her bow. She didn't have a particular aim. All she needed…was to shoot.

Kigami, on the other hand, looked at both mages' situation. "I think one of them is out. One less problem to take care of."

"THINK AGAIN! TARGET HUNT!" Wanting to prove him wrong, Tammy shot several arrows that started to move around. But this time, they didn't aim directly at Kigami…rather at the strings.

Target Hunt's specialty was that Tammy could direct her arrows wherever she wanted. And she took advantage of both this specialty and her actual conditions with the strings.

They would have been the propulsor that would have made the arrows reach Kigami.

Suddenly, the arrow leaned on the strings and used them to push themselves forward, making a road and starting to cut out the strings that were wrapping the area.

"What!?" This time, Kigami couldn't react immediately as he didn't expect it. The arrows were getting closer and closer, forcing him to jump away to dodge them. But with one last push from the strings, the arrows were in his range and started to attack him from more directions.

"NGHHH!" The first blood was spilled from the vice leader of the Crow Clan.

The strings loosened their grasp due to their owner's wounds, and Tammy could finally take some air, while Yori proceeded.

"Magnificent, Tammy. Now leave it to me!" Without any doubt, The S-Class Mage dashed straight forward against Kigami, who tried to maintain his cool composure.

"Fool." In less than a second, he summoned back a full net of strings in front of Yori.

But this time…the samurai mage didn't back up. After planting his foot on the ground, he made a further push with his sword and his magic. "Furukaunta-Spear!" By throwing back all the damage he had gathered ever since the battle started, Yori went straight like a spear, infused with pure magic that destroyed the net and directly reached Kigami.

"N-No way! GAAAAH!" At such a close distance, not even his superior reflexes would have saved him, and he got pushed back by a violent force that not only left him with a large cut on his body but also made him lose his hat and his sunglasses.

Yori was still on guard. He felt satisfied with managing to attack him, and he would have probably thanked Tammy later. But he knew that the deal wasn't done. An enemy like him wouldn't have fallen that easily.

And his fear was correct.

Kigami remained with the head lowered for a few moments before raising it with a smirk, revealing his amber eyes. He quickly made a new ninja hand imposture. "Kumo ninpō - burakku u~idō!" By doing so, four more arms made out of magic appeared from his hips, giving him eight limbs in total.

"What the!?" For once, Yori was caught off guard by that, as Kigami approached him at high speed, moving on all limbs, like an authentic spider.

"AHAHAHA!" Once he was close enough, he grabbed several knives from his six arms and attacked Yori at high speed, who answered by clashing his blade using the same mechanic as before.

Both of them were moving incredibly fast, releasing sparkles from their clashes. Yori sweated out again upon realizing that his enemy was showing what he could really have done now.

Tammy, on the other side, was still suffering from the previous attack, but she had the energy to continue. And seeing how Kigami seemed to have become even more dangerous, she immediately raised her bow and aimed at him. "The Sniper!"

The arrow went full speed ahead, but Kigami noticed it and moved back to dodge it. Yori thought that this could have given him a chance and tried to go with a horizontal slash, but thanks to the spell, Kigami's reflexes developed even further and he jumped back to dodge that further attack.

Tammy took the chance of the small break to reach out to Yori again.

"Are you alright, Tammy?" The older mage asked.

To that, Tammy chuckled. "O-Oh please…no one like me would fall down already, don't you think?" She answered back.

"Glad to know. We'll need as much charge as possible. He's getting more dangerous every second that passes." Yori said.

Even Kigami had to acknowledge their skills, as he breathed a bit. "All right, I may have underestimated you. No wonder my two subordinates fell to the likes of you. But what I said earlier doesn't change. I always complete a job, and I wouldn't want to have my reputation as a ninja to be severed that much. I hope you're ready…because I surely am." He warned.

As an answer, Yori and Tammy glared back.

Meanwhile, not that distant from them, Aki engaged in a battle with Azumuku and charged at full power with his gauntlet full of energy.

The ninja looked at him with a grin and used his clay ninpo to generate solid clay gauntlets that could have defended him.

The Celestial Spirit didn't falter and went nonetheless with the attack, even if the defense seemed to be solid than expected, forcing him to jump back. "Dammit!"

"That power you've manifested…you must be one of those famous Celestial Spirits I know. And with that…it means that you're related to that ninja of the Star Clan." Azumuku noticed. "So, why are you here instead of staying with your owner? Does she have not much trust in you?" He then asked. As soon as he finished, Aki was already in front of him with a cold stare, ready to smack his face with a heavy fist. But the ninja of the crow clan made a swift jump upwards, reaching the roof of a building.

Aki's gauntlet was still emitting shockwaves as he glared up to the enemy. "My lady doesn't have any reason to doubt me, and neither do I. And you're not in charge of saying something about her. The reason why I'm here is to make sure we take you all down!"

"Are you curling already? I can understand how you share the same feeling of vengeance as that girl. But I think I'll have to warn you…" Azumuku answered back before looking at him with a diabolical grin. "You won't get far with that attitude."

"We shall see!" Not wanting to listen to him anymore, Aki dashed at full speed while infused with electricity.

Seeing him like that made Azumuku start with the ninja movements of his arms. "Nendo ninpō – soda!" In an instant, two spirals of clay appeared on his sides, taking the shape of two dragons that dashed against Aki.

"What!?" Caught by surprise, Aki was forced to move around while getting chased by the two dragons, that tried to attack him several times. "TSEAH!" He was able to destroy one of them with a direct fist that crumbled it into pieces, but the other attacked him from above, making him slam to the ground. "GAAAAAAH! GRRRRRRRR!" Aki was able to not get eaten by the clay dragon, holding his jaws with his two hands. He then proceeded to destroy it as well by releasing a high-voltage discharge. Some of the pieces fell directly on him, but all he had to do was shake his head to take them off. When he stood up, he could see that he ended up staying just a few meters away from Azumuku, who didn't seem to be troubled by it.

The ninja of the Crow Clan still had a grin on his face as he generated two other clay dragons that attacked the celestial spirit from a shortened distance.

Aki electrified both of his fists and answered the attack with a barrage of electric punches. "You think I'll fall for the same technique twice!?" He exclaimed. In a matter of seconds, the clay dragons crumbled down, but between their debris, Aki could see with horror that Azumuku was already in front of him with a grin and a sword in his hands.

"No…but I could see that this was the easier way to reach out to you!" With those words, the ninja made an upward cut that slashed Aki from the spleen to near the neck.

"GAAAH DAMM YOU!" Furious, Aki tried to smash him down with the gauntlet, taking advantage of the close distance, but Azumuku quickly turned into a crow and flew above him before turning normal and performing a spin dive attack that crashed Aki further inside the building.

"G-GH…" Aki was able to come out of the debris and noticed how he felt his presence dizzier. "Dammit…"

Azumuku on the other hand, reached him and looked at him from just a few centimeters away. "Considering that you're distant from your master, you must be one of those strong Celestial Spirits that can manifest their forms even without their owner's magic. But I'm pretty sure that if you take enough damage, you won't be able to sustain yourself and you'll be forced to return to your gate."

"Dammit…he already realized it?" Aki thought.

"Of course, I did. All that I needed was to give a careful look at you." Azumuku replied.

"W-What!?" The cat-man was stunned. "But I didn't-"

"Did you forget? Apart from my ninpo, I have psychic powers that allow me to read minds. Figuring out both your thoughts and your ideas is child's play for me.

"Fuck…this means that I'm cornered on all sides, right? Well…no matter." Aki said before assuming a battle pose. "This won't mean that there's no way to outsmart you nonetheless."

"Even in your conditions, you still try to answer. You must care a lot about your lady, right? Because if that's the case…" Azumuku prepared another ninja hand movement and two daggers appeared for him to use. "I'll be happier to send you back to her. And when I'm done, your pals will be next! Nendo ninpō - kyōdai koroshi" Once he finished, he ran at high speed against Aki while holding the daggers.

Aki prepared himself and met him with his fists high, and the two started to clash. The celestial spirit was fast in his punches, but even Azumuku wasn't playing around.

"Come on…try something! Let me see how I could ruin everything you think of by predicting it!" Azumuku thought. But something was strange. Even too much for his tastes.

"What is this? Why I don't see anything in particular for his mind? Is he not thinking at all? Oh well, this makes things easier!" After thinking this, Azumuku could see Aki trying to smash him with a double punch, so he used the daggers to spread out Aki's arms and leave him exposed. As soon as he saw him apparently vulnerable, he tried to go for his throat.

"There! Say-" Azumuku thought to have him, but suddenly, Aki moved quickly behind him. "What!? GAH!" Azumuku ended up getting caught in a grip from behind.

"GOT YOU KNOW!" Without wasting seconds, Aki released an electric discharge from all over his body, electrifying the enemy as well.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Azumuku felt terrible pain all over his body before getting violently thrown away by Aki, and getting out of the building. Despite this, the ninja gritted his teeth and stood up, using another ninpo technique. "Nendo ninpō – nagekinotenshi" He generated several angel statues that went against the house, hoping to crash down the celestial spirit.

Aki came out with an electric discharge that destroyed the approaching statues and then ran fast toward Azumuku to attack him with his electric gauntlet. "TAKE THIS!"

Azumuku quickly drew his sword to limit the attack, and he ended up recoiling. Now, it was him that started to sweat. "How was he able to attack me that way? There must be a logical reason behind it and I'll have to find it out to correct this fluke!"

Aki, on the other hand, looked at the ninja with a cold stare. He couldn't afford to get attacked too much, but after hearing him talk and after having proof of what he was capable of, he knew he couldn't have let him go.

"How about it? Do you think I'm still curling?"

---

Back at the part of the city where the whole conflict started, Cal was able to approach Daisaku, who tried to overwhelm him and pulverize him with the cannons he had brought with him.

"FIRE!"

The cannons erupted with blows one after another, but even with such sight, Cal kept on going, dodging the blows with unexpected speed. And then…as he raised his stare toward the enemy, his sword started to get ignited with fire. "Applied Magic: Fire." He planted the sword on the ground which started to crack and pass beyond Daisaku.

"What?" He didn't understand at first the intention of that, but he soon found out when he saw a small burst of flame that erupted from the ground and destroyed the cannons. "H-Hey! Are you kidding me!?"

He didn't have the time to react properly as Cal was already in front of him, attacking with the sword.

"Tch!" Daisaku sweated a bit, but he somehow turned his arm into a reptile one and used it to block the attack.

