168 The Banquet II 2.5 in 1

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While the Kurogane banquet was ongoing, a different kind of celebration was going on at the cultural arts center owned by the Aoki group. A charity banquet to help the further research of the education technology that was produced by the cooperation between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies.

"This is quite an invention." Stockton Jonson, the CEO of Stockton International spoke excitedly after trying out one of the prototypes that were intended for virtual schools to be built on AF country.

As a person who has travelled all over the world, Jonson wasn't a stranger to less fortunate countries who are in need of such an invention. The problem was that the actual government of these countries don't put much effort in these kinds of things due to various other problems in their country.

"This is merely a sample of what we can do with the invention. The current version is tailored towards the people attending the event so that they can understand better how the device works. Further research is needed for a more accurate programming that would fit the actual needs of the countries that are in need of such devices." Matsumoto Kippei, one of the head researchers explained.

"After hearing that, I'm convinced that you researchers are really serious about intending to make these to help others." Jonson smiled. He already noticed that the lessons he saw on the machined had been tailored for him to better understand it. Kippei's explanation convinced him that they indeed intended not to fool people but to develop these kinds of inventions to better suit the people they were intended for.

"Of course. Most of us that joined the company had been misfits who were once ridiculed by our peers because of how unprofitable our ideas or researches were. It was our boss that listened to every single one of our ideas and risked everything to bring us this far." Kippei continued. "This is one project that the boss came up with so everyone wants to make sure that the boss' efforts won't be wasted."

"I assume you're talking about the mysterious person behind Kazuno Mei-san." Jonson smiled. Even with his wide network, this was the most information he had gained about the secret person behind Kazuno Tech.

"Err…" Kippei realized his mistake immediately after hearing Jonson and scratched his head awkwardly. He was still under punishment for incurring even the CEO's wrath.

"Please don't use our employees to gather information Jonson-san." As one of the people responsible for the event, Mei appeared wearing an elegant white dress that she wanted to show Kazuya. Him not being here added a little to her displeasure since he was the one who had chosen the specifics for this charity.

"Pardon me, it was not like I was gathering information. You can call it the curiosity of someone who cannot fathom how the person behind you has managed to rise up out of nowhere and even gain such talented and loyal followers such as yourself." Jonson lightly bowed. "I would very much like to support this endeavor as a collaborator. Meeting the person behind the scenes isn't asking too much for a potential partner, right?"

"That is correct… If we were looking for collaboration." Mei took a sip of champagne with a smile. "Unfortunately, we are currently not looking for anyone else to collaborate with the project at the moment. Though we do appreciate all the help we can get with the foundation we set up for endeavors like this one—"

*RUMBLE* *RUMBLE*

""E-earthquake!?"" people looked around to make sure that they weren't just imagining it.

"Please calm down everyone." Kyouko stepped up to the podium accompanied by Yumi. "We are currently in one of the safest structures against earthquakes in the city so please don't panic." She signaled the security personnel to help those who wanted to take shelter in other rooms or under the tables.

Kyouko's reminder made Jonson turn towards his own secretary who shook her head after noticing her boss' glance. There wasn't any warning about the current earthquake but this one was particularly strong.

"(Was this… predicted?)" Though he confirmed it with his secretary, Mei and Kyouko who had remained calm despite feeling the tremors made him think that there was something that he didn't know.

What Jonson wasn't aware of was that both Mei and Kyouko were confident because they already had several discussions with Lailah and Natsu who confirmed that every single piece of their clothing had some kind of protection on them. Though a calamity like an earthquake was something that was worth fearing, with their current skills, they were sure that there was nothing that can cause Kazuya to worry about them.

"Hmm? Is something the matter Jonson-san?" Mei noticed the strange look he gave her.

"It's nothing. I was just admiring how lucky we are since the charity event was held here." Jonson immediately made an excuse.

"Lucky… !?" Mei suddenly had a thought. "Please excuse me Jonson-san, I remembered something I needed to discuss with Kyouko." Mei excused herself without waiting for a reply. "(He's right… this shouldn't be a coincidence!)" considering Kazuya's adamance about the date and venue of their charity event, it would be strange if he didn't know that something would happen. The issue was, why?

