Hasumi Ren looked up. Crooked, ruined walls stood before him, completely overgrown with vines and weeds.
Ren did not step forward. His feet came to a steady halt just outside the ruins.
His gaze slowly swept over every corner of the surroundings, his eyes sharp enough to pierce through the darkness.
Scattered Kido fragments in the vicinity, glowing with a faint light, drifted toward him from all directions.
After he absorbed the Kido fragments, the information contained within them flooded his mind.
A hidden Kido barrier lay in wait around them, packing multiple Bakudo and Hado spells. Once triggered, the entire perimeter of the ruins would be engulfed in Kido.
*So that's how it is. An ambush. No wonder they were so confident.*
*This isn't something just one or two people could set up.*
A knowing smile tugged at the corners of Ren's mouth.
Everything was clear now. This wasn't some simple brawl; it was a meticulously arranged death trap.
Strangely enough, the few people in front of him seemed completely oblivious, continuing to walk right into the barrier. This left Ren feeling rather perplexed.
*These Kido spells might pose a threat to me, but they aren't lethal.*
*But you guys... if you go in there, you really won't be coming back out.*
*What is the meaning of this? Using themselves as bait, trading their lives just to get my clothes a little dirty?*
*That's way too high of a price to pay.*
Meanwhile, in the shadows of the nearby woods, Nagano Masayasu was half-crouching behind a tree trunk.
His hands were tightly clenched, his sinister gaze locked onto the approaching figures in the distance. The aura around him was cold and oppressive.
Beside Nagano, five Kido masters clad in black lay in quiet ambush, the Kido barrier in their hands primed and ready to be unleashed.
He shot a glance at the assassins next to him and issued an order in a hushed whisper that only they could hear.
"Get ready. The moment they step into the core of the ruins, activate the barrier immediately. Don't give them a single chance."
The assassins gave slight nods, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.
However, just as they held their breath and focused their minds, preparing to trigger the barrier...
Ren stopped in his tracks, mere meters away from stepping into the trap.
Seeing Ren stop behind them, Ayakawa Hiko and the others frowned slightly.
"It's right up ahead. Why did you stop? Are you scared?"
Ren withdrew his gaze and let it fall upon Ayakawa and the rest. His tone was flat, but every single word reached their ears with absolute clarity.
"Scared?"
"You're the ones about to lose your lives. What do I have to be scared of?"
"Huh? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Ayakawa and the others furrowed their brows, subconsciously taking a step back as they sharply retorted.
"Stop dawdling. If you're scared, just say so. Don't make excuses."
"Yeah, you're obviously terrified! You're just making excuses to stall for time!"
The rest of the group quickly chimed in with their agreement.
Only the person standing at the back of the group remained silent, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.
Ren's words caused an ominous premonition to rise in his heart.
*How did he know?*
*The setup here should only be known to Nagano and the few people hiding in the dark. Who leaked the secret?!*
He subconsciously looked toward the distant woods, his eyes filled with shock and anger.
Watching their blustering facade, Ren didn't bother wasting any more words.
He slowly raised his right hand.
Crimson spiritual pressure rapidly gathered at his fingertips. As the spiritual pressure grew denser, the surrounding air began to scorch.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"
"Hado #31・Shakkaho."
*Oh no!*
The person in the back was shaken to his core. He tried to use a Bakudo to block it, but it was already too late.
A blazing crimson Kido shot forth from Ren's palm, carrying a fierce gale as it hurtled straight toward the center of the ruins.
That was the exact core node of the barrier meticulously set up by Nagano and the assassins.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted instantly, sending flames soaring into the sky.
Immediately after, several Kido spells—previously sealed within the barrier by the assassins Tsunayashiro Tokinada had arranged—spewed forth from every corner of the ruins, bombarding the core area.
The area was instantly enveloped in fire and smoke. The ruined walls collapsed with a deafening crash, sending shattered stone flying and making everyone's eardrums ache from the sheer noise.
