"Sir... you're Mr. Ninagawa?!" Shiu was the first to recognize the elderly man. The shock on his face showed just how unexpected this encounter was.
Ninagawa lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of surprise. "Didn't think there were still people who remembered an old man like me who's about to climb into a coffin."
"You must be joking. Your name is known throughout Kyoto." Shiu chuckled awkwardly, but when he turned to look at Toji and Mukuro, embarrassment filled his face.
The two of them showed no reaction. Their expressions didn't change at all, as if the man before them was just an ordinary elder.
"Old man, we're not here to watch you two flatter each other. Get to the point. Tell us about the job and the payment." Mukuro casually pulled out a chair and sat down, his eyes on the elder.
"As far as I know, you two are newcomers. More than that, you're ordinary men without cursed energy. Forgive me if this is rude, but before I can trust you, would you mind showing me your strength?" Ninagawa's gaze slowly scanned the brothers as he spoke in an unhurried tone.
To him, this was a one-time chance. If the assassination failed, once the target became cautious, taking action would become far more difficult.
"Our strength, huh? How do you plan to test us?" Mukuro's eyes sparked with some interest.
"Why not go below? When I was younger, I spent a fortune building a training ground."
With that, Ninagawa pressed a button. A section of the wall shifted, revealing a hidden elevator.
"Let's see it."
The three followed him inside. The elevator descended all the way to the lowest level.
When the doors opened, they stepped into a vast open space. Bright lights illuminated the area where over a dozen men in suits were already waiting.
"These are all my subordinates. This man is my personal bodyguard, grade 2 sorcerer Ren." Ninagawa pointed to a burly figure standing among the crowd. He gave Toji a brief nod.
"So the test is to take down all of them? Or are we supposed to kill them like in a real job?" Toji pulled his hands from his pockets, a grin tugging at his lips.
That simple question was enough to make everyone tense.
Because with those words, an oppressive aura burst from his body. It wasn't cursed energy. It was something deeper, a pressure that made the heart tremble and the body instinctively recoil.
"No… no need for that! You just have to defeat them within five minutes and make Ren unable to fight back. That's enough…" Ninagawa, a man who had once held a high position, swallowed hard and hurried to explain. He feared that if he delayed even a second, his men would be cut down in front of him.
"Simple. Then let's start." Toji spread his arms and strode toward the group, still wearing his heavy coat.
"Everyone, stay alert!" Ren called out as he summoned his cursed energy, warning the guards to prepare themselves.
"Wait... we haven't left yet!"
Ninagawa quickly hobbled back with his cane. Shiu followed close behind, but Mukuro stayed where he was.
"Kid, why are you still standing there?!" The old man pressed a remote in his hand and struck his cane against the ground, urging him to move.
"You're making too big a deal of this." Mukuro waved dismissively and walked to the side. He sat cross-legged with his chin resting in his palm, not paying the old man's words any mind.
"Do as you wish!"
Seeing the fight about to break out, Ninagawa pressed his remote. Several layers of bulletproof glass rose up from all sides, enclosing Toji and the others inside.
A loud boom shook the ground.
"So fast!"
In an instant Toji vanished, forcing Ren's nerves to tighten to the limit. The bodyguards formed two tight circles around him, guns raised as they searched for a sign of their opponent.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"What was that?!"
The constant noises and the tremors shaking the glass walls made Ninagawa stumble back, his eyes filled with fear.
The bulletproof walls became Toji's stepping stones. His body blurred, leaving behind trails of afterimages as he ricocheted across the enclosure at blinding speed, far too fast for the naked eye to follow.
"This is… the result of Heavenly Restriction, trading away all cursed energy for the ultimate body?!"
Shiu's hands shook as he fumbled a cigarette from his pocket. He hadn't been in the business for too long, but he liked to think he'd seen a fair share of things. Yet this… this terrifying physical power was something beyond imagination. He had only heard of people like this from distant rumors of ages past.
And now the legend was alive before him.
Bang!
Toji struck. His right leg swept out, smashing into a guard on the outer ring. Bodies slammed into each other, blood spraying arcs through the air.
That one strike alone shattered their formation. Nearly half the guards collapsed, groaning on the floor.
"Open fire!"
They couldn't track his movements, not when he emitted no cursed energy. The only way to slow him down was to blanket the area with bullets.
Bang, bang, bang…
Gunfire erupted from all directions. Muzzle flashes lit up the area, and even the reinforced bulletproof glass began to crack under the relentless storm.
"Is it... over?" As their magazines emptied, smoke filled the air. Ren's chest tightened, his heart in his throat.
"Out of bullets already? Then the small fry can clear out."
A voice came from the haze. Toji walked out unscathed, his right fist clenched.
Clink, clink, clink…
He opened his hand, and dozens of twisted bullets fell, ringing as they hit the ground.
"Is he even human?!"
Some of the bodyguards were frozen in place, eyes wide. Others unconsciously took a step back.
"Not just him. That kid too!"
In the tense silence, someone noticed Mukuro sitting calmly in the corner. Not a single shot had touched him, yet spent bullets lay scattered around him.
"He's right. All of you fall back." Ren finally understood. Speed, power, endurance; this man was beyond frightening. Against someone who could catch bullets with his bare hands, the guards were useless.
"My technique is—"
Ren stepped forward, about to speak. But Toji was already in front of him.
Boom!
The man's body flew backward like a ragdoll. He crashed through the reinforced glass and slammed into the wall, his body embedded into the concrete. His eyes rolled white, and blood dripped from his mouth.
It took only one blow. The grade 2 sorcerer hadn't even managed to activate his technique before he lost all ability to fight.
"Knowing you need to announce your ability to enhance it, did you really think I'd let you finish?" Toji glanced at him once to confirm he was out of the fight, then turned to Ninagawa and Shiu.
"So strong... If it's these two, they can do it!"
Ignoring his injured subordinates, the old man's eyes gleamed. He was eager to discuss terms.
"Two monsters like that... terrifying just to imagine."
Shiu's reaction was the opposite. He had tried watching Toji but couldn't follow a single move, so his eyes turned to Mukuro instead.
But even then, in the storm of gunfire, the boy's figure had vanished from sight.
Neither of the brothers had shown a trace of emotion from beginning to end. Their overwhelming strength seemed natural, as if it was only to be expected.
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