Just as Mei headed for the podium where Kyouko was. She noticed that there were two people that stared in the same direction with grim looks in their faces. Lailah who was taken to the event and introduced to Natsu's co-workers stared at the west wall together with her husband. Concentrating her senses, she tried to look at the same direction and suddenly felt something.

It was faint but there was a surge of mana that came from that direction. It was relatively far away but she hadn't felt something like this before. Mei couldn't figure out what exactly was going on so she moved closer to the couple with the intention of asking.

"Natsu-san, Lailah-san, what is this feeling coming from that direction?" Mei asked in a soft voice.

"Is there some place we can talk in private?" Natsu followed Mei and was taken to one of the VIP rooms together with Kyouko and Yumi.

"Did you feel it too Mei?" Kyouko's question made her feel a little guilty because Mei hadn't noticed it until she concentrated her senses.

Kazuya always reminded her to always leave her senses on so that she can perceive any danger but she was upset with him for not attending the event tonight. Kanade sent her a message saying that Kazuya was currently taking a rest in the Aoki group and didn't want to attend either event.

"What are the places west from here?" Natsu interrupted and asked the question.

"West? What's the matter Natsu-san? What is this strange thing we're sensing?" Mei couldn't help but ask.

"Someone is activated a large-scale magic spell which is normally impossible to be cast by someone alone." Natsu crossed is arms. "Tsuna-san immediately left as soon as he sensed it so I couldn't ask him anything."

""Large-scale spell…?"" Kyouko and Mei only knew one other person that might have been the cause but though it was from the same direction, it didn't match the area where the Aoki group was located.

"Ah!" Natsu couldn't help but exclaim after using his phone to pull up a map.

"What is it? Did you figure it out?" Lailah who was still unfamiliar with the surrounding areas turned to look at the map.

*gasp!* She immediately understood what her husband thought after seeing the name of the place indicated on the map.

"What's wrong Natsu-sa—" Kyouko froze as soon as she saw what had been on the center of the screen.

[Kurogane Clan Property]

-

The H prefecture was located on the north of the country that used to be nothing but small villages surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Though it was viewed as the countryside who didn't reside in the country, after several decades of development, many powerful families in the country had settled in places that were similar because unlike the capital, there was abundant land where they could own and develop.

The Kurogane clan held one of the largest properties in H prefecture where they built their family's foundation. Though the property of the Kurogane-clan prevented anyone from usually entering, that did not stop them from showing off their riches and bragging about how they are one of the few who could own a castle or fortress like property in this day and age.

Though many members of the family had stayed in the main headquarters of the family, the mansion was excessively large and made up of different buildings that would be considered a luxury than a necessity. This housed the clan's secrets which very few in the family had access to.

"I have to say; modern technology is really impressive." Kazuya looked at the current state of the Kurogane clan's main house, or what was left of it.

He stood on top of the half collapsed shooting range. It was a distance away from the main house so only half of it had collapsed because of the crater that formed around the ruined property of the Kurogane clan.

"Looks like I may have overdone it a little bit." He picked up one stone close to the bottom of the unaffected part of the building and placed it inside his ring along with the other he had recovered. "It took a few years to complete this formation but I'm glad to overdo it rather than not have enough."

He only had a little time to clean up the formation he built around the property so Kazuya didn't spare any of his mana to move around. Though there was a small chance of anyone discovering what really happened, he didn't want unnecessary problems caused by any evidence.

"Phew… this should be the last one…" Kazuya stood in front of the main house and kept the last stone after making sure that he had the right amount. "I bet Tsuna-san would scold me if he found out that the mana stones I asked him to collect was used for this."

A building that could now be called a ruin put a smile on his face. Kazuya sat down to catch his breath in front of the main building admiring how the building had barely survived the spell that would have usually destroyed middle sized castles in Edea.