"Uh!?" For a moment Cal came back from his battle stance as he realized that the arm was putting a lot more resistance than expected. The boy was forced to jump back, and then he looked at the enemy with more attention.

"Now this is where you drew the line, boy! Not only you've taken our target away from us, but you also took out precious stuff! Those cannons had cost me 800.000 Jewels, do you know that!?" Daisaku exclaimed.

"If that money was spent on weapons that have made a whole mess in this town…then I'd say that they were wasted. You should be the one ashamed." Cal retorted while getting ready again.

A vein started to form on Daisaku's head. "Oh…so now you're trying to lecture me? I don't know you, but I've beheaded more chickens than you had ever known since I started my business. In this world, you have to make yourself respected! There, how about I give you proof of that?" He then said before snapping his fingers.

As he said it, Cal soon found himself surrounded by many gangsters who pointed various weapons at him. "What!? These guys don't seem on your side!"

"Yes! I would have said it a while ago, but let's just say that, through some advanced payments, they'll now make me the favor of taking you out of sight." Daisaku explained.

Cal gritted his teeth. "So, you bought them…"

"This is how the underground operates, kid! You who live in legal stuff don't know a lot of things about how we operate. And you'll probably never know. Kill him!" Daisaku countered before ordering the men to shoot.

Cal used his sword fast to deflect most of the blasts and then started to move around.

"You may have caught me by surprise before, but with all these buddies around here, there's no guarantee at all that you'll survive," Daisaku commented as he looked at the scene.

But even with that, Cal soon assumed his cold stare once again. "Perhaps it's you that doesn't know a lot of things about us." He spoke as he extended his sword. "A samurai is not new to getting attacked by more enemies at once. Especially if they're proficient in magic."

The other gangsters laughed at that as they continued to shoot. But little did they know what was waiting for them.

Cal's blade started to stretch itself, assuming a longer form. After a spinning jump towards the center to dodge the bullets, all that the boy needed to do was to move the swords in full 360 degrees to get rid of those men. "Applied Magic: Extend!"

"GAAAAAAAAH!" All the gangsters were wiped away and their weapons were cut in pieces, leaving Daisaku bewildered.

"Hey, are we kidding!?"

Once Cal was done, he landed on his feet and looked back at Daisaku before running at full speed, attempting to cut him down with the sword. Daisaku turned his arms into lizard ones once again, but this time, Cal knew how to answer.

"Applied Magic: Enhance!" By using this spell, Cal enhanced all the aspects of his weapon and as soon as he attacked, Daisaku noticed how he had to put a lot more strength to resist.

"Dammit, brat! When will you stop putting all these surprises!?" Daisaku complained.

"You didn't see anything yet!" Cal countered before pushing further, managing to cut down Daisaku's body. Even if it was superficial, the very first blow of the battle was his.

"NGHHH!" Daisaku, on the other hand, wasn't pleased to have a cut on his body. But that still didn't mean anything, as he immediately went on, stabbing Cal with his nails, which turned into claws, alongside the scaled arms.

"GAH!" Cal was completely caught off guard by that. He spit some blood from his mouth and then was thrown away by Daisaku, crashing on the ground. He stood up a bit trembling while touching his wounds and noticing his blood. "W-What? I-I thought it was only a hardening magic…"

"Eh eh eh eh eh…" Daisaku was pleased to hear such a thing as he took off his white jacket. The boy could then see how his whole body started to get all scaly and green. "It seems that you were making fun of me a little too much. There's a reason why Lord Yoshimatsu trusts me even if I'm not a ninja. And that reason is…that I always know how to get rid of unpleasant nuisances like you." He spoke. "A while ago, I purchased this gem at Desierto, said to be made with the fluids of the reptiles that lived there. While a bit disgusting, the merchant that sold it to me said that it would have given an incredible power. Years later since I've swallowed it…I have to say that I have to thank him. Because with that…I have both the armor and the power of a massive reptile! This is the Lizard Dominion!"

"Lizard…Dominion?" Cal asked.

"That's right! And just like you said earlier, you didn't see anything yet!" Daisaku continued, as a red aura surrounded him. In a matter of seconds, he stood ready. "NOW DIE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" He then dashed at an unexpected speed.

Cal gritted his teeth but tried to maintain his composure so that he could have answered his attacks. "Applied Magic: Acceleration!" Cal used his magic to increase the speed of his sword, which answered the various claw attacks from Daisaku.

Even if the clash seemed on the same level at first, Cal could feel himself getting dragged back. "If it keeps up like this, he'll reduce me to pieces…I need to get out of here!" Thinking this, he quickly pushed away Daisaku's arms before enveloping him in a small tornado to block him. "Applied Magic: Wind!" Daisaku seemed caught by it, and Cal could take the chance to jump out of there.

Daisaku seemed paralyzed by the wind, but it lasted only for a few seconds. Afterward, Cal could already see him running towards him and then jumping. His arm was surrounded by a red energy, and he dived at max speed. "TAKE THIS!"

"Applied Magic: Enchance!" Cal tried to use his magic to increase the sword's resistance, but even with that, the hitman's punch was strong enough to pass through it and punch Cal right in the face. "NGH!" The mage of Shogunate Pride could feel his skull crack up for a moment before getting crushed to the ground.

Daisaku wasn't done there. Kneeling himself right on Cal's body he started to give one punch after another at reckless speed to crush him further. "WHAT'S THE MATTER? YOU'RE NOT ACTING ALL COCKY NOW!"

"GAH! AGH!" Cal could feel the fists going down on him with the same fury of a running train, as he spits more and more blood. He could barely catch the break between one punch and another to raise his sword and generate a flash of light. "Applied Magic: Light!"

"Ack!" Daisaku couldn't predict that and got blinded.

Cal got a chance to take a single breath and push Daisaku back with an explosion of light that made him recoil. He then quickly dashed behind the enemy and tried to attack him on the shoulder.

"Applied Magic-"

But to his horror, before he could reach him, Daisaku grew up a long tail that wrapped Cal up and lifted him. "GAH!"

"Ah ah! Nice trick! But this magic gives me every trait of a lizard! Sneak attacks won't work for you easily, BLONDIE!" After saying this, Daisaku started to slam Cal on the ground several times.

Once again, the samurai was dragged off by the pain, but he was still holding his sword and released a gust of wind to harm the tail and free himself. "Applied Magic: Wind!"

"Ack! What!?" Daisaku exclaimed.

Cal didn't waste more time and reached out for the enemy with the sword that was emitting both water and electricity at the same time. "Applied Magic Combo: Water + Lightning!" With one strong swipe, Cal attacked Daisaku, releasing some electrified water that ended up on Daisaku, giving him a heavy discharge.

"GAAAAAAH!" The hitman of the Crow Clan felt terrible pain even with his scaled body and stepped back a bit. But shortly after, he took off the water with a single hand cut. His body was smoking, but he still had plenty of energy as he glared at him while breathing heavily.

Cal was in the same conditions, if a bit worse. His whole body was bleeding out, but he still maintained that cold stare at his enemy.

"Not only he's strong…but he's also quick at answering. This seems like a completely different thing compared to Sterling of Chimera Tribe, since he doesn't want to joke around…" He thought. "This time, trying to figure out the ideal element to use won't be enough. I'll have to rely more on the various combinations and try to outsmart him…"

"Alright, you're cleverer than I thought, I'll give you that. But being smart isn't enough to take down someone like me. I'm sure you had valid proof of that, considering the conditions of your body. It's already enough that you can move."

Cal looked at himself with trembling eyes. He was right…he had already lost a ton of blood.

"Even if you're agile and skilled with that sword, It's clear the difference between you and me. So if you don't want your skull to end up in tiny pieces, you'd better surrender and tell me where that cat is from before putting that boy."

Cal took a bit of a moments to answer…but he did nonetheless.

"力 – Chikara; Strength."

"Ah? What did you say?" Daisaku asked.

"Nothing…just one of the traits a true samurai should have, and the one I'm supposed to use now," Cal answered before looking at him with a mocking smile. "Did you really think I would say anything like that knowing what we're doing? Especially to someone like you?"

A vein formed on Daisaku's head as he gritted his teeth. "He has the presumption of talking to me like that despite his wrecked body!?" He thought.

Cal, on the other hand, extended his legs and held his Murajaka tightly, glaring at him with his usual emotionless expression. "It's clear that I won't be able to defeat him in the way I usually do. I need to surpass my limit…sharpen my senses even further. Become one…with my sword."

Suddenly…everything went black for him, and only Daisaku was visible. It wasn't the effect of the Lock on of his Applied Magic. Rather…he focused all of his senses directly on Daisaku.

The hitman of the Crow Clan, on the other hand, got even more annoyed. And as such, he got ready for the next attack. "Fine…have it your way. If breaking your bones is not enough, then I'll just turn you into ashes!" After saying that, Daisaku did something new: he started to charge a golden beam from his mouth.

Cal slightly raised his eyes, expecting something dangerous.

"KAPPA!" Not hesitating a bit, the hitman of the Crow Clan released the beam against Cal.

The boy didn't move out, rather…he got ready for it. "Focus…"

"Applied Magic Combo: Light + Fire!" The Murajaka glowed a bright red color, as he made the sword fall on the beam, triggering a small burst of light that was created in front of the beam, starting to nullify him.

Once again, Daisaku was furious to see that his enemy had yet again found a way to answer his attack, but he didn't quit there. "GRAAAAAAAAH!" He simply put more strength into the beam, hoping that would have shut him up for good.

Cal noticed the power increase, so he put his foot still and continued to push with the burst of light. "Do not falter…do not feel anxious…be one with the sword and the magic…then push!" With that in mind, he kept on pushing, moving on the burst of light, until it expanded itself and nullified the beam completely. Particles of light were floating around Cal, as he opened his eyes and glared at Daisaku again.

Daisaku gritted his teeth in frustration, but at the same time…he couldn't tell why, he sweat from the left side of his head. Nonetheless, he stomped his foot and then tried a dive attack with his claws. "You little fuck!"

Cal didn't hesitate and answered with a solid attack from his sword, forcing each other to push.

"Something's different about him. He seems less concerned about what I can do…" Daisuke thought as soon as his eyes met Cal's empty ones. "Why? Why are you looking at me in that way? Can't you see that you're not fit for this world?" But just as he was getting lost in his thoughts, he realized with horror that his arms were freezing out. "WHAT!?"

The ice came out from Cal's blade. "Reptiles don't stand cold that much, right?" The boy asked.

"Y-YOU LITTLE- NGH! W-What is this!? Why can't I move!?" Daisaku tried to struggle out, but he was stuck near the blade. Cal took the chance to push further and make a single cut that wiped Daisaku away.

