Want to Read ahead? Join my Patreon to get early access to 50+ advanced chapters!
patreon.com/cw/MexxyWave
---
Humanity's Frailty
He was currently in that exact predicament.
The previous bounty had been almost completely spent, and it was time to consider his next mission—which was why he had been staying at this inn.
Fortunately, he had more or less locked onto his next target. If Shirō had arrived even a little later, he might have missed him entirely.
Sometimes, fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
The bounty he had deliberated over for so long belonged to—Smiling Devil.
According to the intelligence he had gathered, Smiling Devil specialized in Wind Release ninjutsu, and his bounty was only two hundred thousand ryō. That discrepancy had created a rather beautiful misunderstanding.
Generally speaking, the higher the bounty, the stronger the shinobi.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Wealthy clients could place massive rewards on relatively weak targets—Inoshita was a prime example. His strength had never matched his exorbitant bounty.
There were also cases like Shirō's, where the client lacked funds, causing the reward to fall far short of the target's true danger.
Still, such situations were rare.
Most of the time, bounty values roughly corresponded to strength. Even the Exchange made preliminary assessments of a target's combat ability, though those evaluations weren't always accurate.
But people needed a reference point.
And now, in his eyes, a bounty in the hundreds of thousands combined with Wind Release made this look like an easy win.
Coincidentally, he excelled at dealing with ninjutsu-oriented opponents.
What he didn't know was that the Smiling Devil he was preparing to hunt had already arrived nearby.
After receiving the message from his summoned snake, Shirō immediately headed for the inn. Passing through a narrow alley beside the building, he slipped inside.
When he emerged again, a mask already covered his face.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Shirō walked forward unhurriedly, openly announcing his presence.
This would be a direct confrontation.
The Noble Phantasm he intended to use was one of his most reliable tools—a weapon he expected to rely on often in the future. With such a suitable opponent in front of him, there was no reason not to test it.
"Projection… begin."
As he walked, Shirō reached out with his right hand.
A flash of white light bloomed, and a long spear materialized in his grasp.
---
Humanity's Frailty
Rank: C
Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm
Range: 1
Maximum Targets: 1
Before this spear, the human body was as fragile as paper—easily cleaved apart, as though bones did not exist. Hence its name.
Like the legends it was based on, the weapon possessed a conceptual effect that ignored conventional defenses.
Its chakra consumption was minimal. Simple in nature, yet terrifyingly effective in real combat.
It had two forms: a standard straight spear, and a cross-shaped configuration released after reinforcing its attack power.
Shirō valued this Noble Phantasm highly. Not only was it economical to deploy, its effect was also extremely practical. He had great expectations for it.
Moreover, the spear could be combined with the Eight Extremities Fist he had learned. Though they originated from different systems, their fundamentals were compatible enough to provide meaningful synergy.
As Shirō completed the projection, his opponent finally reacted. He scanned his surroundings once more, then slowly rose from his seat.
"Smiling Devil?"
"So that's my nickname," Shirō replied flatly. "It's unpleasant."
"It certainly saved me a lot of trouble."
"Heh."
Before the man could say anything else, Shirō lunged forward, thrusting the spear straight at him!
The opponent didn't dodge.
Instead, he met the attack head-on.
The moment he had sensed Shirō's approach, he had already begun molding chakra. By the time they exchanged words, his defensive technique was fully formed—which was why he could afford to remain calm.
Reality quickly proved that his defense was formidable.
Shirō's spear struck his body and rebounded with a sharp metallic clang.
Even in its unreleased state, Humanity's Frailty was razor-sharp.
Yet it had been stopped.
"Hahaha! It's useless!" the man laughed. "This is my strongest defensive ninjutsu! You won't break through it!"
He continued fighting while speaking, relying on his unique technique to pressure Shirō at close range.
At the same time, Shirō reached a conclusion.
This wasn't the standard Earth Release Hardening Technique. Shirō knew that jutsu well enough—its performance didn't match what he was seeing.
As they exchanged blows, Shirō carefully observed the characteristics of the defense. Gradually, it began to overlap with a Kekkei Genkai recorded in his memory.
Still, he wasn't completely certain.
So he deliberately prolonged the engagement, testing whether his opponent could combine the technique with weapons or ninja tools.
Yes—Shirō was trying to copy it.
Even if he couldn't fully reproduce a Kekkei Genkai, analyzing it would expand his understanding, which was invaluable for his long-term growth.
And if it turned out to be a specialized ninjutsu rather than a bloodline ability, then he would truly strike gold.
After all, Kekkei Genkai and ordinary techniques existed on entirely different levels. Some bloodlines couldn't be learned at all.
Unfortunately, things didn't go his way.
This man had developed no method of pairing the technique with weapons, relying solely on reinforced fists.
Shirō had no choice.
He couldn't keep dragging this out—and more importantly, his opponent had begun preparing to retreat. If Shirō didn't act now, the man would escape.
Although the surrounding snake network made a clean getaway unlikely, it would still be troublesome.
So Shirō seized an opening.
As the spear spun to its apex, it suddenly twisted in his grasp.
"Humanity's Frailty."
Chakra surged.
The spearhead split open in midair, unfolding into its released form—and Shirō brought it down in a fierce overhead strike.
"Heh. A pointless effort."
With a sneer, the man didn't even bother to block. In his mind, even a chakra-enhanced strike wouldn't make a difference.
He had endured countless attacks like this.
He intended to tank the blow, then counterattack during the massive opening Shirō had created.
Objectively speaking, his judgment wasn't wrong.
Projection-based combat habits led Shirō to favor maximal-force strikes—powerful, but exposing vital points.
If the opponent survived this hit, Shirō would indeed be finished.
The only problem was—
There was no defense before Humanity's Frailty.
The released Noble Phantasm cut through him effortlessly, nearly bisecting his body.
He collapsed to the ground, eyes wide with disbelief.
Shirō exhaled softly.
After a brief moment of consideration, he dragged the corpse outside the inn and, in front of the Exchange's hidden sentries, sealed it into a scroll.
The contract only required confirmation of the kill, not delivery of the body.
Besides, Shirō found this man… interesting.
A certificate would be more than enough to complete the mission.
---
Support this fanfic by leaving Positive Reviews, Comments and Power stone
For Advanced chapters:
patreon.com/MexxyWave