The windows of the abandoned building were sealed tight by dense layers of paper, blocking every crevice. Only a faint glimr of light slipped through the paper, casting mottled shadows on the floor.
Ayase Origami stood quietly by the window, gazing at Xia Pingzhou's silhouette.
The mont Oda Takikage's figure rged into shadows, the sparring match officially began.
Ji Minghuan could not clearly see where Oda Takikage had gone, but he issued a command to one of the Rook Colossi, instructing it to load its ammunition and prepare to fire. Naturally, his dynamic vision and reflexes could not keep up with a ninja's speed, but he understood exactly how an elite ninja's mind worked:
Take the enemy's head, clean and decisive.
Thus, at this mont, the command Ji Minghuan gave the Rook Colossus was:
"Rook, fire at ."
Accompanied by a deafening boom, a pitch-black shell blasted out from the iron barrel of the Rook Colossus, shooting straight toward Ji Minghuan's body!
In midair, the shell burst apart, transforming into a pillar of roaring fla that swept forward.
Right at this mont, Oda Takikage's figure erged from the shadows behind Ji Minghuan.
The firelight from the side instantly illuminated his face. Oda Takikage paused in surprise, catching sight of the incoming pillar of flas from the corner of his eye.
The intense heat distorted the air, creating the illusion of a mirage.
'Is this kid not afraid of death? He actually fired at himself?'
However, his first instinct was not to dodge the artillery fire. As a ninja, he had to ensure a hundred percent chance of executing his enemy!
Making a prompt decision, he swung his Long Saber toward the back of Ji Minghuan's neck. But Oda Takikage quickly realized his Katana was blocked by a black and white barrier. The blade trembled and humd in midair, completely unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.
"I cannot cut through?" Oda Takikage slightly raised his thick brows, applying more pressure to the blade.
Ji Minghuan was clearly right in front of him, yet there was nothing he could do.
At this ti, the artillery fire had already swept over them like a blanket. Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Oda Takikage shifted to a reverse grip on his sword.
A layer of pitch-black shadows enveloped the blade, tracing a ring of dark patterns in the air. The shadow patterns collided head-on with the flas, sending Oda Takikage's body flying backward for several ters. His feet dragged across the floor of the abandoned building, carving a deep, dark trench.
Oda Takikage quickly rose from the ground, flicking his sword through the empty air to extinguish a tiny flicker of fla on the blade. He looked up to find Xia Pingzhou still standing perfectly still in his original spot—that black and white barrier had protected him once again, shielding him from the consuming artillery fire!
"No wonder he dared to let the Rook Colossus fire at himself..."
Oda Takikage murmured softly, catching sight from the corner of his eye that this black and white barrier originated from the Scepter of the King Colossus. The Scepter emitted a long, slender river of light that continuously flowed toward Xia Pingzhou's body.
"The King. It is the King protecting him."
Oda Takikage's gaze sharpened as he imdiately drew this conclusion.
Shifting his offense, his figure instantly rged into the shadows at his feet. The very next second, he erged from the shadows behind the King Colossus.
At this instant, another deafening boom echoed near his ear, followed closely by a familiar surge of intense heat. Ji Minghuan had perfectly predicted Oda Takikage's line of thought. He had commanded the other Rook Colossus to fire at the King Colossus in advance!
Amidst the ear-splitting roar, the firelight once again illuminated Oda Takikage's ninja attire.
The mont he rose from the shadows beneath his feet, Oda Takikage sensed sothing was wrong again.
'Why would he fire at the King? Is not the King the one protecting him? Or is he planning to sacrifice the King in an attempt to take
down with this strike? Or perhaps... the King, just like Xia Pingzhou, is also protected by a barrier?'
For a mont, his thoughts were running wild. Having already suffered a disadvantage once, Oda Takikage had no intention of taking the hit head-on this ti.
Instead of swinging his blade at the back of the King Colossus's neck, he stomped hard on the ground, sending his body flying backward and instantly evading the artillery fire shooting from the side.
However, Oda Takikage quickly realized that all his speculations had been completely overturned.
He looked up at the King Colossus. In the split second before the artillery fire could consu the King, a bizarre entity appeared at the King's feet. It was a Demon composed entirely of shadows.
The Shadow Demon rose upward with blistering speed, imdiately raising its claws to grip the King Colossus by the left and right shoulders, forcefully dragging the King's figure down into the Shadow Lake beneath its feet.