"Applied Magic Combo: Ice + Enchance!"

"GAAAAAAH! Daisaku crashed several times on the ground before slamming his back against a wall. When he stood up, he saw that Cal was approaching him with slow steps.

"He seems completely unaware of anything…I can feel the blood pumping up from that boy! No, he's just a little brat. No one must dare to spit at the Crow Clan nor me, Daisaku Kuze!" He thought before getting out of the wall. "If you hear me, then don't get cocky again! Nothing has changed!" A red aura surrounded him again. The scales on his body became more visible, and his claws grew longer. He then charged against Cal, with a shout that looked more like a roar. "TIME TO BECOME MY PREY!"

Seeing the approaching charge, Cal started to run faster as well, and the two met each other soon. "Applied Magic: Acceleration + Lock on!" He attacked quickly by combining two more spells, almost like he was throwing several swords at the enemy.

But Daisaku seemed to increase his strength again, as his claw attacks were getting faster as well. Several sparks came out of the clash.

"I can sense that he's getting strong…but at the same time…" He looked carefully at his enemy's eyes, which seemed more animalistic than earlier. "That magic seems to cost him his mental sanity. I need to take advantage of that and strike him down for good. I don't intend to disappoint the others!"

The clash continued, and this time, Daisaku's nails were able to pass through the Murajaka and stab Cal right in the arms, making them bleed out. "NGH!"

"GOT YOU!" Seeing an opening, Daisaku released a strong punch right in Cal's face that made him recoil. Immediately after that, he ran towards him with his arms spread, as if he wanted to limit his range.

But Cal seemed to know what he needed to do. After jumping up, he turned upside down and went with the next attack. "Applied Magic: Wind + Acceleration!" He created a cage of cuts made out of wind that attacked Daisaku all over his body forcing him to step back.

"NGHHH!" The hitman of the Crow Clan started to stagger, but he quickly regained balance. "No, NOT YET! I won't be the one to fall, GET IT!? KAPPA!" He released another beam from his mouth.

"Applied Magic: Light!" Once again, Cal released a burst of light to answer, and shortly after, the beam was nullified. But as soon as he ended, he could see Daisaku's tail grab him. "What!?"

Daisaku made sure to first strangle him for good, and then, before Cal could free himself as he did earlier, he got him closer and shot another beam at a shortened distance. "KAPPA!"

"S-Shit!" This time, there was nothing that Cal could have done, and got blasted away by the beam, crashing against a building.

A few citizens were standing right where he fell off, and as soon as they saw him, they ran away in panic.

"G-Gh…" Cal tried to stand up despite the pain of the beam, but this time, his muscles were having more trouble doing so. "Anf…anf…he doesn't seem to have completely lost his mind…yet…I can still see a way to take him down…I-I just need to- uh!?" When he raised his head, he could see that Daisaku was already running, planning to crush his skull with his arms.

"ONE DOWN!"

"GRRR!" Cal held the Murajaka as tight as he could. His hand was bleeding out, yet he couldn't falter yet. As soon as Daisaku was close enough, Cal sharpened his sight and once again, he focused all his senses on him, adding another thing.

"Applied Magic: Lock On…"

Now, his whole being was focused entirely on Daisaku. He knew for sure that his blow wouldn't have failed. All that he needed to do…was to just move forward.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

SWING!

SLASH!

After crossing each other, Cal and Daisaku were turned around in opposite directions.

"Ngh!" A cut formed on Daisaku's body, but at the same time…

Cal was horrified to see a large X-shaped cut form near his chest, making him fall to his knees. "GAAAAH!" He had to take several heavy breaths before he could find the strength to stand up again.

It was then that he also noticed something. A few stains and splinters appeared on the Murajaka. "N-No…don't tell me…" He spoke. "The Murajaka was made to make an unbreakable blade, so these splinters shouldn't be anything serious…yet not even this blade is immune to the effects of the Applied Magic…" He thought. "If used too much, the Applied Magic may affect the efficiency of the weapon used. It must be because of all the combinations I've used during the battle. A few more shots and even if it won't break, it won't be useful anymore. I…I need to finish it as soon as possible…" He then looked at his body. "But…will I be able to do it?"

Even Daisaku had to take a few breaths after the last attack. Even if he made the greater damage, even Cal's attack wasn't a joke. He looked down at the wound and touched it, seeing his hand bleeding. "Look at this. Even if I harden my scales, I always find a way to stand up again. Why don't you just lay down and die? It would make things easier for both of us!"

"Anf…I am a mage of Shogunate Pride…I have a code that makes me loyal to a certain style of life and certain people. But I think talking about loyalty or reason with someone like you wouldn't be of any use, considering all the damage and the people you've involved just to take Jaquio's bone…" Cal answered as he tried to stand ready.

"…Loyalty, you say? You think that I can't understand something as basic as that?" Daisaku suddenly said.

"W-What?" Cal asked.

"Because if that's the case, Then I need to tell you that you're dead wrong. I know where my loyalty relies. It relies on wealth…and to the Crow Clan!" Daisaku answered before taking a deep breath. "Strong men aren't the only thing that makes an army unbreakable. What is needed is also great power, and all the necessary resources to make it unbreakable! That is what I know, what I've known ever since I was a boy like you. I've always lived in the underground world of Caelum, following the lineage of my family. Down there, no one respected me or cared about me, because in our life there are no things such as a second chance and respect. You need to carve your road with your sweat and with strength! You have to make yourself be praised and feared! And you have to be ready to use whatever method to reach the top, even if it has to be bloodshed or illegal purchases. That is how I went to the top…yet I knew that I wasn't satisfied. I wanted more! So, one day I found Lord Yoshimatsu, who was just like me. We both wanted two things…one, to be respected, and two, power! That is how we went to be business partners, with me gathering all the necessary goods he needed and how my alliance with the Crow is absolute. The only things you can be loyal to are yourself and those who think like you. That is an assured way to be strong."

Cal remained silent to let him talk.

"That is why…this whole battle is nonsensical to me. I don't give an absolute fuck about what happens to that boy or mages like you who want to step in our way. But…the fact that you are putting up such a fight is just an insult to everything I've done so far. I know I'm not the best, and I know that more people in the clan could open me. That is why I'll keep on standing up as long as I breathe! But…seeing you, a mere microbe, giving me these many cuts…is the very thing I can't stand the most!"

A small moment of silence followed after that.

"Do you understand now? Do you still think that I don't know what a thing such as loyalty is?"

Cal didn't answer immediately, but he knew what to say. "…Honestly…yes."

"WHAT!?" Daisaku exclaimed.

"If I were to be honest…for a moment…I thought that even if we were on opposite sides, you could have been a respectable opponent. But after hearing the reasons you want to climb to the top and be respected, I couldn't see how I could respect you in the first place." Cal explained before assuming a cold stare once again. "If anything…you're just a piece of shit."

That…was it for Daisaku, who made a large smirk. His teeth were starting to get sharper.

"Is that how it is? Fine…I was dumb in the first place to try and explain something so simple to you. But it appears that no one had ever taught you good manners, boy. Let me have the honor of them!" The red aura appeared around him once again, and his body started to change. "Let me tell you why everyone in Caelum FEAR UPON HEARING THE NAME OF DAISAKU KUZE!" With a shout of fury, he let the Lizard Dominion take over him, completing the metamorphosis and giving him the form of a large reptilian, similar to an iguana.

Cal slightly widened his eyes at such sight, since he knew what that meant. "He's going full power now…but…I think that my theory of before is officially confirmed now…" He commented. "Still…it will be hard to cut him down in my conditions…" He then thought of something that never crossed his mind until that moment. But…

"…It seems I have no other choice…" He then assumed a battle stance and used one of his spells. "Applied Magic: Enhance!" He felt his blade getting stronger. "I'll try to switch between the various elements…while keeping Enhance activated. By doing so…I may be able to give stronger blows, even if the Murajaka may be affected by this."

The idea scared him. It was something he knew he could have possibly done, but he never tried it. Therefore…he couldn't know what would have happened.

So…to calm himself down…he imagined some of the people he cared the most touching his back…in sign of trust.

Images of Yori, Rere, and Tsukuyomi came out, putting their palms on his back.

"Rere…Tsukuyomi…Yori-shishou…please give me the right strength…let me show him what really means to be loyal to something." As soon as he felt calmer…he opened his eyes.

"I'm ready!" Even if he was on the verge of falling down unconscious, he pushed forward, dashing at high speed against Daisaku.

"DIE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" With a monstrous shout, Daisaku ran towards the enemy trying to overwhelm him with two heavy punches that would have sunk him to the ground.

"Combo: Enhance + Acceleration!" Cal applied speed to the blade to make sure that he could have answered at the right time.

The blade was able to make a parry that drew away Daisaku's arms, leaving him exposed.

"Combo: Enhance + Fire!" Cal took the chance to make a horizontal slash infused with flames that cut Daisaku's chest.

The hitman of the Crow Clan gritted his teeth for the pain and for the frustration, and then tried to grab him directly with the arms, taking advantage of his dimensions.

"NGHH!" Even with all his will Cal couldn't have the same agility as before, so he got grabbed. Daisaku started to tighten the grip, but Cal knew what to do.

"Combo: Enhance + Ice!" He froze Daisaku's arms before making a cut that opened them, setting him free. Cal could see the sword getting worse. He had to make it quick.

"Combo: Enhance + Shadow!" He then made several cuts at high speed infused with dark energy in an attempt to both attack him and blind him.

"GRRRRRR!" Daisaku was pushed backward by the attacks, but he still had the consciousness to attack, so he raised his tail and attacked with violence and ferocity.

The boy couldn't focus on more than one thing and got inevitably attacked and pushed away. "AGH!"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Daisaku raised his head and tried to slam him down with it.

Cal could feel his muscles cry out for the tiredness, but he still raised the sword to block the tail. "Combo: Enhance + Ice!" Once again, he used the powered ice to completely freeze the tail. "GRAAAAH!" With a few slashes, he was even able to break it down into pieces.

Despite the shock, Daisaku didn't waste time and took the chance to pummel down to the floor.

"GAAAAH!" Cal was once again blocked…and he could feel like he had the energy for one last blow. Even though…the situation was starting to get critical for him.

"You should have quit earlier. NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCE OF YOUR ACTIONS, RECKLESS BOY!" Daisaku started to charge a beam, and in a matter of seconds, he released another beam.

"KAPPA!"

