Suki advanced through the fallen bodies and the few soldiers still standing in his path.
His movement was so fast and precise that he seemed to merge with his own shadow; only a second later did the men realize, with delayed horror, that their heads had already been separated from their torsos, rolling silently across the damp ground saturated with toxic fumes.
At the sight of the imposing figure drawing near, the slaves huddled around fell into a panic.
Many stumbled backward, dragging heavy chains that grated against the corroded stone.
Some raised their bound arms to cover their faces, expecting a fatal blow, for they had only ever known the brutality of guards and could not tell friend from foe.
Suki did not slow his pace.
He raised his sword, its sharp blade glinting even in the dim, hazy light, and struck with a firm, clean motion.
But what fell to the ground was not flesh or bone, only the thick, rusted chains, snapped in two as if they were made of clay.
He lifted his voice, clear and steady, cutting through the noise of shouts and scraping metal.
"Head east. When you reach the abandoned forge, turn directly north."
"Do not stop for anything. You will only be safe once you find Kael and the others."
Before they could reply, Suki vanished in a gust of wind that stirred up dust and metallic residue.
In an instant, every other chain binding the slaves shattered all at once, as if an invisible force had struck every link simultaneously.
He was giving himself completely to the mission of setting them free.
Most of the slaves in this place were orcs, beings of sturdy build, thick skin, and far greater endurance than ordinary creatures.
Even while breathing air thick with corrosive substances and working beside pools of boiling acid, they did not perish quickly; they endured suffering for years, growing weaker, worn down, and stripped of all hope—until that moment.
As Suki continued breaking chains with swift, precise strikes, his firm voice cutting through the chaos to guide the fleeing slaves, a deep, muffled rumble echoed across the entire industrial complex.
Glancing upward briefly, he saw one of the forge's storage towers begin to tilt, releasing clouds of metallic dust and glowing embers.
The sound of aging timber and corroded iron tearing apart spread like an ominous warning before the structure gave way completely, collapsing in a cloud of debris that sent out a wave of hot, toxic wind.
The cause of the destruction was Arthur.
He had climbed the narrow, unstable stairs of the tower, ignoring the heat radiating from the walls and the strong stench of sulfur and chemical waste.
Without weapons, relying only on his own immense strength, he seized the main support beams holding the entire structure in place—thick pieces reinforced with heavy iron fittings—and, with an effort that made his muscles bulge beneath his skin, began to tear them free one by one.
The iron groaned, nails popping loose with sharp cracks, and little by little the tower lost its balance.
When its weight became too much to bear, the whole frame creaked, swayed, and finally crashed down, carrying with it stores of ore and barrels of hazardous materials that burst open upon hitting the ground.
Amid the chaos, Arthur also eliminated any soldier who tried to stop him, with a coldness and power the guards never expected.
He crushed their armor and bones with his bare hands as if they were eggshells; others he simply grabbed by the waist or neck and hurled off the platform, sending them plummeting dozens of meters down into pools of acid and jagged rocks, where survival was impossible.
Every movement he made was calculated to inflict maximum damage to the structures and enemy forces, clearing a path and creating a massive distraction that helped the slaves escape.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the area, Laura stood her ground, vigilant and steady near the main exit leading out of the Forja Sul's most dangerous zone.
Her task was to organize the frightened crowd, making sure the slaves moved forward in order without tripping over one another or turning back in fear.
With agile movements and eyes scanning in every direction, she guarded the route; any soldier who tried to surround the group or attack from behind met an immediate response.
She repelled, wounded, or struck them down with precision, maintaining a secure perimeter while shouting clear instructions so no one would get lost or wander into even more contaminated areas.
While Suki freed the captives and Arthur tore the place apart, Laura ensured that the freedom they had fought for could actually be reached, turning chaos into an orderly escape.
Suki remained below among twisted beams and dark ground stained with oily waste and corrosive substances that glowed with a faint greenish hue.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs even with the heavy, sulfur-laden air, then lifted his head and shouted at the top of his voice.
"ANYONE THERE?! ARE THERE STILL PEOPLE TRAPPED OR HIDING?! ANSWER IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!"
His call rang out loud and resonant against the stone and iron walls, traveling through narrow passages, dark galleries, and the upper levels of the structure.
The sound bounced off the beams and returned in muffled echoes, mixing with the distant hum of machinery still running and the constant dripping of toxic liquids.
He waited in silence, his senses sharpened, but nothing replied—only the slow creaking of the structures under their own weight, footsteps moving farther and farther away, and shouts of relief coming from the escape route of those already set free.
"Everyone got away safely..." I said.
I started walking toward the exit, where I knew Laura stood firm guarding the path.
My intention was to reach her and help cover the retreat, making sure no one else was pursued.
But suddenly, something shifted inside me; all my senses sharpened to the extreme, as if the environment itself was screaming a warning.
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, even through the unbearable heat of the forge.
