The masked man grabbed Saito by the collar violently—
Then hurled him straight through another tent.
CRASH!
Wood shattered apart as Saito slammed hard into an old jail cell inside.
The metal bars rattled loudly from the impact.
"…Tch—"
Saito coughed and pushed himself up slowly.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
The masked man walked toward him through the dust.
Slow.
Silent.
Then stopped a few steps away.
"…My people."
His voice was low beneath the mask.
"Where are they?"
Saito wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve.
"…They're safe."
The masked man stared at him.
"How can I be sure?"
Saito slowly stood fully.
"…If you don't believe me…"
He steadied his breathing.
"…Then help us defeat the Gold Gang."
A short pause.
"After that… I'll show you where they are."
The masked man stayed silent.
Outside—
Kaito clashed violently against Horun.
CLANG!
CLANG!
Sparks burst into the night each time blades collided.
Horun swung his massive sword downward repeatedly while Kaito slipped around the attacks with sharp, precise movements.
Meanwhile—
Inside the massive tent—
Goldy continued smashing his hammer wildly at Kuro.
BOOM!
Another swing shattered the ground apart.
Kuro barely dodged in time, sliding sideways beneath the strike.
Goldy roared loudly.
"STOP RUNNING!"
He swung again—
But this time Kuro leapt backward out of the tent entirely.
CRASH!
The tent wall exploded open as he flew outside.
Goldy stepped out after him immediately.
His eyes scanned the battlefield furiously.
"WHERE ARE MY SLAVES?!"
Back inside the slave tent—
Saito watched the masked man carefully.
"…Please."
"We can still save your people."
The masked man stayed still for several seconds.
Then slowly stepped aside.
"…I stay here."
Saito nodded once.
"…Good enough."
He turned and rushed back outside—
Just in time to hear Kaito shout from above.
"SAITO!"
Saito instinctively looked upward.
His eyes widened.
Goldy was falling straight toward him from the sky, massive hammer raised overhead.
"Hammer Missile!"
The air screamed around the descending weapon.
Too fast.
Too heavy.
Before Saito could react—
Kuro suddenly appeared in front of him.
CLANG!
His clawed glove blocked the hammer at the last possible second.
The impact exploded outward violently.
Kuro's claw shattered apart instantly.
CRACK!
The shockwave blasted through the camp.
Saito and Kuro were both thrown sideways across the ground.
BOOM!
They crashed through crates and debris as dust erupted everywhere.
Goldy landed heavily in the center of the camp.
"Tch."
He rolled his shoulder slightly.
"…I almost had that kid."
Saito pushed himself up from the dirt, breathing heavily as dust drifted through the ruined camp.
Nearby—
Kuro struggled to rise as well, one knee pressed against the cracked ground.
"…Damn kid," he muttered.
"Watch where you're going."
Even injured, he still sounded annoyed.
Then—
CLICK.
Goldy raised a massive handgun toward them.
The barrel gleamed beneath the firelight.
Nearby, Kaito's eyes widened slightly.
He immediately tried to move—
But Horun slammed him into the ground with his sword.
BOOM!
"Stay down, assassin."
Kaito gritted his teeth, pinned beneath the heavy blade.
Goldy slowly aimed the gun between Saito and Kuro.
A grin spread across his face.
"…So."
"Which one should I kill first?"
Saito stared at him silently.
Kuro slowly exhaled beside him.
Then—
Goldy pointed the gun directly at Saito.
"…How about you first, troublemaker."
BANG!
The gunshot exploded through the camp.
For a moment—
Everything felt silent.
The air itself seemed to stop moving.
Saito's eyes widened slightly.
He looked down instinctively.
No blood.
No wound.
"…Huh?"
Slowly—
He lifted his head.
And froze.
Kuro stood directly in front of him.
His body blocking the shot.
A dark stain slowly spread across his chest.
Saito's expression shattered.
"Kuro…?"
Kuro stayed standing for one brief second longer.
Then—
His body slowly collapsed forward onto the ground.
Saito froze.
His eyes stayed locked on Kuro's body lying motionless in front of him.
"…Kuro…"
Nearby—
Kaito's expression darkened instantly.
A violent burst of force exploded from him as he twisted beneath Horun's blade—
BAM!
His foot slammed directly into Horun's face.
Horun staggered backward.
Before he could recover—
Kaito lunged forward.
But Horun reacted quickly, swinging his massive sword sideways toward him.
Then—
A blur crossed between them.
SHHK!
Jori appeared beside Horun.