A small explosion occurred, and when the dust faded away, Daisaku could see how Cal seemed to have disappeared completely. Due to the beam, there was only one reason.

"I…I pulverized him! AH AH AH AH! MINUS ONE! All tall and mighty, but it was clear that he didn't know what it meant to mess with Daisuke Ku- UH!?" Just as he was about to boast loudly about his victory, he noticed a detail that froze his blood.

During the battle, he was able to take off the ice from his hands, but for some reason now…they were filled with cuts.

"C-Cuts!?"

He was starting to wonder how it could have happened. But there was no reason to wonder. He was about to get the answer.

Woosh.

Cal appeared right behind him sneakily, like a shadow. His body was tired and his sword was afflicted by the dirt and the small damages…but he could still do something. And that thought made him assume his cold and emotionless stare once again. An apathy he reproduced even with his voice.

"Applied Magic: Enhance + Acceleration."

Daisaku turned his head around. "WHEN DID YOU-"

SWISH!

Two horizontal cuts were all that it took.

After a few moments of silence…Daisaku turned back to normal and right then…his body was cut in half…and his body was severed from the upper part of the body. What was left collapsed to the ground with everything else.

The match was settled.

"Anf…anf…anf…anf…" Finally…The young samurai mage could take a few breaths and then…fell on the ground as well. He ended up getting soaked in his enemy's blood, but he didn't care that much.

What was important was that his deal was done.

"This time…I'm really destroyed…" He commented. He then looked up at his blade, seeing once again all the dirt and the little shards that were on it. "I've pushed myself a lot…and this is the result. I hope you may forgive me, Grandpa…"

It wasn't the first time he saw his blade like that, and it wasn't a very big deal considering that the sword wasn't supposed to shatter. But every time, he felt a bit bad to see it that way.

He could hear the sounds of battle coming from further within the city. And as much as he would have loved to assist him, he felt satisfied with his work, and he still trusted them. The important was still that Koichi was safe.

But then…just as he thought that he could have rested for even a little, he raised his head and saw something that pressured him. "What!?"

What seemed to be more gangsters started to approach him. And he wasn't in the most favorable conditions.

"W-What!? Don't tell me that Daisaku called them when we were fighting!" Cal commented. He couldn't move that much anymore. But he tried to move the sword.

"Calm down, calm down! We're on your side!" One of the gangsters said, surprising the boy.

"U-Uh?"

The gangsters came closer very slowly and started to check him out. "I'm sorry if we scared you. We come on behalf of Koichi Miyamura, and we're here to help."

Cal was genuinely surprised by it. "K-Koichi called you?"

"Yes…he said that you were friends and he seemed eager to help you with this. Considering the katana and the way you're dressed, you must be of Shogunate Pride, right?" Another gangster answered.

"Yes…" Cal simply replied.

Those men didn't need to know anything else. They simply came closer and helped him get up.

"Come with us. We'll bring you somewhere where you can rest."

"Are you sure?" Cal asked.

"We don't know you and it seems a bit unusual to help a legal mage but…the young master wants to help you. So, we trust him!" One of the gangsters replied.

Hearing that made Cal smile. Even if anything started abruptly, it seemed to getting better. Their voices and their actions were working again.

"It seems that we were able to convince someone else, right guys?" He whispered. Knowing all of that was enough.

All that was left was to give his trust to the others. The bone was still in danger, after all.

---

Elsewhere in the city, Iori was unleashing all of his wind energy so that he could have prevailed over his enemy. "Get ready."

Once again, Daigo didn't seem to be bothered by the samurai's nature, as he raised two twin Sai. "Oh, I surely am, dude!" With enough confidence, he dashed first.

As an answer, Iori dashed as well, followed by a stormy wind that was gathered in his two blades. "Gale Dragon's Air Slash!" He immediately started to attack at a high pace with his two swords infused with wind energy.

Daigo didn't use anything yet, and he limited himself to just answering at the same speed as Iori. For the samurai mage, it was a bit incredible to see that he was able to equal his speed despite the use of the Dragon Slayer Magic, but he also knew that he couldn't get surprised for something minimal such as this, especially considering that he was facing an opponent like the one that Hoshiko and the others faced.

He knew of the danger, therefore, he needed to take him out as quickly as possible.

The clash between the two katanas and the two Sai continued for a few moments, with the surrounding wind blowing away the surrounding debris.

"There!" At a certain point, Iori was able to see a possible opening, so he waited for Daigo to attack and then parried, leaving him exposed. "Take this!" He went for a direct attack with his two swords.

SWING!

He used an X-slash and ended up on the other side…but it was then that he noticed something wrong.

"W-What the…?" He looked at his two swords, which were still intact…but clean at the same time. "I-I'm certain that I attacked him…but I felt nothing!" He turned around to see the conditions of his enemy. And he could notice.

Daigo was standing still and turned around…but his body seemed different. "Ah ah ah ah!" When he turned at him, Iori could see it better: his whole body was turned into full stone, but he could still move. "I always love to see everyone's reaction when they find out about this!"

"What!? S-Stone!?" Iori exclaimed.

"Rock, to be more precise boy! Now you know why I would have said that your magic wouldn't have been that much of a deal! My full name is Daigo Nishijima, a hitman of the Crow Clan and master of the Rock Ninpo! You could directly call me a rock man to be more direct!" Daigo revealed.

"Rock Ninpo? Wait a minute…you mean that the men that assaulted us at the ship…" Iori realized.

"That's right! They were my bros! So, you had a small preview of what I can do! But they weren't as proficient as me. And ya bet that I'm absolutely pissed off to hear about what ya did to them! So how about I whoop your ass for them as well?" The ninja explained.

Iori sweated a bit, but he raised his two swords either way. "You talk too much! Gale Dragon's Air Shards!" He quickly threw several shards of sharp air against him by using the two swords.

Daigo didn't even feel the need to move. With a smirk on his face, he simply spread his arms and let the shards get over him, turning into mere smoke. It was like seeing a barrage of bullets trying to pierce over an armor.

"Absurd…" Iori commented, starting to get pale.

"MY TURN, LITTLE BOY!" Full of excitement, Daigo started to run at high speed against Iori, who tried to be ready and attacked with one of the two katanas as soon as he was close enough, but to his shock, he disappeared and appeared right behind him.

"No way!"

"I am a rock! And I'm an Island!" Full of confidence, Daigo even started to sing before throwing a kick on the enemy's spleen.

"NGHHH!" The strength was unexpected and threw Iori violently to the ground. The young boy had to hold his spleen while standing up. "Dammit…"

"Do you realize the trouble you and your friends had put up, boy? I know, I know, it's hard to accept failure, but that's how life is! That's how life in the hood is! The only downgrade is that ya won't be able to correct yourself from this failure, DA SA MOO RAI!" After saying this, Daigo quickly made ninja movements with his hands.

"He's coming!" Iori tried to stay at the ready once again.

"Iwa ninpō - soriddo shuriken!" On Daigo's sides, several shurikens made out of rock started to appear and threw themselves against the samurai with the same speed and weight as a bullet made of iron.

Iori gritted his teeth and started to defect most of them with his two swords, but much like Tammy's arrows when she used the Perfect Hunt, those shurikens seemed to have an autonomy of their own, and whenever Iori deflected them, they stopped at mid-air and then threw themselves against the samurai. Iori noticed this and tried to resist either way. Even so…some of them stabbed right into his flesh, making him bleed.

"GHHHH!" As time passed, the shurikens were getting faster. If the situation continued like that, he would have been reduced to slices. He had to act quickly. "Gale Dragon's Wind Burst!" He started to rotate his blade to generate a small tornado around him that destroyed all the rock shurikens, something he didn't expect to do that easily. "Wait…they crumbled down!"

But he didn't have the time to think of what just happened he had already seen Daigo approach him with a smirk on his face and his arm fully turned into stone. "Iwa ninpō - Kyojin no Tsuchi!"

The time of reaction was too short for the samurai, who ended up getting punched in the belly, spitting blood for it. "GAAAH!"

"HA HA HA!" Daigo didn't finish there and pushed him away with the punch before running towards him again.

"GRR!" This time Iori had the time to answer and tried to clash him with his two swords. Even if he wasn't able to make solid damage, he still had the speed that allowed him to answer the ninja's attacks.

But once again, Daigo wasn't scared of that. "Even if you have the skills of a SA MOO RAI, and the gifts of those famous Dragon Slayers, don't think it will be that easy to take down the king of the neighborhood, Daigo Nishijima! We of the Crow Clan had trained ourselves with our ninpo elements for all our lives just to make sure to crash down all the motherfuckers that would their foot in the wrong ghetto!" He spoke.

"Don't think you're the only one who needed training. Just because I'm a Dragon Slayer, it doesn't mean that I didn't have to break my bones to reach the level I am now! And I certainly don't intend to lose to some pompous arrogance that destroyed a friend of mine's family!" Iori countered while keeping on attacking. That aggressive tone was unusual for him, but seeing the situation, he needed to be as direct as possible.

"Oh yeah? And where's this level you mention? Because for me, YOU'RE JUST DEAD MEAT THAT WANTS TO BE USED AS A PUNCHBAG!" Daigo replied before a straight punch.

"GRRR!" Iori put a sword in front of him to block the sword. "RIGHT HERE!" He then infused the sword with wind energy, which managed to lift the punch and even make a small cut in the rock.

"Ah!?" Daigo could see the rubbles getting out of his arm with a bit of concern.

While Iori could see a small change in the battle thanks to that. "It wasn't a fluke before…I can do it!" With that in mind, he infused the other sword he had with wind air and made a straight attack. "Gale Dragon's Air Blast Blade!" He was able to make a diagonal cut in the ninja's body, managing to make him bleed.

This time Daigo couldn't turn his whole body into stone, so he got the attack and felt the pain. "AGH! YA LITTLE SHIT!" He quickly turned into a crow to fly as high as possible from the enemy before turning back to normal in mid-air, so that he could dive attack him with his arm turned into rock. "GRAAAAH!"

"GRRR!" Iori infused his blade with wind energy and answered the attack with his.

The clash made the sword release a loud tinging noise before Daigo jumped back. The two glared at each other like two gunslingers, thinking about what move to make next.