Without thinking, acting only on instinct, I threw myself forward in a quick, low leap.
I barely touched the ground ahead when I heard a deafening, heavy crash.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a massive section of beam mixed with concrete and iron plummet from above, landing exactly where I had been standing a second before.
The impact shook everything around me; the ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake, and a thick cloud of dust, metal filings, and broken stones rose up instantly, darkening my vision and filling the air with sharp, stinging particles.
"Damn it, Arthur..." I muttered through gritted teeth, wiping the thick dust from my skin and eyes with my sleeve.
There was a trace of irritation in my tone, but also understanding—he was acting with all the strength he possessed, without holding back.
I raised my gaze upward, scanning the full expanse of the Forja.
Even after all we had already destroyed, dozens of storage structures, tall towers, and massive support frames still stood, firm and resistant to damage, spreading across the entire poisoned area.
"If we keep knocking them down one by one, it will take far too long," I thought, and ended up speaking it aloud, urgency clear in my voice.
"Tsukumo must have already received the alert and is coming at full speed. We don't have time to do this slowly."
I turned my head and fixed my eyes toward where smoke rose thickest and the sound of crumbling ruins was loudest—that was where Arthur worked relentlessly, tearing down everything in his path.
I gathered my strength in a quick surge, launched myself upward, and flew through narrow passages and hanging beams.
I dodged rusted pipes, loose cables, and swaying pieces that threatened to fall, cutting through the space with agility.
In moments I reached one of the towers, already half-destroyed and tilted so far it seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
At the top, I saw Arthur—he had just crushed the last two soldiers who tried to stop him.
With his bare hands, he crumpled their steel armor as if it were sheets of paper, and their bodies dropped heavily onto the rubble, with no chance left to fight.
"Arthur!" I shouted, making my voice cut through the noise of wind and the creak of splitting iron and timber.
He lifted his head almost immediately, turning toward me with alert attention, never losing control of his surroundings.
"I have a plan to bring all of this down much faster," I warned, drawing closer with firm resolve.
"But for it to work, I will need every bit of your brute strength and all the endurance you can muster."
He did not hesitate for a second.
He launched himself upward, flying toward me with heavy yet perfectly controlled movements, and came to a stop right beside me.
"Follow me," I said, and without waiting for a reply I already shot downward, slicing through the air with speed.
I descended swiftly through open corridors and rows of tall storage units, dodging at the last instant loose beams, rusted pipes, and structures still groaning under their own weight.
Strong wind beat against my face, carrying a metallic taste and the burning sting of toxic fumes, as I carved a straight path toward where I knew Laura would be positioned.
Arthur followed right behind me, his large, heavy silhouette moving with surprising ease for someone of such immense power.
A few seconds later, his voice rang out steady over the noise of the surroundings.
"Will Laura help as well?" he asked, keeping pace without losing focus.
"Not exactly," I replied, not slowing my flight or turning fully toward him.
"I just want to confirm that everyone is already far enough from the danger zone, free to follow the safe path without risk of being caught."
Reaching a height where I could see the whole open area below, I slowed my flight a little and cast my gaze toward the horizon.
Far off, a vast dense cloud of dust and earth rose up, moving rapidly eastward—it was the trail of hundreds of hurried footsteps, the slaves running with all the strength they had left to put distance between themselves and the Forja.
Closer to the exit, I spotted Laura's figure: she stood her ground firmly, parrying blows and striking down with precision any soldier of the Tsukumo Empire who tried to advance to chase the group or block the escape route.
"Good," I murmured, feeling a brief but necessary wave of relief.
I immediately turned my attention back to the immense expanse of the forge around me.
I scanned every tower, every supporting wall, and every main beam, trying to visualize the exact center of the main structure—the point where all the supports holding the entire complex converged.
I pointed with an outstretched hand toward a specific area, between two larger buildings rising side by side.
"Arthur, go to that spot right there, exactly between those two structures. Wait for me there—do not wander off, and stay alert so nothing falling hits you."
He frowned slightly, showing the natural curiosity of someone given an order without yet hearing the full plan, and asked.
"And what will you do until then?"
I turned to face him for a moment, my eyes steady and my voice full of confidence and determination.
"I will go to the opposite end of the main structure. From there, I will charge in a straight line at the maximum speed my body and my powers can reach."
"When I reach you, grab my arm with all the strength you have—and then spin with me, completing a full 360-degree rotation."
I paused briefly, making sure the importance of the next instruction was clear, and added with emphasis.
"And no matter what happens, do not let go of me under any circumstances."
With that said, there was no more hesitation.
Both of us launched ourselves upward and flew off in opposite directions, leaving behind trails of swirling wind that stirred up dust, toxic vapor, and loose debris scattered across the structures.
Down below, Laura watched closely as the two silhouettes separated and gained speed toward different points of the complex.
