After Diablo's intense battle with Alex, he chuckled lightly.
"You were fun," he said. "But I'm getting a little bored now."
Suddenly, a sharp purple beam flew in from nowhere and hit Diablo directly, causing a violent explosion. Dust and smoke filled the air.
From a distance, Kazuki, with his Spiritual Mark activated(Triangle with one dot on the bottom right of its edge), watched closely.
"There's no way anyone could take that head-on and not be critically damaged…" he muttered.
But as the smoke cleared, Diablo calmly walked out, completely unharmed.
"You're absolutely right," he said with a grin. Kazuki's eyes widened in shock.
"I want to make a deal with you," Diablo said. "If you can land a hit on me with my eyes closed, I'll recognize you as an A-Rank solider."
Frustrated by his cockiness, Kazuki charged forward, hurling daggers. Diablo closed his eyes and effortlessly weaved through them.
"Is that all you've got?" he taunted.
Kazuki engaged in close combat, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks that was destroying the ground below them. Diablo calmly evaded every move, his expression unreadable. Watching nearby, Serena grew anxious.
"I hope Kazuki doesn't get hurt…"
Kazuki suddenly used his Spiritual Explosion Technique, unleashing a powerful purple beam at Diablo. But Diablo simply smiled.
"If you want to grow stronger," he said, "you need to push beyond your current self."
With a flick of his hand, he slapped the attack back at Kazuki. The beam exploded, ripping through trees and sending Kazuki flying.
Diablo sighed. "Guess I went a bit far."
He called out, "Kazuki, you alright?"
Before he could react, Kazuki appeared behind him, dagger poised to strike. Without turning, Diablo casually slapped him away, sending him crashing into the forest again.
"I hate surprise attacks," he muttered. "You'll have to do better than that."
Meanwhile, deep underwater, Alex was struggling in a river.
"I can't give up… not now…"
He clenched his fists." If I want to win a fight like this, I have to try harder!"
With a burst of energy, Alex launched himself out of the water into the air.
"I'm not losing!"
Back on land, Diablo turned toward Serena.
"Well? Got anything interesting to show me? Hurry it up."
Serena took a deep breath.
Stay calm…
Electric sparks surged around her legs as she activated her technique. Diablo raised an eyebrow.
"Impressive."
She burst forward at the speed of sound, striking with enhanced kicks and punches. Diablo blocked each one, studying her.
"With speed amplification like that, you might land a hit," he thought.
"You have an interesting style," Diablo said, "but don't forget—I told you none of you could beat me."
With a flick of his finger, he launched Serena backward. She tumbled through the air but landed gracefully.
Charging again, she prepared to strike, but suddenly noticed Alex descending from above and Kazuki dashing from a distance. The three launched a coordinated attack.
Diablo smirked.
"These kids are something else."
Two minutes later, all three lay on the ground, bruised and exhausted. Diablo stood over them.
"I have something important to tell you," he said, grinning.
"You're weak."
The trio looked confused and slightly offended.
Alex sat up. "Who are you calling weak?!"
"You're not too weak," Diablo replied, "but you need serious training."
He smiled. "That being said—you all pass."
They blinked in disbelief.
"Wait, what?" Alex asked.
"You heard me. Your training to become the strongest assassins starts tomorrow," Diablo said as he walked away. "Take it seriously."
Kazuki groaned. "This guy's more of a clown than a teacher…"
Alex jumped to his feet. "I can't wait to start training! I'm gonna become a Lord!"
Kazuki looked at him. "How can a numbskull like you become a Lord?"
"Shut it."
Serena sighed. "What am I going to do with these two…"
Later, Diablo entered the city's central tower and met with Kojin, the Lord of the City—an older man in his late forties.
Kojin looked up. "Report on the students?"
Diablo scratched his head. "They're a pain, but… they've got potential. Especially Alex and Kazuki."
"Let's hear it."
Diablo began.
"Alex uses a technique called Energy Fist to amplify his strength. His energy reserves are insane, and he can even push the technique to higher levels. He also uses a short-range Flash Step to confuse enemies and strike from different angles—almost like he's creating clones."
Kojin nodded. "What about Serena?"
"She manipulates electricity to enhance her physical abilities. Her attacks are faster, stronger. A really effective fighter."
"And Kazuki?"
Diablo scratched his head again.
"He's skilled… very skilled. But he fights to kill. High IQ, excellent in close combat, but he needs polishing."
Kojin sighed. "Good report. You're dismissed."
As Diablo stepped outside, he looked up at the sky.
I'm going to make sure those kids grow strong… so they never have to suffer.
That evening, Alex was at home playing video games when the doorbell rang. He paused the game.
"Who could that be?"
He opened the door to see Baraka and Kinto—his friends—carrying bags of food.
"Let's eat!" Kinto grinned.
Later, as Alex stuffed his face with bowls of rice, Baraka asked, "So how was your fight with Diablo?"
Alex froze, spoon still in his mouth. "Wait—how do you know him?"
Kinto chuckled. "Diablo's one of the top-ranked soliders in the city. He's famous across other countries too."
Baraka nodded. "Must've been rough."
Alex smiled. "He was really strong. I want to surpass him someday."
Kinto grinned. "He's still got that fire in him.", he said to himself.
Baraka suddenly exclaimed, "Wait—you beat the final boss in this game?!"
Alex smirked. "That boss was easy."
Kinto grabbed a controller. "Let me show you how it's done."
Alex grinned. "Bring it on."
They began playing together, laughter and energy filling the room.
End of Episode.