"I could see it…when I lifted his arm before with my blade, I could see some rubble leaving him, meaning that I was able to damage his rock. My first fear when he first talked to me about his Rock Ninpo was that I wouldn't have been able to take him down normally. A rock can't be lifted that easy, after all. But that single moment made me think twice. I can come up with a way to take him down. But it's still not enough. I need more power to make sure to crumble down every rock he throws me…and I may have an idea…"

"What the hell just happened? I didn't imagine it, did I? How the fuck was he able to cut my rock arm that easily? It's not about him being a Dragon Slayer! It's just wind! Hot shit, if it keeps it up, he may even start to answer properly. And there's no hell of a reason to make it do so. I want that bone and I don't intend to make Lord Yoshimatsu wait any longer! I'll just have to bury him under five meters of rocks and the game will be done." After thinking about this, Daigo prepared himself for the next attack, but he then saw something bizarre.

Iori looked behind him and then started to dash away.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YA GOING, COWARD!?" Feeling offended, Daigo started to chase him down.

After just a few seconds, Iori could feel footsteps behind him, and when he turned around, Daigo was already on his steps. "I know I can't hope to outrun him, but that's not my main topic. I just have to reach the end of the island!" He thought. With that precise goal in mind, he kept on running, helping himself with wind energy.

"LISTEN UP, BOY! THERE HAS BEEN NO ENEMY THAT DAIGO NISHIJIMA HAD EVER MISSED! GET IT!? AND I HAVE THE RIGHT MOVE TO SHOW YOU THAT!" Daigo shouted. After some quick ninja movements with his hands, he slammed his fist to the ground. "Iwa ninpō - daichi no kiba!" Several pointed rocks started to appear from the spot where he planted his fist. The rocks kept on appearing, chasing down Iori, until they were able to get him.

"GAAAAH!" Iori didn't expect an attack like that, so he ended up getting thrown away and then slammed to the ground. "D-Dammit…UH!?" When he opened his eyes, he could already see Daigo above him, diving with his two Sai.

His reflexes made him raise one of his swords and block the attack, making another loud ringing noise. But even if blocked, the ninja kept on pushing with his two Sai, nearly touching the samurai's neck.

"Now then, little pussy! How do you intend to run away now, eh? I can already say that we can call it a day!" Daigo said with a contorted smile.

"Not quite…I can still answer with THIS! Gale Dragon's Roar!" Iori answered by gathering stormy air in his mouth and then shooting it right in Daigo's face, making him fly high.

"AAAAAAAAAAH! THIS SHIT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! IT'S SUNNY!" Daigo was pushed violently upwards, almost reaching the sky, and he was forced to turn into a crow to regain balance. "Phew…" When he looked down, he could see that Iori was getting inside a forest. "What!?" After seeing that, Daigo noticed that he was getting far from the city. "SHIT! I won't be able to get that brat at this point!" After a short moment to decide whether to follow duty or his personal pride…he thought that he had a reputation to defend. "That brat is dead!" With that in mind, he dived down towards the forest, knowing already the next move.

Meanwhile, Iori went deeper into the forest. While it seemed difficult to navigate between all that dense vegetation, the young boy knew where direction to go. "I just have to go back in there. Then…I may have a chance…"

Suddenly, he could see several pointed rocks starting to circle him and slowly reach him. "He's behind me!" Not wanting to get slowed down, the boy raised his swords and made a 360° attack infused with wind that could destroy the rocks. "When you see the attacks, it may be easier…and once again…I was able to destroy those rocks…but I think it's because-" He commented, but another voice cut off his.

"THOSE AREN'T REAL ROCKS!"

"Uh!?" When Iori turned around, he could see Daigo coming from the trees above, diving with his two sai again.

The boy had more freedom to move this time, so he promptly used his swords to block him.

"Guess that even after all of that, you didn't get shit! It doesn't matter what you try, a stupid wind will never be able to destroy a solid rock! It's just a thing that serves to move hair, that's all!" Daigo exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? Then what about the attacks from before?" Iori asked while keeping on struggling.

"It's just as you said! They were weaker rocks! I made some mistakes in taking you so lightly, but seeing how you're starting to make up with these smartass tactics, It's time to get on with the hot shit like I always do in the hood!"

Iori didn't know what he meant by that. All that he cared about was that he could have gotten where he wanted. But right then…he was stunned to see something unexpected attacking him from the right. "What!?"

What seemed to be another Daigo was attacking him, forcing him to use one katana for both. But it wasn't done there. Three more Daigo came out of the leaves, starting to attack him at the same time. Iori had to make a fast sequence of attacks to keep up with their pace, which was already tremendously fast.

"Dammit! I can't afford to use too much stamina before going in there or he'll crush me!" He thought. But worrying about stamina wasn't needed, as the five Daigo jumped back to make ninja movements and summon as many rock shurikens as possible.

"Iwa ninpō - soriddo shuriken!" The shurikens fell like heavy rain, forcing Iori to focus.

A windy aura surrounded the boy, as he prepared his attack. "Gale Dragon's Air Slash!" His speed increased, and he moved his arms as if he had eight of them, managing to crush down all the shurikens, with their rubbles falling around him.

All the Daigo gritted their teeth, getting frustrated. "Don't get cocky!" They exclaimed in unison before launching themselves against the samurai.

Iori started to sweat. It was a critical situation, but he needed to make himself a road to the key that would have allowed him to defeat Daigo. He approached the five, who attacked him one at a time, swinging their swords and trying to clash with their Sai. He kept on moving while the five 'ninjas' were trying to close him to a corner. It was then that he noticed something.

Despite all of them being in their normal form, Iori felt something hard as he attacked them with the swords. "Could it be? Replicas?"

"HAAAAAA!" One of the Daigo tried to approach him directly, and as an answer, Iori planted his sword near his neck and tried to push down. That gave him the confirmation.

"I knew it! These are rocks!"

"NGHHHH! DON'T THINK IT'S THAT-" The stabbed Daigo tried to react, but before he could do so, Iori pushed further with wind energy, managing to carve the blade into his body, which crumbled down to rubbles.

"AH!" The real Daigo paled a bit at that sight, but he didn't want to quit. "LET'S GET HIM!" He and the remaining replicas tried to catch him all together, but this time, Iori knew what had to be done.

"Gale Dragon's Air Blast Blade." As he ran forward the enemies, Iori made a single horizontal cut with one of his two swords, followed by a blast of air that was able to cut down the remaining replicas, leaving Daigo exposed.

"D-DAMMIT!"

Iori turned around and used the same technique, this time to attack the real body.

"Iwa ninpō - Kyojin no Tsuchi!" Daigo promptly turned his arms into stone and tried to clash out, but this time, to his horror, he could see that, somehow, the sword was able to carve further inside the rock, starting to crack up. "WHAT!? NO NO NO WAIT!" Scared of losing his arms, he deactivated the ninpo, but by doing so, he left himself exposed.

"Gale Dragon's Air Slash!" Taking advantage of the situation, Iori rapidly thrust one of his swords to unleash a myriad of air blasts that wiped Daigo away, making him crash against several trees.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Iori could finally take some breaths. "I…pushed him back…"

"NGHHHH!" Daigo still felt some pain but he stood up, showing the first cuts in his body. "What is this bullshit!? Ya weren't able to cut through my Kyojin no Tsuchi before!"

"It's actually pretty simple. While it's true that my magic isn't normally very efficient with you…it doesn't mean that your rock simply cannot be destroyed. What I did with your replicas was to simply put more pressure on one point of the rock to increase the damage until they eventually crumbled down. There's a legend about a swordsman who was able to cut one massive boulder with his katana after attacking it 200 times. I simply followed that same factor." Iori explained.

"AH-!" Daigo was honestly caught off guard by it. He looked at his own hands in bewilderment. "I-I was cut down by such thing-!?"

Iori was confused by that reaction. "You…didn't know? That's…pretty much the same concept that miners use with their pickaxes, with the exception that they simply hit the same point several times. Sure…a sword doesn't have the same strength, but if used properly, it can do the same damage. Especially if helped with magic."

For a moment, Daigo felt sincerely stupid. What annoyed him the most was the fact that he fell for something that stupid and that it was made by one he considered worthless.

"Alright…I get it. You're smarter than you look, ya brat. But this doesn't change the outcome of this fight! I'm still an advantage!" He then said before assuming a battle pose. "We're getting that bone and then we'll go straight up to immortality! Losing here would be the biggest bullshit of all!"

"I honestly don't understand you. What's so good in living forever on the price of senseless victims?" Iori asked.

"Are ya kiddin'? Could you imagine how life would be knowing that you won't see any Shinigami? Imagine money, fame, and getting rid of those who piss ya off! That would be the best shit for good ol' me!"

Iori started to get annoyed by it. "Is it really this what you want?"

"Why, of course! What else would I want? I don't know where you lived, boy, but where I lived, back in the hood, these were the worries of everyday life. I was born as a gangster and I grew up as a gangster, making sure to make my name be heard even if I didn't belong to any clan or lineage! Just like Daisaku says, it's a jungle out there! Hell, if anything, I'm thankful to both him and Lord Yoshimatsu for letting me in the Crow Clan! I could be the same while making sure to cut the throat of anyone!"

"You don't care about what could you do to others or what your family would have thought?" Iori asked.

"Meh, my parents died at a young age, so they really can't say anything. And besides…I wouldn't talk all righteous about it! Because in the end, we and guilds like you aren't that different! We make sure to be respected through simple and fresh violence!" Daigo replied.

"…There's a big difference between you and us. We do that only if we're forced…not just for pure entertainment or for some distorted urge for petty things." Iori said before raising a sword at him and looking at him with an unusually cold stare. "If anything, you aren't worthy of talking about something like righteousness if you think that life is all about killing and getting stronger, just like the rest of you who killed Hoshiko's parents."

"You can talk shit about me all that you want, but in the end, it's the facts that are spit! It's the law of the fittest and as animals, we can decide only in this way! And honestly…we already know how this whole thing will end!" Daigo answered as he got ready.

Iori was ready to attack as well. "Are you still that certain that you can win?" He asked while thinking as well. "All I need to do is to push him towards the other side of this forest and then I should be able to shut up his ego for good…"

"Eh eh eh! Absolutely! Because even if it pisses me off to use it a little prick like you, I still have one special surprise to show you! The very essence of my Ninpo and the result of all my training!" After saying this, Daigo made another ninja posture with his hands. "Iwa no ninpō – True Rock-Kamui!" After that, the earth started to tremble, as several boulders started to gather all around Daigo, to the point that they formed a shape that covered the ninja.

"Is that…an armor!?" Iori exclaimed.

Daigo ended up getting covered by a giant armor made of rock and took out two giant Sai made out of the same material. "AH AH AH! WHAT ABOUT NOW, PUNK? THINK YOU CAN CUT THROUGH THIS!"

