It was silent all around, with only the sirens of fire trucks and police cars downstairs echoing in waves.
Everyone on this floor was stunned, watching the scene before them in shock.
Toru raised his right hand high, the claw knife in his grip piercing through the enemy leader's jaw. He stood like a mythical hero slaying a monster, exuding a powerful aura of invincibility.
The leader's tongue, teeth, and jaw were torn apart, and his chest was covered in deep, bone-exposing slashes. His body was nearly shattered.
A scene like this would already be enough to make audiences feel nauseous and horrified in a movie, let alone witnessing it in real life.
But in this moment, whether it was the Yukinoshita sisters or the other innocent civilians present, none of them felt fear or disgust. Instead, a strong sense of safety surged in their hearts.
Haruno and Yukino's hearts were pounding. They couldn't control their racing thoughts, their eyes sparkling with admiration.
Looking at the tall figure standing before them, the source of their overwhelming sense of security, both sisters felt the urge to cry.
"Boss!"
Seeing their boss dead, the other gang members froze in place.
They knew their boss's strength best. He was the kind of man who could charge into a group of dozens of yakuza and walk away victorious.
In their lives, they had never met anyone stronger than him. On their home turf, their group was infamous in the underground world, known for their cruelty.
That's precisely why they had been hired by a yakuza organization in Japan to help seize territory.
They originally thought the job would be simple. Kill a defenseless girl, get paid hundreds of millions of yen, then leave Japan and live in luxury somewhere else.
The hardest part would be avoiding capture by the police.
But who would've thought that such an easy first mission would have a terrifying boss-level character waiting for them right at the start?
Several of them exchanged glances, clearly seeing the fear in each other's eyes.
Even so, they gritted their teeth and charged at Toru with fierce expressions. "Kill him! Avenge the boss!"
It wasn't out of loyalty. With their boss dead, a monster like this standing in front of them, and police surrounding the building, there was no way out.
Their only option was to kill this man, then finish the mission target and try to escape.
Earlier, Toru had killed one of them with a single punch. Now, their leader was also dead. Only seven remained.
The seven rushed from all directions, causing Yukino behind Toru to cry out in panic, "Toru-senpai, be careful!"
Toru stayed calm. He swept his gaze over them. These guys were fast—at least to ordinary people—but to him, their movements were full of flaws.
There were no real masters among them.
He quickly assessed the situation, tossed aside the claw knife and the boss's corpse, then shifted into a Uechi-ryu Karate stance.
Front kick!
Toru's foot lashed out like lightning. A loud crash followed as one of the oncoming attackers was launched into the wall and knocked out cold.
Immediately after, he turned and struck again.
Back spinning kick!
This heavy strike smashed directly into the face of another attacker. Their short stature made them easy targets. The one hit was instantly disfigured, his face a mangled mess.
The remaining five charged in with claw knives. Toru didn't retreat. Instead, he moved forward, dodging with precise head tilts and blocks, deflecting all five blades.
In that brief moment of deadlock, Toru struck with a hook kick. His toes slammed into one thug's liver, rupturing it instantly. The man passed out on the spot.
Another move—Jion.
He raised his leg high, knocking away the incoming blade, then punched out with both fists. Five rapid strikes followed, crushing the ribs of the target and leaving him paralyzed on the floor.
Kanku Dai.
His left hand blocked the enemy's wrist. His right hand punched. At the same time, his left leg lifted naturally. He gathered strength in his fist, then struck. The punch roared through the air with a thunderous crack.
Right after, he transitioned into Hangetsu and Chinte techniques, finishing off the last of them.
In just a few seconds, all the enemies who had been so arrogant and ruthless were lying on the ground.
Some had died on the spot. Others were seriously injured, wailing in pain, barely hanging on to life.
Unlike when Toru faced his university Karate Club members, where he had held back, here there was no need for restraint. These were terrorists. Every one of his strikes aimed to kill.
With his enhanced physique and strength beyond human limits, none of them could survive even one of his punches or kicks.
Those who were merely seriously injured were the ones Toru had intentionally left alive for the police to interrogate. Without any survivors, the police wouldn't be able to investigate further.
But these people were completely incapacitated. Even if they survived, they'd be bedridden for life and no longer a threat.
The floor fell into silence again. A few seconds later, someone suddenly cheered. The survivors burst into applause, shouting and cheering for Toru.
As cheers rang out, some looked at the bodies of friends and loved ones who had died and began to cry uncontrollably.
