Seven figures emerged from the darkness.
Target and Traitor!
Seven figures stepped out of the shadows.
Four women and three men.
At their head stood a one-armed middle-aged man clad in ceremonial robes.
"Even if only for a few seconds, you managed to stop a tsunami."
The one-armed man stared at Luo Mio. "Is this the power of the world's greatest magical power?"
Luo Mio regarded him with equally grave eyes.
"Yeah. I didn't expect to encounter the One-armed Swordsman—Wallenstein—one of the Rebel Army's Twelve Apostles, here of all places."
"!"
Everyone on Luo Mio's side was instantly shocked.
"The Twelve Apostles..."
Having taken part in the League's decapitation operations many times, Touka naturally knew of the Twelve Apostles on the League's wanted list.
They were the Rebel Army's twelve officers, second only to the Rebel Army's Alliance Leader, the Tyrant!
Aside from the Tyrant, they held the highest authority in the Rebel Army. They truly stood above all but one, and below tens of thousands.
The One-armed Swordsman, Wallenstein, who stood before Luo Mio's group, had caused numerous major incidents around the world. He was famous even within the Rebel Army and had trained many exceptionally gifted disciples.
"Oh? You recognized me upon our first meeting?"
Wallenstein smiled fearlessly.
Luo Mio stared straight at Wallenstein and demanded, "This nationwide terrorist attack was the work of your Rebel Army, wasn't it?"
Wallenstein smiled. "That's right."
Luo Mio continued, "To launch attacks on such a massive scale across the country, there must be a nation backing you from behind, right?"
"And this tsunami was probably the work of those students behind you as well."
This time, it was Wallenstein's turn to be shocked.
"I never expected my appearance alone to let you deduce so much intelligence."
"Then, Mr. One-armed Swordsman, what exactly are you going to such lengths for?"
Faced with Luo Mio's question, Wallenstein gave a gentlemanly bow.
"At someone's request, we have come to ask White Night Toudo Miohua to come with us."
Luo Mio frowned.
"Me?"
"That's right."
"And if I refuse?" Luo Mio asked.
"Then we have no choice but to invite you to come with us by force."
Wallenstein stepped back, revealing the six people behind him.
When Ikki saw the figure emerge from the darkness, his expression immediately changed in shock.
"Brother Ouma!!"
Ikki and Shizuku stared at the man in astonishment.
Ikki looked at Ouma with an ugly expression.
"Brother, you... You actually joined the Rebel Army!"
"Someone who doesn't exist should stop making a spectacle of himself!"
Kurogane Ouma manifested his Device—a greatsword-shaped Device—and slashed at Ikki and Shizuku.
Whoosh—
A sharp ringing of steel resounded through the air as invisible wind blades howled toward them like a hurricane.
Clang—
"Hati!"
Pale moon-white claws flashed.
The giant wolf raised its claws and smashed the wind blades apart.
The beast-form Device, Moon Smasher's Fang.
"..." The two wolves stood beside Luo Mio, shielding everyone behind them.
Among their group, only he, Ikki, and Arisugawa still possessed combat power. Touka and the other two women had exhausted their magical power blocking the tsunami just now.
But...
At that moment, Wallenstein stepped forward.
"Alice, if you return now, I can forgive the past."
"?!"
Arisugawa looked at Wallenstein with hatred in her eyes.
"Return?"
Arisugawa growled hoarsely, "I will never forgive what you did to those children!"
"To offer their lives to our Rebel Army was their honor."
"So this is how you turned those children into inhuman monsters? You even desecrated Yuri and the others' corpses!"
Arisugawa glared at Wallenstein and roared her accusation.
"Their sacrifices held value. Their contributions will be engraved upon the monuments of history."
Wallenstein continued speaking without the slightest emotion.
"You want me to go back? In your dreams!"
Arisugawa rejected him without hesitation.
"Is that so? Then there is no helping it."
"Then die here, Arisugawa Nagi!"
While vigilantly watching the other side's movements, Luo Mio listened to the exchange between Arisugawa and Wallenstein.
"Those children? Modification? Corpses?"
Luo Mio's eyes flickered as he analyzed the key words in their conversation.
The moment Wallenstein finished speaking—
The first to charge at Luo Mio's group of three were Ouma and a petite girl wearing a scarf and hat.
"Honestly, Ouma and Yui are so rough."
At the rear stood a boy in a male school uniform. He was as delicate and petite in appearance and build as a girl, with an innocent, childlike smile on his face.
"So, who's our target?"
A languid-looking foreign girl stood bare-chested, wearing a very simple paint-stained apron and jeans. She had a tall figure and a full bust.
"Hehehe, in that case, I'll just watch them from here."
Dressed like a clown and wearing a clown mask, the figure spoke in a tone as clownish as the outfit.
Ikki raised Yin Iron, intercepting Tadara Yui as she rushed forward.
He launched a probing slash at the girl.
Yet the instant his blade touched her, it bounced away.
"What?!"
Tadara Yui grinned viciously at Ikki, raised her chainsaw-shaped Device, and swung it at him.
Seeing that his probing strike had been blocked, Ikki used Shunpo to pull away from Tadara Yui's attack range.
Ikki raised Yin Iron at Tadara Yui once more.
That strike had allowed him to understand the true nature of his opponent's ability.
"Reflection"!
The sound of blades rang out as Luo Mio dodged Ouma's wind blade-like Blade Dance Technique, Vacuum Blade.
Having observed his opponent's movements all along, Luo Mio thought while evading.
He looked at the four people behind them preparing to act, then glanced at Touka and the other two women on his side.
Something flashed in his eyes.
"Stop!"
Luo Mio's voice rang out.
Luo Mio stopped dodging and looked at Wallenstein.
"I'll go with you."
"But on the condition that you let them go."
Ikki and Arisugawa stared at him in shock.
Wallenstein stepped forward and said, "Fine, but he must come with me too."
Wallenstein pointed at Arisugawa.
Luo Mio repeated, "I said, let them go!"
Wallenstein looked at Luo Mio, who refused to yield in the slightest, and weighed his options.
With a sigh, he said to Arisugawa, "Alice, consider yourself lucky. You've gotten your life back."
"Miohua!"
Ikki and Arisugawa looked at Luo Mio in disbelief.
Even Touka, Stella, and Shizuku, who had barely managed to stand behind them, stared at him with faces full of shock.
"Come back, Skoll, Hati."
The two wolves turned into white light and returned to Luo Mio's body.
Luo Mio walked toward Wallenstein and stopped before him.
"Let's go."
Wallenstein called the six people back.
"The mission is complete. Let's go."
Ouma glanced at Stella, who was barely standing behind Ikki, then looked coldly at Ikki and Shizuku before turning away.
Watching Wallenstein and the group of six depart—
Ikki's group quickly fled the area as though escaping.
What Wallenstein and the other six did not notice as they left was the red-and-white feather flickering in their eyes!
Power Beginning to Show?!
Not long after Luo Mio chose to leave with Wallenstein and the other six—
"Can you tell me now who hired you?" Luo Mio asked as he followed behind Wallenstein.
Before you continue