Pshh!
White Flame barely had time to raise his arm in defense before Doflamingo's claws of steel-like thread tore into him.
"Fufufufufu… Die! Die!"
The Warlord's laughter rang through the square as he slashed again and again.
The Five-Color Strings ripped across White Flame's chest and shoulders, carving through flesh and muscle.
Blood sprayed across the stones—his torso a map of raw wounds, ribs and organs faintly visible beneath.
"Enren!!"
From below, Kyros tore off his hood.
He hurled himself forward on his single leg, sword flashing in the sunlight.
He had no plan—only fury.
"Where did you crawl out from? Don't get in the Young Master's way!"
Senor Pink burst upward, intercepting him. The two men collided, steel ringing against steel as their battle exploded across the plaza.
"Brother-in-law?!"
Viola gasped from the sidelines.
Of course she knew who he was—Kyros, the hero thought long dead!
She never imagined he'd still be alive… much less standing here, fighting her master.
"Enren!! Stop! You'll be killed!"
Kyros's eyes blazed as he parried Senor's strikes.
But his attention was fixed on the platform above, where Doflamingo continued his relentless assault.
"Fight me, damn you!" Senor growled through his pacifier.
"If you want to reach him, you'll have to go through me!"
"Then so be it!" Kyros roared, blade meeting fist in a spray of sparks.
Meanwhile, the execution platform had become a slaughterhouse.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"Die, die, DIE!"
Doflamingo's voice echoed like a demon's chant.
"Tell me—does it hurt, monster? Does it burn? Do you regret crawling into the light?"
"You should've stayed hidden in your hole!"
"I'll cut you apart—piece by piece—until every scream leaves your body!"
His threads danced like razors, carving new crimson lines into White Flame's flesh.
"Is this the so-called 'man-eating monster'?"
"Pathetic. He can't even fight back."
From the sidelines, Sugar nibbled on candy, her tone dripping with disdain.
Beside her, Pica stood motionless, arms crossed.
"The Young Master's strength can't be challenged by a nameless fool."
"He's already dead," Sugar said simply.
Both of them smirked as if watching a wild animal being skinned alive.
Then—
"Is that so? Because from where I stand… the ones who should be dead are you two."
The voice came from right behind them.
Squelch!
Two pale hands shot through their chests.
Their eyes went wide.
Blood gushed as the hands withdrew—each clutching a still-beating heart.
"Uh—!"
Neither Sugar nor Pica even had time to scream.
They collapsed instantly, bodies thudding lifeless to the ground.
Viola's jaw dropped.
Standing over the corpses were two bandaged humanoid monsters, each holding a pulsing heart in one claw.
"What the hell just happened?!"
Doflamingo and Senor both spun around in shock.
Before anyone could answer, the bandages of one IBM began to unravel—
and from within, a familiar figure stepped out.
"I was going to spare the little girl," White Flame said calmly, brushing ash from his coat.
"But after hearing her mouth off about me… I changed my mind."
He turned, voice low.
"Little Two-Black. Little Three-Black. Eat them."
The monsters obeyed immediately, dragging the corpses away.
"You—what the hell are you?!" Doflamingo's rage shook the air.
He turned back toward the execution stand—only to see the bloodied, broken "body" of White Flame he'd been tearing apart moments ago slowly rising to its feet.
Bandages coiled around it, reshaping it into another black-wrapped humanoid form.
"What… what is this trickery?!"
Senor's pacifier fell from his mouth in disbelief.
He had seen it with his own eyes—the monster torn to shreds, motionless, dying.
And now the same man stood before them, whole and unscathed.
"Surprised?" White Flame smiled faintly.
"You shouldn't be. The real surprise…"
He pointed at Doflamingo.
"…is that you're still standing."
[Substitution]
When White Flame's biological energy crossed its next threshold, the Ajin system within him awakened a new ability—Substitution.
An Ajin could now swap places with any of its IBMs.
In an instant, their positions—and even their bodies—could be exchanged.
When the switch occurred, the Ajin's consciousness re-manifested from the IBM's bandages, while the original Ajin body was sealed away.
This meant that any damage inflicted during the exchange was transferred entirely to the IBM.
The wounds Doflamingo had inflicted—every slash, every tear—had been suffered not by White Flame himself,
but by an IBM clone that had taken his place at the last moment.
The injured IBM would then be reabsorbed, its body regenerating at incredible speed within the bandages—
as long as its head remained intact.
And since White Flame still lived…
no matter how many times an IBM was destroyed,
it would always return.
If you Enjoyed Reading
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 80+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/Sagamaster789
Thank you all for your support!