The Price

"Y-You! Who the hell are you?!"

The captain of the ‘Mermaid’ group, whose AT Field had been pierced through and whose inner cross had exploded, fell to the ground and knelt on one knee. His shattered helmet revealed the disbelief written all over his face.

The defense he had always been so proud of had actually been utterly worthless before this opponent!

It had been pierced as easily as paper, and even his unique-category attack from earlier had failed to have any effect.

The reason he had secured his current position, the reason he had made it this far in the Reincarnation Space and earned decent treatment even from large corps, was his strength!

Powerful defense, dual attacks, and using Binding Arts to make up for his lack of speed—his adaptability was already strong enough.

Yet now, he had been defeated head-on in the very defense he had been proudest of.

He could normally force himself to endure even the ordinary attacks of most captain-level opponents at the cost of minor injuries. Combined with his trait of turning instant damage into delayed damage, it barely affected his combat strength at all!

Instead, he could stockpile the damage and find an opportunity to pass it on to his opponent!

Yet this time, his defense had done no more than keep him alive!

And now, his opponent had even used such a large-scale barrier technique to seal more than two hundred people inside at once. That was no ordinary method.

Coupled with how he had seen through the old captain’s invisibility.

Just how many abilities of this level did this man possess?!

"Huh? I believe I already told you. But let’s get acquainted again. I am the president of the Penguin Merchant Guild. As for my codename… hmm, just call me ‘Penguin.’"

Xu Yue wore a bright, sunny smile, as though he did not care in the slightest.

"Impossible! There’s no one like you in China! Are you one of Dragon Soul’s people? I knew it, it had to be you! Wasn’t it?!"

The captain of the ‘Mermaid’ corps spoke almost hysterically.

"Think whatever you like. Up to you. But…"

A smile curled across Xu Yue’s lips. He raised his hand and released a terrifying repulsive force in one direction, sending the big-headed old man flying again.

After blasting apart his frame midway through the air, Xu Yue immediately reversed it with an attractive force, dragging him toward himself and seizing the little old man by the throat.

"…if you thought you could distract me and let him sneak attack me, you were thinking too much."

He tightened his grip, and the little old man in his grasp dissolved into a cloud of inky black smoke.

A super MT and a super assassin—strictly speaking, they made quite a good combination.

Xu Yue had fused the AT Field into the Adamantine Sealing Chains, creating a reverse barrier that sealed off the entire area and was gradually shrinking. Within this area, Xu Yue temporarily could not use the AT Field again, because the entire place was already inside the field.

But against that slippery old man of the Nura Clan, such a measure was necessary.

Only by continuously shrinking the range could he capture that agile fellow and force him to attack.

In terms of pure agility, that man was even above Xu Yue. He also possessed bizarre abilities involving invisibility, clones, and substitutes.

He fit the definition of a ninja even more closely than the ninjas in Naruto.

Seeing the old captain’s sneak attack fail, the current captain of the ‘Mermaid’ corps did not lose heart. There would definitely be another chance. The opponent had not used that strange field ability just now—there had to be an opportunity!

As long as the captain seized it, he could kill him in one strike!

Meanwhile, the old man of the Nura Clan hidden in the shadows had a grave expression in his eyes.

He had completely failed to understand what ability the other side had used. It somewhat resembled a Jedi Knight manipulating objects with the Force, yet it was simpler and purer.

First, his defense and frame had been instantly scattered. Then he had been pulled over. If his survival and escape skills had not been exceptional, that move might have finished him.

But as long as…

Lowering his head, he looked at the Black Rod piercing through his body, then at the hand resting against the rod. He raised his head along that hand and saw the figure already standing right before him. The old man of the Nura Clan’s face filled with disbelief.

Even the other man’s fluttering clothes and hair seemed to be moving in slow motion.

For a moment, countless thoughts seemed to flash through his mind…

He could not understand it at all!

He had not seen the other man appear at all. How had he done it?!

Could his speed also be above his own?

How was that possible?!

Powerful taijutsu, powerful defense, powerful penetration, powerful perception, powerful barrier techniques, and now this ghostly speed—how could all of that exist in one person?

What exactly was his weakness?!

Pwah—

Another Black Rod pierced the little old man’s body. The Outer Path power formed by the Rinnegan’s Yin-Yang Release completely sealed the energy fluctuations within him, while Xu Yue still wore that calm, pleasant expression.

Although his opponent’s escape and concealment abilities were excellent, Xu Yue might not even have detected him if he had not come close.

But…

Xu Yue had already placed a Flying Thunder God mark on him. He did not possess an ability like Obito’s to travel through other spaces and destabilize the mark, so what possibility of escape did he have left?

And he was still thinking about what to do afterward?

He was really thinking too much…

"Old Captain!"

"Senior!"

"How could this be?!"

"What kind of speed was that? How did he do it?!"

Seeing the old captain’s hunched body pierced through by two Black Rods, neither the current captain of the ‘Mermaid’ corps nor the other members could comprehend it.

"Whew. I’ve spent quite a bit already. Time to clear the field."

Having gotten a sense of his current abilities from these two opponents with entirely different styles, Xu Yue felt that it was about enough.

His greatest advantage was still his versatility. Taken separately, that strike that pierced the blood armor was nearly at its limit. If the opponent’s defense had been a little stronger, they probably could have withstood it directly.

Against enemies like that, it would be better to use Wood Realm in conjunction with Kamui, or find an opportunity to use Tsukuyomi.

As for that slippery old man, he had needed to first use the barrier to reduce the area, then take advantage of the surprise of Banshō Ten’in to leave a Flying Thunder God mark.

No matter what type of enemy he faced, he could come up with a solid response.

Perhaps he did not have many abilities that surpassed the upper limit of Kage-level, but his balanced versatility gave him the confidence to defeat any Kage-level powerhouse!

If he could swiftly defeat two Reincarnators whose traits he had first needed to probe step by step, then facing plot characters whose information he already understood through the story would be even easier.

Only then could he make the best use of his advantages.

Overall, aside from his mana pool still being somewhat limiting, the results had basically met his expectations.

Since that was the case, there was no need to continue testing…

"Wait! We were hired too. Things haven’t actually reached the point of no return between us. I think we can still talk!"

After fully realizing how dire the situation was, the captain of the ‘Mermaid’ corps finally began to waver and compromise.

"Under Bloody Counterattack, you won’t gain any benefits or rewards. As long as you agree to sign a contract and let all of us withdraw and disband the corps, you don’t necessarily have to kill us to end this. We can pay a considerable sum!"

He fully understood what he needed to do now. Only by drawing the other side’s attention with sufficient benefits would they have a chance to stay alive!

What did it matter if he had to pay some price to buy his life?

"Talk? Back then, it seemed you had no intention of talking with our branch. Sorry, perhaps I have a bit of racial discrimination too…"

The next moment, a gigantic purple figure unfolded within the barrier. Its icy, chilling aura shrouded the entire battlefield, and everyone felt death drawing near in their despair…

Benefits? Even at its peak, Wings of Freedom had only saved up three S-rank missions. Xu Yue did not believe a corps with only two big shots could offer anything that would move him.

The chicken used to scare the monkeys would be more intimidating dead.

Leave some people behind to subdue?

Or leave some alive to spread the news?

Sorry, the greatest deterrence was to shatter every last shred of hope the enemy might have of surviving!

Besides, when an entire corps was wiped out, there was no need to deliberately arrange for anyone to spread the news. Other corps would come investigating one after another on their own. Leaving behind a few signs would be enough.

That was the price of provoking someone so casually…

The slaughter spread…

Two chapters done. That’s all for today…