Flaw

Flaw

"They actually took the initiative to lure the Kabane here and put the citizens in danger. Bastard! Don't you have an explanation?"

Still in that secluded room where they had plotted in secret, the Awen Station administrator who had been forcibly dragged into this wore a grim expression.

"Rest assured, the Kabane will be dealt with by the Hunting Party. Biba will make his move then, and Biba will be dealt with by us."

The man holding a smoking pipe, disguised as an ordinary civilian, wore an expression as though everything was under control.

"I certainly hope so! Hmph!"

Seeing how casually the other man spoke, the Awen Station official who had been forced into this could not help but snort coldly. They were all tied to the same rope now, so he could not truly fall out with them. He was also one of Biba's targets for revenge.

But the other side made it sound easy. If anything went wrong, they could simply leave, but everything he owned was in Awen Station!

"Oh? It seems I heard something rather remarkable."

Just then, a soft chuckle came from outside. Xu Yue pushed open the door and slowly walked in.

Everyone inside immediately tensed up. Someone else had somehow learned of such a secret affair?

"Guards! Where are the guards?!"

The man with the smoking pipe forced himself to remain calm, but clearly no one outside could hear his calls anymore. Cold sweat began to run down his face.

"There's no need for everyone to be nervous. I merely let them rest for a while."

Xu Yue smiled gently, as if to show that he meant no harm. Then he sat down and spoke casually.

"It's simply that if what you have done were to spread, it might provoke the people's resentment. If someone became overly emotional, that would be troublesome."

Xu Yue spoke lightly, but those listening broke out in cold sweat. Some things could be done, but if they were exposed, being beaten to death on the spot by an angry mob would be the least of it. In fact, that was almost certain to happen.

"I recall that you are Kōkan Station's representative. Since you have come here, what is it that you wish to do?"

The pipe-holding man, his head wrapped in a turban and dressed like an old farmer, still barely maintained his composure. Yet his air of pampered privilege could not be concealed.

Since the other party had come to them voluntarily, there should still be room for negotiation.

"Cooperation. I am merely seeking cooperation. Whether it is the Hunting Party or the General, I have no objection to either."

Xu Yue tapped the tea set with his finger, then continued with a smile.

"However, the Hunting Party is a little too dangerous. After considering it, I still believe that cooperating with the General and preserving the current stability is the superior choice."

Only then did the people present breathe a sigh of relief.

"Your crude assassination plan has disrupted my rhythm somewhat. However, I can bring you Biba's head as a gift of introduction, to show my sincerity..."

In the original plot, the seven groups of Kabane that had been lured over were easily wiped out by the Hunting Party, which was nearly out of ammunition and only had enough steam for one more stop. Now that they had been fully resupplied and no longer needed to conserve resources, the battle was completely one-sided.

Biba himself had also entered the battlefield. As one of the few male Kabaneri kept hidden away, Biba's own combat strength was exceptionally outstanding.

Together with the female Kabaneri named Mei at his side, and mounted on swift horses with excellent mobility, they gave the Kabane no chance to surround them as they charged across the battlefield.

The only thing that caused a little trouble was the appearance of a Guts. A Guts with combat techniques was theoretically no weaker than an ordinary Kabaneri in terms of ability.

It created considerable resistance for the ordinary Hunting Party members.

Having noticed the problem, Biba, still seated on horseback, nodded to Mei, who had remained by his side.

"Go work with Mumei and take down that Guts. Don't let the soldiers die for nothing."

"Yes."

Mei, dressed like a female ninja, accepted the order crisply. Then, without hesitation, she joined Mumei, who had already charged out from the other side, and moved to surround the Guts...

Yet at some point, a faint mist had begun spreading across the battlefield. At first, mixed with the steam from the Kōtetsujō, it did not seem unusual.

But as the mist grew thicker and thicker, people gradually began to notice that something was wrong.

The Kabane surpassed humans in every aspect, and the heavy mist had limited effect on them. But once the Hunting Party's vision was obstructed, they gradually began fighting separately and slowly lost their coordination.

Even Biba on horseback furrowed his sharp brows after cutting through a wave of enemies. Why had such a heavy fog suddenly appeared in this weather? They needed to end this quickly.

But before he could give the order, Kaku, who had been waiting in the shadows and felt that heaven had granted him the perfect opportunity, suddenly sprang out and launched a sneak attack at Biba.

It had to be said that Kaku was a battle-hardened veteran. His experience, timing, and technique were all precise. Even after losing one leg and relying only on a prosthetic, he still unleashed considerable strength!

Unfortunately, that strength was only impressive compared to ordinary people.

Clang~

He seemed not even to look at the attack. With a casual swing, Biba knocked Kaku's weapon flying with his gun-blade.

He turned toward him coldly.

"Kaku, is it? It seems being abandoned has made you resentful."

Under normal circumstances, Biba might have said more. But the sudden thick fog made him unwilling to waste time on a discarded pawn he had already abandoned.

"Unfortunately, the weak have no value in living."

"Wait..."

Before Kaku could say anything, the exaggerated blade of the gun-sword nearly cleaved his body in two. This veteran, who had struggled to escape Hasshun Station, fell into a pool of blood with deep unwillingness before he could even speak.

His part on the stage had come to an end.

Clap clap clap~

The sound of applause immediately drew Biba's attention.

A humanoid shadow slowly emerged from the thick fog. As its outline became clear, that familiar gentle smile came into view.

At some point, the fog before them had become so dense that visibility had fallen below two meters!

