I am the protagonist

That's right, this is common knowledge that everyone who uses the Death Flame knows: control can only slightly increase one's strength, but it cannot significantly increase one's strength.

However, note the "but" here.

Few people who use the Death Flame can master its power. Why is that?

The biggest reason lies in this control.

Perhaps control cannot significantly improve one's strength, but improving control is the key to this stage. Only when control reaches its peak will it become the stepping stone to truly becoming a strong person.

Only a few people in history have been able to understand this principle; at least in the history of Vongola, only Vongola I and his guardians have been able to do so.

He brought his control over himself to the extreme, and then deeply developed and explored the power of the Dying Will Flame, making full use of its abilities.

Those who are unaware of this will simply disregard self-control like Dino, or believe that a certain level of self-control is sufficient and that there is no need to deliberately spend time training it.

"Boss, look over there."

"Ok?"

"Valia...how did they get to the island nation?"

Dino was a little confused about what was going on with Varia's actions. He remembered that Tsuna had been making major changes within the Vongola recently, and Varia had a lot of work to do. They didn't have time to come to the island nation right now.

"Boss, should we go ask Mr. Sawada?"

"Tsuna? Hmm, he should know why Varia and the others came to the island nation."

Now that Tsuna is the Vongola X, Varia certainly won't hide anything from him when taking action, no matter what his reasons are.

Dino shook his head after thinking about it for a moment.

"Forget it, let's not get involved. Perhaps Varia is in the island nation on some mission?"

"That's possible, given the significant changes that have occurred within the Vongola recently."

"Then we don't need to worry about it. After all, this is something Tsuna is handling, and it wouldn't be good if we interfered."

Varia's arrival must signify something, but Dino didn't want to know the reason for Varia's arrival. After all, Tsuna had already succeeded to the throne, so could Varia have other ideas?

Chapter 252 A Reminder to Obsidian

The next morning.

Tsuna and Chrome still left the house together.

"Tsuna, how's Chrome's training going?"

"The progress is very good. Chrome has a talent for Rain Flame that surpasses Mist Flame. Whether it is purity, quantity or control, he has reached a level that can be climbed. Now there is only the last stage left."

"The progress is faster than I expected."

“This speed is normal. Chrome has already pushed illusion magic to its limits in her previous training. Her control over illusion magic has reached a level beyond the limit. Now it will be very easy for her to master another kind of death flame.”

"However, Chrome's Rain Flame and her Mist Flame are really compatible, and the Rain Flame and Mist Flame have an extraordinary synergy."

The synergy between the Mist Flame and the Rain Flame is simply perfect. Even Tsuna was startled when he first encountered them, and was easily pulled into a genjutsu by Chrome.

"When Chrome used illusions on me before, it was much easier to pull me into the illusion than before, which initially startled me."

"Even you fell for it so easily?"

Such results exceeded Reborn's expectations.

"A pure illusion attack, using the calming effect of Rain Flame as anesthesia, so much so that I couldn't even realize that I had been controlled by the illusion at that moment... Simply put, it's like using hallucinogens and sedatives together, but the effect is multiplied."

Even Tsunayoshi was taken aback by this.

He already knew that the effects of multiple Death Flames could be stacked, and Gokudera's fighting style showed just how powerful the stacking of multiple Death Flames was. However, this effect seemed to be amplified particularly in illusions.

[If D had focused on researching the Flames of Mist and the Flames of Rain, he would already be very strong simply by using illusions. Instead of properly utilizing his own abilities, he put his mind to the power of the Avengers. He's really putting the cart before the horse.]

[Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he has all the attributes? If he really thinks that way, then I have to say that such a thought is truly idiotic.]

The key is not how many attributes of the Dying Will Flame you master, but whether you can bring its power to its fullest potential.

If D had been able to unleash the full potential of all twelve types of Dying Will Flames, even Tsunayoshi would have had a headache.

It is extremely difficult to fight against someone who has mastered twelve ultimate abilities. Even if the Convergence can nullify any of the Dying Will Flames' abilities, things will become very troublesome if D has a variety of attack methods.

Furthermore, since D's main attribute is mist, if mist is used as the primary element in battle and all other attributes are used as support, then Tsuna is certain that he may only be able to fight a protracted battle with D. Without revealing his time, he may only be able to wear D down by using a massive amount of Dying Will Flame.

"Boss."

"Ah."

Tsuna looked at the four people and a baby walking towards him.

“Joshima Inu, Kosato Mami, Kakimoto Chisuke, Rokudo Mukuro, and Verdy.”

"Rokudo Mukuro and Verde, you two are quite an interesting combination, a cunning and treacherous duo?"

"Who are the cunning and treacherous duo?"

This kind of explanation made Rokudo Mukuro feel a little uncomfortable.

"Whoever responds is the one who gets the response."

Tsuna's gaze fell on Verde. He was very interested in this little baby who was good at developing technology. In theory, this little baby could really make a lot of interesting things, and the changes in the new era were basically due to the inventions of these scientists.

"Verdy, you're very interesting."

"There are very few people in this world who can bring technology to this level, but it seems that you are focusing too much on your own mind."

"Hmm~ No wonder you teamed up with Rokudo Mukuro. Is it because Rokudo Mukuro can make up for your shortcomings in this area? No wonder Rokudo Mukuro agreed to team up with you. Is it because your technology can provide him with greater assistance?"

"They truly are a cunning and treacherous duo; they've got a lot on their minds."

"..."

