"Wow—amazing!" Through the "Circle Light Divine Technique," Shawn Young could clearly see—Hayato Falcon twisted his body, drew his blade, and swung it to slice the bullet, all in a flash. His movements were crisp and swift, like a startled swan, his reaction as smooth and natural as flowing water. The aura he exuded was extraordinary, truly the bearing of a master swordsman!
"Uh—damn! That's insane! Slicing bullets like chopping cabbage. Let me try something bigger and see if you're really that tough!" Colonel Hank Han, wearing an infrared life-heat detector on his head, could see Hayato Falcon's movements through the mist. Though stunned, he kept his cool, quickly swinging up a prepped PF9 millimeter anti-tank rocket launcher onto his shoulder and aiming at Hayato Falcon as he was sheathing his blade.
"Killing intent!" Hayato Falcon's senses tightened instantly, a strong sense of danger flooding his entire body. He crouched slightly, half-kneeling, right hand gripping the hilt of his katana at his waist, blade tip angled toward the ground. With his head lowered, he quietly sent out his divine sense to search the thick mist for the source of that murderous aura—a battle instinct honed through years of training and warfare!
"Damn it, stop showing off—go die!" Colonel Hank Han's rocket launcher was already locked onto Hayato Falcon. Seeing him stand completely still with his head down, looking all cool, Hank felt annoyed, shouted angrily, and pulled the trigger!
"Whoosh—" A rocket tore through the thick mist, trailing a blazing tail as it screamed toward Hayato Falcon. This anti-tank rocket was built to destroy armor, and no matter how strong Hayato Falcon's protective qi barrier was, under such a powerful attack, it would be blasted to pieces!
Just then, Hayato Falcon moved. In a flash, he leapt like a panther, flipping mid-air like a swallow diving into the woods, his speed ghostly fast, and charged straight at Colonel Hank Han. In an instant, he landed right in front of Hank. Before Hank could retreat or defend, Hayato twisted his waist and his sharp katana slashed out, aiming straight for Hank's throat!
"Ah—" Colonel Hank Han never expected Hayato Falcon's skills to be this terrifying. He thought hiding in the mist would let him use modern weapons to "totally wreck" Hayato, but he was shocked to be tracked and attacked so quickly!
Hank Han wanted to use the PF9 anti-tank rocket launcher on his shoulder to block that deadly slash, but Hayato Falcon's blade was so fast that the thought had barely formed before the fierce blade intent, carrying a killing force, was already crashing down. Hank was so shocked his mind went blank, his body stiffened, and he was overwhelmed by the despair of facing unavoidable death!
"Clang—ting—" In that split second between life and death, two crisp blade-clashing sounds rang out, sparks flying everywhere. Hank Han felt his shoulder jolt, fell hard to the ground, then a burning pain spread through his body as blood gushed from his right shoulder.
"Big Brother Hank—fall back! I'll handle him—" Shawn Young appeared just in time, swinging the "Murasame Blade" to deflect Hayato Falcon's deadly slash at Hank Han. He traded blows with Hayato, but couldn't fully stop the terrifying force of his blade. The wound on Hank's shoulder was the lingering effect of Hayato's attack!
"Alright—I'm out!" Hank Han didn't hesitate, knowing that staying would just drag Shawn Young down. Clutching his shoulder, slashed down to the bone, he endured the pain and quickly retreated several steps, disappearing into the thick mist.
"Hmph—you finally showed yourself!" Hayato Falcon stared coldly at Shawn Young, who held the Murasame Blade, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
"Yeah! I'm here, but I'm not alone! Heh—" Shawn Young sneered, waving his hand behind him. Instantly, several figures surged out of the mist—it was the Dragonforce Battalion warriors, each armed with a submachine gun.
"Open fire—" Shawn Young ordered without hesitation.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—" The warriors quickly pulled their triggers, streams of fire snaking toward Hayato Falcon.
"Despicable—" Hayato Falcon roared, leaping backward several steps. With a burst of qi, his katana swept out a flurry of blade light in front of him. Several metallic "ting—ting—ting—" sounds rang out as he instantly sliced every bullet aimed at him down to the ground!
"Ha! That bullet-slicing trick of yours could win a Guinness World Record! Let's see how many more you can cut!" Shawn Young waved again, and the Dragonforce Battalion members, having emptied a magazine, quickly swapped in fresh clips and aimed at Hayato Falcon.
"Baka!" Hayato Falcon's heart sank, frowning. Seeing Shawn Young appear, gripping the Murasame Blade, he had been excited, ready to risk everything to kill Shawn and reclaim the blade. But Shawn refused to fight him head-on, instead sending others to attack, clearly trying to wear down Hayato's qi and willpower! What a scheming bastard!
Just then, a graceful gray shadow suddenly swooped down into the scene, landing in front of Hayato Falcon. She spoke urgently in Japanese: "Senior brother, I'll handle them—you go get the Murasame Blade!"
Hayato Falcon focused and saw it was Mai Kanda, who had suddenly vanished earlier. He'd been puzzled about her disappearance, but now, seeing her appear just in time to help, and eager to reclaim the Murasame Blade, he didn't hesitate. He nodded to Mai Kanda: "Alright—I'll leave it to you!"
"Don't worry! I'll show them the power of the Iga ninja—" Mai Kanda said, waving her hands—"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" several flashes of cold light shot out, instantly striking the wrists of the Dragonforce Battalion warriors holding their guns.
"Ah—ah—ah—" The Dragonforce Battalion warriors screamed in pain, blood spurting as their submachine guns dropped to the ground. Clutching their wounded wrists, they scrambled into the mist. It turned out Mai Kanda had hit them with the Eightfold Shuriken, a ninja weapon unique to the Iga clan.
"Senior brother, focus on him—I'll clear out the surrounding enemies for you!" Mai Kanda, having struck true, drew her ninja blade from her waist and dashed into the mist with a sharp cry.
Hayato Falcon watched Mai Kanda vanish into the mist, where more screams erupted. Instantly reassured, he strode toward Shawn Young, who looked utterly panicked: "Heh—punk! Today I'll offer your blood to my blade!"
Shawn Young quickly retreated several steps, gripping the Murasame Blade with both hands and taking up a stance. Infusing his qi into the blade, it rang out with a clear, chilling sound as he shouted, "Hmph—don't try to scare me! Let's settle this once and for all! Who gets sacrificed to the blade is still up in the air!"
Hayato Falcon stopped two meters in front of him, staring coldly, his eyes full of murderous intent. He knew Shawn Young was no pushover, protected by Taoist arts and wielding the fiercely powerful Murasame Blade. His own katana couldn't match it head-on, so a reckless attack wasn't the best option.
So Hayato Falcon slowly gripped his katana with his right hand, hiding the blade behind his body with the tip angled toward the ground. With a surge of power into the blade, he shifted into a bow stance, revealing the "Hasso-no-kamae" of the famed Jikishinkage-ryu Sword Style—a stance that uses stillness to counter movement, retreat to advance.