“Yaya had to retreat? That’s unexpected.”

Said the youngest triplet, Sylphy.

“Really. I expected her to take down at least two of them. But she didn’t even get to face their representative.”

The middle child, Sophia added.

“Looks like we underestimated the Primus branch.”

Said the oldest, Sylvia.

They weren’t the only one impressed by Verde repelling Yaya, everyone was.

They all could tell that Yaya wasn’t weak from the way she defended herself, but it showed that Verde was stronger.

“Hahaha….haha….Hah~.”

Verde suddenly changed from energetic to slouchy, as if he was a balloon that was deflated.

“The drug ran out.”

Chika said.

“Verde, you did well. You can rest now.”

Verde didn’t reply and walked back to his sister’s side.

“What’s our next move?”

Chika asked.

“Hunt before we’re hunted.”

Miko said as he tightened the gloves on his hands.

He gripped Ishma and Regis who were on his waist.

“Hah!”

He pulled them with lightning speed and slashed them in front of him.

A hill that wasn’t too far away from him was cut into four and several shadows emerged from behind it.

“Enemy soldiers?”

Chika said after seeing what they were.

“I wonder which branch they belong to?”

She asked.

“Doesn’t matter. Kill them and take their emblems that’s all.”

Miko charged forward and clashed with the soldiers.

Chika sighed when she saw that.

“I told you not waste any energy!”

She said as she too charged to fight the soldiers.

Elsewhere, another confrontation was occurring between the Secundus branch and the Quintus Branch.

Rin stood in front of the Quintus representative Ashur.

It was already a face off between representatives.

“You’re alone? Where’s your teammates?”

Rin asked.

“I can ask you the same thing.”

Ashur answered with a grin.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Rin drew his silver sword and pointed it at Ashur.

“I’ll just beat you and hurry up and find Miko, so that we can fight.”

“Miko? That’s my prey.”

Ashur tapped his claw on his face before pointing at Rin.

“But don’t worry. You’re also my prey!”

He charged towards Rin like a wild beast.

“Is that so? Then I’m honored.”

Rin charged forward as well.

The two were soon in each other’s strike zone.

Rin swung his sword while Ashur swung his claws.

*Boom!*

Sparks flew as the two clashed.

Rin pulled back his sword and swung it again.

Ashur parried it with his long claws and took a step inward.

He thrust his claws to rip out Rin’s neck, which Rin avoided by moving his head to the side.

He jumped back and covered his silver sword in red aura.

“Demolition Arts: Broken Valley!”

The scenery around Ashur suddenly changed to a Valley filled with destroyed rocks and greenery.

“Huh?”

He suddenly saw cracks emerging on his body like he was made of glass.

And then-

*Boom!*

The scenery faded away and he was blown away with blood spraying out his body like geysers.

“Guh?!”

He looked at his broken body and discovered that he was covered in crack shaped wounds.

He fell on the ground twitching like he was experiencing a seizure.

“What the hell was that?”

Alshura shouted in shock.

“That was Rouge’s Demolition Arts.”

Alec answered.

“It’s the arts he created years ago, which gained him the nickname Walking Apocalypse. It’s destructive power is said to be among the top ten in the entire world.”

“Grandfather taught Rin his techniques from the moment he could walk, to groom him as a successor to the arts.”

Karim added.

He smiled.

“My little brother is in possession of an art that spread destruction everywhere. Do you realize just what that means for all the other branches?”

Karim started laughing.

His laughed irritated Al-Shura.

“Ashur! Don’t you dare lose for the fun of it! Fight seriously, that’s an order!”

“It hurts….it hurts, brother.”

With cracking sounds, Ashur slowly got to his feet.

“It hurts so bad….But it’s not enough.”

“?!”

Rin suddenly felt a disturbing aura engulf the area.

“I’m still breathing. It’s not nearly enough to make me enjoy the feeling of death!”

*Boom!*

A dark purple aura burst out from within Ashur.

“Chaotic Qi?”

Rin watched as the space around Ashur started to distort ever so slightly.

“Hey, you.”

Ashur spoke with a strangely calm tone, after his violent outburst.

“Don’t die before me okay?”