"The weak indeed have no value in living. But I wonder, Biba, do you count as one of the strong?"

Xu Yue's voice was gentle, even carrying a trace of amusement, but Biba's expression gradually darkened as he heard it.

"It seems Mr. Xu has chosen to stand with my father. What a regrettable decision."

"It is precisely because you are too capable, Biba, that I had no choice but to make such a decision."

Xu Yue did not deny it. He simply stood where he was, seemingly making no other move for the moment.

Yet the more he acted like this, the more wary Biba became. As a Kabaneri, his senses toward danger were also sharp. He could feel the threat contained within Xu Yue's body.

During the brief standoff, while Biba constantly observed his opponent in search of a flaw, different screams gradually began coming from within the fog.

They were entirely different from the earlier sounds of slaughtering Kabane. This time, a great many human screams rang out, as though they had encountered something terrifying.

The cries were filled with despair and fear.

And the only humans still fighting in the thick fog were undoubtedly the Hunting Party!

"Mm, that should be about enough. Under these circumstances, even if something happens here, Mumei won't have time to care."

The sounds around them seemed to serve as a signal for Xu Yue. Before he even finished speaking, his entire body seemed to transform into a Black Panther as he pounced toward Biba.

Only an afterimage remained in Biba's vision.

Not good!

With only enough time for that thought to flash through his mind, Biba relied on his powerful Kabaneri physique to barely raise his weapon in instinctive defense.

Clang~

A tremendous force struck him, sending him sliding backward.

The muscles in his hands could clearly feel the tearing pain caused by that immense power!

As a male Kabaneri, his physical strength was not much inferior to Xu Yue's current strength. But because that brief distraction had been seized by Xu Yue, he had directly lost the initiative.

By the time he tried to do anything else, he had already fallen completely into a disadvantage.

Biba had spent years fighting among the Kabane, and his combat experience was extraordinarily rich, even somewhat superior to Mumei's.

Xu Yue's limited combat experience could not compare to his at all.

Yet now, the more experienced Biba was completely reduced to passively taking blows, only barely able to fend off Xu Yue's attacks.

Clang~ Clang~

The reinforced Kunai repeatedly collided with his weapon, sending sparks flying. But the sounds of battle were entirely drowned out by the screams within the thick fog, failing to draw anyone's attention.

Although Xu Yue had Biba completely suppressed, he did not rush to press his advantage. He steadily expanded his own edge at an unhurried pace, gradually compressing the other man's defensive space.

The several uses of Wood Clones, along with dispatching them to find water sources and cast such a wide-range Mist Technique, as well as the diluted Hell Viewing Technique over a large area, had consumed more than half of Xu Yue's Chakra. Even though he had continuously used his Sage Body to extract and train Chakra along the way, it was still a heavy expenditure.

Facing Biba, who was even somewhat stronger than Mumei, in this state naturally required him to make full use of his strengths and bring out the endurance of the Sage Body.

Moreover, he could continuously absorb combat experience from fighting Biba and steadily improve his greatest weakness.

While suppressing his opponent, Xu Yue also continued dismantling his mental defenses.

"Biba, you really do not need to be afraid. Most of the Hunting Party will be going underground to accompany you."

"As for whether there will be Kabane down there for you to kill, I cannot say. I wonder whether you hope there will be, or not."

Biba's mental defenses were incredibly strong, and his fighting will remained steadfast. Even when he heard that the Hunting Party he had painstakingly built had been set up, he did not waver in the slightest and continued defending steadily.

Thrust, pick, slash, hook.

Every strike produced a collision of metal and sparks.

He understood that as long as he could hold out until Mumei or Mei returned, he would still have a chance!

"Wondering why the Hunting Party suddenly descended into chaos?"

"Though they are all battle-hardened warriors with strong wills, once the fear in their hearts is stirred, it can become terrifying."

"A certain amount of fear will not make them lose their ability to fight. But their instinct for self-preservation, driven by fear, will make them attack every moving shadow around them without distinction."

"In other words, they will kill each other."

"Especially in this thick fog."

The continuous mental assault did not affect Biba at all. Even when Xu Yue hinted that he himself had created the fog, it did not stir the slightest ripple in Biba's heart.

This surprised Xu Yue somewhat. It seemed that the plot characters in the Mission Space truly had an astonishing ability to accept other special powers.

Although victory would sooner or later be his if he dragged this out, things would become troublesome if the Guts holding back Mumei and Mei was dealt with and they returned.

Their weapons collided, and the rapid impacts and sparks illuminated Xu Yue's calm face.

After a moment of silence, he made one final attempt.

"Your sister is amazing."

The five words erupted, and a tiny flaw finally appeared in Biba's mental defenses, which had not relaxed in the slightest until now.

Feeling the change in the force transmitted through the Kunai, Xu Yue did not hesitate at all. He leaped half a step backward and completed the hand seals in the instant Biba froze.

Illusion Technique: Hell Viewing Technique!

Compared with the diluted version cast on the Hunting Party through Wood Clones hidden in the fog, Xu Yue now unleashed it at full force, enhanced by the Sharingan's Illusion Technique.

Even with Biba's indomitable will, once that brief flaw had been caught, he was completely ensnared.

The weapon in his hand fell to the ground. His entire body went blank, his eyes vacant, as though he had seen some scene magnified from the depths of his heart.

But the next moment, Xu Yue flicked up the short blade from Kaku's corpse and sent it flying with a reverse kick, piercing Biba's heart like an arrow...

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Thanks to Fu · Yutian for the tip~