Steady. Quiet.
So quiet that it felt faintly eerie.
Just as Rokuya came within a hundred meters of the crater.
Something suddenly changed.
An extremely well-concealed aura, sinister to the utmost.
Appeared at the edge of the crater without warning.
It was as though that aura had seeped straight out of nothingness.
There was no trace of movement.
It had completely evaded Rokuya's earlier long-range perception.
Only now did it fully reveal itself.
"Found you." A terrifying light flared in Rokuya's eyes.
His guess had been right.
The enemy really had feigned retreat, concealing himself nearby through an exceptionally sophisticated method.
Waiting for him to leave before attacking Shinobu as she gave the wounded emergency treatment.
"Extreme Blade Flash!"
Without any hesitation, Rokuya activated his dash skill.
His leg muscles suddenly swelled.
Golden lightning and silvery-blue magic power instantly intertwined.
In the midst of his high-speed charge, his ankle twisted at an uncanny angle.
His body traced an arc through the air that defied the laws of physics.
His speed doubled in an instant.
"Don't touch her!"
Rokuya's roar exploded over the ruins of the Entertainment District like thunder from the highest heavens.
The Shura Blade in his hand carried a trail of spectral blue light that could burn everything as he slashed viciously at the gaunt figure that had just appeared at the crater's edge.
The battle erupted in an instant.
Rokuya moved at blinding speed, the edge of his Shura Blade slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
He saw the figure slowly turn his head, revealing a hideous face covered in black blotches.
Those eyes held no feeling, only pure malice and mockery.
Gyutaro.
This was the Upper Rank Six who had been hiding in the shadows.
He held two strangely shaped, blood-red sickles.
Faced with