Clang!
Two short blades, both suited for assassination, clashed at close range with a sharp, metallic ring.
"Looks like you're not exactly gifted in raw strength either," Kirito said coolly. Holding his dagger in a reverse grip, he locked blades with his opponent, the two of them deadlocked. Their strength was nearly identical, neither could overpower the other.
"How did you… spot me?" the assassin growled, eyes sharp and vicious as they locked onto Kirito. He was clearly rattled by being discovered.
"There's no need for you to know," Kirito replied calmly.
In truth, he had only realized the presence of an enemy because of the system's mission log. This A-rank mission, to protect Asuna, was marked by phase-based progress indicators. When he stopped the merchant group earlier and watched them retreat in panic, the mission progress suddenly ticked forward by 5%.
That slight jump was suspicious. Logically speaking, even if Kirito hadn't intervened, the merchants, being regular civilians, shouldn't have posed a real threat. Hinata alone, though still a genin, was more than enough to handle them. And Asuna wasn't exactly helpless either.
Yet despite that, the system still recorded a 5% completion, indicating that a real threat to Asuna's safety had been neutralized.
That alone had convinced Kirito to tail the group, and now his suspicions were confirmed.
The system rewarded him with one extra attribute point, which he had immediately invested into Strength, his weakest stat. The boost was obvious: despite having the body of a 13- or 14-year-old, Kirito now possessed physical power nearly on par with a grown adult.
His opponent, clearly another assassin, specialized in speed and precision. But like Kirito, he lacked brute force. With the added strength point, Kirito could match him blow for blow.
Clang! Sensing time was against him, the assassin grew increasingly anxious. Konoha's forces might arrive at any moment. The longer he dragged this out, the worse his odds became. With a grunt, he forcibly disengaged and leapt back, reaching into his belt.
From a summoning scroll, he drew out a clawed gauntlet, razor-sharp and clearly laced with a faint green sheen of poison. Without hesitation, he lunged, slashing straight at Kirito's chest.
Clang! Kirito had no intention of parrying such a weapon with a mere dagger. In one swift motion, he summoned his unnamed Zanpakutō, currently in its asauchi form. Even so, its edge and durability were impeccable. He blocked the strike with ease.
Kirito's eyes narrowed. That green shimmer… there was poison on those claws.
"A classic assassin's trick," he muttered. "Not that I'm in any position to criticize."
Tightening his grip on the sword, Kirito twisted the blade sharply. With a sudden snap, one of the claw's fingers broke clean off.
"Wha, ?!" The assassin's eyes widened in shock. Up until now, Kirito had fought using short weapons and quick strikes, an assassin's style. He hadn't expected him to suddenly switch to a full-length blade.
"I'd keep my head in the fight if I were you." Kirito's tone remained composed, even as he bore down harder with the sword.
Now that their strength was roughly equal, Kirito's longer weapon gave him a slight edge. As the broken claw tip fell, he lifted a foot and kicked it, sending the poisoned shard hurtling toward the assassin's face.
"Damn it!" The man's face twisted. He knew how deadly that poison was. Even a scratch would disable someone in seconds.
Twisting his body midair, he barely dodged the flying tip, but doing so ruined his balance. Kirito seized the moment.
Thud! With a clean upward motion, he knocked the gauntlet clean off. Then, pivoting smoothly, he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick straight to the assassin's chest.
"Ugh!" The assassin was launched backward, skidding across the ground. Furious and breathing hard, he forced himself up. He was losing, and he knew it. He excelled in stealth and quick kills, not frontal combat. But what he didn't realize was that Kirito wasn't all that great at it either.
The difference was that Kirito had gained just enough of an edge.
If he kept fighting, Konoha reinforcements would arrive any minute. He couldn't afford to stall any longer.
His eyes flicked with hesitation. Then, reaching for his waist, he pulled out a scroll.
The massive kanji for "Blade" glowed at the center, surrounded by complex sealing formulas. With a surge of chakra,
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh, ! Dozens of shuriken and kunai erupted from the scroll in a rapid-fire barrage.
Cling cling cling cling cling! But Kirito was no amateur. He was a master of projectile weapons. His blade danced like a blur, deflecting the incoming rain of steel with swift, efficient strikes.
"Tch!" The assassin clicked his tongue. Even this tactic had failed.
He hurled one final explosive tag to create an opening, then turned and fled.
Kirito, of course, had already seen through the move.
The explosion posed no threat, he sidestepped the blast with ease. But by the time the smoke cleared, the enemy was already a hundred meters away.
"You think you can run after everything you've done?" Kirito's expression chilled. In one smooth motion, he summoned the M700 lightweight sniper rifle, raising it with practiced familiarity.
Through the scope, he locked onto the fleeing figure.
The assassin turned to glance behind him. He didn't see Kirito giving chase, only standing still, holding something unfamiliar.
"Hmph. What's that supposed to do?" he sneered. "You think just standing there, "
Bang!
The sound rang out, sharp and clean.
Suddenly, his left leg went numb.
Crash! He slammed into the ground, tumbling hard from full sprint.
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