The flames illuminated the pitch-black mountain forest. A scorching shockwave swept in all directions, instantly blowing away the surrounding weeds and gravel.
Ayakawa and the others were completely dumbfounded, trembling uncontrollably from the commotion behind them.
Watching the Kido spells howling around them and feeling the sheer power that could crush them in an instant, their minds went entirely blank.
Their legs gave out, and they slumped directly onto the ground. Their mouths hung wide open, but they couldn't make a single sound.
*This... this isn't what Nagano Masayasu said would happen!*
*Didn't he say they were just getting some experts to back them up and teach Hasumi Ren a lesson?*
*What is with this terrifying trap?*
*If they had gone in, with this kind of destructive power, they wouldn't have even had time to resist. They would have been blasted into absolute pieces, just like these ruins.*
"No, impossible, how could this be..."
Ayakawa muttered to himself, all the color draining from his face. His body twitched incessantly, his eyes brimming with sheer terror.
No matter how foolish they were, they finally realized the truth.
Things were not at all what Tokinada had promised them.
In the shadows of the woods, Nagano Masayasu watched the scene unfold, his face darkening furiously.
His eyes were filled with furious rage and bitter resentment as he cursed under his breath.
"Trash, a bunch of useless trash!"
"You couldn't even lure him into the barrier, and you exposed the trap!"
His original plan was to wait for Ren to step into the core of the ruins before triggering the mechanisms and the barrier, severely injuring the group with Kido.
After that, he would have the assassins strike, killing Ayakawa and the others, cleaning up the scene, and pinning all the blame on Ren.
But he never expected that Ren had already sensed the trap and proactively triggered the mechanism.
Not only did it fail to harm Ren in the slightest, but it also allowed Ayakawa and the rest to discover their setup.
At this point, there was no room for salvage.
A ruthless glint flashed in Nagano's eyes. Gritting his teeth, he barked a harsh order to the assassins beside him.
"Forget about the plan, attack! Kill those useless fools immediately! We absolutely cannot let them leave here alive and expose our Lord's plan!"
"Yes, sir!"
The assassins replied in unison, instantly dashing out from the shadows. Their movements were as swift as phantoms, their bodies radiating a freezing, murderous intent.
Their target was clear: they headed straight for Ayakawa and the others, who were slumped on the ground without the slightest ability to resist.
"No, don't!"
Ayakawa finally snapped back to reality, letting out a shrill, miserable scream.
*Why? Why are you trying to kill me?! I'm just the f*cking guide!*
He tried to struggle and run away, but his body was completely limp. Unable to stand up, he could only watch helplessly as a cold blade of light slashed down toward him.
The gleam of the blade reflected in his despairing eyes. Death was mere inches away.
Right at that moment, a fierce slash suddenly tore through the smoke and dust. Carrying a biting gale, it accurately blocked the path of the incoming blade.
Sparks flew, illuminating Ayakawa's terrified and despairing gaze.
In the next second, Ren, wielding his Zanpakuto, struck the shoulder of the assassin at the very front.
A silver flash streaked by, and blood sprayed out.
The assassin let out a cry of agony, stumbling backward a few steps. The wound on his shoulder was so deep that bone was visible.
Everyone looked toward the sound, only to see that Ren had drawn the Zanpakuto from his waist at some unknown point. The blade gleamed with a cold, clear light.
He exuded a formidable spiritual pressure. His expression was icy, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade as he stared down the charging assassins.
The oppressive aura Ren released in that moment was even more chilling than that of the assassins.
Ayakawa was stunned, staring blankly at the back of the figure standing in front of him.
At this moment, extremely complicated emotions flooded his mind.
He never could have imagined that, at the very last second, it would be Hasumi Ren who stepped in to save him.
He felt something slip from the corner of his eye.
Ayakawa raised a hand to wipe it away, only to realize that it was a tear.
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