The strongest weapon of the lizard species is its tongue, used for hunting with astonishing speed.
As one of the reptilian Earthbound Immortals, the lizard Earthbound Immortal naturally attacked in the same manner.
Its two gigantic eyeballs rotated independently, until at a certain moment their gazes aligned and locked onto the target inside the building.
Its massive jaws suddenly opened.
Boom!
Its tongue shot out, and a sonic boom instantly erupted.
The terrifying shockwave produced by breaking the sound barrier shattered every exterior window of the hundred-story skyscraper.
Amid the countless sparkling shards flying through the air, the long tongue carried terrifying kinetic force as it pierced through floor after floor, thrusting downward like a spear straight toward Akiza Izinski.
Before the tongue even reached her, the violent air pressure it carried had already shattered the ground beneath Akiza’s feet.
As she fell in weightlessness, the tongue rushing toward her seemed to grow slower and slower in her eyes.
She understood clearly that death was approaching, and so she resigned herself and closed her eyes.
At that moment, her life began flashing before her eyes, every memory replaying within her mind.
At five years old, she injured her father, and from then on became estranged from her family.
At thirteen, she entered Duel Academy, only to be hated by everyone there, even earning the infamous title of “Black Rose Witch.”
Afterward, she dropped out and began endless underground duels, harming countless people with her powers.
…
Her memories returned once more to the present.
Countless figures had flashed through her mind during that process.
In the end, only one figure remained within her fading consciousness… Yusei.
That man was the only one who was different.
He asked for nothing in return, feared no destruction, and was the only truly kind person who accepted all her sins and pain, trying to understand her.
She recalled once more the duel against Yusei at the Fortune Cup arena.
Stardust Dragon embracing Black Rose Dragon, and at the moment her effect activated to bring destruction, the warm radiance brought forth by “Sanctuary’s Sacrifice.” That radiance had once been so warm…
Unfortunately, she might never feel that warmth again.
In the next instant, intense pain from a violent impact spread throughout her body.
She slammed heavily onto the ground.
The hard sensation of the floor transmitted through her back, and the pain instantly pulled her out of her near-death reverie.
Unable to help herself, she reopened her eyes amidst the agony.
This was not the first-floor lobby she had expected, but the corridor floor of the twenty-eighth floor, five meters below.
The five-meter fall, driven by the powerful airflow, had inflicted severe injuries upon her.
The pain left her unable to make any sound.
Standing in front of her was a white-haired man in tattered clothes, the tips of his hair slightly scorched black.
His left hand was raised high, and with the object he held in that hand, he had forcibly stopped the Earthbound Immortal’s terrifying tongue attack.
That man was Kazumo, who had just finished his duel and arrived in time.
Through the shattered hole in the ceiling above, Misty could vaguely be seen standing at the edge of the opening, looking down from above.
“Aren’t you afraid of death?” Misty’s cold voice echoed down, carrying a tone of questioning.
Kazumo merely shrugged and said calmly, “Of course I’m afraid of dying.
But I’m betting you won’t let the one in my hands… die that easily.”
Only then did everyone present look toward Kazumo’s raised left hand.
He was tightly gripping the unconscious Sayer by the back of the neck, holding his entire body up in front of himself as a shield.
Meanwhile, the Earthbound Immortal’s tongue hovered directly in front of Sayer’s face.
“Interesting.” Misty crossed her arms and sized up the man before her with interest.
“Go on.
Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Kazumo showed no fear and met Misty’s gaze above as he spoke.
“I’ll trade the Sayer in my hands for the Signer behind me.”
Misty’s expression barely changed as she countered, “Oh?
Aren’t you a Dark Signer too?
Why protect a Signer?”
“That’s my business.
Just like how you came here today wasn’t for the Signers either.” Kazumo shook his head without directly answering.
Misty’s brows lifted a bit upon hearing that.
“And how exactly do you know my objective?”
“Because I hacked the database here.
I saw the information regarding your younger brother, and also… all the dirt he hid away.” As Kazumo spoke, he deliberately shook the unconscious Sayer in his hand.
Kazumo was not making this up on the spot.
Back when he had been checking through the hidden information underground, he had specifically looked through those records.
After all, in the original series, this part of the plot had never been properly explained.
And after checking, it turned out Misty’s younger brother really had died from Sayer’s psychic development experiments.
Then why was he listed as missing?
Kazumo could only say that a healthy young man’s “fresh Gundam” was apparently worth quite a lot.
When it came to being a capitalist, Sayer truly deserved the worst possible reputation.
Yet it was precisely because of that curiosity that Kazumo now possessed the leverage to negotiate.
“I want those files!”
Misty’s voice abruptly rose several degrees, no longer carrying its previous calmness.
Realizing her lapse in composure, Misty steadied her emotions, and her voice became cold once more.
“And Sayer too.”
“Deal!” Kazumo immediately agreed to the terms, then raised his voice.
“Crow!
Blister!”
Naturally, the others had remained nearby while the two Dark Signers negotiated.
Yet under such tense circumstances, everyone had just watched without speaking.
Crow and Blister were both smart men.
By this point in the negotiation, they, of course, understood what Kazumo meant by calling them.
The two exchanged a glance before stepping out of the protective barrier together in tacit understanding, arriving on the opposite side of the ruptured opening where Misty stood.
The two quickly took out their terminals and waved them toward Misty.
Soon, the three completed the data transfer.
Misty rapidly browsed through the contents sent to her terminal before nodding toward the two, indicating that the files were genuine.
Seeing this, Crow and Blister immediately turned and called for the others.
Facing the two Dark Signers, the group slowly retreated toward the stairs below.
With the mutual understanding between Kazumo and Misty, Crow and the others eventually disappeared entirely into the stairwell.
After some time, a slight vibration came from Kazumo’s Duel Disk.
It was the notification of an incoming communication.
Only after confirming his companions were safe did Kazumo let out a sigh of relief.
He suddenly exerted force and hurled the Sayer in his hand upward toward Misty.
The instant he threw him, Kazumo swiftly turned around and scooped up Akiza from the ground.
He leapt downward through the shattered atrium, his figure disappearing into the darkness of the lower floor.
Misty’s vision was blocked by the Sayer being thrown at her.
By the time she brushed the nuisance aside, Kazumo’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Heh, Dark Signer Kazumo, huh?
I’ll remember you.” Misty let out a soft laugh, picked up the unconscious Sayer nearby, then waved her hand broadly.
The previously silent Earthbound Immortal let out a furious roar and began moving once again, crazily destroying the towering building.
In the end, the Earthbound Immortal vanished into the rubble of the ruins.
As dawn arrived, it was finally the Topsiders’ turn to deal with the aftermath of the Earthbound Immortal’s rampage.
Meanwhile, with the help of Blister’s network of connections, Kazumo and his group once again passed through the smuggling route and rode their D-Wheels back to the Satellite.