Sawada Tsunayoshi had already said everything, and the feeling of having their lines stolen was really unpleasant for both of them.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, you really know things very well."

"Heh~ I know all about your affairs, including your plan to materialize illusions... but is this one of your conditions?"

Rokudo Mukuro and Verde's expressions finally changed at this moment.

"Your expression changed~"

The two forced themselves to suppress their emotions.

"Well, if you want to keep playing, you can continue. I don't mind playing with you."

"Such an indifferent tone, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Have you become that confident?"

"I don't need to be that confident. Even now I can say that even if only Chrome were to take action, Obsidian would be completely at your mercy."

"This is not about confidence, but about stating a fact."

Unfounded self-confidence is a sign of arrogance and haughtiness, and Tsuna would not have such feelings.

But Tsuna knew everything, including the combined abilities of Rokudo Mukuro and Verde, and even had some predictions about the level they could reach in the future.

Only after conducting comprehensive and targeted research were Tsuna able to determine the current level of Obsidian and how many people would be needed to completely wipe them out.

This is not a display of confidence, but rather a statement of fact.

Rokudo Mukuro narrowed his eyes. He could clearly sense that the Sawada Tsunayoshi in front of him was not the one he had dealt with before.

This guy is much more eloquent than before.

I always thought this guy's way of talking was infuriating, but even after getting out of that state, he can still use this infuriating way of speaking.

Rokudo Mukuro remembered that Sawada Tsunayoshi had said some very arrogant things in front of him when he entered Dying Will Mode. Now, these words may not sound as arrogant as before, but the single word "fact" is already extremely arrogant.

"Well, I'll just give you guys a heads-up."

"remind?"

"That's right, here's an important reminder for you naive folks. Don't take this game lightly. They won't lay a hand on my people, but you Black Obsidian aren't mine, so all of you except for Mami Kosato could die."

"Try to figure out a way to save your life from those people."

Chapter 253 Strikes at Rokudo Mukuro's Sore Spot

"them?"

Tsuna had no intention of answering the question.

"As for who [they] are, you'll have to find out for yourself. The waters of Alcbareno run very deep, far more complex than you imagine."

"After I tell you this, you should be even more interested in this matter. After all, scientists' curiosity about the unknown will not be reduced by danger, and they may even risk their lives because of their curiosity."

"However, since the scientist is Alcobaleno, he won't be killed in this game. As for the others..."

Tsuna gave Rokudo Mukuro a helpless look.

"You can choose to pray; it might help."

"Do you want us to pray to God for salvation?"

"No, I just hope that you can get help from God."

These words immediately caused the veins on Rokudo Mukuro's forehead to throb.

Pray to God?

If God truly existed, then there would be far fewer tragedies in this world.

To say that you pray to God is absolutely a joke.

"Provocation? Declaration of war?"

"You'd better not say these things, because some words, once spoken, may never be taken back."

Rokudo Mukuro was feeling immense pressure at that moment.

Regardless of whether Sawada Tsunayoshi was telling the truth, he had gained some understanding of this proxy war.

Who exactly are the "them" that Sawada Tsunayoshi is referring to?

[And about Chrome... Has that kid become this strong already?]

Tsuna walked over to Rokudo Mukuro and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Not bringing that child back was your biggest mistake. If you had teamed up with him, given his talent, the chances of winning would have been much higher. It's such a pity."

"...Franc?"

As Fran's mentor in the field of illusion ten years later, Rokudo Mukuro knew better than anyone just how exceptional the child's talent had become.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, when did I become someone who relies on that child's talent in your eyes?"

"Isn't that right? To materialize an illusion, it takes more than one person's efforts. The technology developed by Verde is one aspect, but you also need a very skilled sorcerer to help you fully materialize your illusion. Don't you have any thoughts of relying on him?"

Rokudo Mukuro was rendered speechless by this soul-searching question.

Did he really not have that thought? No, he already had that thought when he was thinking about going to find Fran.

Fran's illusionary talent is exceptional. If Fran could be brought into Obsidian, it would naturally elevate the entire strength of Obsidian to a higher level... However, this idea is simply a reliance on Fran's talent.

"You wouldn't have thought this way in the past, would you?"

Rokudo Mukuro's expression turned even more unpleasant.

"You choose to shoulder everything yourself because you believe you can bear all the burdens, so you don't have the idea of ​​relying on others."

"So when did you start having this idea of ​​relying on other people?"

"Don't you know the reason yourself?"

"Because you already know that your strength has weakened and you can no longer compete with those around you, you can only rely on the talent and strength of others."

At this moment, Rokudo Mukuro was also greatly shocked, because he knew that Sawada Tsunayoshi was telling the truth, but it was precisely because the truth was so harsh that the impact was even greater.

This guy... he's ruthless.

Verde could tell that this was a verbal attack launched by Sawada Tsunayoshi against Rokudo Mukuro's mind, not pressure in terms of strength, but rather an attempt to crush Rokudo Mukuro by using his own changes.

"Instead of provoking me, I think you should think about how to get yourself out of this situation. Think about when you started having these thoughts, how these cowardly ideas came about, otherwise you've already reached the end of your road."

Tsuna's voice wasn't particularly heavy, but to Rokudo Mukuro, it sounded heavier than any other word.

"You clearly despise these parasites who depend on others, yet now you've become the very kind of person you hate most. Isn't that ironic?"

His calm words were like sharp blades, leaving Rokudo Mukuro's heart scarred.

"Think carefully about why you have such parasitic thoughts. At least don't continue to act this annoying next time we meet."