Thus, the searing flas surged right over the Shadow Lake, failing to harm a single hair on the King Colossus.
"A Shadow Demon?" Oda Takikage frowned, recognizing the appearance of that Demon.
At this mont, the Shadow Demon was smiling sinisterly from within a patch of shadows, revealing a blood-red grin:
"Keh keh keh—"
It seed to be mocking Oda Takikage.
Despite being pulled into the shadows by the Demon, the Scepter in the King's hand continued to emit a black and white halo that enveloped Xia Pingzhou's body. As a result, within these brief few seconds, Oda Takikage could strike neither the King nor Ji Minghuan.
The only thing he could do was lie in wait—the mont the Shadow Demon vanished, the King would naturally float back up from the shadows.
When that happened, he would be able to effortlessly sever the King's head.
'Number 12's Celestial Drive ford a pact with a Shadow Demon, using it to protect the King?' Oda Takikage marveled inwardly. 'What a brilliant strategy. To think a re Tier 1 Exorcist could push things to this extent.'
Right at that mont, accompanied by thundering footsteps, three Ironclad Soldiers charged over like rampaging water buffaloes.
Wielding shields in their left hands and longswords in their right, they held their shields forward to form a solid wall of steel.
Oda Takikage paid them no mind. Tapping the ground lightly, his two-ter-tall figure leaped upward, as weightless as a flying bird in that instant, cleanly vaulting over the shield wall ford by the soldiers.
The Ironclad Soldiers swung their longswords upward, attempting to intercept his figure in midair. However, Oda Takikage simply stepped lightly on the flat side of a blade with the edge of his foot, easily evading the incoming sword points.
He instantly landed behind the three Ironclad Soldiers. With swift and decisive strikes, his shadow-clad sword carved a black arc through the air, severing the back of each soldier's neck. Headless, the soldiers slowly crumpled to their knees, their grips loosening on their shields and longswords.
Imdiately after, the Shadow Demon reached its maximum existence ti limit, wiping the smile off its face. "Keh... keh..." Amidst rigid, broken sounds, it slowly released its tight grip on the King Colossus.
The King floated up from the Shadow Lake beneath its feet, standing motionless in place like a puppet holding a Scepter aloft.
Oda Takikage slowly walked toward the King Colossus. With a swing of his sword, the King Colossus's head went flying. Imdiately afterward, the King and the three Ironclad Soldiers dissolved into Chess Shadows, returning to the black and white orbital path surrounding Xia Pingzhou.
Oda Takikage slowly turned his head, casting a sidelong glance at Ji Minghuan.
From the beginning of the battle until now, Ji Minghuan had stood exactly where he was, not having moved a single step. What was even more bizarre: from start to finish, that Queen Colossus had stayed right by Ji Minghuan's side, never leaving for a mont... Could there be so hidden trick behind this?
'The King is gone. There are no Chess Pieces left to protect him now. Is Number 12 still not going to surrender?'
Oda Takikage thought to himself.
But regardless, he knew his only target was Ji Minghuan: now that the King's protection was lost, no matter what, that Queen Colossus could never match his speed.
Within a single pace, his blade was faster than anyone else's!
And so, at this mont, Oda Takikage repeated his old trick, once again rging into the shadows at his feet. In the blink of an eye, he erupted from the shadows behind Ji Minghuan. His Long Saber, coated in a layer of shadows, swept upward, slashing toward Ji Minghuan's back.
However, at this ti, the Queen Colossus's hand was resting on Ji Minghuan's right arm.
The reaction speed of the Queen Colossus was indeed slower than Oda Takikage's, making it impossible for her to swing her Short Dagger the exact mont he appeared to block his Long Saber.
But aside from physical combat, the Queen Colossus possessed a miraculous trick—her exclusive Chess Piece Authority, Etherealization.
'Etherealization.'
At this instant, Ji Minghuan silently spoke in his mind. Imdiately, both the Queen Colossus and Ji Minghuan's bodies entered an ethereal state, turning into untouchable transparency.
It clearly only needed half a second for Oda Takikage's Long Saber to pierce through Ji Minghuan's spine.
But at this mont, the blade swung through empty air.