His blade sliced cleanly across Horun's throat.
The movement was so fast the battlefield seemed to pause for a moment.
Horun's eyes widened.
He grabbed his throat immediately.
Blood poured through his fingers.
"…Ghk—"
Jori landed lightly beside him.
Cold eyes staring forward.
"…You're dead."
Horun stumbled backward weakly.
Then collapsed heavily onto the dirt.
THUD.
At the center of the camp—
Goldy roared angrily and raised his hammer again.
"You little—!"
He charged straight toward Saito.
The ground cracked beneath each step.
Saito still hadn't moved.
Still staring at Kuro.
Goldy lifted the hammer high overhead—
Then suddenly—
BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted directly against Goldy's side.
The massive gangster was blasted sideways violently.
"TCH—!"
He crashed through a wooden cart before forcing himself back up.
Smoke drifted from his armor.
Goldy looked back furiously.
And froze.
The masked man stood several meters away.
One hand raised.
Smoke curling from his fingertips.
Goldy's eyes widened in disbelief.
"…You dare attack your own master?"
The masked man slowly lowered his hand.
His voice was calm.
Cold.
"…I'm no longer your slave."
Goldy's face twisted with rage.
"You traitorous—"
Before he could finish—
Saito suddenly appeared beside him.
Fast.
Auris erupted violently around Saito's body.
Not blue.
Yellow.
Wild energy surged across his skin like lightning.
Goldy's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Saito's voice shook with fury.
"…You bastard!"
SHHK!
His blade slashed across Goldy's body in a sharp arc.
Goldy laughed immediately.
"Heh."
"You can't cut gold with your sword—"
CRACK.
The sound echoed sharply.
Goldy's expression froze.
His golden armor split apart.
A deep crack spread across the chestplate before pieces shattered away completely.
Goldy staggered backward in disbelief.
"…What?!"
He immediately reached toward his fallen hammer—
But—
BOOM!
An explosion blasted the weapon away before he could grab it.
The masked man stood nearby, smoke rising from his fingertips again.
Saito moved instantly.
"…Blue Surge!"
A concentrated wave of blue Auris erupted around his blade as he lunged forward.
SHHK!
The sword pierced directly through Goldy's chest.
Goldy winced violently.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
He stumbled backward desperately, staring at the blood on his own hands.
"…No…"
His breathing became uneven.
"…No… no…"
Fear finally appeared on his face.
Then he turned—
And ran.
The masked man slowly raised his hand again.
His eyes stayed locked onto Goldy's fleeing figure.
"…This is for my village."
A massive flow of energy condensed instantly into his palm.
"Atomic."
BOOOOOOM!
A catastrophic explosion swallowed Goldy entirely.
The blast tore through the camp like thunder.
Fire and smoke erupted upward into the sky—
Forming a giant mushroom cloud above the forest.
The shockwave shook the trees violently.
Then—
Silence.
Smoke slowly drifted away.
And when it finally cleared—
Nothing remained of Goldy.
Only pieces of shattered golden armor scattered across the ground.
Saito stood there silently.
Smoke still drifted through the ruined camp.
His breathing had become uneven.
Heavy.
The yellow Auris around his body flickered weakly before disappearing completely.
"…Hah…"
He exhaled slowly and turned toward Kuro.
Kuro was still lying on the ground while Ling treated the gunshot wound quickly beside him.
Saito tried taking a step forward—
But his legs suddenly weakened.
His vision blurred slightly.
Too much Auris.
Too much fighting.
Before he could collapse—
A hand caught him.
Kaito.
"Easy."
Saito leaned against him weakly.
"…How's Kuro…?"
Kaito glanced toward Ling briefly.
"…Ling's treating him."
"You need to rest first."
Saito looked toward Kuro again.
Still conscious.
Still alive.
Relief barely crossed his exhausted face.
Then suddenly—
Shouting erupted nearby.
The remaining Gold Gang members charged toward them desperately.
Weapons raised.
"GET THEM!"
Saito tried lifting his head—
But before the gangsters could reach them—
TRRRMP!
A loud trumpet echoed through the forest.
Then—
Heavy footsteps.
Gein's army stormed into the camp from the trees.
"ADVANCE!"
The soldiers immediately clashed against the remaining gangsters.
Steel crashed loudly across the battlefield.
The Gold Gang quickly began getting overwhelmed from both sides.
Saito watched the chaos weakly through fading vision.
The sounds around him slowly became distant.
Blurry.
Dark.
Then everything finally went black.