Chapter 25: The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist (Part 4)
"Samehada — Flying Chain Slash!"
Fuguki Suikazan gripped Samehada and swung it hard. In an instant, the sword's handle extended dozens of meters, writhing like a chain. The wrappings around the blade came undone at once, revealing Samehada's sharp spikes as it skimmed rapidly across the ground and shot straight toward Might Duy.
Damn it!
Watching Samehada hurtle toward him, Might Duy desperately wanted to react—but all his body gave him in return was a piercing, bone-deep agony. The intense pain made his brows knit tightly, his teeth grinding together.
The blade was getting closer and closer—
And just then—
"Komai, stop him!"
The sudden voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
Along with it came a black shadow.
Hearing Chizuki's command, Komai lifted her beautiful eyes slightly. Then, with a light tap of her toes against the ground, she moved gracefully like a drifting lotus step, her body transforming into a blur as she launched a sudden attack on Fuguki Suikazan.
The distance between them was no more than a dozen meters, but for Komai's speed, that was only a matter of moments. In the flicker of her figure, she had already entered striking range.
Noble Phantasm — Release!
Faced with this girl suddenly attacking him, Fuguki Suikazan relied on the instincts forged through countless battles. His right hand jerked, and Samehada—still suspended in midair—shuddered violently, as if hearing its master's summons, and turned to fly back toward him.
Maria the Ripper!
Feeling the force of wind attacking from behind, Komai seemed not to notice it at all. With a flip of her delicate hand, four sharp surgical knives materialized out of thin air. In the blink of an eye, they formed completely, surrounding Fuguki Suikazan from different angles.
And then, along with them, four more images of Komai appeared—each one standing where a knife was, gripping it in hand.
Maria the Ripper — Dismembering Mother!
In a single flash, five figures wove around Fuguki Suikazan with different attack trajectories. The sharp knife tips pierced through the air's resistance, stabbing toward his heart from multiple directions at the same time.
Although the current conditions did not fulfill all three requirements, a Noble Phantasm had never been judged solely by rank.
"So fast…"
Even a powerhouse like Fuguki Suikazan was shocked by the speed of this attack. At such close range, completely dodging it was obviously impossible. And her assault was so fierce that no matter how he tried to evade, it felt as if his heart would still be torn apart.
Sensing Komai's offensive pressure, Fuguki Suikazan felt a wave of helplessness.
After all, he had already been fighting that monster of a Konoha genin for so long. This sudden sneak attack had caught him completely off guard.
Damn it, if that monster hadn't already drained so much of my chakra and stamina—
Slash—
In the next instant, the five figures crossed past one another in midair. Blood sprayed out as though it cost nothing, splattering onto the earth. Having lost its wielder's control, Samehada dropped weakly to the ground.
As for Fuguki Suikazan—
His heart had been pierced straight through. His eyes were wide open, his pupils rolling white, and he collapsed to his knees, unconscious.
"You bastard! Damn you!"
Seeing Fuguki Suikazan fall to such a sneak attack, Raiga Kurosuki's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared in fury.
In his rage, he crossed the twin Lightning Blades together. Chakra surged wildly through his body, while the sound of thunder gathered around Kiba. Terrifying blue-white arcs of electricity danced wildly across the blades.
"Lightning Blade Art — Falling Thunder!"
With that furious shout, the accumulated lightning power converged together, gradually taking shape like a thunder dragon being born. Countless bolts of lightning became the scales across its body. Accompanied by waves of draconic roars, it charged toward Komai with overwhelming force.
Seeing the violent might contained within the incoming thunder dragon, Komai's expression shifted slightly. She let out a soft breath, and a trace of chill flashed through her eyes.
Meanwhile, seeing this, Chizuki's face also darkened. One hand quietly rose to the three Command Seals on the back of his left hand.
These three Command Seals had appeared the moment Chizuki summoned Jack the Ripper—Komai. Back then, Chizuki had asked the system whether they had any special effects, and the answer had made him smile faintly.
"Ding. These three Command Seals symbolize the host's identity as a Master. In addition to the initial three, the host will gain one Command Seal each time a Servant is summoned. The host may not only use Command Seals to forcibly command Servants, but may also use them to place Servants into special states."
That was the system's explanation regarding the Command Seals.
Among those many states was one called [Powerful Protection]—consuming one Command Seal to release an A+-rank defensive barrier around the Servant. There were also states like [Mana Recovery], [Full Noble Phantasm Release], and more. Every one of them was immensely powerful to Chizuki.
And this time, Raiga Kurosuki's attack was forcing Chizuki to use that skill.
But just as Chizuki was preparing to save her, and Komai was preparing to save herself—
A furious roar suddenly exploded from behind Komai.
A crimson figure streaked across the air at incredible speed.
"Daytime Tiger!"
It was Might Duy, forcing his shattered body to move once more.
His face was grim. His iron fist clenched tightly, and with one step, he appeared before Komai in the very next instant. Throwing his head back, he let out a mighty roar and hurled a punch toward the incoming thunder dragon. Fiery red chakra gathered into the faint outline of the king of beasts, vaguely accompanied by the sound of a tiger's roar.
Boom—
Red and blue collided like a thunderclap before a storm, exploding through the forest so violently that the ears of those nearby rang from the blast.
Covering his ears with both hands, Chizuki hid behind a tree with his mouth hanging open as he watched the destruction caused by the clash. His eyes were fixed unblinkingly on that figure wrapped in fiery red vapor as he muttered in astonishment:
"So this… is the power of a above-Kage-level fighter…"
The aftershock of the explosion swept wildly outward. Raiga Kurosuki's body trembled before he was blasted backward, retreating hurriedly across the ground. Each step left behind a clearly visible footprint, proof of how terrifying the residual force was.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
After smashing apart that overwhelming lightning attack with a single blow, Might Duy assumed a taijutsu stance and asked in confusion.
Hearing Duy's question, Chizuki raised a brow and slowly stepped out from behind the tree. A faint smile played on his face as he came to stand beside Might Duy and said lightly:
"Uncle Might Duy, I'm Mitarashi Chizuki. She's Hatake Komai. We're genin from Konoha, and we were just preparing to deliver secret intelligence back from the front lines."
Hearing Chizuki's explanation, Might Duy nodded thoughtfully, apparently accepting it.
After all, the Mitarashi and Hatake clans were both notable families in Konoha. It wasn't strange for them to produce a few geniuses. And judging by the time, Konoha's reinforcements should be arriving soon as well.
Guy and the others had escaped safely.
His mission was complete.
At that thought, a smile slowly rose on Might Duy's lips.