Following Finn's orders, Tsuna systematically deployed illusions across the various battlefields. Already completely demoralized by the sheer power gap, the sudden, inexplicable appearances of Orario's First-Tier adventurers and terrifying, unknown Dungeon monsters shattered whatever resolve the Rakian soldiers had left. Exactly as Finn calculated, the enemy forces broke and retreated in droves.
"Phew…"
"Good work. I apologize for forcing such a tedious role onto you."
By the night of the first day of the invasion, Tsuna was visibly exhausted. The continuous deployment of massive illusions had consumed a significant amount of his flames. Seeing his fatigue, Finn offered him a warm word of appreciation.
"For now, please get some rest and prepare for tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"—You don't have time to rest."
"Buh!?"
Taking Finn up on his offer, Tsuna turned toward the tent assigned to him. The exact moment he did, a tiny foot kicked him squarely in the back of the head, sending him flying forward.
"You're training."
"""""—!?"""""
Suddenly, Reborn was standing on the tactical map table inside the command tent. Despite the camp being filled with the absolute elite of Orario, not a single person had sensed his approach. Finn and the other executives stared at the infant in utter shock.
T-This guy…!? The one from before!?
Loki immediately recognized him. It was the terrifying baby who had genuinely intended to forcibly deport Apollo during the War Game.
"Reborn!! Why are you here!?" Tsuna yelled, rubbing his head.
"Isn't it obvious? You can't return to the Manor for a while, so I came all the way out here to train you. Besides, this is a rare chance to observe the city's strongest factions, the Loki and Freya Familias, in action."
"I-It's talking…!?"
"What is this child…!?"
Seeing a baby speak with the swagger and vocabulary of a hardened mafia boss, Lefiya and Tione were completely dumbfounded.
"Reborn… don't tell me…!?" Tiona gasped.
"Do you know this kid, Ais?"
"I think… that's the name of Tsuna's master…" Ais murmured.
"Ehhh!? This baby!?" Tiona shrieked.
Ais recalled Tsuna briefly mentioning his master, Reborn, once before. Realizing this bizarre infant was the one who trained Tsuna, Tiona yelled in surprise. Learning that the tiny baby standing on the table was the master of the boy who had utterly defied logic, the rest of the Loki Familia members were rendered entirely speechless.
"So that's how it is. We're going to be training over there. If you need him for anything, come get us."
"What do you mean, 'that's how it is'!? Why do I have to train at a time like this!?" Tsuna protested.
"If there's a chance Celua might show up, it's better to be prepared. And even if the threat of Celua passes, you still have to conquer the Dungeon and eventually slay the One-Eyed Black Dragon. You don't have time to slack off."
"Slaying the Black Dragon… What do you mean by that?" Finn asked, stepping forward.
Finn knew Tsuna despised fighting; there was absolutely no way the boy would voluntarily seek out the Black Dragon. He wanted to know the true meaning behind Reborn's words.
"I meant exactly what I said. I'm going to make him slay the Black Dragon. My mission is to make him stronger. To fulfill that mission, I figured the Black Dragon would make the perfect sparring partner."
""""""What!?""""""
Hearing him casually refer to the apocalyptic monster capable of wiping out humanity as a "sparring partner," everyone in the tent completely lost their ability to speak.
"A sparring partner!? Do you even understand what you're saying!? The Black Dragon is—"
"The monster that even the Zeus and Hera Familias—the strongest factions in Orario's history—couldn't defeat. If it isn't killed, humanity is doomed. Right?"
"What!?"
Loki tried to explain the absolute terror of the Black Dragon, assuming the baby was just ignorant. But Reborn effortlessly cut her off, proving he fully understood the weight of his words. Loki was left completely speechless.
This brat… he doesn't have a single opening…!?
While Reborn maintained a casual, almost aloof demeanor, Bete instantly realized the infant had absolutely zero openings. His instincts screamed at him that the baby standing on the table was an existence on a completely different level than himself.
"If he manages to kill a monster like that, he'll become even stronger. Sounds entertaining to me."
Entertaining…!?
Is he completely out of his mind…!?
Just what in the world is this infant…!?