For a moment, laughter and sobbing filled the entire floor. The joy of surviving this catastrophe spread through the crowd.
"Fujiwara-kun, are you alright?!"
Haruno rushed forward, eyes brimming with tears, looking at the claw knife still stuck in Toru's left arm. He had taken that stab to protect her.
Her expression was tense. Toru had fought so desperately even with the knife still in his arm. She was afraid it might have caused lasting damage.
Yukino was frozen for a moment, then snapped out of it. She quickly ran over to join her sister, standing beside Toru, nervously glancing at him, not knowing what to say.
At this moment, she deeply blamed herself for her immaturity and her inability to offer comfort.
Compared to Haruno, Yukino was more fragile emotionally. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her pale face was streaked with soot and ash from the fire. Mixed with tears, she looked like a pitiful little calico cat.
"We should take Fujiwara-senpai to the hospital right away."
Yukino wanted to support his arm but didn't dare touch it, afraid she might hurt him.
Toru raised his left arm and glanced at the knife embedded in it. He said indifferently, "It's fine. Just a scratch."
Back in his CIA days, he'd been stabbed and shot more than once. Compared to internal injuries, this was barely anything to him.
Plus, since his cheat upgraded, his body had surpassed normal human limits. His regeneration was far stronger than before.
As he spoke, he grabbed the knife handle with his right hand.
Seeing this, Haruno panicked. "Fujiwara-kun, don't! You should let a doctor take care of it!"
But Toru had already pulled the knife out.
Yukino gasped. She instinctively covered her eyes, afraid to see the blood spurt out.
Then she hesitated, worried that being so timid would make Toru misunderstand. Forcing herself to look, she peeked through her fingers.
But what she saw wasn't what she expected. Toru's arm didn't spurt blood. In fact, barely any blood came out at all.
She just hadn't seen enough of the world. Generally, only arteries cause blood to spray, and that clearly wasn't the case here.
Toru's enhanced physique gave him remarkable abilities.
For example, he could control every muscle in his body. When he was stabbed, he'd tightened the surrounding muscles to prevent the attacker from pulling the knife out.
Now, he could even contract his muscles to stop the bleeding. Even without checking, his body was producing platelets rapidly, sealing the wound and beginning to heal.
"Fujiwara-kun, y-you still shouldn't move too much. We need to disinfect it and get it stitched up at the hospital..."
Haruno was completely startled by his actions. Though she knew some basic first aid, she didn't have the tools to help him right now.
But in the eyes of the Yukinoshita sisters, Toru's every move radiated overwhelming masculinity.
After the initial wave of excitement passed, the mood on the floor turned heavy.
Some knelt, crying and hugging the bodies of friends or family. Others screamed into their phones, begging for doctors to come and save the injured.
Some sat quietly in corners, taking selfies to let others know they were safe. Others quickly drafted posts for their social media.
Countless reactions, too many to list.
Conan looked at the bodies and the wounded scattered on the floor, a heavy expression on his face.
Detective? What use was a detective in a situation like this?
The reason detectives could track culprits and the reason culprits feared them was because the machinery of violence—the police—still existed.
Criminals didn't fear detectives. They feared the law, the trial, and the police who would enforce that judgment.
But against true killers who ignored the law and had no fear of violence, so-called evidence was laughable.
This guy... he's insanely strong.
Conan glanced at the collapsed thugs, then back at Toru.
No matter whether he was with the Black Organization or not, right now, he was a hero. He saved so many people.
But he still needed to be investigated. This guy was too mysterious. If he turned out to be part of the Black Organization, that would be terrifying.
Conan had considered the possibility that Toru was part of some official agency.
But if he were, why would he still be attending school? Government agents couldn't possibly have that much free time.
Someone this capable should be out doing missions.
That's why Conan still suspected he was from some secret organization in disguise.
...
"Move, move! The fire's out! Let's go!"
Inspector Megure led a group of officers, waiting anxiously below the scorched floor.
While waiting, he received updates from above saying that armed criminals had caused heavy casualties on the upper floors.
Megure was burning with anxiety but couldn't do anything until the fire was dealt with.
Finally, once the firefighters put out the flames, officers wrapped in fire blankets stormed upstairs.
When they reached the scene, Megure and the others were struck speechless by what they saw.
Even though they had already seen the video footage, seeing the scene with their own eyes sent chills down their spines.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)