On the outskirts of the city, outside an abandoned factory.
The vehicle driven by Katsuto Jumonji was almost there.
Six people were crammed into the SUV, making its otherwise spacious interior feel a little crowded.
According to the plan, only Katsuto Jumonji, Mayumi Saegusa, Tatsuya Shiba, and Miyuki Shiba were supposed to come to the Blanche branch together. But just before they set out, Takeaki Kirihara approached Katsuto Jumonji and asked to join the operation to wipe out the Blanche branch.
Katsuto Jumonji agreed with the reason he gave, so he got a seat. The sixth person was Erika Chiba. She had insisted on avenging Sayaka Mibu and invoked her status as a daughter of the Chiba Family. With Mayumi Saegusa's approval, she had finally secured a spot as well.
Katsuto Jumonji had flatly refused everyone else who wanted to come along.
"Jumonji-kun, what's that?"
Mayumi Saegusa, sitting in the front passenger seat, suddenly cried out.
Katsuto Jumonji looked in the direction she was pointing. But because of the distance, he couldn't make out what it was either.
"It's a person. I'd guess they're headed for the Blanche branch too!"
Just as the two of them were wondering, Tatsuya Shiba suddenly spoke. Using his "eye," he could see that it was a person flying through the sky! But when he tried to get a clear look at the person's face, his "eye" was blocked!
How is that possible!
Tatsuya Shiba was shocked. This was the first time his "eye" had failed him. But he didn't let his feelings show on his face, so no one else noticed anything amiss.
"A person!?" Mayumi Saegusa exclaimed, but in the next moment, she had already guessed who it was.
"I hope we don't actually run into them."
Before reaching the abandoned factory, Yunyi spotted a car speeding along the ground. He considered causing the people inside some trouble, but ultimately decided against it.
After landing at the abandoned factory, Yunyi charged straight inside without a moment's hesitation. Waiting for him, of course, were Hajime Tsukasa, the leader of Blanche's Japan branch, and his loyal subordinates, all prepared for battle.
Hajime Tsukasa had expected the arrivals to be either the Japanese police, people from the Ten Master Clans, or those from First High School. But he had never imagined that the person charging into their encirclement would be alone-a weirdo in a robe and mask!
"Huh! Damn it, open fire! Open fire! Kill him!"
Yunyi's arrival infuriated Hajime Tsukasa. The net he had prepared had caught just one little shrimp. How was he, the branch chief, supposed to save face?
"Rat-tat-tat!"
"Rat-tat-tat!"
Amid the continuous gunfire, countless high-velocity bullets designed specifically for use against magicians hurtled toward Yunyi.
Yunyi, however, had no intention of dodging. Under Hajime Tsukasa's horrified gaze, he charged straight at him. The bullets aimed at Yunyi reversed direction as soon as they came within a dozen or so centimeters of him, flying straight back at the people who had fired them!
The same phenomenon had occurred once before, when Yunyi was attacked at the department store. It was caused by a layer of defense Yunyi had placed around himself.
It was the first magic he had reproduced after mastering Fool's World: Mirror Reflection!
This magic could deploy a completely transparent magical mirror around his body. It reflected any kinetic energy directed at him straight back along its original path, and the reflected energy was accelerated!
With this magic protecting him, attacks from all modern firearms were useless against Yunyi! Unless a bullet fired at him carried enough power to exceed the upper limit of the defensive magic, it couldn't hurt him in the slightest.
Of course, a sufficiently powerful missile could exceed Mirror Reflection's limit. But the people of Blanche could only carry out sabotage in secret in Japan; they couldn't get their hands on missiles! At most, they could toss a few grenades at Yunyi.
"Magic! Use magic!"
Seeing that guns were useless, Hajime Tsukasa immediately shouted for his subordinates to attack with magic. But the magicians who heard his order looked at him, sweat pouring down their faces. "Boss! We can't activate our magic! Did you turn on Jamming!?"
"Idiots! I haven't used Jamming yet!" Hajime Tsukasa roared. He directed the subordinates around him to stop Yunyi. "Get him! Stop him!"
Yunyi lightly clenched his hands inside his sleeves, and two long swords gleaming with a cold light appeared in them without warning.
Before the terrorists at the front could see what was happening, Yunyi had already swung both swords into them.
Blood sprayed and severed limbs flew. The scene before Hajime Tsukasa had become a living hell.
He shoved aside a subordinate standing behind him and fled in a panic toward the depths of the factory. More people were lying in wait there, and there was also an emergency exit he could use to escape!
Seeing him flee in such a sorry state, Yunyi immediately gave chase. But Hajime Tsukasa's subordinates threw themselves in his way, disregarding their own safety.
These people were different from the members of First High School's kendo club. They were desperadoes Hajime Tsukasa had recruited from various places, and after being brainwashed by his hypnosis magic for so long, they had long since placed his safety above their own lives.
Yunyi showed these pitiful people no mercy. His swords swung again and again, cutting down seven or eight of them in succession before he broke through their encirclement.
In truth, if all he wanted was to break through, he could have dealt with them in a single blow using magic. But that would have brought this rat hunt to an end a little too quickly. He was also afraid that Tatsuya Shiba and the others might spot him casting a spell when they arrived. If that happened, they might well see through his disguise by connecting it to the scene of him using magic in First High School's auditorium.
His concern was somewhat unnecessary, however, because Tatsuya Shiba and the others had only just arrived at the abandoned factory. At Tatsuya Shiba's suggestion, they split into three groups and began entering the factory separately.
Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba were responsible for the frontal assault. As soon as they entered the factory building, they smelled a pungent reek of blood! Even Tatsuya Shiba instinctively raised a hand to cover his nose, let alone Miyuki Shiba beside him.
Then, a continuous series of wails reached the siblings' ears. Both were somewhat startled. What on earth had happened here?