Elsewhere.
Walker was in his office when someone entered without much preamble. The man was a scientist who had now taken over the position of Omar Bradley.
"Walker… are you busy?"
Walker did not answer immediately. He remained seated in his chair, slowly turning it before looking at his visitor with a relaxed expression.
"Depends on who's coming," he said lightly. "But for you, I always have plenty of time. Is there a problem?"
The scientist raised a data tablet in his hand.
"I just want to ask… where did these specimens come from?"
Walker smiled faintly, as if the question amused him.
"Hohoho… are you afraid they're civilians?"
"I just want to know," the scientist replied flatly. "After checking their records, none of them are listed as civilians. Walker… who exactly are they?"
Walker finally leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if recalling something from the past.
"When the world fell into chaos because of the peaches from Mato," he began slowly, "the world order suddenly flipped. Women gained extraordinary power, while men like us… fell into second-class citizens."
He opened his eyes again.
"Even one thing that used to be our advantage—heavy-duty jobs like being soldiers—was taken away just like that. In a short time, many men became powerless."
Walker let out a quiet sigh before continuing.
"However, in those early days, there was a group of mercenaries who refused to accept that reality. They called themselves Hound Wolf."
His tone shifted slightly, as if he held a certain interest in that group.
"They were men who refused to surrender or submit to the power of the peaches. They studied various methods to fight ability users. With their tactical experience as mercenaries, they adapted quickly and became very familiar with facing them."
Walker chuckled softly.
"The funny thing is, they always shouted the slogan no to superhumans. But in reality… they were just jealous."
He then pointed at the data on the scientist's tablet.
"That's why I gave them an opportunity."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"As you can see, the specimens here… are people from that group."
Walker said it casually, as if he were talking about ordinary experimental materials.
"Including the Numbers."
The scientist in front of him fell silent, waiting for further explanation.
Walker continued in a flat tone.
"Even though their sanity is gone, their bodies still remember who they are."
He slowly tapped his finger on the table, as if organizing his thoughts.
"Combat experience, survival instincts, killing instincts—all of that is too deeply embedded to simply disappear. Their minds may be broken… but their bodies still retain everything they've learned."
Walker smiled faintly.
"That's what makes them very useful."
To him, the former members of Hound Wolf were no longer humans with pasts and choices. They were merely tools—weapons reforged for far darker purposes.
…
Back to Yamazaki.
For a while, he simply held his ground while exchanging attacks with his two opponents. But behind every movement—every dodge and deflection—his mind kept working, analyzing their abilities.
He quickly realized something different.
These two men did not fight like typical ability users—especially not like the female ability users he had known. Their movements were too efficient, too precise. There was no emotion, no hesitation.
As if from the beginning, they had been trained to be weapons.
Every attack came in measured patterns. Sharp crystals grew from one man's body like natural extensions, while the other controlled swirling black ash in the air, forming improvised weapons that launched without pause.
Yamazaki stepped back once, his breathing slightly heavier.
It had been a long time since he had felt pressure like this.
That feeling… the sensation of dying and being powerless on the battlefield—something that had once been so familiar—now resurfaced after years of being forgotten.
But strangely, it was not fear that emerged.
It was something else.
The corner of Yamazaki's lips slowly curled upward.
'Hehehe…'
'It's been a long time.'
'Looks like… I'll have to bring out my old self again.'
His eyes sharpened, completely different from the relaxed expression he usually showed.
The figure that had long been buried deep within him began to rise once more—the one that had made many tremble just by hearing his name.
The Red Demon of the East.
Green crystals suddenly erupted from the ground, growing with extremely sharp tips—sharp enough to pierce a human body without effort. At the same time, from above, various weapons formed from black ash—swords, axes, and spears—then rained down like a deadly storm.
Yamazaki's position was instantly pinned from two directions.
From below, the crystals were ready to impale him. From above, a barrage of weapons was ready to strike. There seemed to be almost no path to escape.
And yet—
Yamazaki lifted his head.
His gaze changed.
The calm eyes from before were now filled with dense killing intent, so sharp that both of his opponents felt something unsettling crawl up their spines.
A primal instinct.
Danger.
Yamazaki moved.
In a single breath, he stepped back half a pace—just enough to avoid the crystal that shot up beneath him. Its tip passed his body by a margin as thin as paper.
Not finished.
His body spun immediately, moving with precise acrobatic fluidity. He dodged the rain of weapons from above with near-perfect timing, letting the ash blades pass around him.
In the middle of that motion, his hand moved swiftly.
He caught one of the swords formed from ash.
Without hesitation—
Yamazaki twisted his body and threw the sword back at its owner with full force.
A counterattack—fast, sharp, and lethal.
The black-ash user reacted quickly. He formed a shield from condensed ash particles in front of him, attempting to block the incoming blade.
Thud!
The shield managed to stop its trajectory, but the force behind Yamazaki's throw still broke through the defense. The impact struck his body, sending him flying backward, his feet dragging across the ground before he lost balance.
Meanwhile, the other opponent gave no opening at all.
The crystal user immediately advanced, abandoning ranged attacks in favor of close combat. His body moved quickly, sharp crystals emerging from various parts, reinforcing both offense and defense.
He unleashed a flurry of attacks, demonstrating trained taijutsu.
