"Tch," Neo hissed. If this were my real blade… He could feel the dormant power of his skill—his rank-A ability—just out of reach. But without his true sword, it was nothing but a memory.

The spider turned, eyes glinting green, and charged again. Neo's breathing grew ragged. He'd been starved, beaten, restrained. But he wasn't done yet. He raised the wooden sword high, waiting for the exact moment to counter.

"Come on," he whispered.

As it neared, he moved to strike—but the spider suddenly spat a stream of sticky web, trapping both his legs to the floor.

"Wha—?!" Neo gasped. The web tightened like glue.

The monster's fangs came down. He raised the wooden sword to block—crack!—the blade shattered. Neo twisted his body aside, sacrificing his arm to protect his throat.

Blood sprayed the glass. He screamed.

The audience gasped—then laughed. Glasses clinked. A few even cheered.

Raito's fists clenched. "He's going to die if we don't do something."

Kira's eyes narrowed. "You're right. But we can't move yet. Jiro's watching through your suit cam. He'll send backup—he has to."

Then, the laughter faded slightly as two men in dark suits entered the hall. They walked straight to the president. One leaned down, whispering into Itoshi's ear.

Itoshi smiled. Slowly. Coldly. Then he nodded.

Itoshi stood up slowly, his glass of wine in hand.

Four men in black suits, each with a gun holstered under their jackets, stepped forward. Their mirrored glasses hid every emotion. Even Ryo, the Rank A hunter, turned from the glass cage to face the disturbance.

"Well, well, well…" a man's voice boomed through the hall.

Everyone turned toward him.

Raito froze. No way… I've seen him before.

Kira's eyes widened. "He was imprisoned once… and survived fighting a class-A chimera."

The room fell silent for a moment—until Itoshi smirked. "Looks like we have unexpected guests who shouldn't be here."

Kira whispered sharply, "We need to get out—now. Even if we run at full speed, maybe we can break through before they react."

Raito's tone was cold. "No. Not until I save that hunter."

"You're insane," Kira hissed.

"Maybe." He looked toward Neo, who was bleeding and pinned against the shattered floor of the cage. "But I'm not letting him die."

"Hey!" one of the guards barked. "What are you two whispering about?"

Dozens of eyes turned on them—guns raised, hunters gripping weapons.

From across the hall, Hinata—one of the casino's enforcers and a B-rank hunter—stepped forward, smiling.

"Well, if it isn't Kira Fujisaka. Didn't expect to see you dressed like that. So… you're working for them now?"

Kira frowned. "You're part of this organization. No wonder Neo was captured. You betrayed the guild."

Hinata laughed. "Betrayed? No. Upgraded. And you, my dear, are not leaving alive."

Itoshi's smirk deepened. "Shoot them."

The order snapped through the air like lightning.

The gunmen raised their weapons—bang! bang! bang!

But Kira was faster. She moved like a blur, twisting her body between the bullets. Sparks danced as a bullet grazed her heel. Raito ducked, sliding across the marble floor, and swept one guard's legs, sending him crashing down.

Kira flipped open her purse, pressing the hidden switch. Click—shing!

A steel blade extended from the hilt. She slashed upward, cutting one gun clean in half and sending another man flying.

Three hunters remained—B-rank, and one with the red insignia of an S-rank.

"Now's our chance to run!" Kira shouted.

Raito didn't move. His eyes locked on the cage. "No. I'm ending this."

He sprinted toward the battle zone. The nearest B-rank swung his sword, but Raito jumped—high, impossibly high—twisting midair. His dagger glinted under the casino lights as he landed behind the hunter.

Thud. The man collapsed instantly.

Then, Raito looked at Neo. The spider was seconds away from tearing his head off.

Raito clenched his fist. "Full strength… just this once."

He took off—his movement vanished from sight.

BOOM!

The entire hall shook.

Raito's fist crashed into the unbreakable glass wall. The barrier—designed to withstand even C-rank mana strikes—shattered into a rain of shards. The shockwave rippled across the room, throwing gamblers and guards to the floor.

Chaos erupted. People screamed, chairs toppled, gold spilled.

Raito leapt into the cage, caught Neo's limp body just as the spider lunged again, and slammed his foot into the creature's face, hurling it back into the darkness.

Dust and glass filled the air.

Kira stared at him, wide-eyed.

He broke unbreakable glass… with his bare hands.

Raito looked down at Neo and raised his hand.

"Since then… what will it take to heal his injuries?" he muttered. His face tightened. "Ah—one of his arms has been eaten. This is bad, right, Toto?"

A notification blinked before his eyes.

[5000 LP required to stop bleeding and pain.]

"What? 5000 LP for what? Isn't that too much?" Raito snapped.

Toto's calm voice echoed in his head.

"Well… he's about to die."

Raito exhaled sharply.

"Fine. Do it."

A bright green light enveloped Neo's body. Everyone around them froze, watching. The wounds on Neo's side began to close. The bleeding stopped. His skin slowly knitted together, glowing faintly as life returned to him.

Neo's eyes fluttered open. "Who… are you? Are you the one who came to save me?"

Raito gave a faint smile. "Maybe," he said quietly, then glanced toward Toto.

Neo pushed himself up weakly. "Listen… you won't make it through the elevator safely. But there's another path. That door—there." He pointed shakily toward a steel hatch in the wall. "It leads to another area. A hunter who was captured before but already killed said it connects to the lower tunnels. You can use it to escape."

Just then, Kira landed beside him, sword in hand.

"Raito!" she called.

Before Raito could reply, the giant spider screeched. Its massive legs dug into the ground as it lunged forward, firing a thick web toward them.

Raito dodged instantly, rolling to the side. The web slammed into the wall, cracking the tiles. He darted forward, leaping up, and drove his fist straight into the monster's head.

"Is that so?" Raito said, nodding.

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