"…So this is the Governor's mansion?"
Under Ran's guidance, Uchiha Hikari found herself standing before a cluster of buildings in the heart of the small city.
The guards at the entrance seemed to recognize Ran, but they still crossed their spears and barked at them to stop.
"The Governor is entertaining an important guest right now and isn't seeing anyone else… Mr. Ran, please leave. The matter of your school being attacked by bandits will be investigated as soon as possible."
"I…"
Ran started to say something.
But Uchiha Hikari had already tilted her head slightly, her dark Sharingan eyes spinning with black tomoe. The guards froze in place, their bodies locked as if bound by invisible chains, sweat pouring down their foreheads.
"…Framing your comrades and murdering for profit? That's a death sentence."
"Bullying the weak and disregarding human decency? Also a death sentence."
Hikari had only intended to use her "Engraved Tsukuyomi" and "Yasaka Magatama" to peek into the guards' memories and confirm Sheila's presence. But almost instantly, she uncovered a slew of vile crimes unrelated to Sheila—sins these guards shared among themselves. With a flick of her blade, she dispatched them one by one.
"Let's go."
Tossing out the words casually, Hikari stepped forward.
Ran, stunned, stared at the headless guards lying in pools of blood. He hurried to catch up. "How could you just kill them like—"
"Innocent?" Hikari let out a cold, silent laugh. "You're way too naive, Teacher Ran. Open your eyes and see what we're about to face."
The mansion was pretty massive.
As Hikari moved deeper inside, armored soldiers occasionally leaped out from the shadows. But the moment their eyes met hers, they froze in place. Ran, trailing behind, watched with a mix of awe and disbelief, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to ask something but didn't dare.
"By the way… is there some kind of banquet going on here?"
The mansion was decked out with colorful lanterns, and through the open doors, Hikari could faintly hear lively chatter coming from deeper within.
As Hikari and Ran pressed forward, a hoarse, grating voice suddenly rang out nearby:
"Well, well, where'd this cute little lady come from? Lost in the mansion, are we?"
Hikari turned toward the voice. A fat man wearing a clown mask stood in a nearby corridor, eyeing her. When their gazes met, he waved with a goofy grin.
At first glance, he didn't seem like some great villain—more like a comical side character.
But…
"Champ?"
Hikari tilted her head, calling out the clown's name.
The man froze for a moment before laughing again, though this time his smile felt hollow. "Oh? You know my name? With a face and body like that… you're like an adorable little angel. I can't wait to kill you with my own hands…"
"Kill her?"
Ran blinked, clearly thrown off. He hadn't expected the clown to follow up a compliment like "adorable angel" with that.
Hikari just smirked and glanced back at Ran. "See? The murderer you're looking for is right there."
"?!"
Ran's eyes widened. "You mean this clown is…"
"Exactly. Champ, one of Minister Ornest's son Sheila's lackeys. Looks like a clown, but he's a serial killer who loves targeting kids. Gotta hand it to that black dog of a boss for scrounging up trash like this from all corners of the world."
"…Who are you?"
Champ's grin vanished, replaced by a menacing scowl. "You're no ordinary kid… You know about us. Are you an assassin sent by the Revolutionary Army?"
As he spoke, Champ yanked open his coat, revealing a string of transparent orbs about the size of Dragon Balls.
Every member of the "Wild Hunt" was practically a Teigu user.
And Champ wielded the "Chaos Pitch," a set of six spherical Teigu: the Storm Orb, Explosion Orb, Flame Orb, Frost Orb, Lightning Orb, and Corrosion Orb. Each one packed an extraordinary punch.
Without warning, Champ hurled two orbs!
The air screamed as blazing fire and crackling lightning burst from the orbs, transforming them into a fireball and a lightning sphere that rocketed toward Hikari and Ran!
Ran instinctively dodged.
The blond teacher might be an educator, but he was no slouch in a fight—otherwise, he wouldn't be a Teigu user.
Hikari, however, just calmly watched the orbs hurtling toward her. With a soft exhale, she murmured, "Word Spirit: Dustless Land!"
In an instant, an invisible force field flared up, halting the orbs mid-air!
Then, with a single hand sign, Hikari called out, "Fire Style: Majestic Flame Extinguisher!"
A tidal wave of fire roared from her mouth, surging toward Champ like a tsunami!
Both attacks were fire-based, but the flames Hikari unleashed dwarfed the Flame Orb's power by dozens of times!
"?!"
Caught off guard, Champ frantically threw out his Frost Orb and Explosion Orb before turning to flee. But the frost barrier shattered in an instant, melted away by the overwhelming heat. The flames chased Champ down, engulfing him and the surrounding grass in a blazing inferno. The clown, now a screaming fireball, stumbled and rolled toward the mansion's inner halls.
"Intruder! We've got an assassin!"
"Someone, help!"
Hikari didn't bother stopping him. She followed at a leisurely pace until Champ neared the final hall. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled a long blade, piercing him from behind and pinning him to the ground, his body still burning.
Ran, ignoring the heat, rushed forward and grabbed Champ's collar, shouting questions about his students' deaths.
The commotion had clearly caught the attention of the mansion's deeper residents.
Soon, two towering men appeared in the courtyard, flanked by a group of guards. They bellowed toward Hikari and Ran, "Who dares cause a ruckus out here? Disturbing Lord Sheila's meal—what's your crime?!"