บท 318: 314
From his vantage point, the masked figure's smile widened as he observed the remaining four Mist swordsmen fall into a tight circle, their backs pressed together, weapons at the ready. Fuguki Suikazan, Ameyuri Ringo, Raiga Kurosuki, and Kushimaru Kuriarare exchanged tense, mistrustful glances, each one tense and coiled like a cornered beast.
But the masked figure didn't close in for an attack. Instead, his voice, calm and sharp as a blade, sliced through the smoke.
"Blood Mist… isn't that what you do to the lowest caste?" he taunted, his voice dripping with dark amusement. "Let's put that principle to the test. Right here, right now. Turn on each other, and I'll let two of you leave." He paused, letting the challenge sink in. "But if only one of you walks away… you get to keep your precious sword."
The air thickened with tension, every warrior acutely aware of the weight of his words. This was the way of the Bloody Mist—a harsh, merciless survival of the fittest where comrades were expendable, and strength was the only law. The mist swordsmen had grown up with this philosophy, but in this moment, faced with each other's blades, the reality hit home.
Kushimaru Kuriarare, ever the opportunist, was the first to break the standoff. With a predatory glint in his eyes, he tightened his grip on Nuibari, the Needle—a long, thin blade threaded with nearly invisible wire, which could turn an entire battlefield into a web of deadly precision. Without a word, he twisted the wire and lashed out at Raiga Kurosuki, who was closest to him.
Raiga reacted with a snarl, his Kiba blades blazing to life as arcs of electricity crackled along their lengths. He deflected Nuibari's wires, the sharp clang of metal vibrating in the charged air. Sparks flew as the lightning from Raiga's blades danced along the threads of Nuibari, forcing Kushimaru to recoil momentarily. But Kushimaru was relentless, spinning the wire in intricate patterns, weaving it around Raiga, trying to ensnare him.
In the chaos, Ameyuri Ringo seized her moment. A savage grin on her face, she raised her own Kiba blades, their energy surging and snapping with lightning chakra. "Dead weight like you should be easy prey, Fuguki," she sneered, her voice filled with venom. She lunged, the twin blades crackling as they cut through the mist toward Fuguki Suikazan.
Fuguki snarled, swinging Samehada in a brutal arc to meet her attack. His sword, a massive, sharkskin-covered blade that pulsed with life, rippled as it sensed her chakra, eagerly absorbing the lightning from her weapons. Ameyuri's eyes widened as she felt the energy of her Kiba blades drain into Samehada, her lightning chakra feeding the hungry weapon. The more she pressed, the more the blade fed, weakening her assault.
Seeing her momentary struggle, Raiga, furious at Kushimaru's betrayal, turned his attention to Fuguki as well. Channeling his chakra into the air around him, he unleashed a swirling vortex of charged electricity. It crackled, pulsing with energy, and he sent it surging across the ground, aiming to catch Fuguki off guard while he was focused on Ameyuri.
Fuguki barely managed to react, bringing Samehada down to absorb the blast. The sharkskin blade pulsed as it greedily drank in the electricity, dulling the impact, but Raiga's jutsu was relentless, sending waves of lightning rippling through the ground beneath Fuguki. He staggered, his massive form slowing under the strain of absorbing so much energy.
In the midst of the chaos, Ameyuri saw her chance. Driving her Kiba blades into the earth, she channeled her own lightning chakra into the terrain, creating a charged field that spread through the smoke, amplifying the crackling energy around her. Sparks danced and flickered, grounding Raiga's assault, and the resulting shockwave forced everyone back, disrupting their attacks.
Ameyuri locked eyes with Kushimaru, her lips curling into a dangerous smile. "You want a piece of this, too?" she sneered, raising one of her Kiba blades, the lightning flickering and arcing off the metal with wild intensity. She grinned, daring him to test his skill against her deadly current.
Kushimaru, always calculating, responded with a cold smile. With a flick of his wrist, he twisted Nuibari's razor-sharp wire around Ameyuri's Kiba blade, attempting to bind her in place. Ameyuri snarled as the wire cut into her wrist, forcing her to release one of her blades. But she fought back, unleashing a surge of electricity that crackled through the wire, creating an explosive backlash that sent sparks raining down around them.
Meanwhile, Raiga's anger surged. Glaring at Fuguki, he twisted his Kiba blades into a stance, lightning dancing between them as he created a dense sphere of electricity around himself. He spun, unleashing a series of lightning-infused strikes in rapid succession. Fuguki, barely keeping up, used Samehada to absorb as much of the energy as possible, but the constant onslaught forced him to stagger back, his massive frame struggling to keep up with the nimble Raiga's relentless attack.
Fuguki, realizing he couldn't rely on Samehada alone, roared and channeled his chakra into his limbs, swinging the blade in a brutal, wide arc. Samehada crashed into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth that cracked the ground beneath them. The impact reverberated, disrupting Raiga's lightning vortex and forcing him to retreat, the earth shaking under Fuguki's raw strength.
Seeing this, Kushimaru, who was unshaken by Ameyuri's retaliation, redirected his wire toward Raiga. Nuibari's threads lashed out like snakes, wrapping around Raiga's arm, binding him in place. Raiga snarled, struggling against the razor-thin wire that cut into his flesh, his lightning chakra flickering weakly as he tried to fend off both Fuguki and Kushimaru.
