Chapter 276: Chapter 276: The frightened Varia
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"That... what is that!? Is it an illusion?!"
Belphegor, usually elegant and noble among Varia's guardians, was now trembling all over after seeing Levi's pitiful state. He quickly turned to Mamon, the most knowledgeable member of the team, and asked.
However...
All he received was a shake of Mamon's head.
"Though I am curious about what that creature is, I don't sense any trace of illusion, either from it or from that kid."
"So, what you're saying is..."
"That beam of light... it's that creature's own ability!?"
"How is this possible!?"
Belphegor couldn't help but hug himself in disbelief.
But in an instant, a spark of realization flashed through his mind.
"Wait a minute!!!"
Just as Cervello was about to declare that Levi had no strength left to continue and was about to announce Lambo as the winner of the battle...
Belphegor suddenly raised his hand and interrupted the declaration.
All eyes immediately turned to him.
The noble prince uncrossed his arms and revealed a sly smile.
"Referee, while it's true Levi has lost the ability to fight..."
"The real winner of this battle should be us, don't you think!?"
"Huh?"
The two Cervello referees raised their eyebrows.
Belphegor grinned and pointed at Flaaffy
"After all, the rules of a ring battle are 1VS1, but the opposing guardian used such a powerful external aid. Isn't that an obvious foul? Aren't they just bullying honest competitors!?"
"Yes!"
As Belphegor spoke, many Varia elites present immediately reacted.
Moments earlier, they had been stunned by Flaafy's power, but they had forgotten that this was not some regular mission where any means could be used...
...this was a refereed, orderly ring battle!!!
Thanks to Belphegor's realization, the surrounding elites began to stir.
"Lord Bell is right! This is a foul!"
"Using underhanded methods in such a sacred competition... they're unworthy of being Vongola's Tenth Generation!"
"They should be disqualified from the competition!"
"Foul! Foul! Foul!!!"
...
...
These were people who would do anything to achieve their goals. Now, seeing that the outcome could be overturned, they weren't going to miss the opportunity.
Listening to the rising protests around them, the two Cervello referees exchanged a glance.
They turned to look at Lambo and his Flaaffy, their eyes flashing. After a quick nod to each other, one raised his hand and announced loudly:
"Since Sawada Tsunayoshi and his Thunder Guardian, Lambo, relied on external forces to participate in the battle, the winner of this match is—"
"Wait a minute!!!"
A sudden voice interrupted Cervello's declaration once again.
This time, however, the owner of the voice was someone Cervello had to pay attention to.
The two slender black-robed referees turned sharply toward the sound.
One of them stepped forward and said:
"Lord Reborn, the ring battle is a sacred war of ritual. Even you cannot change the outcome of the match."
Faced with Reborn, a high-ranking and distinguished figure in the Vongola family, Cervello had to speak with respect.
However, their purpose was to maintain fairness and justice, so they would not back down easily.
But...
Reborn seemed unfazed by their respectful rejection and simply continued:
"I understand the purpose of the Cervello organization very well."
"But what I'm saying is..."
"Lambo didn't commit any foul!"
"What?"
The two referees looked stunned, and one quickly responded:
"But the Guardian of Thunder, clearly relied on a powerful external force to defeat his opponent. That is a serious violation of the rules!"
"Who said it was an external force!?"
Reborn raised his head, his tone firm.
"Um?"
Seeing Reborn's resolute stance, the two referees hesitated. After all, Reborn held considerable weight within the Vongola family, and he wasn't the type to bend the truth.
The female Cervello took a step forward, nodded to Reborn, and said:
"If that's the case..."
"Please explain."
...
Reborn smiled slightly, took off his hat, and showed it to the referees as he said:
"If Lambo's Flaaffy is actually like my Leon—a creature that assists in combat—doesn't that mean it's not external help?"
"This..."
The referees hesitated, but nodded slowly.
In this world, many individuals fight with companion creatures, like Reborn's Leon or Dino's Enzo.
There are even those who control humans or puppets in battle.
For such guardians, it's permitted to bring these creatures into ring battles.
However...
"I'm sorry, Lord Reborn."
"According to the records from Cervello, Lambo has never been noted to possess a companion creature within the Bovino family."
"And he's only been in Japan for three months. You'll need to provide proof that Lambo isn't using external aid."
After considering for a moment, Cervello replied firmly.
They weren't going to abandon their principles without solid proof.
Reborn, however, was unbothered by their response and simply grinned.
"Proof?"
He cast a glance at Tsuna and the others.
After looking around, he said slowly:
"If you want proof, I'll show it to you."
"Tsuna..."
"Yes!"
Tsuna, who had been waiting nearby, suddenly pulled out Pyroar's Pokéball from his pocket.
Without any hesitation, he summoned it.
Behind Tsuna, Takeshi, Hayato, Ryohei, and Kurom—along with the always indifferent Hibari—all drew their Pokéballs and summoned their Pokémon.
Suddenly!
A powerful pressure descended upon the space.
The air grew thick, almost suffocating.
For everyone in Varia, the weight brought on by the sudden appearance of six Pokémon made it hard to even breathe.
"Are you... kidding me?"
Belphegor's brow twitched, but his body instinctively took two steps back.
His gaze landed on Hibari's massive Onix.
Before, they had assumed Lambo used unique creatures to fight... but now, that didn't seem to be the case.
If each of these Pokémon had the same strength as Lambo's Flaafy...