Iori swallowed, but he stood on guard. "This is bad…but I can't falter right now!" He quickly jumped toward the enemy and tried to swallow him in a cage of wind cuts. "Gale Dragon's Sonic Rain!"

But if those attacks were starting to carve through the rock earlier, now they were only mere shards. "Dammit!"

Daigo, on the other hand, swung the two Sai and started to attack Iori repeatedly. Despite the armor's notable dimensions, he moved fast, forcing the young Dragon Slayer to try and emulate his speed.

"This armor is the maximum art of the rock! The single boulder is at its toughest stage! Those two swords won't be of any use now! This will be the last time you try to stand up! NOW TAKE THIS!" After mocking Iori, Daigo quickly moved one of the two Sai, crashing Iori to the ground.

"GHHHH!" When he stood up again, Iori was bleeding out from his front. But the trouble wasn't done there, as he saw the other Sai fall on him. "AH!" He was able to diverge the direction, but in doing so, the Sai stabbed him in the shoulder, tearing up a bit of his haori. "GHHHH!"

"And as the most talented sellers would say 'BUT I'M NOT DONE YET!'" Daigo shouted out, as he spread his arms.

The earth started to tremble, making the young samurai stagger and witness with horror how many rocks were getting lifted from the ground before stopping in mid-air. "T-This is bad!"

"GET HIM!" With a single-hand movement, he threw all the rocks at Iori, falling like heavy rain.

"Gale Dragon's Air Counter!" To answer that, Iori started to blow a lot of air to push back as many rocks as possible, but while at first, it seemed to work, the rocks kept on increasing, as more were coming up from further parts of the jungle and the surrounding area.

The wind alone wouldn't have been enough for him. And soon, he got overwhelmed by the rocks, that started to cover him from top to bottom. "G-GAAAAAAH!"

In the end, Iori looked like he got swallowed by a landslide, defeated.

Daigo came closer, still in his armor, and grabbed him from the debris. He then turned around and threw him away like a baseball. "BYE BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Iori got thrown at high speed, ending up on the beach he and the others landed after the ship was destroyed and sank into the water of the sea.

He went further down the ocean…maybe in a matter of minutes, he would have drowned.

Yet…he felt the urge to swim up to reach out to the enemy. He couldn't have let him go now that he had that spell activated.

But what could he have done? His body was full of wounds and at its limit. He basically lost.

He slightly opened his eyes and could see how the blood he was losing was coming back to the surface while he was sinking.

He had always been a calm person. But if he were to describe that situation with a word, that word would have been…

"…Annoying…this is the worst…"

He couldn't even say it out loud…since he was underwater.

"To think that I was so close…If I had reached the beach…maybe I could have had a chance…" He thought.

…

It was then that he realized on his own.

He widened his eyes and looked around. He was sinking, yes…but he was underwater. "Wait…this…is the beach! He…He threw me here!"

Unknowingly, his enemy helped him reach out for the place he wanted to reach in the first place.

The idea he had back there seemed almost impossible for him…but then he remembered the past. Back when he was just a toddler…and was getting trained by the elder dragon Niflheim.

The discussion of that day resonated in his mind.

"Two sources of energy?"

"Yes, my child. As you know, you Dragon Slayers can get energy from everything related to your elements, making you immune to it. It is a precious gift that was given to you by the Lacrima inside your bodies and the training you had with our dragons. You, in particular…can take advantage of that factor in two different ways."

"How? I mean…isn't gale just a strong wind?"

"You miss a detail, my precious Iori. But it's normal. You're still young and you still need to learn a lot of things about this world. But let me explain it to you. A gale doesn't unleash itself only with wind and on earth. Its nature relies on two parts: wind…and sea."

"Sea?"

"Yes! Sea. Just like the one that had dragged you into this place. Wind and sea are close allies, as it is the airflow that moves the waves of the ocean, especially during a storm. And whenever the sea gets wild, it's not only because of the clouds but also thanks to the wind that makes it devour everything. While this phenomenon may be dangerous for someone like a sailor, it will turn out useful to you."

"So…even if there was a bad day, I don't need to be afraid?"

"Exactly. You're the future Gale Dragon Slayer, the only testament that I'll leave in this world as soon as I'm gone. As your teacher and your father…I want to make sure that you'll be able to face the world with the right experience and the right strength. I'm sure my younger sister Grandeeney must have done the same with her protegè."

"Hmmm…I really wish I could be as strong and wise as you. You're the one I can rely on the most!"

"Oh oh oh…it warms my heart to hear you say this, Iori. And I'll assure you that you will become strong and wise one day. Even if I'll be gone, what I left will always be with you. And I'm sure that you'll find someone who will guide you further one day."

"How can you say so?"

"Because you're a good-hearted kid, Iori."

"Thank you! I love you!"

"And I love you too. So, remember…the wind is not only your ally. So is water…both elements will help you gather the power you'll need to unleash…the Gale Dragon Slayer Magic."

After those last words echoed in his mind…Iori knew what he had to do.

His enemy unknowingly helped him…so he had to take advantage of that.

His body was weak at the moment, but If everything worked out fine, he could have made it. With strength length and a bit of goodwill, he started to swim back toward the surface before he could drown.

He kept on moving and eventually…

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!" He took a deep breath, glad to finally breathe again. "I did it!" Then he looked down…and even if a bit disgusting, considering that it was salad…he drank a bit of the ocean sea.

That was…when he felt something awaken again.

Meanwhile, Daigo was still inside his armor and started to run as fast as possible, trying to reach the town once again. "You know, that idiot helped me a lot! Even if he pushed me far, I could get closer to that brat with the bone! He still probably has only the cat to guard him, so taking the bone will be just a piece of cake!" He commented. After realizing what he said, he stopped for a minute and turned around. "I would have thanked'em. But he's now probably-"

"Sinking in the water now?" A voice suddenly said.

"…Eh?" Daigo didn't understand what it was…but he soon found out as a violent wind bent all the trees and almost dragged him away. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! W-WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?" When he lowered his stare, he could see with horror something he never expected to see again.

Iori was approaching him, surrounded by a windy aura.

"OH, THIS IS GETTING RIDICOLOUS! EVEN IF YOU'RE A MAGE, THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN SURVIVE BELOW THE SEA FULL OF FORCES!" Daigo complained.

"You know…you're right. Normally, I would have only had the energy to get back on the surface, but in this case…you can only blame yourself for it." Iori replied.

"WHAT!?" Daigo shouted.

"You see…a gale has two parts: wind…and sea…meaning that I can rely on both the spring and the waves of the ocean. And it was thanks to the sea that I was able to recover my forces. All I had to do was to…drink a bit." Iori replied.

At first, the ninja of the Crow Clan didn't understand completely, but then…he widened his eyes in horror. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

"That's right. And you were right earlier. Alone, a simple wind wouldn't be enough to take down rocks. It must be at the full of the storm to make sure that nothing stands. It must evolve into a tornado. The very reason why I started to run away was so that I could get back on the sea and gain more force thanks to my Dragon Slayer Magic, and you pushed me there. If you threw me somewhere else, maybe you could have won." Iori explained.

Daigo's eye twitched in bewilderment. This time…he didn't have no one to blame but himself.

And Iori wasn't done there, as the wind around them unleashed itself with a roar.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

"Now…let me correct you about what you said earlier about wind and the fact that it was just a thing that moved hair. Wind is a motor of life. It's what makes leaves fall in autumn, what makes a bird fly, and what gives us oxygen. It's a comrade that makes you company if you feel alone…and it's a company to sea…allowing it to erupt in a full gaze." As soon as he finished, the airflow became even stronger, and some clouds gathered above them.

"NGHHH!" Daigo was able to barely stand on his feet, but even with this outstanding power, he found the courage to hold his Sai and throw himself against him. "SO, WHAT!? EVEN IF YOU FACE ME, I HAVE THE ROCK NINPO AT ITS FULLEST TO SUPPORT ME! AND WE ALL KNOW THAT A ROCK CAN'T BE MOVED THAT EASILY BY SOME WIND! LIKE I SAID WHEN WE STARTED, I HAVE NO PROBLEMS!"

Iori glared at him and pointed one of his swords. "Maybe. But can a rock resist a tornado? Gale Dragon's Air Blast." In an instant, a burst of air erupted from the sword and violently attacked Daigo.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" The airflow was too strong even for him, to the point that the rocks that composed the armor started to crack before crumbling down completely, getting wiped away by the wind. "N-NO!"

"You know, I've heard voices that said that Kamui spells were a scam. Now I can see why." Iori commented before assuming a battle stance with his two swords. "Now…how about we end this."

Daigo was full of fury at this point. He glared back and prepared another ninja movement with his hands. "You know, I agree for once! I'M TIRED OF YOUR SHENANIGANS, YA BRAT! I'VE LEARNED THE WAY OF THE STRONGEST BY GROWING IN THE HOOD! SO, THERE'S NO WAY THAT DAIGO NISHIJIMA WILL LOSE! Iwa ninpō - ishi no jidō ningyō!"

The four replicas of rock appeared again, and everyone ran against Iori, trying to kill him for good with a deadly combo made with Sai.

"Gale Dragon's Air Slash!" Now that he was full of energy and that he had the right confidence, there was no reason for him to be afraid anymore. All that he had to do was to unleash himself and remember well the words of his foster father. "家族への名誉 – Kazoku e no meyio: honor to family…the most important trait a samurai of Shogunate Pride must have…Niflheim…I'll use it in your memory for this victory!"

With perfect and swift movements, Iori was able to answer properly to every attack the replicas threw at him, before managing to destroy them with more bursts of air.

Daigo started to pale, but he hadn't seen him win yet. He made another ninja movement to summon the rock shurikens, but when they threw themselves, Iori unleashed a gust of wind that wiped them out, leaving the ninja exposed. "AAAAAH!"

Iori was in front of him, raising one of his two swords. "After hearing you talk and after hearing your motivations for gaining immortality, I have no reason at all to feel some compassion for you. What is it that gangsters like you say? Oh right… 'You've messed with the wrong men.'"

Daigo widened his eyes. Even if he was scared…he could still feel himself a bit annoyed.

"Clever girl…"

In the blink of an eye, Iori dashed at high speed at him and started to overwhelm him with cuts infused with wind energy.

"NGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Daigo tried to defend himself by using the Sai and by hardening his skin. But the cuts were simply too much…and started to multiply. From five to ten to fifty, to one hundred, and so forth.

Until Daigo's whole body was disintegrated like a crumbled rock, leaving only the head with eyes wide open in mid-air.

Iori gave it one last look with a serious stare. "Behave well if you'll get reincarnated." After that sentence, he threw one last cut that sliced the head in half.

