Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 591 - 503

Chapter 591: 503

Carnage!

The entire forest clearing was drenched in a river of blood from Hosoda Yoshiyuki’s killing spree; everywhere were stacks of freshly minted ninja mutilated beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, Ninja Master Lukano Masato was still in full form, dodging and weaving as he hurled hidden weapons toward Hosoda Yoshiyuki.

"Hiss..." Hosoda Yoshiyuki’s back-mounted fuel tank was struck, and oil gushed forth from where his kidneys once were, the dark brown fuel oil spreading everywhere on the ground. He quickly ceased firing, for if his gun sparked, he would set himself ablaze!

With Hosoda Yoshiyuki out of action, the pressure shifted onto Hazuki Masasuke. Lukano Masato threw several shurikens at him, forcing him to take cover behind a large tree to avoid the onslaught.

"Ninjutsu: Clone Technique!" Lukano Masato raised his hand to perform hand seals, and after a puff of smoke passed, there appeared two additional Ninja Masters in the arena, all dressed alike, in yellowish-brown armor and wearing bandage masks, making it nearly impossible to differentiate one from another, and all looking exceedingly ferocious.

"The master’s technique! Retreat quickly!" Hazuki Masasuke provided covering fire for Hosoda Yoshiyuki from behind the tree.

"Didn’t you say you could beat him?" Hosoda Yoshiyuki bellowed, unable to hide his nervousness.

"What I said was, I could beat him if I were in top condition and could perform at my highest limit!" Hazuki Masasuke grasped his katana tightly, his back pressing against the tree bark.

Hosoda Yoshiyuki didn’t understand how such a frightening Ninja Master had been defeated by a headshot. What kind of miraculous sniper could capture such a swift and top-notch ninja with a sniper rifle?

Seeking Shadow had just returned to the battlefield after eliminating several troublesome elite ninja. She also rejoined Hazuki and Rinne in the center of the ninja battlefield.

The disciples, apprentices, and followers of Lukano Masato were nearly all slaughtered, but the Ninja Master himself, Lukano Masato, was still powerful and had even multiplied his strength with the Clone Technique.

"Huh huh, finally, they’ve arrived." Lukano Masato looked up to see the Shuttle Machine coming to rescue Ya Kou Liu Li retreat. As long as it evacuated Ya Kou Liu Li, Lukano Masato’s mission here would be considered complete.

"Damn it—" Hosoda Yoshiyuki seethed with hatred; the roaring sound of the Shuttle Machine was utterly annoying.

Seeking Shadow and the others were alert to the sudden appearance of three Lukano Masatos. The three seemed to have replicated the original’s prowess, causing trouble for them to multiply exponentially. It was now doubtful they could intercept the Shuttle Machine as planned.

"Quite the beautiful scene, isn’t it?" The three Lukano Masatos spoke in unison. "The look of fragility and helplessness, facing a great obstacle with no courage to advance, and eventually being forced to retreat with resentment."

"This guy..." Hosoda Yoshiyuki thought about flying to intercept, but his fuel tank had just been punctured, and it was already leaking too much fuel, "...truly disgusting."

"I’m capable of cutting down one of the clones in one go, but afterward, my fighting ability would be greatly reduced," whispered Hazuki Masasuke with seeming confidence, "the rest of you take out the remaining two."

"Hurry up," Hosoda Yoshiyuki closed his eyes, his voice weak, "I’m already powerless."

Masasuke Hazuki muttered the secret script under his breath as a flash of electricity lit up his katana. Then, he quickly stepped forward and swung his blade from the side of a large tree.

Boom!

A massive streak of electricity flashed by, and the blinding lightning shot from the blade, rapidly pulsating onto the body of Ninja Master Lukano Masato in the center. The lightning instantly shattered this clone, leaving two Ninja Masters to the left and right! Masasuke Hazuki’s face turned pale, and he staggered towards the ground, clearly having expended a lot of blood and energy.

