CHAPTER 472: CHAPTER 470 MR. AOZAWA IS TRULY A BORN ASSASSIN_1

Phoenix Academy Maggie was not afraid at all.

She leaned against Aozawa’s chest, purely out of shyness.

The sudden princess carry had left her mind a bit muddled.

Also, Aozawa’s right hand was in a very delicate position. She wanted to say something, yet felt it was inappropriate to do so.

Perhaps it was unintentional... Alright, I admit, the chances of it being unintentional are very low.

Aozawa’s fingers threaded under her armpit, reaching just above her chest. Three of his fingers pressed down slightly, making her crimson dress look as if it were swallowing them.

Due to the summer weather, the dress she wore was quite thin, as was her bikini underneath.

Together, they were probably only slightly thicker than paper. Under such pressure, she felt as if she could even feel the whorls of Aozawa’s fingerprints.

The usually formidable young miss was like a hedgehog that had fallen and exposed its soft belly, utterly defenseless.

She was completely at Aozawa’s mercy.

Phoenix Academy Maggie leaned her head on Aozawa’s shoulder, her breath growing hotter, more flustering than even the sunshine outside.

If the situation weren’t so inappropriate, Aozawa would have preferred to stroll leisurely to the door. However, to maintain the tense atmosphere, he still moved quickly to the castle entrance.

Sensing someone approaching, the huge door slowly opened.

Aozawa raced in, followed closely by Hojo Tetsuji.

"This door just opening for anyone isn’t good!"

Among the five, only Nomura True Wave was considering how to prevent the enemy from breaking in.

Unlike the two who were being princess-carried, their minds had completely lost the ability to think. As for those doing the carrying, their minds were even more devoid of any thoughts of the enemy.

Phoenix Academy Maggie snapped out of her daze and quickly leaped from Aozawa’s embrace.

Like smooth tofu slipping through his fingers, Aozawa wanted to catch her but suppressed the urge, a pang of regret in his heart.

If I’d known the young miss would react like this, my hand should have gone further down, not just testing the waters above. This was a dead loss.

"We can activate the defense system at the entrance," Phoenix Academy Maggie explained to the others. She then strode to the left, entered the password, and put the castle into defense mode.

BANG!

The main door slammed shut heavily. Then, BANG, BANG, BANG! Iron plates slid down, covering the stained-glass windows.

Layer upon layer of sturdy locks engaged from top to bottom, securely sealing the door.

Phoenix Academy Maggie’s security detail for this trip was not small; including Mike, there were twenty-one well-equipped men. However, they had been assigned to patrol outside and couldn’t be relied upon for the time being.

"Logically, this should be enough to hold them off, but we shouldn’t stay here."

Phoenix Academy Maggie then waved to the maids. "Don’t gather here. Everyone, hide on the top floor of the castle."

"We’re going to the castle’s armory to get guns for self-defense."

"Guns? I never thought I’d see the day I’d be holding a gun!"

Yoshikawa Sayuri’s face lit up with excitement. She imagined herself like 007 from the movies, wielding a gun and infiltrating the enemy’s lair. A few quick shots, every bullet hitting its mark, taking down a whole crowd of bad guys.

Nomura True Wave tapped her on the head. "Don’t fantasize about such impossible things. Are there any rocket launchers or anything like that?"

"No."

Phoenix Academy Maggie rolled her eyes at her.

Even wealthy people wouldn’t just keep rocket launchers at home. That thing is far too destructive. If a bodyguard held a grudge against their rich employer, a bulletproof vest wouldn’t save them.

「...」

Katsuhisa Shindo hadn’t forgotten his main objective for this trip. He wasn’t here to kill people; he was here to kidnap the eldest daughter of the Phoenix Academy family.

He ordered the burly Caucasian man and one Upper Ninja Level to deal with the troublesome bodyguard, while he, accompanied by two other Upper Ninja Level members, approached the castle.

Katsuhisa Shindo set down his backpack and took out military-grade C4 explosives, which the seller claimed to have acquired at a high price from U.S. Forces Japan.

Trying to blast open such a heavy iron door with just this would be difficult, but he could directly target the walls.

The stone walls clearly couldn’t be sturdier than an iron door.

BOOM!

Stone shrapnel scattered amidst the explosive shockwave. Billowing dust and smoke poured from the breach, as if the entire castle had been shaken to its foundations.

The deafening sound reverberated through every corner of the castle, and the ground beneath their feet trembled.

"Whoa!"

Yoshikawa Sayuri lost her footing and stumbled forward.

Hojo Tetsuji caught her shoulders just in time, preventing her from falling. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, n-no, I’m fine!" Yoshikawa Sayuri replied, her face flushing. She quickly ran forward, hoping the breeze from her movement would cool her hot cheeks.

Seeing this, Phoenix Academy Maggie felt an urge to make a sarcastic comment but suppressed it. I’m so conflicted. On one hand, I want to try letting Aozawa stay behind to cover our retreat. That would prove he’s not ordinary. But I’m also worried he’d be in danger. If Aozawa has no connection to Dio and isn’t from a Different World, wouldn’t staying behind be suicide?

After mulling it over, she decided it was best for everyone to fight together.

Phoenix Academy Maggie had trained with guns before, though she wasn’t old enough to qualify for a gun license yet.

She skillfully ran to the armory on the castle’s second floor and entered a password known only to her.