Yamazaki met him head-on.
The two exchanged punches and kicks at close range. Each collision felt heavy, as every strike from his opponent was enhanced by crystals that could wound on contact.
Yet Yamazaki did not falter.
His movements remained calm, even under pressure. He read his opponent's attack patterns quickly, avoided dangerous points, and countered with strikes aimed at even the smallest openings.
Thud!
That moment finally came.
Yamazaki found an opening.
With near-perfect timing, he slipped into his opponent's range and delivered a clean straight punch. His attack pierced through a section of crystal armor that had not fully formed—a weakness that appeared for only a fraction of a second.
The impact shattered that layer of crystal.
Cracks spread rapidly before it completely broke apart.
The effect was immediate.
His opponent's body jolted violently, his breath cut off before he coughed up blood from the strike. His balance faltered, his steps stumbling backward uncontrollably.
Yamazaki did not pursue.
He simply stood upright, his breathing steady, his sharp eyes observing the result of his attack.
"Now… how about my student?"
...
"Helios Chariot!"
In an instant, Kazuma dashed forward.
His body shot ahead like a flash of light, and every step he took left a trail of destruction. The ground along his path cracked and blackened from the intense heat, as if a burning trail had been carved simply by his movement.
The speed was so sudden that Gabriel didn't have time to fully prepare.
BOOM!
Kazuma struck her directly. The impact sounded like a small explosion as his blazing body collided with Gabriel's golden armor.
Gabriel was launched high into the air, her body shooting through the gaps between the trees until she reached the sky above the shrine.
But for Kazuma, that still wasn't enough.
He bent his knees briefly, then jumped.
BOOM!
The ground beneath his feet shattered as he propelled himself into the air. Fragments of rock and earth were thrown in all directions, while Kazuma's body shot upward at incredible speed, chasing Gabriel who was still airborne.
Up there, Gabriel tried to stabilize her momentum. Her wings flapped forcefully, attempting to regain control of her body. But before she could fully recover—
Someone grabbed her leg.
Gabriel jolted.
As she looked down, her eyes immediately met Kazuma, who was already right beneath her.
In one swift motion, Kazuma tightly grabbed her ankle. Her body jerked for a moment in midair before Kazuma twisted his body, gathering strength into his arm.
Then—
With tremendous force, he slammed her back down to the ground.
Gabriel's body shot downward at brutal speed, crashing into the ground like a meteor falling from the sky. A thunderous impact echoed throughout the shrine area, the ground cracking at the point of collision as dust and debris were thrown high into the air.
Gabriel lay in the center of a small crater formed by the impact. Her body felt heavy, her breath momentarily knocked out from the sheer force.
For the first time since the battle began, she was truly overwhelmed.
Before she could even fully unleash her abilities, Kazuma had already forced her to realize something important—
He was not an easy target.
'Urgh... Walker was right. We can't underestimate him.'
Gabriel tried to get up, but pain still spread throughout her body. Her golden armor was covered in dust and fine cracks from the previous impact.
But suddenly, something changed.
A warm sensation spread throughout her body, the pain that had weighed down her muscles and bones gradually fading. The injuries she had just sustained began to heal rapidly.
Gabriel realized it.
Someone had used a healing ability on her.
From behind the settling dust, one of her subordinates—who had already recovered from the earlier clash—stood with a raised hand, their ability still active.
"Captain!"
The voice carried concern as her subordinate saw Gabriel finally begin to move again amidst the slowly settling dust.
Gabriel took a deep breath, then rose from the small crater where her body had struck the ground. The cracks on her golden armor were still clearly visible, but her gaze had sharpened once more. The pain that had previously dominated her body was fading thanks to her subordinate's healing ability.
Without wasting time, she made a decision.
"Beta, Plan B!"
Gabriel shouted firmly.
In the distance, the figure called Beta reacted immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, they moved to execute the order, as if the plan had been prepared long before the operation even began.
The air around them grew tense once more.
Kazuma, standing not far away, narrowed his eyes, realizing that his opponents had yet to reveal all their cards. Something within Plan B was clearly meant to change the course of the battle.
That aside... what about Master?
The thought crossed his mind instantly.
For the moment, Kazuma ignored Gabriel and shifted his gaze, searching for Yamazaki among the trees and the dust still swirling in the air.
Meanwhile—
On the other side of the battlefield, Yamazaki was in a far more difficult situation.
He was cornered.
Two of his opponents stood before him like monsters from a nightmare.
The first was a mutation-type ability user. From his body, sharp crystals continuously grew and extended outward like thorns. Every movement caused those crystals to scrape against each other, reflecting a cold light, turning him into both a moving fortress and a deadly weapon.
The second was no less strange. He was a creation-type ability user—but instead of ordinary objects, he controlled ash. Dark ash particles swirled around his body like a living fog, then solidified into various sharp and heavy structures that could be launched at any moment.
Yamazaki observed both of them calmly, even though his position was clearly unfavorable.
His instincts immediately assessed the situation.
Two extremely troublesome abilities.
One attacked with a body that was nearly impossible to touch without injury, while the other controlled ash that could change shape at will.
Even so, Yamazaki simply let out a quiet breath.
His eyes remained sharp, like a veteran who had stood on battlefields far too often to feel fear.