The brawny man raised his head.
At this point, Kroll's ability had sealed off nearly the entire area, leaving only a narrow opening overhead. Still, the man didn't believe Kaizen and the others could escape.
He acknowledged their strength—Kaizen, Tessia, Shizuku, and the rest. They'd proven themselves.
But in his eyes, that was the extent of it.
After all, the entire operation was a trap. That much was obvious now.
Everyone else was trying to break out. Naturally, Kaizen's group must've had the same goal.
No one in their right mind would walk into a setup like this willingly.
So why had Kaizen's team charged in instead of retreating like the others? He could think of two possible reasons.
One: they were worried that breaking through with brute force would draw attention to their strength.
Maybe they feared becoming a target.
Two: they might've been trying to save lives—others', or their own.
Taking both into account, he figured they made a tactical call: attack him and his people instead.
Ride the chaos, take out a few key enemies, then escape when the opening came.
He didn't bother analyzing the middle steps too closely. It didn't matter now.
Two things were clear:
First—Kaizen and the others had already shown most of their power. Even if they had something left up their sleeves, it wasn't much. If they could have escaped, they would've by now.
Second—Kaizen didn't understand the true goal of their mission. Because if he did, he'd have run the moment he realized.
Once Rosgel-sama was revived—complete or not—Kaizen's team wouldn't stand a chance.
The man almost pitied him.
"You actually had a chance to get out," he muttered. "I don't know why you let it slip away."
"Was it for your companions? Or maybe you got greedy, thinking you could snatch whatever we're planning?"
He laughed coldly.
"Either way, it'll be the worst decision of your life."
"Kroll-sama's plan is nearly complete. This area's sealed tight."
"You've got no way out."
"Maybe you're hiding something up your sleeve. Doesn't matter."
"Once Kroll-sama activates his technique, anything you've got won't mean a damn thing."
"I might as well clue you in, since you're about to die anyway."
"Kroll's plan is to revive Rosgel-sama."
"Oh? Never heard of him?"
He smirked.
"That's your problem. Rosgel is our nation's hero—the pride of the Mimbo Republic."
Kaizen's pupils shrank.
He had heard the name before.
Back in the Kingdom of Fiora, when he visited Lilith and Ralph in Keke City, the squad there had been ambushed—by enemies using Nen from Mimbo.
All for Rosgel's head.
"Wait... don't tell me the Mimbo Republic managed to gather all of Rosgel's remains?"
The man scoffed.
"Hardly."
"The Kingdom of Fiora caught wind of our plan long ago. They've guarded the sealed relics closely."
"So how could Mimbo succeed?"
The two countries were both members of the V5. In terms of strength, Mimbo didn't outweigh Fiora.
If Fiora had tried to do the same within Mimbo's borders, it would've failed.
And Kaizen knew that.
He frowned, deep in thought.
The man continued, "Your lives are going to be the sacrifice for Rosgel-sama's return."
"Once he's back—he'll be stronger than you can imagine."
"Whatever tricks you're hiding won't save you."
...
At that moment, formation finished tightening. The space was sealed off completely.
Everything was now inside the bounds of Kroll's ability.
The brawny man went silent.
"Kroll-sama's plan is complete," he muttered. "I don't need to waste any more words."
He'd said all this because he believed Kaizen couldn't escape. Even spilling the whole plan wouldn't matter now.
There was also another reason.
He was tired of fighting.
...
Darkness engulfed the area.
Only the white flames burning around Tessia offered a dim glow. Occasionally, the blasts from Sally's sniper rounds and the afro-headed youth's explosives lit up the shadows.
It wasn't much, but those with strong enough aura could just barely make out their surroundings.
And Kaizen—more than anyone—could still see clearly.
Kroll's forces began to retreat.
Their part was done.
...
"We're ready, Kroll-sama!"
Several subordinates called out, glancing mockingly toward Kaizen's team.
"Time to witness the end."
"No one survives Kroll-sama's next move."
"All of you—will die!"
Kaizen could feel it.
The air itself began to shift.
Something was changing in the space around them.
Kroll stepped into the center.
"Crack it—Earth!"
Suddenly, a tremendous pull surged from the sand around them. It was like gravity itself had flipped.
Kaizen acted immediately.
"Natsu—go!"
Boom!
A streak of fire shot into the air. Flames blazed from both of Natsu's palms as he ascended.
He crossed his arms and unleashed.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A torrent of flame burst outward, scorching everything in its path.
Kaizen raised his hand.
A shimmering door appeared behind him.
Tessia, Shizuku, Ponzu, Nina, Sally, and Siper all vanished into it—Kaizen had pulled them into the pocket dimension of Sumas.
He followed.
The only one left outside was Natsu.
...
Inside, Kaizen analyzed what he had just seen.
He finally understood Kroll's ability.
The sand was drawing moisture from the air—pulling it in with overwhelming force.
Enhanced by Nen, the effect was devastating.
Even the water inside a person's body could be drained away.
It wasn't just an environmental attack—it was a death sentence.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)