Chapter 246

Nagumo and Oki trade strikes at blistering speed. Nagumo brings out the scythe he once used against Gaku to hide his invisible blade, while Oki answers with a red naginata crowned by a golden dragon, a weapon that folds away inside his coat. When Oki springs back to steady himself, Nagumo loops a chain around him and hooks the far end to a passing truck, then waves a mocking farewell. Oki refuses to leave alone, seizing Nagumo's collar so both are yanked down the road, feet scraping asphalt as they keep swinging.

Switching to a pair of daggers keen enough to punch through an SUV roof and tough enough to survive Yotsumura's staff, Nagumo is flung by a sharp turn and smashes through the roof of a river dining boat, dropping onto a table of startled diners before politely offering to pour their drinks. Oki, dunked in the water, climbs aboard and scolds Nagumo's manners, insisting a bottle's label face upward when serving an elder. Nagumo throws the glass at his face; Oki cleaves it in midair, and Nagumo presses him on why he ever sided with Slur.

Between blows Oki confesses he cannot bear to watch gifted killers die, praising Osaragi's brutal training and Shishiba's mastered hammer, calling refined killing intent a beautiful thing. He argues that assassins are dwindling and the association's stale ways are letting the art he adores rot, so he will happily throw society into chaos and clasp hands with old enemies if it revives demand for their work. Finding the logic impossible, Nagumo watches Oki wreck the boat's controls; the craft rockets ashore, tears through barricades and glass doors, and halts inside a busy casino, where Nagumo grins and asks if they should play a round.

Nagumo chains Oki to a truck, only for both to be dragged along together. The fight tumbles from the roadway into a river boat and Nagumo cycles through his multi-function weapons. Oki reveals his motive, a belief that spreading chaos will revive the fading craft of assassination, which is why he joined forces with old foes. The runaway boat plows off the water and comes to rest in the middle of a casino floor.

The Japanese title, Shishiba ga Itteta, translates to Shishiba Said and nods to Nagumo quoting a remark from his colleague mid-fight. The fifteen-page chapter ran on February 2, 2026 in the 10, 2026 issue, tied to Volume 28. Oki and Nagumo headline the cover; Shishiba, Kei Uzuki, and Osaragi are named in passing. It follows Chapter 245 and continues into Chapter 247.