What happened? Damn it. That steam fog completely blocked my vision. I could not see anything inside this haze. No silhouettes, no shadows, as if my sight had been cut off entirely.
That scream was clearly Luke's. It meant he was in danger. I felt his mana flow destabilize for a brief moment, surging wildly without order, before settling down again far too quickly.
As a mage, escaping should not have been difficult for Luke. He could use an air route or perform short-range teleportation. Even though both methods required a casting delay, he was still a seasoned spellcaster. More than that, Luke was a seven-star mage. Practitioners within the Aura Master realm who could interrupt a mage of that level during casting were extremely rare, unless they stood firmly at the threshold of Grandmaster Aura. Of course, there were always exceptions, especially those who mastered specialized techniques that relied on absolute speed.
Aggrh.
Pain.
Burning pain.
The agony in the man's chest pulsed violently without pause. It signaled severe fractures in his sternum and ribs. The pressure from those cracks had begun to press inward, nearing his internal organs, making each breath feel heavy and constrained.
Still, he endured it all.
His trembling fingers moved, brushing against a ring. A single incantation echoed softly, activating the healing magic embedded within the artifact. The ring wrapped around his index finger, ready to release restorative energy.
Just like the enhancement spell he had previously activated through another artifact ring on his thumb, the healing magic on his index finger was a single-use type. Once activated, its energy would need to be manually recharged.
A bright green light suddenly flared around his index finger, accompanied by a faint hiss slicing through the air. Slowly but surely, the green glow was absorbed into his body. Deep gashes across his skin, carved by the sharp glacial strikes of Elisvaria's sword technique, began to close. The energy then flowed deeper, knitting together the cracked sternum and ribs in an instant.
From the beginning, I was reluctant to use this hidden card. But now, the situation had completely reversed after the appearance of that mysterious man.
Damn it. From the start, I had already begun to doubt the success of this mission.
Is that man a secret protector planted by the Duke beforehand? It's very possible.
He refocused his gaze forward. Slowly, the fog before his eyes lifted and thinned, revealing the scene that had been hidden.
Luke lay motionless on the ground. Black rods pierced the nodes of his mana pathways. Ankles, knees, abdomen, palms, shoulders, and both elbows. Every strike was placed with terrifying precision.
Did Luke lose consciousness?
Was that why his mana flow became stable and undetectable?
Damn it!
The grip on the man's sword tightened as the black-haired figure stepped closer. Each step felt like terror pressing down on his chest. He examined the man's face carefully. Part of his black hair covered it, especially the left eye, which was completely hidden. Only the right eye was visible, blood-red, bearing a sharp and unusual pattern.
Is he a bastard child of the Velmora family? Those eyes look far too similar.
"Who are you? I have no business with you. I apologize if I targeted your sister or cousin. This incident is purely a misunderstanding."
"Sister? Cousin?"
Sasuke muttered quietly upon hearing that.
Is it because of these eyes that he assumes I am related to that woman? No. That is not important right now.
Sasuke drew the single-eyed sword he had used earlier to block the man's strike.
His lips moved, and mocking words flowed out calmly.
"You talk too much and have no pride for a man. There are many things I dislike in this world, and a man who loses his pride and convictions is one of the things I despise the most."
"What? Nonsense! There is no personal grudge between us. I am telling the truth. If you are enraged because I attacked your cousin or sister, then I apologize. This is purely a misunderstanding. I can offer substantial compensation and valuable information you might need!"
The man continued stalling for time. Aura began to gather in both of his legs, preparing for escape.
Just a little more.
"Boring."
Whoosh!
Sasuke was no longer where he had stood. He vanished as if swallowed by the air.
In a single blink.
He had already arrived right in front of the man. The man's eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief.
Wsshh!
The air split apart.
A vertical slash from Sasuke's single-edged sword descended violently, aiming to split his opponent straight down from the crown of his head.
Klang!