Area of effect destruction spells that didn't affect their own casters only existed in games or fiction so after Kazuya activated his grand spell, he wasted no time to get away. Large scale destruction spells didn't distinguish between friend or foe unless it was directly controlled by the caster which required effort and concentration. Kazuya didn't need to waste his effort as he took away the two people that he needed after knocking them unconscious to escape the area.

"(Damn…)" he scanned the crumbling building with his sensing ability and discovered that there were more survivors than he thought. Kazuya raised his arm and pointed a spell towards the western side of the building but immediately stopped as soon as he felt a few presences approaching.

"Y-young master! Are you alright?" the guards who had been stationed to keep watch against outsiders rushed to the main house with unsteady legs.

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"I'm fine! Everyone rush towards the western side of the house. I heard voices of survivors there! The eastern side looks unstable so it would be safer to enter through the west side!" Kazuya commanded.

"Right away!" these people were members of the various branch families. They immediately hurried to find survivors since some of the people inside were in charge of their own branch. All of them thought that it was their chance to have those leaders indebted to them.

*BOOM* *BOOM*

"AHH!"

"It burns!!!"

"That came a little later than expected." Kazuya grinned as explosions from the ruined kitchen started to cover the ruins in flames.

"Y-young master! S-should we call for help?" the guard who stayed behind to protect Kazuya trembled as he watched what remained of the guards fell victim to the chain of explosions and falling debris. He was thankful that he had decided to stay beside the clan head's grandson who could grant him many benefits after everything was over.

"Are you stupid!? That would give the authorities an excuse to search through the remains of the clan! If they uncover our secrets, even our wealth wouldn't be able to save us!" Kazuya scolded and felt glad that no one had been allowed to take any communication devices to the banquet. The Kuroganes were a paranoid bunch so even security cameras were deactivated during the event to make sure that even their lips couldn't be read. They did discuss very sensitive matters and shared it to the rest of the family after all.

"I apologize for my ignorant suggestion! Should I gather the rest of the guards?"

"How many are left?"

"The ones left are the young trainees. We left them with the responsibility of stopping any people who tried to enter." The guard replied.

"Leave them to protect the gates. It would be over if the authorities get through them. Follow me." Kazuya started walking towards the crumbled walks near the main entrance. "We have to save grandfather and any of the other survivors!"

"Yes!" he followed immediately but kept a safe distance between the two of them. The guard had resolved himself to run at the first sign of the building completely collapsing.

The lone guard couldn't figure out if Kazuya who was known for being the most intelligent young master of the clan was brave or a fool. It was as if he had not concerned himself with the current unstable structure as he kept on moving towards the hall without stopping.

"Looks like it's blocked." The guard caught up with Kazuya after much caution and found him standing in front of large debris that covered the large doors leading to the large hall.

"Young master… this place doesn't look safe." he worried about himself as he kept hearing crumbling noises every now and then.

"Then you go back outside and see if there is any way to enter from the east entrance. There shouldn't be any fires there since there are mostly rooms located in that area." Kazuya didn't want to be followed by this person so he sent him somewhere else until Kazuya was done.

"O-okay…" after confirming that Kazuya couldn't have a way to enter the hall, the guard left. He was initially worried to being called a coward by the survivors but after hearing Kazuya's suggestion, there was a chance for him to be able to get to the survivors first and getting sole credit for his deeds.

"Every single person in this poisonous clan is garbage…" he couldn't help but curse after the guard had left.

*BAM!*

Kazuya released his frustration on the debris blocking his way. Forcing his way through, Kazuya entered the hall that became unrecognizable in just a few moments. The large extravagant hall that was once decorated with expensive ornaments was now filled with dead members of the Kurogane clan and their body parts.

"H-help…" a cry for help below the wall that had collapsed reached Kazuya's ears.

"How ironic…" Kazuya looked at the woman who stood proudly on the stage earlier in the evening. One arm and both legs were crushed beneath the thick walls. Kurogane Miyabi's music career was definitely over even if she survived.

"P-please… I'll do anything… even if you want me to… do things in bed…" she lifted her head and froze. Kazuya gave her a look as if he had been looking at a pile of dung on the street.

