I am a female swordsman.

Like wolves, soldiers who get serious are frightening.

The air temperature seemed to have dropped considerably.

The rest area gradually quieted down. Although few eyes were on Sephiroth and the Master Chief, everyone's attention was focused on them. These soldiers, who had fought their way through the harsh front lines, were all machines extremely skilled in killing and survival!

“If it were five years ago, I would have hanged you on the ruins outside, kid. But now… is it for some girl? I can approve.”

The tense atmosphere instantly vanished.

………………

There wasn't much to pack: a genuine sword, a change of clothes, and some small gifts received before the expedition.

Sephiroth set off that very night.

He would first have to take a jeep for about half an hour to retreat from the front lines, and only after arriving at the military airfield could he catch a hitch flight back to his homeland. It wasn't even certain that he could go directly to a city controlled by Shinra; it might be some port city. All things considered, the entire return journey would take Sephiroth about half a day to a full day.

It wasn't through the proper channels that we went back.

So he'll have to come back to the battlefield later, which is very troublesome.

"Have you heard? The company held another meeting a few days ago." Sitting in the swaying jeep, a soldier chewing gum swayed with the vehicle.

"This doesn't sound good."

The journey was boring, and we needed some topics to pass the time. Immediately, someone chimed in, urging him to continue and show off his knowledge.

"Yes, yes, this is not good. The councilors don't gather together unless it's something important. They just had a meeting not long ago, and now they're holding another one. Such a big matter will be announced in a few days, right?" He patted his lover (gun) in his arms as he spoke, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"What could it be?" another person in the group asked curiously.

"War, disease, weirdos, all sorts of random things, who knows what they are. It's definitely not a good thing. The most credible news I've heard is that the company's real enemy has appeared."

The real enemy?

The people in the jeep had all sorts of expressions. Shinra's real enemy was this planet that had gone mad—hadn't it always been this way? Or was this giant sphere going to turn into a human and beat them to the ground with its muscles? Hahaha, God, what a funny joke!

'The real enemy...'

Sephiroth, who was quietly resting with his eyes closed, suddenly had a thought flash through his mind. That voice appeared again! Divine and unfathomable, it whispered in his ear, using subtle, private language. It seemed to be trying to tell Sephiroth something, something he should have known long ago, but had always ignored.

'The time has come, the time has come. Curse them, curse those blasphemers who desecrate the Mother! The Holy Son will descend, and with His blade brighter than the moon, punish the blasphemers! Return, Holy Son of the Mother, great being born from the essence of the stars, black angel who makes the planet tremble!'

It sounded like a ballad, or perhaps a prayer.

Sephiroth was momentarily stunned by the whispers, but by the time he came to his senses, they had vanished, as if it had all been a hallucination.

In that brief moment of distraction, the half-hour drive was over.

In the bustling military base, several large transport planes had just landed. Noticing the heavy, bulky aircraft on the airfield, Sephiroth felt he had found his steed for the return journey.

Chapter 111 The Incident

As Sephiroth stepped off the plane, the rising sun shone directly on his handsome face.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced around casually.

'Someone from the company.'

As a great hero nurtured by Shinra, if Shinra doesn't react at all after he returns from the front lines, then all those in charge should be hanged on a street lamp. Surveillance is essential; every move Sephiroth makes must be monitored. This was an order that originated from Yomi, the [Shinra Chairman].

But to Sephiroth's surprise, someone else came to pick him up.

Angel.

"Want a ride?" A resolute and composed face appeared from behind the car window. Shinra's First Class Warrior, Angel, looked at his long-lost friend Sephiroth with a kind smile.

"..."

Sephiroth, maintaining his aloof demeanor, remained silent for a moment, then, under the watchful eyes of several discreet individuals, opened the car door and got in. The engine started, and the retro-style sports car sped away.

In the quiet carriage, Sephiroth waited.

Why is Angel here?

“You shouldn’t have come back now. A lot has happened recently,” Angier suggested as usual, but Sephiroth noticed a hint of confusion in his eyes. The fact that Angier showed such obvious hesitation meant that “a lot” really was a lot.

“I don’t recall you being so weak.”

Although he cares about Angier, Sephiroth's personality prevents him from expressing his emotions like a normal person.

Fortunately, they were friends after all, and Angel understood what Sephiroth meant.

“A project of the company has been leaked…” Angel looked up and stared straight at Sephiroth through the rearview mirror. “…It has something to do with you. You shouldn’t be going back to the rear from the front lines at this time. It’s too stupid…It also has something to do with me. When I found out, my expression was the same as yours right now. It froze on my face.”

A leak?! And it's related to me?!

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow; he suddenly understood what the subtle surveillance he'd been receiving along the way meant.

"what happened?"

"Regarding the [Psionic Organ] project, Genus discovered that one of the team members is progressing too far ahead of schedule. This team member is related to you; his name is Claude." Angel shifted his gaze back; he was also feeling quite uneasy.

Cloud, a third-class warrior of Shinra.

Sephiroth had worked with Cloud for a time; he was a very solitary fellow. During that time, Sephiroth admired Cloud's efforts and provided him with considerable assistance in his experiments. It is precisely for this reason that Sephiroth bears the suspicious stain.

If he hadn't been a first-class soldier, he would have been arrested and awaiting trial long ago.

Angel is the same.

Angeal's situation was even worse than Sephiroth's, because his protégé Zack was among those confirmed to have leaked information and betrayed the company. One can imagine Angeal's fury upon learning this, and his utter helplessness in the face of the company's security personnel.