"Go!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki yelled, firing his gun at Lukano Masato from behind a tree. Bullets whizzed out as Lukano Masato’s twins gracefully widened the gap using the Teleportation Technique.

The moment for the final showdown!

"Shenxiao Sword Slash!" Lu Jing brandished his Four Points True Gold and entered the fray, engaging one of the clones in combat with his Shenxiao Sword Technique. Seeking Shadow also quickly joined in, threatening from behind and reducing the space for movement.

Rinne also activated her time dilation implant, rapidly rushing towards the last Lukano Masato. It should have been possible to see the Ninja Master moving sluggishly and in slow motion, but instead, he seemed to move effortlessly, sprinting at the same pace as Rinne. They both left a series of afterimages on the field, maintaining a certain distance between them.

"The effects you achieve with your mechanical technology," mocked Lukano Masato, "we in Shinobi Village mastered them hundreds of years ago."

"Die!" Rinne chased him at high speed but could not catch up with Lukano Masato no matter what.

"The ninja’s quickness, ferocity, and strength all come from our constant grasp of the distance between our hearts and the world." Lukano Masato vanished in front of Rinne, his voice already drifting to the other side. Rinne turned her head again and again, but could not locate him, only hearing his triumphant voice, "This is the ultimate Ninjutsu."

"Faster than an algorithm?" Rinne modeled Lukano Masato’s movement trajectory in her mind, deducing his next teleportation point, factoring in the wind direction, wind speed, the velocity, and angle of the weapon’s throw, and adjusted her stance before his move. She swiftly threw her dagger in the calculated direction.

Hisss!

The blade struck Lukano Masato’s outer garment as he just teleported next to a tree, the blade forcing him to take a couple of steps back. He pulled the dagger out of his armor, threw it to the ground, and lunged towards Rinne.

"Ninjutsu: Hundred Directions Strike!" As Lukano Masato formed hand seals, he conjured hundreds of fist shadows that chased after Rinne. At this point, Rinne could no longer bear the mental strain from the implant, her speed significantly reduced, she could only keep retreating. She activated her Magic Power and swiftly moved up the tree trunk.

Lukano Masato anticipated where Rinne would move next on the tree, and immediately swung his blade in that direction. Unexpectedly, Rinne, having run out of Magic Power, fell from the tree after taking two steps and tumbled into the bushes. Lukano Masato leaped onto the tree but missed Rinne. When he looked back, he saw that his last clone had been killed in a pincer attack by Lu Jing and Seeking Shadow.

He crouched on the tree branch, looking down at the others still with the energy to fight; they had cornered the last Lukano Masato.

"Surrender now, hand over Ya Kou Liu Li!" Lu Jing aimed his Four Points True Gold at Lukano Masato, the quality of the sword unmistakably brilliant.

"...He can still escape using the Teleportation Technique, don’t be complacent..." Masasuke Hazuki had knocked himself out with his earlier technique, and was just getting up.

"No more talking, let’s intercept that machine!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki dashed toward the beach, where the Shuttle Machine was in the process of rescuing Ya Kou Liu Li. If they let her escape alive, it would be a total victory for Kano Masato! Seeking Shadow followed closely behind; together, the two of them were enough to take down several combat aircraft and Shuttle Machines.

So they left Lu Jing, Rinne, and Hazuki Masasuke to surround Kano Masato, who was watching them without speaking a word.

"What tricks are you playing now?" Lu Jing demanded.

"...He didn’t get to his sushi!" Hazuki Masasuke caught sight of the variety of sushi scattered in the pool of blood in the middle of the fight and suddenly understood why Kano Masato had paused in the fight. He immediately spoke out to warn them, "His energy is depleted!"

If he had eaten his fill, the fight might continue.

"Ghm..." Kano Masato reached into his bosom and pulled out a Soldier’s Ration Pill, "Don’t underestimate me, you cyber swordsmen. I am..."

Lu Jing removed the Divine Thorn short-barreled assault rifle from his back and pulled the trigger, firing a burst at Kano Masato who immediately pulled back to increase the distance.