"Tsk!" Kazuya held back the urge to spit at her and clicked his tongue in frustration. "A painless death would be a mercy towards you who ruined the future of many talented artists. None of the people here deserved to have a quick death!"

"W-we are members of… the same clan…" she didn't dare look at Kazuya directly and used whatever strength she had left to lift her free arm to grab Kazuya's leg.

"Fire Wall!" flames burst from the cracked floor to immediately burn the arm trying to reach for his leg. "These flames are insufficient to cleanse this clan of their sins but, they will help in sending you people to a place where such flames may exist. Though, the choice will be up to you."

"AHHHH!!" Kurogane Miyabi could only scream and watch as her arm got scorched. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Kazuya moving his arms towards the hall's exits which soon got covered by the same flames that suddenly appeared in front of her.

"No need to worry, these flames will only burn those dirty rats who try to escape from this hall. Seeing as you're unable to move from that spot even if you wanted to… Shall I give you a chance?" Kazuya smirked as a knife suddenly appeared on his hand.

"Y-you damn monster…" witnessing what Kazuya had finished doing to Miyabi, Suzaku couldn't help but comment. He was initially afraid when he was woken by Miyabi's wails but, after seeing his current condition, he said what he thought without hesitation.

"Unfortunately, i don't think i can give you the same chance as her." Kazuya didnt show any expression as he looked down on Suzaku who was impaled on the floor. Metal bars were poking out of different parts of his body. "Besides, I already fulfilled my promise. You will be able to see your beloved Ringo before the night ends." Kazuya turned around as Suzaku's vision was no longer able to focus on him.

"I… no… we should have… listened to your… warning…" Suzaku's vision was alreay fading so he turned towards the light caused by the flames. He could no longer see Kazuya who had entered the passage behind the staircase.

"(I sense a few life sources coming from below…) This is where those who survived got away huh…"

Beneath the great hall were the rooms that held the greatest secrets of the Kurogane clan. It had been constructed as a bomb shelter at first but was transformed into several rooms that held the Kurogane clan's personal storage and servers.

When Kazuya entered via the secret entrance, though the shelter had been damaged, it served its purpose and withstood the great spell that Kazuya cast upon the Kurogane clan's property.

*BAM BAM*

Loud noises of things being broken were echoing through the halls.

"Hurry! We don't have much time! I'm sure that the authorities will use whatever means they can to enter our property! We can't let them find anything they can use against us here!" Tenma's voice could be heard as Kazuya gradually approached the main server room.

"Father… I suggest we use the self-detonation function we built here. No matter how hard it is for them to discover this place, we don't have enough time to destroy everything." Shishio tried to reason.

"The explosion will wipe out any survivors who might be trapped! Our losses today have rendered our clan's numbers to dwindle to almost extinction! We haven't even seen any sign of Kazuya!"

"I know what you mean but… if this place is compromised by those trying to go against our clan… there wouldn't be anything left for us! We would all be imprisoned and our assets frozen! Our company would be devoured by those against us without our lead!" Shishio had chosen to sacrifice the surviving members to keep the secrets of the clan outside the hands of the officials who would likely use the excuse of search and rescue to invade the Kurogane clan's property.

"Ugh…" as much as Tenma would like to disagree, what Shishio said was correct. What worried him the most was that there had been no sign of Kazuya ever since the calamity fell upon them. An earthquake of this magnitude had appeared without any warning even though their country had the technology to detect and predict most of even the small magnitude of earthquakes.

"Father!" Shishio continued to urge. Every second counted. Even if they did activate the self destruction sequence, some time would be needed for the effect to completely destroy the equipment so that nothing could be recovered.

"We have no choi—"

"AAAAHHHH!"

"N-nooo STOP!!!!! GAHHHH!!!"

"Y-you! MONSTEERRR!!"

Screams coming from the other elders who survived echoed through the rooms of the bomb shelter. Shishio wasted no time and grabbed the axe he retrieved to destroy the machines and raised his guard towards the main server room's entrance.

*step step step*

Sounds of footsteps that were accompanied by a scratching sound came closer to the main server room. It was as if someone had been dragging a blade against the walls. The two leaders couldn't help but think that someone had infiltrated their clan after taking advantage of the sudden calamity.

