"Retreat, now!"
Brother Jin shouted, splitting his squad into multiple groups as they scattered toward the exits.
Outside the compound—
Renji Takahashi and Red Wind were stationed on a rooftop, observing the movements inside.
Just then, Brother Jin and several of his men burst through the door, fleeing in all directions.
Yellow Wolf controlled three puppets, each chasing a separate target.
Black Serpent rode his massive black serpent and quickly gave chase.
Kanji and White Bear also joined the pursuit.
But with the targets scattering so widely, the four of them couldn't stop everyone right away.
"Blood Moon, take those four!" Red Wind shouted, her eyes locking onto Brother Jin and the three men heading their way.
"Got it," Renji nodded, leaping off the rooftop alongside her.
Thud!
Brother Jin and his men came to a sudden halt.
"Damn, it's an ambush?!" one of them cursed.
"Don't panic," Jin growled. "One's a Stage Three – Intermediate, the other's Stage Two – Advanced. We can take them!" His calm demeanor came from assessing their cultivation levels.
"Kill them!"
"Attack!"
"Blazing Death!" one of the men shouted, forming two quick hand seals. A red flame burst from his palm, surging into a wave of fire.
But all his movements were being perfectly mirrored by Renji Takahashi's Sharingan.
"Blazing Death!" Renji called out, mimicking the same seals. His palm ignited with the same crimson fire, crashing head-on into the enemy's attack.
Both flames were equally matched and canceled each other out.
"What the hell?" the attacker muttered, stunned.
His fire ability was one of the signature techniques of Yellowstone City. There's no way a cultivator from Azure City should've known it.
Let alone copied it perfectly.
"Second Brother, stop staring! He's a Fire user. Let me handle him!"
Another of Jin's men stepped forward, his spiritual energy radiating water affinity.
"Sacred Water Wolves!"
A surge of water exploded from beneath, shaping into vicious howling wolves that lunged at Renji.
But before they could strike, Renji's hands mirrored his exactly.
"Sacred Water Wolves!"
Another pack of identical water wolves formed from Renji's palms and clashed with the originals—both sets vanishing on impact.
"What's going on?! He used my technique, too?!"
"He's copying us… Is that his ability?" one of them stammered in disbelief.
"What copying nonsense?! Let's see you try mimicking this!" Brother Jin shouted, stepping in.
He dashed toward Renji and then suddenly leaped into the air. His body enlarged, arms morphing into wings, and his face twisted into a monstrous beak.
He'd activated Beast Morph: Demonic Rooster.
Renji couldn't help but think, He turned into a giant chicken?
"Now you know where my name comes from!" Jin roared. "Let's see you copy this!"
"You're right. I can't copy that…"
It would take far too much time and energy to replicate beast morphing.
"Binding Waters!"
Before Jin's sharp beak could strike Renji, thick chains of water erupted from the ground and ensnared him midair.
Red Wind stood at the ready, her palms glowing with a blue aura. She wasn't just backup—she was a warrior.
While Jin was still bound, Renji drew the dagger from his back and lunged.
A silver flash—followed by a deep gash across Jin's chest. Blood sprayed into the air.
"Tempest Sweep!"
Red Wind continued, forming rapid hand signs. Three massive, dark-blue tornadoes—each nearly five meters tall—tore through the battlefield toward the remaining three enemies.
Despite being Stage Three warriors, the men had to react fast to dodge the violent windstorm.
Whoosh!
One of them narrowly dodged the winds—but suddenly Renji appeared right in front of him.
His mask reflected in the enemy's eyes—and behind it, the hypnotic red glow of the Sharingan.
Just one glance—and the man froze. His consciousness spun. His body went numb.
Genjutsu: Sharingan Illusion.
A heartbeat later, Renji delivered a clean killing blow.
He turned toward the third enemy—the same one who had used fire.
Seeing his comrade die so easily, the fire user trembled.
"Serpents of Flame!"
Flames twisted from his hands into slithering fire serpents.
Renji didn't copy this one. He didn't need to.
"Sacred Water Wolves!"
Water wolves howled again and collided with the flame serpents, dousing them instantly.
"Damn it!"
The man cursed. But before he could breathe—
Whoosh!
Renji raised his hand—his own flame surged forth.
"Serpents of Flame!"
It was a perfect mirror of the enemy's power.
Panicked, the fire user retaliated with the same technique to defend himself, realizing—too late—just how hopeless it was.
"This is insane! Who copies spiritual powers like this?! That's cheating!"
"Wind Blades—Four Direction Slash!"
While he was still distracted, Red Wind's wind blades swept in from behind, carving cleanly through the fire user's body. He fell without a sound.
Only one remained now—the water user.
Terrified after watching his squad wiped out so quickly, he turned and bolted.
"Didn't we agree one was weak and the other weaker? How did we end up like this?!"
He never got the answer. Because just as he turned, the massive black serpent opened its jaws—
Chomp! Gone.
Standing atop the snake's head were Black Serpent and Yellow Wolf. Kanji and White Bear soon joined them, having finished off the rest.
"Where's their leader?" Kanji asked. "Is he still alive?"
"Here," Red Wind said, dragging the heavily wounded jin over with water chains.
Renji's earlier stab had exposed bone, but thanks to Jin's beast morph, his enhanced physique had kept him alive.
Red Wind treated him slightly to keep him from dying en route.
"Mental interrogation is one of the core techniques used in the Executive Division," Kanji said. "You're about to get hands-on experience. Go see what you can extract from him."
"…Okay."
Renji stepped forward, Sharingan glowing beneath the mask.
Jin met his gaze—and the illusion took hold before he could react.
"Why are you targeting first-years?" Renji asked coldly. "Who ordered this?"