The sun scorched the barren wastelands as Kinto trudged forward, sweat glistening on his brow. He groaned, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm.
"Why did the Iron Country have to be in the middle of a damn desert?" he muttered. "I swear, if I could flash step like Alex, at least traveling wouldn't be this miserable. I'm not a fan of using running around when running isn't needed. I mean with the speed I've built up, I could easily have gotten to my destination in mere moments. TCH! What a fucking pain."
After what felt like hours of walking, his tired eyes finally spotted a grand silhouette in the distance—tall structures and gleaming towers piercing the horizon. He stopped and squinted against the sunlight.
"Is that… the Iron Country?" he asked aloud.
He stepped through the massive entrance gates and was immediately overwhelmed by the vibrant chaos of the city streets. People bustled around him in every direction—vendors shouting, vehicles hovering, and workers rushing.
"I guess this must be the City of Steel," he concluded, looking around in awe.
Just then, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Kinto."
He turned to his right and spotted a girl leaning casually on a pole, arms folded. His eyes widened slightly in recognition.
"Wait… Aren't you that girl from the assassination exam?"
The girl sighed, narrowing her eyes. "Is that really how you remember people?"
Kinto shrugged. "You should be lucky i didn't remember you as an arrogant walking set of boobs. Didn't catch your name back then, so I just used whatever came to mind."
She scoffed. "It's Rin. Try remembering it this time."
As they began walking down the street together, Kinto glanced at her sideways. "So why was I called all the way out to the City of Steel?"
Rin responded calmly, "Lord Yamamoto, the leader of the Iron Country, had a negotiation with Kojin. He asked to borrow the city's most intelligent strategist to temporarily replace one of our assassins who was injured."
The scene shifted to the sterile interior of a hospital. Kinto stood beside Rin as they looked down at a young man lying unconscious on a hospital bed.
"That's my younger brother," Rin said softly. "His name is Kazu. He got caught in a fatal accident in the underground area."
Kinto didn't even flinch. "How'd he get himself into that mess?"
Rin's expression darkened slightly. "He fought our previous team leader. The guy betrayed us and joined the Dark Sign… Kazu tried to stop him. We both did. But while we were fighting some of the Dark Sign members who stole a Millennia Stone, they got away."
"So in conclusion," Kinto muttered, "I'm stuck in the Iron Country as a strategist, replacing your brother, the city's top tactical mind."
"You got it," Rin confirmed.
Later that day, Rin entered another hospital room. Bandages covered Shouya's arms as he lay on the bed. He sat up as she entered, his face pale but alert.
"You feeling better?" Rin asked.
"Slowly," he replied, his voice low. "My injuries… they're healing."
His mind drifted to a recent battle—he and Mirio clashing violently, launching sharp constructs at each other. A sudden bolt of lightning had struck him down, and as the smoke cleared, he remembered seeing Kirihai carrying Mirio through a portal.
Shouya clutched his head. "Ugh… my head's still pounding."
Rin gave him a gentle smack on the head. "You'll be fine. Just rest." Kinto muttered to himself "I don't think smacking his head would make him feel any better."
"…Is Kazu okay?" he asked after a pause.
"He's doing alright," she said. "And the strategist replacement has already arrived."
Meanwhile, outside the hospital, Kinto leaned against the wall, staring at the horizon.
"Can't believe Kojin stuck me with a mission like this," he muttered. "I wasn't even in the mood to get out of bed—talk less of walking through a damn wasteland. And to top it all off, i was to Goddamm lazy to just run despite me being fast enough to move at high speeds."
Rin walked out just then, arms folded again. "What are you complaining about now?"
Kinto sighed. "So… do we start going on missions right away or what?"
"Stop being lazy," Rin said flatly as they began walking again.
That evening, she led him to a modest hotel room.
"This'll be your place for now. Missions begin tomorrow."
Kinto looked around and nodded. "Good. I'm getting some rest before this job kills me."
He flopped onto the bed, feeling its softness envelop him. He sighed.
"…I hope everything's alright back in the city."
The city, however, was anything but alright.
Bara's killer robots had begun their invasion—blasting buildings with missiles and laser beams, tearing through defenses. Chaos erupted in the streets as explosions rang out. Some of the citizens were fighting these robots while running for their lives. Soldiers also helped them as well and were taking them to safety in the process.
Mori dashed through the battle zone at lightning speed, his dagger gleaming as he sliced through robot after robot, piercing heads and dismantling limbs.
Beside him, Serena radiated electricity—her fists discharging explosive electric punches into her enemies. She launched precise electric bullets, tearing through their mechanical armor.
Raquel, Sukuna, and Runo fought alongside them, each holding their ground against the relentless assault. Raquel was sending huge waves of crystals to kill the robots, Runo was shooting powerful bullets that were causing huge explosions, and Sukuna was just sending beams of plasma all over the place.
"Spering Transfiguration!" Mori shouted, unleashing beams of pure energy that disintegrated the advancing robots.
Baraka was already in the thick of it—his fists coated in hardened earth, smashing robots into rubble. With a growl, he summoned his mighty rock hammer and brought it down with thunderous force.
Suddenly, a figure dropped from the sky.
"Baraka!!"
Garou's voice echoed just before he smashed into the ground, sending shockwaves that brought nearby buildings down.
Baraka barely dodged in time, staring down the grinning figure as he held Garou in place on the ground.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
Garou chuckled. "I came to fight you. What else?"
"You're insane," Baraka snapped. "You just barged into a city without a plan?"
Garou grinned. "Oh, I had a plan. Step one—destroy everything. Step two—fight you."
Baraka cracked a grin himself. "If I'm being honest… I kinda missed fighting you too."
Garou gave Baraka a powerful upper-cut to the chin. The two fighters clashed once again, fists crashing like meteors while they were moving at hypersonic speeds.
Far away, on the outskirts of the city, a lone woman who wore a revealing witches costume stood on a mountain ledge—Ukina.
She watched the chaos below with a satisfied smirk.
"I ordered both Garou and Bara to invade," she mused. "There's no escaping it now. Some of the Dark Sign members might fall today... but that's fine."
She turned away, her cloak fluttering in the wind.
"I still have Sorata and Kenji for the high-tier errands. And more importantly…"
She held up three glowing stones—each pulsing with ancient power.
"…I now possess three Millennia Stones—Fire, Sand, and Wind. After this…"
Her eyes narrowed coldly.
"…I'll get rid of Diablo. He's the only obstacle in my path."
– End of Chapter –