"Ah! So this is where you two were!" Shishio almost jumped at the shadow that appeared at the doorway but stopped in his tracks after hearing the voice. The flickering lights in the hallway revealed the familiar silhouette that was definitely not of the adults that came down with them whilst trying to escape the building's collapse.

""Kazuya!?"" both of them were relieved to see that he had made it.

Tenma who was especially hesitant about activating the self-destruct sequence gave a nod towards to his youngest son. Though he was worried about the fate of Sousuke, with Kazuya's survival, the clan's next generation was all but secured.

"!" Shishio who was about to turn his back immediately froze after his son had entered the light of the room.

The boy who entered the room was still wearing the suit he had donned earlier. The only difference was, the white shirt underneath the black boat was dyed red and had been dripping red liquid as he moved. On his left hand was a combat knife that was dripping blood as well.

"Hmm? What's the matter father?" Kazuya tilted his head as if he had been confused.

"Whose blood is that?" Shishio gripped the axe in his hand.

"Oh this? Let me think…" Kazuya crossed his arms and acted innocently. "The first one should be from cousin Miyabi. She was trapped under debris. Fire has been spreading from the gas leaks caused by the earthquake so I had to cut the limbs that were trapped to give her a chance of surviving." He smiled at Shishio.

"What about the o-others…" Shishio felt as if he had been looking at a stranger. He felt that this son of his was suddenly a stranger, a very dangerous stranger.

"The rest are from the people who were trying to destroy the clan's servers." He shrugged. "I don't know why they were trying to do that but, I can't just let them destroy the efforts the clan has accumulated over the years now, can I?" Kazuya smiled.

"That was my order." Tenma interrupted. Though he felt the same way as Shishio, he believed that there was no way that Kazuya would do anything to them. His explanation earlier made sense because this was indeed the perfect time for any traitors to appear. "It cannot be helped but we have to destroy these servers to prevent the remaining survivors of the clan to end up in prison." Tenma explained.

"You're wrong Kurogane Tenma." Kazuya called him by name. "The Kurogane clan, or I should say the roots of the Kurogane clan will not survive past this night." Kazuya disappeared in front of their eyes.

*STAB* *STAB*

"UGHHH!" Shishio fell on his knees. He was stabbed above his knees on both legs before he was kicked aside.

*CRASH!*

"You…" Tenma couldn't believe his eyes. "Why!?"

"Looks like you don't recognize this knife." Kazuya turned to Shishio. "So that's why only you kept your guard up." He scoffed.

"What is he talking about Shishio?"

"That knife… is part of the special set that was given to Shiriharu Kira." Shishio tried to get back up with the help of is internal energy but there was no use. Trying to stand only caused his wound to widen and bleed further.

"I've given the Kurogane clan plenty of chances but it looks like that I was still being naïve." Kazuya shook his head. "No matter how much a snake sheds its skin, it is still a snake in the end. The moment you two decided to plot against the people I cared for, tonight's events had been inevitable." Kazuya waved both arms towards Tenma.

"Guhh!!" two knives were embedded themselves on Tenma's legs. They were the same spot as Shishio's wounds as Kazuya didn't want Tenma to have the mobility to escape. With Tenma's personality, there should be a secret passage that he could possibly escape to that no one else knew about.

Kazuya walked towards Tenma as two new knives appeared on his hand. He threw them towards the old man who immediately raised his arms to defend.

"KAZUYAAAAA!!" Shishio snapped as he saw his father's arms in the same state as their legs. He gripped the axe he left on the ground and mustered all his strength before throwing it towards his son.

"Annoying." Two spikes sprouted from the concrete floor and impaled Shishio's arms. The earth spikes pinned his arms towards the machines behind him. "Stay put Kurogane Shishio. I will deal with you after I take care of the clan head."

Both men couldn't believe what they were seeing. Not only did Kazuya seem to be responsible for the feat that they thought only Tsuna was capable of, he even caught the axe that had been thrown towards him by the blade with one hand.

"L-let me go!" Tenma was dragged towards where Shishio had been impaled.