"Was that really necessary?" Kano Masato, standing atop another tree, said, "You are the company’s tools, and I am just hired for a job. Sooner or later, the parent company will abandon you, and I might not even get the money someone promised me."

"Who hired you? ’Ghost Warrior’?" Lu Jing pressed loudly.

"Maybe that’s the name," Kano Masato glanced at the conditions of the several people on the field, his gaze sweeping over the fierce Lu Jing, the blood-drained Rinne, and the exhausted Hazuki Masasuke, "You don’t need to hate me, if you want to hate someone, hate the ’Ghost Warrior.’ He’s the one who fooled all of you."

Then, with a whoosh, Kano Masato disappeared into the smoke.

"...He’s gone," Lu Jing realized Kano Masato’s absence, "Are Ninja Masters always this tricky?"

"Report it to the company and let the company’s Power chase him out of the Northern Archipelago." Rinne was extremely weary; tangling with Kano Masato to the bitter end was not a wise decision—they were sure to suffer severe injuries. By comparison, their mission from the start had been to locate Ya Kou Liu Li, and Kano Masato was just making trouble. Now that he had rolled away on his own, that was fine too.

"That guy mentioned ’company,’ which company are you with?" Hazuki Masasuke asked, supporting himself with his katana.

"I’ll tell you later..." Lu Jing started to say, then remembered the bounty on Kano Masato was gone and Hazuki Masasuke wouldn’t have money to buy medicine for his girlfriend, "Kano Masato is gone, so what about you..."

"Let’s work," Hazuki Masasuke walked step by step towards the Shinobi Village, strewn with corpses, collecting spoils from dead ninjas, appearing emotionally complex.

"We’ll contact you again!" Lu Jing, recalling how Hazuki Masasuke unleashed his powerful lightning slash, knew this man was indeed a top-notch among Bounty Hunters. If he had hit the target, he could have instantly eliminated Kano Masato; he was formidable and knowledgeable.

When necessary, they could work with him, even recruit him into the Disciple Squad. Since he was in such need of money, he would probably be willing to help out with missions.

"Hmm..." Rinne staggered.

"Rinne!" Lu Jing turned to see Rinne looking unwell and his expression tensed accordingly.

Rinne fainted from excessive blood loss and dizziness.

...

When Rinne awoke again, she had been carried back onto the Shuttle Machine, treated by Chiyuki Sajou, and her body had partially recovered.

The other companions all sat inside the Shuttle Machine. After this fierce battle, each of them had their gains, mainly the various Ninja Tools, scrolls, intelligence, and treasures from the dead ninjas. Now the compartments of the Anonymous were stuffed to the brim.

"...What about Ya Kou Liu Li?" Rinne remembered their mission.

"Caught her, the company took her away," Hosoda Yoshiyuki sat to one side.

"Take me back to Shijin Mansion," Rinne sighed with relief and closed her eyes. She was too weak to think about anything else.

Lu Jing sighed lightly, unsure how to save her.

An hour later, the Anonymous landed on the landing pad of Shijin Mansion, and Seeking Shadow carried Rinne into the building.

"We completed our mission," Seeking Shadow reported to Xu Yang.

"How does it feel?" Xu Yang saw Rinne’s pale face.

Rinne shook her head without speaking, wishing only to sleep properly. As she lay on the couch, her mind was filled with fantasies. During the fight, she had used the subjective slow-motion implant multiple times, making her feel as though cyber psychosis was corroding her sanity. Through the haze, she grasped at a long-forgotten dream, long buried but now surfacing amidst her mental turmoil.

The dream she had preserved for so long... to leave this blood-soaked, dark, and chaotic place, to go to the place she yearned for in her dreams.

"...I really want to see the Moon," Rinne muttered, then shook her head in self-mockery and closed her eyes. There were no means to get to the Moon; rumors said its surface was a forbidden land, ruled by ancient creatures.

"Oh?" Xu Yang didn’t expect Rinne to have such a wish, "Let’s take a trip there tonight."

Rinne suddenly sat up from the couch.