I am the protagonist

"My unusualness and his unusualness."

“We are like destined rivals. Only he can defeat me and completely free me from this prison.”

"Until this fate is resolved, we will always be adversaries, which is perhaps why he and I have always stood on opposite sides."

Lady Byakuran...

At that moment, everyone could feel Lord Byakuran's longing for liberation.

"Lord Byakuran, we will follow you to the very end."

"Even if that's our last battle."

Kikyo and the others abandoned their usual casualness and knelt on one knee before Lord Byakuran.

Since Lord Byakuran says that this world is a prison of bondage, then they will accompany Lord Byakuran to the end of this world.

Bai Lan looked down at her guardians and a slight smile appeared on her face.

"Perhaps it would be better if I didn't tell you these things, otherwise you would all be dying with me, wouldn't you?"

"Ugh! Bai Lan, that big idiot!"

Lily leaped onto Byakuran, her small fists pounding menacingly on his chest.

"If Bai Lan already finds this world so boring, then this world has no value to us either."

"Even if we're going to die, we'll still have to fight them properly."

"If the Vongola's side is strong enough, let's cause a real ruckus and meet again ten years from now!"

Lily of the Valley's words left Byakuran slightly dazed.

"...Really? We met again after ten years. I wonder if we'll ever have that chance again."

If given another chance, Byakuran would definitely pursue something that interests him instead of being bound by the curse of 73.

Perhaps that child might have some ideas.

Yuni's image appeared in Bai Lan's mind.

That child is probably searching for her own soul now; she'll appear before me when the time comes.

[But this is fine too. Let me see how you handle the final farce.]

Now that Byakuran has decided to end the prison that has bound him for so long, let this be the final game.

"Then let's prepare properly."

"This is my last farce, but I don't know if Sawada Tsunayoshi will continue to play along with me."

A slow smile spread across Bai Lan's lips.

"Eeya, you'll probably keep playing with me, right?"

"Because in this world, you and I are the only people who are the same."

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Lessons Learned in Battle

"The three of them are in almost the same situation: they are strong enough, but their combat experience is almost zero."

After watching for a few moments, Tsunayoshi understood just how much Yamamoto and his crew needed real combat experience to hone their skills.

"True strength can only be honed through real combat."

In terms of pure strength, Sasagawa, Gokudera, and Yamamoto have all surpassed the Phantom Knight, but their combat experience is not even a fraction of the Phantom Knight's.

The practical experience that is almost invisible to the naked eye is difficult to explain.

Sometimes, the standard for measuring strength in a battle is not strength or weakness, but rather the richness or shallowness of experience.

Those with rich combat experience can calmly face various problems, while those with little combat experience will be completely bewildered in certain situations. This is the obvious difference in combat experience.

"Boss, will they gain a lot of combat experience from this battle?"

"this time?"

"They can gain some combat experience from this battle with the Phantom Knights, but it's still not enough for them to grow rapidly."

Despite the fact that the Phantom Knight was fighting them on equal terms, he wasn't actually using his full strength.

Currently, the only experience that can be accumulated is melee combat experience. The only way to accumulate real combat experience is through actual combat.

"What Gokudera and the others need to truly become stronger is not just the kind of combat experience that comes with a gentle breeze, but the kind of combat experience that comes with bloodshed."

"Chrome, you should understand now that you've been through one battle."

Chrome nodded slightly.

"Of course, Boss."

Chrome couldn't have imagined how much improvement a rare combat experience could bring, but this time she finally understood.

"Although it was just a battle against someone weaker than myself, my mind became clearer after that battle, and I became faster when using illusions."

The key is that bloody experience.

"There was another time... not a good memory, it made me sad for a while."

But at this moment, Chrome was grateful to the people she had killed for giving her this rare experience.

"Everyone is like this the first time."

"I told you before not to push yourself, but you still did it anyway."

"Because... I don't want to be a burden to the Boss."

Tsuna shook his head helplessly; this was the downside of Chrome being too dependent on him.

“I have never considered you a burden.”

“I know that Boss has always been a very gentle person, and even if I do that, he won’t see me as a burden… but I don’t want to be a burden either.”

Only for Boss Chrome can I work even harder.

I want to hear praise from the boss.

I want to get more attention from the boss.

To achieve this goal, Chrome needs to continuously grow stronger; only by constantly growing stronger can he be qualified to stand by the Boss's side forever.

Because of this craving, Chrome needs power even more.

That's why Chrome is so actively pursuing power at this moment.

