"Whoosh..."
Amid the sound of steel scraping against its sheath, Kurusu Kunoichi slowly drew his katana.
"Kurusu?" Kibito Aragane called out in surprise.
"What are you trying to do?!" Ikoma demanded of Kurusu Kunoichi.
The surrounding samurai exchanged glances, all of them at a loss.
Even Fang Li, watching Kurusu Kunoichi's movements, had no idea what he intended to do. His brow furrowed slightly.
Ignoring everyone's reactions, Kurusu Kunoichi stepped forward and pointed his blade at Fang Li, his gaze turning sharp.
"You want to save these two Kabaneri, don't you?"
Kurusu Kunoichi's words made Fang Li's brow furrow even deeper, but he answered honestly nonetheless.
"At the very least, I won't stand by and watch these two die by your hand."
Fang Li had known Mumei and Ikoma for less than an hour.
That was so brief that they had not even had time to become familiar with one another.
Logically speaking, Fang Li had no reason to concern himself with Mumei and Ikoma. As long as he obediently listened to the samurai, he could return safely to the Main God Space with plentiful rewards.
Yet Fang Li had no choice but to get involved.
Fang Li, who was indifferent to death, naturally would not feel sympathy and save the innocent Mumei and Ikoma for that reason.
But Fang Li owed Mumei and Ikoma a debt.
Without Mumei, whether Fang Li could have reached the station garage and boarded the Iron Fortress would have been a question, let alone the fact that she had later done everything she could to cover him, allowing him to slaughter his way through the horde of Kabane and reap enormous rewards.
Without Ikoma, Fang Li would have been bitten the moment he was caught by the Kabane, turning into a monster. He might even have been swallowed by the incoming Kabane horde, dying without a burial place.
To put it bluntly, Fang Li had survived until now, gained over twenty thousand Exchange Points, and even completed Main Mission Two all because of Mumei and Ikoma.
He had to repay that debt.
"Besides, I already promised that little girl that I'd handle what came next."
Fang Li looked at Kurusu Kunoichi and spoke each word distinctly.
"So, I'll protect these two."
The entire scene suddenly fell silent.
The way Ikoma looked at Fang Li had completely changed.
It was filled with gratitude.
Kurusu Kunoichi's expression, on the other hand, had barely changed from beginning to end. Upon hearing Fang Li's words, his gaze only grew sharper.
"If that's the case, then get past me first."
As he spoke, Kurusu Kunoichi gripped the hilt with both hands, his sharp eyes shooting toward Fang Li like arrows.
"You still owe me a victory."
Hearing that, Fang Li finally understood what Kurusu Kunoichi intended to do.
"I see. What a simple and brutal method." Fang Li chuckled, but his hand reached behind him and gripped his dagger. "What if I win?"
"I won't interfere in this matter anymore." Kurusu Kunoichi spoke coldly. "As for whether you can persuade the others, that has nothing to do with me."
"Kurusu?" Kibito Aragane was stunned.
"Kurusu!" The samurai cried out in shock as well.
In response, Kurusu Kunoichi gave the samurai only one sentence.
"Don't interfere with me. This is between him and me. Once we decide the victor, do whatever you want. But before then, no one is allowed to interfere!"
Everyone was left speechless.
At the same time, the somewhat familiar system prompt finally arrived.
"Number 11273 has triggered a Rank B Side Mission: The Belated Victory." "Mission content: Duel the story character Kurusu Kunoichi." "Victory reward: 5,000 Exchange Points." "Failure penalty: None." "Note: In an Instance World, only failure of a Main Quest results in punishment. Failure of a Side Mission carries no punishment. However, depending on the circumstances, mission failure may also provoke actions from story characters." "Reminder to Main God Envoy: If you fail this mission, you will be regarded as an enemy by the story characters and shot dead alongside the story characters Mumei and Ikoma."
The prompt from the space made Fang Li's eyes turn sharp as well.
"Wait!" Ikoma could not help stepping forward and shouting at Fang Li, "This has nothing to do with you! You don't need to go this far for us!"
"Nothing to do with me?" Fang Li smiled noncommittally and shook his head. "Whether it has anything to do with me isn't for you to decide. It's for me to decide."
With that, Fang Li gave Ikoma no further chance to speak. He stepped forward and came before Kurusu Kunoichi.
Just like their standoff in the arena three days ago.
Fang Li's gaze met Kurusu Kunoichi's in silence, yet sparks far fiercer than before erupted between them.
"Let me remind you of something." Kurusu Kunoichi said coldly, "This time, even if you block with your hand, I won't stop."
"Then let me remind you of something too." Fang Li silently drew his dagger, raised his head, and looked at Kurusu Kunoichi.
"This time, I won't hold back over whether I might take your life."
The instant his words fell, Fang Li's eyes abruptly transformed into Ice-Blue Demon Eyes.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception! Activate!
"You...?!" Kurusu Kunoichi's pupils abruptly contracted as he cried out in shock. "Your eyes..."
The corners of Fang Li's lips rose slightly. Combined with those Ice-Blue Demon Eyes, he looked exceptionally sinister.
"You'd better be careful. These eyes can absolutely take your life!"
No sooner said than done.
Just like in their previous match, Fang Li was once again the first to move.
"Bang—!"
With a crisp sound, Fang Li stomped the ground and shot forward in an instant, hurtling toward Kurusu Kunoichi like a blurred shadow.
His speed was naturally far greater than during their previous match.
After all, unlike last time, Fang Li had gained a skill, receiving a double boost to both his movement speed and attack speed.
Kurusu Kunoichi, unaware of this, had another thought when he saw it.
He really was hiding his strength!
With that thought, Kurusu Kunoichi abruptly raised his katana. Instead of retreating, he advanced, stomping the ground and charging straight at Fang Li.
Kurusu Kunoichi's speed was no weaker than Fang Li's.
Thus, their charges instantly erased the distance of less than several meters between them.
In the time it took everyone around them to draw a breath, Fang Li and Kurusu Kunoichi had already met.
"Haaahhhhh—!"
Amid the shout, the sharp dagger and keen katana sliced through the air at the same time.
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