All that was left now… was only tiny debris that went away with the wind which started to fade away, until the sun shined again above the boy.

Another battle was over.

Iori could take a moment to kneel and take some breaths. Even if he recovered his energies, he still got a good amount of wounds, and he was a bit tired.

"Even if he was a horrible person…he was a formidable foe…these guys of the Crow Clan don't joke at all…I have to hope that the others will resist…come on Iori…one last push…" After a few breaths, he was able to stand up again and slowly walk towards the city.

"If anything…I'll try to make sure that Ronin and Koichi will be fine…"

---

Back in town…even if the enemy forces were a bit pushed back, the battle was still flowing.

"GRRRR!" Yori swung his blade strongly against Kigami, who was able to block it with some of his strings, before grabbing a gun and trying to shoot Yori directly in the head.

The S-Class mage widened his eyes and was able to move the head away at the perfect moment, even if he did sweat. "You would resource even to these ways?"

"Hey, I'm an assassin. Every way is permitted when it comes to killing, right?" Kigami asked with a smile.

"Think for yourself! Target Hunt!" Tammy, who was close to them, tried to shoot three arrows at the same time.

But Kigami could see them and used some of his strings to throw them away. "You've put up a good fight, but it's clear that you're starting to exhaust your energy. I have to compliment you for resisting this long. But unfortunately…our plans are others." He then said before snapping his fingers.

As soon as he did so, more ninjas appeared out of nowhere, covering most of the city and surrounding both them and Aki, who was still facing Azumuku.

"W-What!?"

"No way! I thought we took down all of them!" Tammy exclaimed.

"You seem to underestimate us, girl. The Crow Clan isn't only a group made out just of a few crows. It's an entire flock surrounding the skies of Caelum. And we always appear when you least expect it to feast on our prey." Kigami replied.

The ninjas started to get closer, forcing Yori and Tammy to stand back against back.

"You think you can still resist?" Yori asked.

"I…I don't know…" Tammy answered. "I've used a lot of energy to keep up with that slimy spider…"

Yori could understand her situation. "Don't panic…I'm with you…"

Kigami, on the other hand, was already giving the signal. "This is as far as you-" But before he could finish the line, his and the ninjas' attention got caught by the sudden noise of guns.

Suddenly, several bullets started to be shot at the ninjas, killing even some of them.

"GAH!"

"What the!?"

"Uh!?" When Kigami lowered his stare, he could see several gangsters starting to attack the lesser ninjas, freeing a good portion of the city. "What is this!? Why are they attacking!?"

"Gangsters? They're…helping us?" Yori asked.

"Do not worry, samurais! We're from the gang of Koichi Miyamura!" One of the gangsters said.

"He'd like to repay the way you protected them. Leave it to us!" Another gangster added. And just as they said, they kept on firing at will.

"Koichi…did this?" Tammy wondered before looking towards the direction where he and Ronin escaped. "Maybe our exceed friend had a good talk with him…" She said with a smile.

"Don't get cocky yet. Even if there's a good number of them, it doesn't mean that they can prevail. They're still nothing against our ranks!" Kigami warned.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but another unexpected chivalry arrived!" A new voice suddenly asked, stunning both Kigami and Azumuku.

"What? Who talked!?" Azumuku wondered.

And in the blink of an eye, the gangsters weren't the only ones who were pushing back the ninjas.

"LET'S GO, LET'S GO!" The city was filled with imperial guards who joined the gangsters and were already engaging in battle with the ninjas of the Crow Clan, starting to surpass them. It was a bit of a surrealistic vision, but it was surely pleasing for the mages.

"The shogunate!?" Kigami exclaimed.

"They've come to aid us?" Tammy wondered.

Right then, they could hear an arrogant laugh from nearby. When they all turned around, they could see a young man holding a cocky smirk. He had red hair collected in a spiky mid-length ponytail, eyes of the same color, and pointed teeth. He was wearing shining green armor, belonging to the top soldiers of the Caelum army, making clear his role.

"The people of this town called in bulk about all those explosions that happened, and who are we if we cannot deliver some good-packaged justice? Plus, I would love to have fun with the dickheads that threaten the empire!" The boy exclaimed.

Heizou Kageboshi – Member of the Shinsengumi

"Heizou? We're backed up by the Shinsengumi!" Tammy commented.

"Spare the thanks for later! If you'll excuse me, I'll have some fun with them!" Eager to fight, Heizou took out a long lance and looked at the ninjas with his smirk before throwing himself at high speed against them, piercing through their bodies with incredible agility.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Four ninjas tried to assault him from behind, but the boy quickly turned around and opened his mouth, releasing a strange green liquid.

"Acid Dragon's Roar!" The liquid was released like a beam, attacking the four ninjas and melting them down.

"GAAAAH!"

"I've seen so many sneak attacks that I've recorded how they work right in my brain! Not gonna work buddies! EHAHAAHAHA!" After that, he threw himself against the ninjas once again, leaving them on the ground like potato bags.

"W-Who on earth is that!? There's no way someone from the army can outsmart our ranks like that!" Azumuku exclaimed. And there was also someone to call him back to reality.

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone!?" Aki dashed near him and knocked him back with an electric punch.

"GAAAAAAAAAH!"

Even Kigami gritted his teeth. An unusual expression for him, but there wasn't much he could have done.

Yori and Tammy glared at him. "What's it gonna be, then?" Yori asked him.

"You're not that smart now, eh spidey?" Tammy added with a smug smile.

"Dammit…we're cornered by three sides at this point…we'll get outnumbered!" Kigami commented. "Daisaku! Try to corrupt them! Call reinforcements or do something-" He tried to call out for the partner, but when he looked elsewhere, he could see with shock something he didn't expect.

Daisaku's body was lying on the ground, cut in three parts.

"D-Daisaku has been defeated…!?" He then looked around. "Now that I think of it, I don't see Daigo either…don't tell me he was killed as well! These mages…curses!" At that point, there wasn't much to do.

He felt extremely annoyed by it. A failure after years, but they couldn't risk too much. "Everyone! Retreat!" He quickly turned into a crow and started to fly away.

Azumuku looked at him and gritted his teeth. He then looked at Aki with a sinister grin. "Alright, you got lucky this time, but this doesn't mean that I won't be able to turn you into my next masterpiece…" With those words, he turned into a crow and flew away.

Soon, the remaining ninjas followed them. In a matter of seconds, a flock of crows flew away. The imperial guards tried to shoot at them with elemental magics, but most of them were able to get away, leaving only black feathers on the ground.

Heizou took one of them and made a scoffed face. "Man, ninjas in everything. Always good to run for the hills when they need it! Anyways…the worst is over." He then looked at the soldiers. "Great job pals! And you too, strangely convenient gangsters."

Everyone cheered, and the two mages with the celestial spirit could take a breath of relief. Even the citizens could come out of their houses, still a bit afraid and confused about what happened.

"Man…they managed to escape…" Tammy commented, feeling a bit bad.

"No need to be sad. We were still able to protect Koichi and prevent them from taking the bone. We'll have time to settle things with them." Yori told her. "And next time, we'll make sure to be ready…"

Shortly after, the three of them reached Heizou.

"You really saved us back there, Heizou…things were getting complicated," Aki said.

"It's our job, much like yours. If anything, we need to thank you for anticipating us! You've saved us a lot of time. Though someone here has to explain to me why you were backed up by these gangsters…" Heizou replied, looking around.

The gangsters started to sweat up, but right at that moment, something caught their attention. "Ah! Young master!"

When the others turned around, they could see Ronin reaching them, followed by Koichi. "Guys! You're ok!"

"So, you!" Tammy answered back.

"You…really done it. I guess that I owe you a lot more than-" Koichi started to talk but cut himself off as soon as he saw not only Heizou but a lot of imperial guards. "T-T-The Shinsengumi…"

"Hm? What about it, kiddo?" Heizou asked.

Ronin, on the other hand, looked around. "Where's Iori?" He asked.

"I'm here-" Yori replied, feeling called out. But the exceed intervened.

"NOT YOU!"

"Right here…" A voice from behind said. When they turned around, they could see the other samurai slowly approach him. "And it seems that my help isn't needed…what's with the gangsters and the Shinsengumi?"

"Long story, Iori…" Yori commented. "Now, the only one left is Cal…"

"He's alright. Some of my men brought him to our lair to make him recover. He was wounded badly." Koichi explained.

"Really? That boy overworked again, eh?" Yori commented with a small smile. "In any case, the danger is over. You should be safe now."

Koichi made a small sigh. "Thank you. Even if you didn't know me, you risked your life to save mine…especially when I don't think I deserve it."

"Even if you're a gangster, you were still targeted unfairly. It's only fair that we come to your defense, young one. Besides…I wouldn't mind saving another respectable racer." Yori replied with a wink.

"It seems that Yori found himself a playmate," Tammy whispered with a smug smile.

"Eh eh…thank you. And well…considering what you've done to me…I guess it's only fair that I show you what you wanted." Koichi then said. He then turned around. "Come with us, boys."

The gangsters nodded.

"You stay here and start to help out with the damages," Heizou ordered the imperial guards, who nodded.

"Ah! Wait for me!" Aki exclaimed, trying to follow them.

---

The road they followed was the same one they were about to use before getting attacked by the Crow Clan, and it apparently led to a normal road.

"There's…nothing in here-" Aki commented.

"You'd better not have prepared some trap, I warn you!" Heizou warned.

Naturally, Koichi and his men paled up after hearing it. "NO NO WE SWEAR THIS IS THE PATH! Here!" He then placed his hand on a tile and lifted revealing an underground staircase that surprised everyone.

"Woah!" Tammy exclaimed.

"A secret hideout?" Iori asked.

"Now I can see how the Crow Clan couldn't find you immediately despite their skills…" Yori commented.

"In a city full of gangsters, this is the only way someone like me could survive. Come in." Koichi added. In a few minutes, everyone climbed down the stairs.

The underground revealed what seemed to be the classic mansion of a wealthy man, full of guards who were walking around, waiting for orders. The place was full of shelves, boards, and armchairs. And for a moment, Aki thought that all those pieces of furniture were hiding tons of weapons. The whole structure was illuminated by candlesticks that were hung from the ceilings.

"A whole organization working underground. People like you evolve just as no one lays an eye on you." Heizou commented.

Koichi sweated a bit at that comment. "P-Please try to understand our situation…"

"I can assure you that he's not like the others…try to be gentle with him." A familiar voice gathered everyone's attention, and when they turned around, they could see him.

