This sword strike was unprecedentedly brutal, yet also incredibly insignificant.
Although this was a blow that risked Kyojuro's life and will—and he could ignore the mental clarity brought by physical injury—the functional decline caused by his wounds wouldn't be changed by willpower alone.
Compared to the ultimate attack unleashed by the Upper Rank demon, who'd returned to full strength, it was far too weak.
Thud!
With a sickening sound, Akaza's fist pierced through Kyojuro's abdomen, while his raised sword remained above his head, not yet falling.
His already severe injuries worsened, causing Kyojuro's consciousness to blur.
In a daze, he heard the exclamations of people around him and saw their blurry figures—wanting to rescue him but afraid of making things worse.
Then, he saw the past...
Some say that people see their life flash before their eyes because it's the body's protective mechanism at work—trying to help the dying person find a way to break through their current predicament by reviewing past experiences.
And now, Kyojuro's life had begun its final playback.
He felt as if he'd returned to his childhood, to the age when he was still nestled in his mother's arms, listening to her teachings...
Kyojuro's mother had been a frail and sickly woman, yet she was also resolute and wise. Even though she'd been bedridden for years, she never forgot her duty to educate her children.
Facing Kyojuro, who'd been born with exceptional talent for swordsmanship and was superior to others, his mother—worried he might be led astray or taken advantage of—asked him this question when she knew her days were numbered.
"Do you know why you were born stronger than others?"
"It's to help those who are weaker than you."
"A person born with extraordinary talents must use those talents for the sake of the world and for others."
"Using the abilities bestowed upon us by heaven to wantonly harm others or enrich ourselves is not allowed."
"Helping the weak anytime, anywhere is your duty as someone born strong—a responsibility you must take and a mission you must carry out throughout your life."
"You must remember this!"
The Rengoku family was a prestigious clan that had borne the responsibility of being the Flame Hashira for generations. His mother's words on her deathbed had left a lasting impression on Kyojuro and shaped how he'd lived ever since.
At that moment, his consciousness became much clearer.
He saw people who, fearing they might get hurt themselves, had abandoned their weapons and were trying to rush in to help...
No, they'll all die if they charge in!
For some reason, the power that had disappeared returned.
"AAAAHHH!!!!"
Kyojuro roared and swung his blade, slashing it viciously into Akaza's neck.
However, severely wounded as he was, he no longer had the strength to sever Akaza's head with one stroke. He barely managed to sink the blade in until its back was level with the demon's skin.
"Kyojuro!"
Akaza stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend how he could unleash such power in this state.
But Akaza had lost all desire to fight him honorably. He clenched his free left fist and aimed a punch at Kyojuro's face, determined to kill him in one blow.
However, just before the fist connected, Kyojuro reached out with his left hand and grabbed Akaza's left wrist tightly, preventing it from advancing even an inch.
At the same time, he increased the force with his right hand, causing the blade to penetrate even deeper, sinking into the throat.
"How is this possible? He was about to die, yet he can still unleash such tremendous power!?" Akaza was shocked once again, his admiration for Kyojuro reaching unprecedented heights.
Whether physical strength, technique, willpower, or spirit... this man was exceptionally rare. If one could continue sparring and fighting against him, one would surely make tremendous progress and become the strongest.
Subconsciously, he wanted to invite him to become a demon.
Before he could even open his mouth, a burst of gunfire rang out. Countless bullets struck his back—attacks launched by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who'd approached.
In fact, if not for the fear of killing Kyojuro as well, the Quinjet fighters that had already aimed their machine guns would have fired.
"Despicable tactics!"
Akaza roared angrily.
He used all his strength to pull his arm free so he could turn around and kill all those who only knew how to attack from behind during honorable combat.
Knowing that if Akaza escaped, everyone else would die, Kyojuro held on tightly. He even used his breathing technique to contract his abdominal muscles as much as possible to prevent the demon from pulling out.
Bullets tore through Akaza's back, but they didn't penetrate his defenses at all.
Still, the pain—like stones being thrown at his back—made Akaza feel humiliated and even angrier.
"Damn it!"
Akaza, enraged beyond reason, severed both his own arms to break free, turned, and charged out, ready to tear these people to pieces.
Then, blinding light flooded in.
Akaza felt discomfort and raised his hand to shield his eyes, his body instinctively stopping.
Immediately afterward, accompanied by the screeching sound of brakes and drifting tires, a white SUV crashed into Akaza and sent him flying.
Akaza was unharmed—only sent five or six meters away—while the front of the SUV was deeply dented.
But the car's headlights, modified to be extremely bright, shone directly on Akaza, blinding him.
