"Damn it! Don't get cocky!" Another roar came from the right. A burly man with a sturdy build and a flushed face strode forward, wielding a strange weapon—a chain sickle with a sharp sickle and a heavy iron ball attached to the end of a long handle.
"Flying Sickle Chain Style—Shigekuni Shimazu!"
He stood opposite Isshin and assumed a stance. The chain gave a faint rattle, while the sickle and iron ball, one in front and one behind, vaguely sealed off Isshin's room to dodge left or right.
Isshin's expression remained unchanged as he replied briefly, "Ashina Style, Isshin."
The instant his voice fell, Shigekuni Shimazu moved!
His wrist flicked, and the heavy iron ball flew out first with a howl, tracing a sharp arc as it smashed toward the ground beside Isshin, aiming to restrict his movement and distract him. At the same time, Shigekuni stepped forward. The true killing move—the sharp sickle that followed the iron ball, slicing silently toward Isshin's ankle like a venomous snake darting out its tongue—suddenly struck!
Suppressing an opponent from mid-to-long range while combining it with bizarre surprise attacks was the essence of chain-sickle combat.
Isshin's eyes narrowed slightly. In the split second when the iron ball struck the ground and the sickle came sweeping in, his feet shifted in a rapid chain of movements. His body swayed like a reed in the wind, and with precision bordering on instinct, he avoided the sickle's strange arc by the narrowest margin. At the same time, he retreated half a step, landing just outside the area where the rebounding iron ball might reach.
Seeing his attack fail, Shigekuni Shimazu immediately changed tactics. He pulled his arm back, the chain clattering loudly. The sickle and iron ball seemed to come alive as they crossed through the