Would they even have a chance at competing for the position of Vongola Leader!?
Faced with an overwhelming battle, even the crazed "prince" Belphegor, who would sacrifice anything for victory, couldn't help but step back.
Their only hope now was that these creatures weren't as powerful as Flaafy.
But...
Could that really be possible?
Even though Flaafy had entered its second stage of evolution, its gentle nature meant its combat prowess was slightly below that of other Pokémon bred for battle.
At that moment...
Reborn spoke again:
"Now, can it be proven that Lambo's Flaafy is a companion creature?"
"That... appears to be the case."
Cervello nodded.
It was clear now that these powerful monsters were the standard equipment for Sawada Tsunayoshi's guardians.
In that case, there was no longer any doubt about Flaafy's origin.
One of the Cervello referees raised her hand and, for the third time, announced:
"The second ring battle, the duel of the Thunder Guardians..."
"The winner: Sawada Tsunayoshi's team, Guardian of Thunder—Lambo!!!"
"YOSHAA! We won again!"
Hearing Cervello's declaration, Hayato clenched his fists in triumph.
Even though the outcome was expected, watching Tsuna move closer and closer to the leader's position made Hayato excited.
The others in Tsuna's group couldn't help but show signs of joy as well.
But in stark contrast...
The atmosphere on Varia's side had turned grim.
Levi had been carried off by medical staff.
Fortunately, his dedication to physical training had saved him. Thanks to his strong muscles and little immunity, he had survived Flaafy's devastating attack.
Though he would spend a long time recovering in the hospital, surviving such an overwhelming assault was a blessing in itself.
After two crushing defeats in a row, even the most arrogant of Varia could now see the strength gap between the two sides.
Squalo, who had chosen to follow XANXUS the moment he witnessed his flames, didn't hesitate to join him in a battle to the death.
So, despite the disparity in power, Squalo's eyes remained unchanged.
Belphegor, though a little fearful, tried to maintain his elegance despite the craziness in his heart and kept silent.
As for Mosca, being a robot, he naturally had no objections.
Only Mammon, who had joined Varia for money, now faced a dilemma.
To harness more of his power, he had spent a great deal of resources sealing the pacifier's abilities to accumulate more wealth.
Originally, he had planned to assist XANXUS in seizing power, thus gaining influence within the Vongola family.
With that influence, he would amass wealth and find a way to lift his curse.
But now...
His plan seemed to have a 90% chance of being ruined.
With this in mind, Mammon turned to XANXUS, who was still lounging in his grand chair:
"Boss, what do we do? Their strength far exceeds what we anticipated."
XANXUS frowned, his expression ferocious as always.
However, this was more a result of his habitual cold demeanor.
In reality...
After witnessing Tsuna's team's strength, XANXUS felt a deep chill, colder than anything he'd experienced before.
Not even when he was frozen by the Vongola Ninth had he felt this way.
Still, he refused to accept the "fate" Cervello had declared!
In response to Mammon's question, XANXUS growled, then looked up and said:
"What? As one of the Arcobaleno, are you afraid of someone else's strength?"
"Of course not…"
Mammon floated into the air, his ethereal form drifting in front of XANXUS.
As one of the Seven Strongest, Mammon's full power could easily terrify XANXUS's group.
But...
"This battle doesn't align with the compensation we initially agreed upon."
Mammon loved money, but he wasn't a fool.
He wasn't about to fight a billion-dollar battle for a mere fifty-dollar wage.
Regardless of his current strength, he needed to renegotiate his fee first.
"..."
XANXUS, not expecting Mammon's sudden demand, fell silent.
After a moment, he looked back at Mammon, his gaze cold.
"Fight in the next ring battle, and I'll double the original payment."
"And if you defeat the opposing Guardian, I'll add a bonus of five times the original reward!"
"Are you serious!?"
Even Mammon's pacifier began to flicker, emitting a faint light in response to his rising excitement.
...
...
While Mammon negotiated with XANXUS, Tsuna's group welcomed back Lambo, their "hero of the hour."
After a brief rest, Cervello returned to the center of the ring and announced:
"The third ring battle…"
"The Guardians of the Storm showdown!"
"We invite both Guardians of the Storm to enter the ring!"
"Guardians of the Storm!? Finally my turn!"
Hayato, who had been teasing Lambo alongside Tsuna, suddenly lit up with excitement!
He immediately stood tall and puffed out his chest.
How many times has this happened!?
Is this the first time!?
Finally, he had a chance to display his skills in front of Jūdaime before Takeshi could steal the spotlight!
Because of this, Hayato decided he would forgive the two Cervello girls for their earlier disrespect toward Tsuna...
Well...
He would forgive them 5% for now!
Fueled by excitement, Hayato quickly made his way to the ring.
Meanwhile...
Belphegor had a rather troubled look on his face.
Come on, you don't even know what's coming your way.
One of his seniors had their leg bone broken by a single punch.
Although the opponent's bones were mended and they were healed afterward, if you think about it, isn't that even more humiliating than just losing outright?
And then, there's the second one.
The loudmouth who never stopped talking and constantly flaunted his loyalty to the BOSS—as if the rest of them weren't loyal.
When he entered the ring, not only did his strongest attacks fail to harm the enemy, but he also became an easy target for the opponent to show off their strength, getting taken down with just one hit.
They say things come in threes, but Belphegor could only hope that the third guardian he faced wouldn't be as freakishly strong as the last two...