For Valletta, being toyed with by Finn Deimne during the Great Feud three years ago was the greatest humiliation of her life.
So the moment that topic came up again, her temper exploded. The rage she'd been holding in finally burst free, impossible to contain.
"Your grudge runs deeper than I thought. No wonder you were the one who set up the ambush against Tiona and Tione."
"The people lying in wait at the Great Falls... I'm guessing you're not the only one, are you?"
Hearing the calm voice of the man whose face she still couldn't make out, Valletta sneered coldly.
"You think I'd tell you anything?"
"Fair point. An enemy wouldn't just hand over her plans. And even if you did, I wouldn't take your word for it."
"Then why the hell are you still talking to me?"
"You're right. No point wasting time."
Valletta drew a deep breath. She knew that tone—he was giving her the prelude to torture.
But then, to her surprise, he snapped his fingers.
Out of thin air, a strange worm appeared, writhing and slithering through the air toward her.
What the hell is that?
"This," Tsuna said casually, "is a 'Memory Worm.' It extracts memories directly from your brain. It can search for specific fragments based on my intent... or even rewrite what's inside."
"Oh—and just so you know, you won't remember this explanation afterward. Once your memories are altered, everything about this process will be erased. No point trying to resist."
"What kind of cursed thing is that!?"
Valletta's expression twisted in horror.
She had no idea—none—that the new Loki Familia recruit possessed such a bizarre power.
Wasn't the kid's ability supposed to be about Puppets? What the hell was this?
As the worm drifted closer to her head, she panicked and unleashed every ounce of magic power she could muster.
For a brief moment, the worm's movements slowed.
"Pointless," Tsuna said flatly.
"That creature only works on the mind. It has no physical strength of its own, but it does possess one special trait—extreme resistance to magic."
"Every adventurer who's ever faced it tries the same thing—pouring out magic in desperation, hoping to blow it away. So I made sure from the start it wouldn't be affected by that."
"Your full-power outburst might slow it a little, but that's it."
Damn it!
Valletta's heart sank as the worm crept forward again, only marginally slowed.
Her magic flared violently, but all she could do was delay the inevitable. Watching it inch closer to her forehead, feeling her consciousness slipping away bit by bit—it was pure despair.
When the worm finally made contact, Valletta's eyes rolled back. Her body went limp, and she collapsed, completely unconscious.
Tiona and Tione watched the entire scene unfold.
"So that's what spatial ability looks like? Even someone like Valletta couldn't resist it?"
Tiona swallowed nervously.
Valletta was level 5—one rank above both sisters. That single level meant a huge gap in power and magic reserves.
Three years ago, Valletta had already made a name for herself as a first-class adventurer. Even if Tiona and Tione had maxed out their level 4 Status, taking her down head-on would've been difficult.
Yet Tsuna had immobilized her effortlessly—simply by freezing the space around her with a summoned beast.
"Idiot."
Tione smacked her sister with a glare.
"You think spatial abilities are a joke? Have you ever heard of another adventurer in the Labyrinth City with powers like this?"
Tiona blinked, then laughed sheepishly. "Yeah... can't say I have."
Exactly. There was no one else like Tsuna.
"Figures," Tione said with a smirk. "Tsuna really is special."
"Obviously!" Tiona grinned, puffing her chest out proudly.
Tsuna, standing nearby, rubbed the back of his neck in mild embarrassment but didn't stop them. He simply focused on controlling the Memory Worm, guiding it deeper into Valletta's mind.
"Got it."
Both sisters straightened up immediately.
The Memory Worm began spinning fine, translucent threads—drawing strands of Valletta's extracted memories into shimmering silk.
It wove those threads into a cocoon, the glowing mass pulsing faintly with the fragments of her thoughts.
Tsuna reached out, took hold of it, and pressed it to his forehead.
Instantly, Valletta's perspective flooded into his mind—the entire layout and plan of the ambush displayed before him.
"I see..."
"So it really was just revenge. Against the Loki Familia—or more precisely, against Finn."
After investigating the Familia, Valletta had learned that Tiona and Tione were seeking Excellia by challenging Amphisbaena.
She'd decided to use that as bait—to capture the sisters and strike at both Loki and Finn in one move.
If the plan had succeeded, it would've dealt a massive blow to the Familia above ground—while also covering up the Dark Faction's previous failure against Astraea's girls.
And the reason she'd been so confident? Simple.
Valletta had already prepared to trigger a Juggernaut.
Tsuna sighed as he looked down at her unconscious body.
"Guess she really did come prepared."
"Tiona, Tione—come here. You should see this too."
"Got it!"
Both sisters hurried over.
Tsuna held out the Memory Worm, and two thin strands of silk floated from it, touching each of their foreheads. Valletta's memories began to play before their eyes.
Seeing the full scope of the ambush, both of them felt a chill run down their spines.
Tiona clutched her chest with relief. "Thank goodness we brought Tsuna along. If it'd just been me and Tione, we'd be done for."
Getting captured by the Dark Faction—used as leverage against their Familia—would've been a nightmare.
Tione nodded grimly. She knew that even if Finn himself had come along, things could've gone very wrong without Tsuna there.
"That's why you need to be more careful from now on," Tsuna warned. "The Dark Faction likes to target people traveling alone. As long as you watch your routes and don't separate, you'll be a lot safer."
"I swear, I'll never go solo again," Tiona said immediately. "Hey, Tsuna—why don't we just team up from now on?"
After everything that had happened, she wasn't about to take the Dungeon lightly anymore. If she was going back down there, she wanted people she could trust—and to her, Tsuna was the safest partner imaginable.
It only made sense to invite him.
Tsuna thought about the Dark Faction's tactics for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"Yes!" Tiona cheered, jumping up with both fists raised.
"So what now? We going to hit them back?"
"Of course," Tsuna said with a sharp grin. "They thought they could ambush us and get away with it? No chance."
"Tiona, Tione—get ready."
"Right!" "Right!"
The sisters' eyes lit up with fierce excitement.
Now it was their turn to strike back.
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You can read up to chapter 200 on patreon.com/NiaXD.