Silent Ocean's Guild – Rose's Interrogation
The low hum of mana filled the dungeon, each pulse blending with the faint drip of water echoing down the stone corridors. Rose stood with her arms crossed, her patience already wearing thin as she stared at the trembling assassin before her — a woman barely standing, her body marred with thin, deliberate slashes. Each wound was shallow, but placed with surgical precision.
With a soft, almost disappointed sigh, Rose shook her head.
"So, Coy Slytherin sent you." Her voice was calm, but undercut with unmistakable irritation. "I suppose that tracks. Though I have to wonder… how did my dear sister allow this? Considering she's the guild master of Silent Raven."
The assassin's breath came in ragged gasps, blood trickling down her sides. Yet, despite her battered state, there was a flicker of defiance in her eyes.
"Hah… you're strong, I'll give you that…" She coughed, wincing from the pain. "But if you want answers… you'll have to pry them from my corpse."
That was the final crack in Rose's patience.
The air shifted, mana flooding the room like a rising tide. It was suffocating, each breath like inhaling liquid pressure. The assassin's knees buckled, her body no longer her own as her limbs seized up — her muscles refusing to obey her desperate mind.
With a lazy gesture of her hand, Rose sent the assassin flying into the nearest cell bars, the impact sending a jarring clang down the corridor. The woman groaned in agony, her body still paralyzed by Rose's power.
Rose's fingers moved again, slow and deliberate, her hands weaving fluid arcs — like currents guiding the tide itself.
"I really didn't want to resort to this," Rose murmured, her tone soft but merciless. "But you left me no choice."
She took a step closer, her gaze cold.
"You know how water flows through every living thing, don't you? Blood… is no different."
The assassin's eyes widened in horror.
"My sister may have been the first to refine this technique, but I've perfected it." Rose's smile was razor-sharp. "Now… one more time. Tell me what I want to know. Or drown in your own veins."
---
Temple Within the Forest – Akatsuki vs. Ghost
The ancient stone temple stood silent, the faint rustling of leaves the only sound beyond the crackling tension hanging in the air. Standing at the center was a man — eyes half-lidded with disinterest, yet carrying a weight that made the air itself feel heavier.
Ghost.
His gaze drifted lazily over Dazai's slumped form, a soft sigh escaping his lips.
"So this is the brat who managed to paralyze Mard Geer?" His voice held neither praise nor malice — only cold indifference. "Tch… disappointing. Just a child, after all."
Akatsuki stepped forward, fists clenched at his sides. His posture was firm, but the slight twitch in his fingers betrayed his nerves.
"How the hell did you find this place? And who the hell are you?"
Ghost's brow arched slightly, as if the question itself was beneath him.
"Me?" He exhaled slowly. "I'm known as Ghost. That's all you need to know. Step aside, boy. I have my orders."
Akatsuki glanced at his comrades, forcing a grin despite the knot tightening in his stomach.
"Alright, ladies — most of you are packing some serious mana, so maybe you can bail me out of this if things go south. But if I pull this off, you all owe me some respect — and I mean real respect. And stop with the damn demon jokes."
He turned back to Ghost, his body tensing — just in time.
Ghost took a single step forward, and in that instant, vanished.
Akatsuki's instincts screamed. He ducked low, barely avoiding the hand slicing through the space his head had occupied a heartbeat before. The sheer force of the missed strike sent a howling gust through the temple, scattering dust and leaves across the stone floor.
Eve's voice stirred within Akatsuki's mind, calm but urgent.
"Careful. That one's not ordinary. If I'm right, he's a Seven Star. One clean hit — we're dead."
Akatsuki flipped back, feet skidding across the stone as he put distance between them.
"Great," he muttered. "Another overpowered freak — and this one's not even using mana yet."
As the dust settled, Ghost reappeared — and this time, Akatsuki wasn't fast enough. A cold hand clamped over his face, slamming him into the temple wall with brutal force.
"Give up, kid," Ghost muttered. "Or should I say… guildmate?"
Akatsuki's eyes widened slightly, confusion flickering beneath the pain.
"What…?"
Ghost leaned closer, his voice a whisper.
"You're Silent Raven, aren't you? Akatsuki Tatsu. A-class. The reason you've never heard of me… is because I'm S-class."
Despite the pain radiating from his skull, Akatsuki's grin stretched across his face.
"Is that so?"
His hand moved faster than thought, pressing the barrel of his gun against Ghost's side. A surge of corrupted mana flared from the weapon, twisting the air with raw, unstable power.
Ghost released him just in time, leaping back as the corrupted blast roared past — but not without consequence. His left arm hung limply at his side, numb from the impact.
Ghost's expression shifted for the first time — cold indifference giving way to simmering rage. His mana finally surfaced, flooding the temple with suffocating pressure. His hair lengthened slightly, shadows flickering in his now-glowing eyes.
"Now you've done it," Ghost growled, his voice low and venomous. "I'm going to kill every single one of you worthless insects."
Akatsuki cracked his neck, wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Great. Another overpowered psycho with a grudge." He exhaled sharply. "Let's dance."