“Huh?”

*Boom!*

Ashur rushed towards Rin like a chaotic storm.

Rin gripped his sword and thrust it at his head.

However, his sword went right through Ashur.

“An After image?”

*Boom!*

Ashur slammed his palm on Rin’s chest and twisted it.

“Guh?!”

Rin felt his organs receive critical damage and had to swallow back the blood that was escaping through his mouth.

He pulled his sheath from his waist and used it to hit Ashur under the chin.

*Boom!*

An explosion hit Ashur defenseless chin, after it was hit by Rin’s sheath.

“That won’t work!”

“?!”

However, to Rin’s surprise Ashur burnt face emerged from the smoke immediately after.

Ashur hit Rin with a headbutt and forced him to step back.

He then slashed at his face, but Rin jumped back and dodged.

“What a tough bastard!”

Rin said while holding his sword and sheath in each hand.

“Then what about this?!”

Red light appeared under his feet as he started running.

With every step he took the rocks exploded like they were landmines.

“Demolition Arts: Exploding Steps!”

Rin’s speed skyrocketed as he popped up in front of Ashur.

“Haah~!”

With a roar he swung his sword and slashed Ashur across his torso.

He then hit him with his sheath from the opposite direction.

Rin then slashed him again, and then hit him again.

Moving at lightning speed, Rin hit and slashed Ashur countless times in a few seconds.

He spun his sword around and stabbed Ashur with the handle.

A deep red light immediately covered Ashur’s entire body.

“Demolition Arts: Total Destruction!”

*BOOOM!*

A huge explosion devoured Ashur as the entire arena shook.

Rin held his sheath and sword with his breath a bit heavy.

He watched as the smoke dissipated, and saw Ashur laying on the ground.

His entire body was burnt and black like coal, as smoke came off him.

“Crap. I lost my cool there. I hope I didn’t kill him.”

Said Rin.

“Not enough.”

“?!”

Rin was shocked senseless when he saw Ashur sit up after receiving his attack.

“It’s not enough to kill me.”

He said as he slowly got to his feet.

“Dafuq?! Is this guy immortal or something?! I’m pretty sure I hit all of his vitals!”

Rin was deeply shocked.

“Heh. Fool, Ashur is harder to kill then a monster cockroach. Maybe because it’s his dream to die in a glorified battle, fate decided to be cruel and grant him an extremely durably body.”

Al-Shura boast.

Rin watched as the crispy Ashur slowly walked towards him.

“I see.”

Gripped his sword.

“Then I have to just go at him like I’m trying to kill him!”

*Rumble!*

The moment he said that the field started trembling.

“What the?”

Miko who was clashing with soldiers, also felt it shaking.

A bright light flashed in the distance and head towards him.

The light turned everything it came in contact with to dust.

“The fuck is that?!”

He shouted.

He readied himself to face it, but then the scenery changed and he was teleported away from it.

He next found himself in a desert.

“The field randomly changed?”

He silently looked in the distance as he remembered that light. Whatever it was, it was powerful.

At this time, Krul stood by himself with a wry smile.

“I almost had him too.”

He smiled and walked away looking for his next target.

“Hah~! Hah~!”

Meanwhile Rin laid down on the sandy ground breathing heavily.

“That bastard, just what is he?”

He mumbled while remembering how Ashur would rise time and time again even after receiving some devastating attacks.

“Is everyone from the Quintus Branch like that, or just that freak?”

He said as he stood up.

He looked around and placed his sword back into its sheath and then the sheath on his waist.

“There’s no one around me at the moment, but I still can’t afford to be careless.”

After saying that his figure vanished as he completely concealed his movements.

At the same time in another location, the other members of the Secundus branch, Nen and KC were walking through the desert with careful steps.

“Man, this place is seriously hot. It’s like a real desert.”

Said Nen as he fanned himself.

“They sure went all out for a sudden request.”

KC also fanned himself as he spoke.

“Hm?”

That’s when a group walked from behind a boulder also fanning themselves.

They were Miko, Chika, and Verde.

“……..”

The two groups stared at each other for a while, and then-

“Wanna fight?”

Miko asked.

“Sure.”

They answered.