“...A day ago, it was confirmed that Cloud had escaped, and there was also a traitor within the Investigation Department. I accepted the mission assigned by the Council to hunt down all the traitors! You are one of them too, Sephiroth. Among these people who have seriously damaged the company's interests, there is also someone you know.”

A faint flame flickered deep within his eyes; Angel's pent-up anger was now almost bursting.

He never imagined that Zack would do such a thing.

His girlfriend also played a crucial role in this. Angel now deeply regrets listening to Genesis and nipping the threat in the bud, letting that damned woman ruin Zack's life. Angel simply can't believe that innocent, energetic young man would betray the company!

"acquaintance?"

Sephiroth suddenly had a bad feeling; he didn't know many people.

"That's right, an acquaintance."

Yomi Mado, a staff member in the company's human resources department.

Preliminary investigations by the Investigation Department have confirmed that Mado Yomi assisted Zack, Cloud, and Sithne in this leak and defection incident. She provided them with supplies and information, and her residence contained numerous Shinra-era abandoned laboratories. Comparisons confirmed that the modified weapons and vehicles used by Zack and his companions originated from those abandoned supplies!

The only person who could provide it was Mado Yomi.

By this time, Sephiroth was numb; he truly hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

"She...didn't say anything?"

Sephiroth suddenly remembered something and pressed Angel for an answer. Her attitude, as the ultimate will of Shinra, determined everything!

“She didn’t say anything.” Angel, of course, knew who Sephiroth was referring to.

During this emergency meeting of the Shinra Council, the Speaker of the Shinra Council issued no orders regarding the defection, acting as if he hadn't even noticed it. The emergency meeting also had another purpose: to prepare for the "enemy."

"Instructions have been received."

Shinra didn't keep Sephiroth and Angeal waiting long. They didn't want their hero's reputation to be damaged, especially since he had just returned from the front lines. Therefore, they hoped Sephiroth would stay out of the conflict and that the trial would proceed based on evidence and testimony after the matter was resolved.

This is the attitude of Shinra's top management.

Sephiroth's involvement in this mess at this time is definitely not a wise move. Pursuing the defector might be interpreted as silencing him, while inaction might be seen as waiting for an opportunity, or even worse, as plotting rebellion, which would be disastrous.

Will you sit here obediently?

Angeal winked at his friend behind him; he didn't think Sephiroth would sit idly by. He watched everything unfold before finally standing on the judge's bench to await the cold pronouncement.

"of course not."

If things go as expected, Sephiroth's and Angeal's movements, as well as their personal terminals, are already being monitored by the company. Taking any action will require considerable effort. As a first-class warrior, the pinnacle of Shinra's military power, Sephiroth is arrogant but not foolish.

The Shinra's internal armed forces are still quite formidable. Every Shinra warrior, when combined with Mako Stone, can unleash astonishing power, not to mention the externally mounted weapons.

“But I need to find this acquaintance first and find out what happened. Only by grasping the truth can I better deal with the waves.” Sephiroth showed Angel the information about Mado Yomi, and after Angel glanced at it, he suddenly looked at Sephiroth with some suspicion.

They seemed to find it hard to believe that Sephiroth's hero assistant would be such an unattractive and rigid woman; it was too beneath them.

Chapter 112 Timing

Nothing is more hateful than a traitor.

Since its founding, Shinra has had very few instances of defection, and it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards traitors. To successfully eliminate traitors, it may deploy forbidden-level forces if necessary.

and so……

In response to the defection of Soldier Zack, Soldier Cloud, and Investigator Cisner, Shinra deployed a force large enough to wear them down, engaging them in a pursuit across the vast land. To prove his innocence, Soldier Angeal personally led the pursuit.

As for Mado Yomi...

This company member with a slightly special identity did not flee with Zack and the others, but continued to hide in Z City, playing hide-and-seek with the Shinra pursuers.

Z City, at this very moment.

"I don't have much time left."

Sakura Yomi sat opposite Saitama, knowing that Shinra's pursuers would attack again soon. She truly couldn't understand what was wrong with Yomi, allowing Shinra's pursuers to hunt her down; it was utterly incomprehensible. But since this incomprehensible thing had already happened, Sakura Yomi definitely needed to come up with a solution.

Saitama, this man is her solution.

"I know, I know, you're a very busy person." Mr. Saitama, who had successfully gone bald and become one of the bald heads in the crowd, had a dead fish-like look in his eyes. If Sakura Yomi hadn't come to his door, he wouldn't have wanted to see her.

Ding! !

His scalp was shiny and smooth, almost to the point of being reflective. One can only imagine the deep psychological trauma Saitama, who once possessed thick, black hair, must be experiencing now. He's even stopped coming to his usual free meals and drinks, and now wears a hat whenever he goes out.

"No, it's me who might die." I always feel that being around Saitama is causing my art style to change.

"Hmm? Mado-san, you must be very strong."

She's incredibly strong; Yomi Mado was exceptionally strong from the very beginning. Saitama could sense the terrifying power hidden beneath her slender body. This is why Saitama once jokingly challenged Yomi to a punch, and Yomi is the only human who could give Saitama a sense of impending injury.

"She's definitely strong, but the one who wanted to kill me was myself. I have to admit, she, who grew up in a different environment, isn't much worse than me." This body is the best proof. The awakening of the [Demon Contractor] is still a way to bypass the trap by finding another path.

Upon discovering the changes in this body, Sakura Yomi immediately deduced that Yomi was not only a [Sword Master], but also a [Demon Contractor], and that both were on the verge of awakening. Therefore, if Yomi were to use external forces to severely injure her, she could truly destroy her spiritual imprint while she was weakened!

Death is drawing near.