"One after another, you keep interfering, you—"
Akaza shielded his eyes with one hand, pushed himself up with the other, and began uttering angry words.
But before he could finish, a fiery arc streaked across the night sky. A cyborg wearing a tight-fitting outfit—whose body had been replaced with high-density metal—descended from the sky, his right leg cleaving down like a battle axe.
Danger!
The Compass Needle gave a warning. A huge sense of "DANGER" appeared in his mind.
Akaza didn't hesitate and leaped away.
The next second, the axe kick cleaved down, shattering the earth like tofu. The powerful impact created a shockwave that blew S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces twenty meters away off their feet. Even the Quinjet hovering above shook, forcing it to climb higher.
"What the hell is it this time!?"
Coulson raised his hand to shield himself from the wind, his gaze fixed on the center of the smoke and dust.
Fury, inside the Quinjet, was also watching intently.
The Quinjet's radar had detected the intruder from a kilometer away five seconds earlier, but the intruder was too fast. Before Fury could give any instructions, the uninvited guest had already entered the battlefield.
Whoosh!
Akaza transformed into a blur and darted into the crowd.
Just as everyone braced themselves, thinking he was about to go on a killing spree, he turned and fled in the opposite direction.
Amidst the smoke and dust, the figure slowly rose, pointing his right hand in the direction Akaza had fled. Red light flickered in his palm, accumulating energy—a sight that terrified everyone watching.
Upon seeing the people in his line of fire, the man frowned and lowered his arm.
"Phew..."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the intruder wasn't indifferent to life and wouldn't indiscriminately kill innocent people.
Coulson's tense heart relaxed. He was about to step forward to ask about the situation when he heard a click as the white SUV's front door opened and two young men in casual suits got out.
One had black hair, black eyes, and handsome features.
The other had gray hair, blue eyes, and a lifeless expression.
"Quinn!?"
Upon seeing who it was, Coulson couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Hearing the exclamation, Quinn glanced at him, then looked at the Flame Hashira kneeling on the ground, bleeding profusely. Tamayo and Yushiro were injecting hemostatic and analgesic drugs into his body, but the effect wasn't promising.
"Don't waste your energy. I'm beyond saving."
Kyojuro's voice was weak, as if he might die at any moment. But even so, he had a comforting smile on his face, wanting to ease the sadness of those mourning his impending death.
"That's debatable!"
After picking up the thread, Quinn calmly took out a cigarette, lit it, and then slowly walked toward Kyojuro.
"Mr. Quinn..."
Kyojuro looked at Quinn as he slowly approached, a hint of apology on his face. "You don't need to comfort me. I know my own situation. But you... you gave me so much help when we first met, and I have no way to repay you."
"If I say you can be saved, then you definitely can!" Quinn said domineeringly, walking up to Kyojuro and producing an injection syringe out of thin air. "This is a medical nano-biological agent. It will automatically repair the damage in your body. However, there's no anesthesia, so it will be extremely painful."
"I'm not afraid of pain!"
"That's good!"
"But there's no need to be stubborn about it!"
Quinn knocked Kyojuro unconscious with a karate chop, then injected the nano-biological agent into his body.
The wound began healing visibly.
[Ding! You have gained 1 Prayer Point!]
[Ding! You have gained 100 Prayer Points!]
[Ding! You have gained 1000 Prayer Points!]
[Ding! You have gained 1.2 Prayer Points!]
Quinn remained expressionless as he listened to the constant notification sounds in his mind.
He looked at Otto and said, "Take him. Let's go!"
After saying that, he looked at Tamayo and Yushiro. "You two should come along too!"
"Yes, boss!"
Otto came over, picked up Kyojuro, and headed back to the car.
Tamayo nodded and followed behind.
"Quinn..."
Coulson blocked the car's path and asked, puzzled, "What's the meaning of this?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the cyborg walking toward them from the side.
"What's the meaning?"
Quinn couldn't help but laugh. He took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and said with a smile, "I'm here to rescue my friend. Is there a problem?"
"Of course there's a problem."
Fury's voice came from nearby.
Everyone looked over and saw a bald black man wearing an eye patch getting out of the parked Quinjet.
As he walked over, he said, "Putting aside their unregistered status as dimensional travelers, they must also be investigated and interrogated because of their involvement in the cannibalism cases over the past two months."
"Phew..."
Quinn took a deep drag on his cigarette, then threw the butt on the ground and stomped it out. He couldn't resist a cold laugh. "It seems you haven't understood why I gave you that list in the first place?"
List?
Purpose?