139. No Escape

Akechi's blade was fast—so fast that as it cut through the air, the sword itself seemed to emit a high-frequency hum.

The bullet Reid fired when he pulled the trigger intersected precisely with the downward arc of the blade. Amid the explosive clang of metal striking metal, the bullet was split lengthwise in two. The scorching fragments grazed past Akechi's ear and branded symmetrical scorch marks into the concrete wall behind him.

Akechi's swordsmanship was actually quite ordinary. At the very least, compared to his friend, he had never specialized much in the sword. His current level only came from picking up a little during sparring sessions, at that friend's request.

But while his swordsmanship was ordinary, Akechi's eye and his sense of precision were not. It was merely cutting a bullet with a blade. So long as the sword was worthy of his precision, there was nothing difficult about it.

If it were not so inconvenient to reveal, Akechi could have played around with catching bullets barehanded as well. But that would expose him before Reid. His current mission was to conceal his identity properly; there was simply no need to reveal himself in front of Reid from the Intelligence Bureau.

He had to show enough without making it look like his true level.

Reid's Kerenzikov should already have reached its limit. His movements were slowing now. Mm, four seconds. Akechi should still be able to hold out.

Thinking that he only needed to endure for four seconds, Akechi raised his blade and took the initiative to meet Reid head-on.

He was not stupid. Standing still and letting Reid shoot at him was asking for trouble. Even if he could cut bullets apart, Reid might know how to use bullet collisions to redirect them. That was not a risk