Getting away wasn't gonna be that easy. The black-clad ninja had already spotted them.
He charged straight at them, moving like a blur—no intention of stopping for a friendly chat.
"Kuso!"
V cursed, looking pissed, and didn't hesitate to open fire. Her Ajax rifle unleashed a storm of bullets.
The ninja deflected with his katana, dodging and weaving, but he was noticeably slower than before. Several rounds hit their mark.
"He's not daring to overuse his Sandevistan!"
Jack Wells caught on quick. The ninja was clearly saving his Sandevistan for critical moments.
That kind of cyberware puts a crazy strain on the body. Even with heavy cyberization, you can't just spam it.
"Fall back and cover me. I'll test this guy's mettle."
Riku drew his blade and stepped forward, the blood-red katana pulsing with dense kekkijutsu energy.
Clang!
No fancy footwork here—just a straight-up clash. Riku's blade met the ninja's head-on.
The ninja staggered back a few steps, looking rough. Shock flashed in his eyes—he clearly hadn't expected this outcome.
Riku paused too, feeling his katana groan under the strain, like it was struggling to keep up.
That one strike told him a lot. First, there was a clear gap in weapon quality.
Second, this ninja had physical capabilities way beyond normal—more like top-tier cyberware.
To take that hit head-on and only stumble back a few steps? No regular human body could pull that off.
Even if it wasn't obvious on the outside, this ninja's body was likely packed with high-end cybernetic parts.
Riku pressed forward, gripping his katana tightly, slashing with relentless ferocity like a tidal wave.
"Mizu no Kokyū: Shi no Kata - Uderu Shio!" (Water Breathing: Fourth Form - Striking Tide!)
Riku's blood was pumping. This guy was a solid opponent—perfect for testing his combat skills.
Sure, his katana wasn't as good, but it wouldn't break that easily. And even if it did, he could restore it instantly.
"Be careful!"
V's shout carried a hint of worry, but she and Jack didn't rush in recklessly.
Charging in would only mess things up. Better to play to their strengths and provide ranged support.
"I really need to upgrade my cyberware," V muttered, clenching her jaw.
Her cyberization was pretty light—no heavy-duty implants.
Always letting Riku take the front line made her feel guilty. If they had subdermal armor, they could tank some hits too.
"This guy's subdermal armor is high-grade!"
Jack's armor-piercing rounds had hit the ninja earlier but barely scratched him.
The ninja's armor was leagues above the street punks they'd faced before—way harder to punch through.
"Aim for the eyes! Time to show off your shashin skills!"
V took aim, steadying her shot. She was starting to think that instead of more cyberware, a tech weapon like the Tsunami Nekomata would be a better investment.
With a Nekomata in hand, this ninja wouldn't dare charge her head-on. One shot, and his head would be sayonara!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ninja kept retreating, parrying Riku's onslaught.
"Some kinda Beast Gang muscle mod?"
The ninja's cybernetic eyes scanned Riku. No major cyberware detected, yet his strength was inhuman—definitely some kind of bio-modification.
His own arm implants—nanofiber muscles, bionic joints—were straining under the pressure.
And this big guy wasn't just strong. He was fast, not clunky at all, like some natural-born predator.
The ninja noticed Riku's breathing pattern—deep, rhythmic, sucking in tons of oxygen. His heart was pounding, blood flowing at a crazy rate.
Just pumping adrenaline, huh? Like I can't do that too!
Huff!
The ninja activated his adrenaline booster. His breathing sped up, heart racing, pupils dilating as his whole body surged with excitement.
Bzzt!
He triggered his Sandevistan again. The world slowed to a crawl in his eyes, even Riku's swift movements turning sluggish.
"No reaction booster, huh?"
The ninja exhaled in relief. He'd thought he was up against a real monster.
Riku's vision blurred as the ninja rushed him at blinding speed—too fast to react.
"Kage Ookami!" (Shadow Wolf!)
Sensing the Sandevistan, Riku summoned his shadow. It surged from the ground, shielding his side.
Slash!
The ninja's katana carved through the Kage Ookami. It hadn't even fully formed before the blade tore it apart.
But cutting through the shadow drained the strike's force. The blade hit Riku's subdermal armor—and didn't break through.
"What the hell?!"
The ninja froze, thrown off. It felt like his katana had sunk into a swamp, barely breaking free.
Clang!
Riku swung back instantly, his blade slicing toward the ninja who'd appeared at his side.
Boom!
The strike didn't pierce the ninja's armor but sent him flying, crashing into a wall.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Riku yanked the submachine gun from his waist, unloading a clip of armor-piercing rounds at the ninja.
But the ninja reacted, his figure blurring again as he closed the distance like a teleporting shinobi.
"Kage Ookami!"
Another unformed shadow surged out, blocking the ninja's blade. Riku had stumbled onto a new use for his Kekkijutsu: Kage.
Back when he fought Sakonji Urokodaki, he'd used Kage Ookami to block damage out of desperation.
Now, it was intentional. He didn't even need the wolf to fully form.
He could summon the shadow into a Kage Tate (Shadow Shield), a barrier to block attacks.
The shield wasn't super tough, but its ability to slow and cling to enemy strikes was insane—perfect for blocking melee and ranged attacks.
"What the hell is this?!"
The ninja's eyes widened as he slashed through the shadow again. He saw it clearly this time—but he didn't get it!
Bzzt!
The bullets Riku fired curved mid-air, homing in on the ninja's eyes.
The ninja dodged backward, slashing his katana to cut down the weird tracking rounds.
"Smart weapons?! No way!"
He shouted in confusion. He'd seen it clear as day—that gun wasn't smart tech!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
V and Jack seized the moment, unloading rounds at the ninja.
His subdermal armor was tough, but even top-grade armor couldn't hold up forever against specialized armor-piercing ammo.
"Kage Ookami."
Riku summoned the shadow again, this time letting it fully form.
The ninja went on high alert. This thing was beyond his understanding—completely unknown tech!
Man, this Phantom Beast Palu's got some charm. It's a bit rough around the edges, but if they keep it up without screwing around, it's got serious breakout potential.
(End of Chapter)