Unlike others, Chrome's pursuit of power was solely for the sake of the person who would warm and care for her.

"Boss, can't I do this?"

What else could Tsunayoshi say?

Does saying "no" at this point completely break a girl's heart?

Tsuna doesn't think he can be ruthless to himself yet.

With a hint of helplessness, he ruffled Chrome's hair.

"Just do it your way."

Chrome immediately broke into a bright smile.

"Hey lawnhead, how strong is the Phantom Knight?"

"...So strong."

"It's ridiculously strong."

Gokudera, watching the ongoing battle, already had a certain answer in his mind.

Are they holding back their full strength against us because they're wary of the Tenth Boss?

However, the fact that this Phantom Knight could fight Sasagawa to a standstill without using his full strength shows that his power is indeed beyond my expectations.

Gokudera then realized what was happening.

Is it because of a difference in experience?

In terms of pure strength, none of us are weaker than the Phantom Knight, yet we are only able to be held back by the Phantom Knight when he hasn't even shown his full power. This must be due to a huge gap in combat experience.

The astute Gokudera understood the gap between them and the Phantom Knights.

Even though Gokudera understands this, he also knows that this gap cannot be easily bridged.

[The Tenth Generation Leader knew this, which is why he wanted us to gain some experience while the Phantom Knight was being held back.]

[I see. This is what the Tenth Boss wanted.]

A glint flashed in Gokudera's eyes.

As long as Irie Shoichi's identity remains unrevealed, he will definitely be protected. As the person protecting Irie Shoichi in this base, the Phantom Knight will certainly be subject to some constraints.

The reason why the Phantom Knight didn't unleash a fatal attack from the very beginning is because of this.

In this kind of atmosphere, they can better absorb the experience of fighting the Phantom Knights and thus grow rapidly.

The Tenth Boss knew this from the very beginning, which is why he had the three of us act together.

Gokudera knew that this was the Tenth Boss's way of training them.

[Tenth Generation Boss, I won't waste your efforts.]

At that moment, Gokudera opened his eyes wide and stared intently at the battle between Yamamoto and the Phantom Knight.

Two sharp swords clashed, and without resorting to deadly moves, the contest was a battle of combat experience and superb swordsmanship.

At this moment, however, the Phantom Knight was in great distress.

This guy actually mastered my fighting style so quickly.

Yamamoto Takeshi had been watching his fight with Sasagawa Ryohei the whole time, but the Phantom Knight hadn't expected that this man would absorb the knowledge so quickly.

The swordplay became sharper, and even the sword techniques themselves began to reduce unnecessary movements.

All the swords were swung at my weaknesses, and they gradually saw through my illusion.

In a one-against-three situation, Phantom Knight is naturally somewhat safe.

Unable to use large-scale illusions, the Phantom Knight conservatively uses illusions only in his melee combat, and even then, only a very small amount.

Sasagawa Ryohei was initially controlled by his illusion magic as well.

However, when facing Yamamoto Takeshi, the Phantom Knight clearly felt that his illusion had been seen through.

[That's the kind of response Sasagawa Ryohei would use!]

In the previous match against Sasagawa Ryohei, his opponent also saw through his illusion in the latter half of the game and used the Dying Will Flame to break free from the controlled situation.

[Sasagawa Ryohei used the Sunfire to enhance his five senses, forcibly freeing himself from the illusion.]

Having dodged the sword strike, the Phantom Knight maintained a safe distance as he looked at his own sword.

[Yamamoto Takeshi used Rain Flame to slow down my illusionary techniques, thus allowing him to see through them.]

These guys... truly live up to their reputation as guardians of the Vongola.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: A Frank Admission

The illusion was seen through, and the swordsmanship was suppressed, but the Phantom Knight knew that he still held a certain degree of advantage.

My only advantage is my combat experience.

The Phantom Knight sensed Sasagawa Ryohei's hidden strength during the battle.

These creatures conceal astonishing deathly flames.

[Everyone's death flames, in both quality and quantity, far surpass mine.]

However, his combat experience is clearly insufficient.

Thanks to his extensive combat experience, the Phantom Knight was able to easily defeat Sasakawa Ryohei using only a small amount of illusion magic.

However, seeing these people constantly gaining combat experience in battle made him unconsciously feel murderous.

[…Be patient; Lord Irie is still in their hands.]

If Vongola X could kill Alice ten years ago, then he would definitely not show any mercy to Lord Irie.

The murderous intent in the Phantom Knight's heart flashed and disappeared in an instant.