"Mahito, quick, use that item the man gave you!"
"A-A-Are you sure? Weren't we saving that to escape?"
"We don't have a choice. Use it now — or we die. Hurry!!"
Martha's eyes narrowed.
In a blink, she moved. Her fingers danced through the air — smooth, deliberate.
A brilliant violet-pink magic circle flared to life in front of her palm, hovering mid-air, glowing with sharp geometric patterns and ancient runes. Her voice rang low and cold as she chanted.
Black thorns erupted from the ground like serpents, surging toward the intruders.
But Mahito, trembling, fumbled a small pill from his coat pocket — and swallowed it whole just as the vines closed in.
The moment it slid down his throat, the air twisted.
Martha froze.
A flicker of surprise — then irritation — cracked her usual mask.
The thorns holding their legs splintered, shattering like brittle glass.
Then — a violent red aura exploded from Mahito's body, rippling outward in waves.
Kokichi stumbled back, eyes wide. "T-That's not normal… Mahito, are you—?"
Mahito didn't respond.
His head dropped — then slowly rose. His eyes were wide open, glowing with a dull red light.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
CRACK.
A sickening pop echoed from his spine. His body seized and convulsed.
Veins bulged across his skin, glowing with a sinister red hue. His muscles twisted and swelled, clothes tearing apart like paper. Fur erupted along his arms, chest, and jawline. His hands morphed into claws, nails curving like talons as they scraped the floor.
"A-A-Are you... Mahito...?" Kokichi gasped, stumbling back.
Mahito let out a low growl — then roared. The sound was primal and thunderous, shaking the air like a war drum.
His eyes were no longer human.
They were the eyes of a beast.
The transformation completed in seconds. Where once stood a boy now loomed a towering humanoid bear — fur jet black, body rippling with unnatural strength, and bloodlust steaming off him in waves.
From the shadows, Martha's gaze sharpened.
"A berserker-type beastification… I see. How troublesome — especially with a mansion and its people nearby."
The earth beneath Mahito's feet cracked as he stepped forward, his breath fogging the air like smoke from a furnace.
"I'm fine... I can control it," he muttered, voice rough and deep.
Kokichi nodded quickly, then tossed a smoke grenade to the ground.
A thick gray cloud burst forth, cloaking them in a veil of smoke — just enough to hide Mahito's monstrous form.
Martha waved her hand with effortless grace.
A sharp gust followed — unnatural and precise, as if the wind itself answered her command.
The smoke parted instantly, swept away like dust under divine judgment.
Her cold gaze pierced the clearing haze.
"Hiding won't help you."
But the clearing was empty.
They were gone.
She sighed. "They just never learn."
For the first time in years, emotion flickered on Martha's face — a trace of disappointment. That they dared attack this place with something like that pill… it was almost insulting.
Without hesitation, she activated thought communication across the mansion.
"This is the head maid. Two assassins have infiltrated the mansion. Initiate Code-AX formation immediately and protect the two young masters. I repeat — Code-AX. Now."
She ended the link and turned to face the mansion, her expression unreadable.
"Things have become… interesting."
"Escaping a tiger, only to enter the tiger's den… how bold."
Silford Mansion — 2nd Floor
"Huff… Huff…"
"Pant… Pant… Pant…"
Two assassins stumbled into an empty room, breaking through a wall.
"Mahito, how's your condition?"
"It's alright… moving this fast in this body is exhausting. But we're in the mansion, and I don't see any guards. The path looks clear."
"We can't let our guard down. They must've been alerted by now. This mansion belongs to one of the empire's most prestigious families. They're hiding — waiting to strike."
"Then what do we do? We can't kidnap the babies like this. That man said we need to finish before nightfall."
"Mahito, how long can you maintain that state?"
"From how I feel… maybe an hour. After that, I'll lose control."
"Okay. Then protect me while I search for the nursery."
They raced along the balcony — until—
SNAP.
Kokichi's foot caught on a nearly invisible thread. A sharp one.
Blood splashed from his leg.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Kokichi!?"
"Shit… I was careless. And I just alerted every guard nearby. Mahito — go berserk. Destroy everything in your path!"
"O-O-Okay!"
Kokichi quickly wrapped a handkerchief around the wound and stood up, hobbling after Mahito, who was already rampaging ahead.
They reached the hall — and then a blast of fire slammed into Mahito's side.
"Ghh—!"
He turned.
Three maids stood at the far end. Combat-ready. Eyes cold.
Kokichi turned to flee — but froze.
Dozens more maids were blocking the path behind them.
"Shit… we're surrounded. Mahito, help me out of this!"
From above, the battlefield resembled a ritual circle — but it was no mere decoration.
A thick, glowing boundary encircled the area, created by the coordinated stances of the elite combat maids. Each one served as a living node in a larger formation.
Inside, layered magic circles wove together like silk threads. They didn't pulse with separate mana — they resonated together, forming the AX Core Pattern.
Sharp triangles. Curved glyphs. Sealing chains. Suppression loops. Each maid's discipline — fire, wind, detection, restraint — had fused into one system.
What looked chaotic from the ground was perfect from above. An ever-tightening cage.
Mahito stood in the center, red aura flickering, eyes twitching. He felt it too.
"…This isn't a formation built to trap."
A pause.
"It's a formation built to erase."
From the upper balcony, a commanding voice rang out.
"Engage Code-AX Phase Two," said Lilith. "Begin Suppression Lockdown."
The pressure dropped like a hammer. Mahito staggered, his limbs trembling under the crushing weight.
Above them, countless magic circles formed midair — aimed at the intruders.
"Kokichi! Give me your pill!"
"What?! Are you serious?! That'll make you lose control even faster!"
"We don't have a choice!"
"Then I'll make one!"
Kokichi hurled his dagger at the floor.
It was wrapped in a talisman. BOOM.
The floor ruptured — the formation shattered.
Maids tumbled from the shockwave.
Mahito dashed forward, leaping across falling debris. He caught Kokichi mid-air.
"That was reckless!"
"Well, we're still alive!"
They sprinted down a side corridor — but more maids blocked their way.
Mahito slammed the ground. The impact threw the enemies off balance. They dashed through.
He could've torn them apart — but Kokichi was wounded. Mahito stayed close, moving fast, following him wherever he went.
But no matter where they turned — more maids.
None of them were weak.
And Kokichi… he was slowing down.
"Kokichi, there's trouble on all sides. We can't find the babies like this."
"What do we do?! They're elite — if they get a clean shot, we're dead!"
"Kokichi. Listen. Give me your pill."
"…What?"
"I'll distract them. You finish the mission."
"You're trying to sacrifice yourself?! No way!"
"This job is worth one million white gold coins. We can't afford to fail."
"But—"
"Trust me. With that money, we can feed the entire slum."
"…And what about you?"
"I'll be fine. The man said taking two pills means I'll lose control for three days. But I'll be stronger than ever. This state will end eventually."
"...Okay. I trust you. Just… be careful."
(With that, I separated from my childhood friend — the one who always stood by my side. I won't let his sacrifice go to waste. I'll find those babies. I'll complete this mission. And then… I'll finally feed the slum. My home.)
To be continued…