"Shut up!" Kazuya used a small knife to stab several parts of Tenma's body before letting him go. "As much as I would like to make you both feel the consequences for going against me, I do not have a lot of time. So I am going to have to improvise to deal with both of you at the same time."

He raised his arm and concentrated mana towards his ring. A metal barrel appeared out of nowhere which took the two anxious men by surprise. Kazuya's methods had been nothing but ruthless so they were afraid of what the drum contained.

"Those abilities…" Tenma couldn't help but be reminded of his grandson's godfather. The only man that had made the prideful Kurogane Tenma feel fear. "Don't tell me that you were the one who caused the earthquake!?"

"Oh? It seems like you aren't as stupid as I thought you were." Kazuya tore open the metal barrel's top. "You're correct. I was indeed the one who caused it." He turned to Tenma before lifting the old man.

"Did you agree to join the Kurogane clan just to take it down from the inside?" the light in Tenma's eyes had faded. He had accepted his fate and just wanted to get answers. His grandson had revealed his killing intent from the moment he struck Shishio and he of all people understood that this grandson of his had taken even more lives than he did.

"No… I wanted to cast away all doubts for my future plans. It was an experiment as well as a learning experience. If a single existence such as myself was enough to change the way you rotten pieces of filth's principles without the use of fear." Kazuya shook his head and showed Tenma what had been inside the barrel.

"I am thankful. Now any doubts caused by my former self has all been washed away." Kazuya gave a chilling smile that made the two grown men shudder in fear.

No longer wondering at how effortless Kazuya made it seem to lift a grown man such as Tenma. The clan head had surrendered himself to his fate. Though he was full of regrets, it was already too late as he was dumped on the metal drum filled with strange liquid. Only his head and arms that ad been spread to the side of the barrel hadn't been submerged.

"Ghhh! What is this liquid?!" immediately feeling an itching sensation spreading throughout his body, Tenma struggled to lift himself out of the barrel.

Kazuya already removed the knives that were stabbed in Tenma's limbs so the blood loss combined with the damage he dealt wouldn't let Tenma muster any strength even with the help of what little internal energy he could muster.

"A special type of corrosive acid that I personally made. I made non-fatal holes on your body earlier so you can savor the feeling." Kazuya grinned. "Please enjoy the feeling of being dissolved inside and out." Kazuya gave a chop towards Tenma's throat to prevent him from screaming.

"So Kyouko has been raising a monster that even I couldn't fathom…" tears couldn't help but fall from the prideful Shishio's eyes after seeing the fate that his father had been put under.

*BAM*

Kazuya mercilessly kicked Shishio's face after hearing his remark.

"Are the Kuroganes all delusional and paranoid? My mother tried everything to shelter me from all the evil this world has to offer." The combat knife he used earlier appeared on Kazuya's hand once more. He put the blade's edge against one of Shishio's thumb and slowly started to cut.

"YOU!!!!! DON'T FORGET! YOU'VE BROKEN YOUR OATH!" Shishio struggled but there was no way he could free himself. He screamed at the boy who seemed to be enjoying himself but that only made Kazuya's grin grow wider.

"You people only remember such details when it suits you." Kazuya scoffed as he picked up the discarded thumb.

"YOU'VE LOST YOUR RIGHT TO RETURN TO YOUR OWN FAMILY!" Shishio continued screaming as the knife's blade rested on the next finger.

"Did the pain make you retarded?" Kazuya shook his head. "The Kurogane clan has been living freely because of the insufficient evidences to prove anything. Who would be able to prove that everything that happened here was caused by a mere middle school student?" Kazuya grinned.

"You've seem to have forgotten what you and your father have been forcing down my throat for the past few years. Let me remind the both of you." Kazuya glanced at Tenma who was still struggling in the now blood colored liquid.

"Half of my blood belongs to the Kurogane clan, right?" a gaze filled with contempt met with Shishio's fear stricken face. "Feel and savor two lifetimes worth of my wrath! This is for me and the people care about that have suffered under your clan's actions!"

"I will wash away this accursed identity with your blood."

.