Steel clashed. The man managed to block the strike, but the immense pressure forced him to drop to one knee, slamming into the ground.
"Ugh."
A groan of pain and surprise escaped his mouth. His gaze lifted once more toward the black-haired man.
Then.
Bukk!
A lightning-fast kick landed squarely on his chin. His head snapped back violently, and his body was sent flying dozens of meters away.
"You bastard! Son of a bitch!"
The man struggled back to his feet. Pain still lingered in his jaw, blood trickling from his lips. His fingers roughly wiped the spot where the kick had landed.
Damned bastard. How could he move that fast?
Sasuke smiled faintly at the curse. His foot lifted slowly, his body leaning forward, and then he vanished.
Shunshin no Jutsu.
A high-speed movement ninjutsu that allowed the user to move from one location to another in the blink of an eye. The technique used chakra to amplify speed to extreme levels. Each user possessed unique characteristics. Shisui Uchiha's Shunshin was known for its smoothness, while the Fourth Hokage combined it with Hiraishin no Jutsu, earning the title Konoha's Yellow Flash.
Uchiha Sasuke had refined this technique to its peak. By combining it with his lightning element, he created a brutal acceleration that could rival even the Seventh Hokage.
Whoosh!
Sasuke disappeared from his position once again.
Wsshh!
The air split apart again.
A horizontal slash streaked forward, aimed directly at the chest, enough to cleave a body in two.
What?!
The man's sword moved on instinct to block the attack.
Krang!
Metal clashed with a sharp echo.
And then.
His body was sent flying backward once more, a heavy thud marking the end of his acceleration.
He rose again. This time, rage burned clearly across his face. The man before him was openly belittling and playing with him.
There was one thing he hated more than anything else. Being looked down upon.
"Son of a bitch. I will kill you, even if I have to sacrifice my own life."
He moved. The air around him trembled, as if being dragged toward his body.
Sasuke observed the change.
So that is it. He absorbs the surrounding energy and channels it into the blade and tip of his sword. Similar to someone using natural energy, but this energy feels filthy, heavy, and impure.
I need to get more serious. His next attack should be enough to measure how strong I truly am in this world.
Sasuke raised his hand forward. His palm moved up and down, fingers curling and opening repeatedly, a blatant provocation that left no room for misunderstanding.
Seeing that.
"You... I will kill you, bastard. I will tear your limbs apart one by one."
The man's words passed by him without effect. There was no offense taken, no anger stirred. Threats like that were far too cheap to provoke any emotion.
Was it really worth getting angry over empty words like those?
There.
The man began channeling most of his Aura into the blade of his sword. At the same time, he activated the last remaining artifact ring on his hand, drawing in the natural energy around him. This artifact was a special ring with a limited energy absorption function. Unlike the other rings on his fingers, this one was not single-use. He only needed to recite the incantation, and the surrounding energy would be pulled toward him automatically.
Even so, there was a major limitation. He was still within the Master Aura realm. He could not absorb natural energy directly into his body. That energy could only be drawn into the sword blade, then forcibly fused with his own Aura to bind it in place and prevent it from dispersing.
Ssrshh.
A harsh rasping sound echoed repeatedly around the blade and its tip.
He also funneled the remainder of his Aura into his legs, pushing his speed to its extreme limit. The muscles across his body tensed, his breathing grew ragged. He was preparing to unleash his final technique. As a swordsman of the Master Aura realm, this attack stood at the absolute peak of his ability. Its destructive power rivaled the woman's last ultimate strike from earlier.
The Aura surrounding the sword grew denser and heavier. The compression of Aura combined with impure natural energy created a supermassive vibration. The vibration felt sharp and rotational, as if it could pierce and sever anything in its path.
Slowly, the sword Aura extended beyond the tip of the blade. Its energy began accelerating like a drill. Rotation and vibration formed a small tornado. That tornado continued to grow, affecting the area several meters around it, then expanding to dozens of meters as the energy's rotation became increasingly brutal.
His feet settled into a stance.
