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Chapter 43: Hope
Tsuna, having fully restored his flames and boosted his power by absorbing the Spirit's magic, stood tall.
"Now, I can finally fight at full power."
Finn couldn't help but let a fearless smirk cross his face. To think that in this absolute, do-or-die scenario, he would show us growth beyond anything I could have ever imagined… What a truly terrifying man.
"You say that as if you haven't been fighting seriously this whole time," Finn remarked.
"That's right."
"Gahahah! To spit out such cheeky words in a situation like this!!" Gareth roared with a hearty laugh.
Though they were still technically fighting an uphill battle, Tsuna's sudden power-up had drastically elevated the vanguard's morale.
"But we are still at a severe disadvantage. She's focusing on regenerating right now, but once she's done, we're back to square one. Furthermore, your last attack put her on high alert. The same trick won't work twice. We need a definitive countermeasure," Riveria stated, her tactical mind coldly analyzing the reality of the board.
"I have a plan," Tsuna said.
"Oh?"
"Let's hear it."
Both Riveria and Finn immediately turned their full attention to him.
"That thing hasn't moved an inch from her original spot since this fight started. Even when I attacked her from the air, she didn't try to dodge; she solidified her defenses to tank it. That means she can't move from that location. But, because of my last hit, she's highly cautious now. A standard attack won't get through."
Unable to stand the suspense, Tione snapped. "Stop dragging it out and just tell us what to do."
"The answer is simple. We hit her with an attack so overwhelmingly powerful it instantly vaporizes her entirely, leaving absolutely nothing left to regenerate."
"Hah!?" x3
The sheer, unga-bunga simplicity of his plan left the entire Familia staring at him with their mouths hanging open.
"How can you say something so utterly insane so casually!? There's no way you can pull that off!!" Tione screamed, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"But… if Lady Riveria and Lefiya cast their ultimate magic at the exact same time, maybe we could…" Raul muttered.
"It wouldn't be enough…" Riveria replied grimly.
"I agree…" Lefiya added quietly.
Hearing 'an attack to vaporize the Spirit,' Raul had naturally assumed they would rely on the combined artillery of their two strongest mages. But neither Riveria nor Lefiya believed their magic was capable of utterly erasing a monster of that magnitude in a single strike.
"It's fine. I'll vaporize her with my strongest technique," Tsuna stated with absolute, unwavering confidence.
The air grew tense as they realized he wasn't bluffing.
"But this technique takes time to charge. While charging, I'll be completely immobile. I won't be able to dodge a single attack. I need you guys to protect me until it's ready. So, I'll leave the decision to you. Will we do this, or not? You have to decide quickly. Once she finishes regenerating, our window closes."
He wasn't forcing his strategy on them. Recognizing that it required absolute trust and synchronization, Tsuna gave them the choice.
"I'm in," Finn said instantly.
"Captain!? Are you serious!?" Tione yelled, having barely processed the insanity of the plan.
"You've all seen it with your own eyes. Since this expedition began, this man has repeatedly shattered our common sense and achieved the impossible time and time again."
Finn's words struck a chord. The Familia vividly remembered everything they had witnessed on the journey down to the 59th Floor. Tsuna's monstrous strength, his logic-defying actions, his unyielding courage.
"We came here to win. But aside from him, not a single one of us has managed to land a decisive blow. We couldn't even get close. We rolled around in the dirt, pathetic and useless, forcing him to launch a suicidal charge just to buy us time. He just proved with his own hands that his attacks can butcher that Spirit. That is more than enough reason for me to trust him."
The image of Tsuna's fireball gouging out the Spirit's torso flashed in their minds.
"Or… is simply buying him a little time too heavy a burden for the great Loki Familia?"
Finn dropped his voice, his tone dripping with blatant provocation. Instantly, the atmosphere shifted. The adventurers' eyes narrowed, a fierce, predatory glint igniting within them.
"I can do at least that much, damn it!!" Bete snarled, baring his fangs.
"I'd rather die than have the Captain think we've fallen so low we can't even play shield! Let's do this!" Tione cracked her knuckles.
"We've gotta give it everything we've got, too!!" Tiona cheered, gripping her massive blade.
Finn's provocation had hooked the hot-blooded fighters perfectly.
"You cheeky little Prum."
"He's always been like this."
Gareth and Riveria, having known Finn for years, easily saw through his masterful manipulation. But even knowing they were being played, they felt their own warrior spirits roaring back to life.
"I'll do my best, too," Ais whispered quietly. Her face remained expressionless, but her knuckles were white as she gripped Desperate with iron resolve.
"What a bunch of simpletons. But fine, I'm in too," Tsubaki smirked.
"I-I will do my very best!!" Lefiya yelled.
Following the executives, Tsubaki, Lefiya, and the supporters all cemented their resolve.
"Looks like they're ready," Finn smiled.
"Thanks. I owe you one."
Tsuna thanked the Prum for expertly lighting a fire under his Familia to make the strategy work.
"No, I should be thanking you. It's pathetic, but right now, you are our only hope of winning this. I'm sorry to drag you into our mess and force all the heavy lifting onto you. But please, shamelessly, I ask you to amaze us one more time."
"Finn…"
Finn was smiling, but Tsuna could see the knuckles of the hand gripping his spear turning white. The Prum was seething with frustration at his own powerlessness. Recognizing Finn's pride, Tsuna chose not to say anything to comfort him.
Then, the Spirit's body fully regenerated. Simultaneously, a massive horde of monsters began pouring out from the tunnels leading to the 60th Floor, surrounding her like a living moat.
"All hands!! This is the climax!! Bet everything you have on Sawada Tsunayoshi's back!! We settle everything right here, right now!!"
"UOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
As Finn hoisted his spear to the heavens, the battle cry of the Loki Familia violently shook the 59th Floor.
Amidst the roaring war cries, Tsuna dismissed his gauntlet, returning Natsu to his ring. He closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath to center himself. When he opened them, his gaze was locked dead onto his target. He pulled his right arm back behind him and extended his left arm forward, opening both palms.
"Operation X."
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