Just before the creature's attack landed, Tuziku was snatched up by a mysterious man with long blonde hair and a black eyepatch.
"I made it just in time! Hahaha!" the stranger laughed.
But this kid… he's injured—not from this creature, but from something else...
And it looks like he's lost a lot of blood.
"Hang in there, kiddo! I'll get you somewhere safe," he said with a grin.
"Who… are you?" Tuziku mumbled weakly.
"Me?! I'm—"
Shrrrrk!
The creature lashed out with its tentacles at Tuziku, still cradled in the stranger's arms.
The stranger quickly took Tuziku and leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the attack.
This creature... it's targeting the boy specifically!
"I've had enough of you already!"
"Fate—Strike!"
SKRRRASH—BOOOOM!!!
A sudden bolt of lightning tore through the air, incinerating the creature instantly.
Crackle...
Tuziku watched helplessly as the brief display of incredible power unfolded before him.
Although he was confused, he felt an unexpected warmth—a sense of comfort and safety in the stranger's arms.
"Did—did you just… summon lightning—?" he whispered before collapsing into unconsciousness.
Exhausted and battered from his escape, Tuziku's body finally gave out.
"Oh—he passed out!" the man muttered.
Meanwhile, at the shoreline near the forest, Mayku reported back on his mission.
"Hello? Old Man Chief?"
"This is Mayku! Reporting in!"
"Sir, the mission was—"
"Mayku!!!"
"...I gave you one order, and yet…!"
"I'm gravely disappointed in you!" the Chief vented.
"Huh? What are you talking about, old man?!" Mayku demanded.
...
"Old man?!"
"Mayku, this is Agira. I'll be giving you your orders now."
"The Chief has requested that you gather your soldiers and return to headquarters immediately," Agira stated calmly.
"What's going on here, Agira?!" Mayku snapped.
"You can't possibly be this stupid, Mayku… The mission was a failure. The acid user is not dead."
Agira ended the call.
"That can't be right…! How is he still alive? Could he have really survived that fall in his condition?!"
Regardless, Mayku's pride burned hot.
"How dare you humiliate my honor as one of the Seven Generals of FADA's elite force!" he shouted.
He clenched his fist.
"Next time we meet, I won't hold back!"
Back in the forest, the mysterious man carried Tuziku on his back, moving swiftly through the trees.
"Don't worry, kid. You're in good hands," he said quietly.
But how did he end up in that state? He's pale from all the blood loss.
And that creature just now was only after him!
In any case, I better get him back to the crew before it's too late...
CHAPTER END