BEEP. The heavy iron door swung open, revealing an array of weapons: high-explosive grenades, flashbangs, sniper rifles, automatic rifles, and even a Minimi 7.62 Mk3 light machine gun.

"Wow, so cool!" Yoshikawa Sayuri’s face was alight with excitement.

Phoenix Academy Maggie herself was a little stunned. She only knew from her mother that there was an armory in the castle for self-protection in case of danger.

But Phoenix Academy Maggie had never opened it to look inside. She stepped forward, grabbed four bulletproof vests by their tags, and tossed them to the others. "First, put on these bulletproof vests, then the helmets."

Equipped from head to toe, Yoshikawa Sayuri cradled a cool-looking sniper rifle. Imitating the cold expression of a movie assassin, she said solemnly, "We will annihilate any enemy."

Her cool demeanor lasted less than two seconds before her face fell and she complained, "It’s so heavy!"

"Don’t even think about using that sniper rifle. Take this pocket pistol for self-defense. You won’t be able to handle the recoil from a weapon like that," Phoenix Academy Maggie stated, well aware that most people couldn’t even handle a gun’s recoil.

"Then I’ll use this one."

Aozawa picked up the Minimi 7.62 Mk3 machine gun.

With his physique, he didn’t need to worry about the recoil. He then strapped on an ammo box for easy reloading.

If I had sunglasses, I’d look just like a cold-blooded assassin.

Yoshikawa Sayuri’s eyes sparkled. "So cool!"

Seeing this, Hojo Tetsuji also chose a cool-looking sniper rifle, one with a caliber powerful enough to break an elephant’s leg with a single shot, and slung it over his shoulder.

Phoenix Academy Maggie equipped herself with a submachine gun and a belt of grenades around her waist.

Nomura True Wave’s loadout was similar to Yoshikawa Sayuri’s; both had pocket pistols.

Then, they all put on thermal imaging goggles.

Giving them to Nomura True Wave and Yoshikawa Sayuri was to prevent them from panicking at the sight of blood.

With thermal goggles on, the sight of killing people would be less frightening than watching a chicken being slaughtered.

Phoenix Academy Maggie waved her hand grandly. "Let the hunt begin!"

"Oh, Maggie, that line sounds just like something a movie protagonist would say!"

"I meant it to," Phoenix Academy Maggie said with a smile, then strode out, gun in hand.

「...」

After breaking into the castle, Hattori Saburo split from his employer, Katsuhisa Shindo, and their other companion to search for the target.

The castle’s interior was a labyrinth of corridors.

Door after door led to room after room. As the searcher, Hattori Saburo had to open every single one and meticulously check inside.

Even if a room seemed empty, he had to check any place large enough to hide a person, like cabinets, under tables, or behind sofas.

Hattori Saburo hurried to the second floor, feeling frustrated.

The employer’s advance reconnaissance was too sloppy. They didn’t clarify the castle’s internal layout beforehand, nor the target’s location. How long will it take me to find them in such a huge castle?

Hattori Saburo paused at the top of a staircase, carefully using a small mirror to ensure the corridor ahead was clear.

He swiftly moved forward, approaching a door. For this type of smart lock, he just needed to swipe it with a virus-loaded keycard.

BEEP. The door opened instantly. Hattori Saburo rolled inside, quickly scanning his surroundings. It was a study.

Rows of bookshelves stood neatly. The iron plates lowered over the stained-glass windows blocked all sunlight, leaving the room quite dim.

No one.

Hattori Saburo searched the area thoroughly but found nothing, feeling quite disappointed.

Damn it, was it necessary to build such a large fortress for a mistress?

The question flickered through Hattori Saburo’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Ninjas don’t need to think about such things; we just need to complete the mission.

Hattori Saburo was about to leave when he heard footsteps. He froze, then placed the mirror on the floor to see who was approaching.

Staring at the mirror on the ground, its angled position allowed him to see a young man rounding the corner.

The young man had handsome features and was clearly fully equipped from head to toe. He carried a machine gun and had an ammo box strapped to his back.

What?! Seeing the enemy’s gear, Hattori Saburo broke into a cold sweat. It was as if he could see his late older brother, Takayuki Hattori, beckoning to him from the afterlife.

This kind of firepower is insane!

But he quickly spotted an opening: the enemy had thermal imaging goggles on his helmet but wasn’t wearing them over his eyes.

Hattori Saburo made a swift decision. He had to eliminate this machine-gun-wielding young man.

There’s no retreat for me now. The windows are covered with iron plates. Hiding in this room is like being a sitting duck. If I want to live, I have to try to take out the enemy. The enemy’s firepower is one thing, but combat awareness is even more crucial.

He quickly took a flash grenade from his backpack, pulled the pin, and tossed it out.

During the Time Stop, a monochrome filter seemed to descend over the corridor. Aozawa flipped his thermal imaging goggles down over his eyes.

The Time Stop ended. A blinding white light flared.

Hattori Saburo rushed out, just as he was about to open fire.

Aozawa pulled the trigger.

RAT-TAT-TAT! A burst of machine-gun fire erupted. The ground and the man’s body erupted with impacts, like stones dropped onto a lake’s surface, creating splashes.

Only here, the splashes were of mud and blood.

Hattori Saburo, riddled with bullets, collapsed.

Aozawa whistled. "One down. Let’s keep moving."

Yoshikawa Sayuri exclaimed in amazement, "Mr. Aozawa, you’re a natural-born assassin!"

"Just alright, I guess," Aozawa replied modestly.