Cal was fine, sitting in an armchair, full of bandages all over his body.

"Cal!" The mages of Shogunate Pride exclaimed before coming closer.

"You're safe…I'm relieved to see you again." Yori added.

"It's thanks to these men here. I…pushed myself a bit too much this time." The boy replied while looking at his sword.

"I can get you. I had to sweat a lot as well…" Iori answered.

"We all had proof that these enemies of the Crow Clan aren't regular ones. It seems that we'll have to use more brains than expected. What matters now is that there weren't any major losses." Yori pointed out.

"See, Heizou? There's no reason to doubt Koichi! He's a good boy!" Ronin then said to the Shinsengumi soldier, making the other boy feel embarrassed.

"I…I just did what I thought to be right." Koichi said. "And well…follow me. I'll show it to you." With those words, he started to walk further into the structure, followed by the mages, the celestial spirit, and Heizou.

They've reached what probably was Koichi's office: a large room with three white walls, a long carpet, a few armchairs, a large wooden desk, a painting of a man with purple hair an elegant dress, and a serious stare, and something peculiar right below it guarded by a glass dome.

Koichi removed the dome and took the object, revealing it to the samurais.

"Oooooh!"

A long, pointed bone.

As soon as the mages of Shogunate Pride looked at it, they all made uncomfortable faces due to the shape of the bone. Before they could spit it out or try to turn around it with a joke, Yori spoke.

"Guys. It's the tail. Get it?"

"Y-Yes…it's…the tail," Tammy commented.

Even Koichi was in the same mood, with his face a bit red. Holding something with that shape in his hand could have been mistaken for something else.

"I-I honestly don't know, but I trust that man."

"So that's one of Jaquio's four bones? After hearing the story, I thought it would have been…bigger." Aki commented. Even saying something like that felt uncomfortable.

"It's a tail." Yori stopped him.

"Maybe this demon started to grow as soon as he started to gather power, and when he was defeated, he returned to his normal shape." Iori pointed out.

"Well…I couldn't tell since this is actually the first time I hear about a story like this," Koichi spoke out.

"Uh?" Everyone asked.

"Like I said, I don't know what this thing is, to be honest. It was my dad who found it by digging a bit in some spot on the island." Koichi replied.

"You don't…know what this is?" Cal asked."

"Not really. If anything, I've kept it since it was a treasure of my father. Who…exactly is this Jaquio you've mentioned?" Koichi answered with another question.

The mages of Shogunate Pride looked at each other before nodding. They couldn't hold the truth to him after all, especially since they knew the danger that object represented.

And just as they expected, Koichi was stunned to hear it. "WHAT!? THE BONE OF A DEMON!?"

"I-I know it's hard to metabolize it, but that's the truth. That bone belongs to a demon that was defeated five hundred years ago." Iori explained.

"Those ninjas that aimed at you are part of a cult called the Crow Clan, who was searching out for those bones to achieve immortality. If all the bones were to be gathered together, an incredible energy would have been released." Yori added.

"And we came in to prevent them from doing so! Sure, we didn't expect that the bone in this island was actually in the hands of someone else…" Tammy concluded.

"Dear God! Now I know why this thing always brought me trouble! This thing is freaking cursed!" Koichi exclaimed. "Still…it's one of the few things I had left of my father…"

"…So…what do you want to do?" Yori asked. "I know that we came here to retrieve it, but…if it is something dear to you, we can't really force you on that."

Koichi took a few moments before talking. He looked back at the picture. "My father wasn't really a good person, despite loving me and making sure that I would grow into a strong man who would have carried on the family business. I always admired how strong I was and I wanted to become like him. But…I couldn't share his ideas…his ways of making money in a system like this."

Everyone else let him talk.

Koichi on the other hand, looked at the bone before a deep sigh. It was a tough choice. If those ninjas tried to kill him for that, he knew it was something dangerous. But at the same time…it was one of his father's treasures. "I couldn't even protect it properly…after all the times I've mentioned it whenever I got flustered…"

"You're the owner, so you decide on what to do with it. We'll just…stick with the choice." Cal replied.

It wasn't easy for Koichi to go with that. But then…he thought back at what he discussed with Ronin. Maybe…now that he had the chance…he could have done something.

Yes…he wanted some changes…and if he wanted that, he had to start…by changing himself.

He turned around and approached the four samurais. After a few moments…he gave the bone to them.

"Are you…sure?" Ronin asked.

"…I know it's something precious. But at the same time…you're right. I mean, I almost risked my life at this round! I'm…I'm not a perfect boss yet, so this thing is not safe here. I'm sure that it'll be handled properly if I give it to you." Koichi answered.

The samurais were surprised, but they smiled. It was Iori who took the bone. "Thank you, Koichi."

"I guess you could say that…you helped me out clearing out things from my head," Koichi replied before turning at Ronin and winking. "And I still thank you for everything that you have done for me."

"A pleasure!" Tammy promptly answered, feeling grateful.

Koichi then turned to Heizou. "Speaking of which...I'm sure you know the conditions this city has now. But I…want to change things. Even if I'm not as important as other gangsters that live in here…I would like to ask you and the empress if there was a chance to give my cooperation to clean Roppongi from all the criminals that lurk in here."

Heizou seemed interested in that. "Hmmm. So, in short, you want to completely change an entire city with people who could stab you at any moment. Are you sure you're up for that?" He asked.

Koichi nodded with a newfound resolution. "An unusual friend is that if I have the chance…I can change out life to make it unpredictable. I…I want to make it happen. Besides…" He turned at his men. "I've got protected many times from these men who dedicated their lives for mine…I want to repay that feeling by giving them a safer place where to live…"

His men started to feel a bit moved. "Oh, young master…you've always been this kind…don't worry! We'll follow you to the very end!"

Koichi smiled. Knowing that his men were with him was…gratifying.

"AH AH!" Heizou found the situation interesting. "I like your guts, kid! A gangster wanting to clean himself is one hell of a story! Let me talk with the empress, she'll figure out something!"

Koichi nodded. "Thank you!" He then turned to the mages of Shogunate Pride. "The feeling is the same for you. I'll make sure to repay the debt one day. You can say that you have one more ally. Maybe I could…help you with something regarding business?"

"Ah ah ah! We'd be glad to accept it, then!" Tammy replied.

"When it comes to me, the best you can do to repay is another game at SCAN-2-GO," Yori told him with a small smirk.

"Oh, I'll look up for that rematch. And that day, I won't lose!" Koichi replied.

"Sometimes I think that I don't see all of Yori-shishou's layers…" Cal commented.

"I guess that's normal…" Iori added before turning to his exceed friend. "And I assume that you had a nice talk with Koichi?"

"I simply did what I can do better!" Ronin admitted with pride.

And with that…everything was settled.

After saluting Koichi, the mages of Shogunate Pride decided to go with the imperial guards, who already had a ship since their one was destroyed.

In a matter of minutes, the ship already took sail…and Iori started to crawl down in pain.

"UUUUUGH…"

"C-Come on, Iori! We won't take that long!" As always, Ronin tried to support his friend as best as he could.

"T-This is the very worst…even worse than that ninja…" Iori commented.

The others looked at the bone they were able to take.

"I guess that's the mission complete then!" Tammy commented all happy.

"Absolutely! I can't wait to show it to my lady! The idea of helping her further makes me happy!" Aki answered.

"It was a close call, but we could get out of it. Still…with a bit of help, that is." Yori added. "It's pretty certain we'll see that boy again."

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" They could hear Heizou's voice from the other side of the ship.

Even Cal found the strength to smile. Not only were they able to get the bone, but they were also able to take down some of the Crow Clan's dangerous elements.

Therefore…all that was left was to trust. He looked at his dirty blade, but he remained optimistic.

"Let's hope that the others will make it, then. After all…this is only the beginning."

And he was right. One bone was retrieved…three were still on the loose…and more black feathers were flying down from the sky.

---

And finally, we're done! I honestly thought that it would have turned out to be a lot longer considering the two big battles in this chapter, but in the end, we had our regular length, hoping it was not too much for you.

It's still incredible the fact that we've reached the 20th chapter, considering that only another story of mine reached this level, but I'm very glad to see that we're still sticking around! And I hope I can go further within this arc and the story in general for the rest of this year.

And yes, it took a bit longer this time to release this chapter, but around April, I found myself getting to write very low, and since I've wanted to start my new story (or rather, crossover), those few times I got to write, I've focused myself on that, and then I promised myself to go back in this, and in a few days, I was able to complete it! Luckily, I was able to get back the same energy as before, so I should have it for the next one hopefully!

A difficult part of this chapter was changing the order of some of the scenes inside it since the whole situation was about to start differently, and when I made the switch, I feared that some things would have turned out with little sense, but I've tried to fill the holes and make it not as rushed as I feared it would have been.

I also enjoyed writing the individual battles! Not only the two main ones but also the side one! As you can see, the battles and the events in this arc won't be as linear as before, and they'll start to get more complex and detailed, with enemies that could mean further than usual and a fate that might be a bit more adult and violent compared to Fairy Tail standards. I do love the fights in the original Fairy Tail series (or at least…most of them XD), but as always, I want to add my touch and my style to them, coming up with something different. This is the magic of fan fiction, after all! It was challenging putting all of this in just one chapter but I've tried my best to balance things out. Daisaku, in particular, was a challenge! Considering that it was a late add-on I didn't expect to put it (since it was "created" by zetsunaflames, Hoshiko's creator) and I've tried to give him a role in the story (while he did die in this chapter, there will be actually more to see of him!) and I tried to make him a proper foe for the main characters despite not being a ninja like the others. If some of you find him different from the original series he came from (Yakuza), it's because I never played the game and didn't see too much of it (I've only seen two of his Boss Fights), so if there are some Yakuza fans out there, I hope you may forgive me. Please see this as an alternative version of him _"

But as always, I'll leave the last word to you! Did you like the chapter? What did you think of the battles and the members of the Crow Clan that fought in it? Will Iori be able to make a travel without getting motion sickness? What's going to happen with the remaining bones? As always, let me know with a review! Your opinion is important!

Overall, I'm glad that I was able to come back with a chapter like this after a "monthly break", and I hope that I can bring more of these! I have more plans for this arc to come up, especially since we're focusing on one character in particular! To make me apologize for the delay, the next thing I'll work on will directly be the next chapter! I don't know when it will come out but I hope soon! Just stay tuned to see the next part of this arc!

As always, I thank you for reading this chapter, and I'll see you in either the next chapter or the next chapter of another story of mine! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!