As Kazuki walked through the quiet forest, a sudden flashback hit him—an image of himself as a baby. A man stood before him, softly saying, "We'll see each other again someday." The memory faded just as quickly as it came.
Kazuki sighed to himself.
"The only clear memory I have from my childhood… is being in that orphanage, bullied by everyone. What a load of scumbags, i wonder if that orphanage is still the same tho."
He paused, looking up at the sky through the trees.
"Why do I feel some weird connection to Shinki? Is it just by chance? Or there's something."
He took a deep breath, his expression sharpening.
"Whatever it is, I'll get to the bottom of it. All I need to do is track any of the Dark sign members and getting all the information I need."
Suddenly, a pink laser beam shot through the air toward him. Kazuki's instincts kicked in, and he narrowly dodged it. The beam exploded in the distance, obliterating a massive portion of the forest.
Kazuki's eyes widened.
"What the hell was that…?"
From the smoke emerged a woman with sharp eyes and a confident smile.
"You dodged that? Impressive," she said. "My laser beam moves nearly at the speed of light. Not many can escape it."
Kazuki, unfazed, narrowed his eyes. "You talk like its a big deal. Who are you… and what do you want?"
The woman tilted her head. "My name isn't important right now."
Kazuki took a step forward, his tone calm. "Do you know anything about Shinki?"
She blinked, confused. "Shinki? What are you talking about?"
Without answering, Kazuki walked past her. "I have no business with you then."
Her expression twisted with irritation. She suddenly kicked Kazuki, sending him crashing through countless trees.
"You won't be able to stand once I'm done with you," she growled.
Smoke rose from the impact, but as it cleared, Kazuki's force field shimmered around him, completely intact.
"I'm not in the mood to waste time," he said coldly. "Do you want to die that badly?"
The woman smirked. "My name is Izuki. And I'm here to take your life."
Kazuki's eyes sharpened. "Who sent you?"
"That's none of your business," she snapped.
Kazuki remembered Diablo's warning: "Once the higher-ups sense a threat, they send assassins to eliminate it."
He clenched his fists. "It was them, wasn't it…? The higher-ups. Guess they oversee everything that happens around."
Izuki smiled. "You catch on quick. But that won't save you. You still need to die."
She formed a laser sword from her energy. "Any last words?"
Kazuki activated his purple lightning blade, the air crackling around him.
"You've chosen death. I've got something important to do… and I need you out of my way."
Meanwhile in the city…
Serena, Sukuna, Runo, Raquel, and Luck were gathered at a restaurant, chatting and enjoying their food.
Between bites, Sukuna asked, "So, Luck, where did you grow up?"
Luck paused, then replied, "I grew up in a faraway country. But… I spent most of my life as an assassin."
Serena leaned forward. "Wait, what do you mean by that? Almost everyone lives their lives as soliders or assassins"
Luck's tone darkened slightly. "I was kidnapped as a kid. Trafficked. Along with other children, we were trained as killers, forced to go on missions and commit war crimes. That was my life… until I ran into Veronica."
She gave a small smile. "She saw potential in me. Asked me to join her team. I was about 12 when we joined."
Raquel looked at her with sympathy. "That… must've been a rough childhood."
Luck chuckled lightly. "Yeah… funny thing is, I hate being an assassin. But being with the Black Fire team? It makes me feel safe. Especially when I'm with Kazui."
Runo grinned teasingly. "Ooh? Do you like him?"
Luck turned red. "W-What?! It's not like that!"
Sukuna giggled. "No need to be embarrassed. Honestly, I think we all have someone we're crushing on."
She smirked. "I think that Tobi kid is kinda interesting."
Runo blinked. "You realize he's 14 and you're 16, right?"
Sukuna shrugged. "Age is just numbers."
She turned to Serena. "So… how are things between you and Kazuki?"
Serena blushed softly. "I'm planning on telling him… next time I see him."
She stared out the window. "I wonder what he's doing right now…"
Back in the forest…
Kazuki and Izuki clashed violently—lightning and laser beams tore through the forest, obliterating everything in their path.
Kazuki zipped through the trees at top speed, while Izuki flew beside him, firing lasers that scorched the earth and incinerated trees.
Kazuki blocked the blasts with his sword and retaliated with a powerful lightning arrow that sent Izuki flying through the trees. This caused an explosion of purple lightning to wipe a large part of the forest.
She rose, annoyed. "Damn brat!"
With a burst of speed, she charged again. They clashed mid-air, beams and blades colliding in blinding flashes. The forest around them erupted with every strike.
Kazuki noticed her attacks were almost outpacing his lightning-speed movements.
"She's fast… way faster than a normal C-rank. But if I focus… I can keep up."
He began firing spiritual shurikens rapidly. Izuki dodged them effortlessly.
"That all you got?" she mocked, before blitzing him and landing a punch to his face. Kazuki flew through trees.
She grabbed his leg, slammed him into the ground, and unleashed a barrage of lasers. Each beam exploded violently.
As the smoke cleared, she stepped forward. "You're strong. I can see why the higher-ups are afraid of you. I'm a special C-rank. No one's lasted this long against me."
From the dust, Kazuki stood—completely unscathed.
"I don't care," he said flatly.
Izuki grinned wickedly. "Still so cocky."
She dashed toward him, her hand coated in energy.
"You're done!"
She punched him—only to hit his force field. Shock filled her eyes.
Kazuki looked down at her. "None of your attacks even touched me to begin with." Izuki jumped backwards.
He walked forward. "The whole time you were hitting me, you were hitting my force field."
He explained, "I can make it visible or invisible. And I can make it last for up to an hour. The only down side is that it takes a toll on my stamina. Fighting while my forcefield is activated is very tiring."
"That's impossible!" she shouted.
She rushed him, laser sword raised to strike.
But before she could land a blow, a massive bolt of purple lightning crashed down from the sky, engulfing her in an earth-shaking explosion, the blast of lightning was one that obliterated almost the entire forest. The blast left a massive crater in the forest.
As the smoke cleared, Izuki lay at the bottom—burned, her limbs damaged, barely conscious.
Kazuki landed above her, looking down.
"If you survive that… go back to the higher-ups. Tell them…"
His eyes glowed with power.
"Once I'm done—I'm coming for them."
END OF CHAPTER.