Chapter 72: All of You, Come at Me Together

"That's right, we refuse to do this!"

"Me too!"

"Punishment or discipline, whatever—but this is something we absolutely won't do!"

"...!"

Kurome's defiance immediately ignited the others, and they all voiced their protests.

Their unexpected resistance caught the masked man off guard.

It seemed that Blayn had indeed spoiled these people, making them bold enough to stand against orders. Another likely reason was that they hadn't undergone their scheduled brainwashing last time, weakening its effects.

Rather than backing down, the masked man only grew more vicious. He sneered, "Refuse? Fine, then you can wait for the torture. Let's see how long you can keep up this brave front!"

In the Empire, there was no shortage of cruel and inhumane tortures.

Even so, Kurome refused to yield.

Still, their resistance remained only in words—they dared not take direct action.

Because acting against orders would be outright betrayal of the Empire. Even with the brainwashing weakened, the idea of never defying the Empire was still deeply ingrained in their subconscious.

At that moment, Seryu struggled to suppress her urge to eradicate "evil." Her master had warned her time and again not to act impulsively, and now was the worst possible moment for rash actions.

She clutched Koro tightly, as if afraid the creature might suddenly lash out—or perhaps as a way to restrain herself.

"Take them away!"

At the masked man's command, the soldiers stepped forward.

As they closed in, Kurome and the others hesitated, torn between resisting or submitting.

Just then, a tall, slender figure suddenly appeared between the two sides.

A mysterious white mask covered his face, and on his back, he carried a massive, strange-looking fan.

His sudden arrival stunned everyone.

"Who are you?!"

Ignoring the demand, Blayn studied the men in front of him. Their armor was the standard issue of Imperial soldiers.

That alone made their origins obvious—they had likely been sent by the higher-ups. Given their aggressive stance, they clearly weren't here for a friendly chat.

"If you're looking for Blayn, then you've found him," he said calmly.

"So, you're Blayn!" The man wearing a hawk-beaked mask sneered. "Come quietly. Lord Saikyuu has issued an order for your arrest."

Blayn didn't even acknowledge him. Instead, he turned to Seryu and the others.

"What happened here? Fill me in first."

"Master!"

The moment she saw him, Seryu's face lit up with joy.

Good thing she had held herself back earlier—waiting had paid off.

"Commander..."

Kurome also smiled, but the relief was fleeting. Almost immediately, her expression darkened with concern.

There was still a serious crisis at hand.

Seryu quickly summarized what had happened, keeping it brief.

Upon hearing the situation, Blayn's gaze turned ice-cold.

If they had only come for him, he wouldn't have cared.

But targeting Seryu, Kurome, and the others?

That, he could not tolerate.

Initially, he had only planned to resist.

Now, he wanted these men dead.

Reaching behind him, he gripped the chain attached to his Gunbai and drew it out.

Seeing him ready for battle, the masked man's eyes hardened.

"Are you planning to rebel?" he asked in a low voice.

Blayn had no interest in answering such pointless nonsense.

His life was on the line. If he didn't fight back, was he supposed to just wait to die?

"You should think this through carefully. The cost of rebellion is that everyone around you will suffer because of you."

The masked man continued to threaten Blayn.

However, Blayn was unfazed and took the initiative to attack.

He quickly called out to Seryu, "Seryu, I'll leave their protection to you."

He hadn't asked Kurome and the others to join the fight, knowing they were still hesitant about turning against The Empire.

Though in his view, this wasn't betrayal—just an act of self-preservation.

Did absolute obedience really mean loyalty, even when faced with high-ranking officials who were completely irrational, if not outright insane?

"Yes!"

Seryu immediately moved to shield Kurome and the others.

Even so, she was deeply worried about her master. He was facing numerous enemies alone, and among them, there were surely Teigu users.

Seeing Blayn charge forward, the masked man let out a cold snort and pressed a button strapped to his right forearm, resembling a remote control.

The moment he pressed it, shells suddenly appeared from all directions, raining down on Blayn.

This was clearly a Teigu's ability—though its exact nature was unknown, it was obviously a trap-type Teigu, capable of conjuring traps out of thin air.

But against Blayn, such a Teigu was meaningless.

With the heightened perception granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan, even sudden ambushes wouldn't catch him off guard.

Since the barrage was coming from all directions, the Gunbai Uchiwa couldn't block everything at once.

Blayn first used the Gunbai Uchiwa to absorb the impact of the shells coming from the front.

The masked man sneered. You can block the ones in front of you, but what about the ones from behind?

However, his smirk instantly vanished when he saw the shells from the other three directions phase straight through Blayn's body without leaving a scratch.

In fact, the ones that passed through him continued on, now flying toward the masked man and his group.

Panicked, the masked man quickly pressed another button on his remote, causing the incoming shells to disappear just before impact.

Uchiha Return!

Taking advantage of the distraction, Blayn suddenly swung the Gunbai Uchiwa, sending back the energy absorbed from the earlier shells straight at the masked man.

However, the attack's power was limited—it had only absorbed a few shells.

Even so, the shockwave sent weaker soldiers flying, slamming them into the walls and leaving deep dents.

Many were knocked unconscious, while the rest could barely move.

Only six remained standing, including the masked man—clearly all Teigu and Shingu users.

The masked man wielded a trap-type Teigu, while the others had already revealed their own Teigu and Shingu.

"What kind of Teigu is that?!"

The masked man stared at Blayn in shock.

Facing the six opponents before him, Blayn remained calm and unfazed. His gaze was indifferent.

"Come at me together. It'll save time."

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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