The moment she realized what we were about to attempt, a bad feeling tightened in her chest—not because she doubted our ability, but because she knew an action of that magnitude would bring violent and unpredictable consequences.
Without wasting time, she turned and began to run as fast as she could along the escape route, determined to catch up with the slaves and make certain everyone was even farther away before the chaos fully unfolded.
When I reached the far end of the forge's main structure, I paused for a moment, hovering in mid-air.
On the other side, right at the center I had indicated, I saw Arthur standing still, his posture firm and muscular, yet his expression still filled with confusion—he could not understand exactly how raw speed and strength alone could bring down such a massive complex of buildings.
I closed my eyes for a brief second, breathing deeply to steady the flow of energy within me, and whispered to the blade I held tightly in my grip.
"Hold fast, Kazekiba… this will be the first time I use you for this technique. Do not let me fail now."
Then I unleashed everything I had.
With all the built-up pressure and the maximum speed my body could endure, I drew out the absolute limit of the Wind Transformation.
The air around me began to spin and compress until it felt like a solid wall; in the next instant, I broke the sound barrier, creating a deafening boom that echoed for kilometers and made every wall, beam, and floor of the forge tremble violently, as if the earth itself was tearing apart.
With my right arm, I gripped the hilt of Kazekiba so hard my knuckles turned white.
The blade, sharper than any other, cut through the air with perfect precision, producing a high, sustained tone—a deep, almost sinister whistle that seemed to whisper through the noise of destruction, announcing the power about to be released.
I then began to channel all the wind energy flowing inside me and around me, directing it straight into the sword.
The blade started to glow with a silvery, hazy light, wrapping itself in a whirlwind that grew larger and more intense with every passing second, as if it were sucking all the air from the surrounding area into itself.
As I drew closer and closer at increasing speed to where Arthur waited, I saw that he had already grasped what was coming.
His legs braced against the air, the muscles across his entire body tensed to the maximum, preparing to take an impact strong enough to shake mountains.
He extended his left arm forward, palm open and ready, waiting for the exact moment to lock with my arm.
I began to shout the name of the attack at the top of my lungs, even as I rushed forward at overwhelming speed.
At the precise instant, my arm collided with Arthur's left—and instead of bouncing apart, they locked together as if forged from a single piece of iron, meeting with a crash that sounded like thunder tearing open the sky.
The noise was deafening, deep and destructive, sending vibrations through every fiber of metal, stone, and earth for kilometers around.
"TATSU!!!"
In that moment, I witnessed something I had never seen before: Arthur unleashed his full power.
Even with my body slamming into him at a speed capable of shattering boulders and breaking down fortress walls, he did not budge an inch, was not thrown backward, and did not sway even slightly.
His feet seemed rooted firmly into the very fabric of the air, like deep-set anchors, and his muscles held firm, absorbing the impact as if he were a pillar of unbreakable steel.
Immediately, the air around us underwent a radical transformation.
All the scattered wind, the toxic fumes, the air currents, and the energy I was channeling were drawn inward, swirling into tighter and faster spirals.
The forge seemed to take one last breath, before having all its air sucked into the center of that growing force.
Arthur too opened his mouth and roared—a bellow mixing effort, resolve, and raw power—as he began to turn his body, slow at first but picking up speed at a terrifying rate, carrying me along as if I were merely an extension of his own strength.
And then, when the rotation reached its peak and all the accumulated energy was ready to be released, I completed the sequence and cried out the final part of the technique.
"MAKI!!!!!!"
It was my very first Tatsumaki wielding Kazekiba—and the result surpassed everything I could have imagined.
A blast of wind as dense and sharp as diamond blades erupted outward, spreading in a continuous rotation of 360 degrees.
The intensity above was chaotic; the heavy, dark clouds covering the region were pushed back, torn apart, and swept away, vanishing in an instant as if they had never existed, revealing a momentarily clear and turbulent sky.
The force of the whirlwind cut through entire buildings, storage towers, support beams, and warehouses filled with toxic materials, tearing them loose from their foundations and spinning them around the storm's center as if they were nothing more than handfuls of straw.
Anything not sliced through by the blade was carried off by sheer momentum, torn to pieces in mid-air before falling as rubble.
The cutting edge of Kazekiba's energy extended for kilometers beyond the limits of the Forja Sul, advancing across valleys, slopes, and barren ground, leaving behind a visible and perfect mark.
A vast, flawless circle of flattened earth, clean-cut rock, and structures reduced to nothing.
Nothing within that circumference remained intact—it was a sharp, distinct line separating what had once stood and what had been erased by the technique.
When the rotation slowed and the wind began to disperse, I looked around, breathless and my arm still trembling.
The Forja, that colossal structure which had stood as a symbol of the Tsukumo Empire's oppression and poison, was now nothing more than a massive crater surrounded by wreckage.
We had achieved our goal—and in a way Tsukumo would never forget.