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Ryu Kuroda was actually a close friend whom Daniel Feathercloud had invited from the Ise Grand Shrine. Originally, he practiced Kawagami-style Onmyodo in Wakayama, Japan, and was very close with Daniel. When he heard Daniel was in trouble, Ryu rushed to Hong Kong. As a top master from Ise Grand Shrine, Ryu hadn't met a worthy opponent for over a decade, and being in his prime, he was brimming with energy. He didn't even take the young Shawn Young seriously.
But when his 'Firebird' shikigami was destroyed by Shawn Young, Ryu Kuroda couldn't keep up the act anymore. He had already unleashed his most powerful shikigami, but Shawn cracked it with a counterattack. The strength Shawn displayed was simply unbelievable. As Shawn's cold gaze swept over, Ryu felt a surge of murderous intent tearing apart his pride, leaving only one thought in his mind—'Run!'
Thinking of this, Ryu Kuroda spun around and darted toward the innermost corridor of the building. As long as he made it into the office, he could escape through a secret passage hidden inside. If he got away today, he'd definitely team up with Japan's strongest onmyoji to deal with Shawn Young!
"Huh—running away?!" Shawn Young hadn't expected Ryu Kuroda to pull this. He always thought Japanese guys cared more about pride than life, but here was one who'd rather run than lose. In the blink of an eye, Ryu had already darted to the office door like a black rabbit, pushed it open, and tried to dive inside.
Seeing Ryu about to slip away, Shawn Young flicked his toe, kicking up a samurai sword from the floor and hurled it with all his might—'whoosh!'—straight at Ryu Kuroda's back.
Ryu Kuroda sensed the fierce blade aura coming from behind and quickly rolled on the ground. The sword flashed past his forehead, striking the office door with a 'thud.' Ryu barely dodged a fatal blow, breaking out in a cold sweat. He let out a strange howl, twisted his body, and threw a paper talisman at Shawn Young before crashing into the office.
"Huh? What kind of junk is this?" Shawn Young was stunned, thinking the paper talisman wasn't dangerous. He reached out to grab it, ready to tear it apart.
"Careful! That's a Serpent Talisman—" Rachel Sasaki had already caught up from behind. Seeing it clearly, she hurriedly warned Shawn Young.
Hearing her warning, Shawn Young shivered and tried to toss the talisman away, but it was already too late.
'Boom—' A flash of red light appeared, and the paper talisman instantly turned into a giant, colorful venomous snake. It wrapped around Shawn Young's arm and squeezed tightly. Startled, Shawn instinctively tried to yank it off, but the snake only shuddered before opening its mouth to reveal terrifying fangs, lunging at Shawn's throat!
Shawn quickly slapped at the snake's head, trying to throw it to the floor, but its body tightly coiled around both his hands, leaving him unable to break free.
'Swish—' A flash of white light sliced through the snake's weak spot, severing its head. It was Rachel Sasaki, who had snatched a samurai sword from the floor and hurled it at the crucial moment.
Shawn felt his body relax as the snake instantly turned back into a fluttering paper talisman, now split in two. It was a shikigami made from black talisman paper.
"Damn it, trying to mess with me? I'll kill you!" Shawn was furious and dashed toward the office, while Ryu Kuroda, seeing the situation turn, took advantage of the Serpent Talisman binding Shawn to slip inside.
Just as Shawn got close to the office door, several Yamaguchi-gumi thugs in black suits rushed out, brandishing sharp samurai swords and yelling wildly as they attacked. Shawn caught a glimpse of Ryu Kuroda slipping inside, where a hidden door was visible in the spacious office. Ryu was ordering the Yamaguchi-gumi goons to attack Shawn, and as they charged out, he made a break for the secret door.
"Damn, what a sly bastard!" Shawn cursed, knowing he couldn't catch Ryu Kuroda right now. He kicked out with his right foot, sending a Yamaguchi-gumi thug flying. The guy screamed, his chest caving in with a huge dent, spraying blood and knocking down several of his buddies behind him.
But those Yamaguchi-gumi thugs were truly fierce. They shoved the corpse aside, waving their samurai swords as they kept attacking Shawn. Shawn snorted coldly, swung his fists—'Bang! Bang!'—instantly sending two big guys flying into the office, crashing into furniture. They didn't even get a chance to scream before Shawn's terrifying inner force shattered their organs, killing them on the spot!
Watching Shawn Young descend like a god of slaughter, the remaining Yamaguchi-gumi thugs felt their scalps tingle. Normally ruthless, they hesitated, knowing full well they were no match for Shawn and would only die faster if they charged in!
The Yamaguchi-gumi thugs stopped their frenzied assault, spreading out nervously and quietly retreating. Shawn Young snorted coldly and advanced, ready to finish them off. Just then, a flood of black-clad men burst out of the secret door in the office. Dressed much like the other Yamaguchi-gumi thugs, but the key difference was—they were all armed with automatic weapons!
Rachel Sasaki, who had followed them in, quickly warned, "Uh—Shawn-kun, be careful! These are Yamaguchi-gumi's elite assassins, and they're armed with automatic weapons!"
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As soon as she finished speaking, the black-clad men raised their weapons and unleashed a hail of bullets at Shawn Young—'rat-tat-tat!' Gunfire erupted, bullets swept through like fiery snakes, shredding office equipment into flying debris and chaos.
The instant the gunfire started, Shawn Young and Rachel Sasaki rolled out of the office, dodging the barrage. They pressed themselves against the walls on either side of the door, catching their breath and quickly thinking about how to deal with the Yamaguchi-gumi elite assassins.
At the same time, Shawn asked Rachel with concern, "Ryoko, are you okay?"
Rachel shook her head and said, "I'm fine, but those guys inside are real trouble. They're armed with standard Self-Defense Force submachine guns, and even have grenades! Plus, they've had strict military training—we need to be careful."
As she spoke, several dark objects rolled out of the office. Rachel darted into the corridor, dodging ten meters away, and shouted, "Get down! Those are grenades!"
Hearing her, Shawn Young sprang forward, throwing himself over Rachel Sasaki and shielding her with his body.
'Boom—boom—boom—' The grenades exploded, filling the corridor with blinding fire and a deafening roar. Shrapnel and debris flew everywhere, the marble floor blasted with several gaping craters.
Shawn Young frowned, activating his 'Celestial Eye' to see the group of Yamaguchi-gumi elite assassins, all armed with submachine guns, moving swiftly outside. They weren't reckless, but covered each other with quick, coordinated movements—clearly well-trained pros. It looked like things weren't going to be easy for his side this time.
Shawn sighed, thinking it was a shame Ryu Kuroda got away. He was about to tell Rachel Sasaki to retreat to the elevator, planning to deal with the Yamaguchi-gumi assassins himself, when suddenly a large group burst out of the elevator, all armed with submachine guns. They spread out, forming an attack formation, and pointed their guns at Shawn and Rachel.
"Crap—we're surrounded!" flashed through Shawn's mind as he quickly channeled his qi, preparing to cast a defensive barrier to protect them both.