The woman was on the verge of breaking down.
It felt like she'd stepped into a game.
An assassin, showing up late to a team fight, only to find blood everywhere—just in time for the clean-up.
Her fingers were already hovering over the skill key.
But the enemy silenced her.
She couldn't activate a single skill.
No matter how she tried, nothing responded.
It was as if even her keyboard had stopped working.
Time ticked by.
And the slowing effect became more and more apparent—especially on Chitong and Sasuke Uchiha.
Meanwhile, the woman's condition steadily worsened.
Kaizen glanced toward Sasuke.
"...That's enough."
"Sasuke, now! Use that!"
The next moment—
"Chidori Current!"
A sharp crackling pierced the air.
Lightning burst across Sasuke's body—but this time, it didn't stop there. It surged outward, spreading in all directions.
For an instant, it was as though thunder had swallowed the battlefield.
...
The time delay effect gave the woman a narrow window. She could dodge in one direction—but only barely.
It wasn't that she was faster than lightning.
Rather, she could sense when Sasuke activated his ability.
Like dodging a bullet—not by outrunning it, but by seeing the moment the shooter pulls the trigger and sidestepping the aim.
That was how she moved.
And that was why Kaizen had Sasuke hold back until the exact moment.
To give her no escape route.
Her pupils shrank.
Not even a full second passed—
—and a surge of electricity slammed into her.
She froze instantly, her body paralyzed.
"Rashomon: Susanoo."
A massive dark red arm materialized out of thin air, seizing the woman in its grip.
"Lightghost! Deploy the mist!"
They were far from the original battlefield.
Kaizen couldn't be certain there were no Oster agents nearby.
He didn't mind exposing the mist ability now.
But Sumas? The longer he could keep that hidden, the better.
Letting others know he possessed a spatial-type ability was inevitable.
But letting them know he had the cold-type variation of spatial abilities? That had to stay a secret as long as possible.
Kaizen opened a door.
Sasuke shoved the woman inside.
With a single thought, the door vanished.
...
"Ponzu, give me Natsu's location."
"Yes, captain. About two kilometers behind you."
Kaizen didn't hesitate. He turned and dashed toward the location Ponzu provided.
Her presence was a huge asset for gathering intel.
She could extend his surveillance range well beyond what cameras allowed.
Even in blind spots, her bees could monitor and report.
And it saved Kaizen some aura.
Maintaining Atan's large-scale infiltration drained him quickly.
In high-stakes combat, that strain added up fast.
But with Ponzu around, he could delegate the task of recon.
...
Soon, Kaizen arrived at the scene of Natsu's fight with the enemy youth.
One man, one beast—both in rough shape.
The young man was badly injured.
Natsu's aura was noticeably weaker than usual.
It was a stalemate.
Had Kaizen not shown up, the deadlock could have dragged on.
But Kaizen was here now.
A cloud of aura swirled from his body.
It flowed toward Natsu—
—and instantly, Natsu's strength surged back to full.
The young man on the other side grimaced.
The playing field had been even.
He'd expected a battle of attrition. Maybe he'd even find an opening to win.
But now?
His opponent was fully restored in an instant.
What was the point?
The young man gritted his teeth. The frustration nearly choked him.
Natsu didn't wait.
With renewed force, he launched an aggressive assault.
Kaizen raised his hand.
A compressed bullet of aura shot toward the enemy.
BOOM!
It landed squarely.
The young man's already weakened leg gave out on the spot.
...
BOOM!
He dropped to one knee.
His expression twisted in agony.
Natsu pounced.
The flame burst forth almost point-blank.
Too close to dodge.
The blaze engulfed the youth.
His clothes charred instantly.
Fabric melted onto skin.
Some turned to ash.
The rest fused with raw flesh.
Skin peeled away in sheets.
Muscle seared red, then blackened under the intense heat.
The pain was indescribable.
The young man screamed and thrashed.
...
But at that very moment—
BOOM!
Another Bomb tore through his remaining leg.
PLUNK!
Both knees slammed into the rubble.
And then—
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One after another, the bullets rained down.
His arm, his lower back, just shy of the heart—none were immediately fatal.
But they were crippling.
Kaizen stepped up.
"I'll give you a choice."
"The more you tell me about Oster, the better your odds of surviving."
The youth looked up, blood dripping down his chin.
"I'll never betray Oster-sama."
"And you... you'll never win."
"We're just the weakest under Oster-sama."
"The real monsters are already on their way."
"When they arrive—you'll all be dead."
"And they already know what you're capable of."
"Get ready to die."
"I've lost. I accept that."
"But if I can drag a genius like you down with me—then I have no regrets."
Kaizen's brows furrowed.
"My abilities were leaked? That can't be. I never gave the four of you a chance to contact anyone."
The young man smirked.
His expression turned mocking.
"Who said there were only four of us beasts?"
------------
+540 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub