Kazuma was not trained through ordinary methods.
Yamazaki shaped him through training that went far beyond reasonable limits—training where even a single small mistake could be fatal. Each session was not merely about refining physical ability, but about forcing his body and mind to adapt to life-and-death situations.
That was where his survival instincts were forged.
His reflexes became sharp, capable of responding to danger without the need for conscious thought. Not only that, his way of thinking in combat was also formed—fast, cold, and precise, like someone accustomed to brutal fights where life was always at stake.
Under those conditions, Kazuma was already more than ready to become a fighter.
Only one thing was missing—real combat experience.
And now, he had finally obtained it.
The moment where all that training was tested directly.
Kazuma tightly held the hand carrying the syringe, then looked at his opponent without emotion.
"Trying to knock me out, huh?"
The heat from his body began to rise again, the air around him visibly distorting.
"What a terrible plan."
THUD!
Kazuma threw a straight punch toward the woman's abdomen. The impact lifted her body before sending her flying backward, losing balance before crashing into the ground.
He restrained his body heat.
If he released it without control, that single punch alone would have caused far greater damage. Kazuma was still holding back—enough to incapacitate, not destroy.
Without wasting time, he immediately shifted targets.
Kazuma's gaze locked onto one figure among them—a woman who hadn't moved much, yet whose presence felt the most troublesome.
Support.
From their movement pattern, Kazuma had already understood her role. That woman possessed a kind of telepathic ability, linking her teammates' minds into a single network. That was why their coordination looked so precise—every movement seemed synchronized before it even happened.
But his target was not left exposed.
Gabriel—the Valkyrie—descended quickly and stood in front of that woman, deploying her shield just as Kazuma moved in. The shield shimmered, solid and firm, becoming the final wall protecting the support.
BANG!
Kazuma's punch struck it.
A loud metallic impact rang out as the surface of the shield dented inward. The vibration traveled all the way through Gabriel's arms.
But Kazuma didn't stop.
He kept punching.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Each strike grew heavier, hotter, and faster. The air around them trembled violently, while the pressure from those blows forced Gabriel to bear the full weight with both arms.
A numb, creeping sensation spread through her limbs.
Her teeth clenched as she struggled to endure.
Until finally—
BOOM!
One last punch landed with full force.
The shield didn't break, but it was enough to send Gabriel flying backward. Her body was thrown away, her feet lifting off the ground as she lost her footing.
An opening appeared.
Kazuma moved instantly, without hesitation.
In one fluid motion, he dashed past Gabriel and struck down the support woman before she could react. Her body collapsed, and the telepathic connection binding the team was severed instantly.
Their formation collapsed.
Without perfect coordination, they were nothing more than individuals.
And Kazuma gave them no chance to adapt.
One by one—
He took them down.
"Ugh…" he muttered softly, catching his breath after the last strike.
[Ssss... Alpha, copy]
"Yeah… Alpha here," Gabriel responded through the unit's internal channel.
Then suddenly, a firm voice came from the other end.
[Mission aborted. Withdraw immediately.]
Gabriel held her breath for a moment. As the captain of the special unit Sentinel, this failure was a major disgrace—not only for the mission, but also for her reputation as a mercenary.
"Is there a reason?" Her voice was tense over the channel.
[We can't hold back the Tokyo Police Commissioner any longer. Withdraw your unit, Alpha!]
Gabriel gritted her teeth, suppressing the pain from the impact and pressure she had just endured. She swallowed the blood in her mouth and looked over the chaotic battlefield. Her unit had been defeated. Even the Numbers under her command couldn't hold their ground.
"Tch… copy," she muttered, swallowing her frustration.
She immediately switched to another internal channel, issuing a retreat order to all units.
In her hand, a small device resembling a remote appeared. With it, Gabriel could control the remaining Numbers, ensuring their withdrawal remained orderly and didn't cause further chaos.
But Kazuma had no intention of letting them leave so easily. He wanted to capture at least one of them for information—though he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Kazuma's thoughts were slightly disrupted. His concern for Yamazaki—who was facing two mutation-type ability users—split his focus. His eyes and reflexes were just a fraction slower.
Suddenly—BLAANG!
Flashbangs were thrown from multiple directions. The blinding light and sudden explosion caused Kazuma to lose both vision and balance. The air filled with dust, debris, and smoke from the forest that had begun to burn due to the battle and the heat from his ability.
When the light faded, the forest was silent.
The surroundings were devastated—tree trunks broken, ground cracked, and several areas scorched. All enemies had vanished, withdrawn by Gabriel and her unit, leaving behind only destruction and lingering tension in the air.
Kazuma turned, his eyes scanning the ruined forest, searching for the one person he was most concerned about.
…
He finally found him.
In the middle of the destroyed clearing, among broken trees and cracked ground, Yamazaki sat calmly. He unfolded a cloth, arranged a few small tools, and sipped tea as if he were enjoying a relaxed picnic in a park, not a battlefield that had just descended into chaos.
Where did he even get a picnic set like that? Kazuma wondered briefly, his brow twitching.
But he quickly shook his head, pushing aside the irrelevant thought. His focus was on one thing—
his master's condition.
"Are you okay!?" he asked quickly, his voice filled with concern.
Yamazaki turned slowly, his sharp yet calm eyes meeting Kazuma's. A faint smile appeared on his lips, almost mocking his worry.
"Relax…" he said, taking another slow sip of green tea before continuing. "What about you?"
"I'm fine. They weren't as threatening as I thought."
"Heh, don't let your guard down… They suddenly ran away just when I invited them for tea."
"Hahaha…" Kazuma gave a stiff smile, still catching his breath.
"You didn't capture even one of them?" Yamazaki asked, his tone light but meaningful.
Kazuma scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… I was worried about you first… hehehe."
Yamazaki gave a faint smile, then suddenly moved with a speed that caught Kazuma off guard. In a single clean motion, he flipped his student and slammed him to the ground.
"Ugh! What was that for!?" Kazuma protested, gasping.
"For my foolish student," Yamazaki said calmly, staring directly at him. "You shouldn't be worrying about me. Aren't they the ones you should've been thinking about all this time? You've always looked anxious, even if you never said anything. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Kazuma slowly got up. Parts of his shirt were burned, and his pants were nearly charred from the heat of his own ability.
"Sorry…" he muttered, lowering his head.
"Enough of that. It doesn't matter now. Let's leave and hand this mess over to the authorities," Yamazaki said, glancing calmly at the surrounding ruins.
"Yeah…" Kazuma replied, looking at his master with a deep sense of relief.
...
Inside the Prime Minister's office, the tense atmosphere erupted instantly.
"WHAT IS THIS!?"
Sanae Takamichi, the Prime Minister, roared at the video call screen, glaring at Commissioner Kana Takeyama with barely contained fury.
"Prime Minister, please listen—"
"FOREIGN FORCES ARE CAUSING CHAOS IN OUR COUNTRY AND YOU DID NOTHING!?" Sanae shouted, her voice echoing throughout the room. Her face flushed red, fists clenched, her tone carrying both anger and panic.
Kana Takeyama swallowed, trying to steady herself on the other side of the screen. The remote meeting was suddenly filled with tension, every word carrying immense weight for national security.
"Haah… what exactly is going on? Consider this your chance to make up for your mistake!"
Sanae sat back down, leaning her head against her arm and looking aside, as if holding back both anger and exhaustion.
"…It's—"
"Speak clearly! What's with you suddenly stuttering like that!?" Her voice sharpened.
"Prime Minister, I'm sorry… I cannot talk about it," Kana replied in a low voice.
"Are you defying me!?" Sanae pressed, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm sorry… but you can dismiss me. Once again, I sincerely apologize," Kana said, her tone filled with regret yet unwavering.
Without warning, the video call was suddenly cut off from Kana's side.
Sanae stared at the empty screen, her anger surging even higher. Her body trembled as she tried to contain the boiling rage, while the ticking clock in her office felt unbearably slow—each second without answers adding to the tension hanging in the air.
"AAH!"
In an outburst of fury, she grabbed the tablet in front of her and hurled it against the wall. The device shattered on impact, its cracked screen and fragments scattering across the floor.
A female guard outside the room—an ability user—immediately rushed in, only to find the broken tablet and the Prime Minister's face flushed with anger.
"How dare she treat me like this!" Sanae shouted, her voice echoing across the office.
Commissioner Kana's actions were clearly inappropriate toward a Prime Minister. Yet beneath Sanae's anger, there was an undeniable truth: the influence of foreign forces was so overwhelming that even her own subordinate felt safer stepping down—or even being dismissed—rather than opposing that pressure.
Since the rise of female dominance, Japan's governmental power had largely shifted into their hands. Men, now reduced to second-class citizens, had almost no influence in critical decision-making. Even so, Prime Minister Sanae Takamichi continued to enforce her policies decisively.
She upheld a slogan: "Strong Japan."
Because of that, she aggressively ordered the MDF to gather peaches from Mato, aiming to create a superhuman force as well as a powerful commodity. The goal was clear—to build an unshakable nation, both militarily and economically.
From a military standpoint, Japan was not to be underestimated. However, economically, dependence on imports remained a significant weakness. Key resources such as energy and food still had to be sourced from abroad.
Sanae took a deep breath, calming herself and gradually clearing her thoughts.
'This can't go on… I know there's a group of Big Hand still pulling strings behind the scenes, even after the world has changed. I didn't expect them to still be this powerful… I have to do something.'
She began formulating countermeasures to ensure that such a humiliating incident would never happen again. First, she needed to summon the right person—
Ren Yamashiro.