Ameyuri, seeing an opportunity, unleashed a fierce bolt of lightning through her remaining Kiba blade, sending a shockwave across the ground that disrupted Kushimaru's grip. The wire snapped, and Raiga was released, stumbling back with a snarl as he locked eyes with his so-called comrades.
The battlefield had become a chaotic storm of betrayal and bloodlust, each swordsman desperate to survive, their skills clashing violently as they abandoned loyalty for self-preservation. They lunged and struck with unbridled aggression, their legendary weapons tearing through the air in deadly arcs, each swing, each crackling jutsu, a testament to their power and merciless intent.
From his vantage point, the masked figure continued to watch, his smile widening as the infamous Mist swordsmen descended into a frenzy, driven by the very violence they'd once embodied.
The black smoke lay thick over the battlefield, swallowing the forest into shadow. Through this haze, flashes of lightning and streaks of blinding energy pierced the dark—a chaotic symphony of betrayal, fear, and sheer survival. The remaining Mist ninja clashed, each movement sharp and desperate, their legendary weapons tearing through the air with deadly precision.
Fuguki Suikazan's breath came in heaving gasps as he fought to maintain his grip on Samehada. His muscles ached from the relentless drain, he had lost to much blood from the wound in his back, as the living blade absorbed chakra with a hunger that felt insatiable. He had taken on too much of his comrade's attacks, and each jutsu absorbed left him slower, his body struggling under the weight of exhaustion. But his eyes burned with a primal fury as he looked at his so-called comrades.
Ameyuri Ringo, her face wild with bloodlust, raised her remaining Kiba blade, its tip humming with charged energy. Her eyes flickered to the others—Raiga, battered but unwilling to yield, and Kushimaru, his hands still weaving Nuibari's wire with expert control. She licked her lips, her gaze feral.
"If you're all that's left of the Blood Mist's best," she sneered, "then maybe I should claim victory myself."
Without waiting for a response, she lunged toward Raiga, lightning exploding from her blade in deadly arcs. Raiga managed to block just in time, crossing his own twin Kiba blades in front of him, sending a shockwave of electric energy colliding with Ameyuri's. Sparks flew in all directions, the light illuminating the darkened forest in fierce bursts. But Ameyuri pressed on, the force of her attack driving Raiga backward, his feet digging into the dirt as he struggled to hold his ground.
Kushimaru Kuriarare seized his moment. From his place at the edge of the fray, he sent Nuibari's razor-thin wire slicing through the air, attempting to ensnare Ameyuri while she was focused on Raiga. The wire whipped toward her with deadly accuracy, glinting in the brief flashes of light. But Ameyuri, sensing the attack, broke her assault on Raiga just in time, twisting her body out of the wire's path. She spun on Kushimaru, her face a mask of fury as she sent a bolt of lightning streaking toward him, the energy dancing along the length of the wire and forcing him to recoil.
Fuguki took advantage of the moment, rallying his remaining strength. With a guttural roar, he swung Samehada in a wide arc, his chakra flooding into the blade as he channeled all his remaining energy. The sword's writhing scales bristled, absorbing the lingering energy from the battlefield, and he brought it crashing down, aiming to cleave through both Raiga and Ameyuri in one brutal swing.
Raiga saw the attack coming a fraction too late. He threw himself to the side, but not fast enough to avoid the full impact. Samehada's edge grazed his shoulder, tearing through flesh and sending a surge of pain shooting through his body. He fell to one knee, his vision blurring as blood dripped from the wound.
But it wasn't over yet. Ameyuri, undeterred, took advantage of Raiga's vulnerability. With a wicked grin, she unleashed a barrage of swift strikes, her blade flashing as it sought to end her weakened opponent. Raiga deflected as best he could, his movements sluggish, but she was relentless, her attacks ruthless.
Kushimaru watched the chaos, his eyes calculating as he observed the carnage. He didn't care who survived—as long as it was him. With a flick of his wrist, he adjusted Nuibari's wire, preparing for his next strike. This was his moment; he would end them all if he had to.
As he moved, though, Fuguki caught his eye. Despite his injuries, the hulking swordsman's expression was resolute. He had no intention of going down without taking one of them with him. With a grim determination, he launched himself at Kushimaru, swinging Samehada with all the force his weary body could muster.
Kushimaru, startled by the sudden assault, had no time to fully defend. Samehada's edge collided with his side, tearing through his armor and drawing blood. Kushimaru staggered, his grip on Nuibari loosening as pain shot through him. But he wasn't finished yet.
With a final, desperate effort, Kushimaru whipped Nuibari's wire around Fuguki, tightening the threads until they bit into his flesh. Fuguki roared in pain, his movements slowing as the wire constricted around him. But even as he felt the strength drain from his body, he managed to summon one last surge of energy, wrenching Samehada free and swinging it one last time.
The blade collided with Kushimaru, cutting deep. Kushimaru's body fell back, his grip on Nuibari slackening as his life drained from him.
Raiga, seeing the opening, rose to his feet, blood dripping from his shoulder. With a final, vengeful strike, he drove his blade into Fuguki, ending the battle with a savage thrust. Fuguki's body fell, motionless, as silence finally settled over the battlefield.
In the thick, deathly quiet that followed, Raiga and Ameyuri looked at each other, each realizing they were the last ones standing.
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