Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!
Kaien's body flickered rapidly—almost too fast to follow.
In a single instant, every explosive collar around the necks of the giant children vanished.
Then—clatter!
All the removed collars landed in a massive pile at the location of Kaien's shadow clone.
The red lights blinking across the collars made every member of the Black Magic Order go pale.
"No—!!"
BOOOOM—!!!
A violent explosion erupted.
The blast engulfed every cultist nearby in a wall of searing flames.
Those who remained scrambled in panic.
"Escape! The giant brats are breaking out!"
Shlick!
A kunai pierced one of their throats, and the cultist dropped from the second-floor railing, crashing to the ground.
Kaien activated slaughter mode.
One by one, the Black Magic Order members fell beneath his blades.
"Use magic!!"
Someone shouted desperately.
Dozens of them raised their staffs—
Zing-zing-zing—!!
A barrage of magical blasts shot toward Kaien.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The spot where Kaien had been standing was bombarded relentlessly, filling the air with smoke and sparks.
When the blasts finally stopped, the cultists paused, staring into the dust.
"Brother Kaien!"
Brie's eyes filled with worry. So many spells—was he okay?
"Is he… gone?"
The cultists cautiously looked at the impact site.
Nothing.
Just rubble.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Dozens of kunai dropped—right beside them.
Everyone's gaze whipped upward.
Kaien was upside down, standing calmly on the ceiling of the dungeon.
"There he is! He's still alive!!"
Before they could cast a single spell—
Zing-zing-zing—!!
Kaien blurred into motion, flashing between enemies.
Shlick—!!
Fifty throats were slit simultaneously.
Thud-thud-thud-thud…!!
Every one of them dropped dead.
"Hahhh…"
Kaien exhaled lightly. Every enemy in the dungeon was down.
It was the first time he had pushed Flying Thunder God Technique this far.
And damn, it worked.
No wonder the Fourth Hokage surpassed even the one who invented it.
The more Kaien studied the technique, the more he realized how insanely talented Minato Namikaze truly was.
Then he turned to the children—ready to reassure them.
But before he could speak, a wave of starry eyes met him.
Over a hundred wide-eyed giant children stared in awe.
"So… so… SO COOL—!!!"
"That was amazing!!"
"Is that what human magic is like?! Unbelievable!!"
"See?! That's my big brother, Kaien!! I told you he was super strong! I told you he'd come save us!" Brie puffed his chest like a proud rooster.
Kaien chuckled softly.
"Alright, everyone. This is still the Troll Capital—we're not safe yet. That explosion definitely drew attention. Before backup arrives, I'm sending you all home. Gather up. Hold hands."
"Yes!!"
All the kids eagerly crowded together, forming a tight chain.
Kaien placed his hand on Brie, channeling chakra outward like a wave, connecting with each child through their linked hands.
—
Troll Royal Palace
The Troll King and Sir Virel were feasting on food extorted from the Giant Kingdom.
"Hohoho!! I didn't think that cowardly Giant King would actually send so many supplies—just to save a few brats. Next time, I'm asking for ten times more!"
Sir Virel simply smiled across the table.
"Oh, Sir Virel," the king said, eyes glinting with greed. "That flute of yours… could I see it? I've never heard of such a miraculous object."
The Troll King's tone oozed hunger—not for food. He wanted the flute. If he had that kind of power, the entire Giant Kingdom would be his.
Sir Virel read the look easily and kept smiling.
"Alas, Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to show it to you… but the flute only works when wielded by a human mage with sufficient magic power. Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to use it."
The Troll King's face darkened. He wasn't pleased to be refused—but Sir Virel was still useful… for now.
'Sooner or later, I'll get rid of him.'
'Human mages are a dime a dozen. Someone will be able to use it.'
Sir Virel smirked inwardly.
'Trolls… greedy fools. But without magic, they're nothing but oversized idiots.'
BOOOOM—!!!
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shook the palace.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" the Troll King roared, leaping to his feet.
A troll soldier burst in, pale and panicked.
"Your Majesty! The underground prison—it's exploded!!"
"The prison?!"
The king's face changed. That was where they kept the children.
"GO! CHECK NOW!"
Those brats were his ticket to more supplies—he needed them alive.
Sir Virel also stood. He was confident no one could escape, but still—those kids were assets.
He followed the king in haste.
When they reached the dungeon, Sir Virel scanned the room.
The giant children were all still there—he exhaled slightly in relief.
But then—he froze.
All the cultists were dead.
"There's been a breach!!"
Zing—!!
Right before their eyes, every child vanished in a flash.
"WHAT?!"
Both the Troll King and Sir Virel were shocked speechless.
"How?! Where did they go?!"
"They… they just disappeared!!"
The Troll King was panicking. Without those brats, he had no more leverage!
Sir Virel's gaze sharpened.
A figure appeared where the children had just been—Kaien Blaze.
"A human? A mage?! Space magic… it must be! That's how he took them!"
The Troll King snarled, tusks bared like a beast.
"You… Where are those brats?! What did you do to them?!"
Kaien gave a relaxed, mocking smile.
"Where? Why, back where they belong."