Oda Takikage was slightly shaken. Originally, in his calculations, as long as he beat the Queen Colossus by a single step and swung his Katana at Ji Minghuan, this boring match would be over—Eldest Miss Ayase would wrap their bodies in paper to prevent them from hurting each other, then unilaterally declare his victory.
But he was wrong.
Completely wrong.
The blade of his Long Saber... did not touch Ji Minghuan's body at all. Instead, Oda Takikage's montum caused his body to lean slightly forward. His pupils contracted as he realized his own figure was actually overlapping with Xia Pingzhou's!
It felt exactly as if... Xia Pingzhou had turned into air!
At the sa ti, the mont the Queen Colossus etherealized Ji Minghuan's body, she had already thrust out her Short Dagger.
The angle at which she thrust the dagger followed Ji Minghuan's command, resulting in a perfect read of Oda Takikage's movents—because Oda Takikage was confident he could end the match with one strike, when his blade struck empty air, his body uncontrollably pitched forward.
Consequently, at this exact mont, the dagger was perfectly pressed against the front of Oda Takikage's throat.
"Stop. It is over." Not far away, the Kimono Girl gazing at the two of them spoke up.
'I actually... lost?'
Oda Takikage stood stunned for a long, long ti, before lowering his eyes to look at the Short Dagger pressed against his neck. If it moved even an inch closer, his throat would be sliced open. But Ji Minghuan had controlled the distance perfectly, not even drawing a single bead of blood.
Oda Takikage glanced sideways. Cold blue flas were burning within the eye sockets of the Queen Colossus. If the Monarch had not held her back, she would have brought the blade down long ago, killing this man who attempted to harm him.
While his attention was still focused on the aggressive Queen Colossus, Xia Pingzhou's lukewarm voice ca from beside him:
"Number 4, when you are attacking, you cannot hide your body in the shadows, right?"
Pausing for a mont, Xia Pingzhou continued his deduction. "So, the only way to catch you is to strike the very instant you attack . Facts prove that I succeeded."
Hearing this, Oda Takikage paused in surprise before laughing silently. He had not expected that after just one battle, Xia Pingzhou's observation of him would be so ticulous.
eting his gaze, Ji Minghuan added, "I feel like you went easy on . I refuse to believe this is the extent of your strength."
After speaking, he ordered the Queen Colossus to withdraw the dagger from Oda Takikage's neck. Together with the two Rook Colossi, they dissolved into Chess Shadows and returned to the black and white orbital path.
He then deactivated his Celestial Drive. The overhead perspective and the orbital path vanished together, and for a mont, the abandoned building seed much wider.
Ayase Origami walked over. "Takikage indeed has many techniques he hasn't used yet. Perhaps he felt that teasing the kitten... only required a few basic moves."
"I was indeed careless." Oda Takikage gave a slight nod. "However, misjudging the opponent's strength is also a major factor in failure. Mr. Xia Pingzhou's capabilities have indeed exceeded my expectations..." He addressed him by his na this ti, rather than his Brigade number.
He praised sincerely, "Your Celestial Drive's ability is highly unique, granting you a trendous advantage in one-on-one combat. I am afraid very few enemies could break through your heavy defenses through sheer individual strength."
Pausing, Oda Takikage sheathed his Katana and spoke candidly,
"I lost."
Ji Minghuan pondered for a mont before suggesting, "How about we fight again later, once my Chess Pieces recover? Do not go easy on . Let
see your other techniques."
"There is no need," Ayase Origami said. "If Takikage gets serious, this building will collapse."
"Really?"
As Ji Minghuan spoke, he t Ayase Origami's eyes, seemingly reluctant to believe that a ninja specializing in ambushes and speed could possess the kind of destructive power she described.
"Really," Ayase Origami affird. "The kitten has rebelled... refusing to believe his master's words."
Ji Minghuan ignored her, turning his head to look at Oda Takikage. "Honestly, if I didn't already know what your ability was, I might not have won in a sudden encounter... A ninja who can abruptly erge from soone else's shadow would be incredibly difficult for anyone to defend against."
"No, a loss is a loss. There is no need to make excuses for ." Oda Takikage shook his head. His eyes and tone suddenly beca gentle, as if he were a completely different person. "Let us head back and prepare."
"Prepare for what?"
"Three mbers will be arriving in Tokyo tonight. We will wait for them at the cafe."
"What about the Commander?" This was all Ji Minghuan cared about.
"The Commander has not arrived yet," Oda Takikage replied.
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