Ssrsst!
The air split with a coarse screech. The man vanished from his original position and surged forward at terrifying speed.
The sharp rotation of energy at the sword's tip carved trenches along every path he crossed. Violent winds followed each step, pressing down on the ground and scouring the surface with lethal force.
Wsrrsst! The air screamed.
That horrific attack thrust straight toward the black-haired man.
But.
Just three steps before reaching him.
It stopped.
Wuuuuusss! Wind.
The gust from the attack made the front of Sasuke's hair flutter, revealing his left eye. A purple eye with rippling patterns. Six tomoe arranged symmetrically, circling with perfect precision.
The man froze in shock. His attack halted.
It did not advance even an inch.
As if an invisible wall had stopped all of his momentum.
The shock lasted only a moment.
Then he stiffened again when his gaze met the black-haired man's eyes.
Those eyes.
Something was wrong.
Then.
Sasuke's lips curved slightly. His hand lifted, then thrust straight forward.
Shinra Tensei.
BWAMMM!
The air roared violently.
A dense, invisible shockwave erupted outward with Sasuke as its center. Everything around him was driven away with brutal force. The ground beneath his feet groaned loudly, not from heat, but from unseen pressure that crushed it, causing it to collapse and sink.
The man tried to hold out for a single second with his ultimate thrust.
But failed.
The transparent wave struck him together with snow, soil, tree trunks, and branches that were violently flung into the air.
The force was overwhelming.
His body was hurled hundreds of meters away. Trees within the attack radius shattered and toppled. On the surface of the ground, the terrifying push left behind a deep, wide crater, with cracks spreading in every direction.
Sasuke lowered his gaze. His body now floated in midair, as the ground he had been standing on had completely collapsed.
Earlier, he had deliberately increased the chakra output when releasing that ninjutsu.
This is my first time using this technique. To be honest, it is inefficient. It is only useful for sudden defense. Curiosity made me try it earlier than planned.
I have to admit it. The chakra consumption is excessive.
Sasuke scanned the surroundings briefly. The area covered by the ninjutsu had been utterly destroyed, without leaving anything intact.
Then his gaze returned forward.
Time to end this.
Sasuke's fingers moved.
Hundreds of meters away.
The man staggered to his feet, trembling. His Aura was nearly depleted. The little strength he had left was barely enough to keep his body upright.
His thoughts were in chaos after his ultimate technique failed completely.
What was that?
How can power like that even exist? I could feel it clearly. It was not magic. Yet that dense, invisible force that pushed me that far was real.
Whoosh!
A light breeze.
CHIRRRRRR!
What? Lightning?
The air was suddenly filled with the deafening cry of thousands of birds. He saw the man's silhouette. The right palm of that man was wrapped in an extremely condensed lightning element, dense and razor-sharp.
That was all his mind managed to process before—
Chidori!
CRACK-ZING!
The sound of ribs snapping mixed with the high-frequency hiss of electricity. Flesh burned and was pierced straight through to the back. CHIRRRRRR! The shriek echoed again, as if freed after completing its task.
"You...!"
His eyes widened. Shock froze on his face.
I am dead.
I never should have accepted this damn mission from the beginning.
To hell with you, Rug!
His consciousness faded.
Ugkh. Arghh.
He vomited a mouthful of fresh blood, soaking the black sleeve of the man's clothing.
Sasuke looked at him. There was no shock, no nausea, no fear as his hand pierced through the man's chest.
Sasuke slowly withdrew his hand.
Chirrr.
The electric shriek accompanied the motion, then gradually faded until it vanished completely as the lightning in his palm dispersed.
The man's body collapsed to the ground.
Thud.
Sasuke lowered his head briefly, then glanced at his palm, now soaked in blood.
Ah. I do not have a left hand.
His thoughts drifted for a moment. Opening and wearing clothes with only one hand. Cleaning himself. Even going to the toilet.
Just imagining it for a short moment was already horrifying.