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth were veterans from the era of the Zeus and Hera Familias. They had been endlessly battered by them, tasting bitter defeat and humiliation alongside Ottar. They understood the terrifying strength of those two legendary Familias better than anyone. And yet, even those absolute heroes had been slaughtered by the Black Dragon, leading to the total collapse of their factions. Knowing all of that, Reborn still called it "entertaining." They could only stare in horror.
"You can train him to fight the Black Dragon all you want!! But the ones who will seize the throne of heroes are my children!!" Loki declared, glaring at Reborn, absolutely refusing to let Hestia's Familia steal the ultimate glory.
"Heroes? Are you an idiot?"
"Hah!?"
"There's no way this guy could ever be a hero. And frankly, I couldn't care less about a title like that."
"Y-You don't care!?"
"I already told you. My mission is to make him stronger. I don't want the title of 'Hero.' I only want the power he'll attain when he kills the Black Dragon. I don't need anything else. If you want to play hero, knock yourself out. I'm just here to complete my mission."
This guy… I can't read his true intentions at all…!?
For the first time in her immensely long life, Loki found herself completely unable to discern whether someone was lying or telling the truth. She couldn't hide her confusion.
And yet…
Even against Gods whose lies were supposed to be impenetrable, Loki possessed terrifyingly sharp intuition. And that intuition was screaming at her that Reborn wasn't lying. She was forced to accept the insane reality that Reborn genuinely intended to use the apocalyptic Black Dragon solely as a training tool for Tsuna.
"We've wasted enough time talking. Let's go, Tsuna."
"Hiiie!? O-Okay, I'm coming!!"
While everyone was still processing his words, Reborn casually drew his beloved handgun and aimed it directly at Tsuna's head. Properly motivated, Tsuna frantically scrambled after him as they left the tent to begin their training.
Leaving behind a trail of utterly insane declarations, Reborn's departure plunged the command tent into a heavy, suffocating silence.
"H-He certainly tells some interesting jokes… Hahaha…" Lefiya laughed awkwardly, desperately trying to break the overwhelming tension.
"…He wasn't lying."
"Eh…!?"
"For some reason, I couldn't see through him… but I still realized it… He didn't tell a single lie…"
The Gods descended to the lower world seeking the unknown. Unlike mortals, many of them secretly thrived on chaos. Loki was certainly one of them, but even she had to admit that Reborn's thought process was completely detached from reality.
Hearing Loki confirm that Reborn was dead serious about using the Black Dragon as a sparring partner, the Familia members were left completely dumbfounded.
"That isn't all. That man, Reborn… his strength is likely equal to Sawada Tsunayoshi's… or perhaps even greater…" Finn added grimly.
"N-No way…"
"A baby like that…"
Riveria and the other executives had realized the exact same thing Bete had. Despite appearing completely defenseless, Reborn had absolutely zero openings. If any of them had tried to attack him, they would have been instantly slaughtered.
While Aki and Raul knew the baby was dangerous, they couldn't fathom how an infant could be equal to, or stronger than, the monstrous Tsuna. But looking back to their expedition, they finally understood why Tsuna was so absolutely terrified of Reborn.
If Sawada Tsunayoshi is the disciple of that infant, then his absurd strength certainly makes sense… But if that's true, just who in the world is that baby?
While the mystery behind Tsuna's overwhelming power had been solved, it was immediately replaced by an even greater mystery. Finn found himself deeply intrigued by the existence of the infant who had forged such a monster.
─────
Meanwhile.
"…It's getting noisy."
"Indeed…"
Some distance away from the Loki Familia's encampment was the Freya Familia's base of operations.
A loud commotion echoed from the direction of their rivals, reaching the ears of Freya and Ottar.
"I shall go investigate."
"There's no need, Ottar. Let them be."
"No. I cannot allow any potential threat to reach you, Lady Freya."
With the entirety of the Freya Familia's elite combatants gathered in one place, Freya knew perfectly well that even if someone intended to harm her, they would be slaughtered instantly. However, Ottar's absolute loyalty refused to allow even the slightest possibility of danger. He bowed respectfully and headed toward the source of the noise.
"Honestly, he worries too much…" Freya smiled softly.
----
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