Evil Spirit

"L-Lin Qing!"

County Magistrate Senmura took half a step back, putting the others in front of him.

Lin Qing's fearsome reputation had spread throughout the Land of Water. County Magistrate Senmura had never expected Lin Qing to be in his jurisdiction, much less to dare come charging in!

After his initial shock...

came unbridled delight!

If he could help the two Seven Ninja Swordsmen kill Lin Qing, it would be a great achievement.

County Magistrate Senmura had long since paid the Daimyo enough tribute. The only reason he hadn't been promoted was that he lacked the "achievements" needed to win over the people.

Now an achievement had come knocking.

Good fortune—unbelievable good fortune!

County Magistrate Senmura ordered the Dire Wolf, "Assist the two lords and kill the traitor Lin Qing!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Dire Wolf drew his Ninja Blade and crouched low. Meanwhile, two or three guards ran off to notify the samurai stationed in the county town and gather the guards.

Biwa Juzo hefted the Kubikiribōchō. "So you're Lin Qing? The missing-nin from Konoha... Do you know Might Duy?"

Lin Qing had no intention of answering. The longer this dragged on, the more samurai and shinobi would come to reinforce them.

"Let's kill one first!"

Lin Qing took a deep breath as Ripple energy swirled around him. The horse beneath him neighed again, hot breath steaming from its nostrils.

Lin Qing tugged the reins. The horse leaped over the crumbling wall and galloped forward. Man and horse charged like a war chariot toward County Magistrate Senmura, who was cowering at the back.

"Kid, you're taking me a little too lightly."

Biwa Juzo's sinister voice sounded beside Lin Qing's ear. A sharp whoosh followed as the Kubikiribōchō swung in a wide arc toward him.

But Lin Qing didn't even look at him. He merely said, "What's the problem?"

Biwa Juzo's anger flared at those words. He swung even faster than usual.

But this was exactly what Lin Qing had been waiting for.

Star Platinum appeared in an instant and punched forward. Lin Qing gripped his blade with both hands and slashed horizontally from the other side.

Man and Stand attacked Biwa Juzo at the same time.

When Lin Qing said they should kill one first, he hadn't meant County Magistrate Senmura.

A "civil official" like him could be killed at any time.

The important targets were Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki.

If Lin Qing could kill one of them first, the battle tonight would be much easier!

Clang—

The blades clashed, ringing out in a long, rippling hum.

Two long swords with slender blades and reverse-facing edges blocked Lin Qing's horizontal slash.

It was Raiga Kurosuki!

Blue arcs of electricity flickered across his skin. As a master of Lightning Release Ninjutsu, Raiga Kurosuki could use his Kiba to unleash incredible bursts of speed in battle.

Raiga Kurosuki sneered. "Killing that useless Suikazan seems to have gone to your head. I'll—"

He didn't finish. He heard a hissing sound.

Silver-white flames burst from the back of the bandage-wrapped blade in Lin Qing's hand, burning the bandages away.

A straight, massive blade with sharp angles and a pitch-black surface appeared before everyone.

An increasingly fierce, almost unimaginable force poured from the blade, pressing down on Raiga Kurosuki until he could hardly breathe.

"What... what kind of blade is that?!"

Black Blade: Ruin.

Thanks to Blade Master's masterful craftsmanship, the Blade of Ruin contained 108 channels within it, mimicking the way the human body circulated Ripple energy through breathing.

Once Ripple energy flowed into it, its power would increase exponentially. Lin Qing had no swordsmanship to speak of; he simply overwhelmed his opponent with raw power, speed, and reflexes.

Raiga Kurosuki lasted less than half a second before he was sent flying.

The Dire Wolf, who had just been about to rush over and help, froze in place.

One strike!

He couldn't believe it. The legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen, even with two of them fighting together, couldn't withstand a single blow from Lin Qing. They'd been sent flying!

It was terrifying!

Raiga Kurosuki barely managed to steady himself in midair. He swung his Kiba, sending two bolts of silver lightning along its blades and into the sky.

That was the power of Kiba: it could create and control lightning.

Rumble—

Rolling thunder sounded, and a bolt of lightning fell into his hand.

Lin Qing glanced at it.

Wasn't that just a lightning rod?

Raiga Kurosuki raised the long blade, its edge crackling with lightning. The instant he landed, he plunged it into the ground.

"Thunder Burial: Banquet of Lightning!"

Bolts of lightning spread across the earth, slithering toward Lin Qing like venomous snakes.

The Dire Wolf recovered, formed Hand Seals, and summoned three Ninja Wolves with wings on their backs. They howled and charged together.

Raiga Kurosuki stared intently at Lin Qing.

He wasn't trying to kill him. He only meant to force Lin Qing back for a moment and give Biwa Juzo time to catch his breath.

But...

Lin Qing turned his head slightly. Their gazes met for half a second.

Raiga Kurosuki's heart lurched.

"He saw through me!"

Star Platinum grabbed Lin Qing with one hand and Biwa Juzo's blade with the other. It suddenly heaved, flinging them both out of the courtyard.

"What's he doing?"

Everyone in the courtyard was dumbfounded.

Had he... run away?

But if so, why had he taken Biwa Juzo with him? Had he panicked and grabbed the wrong person?

Only Raiga Kurosuki understood. His heart sank—

"He's forcing a one-on-one fight!"

The Dire Wolf suddenly realized what was happening, cold sweat beading on his back.

Terrifying!

Not only was Lin Qing powerful, but he also had the composure of a seasoned fighter.

After his first attempt to kill someone outright had failed, Lin Qing understood that killing one of them while surrounded by so many powerful enemies would be extremely difficult.

So he'd decisively taken Biwa Juzo away.

Lin Qing was exploiting the time gap. He intended to kill Biwa Juzo before Raiga Kurosuki and the others could come to his aid!

"You're choosing to kill me first? Looks like you really do underestimate me," Biwa Juzo said coldly.

"What's the problem?"

The same reply.

But now it came from a different frame of mind.

Biwa Juzo wasn't angry. He knew Lin Qing hadn't underestimated him—or rather, Lin Qing regarded all his enemies equally.

Words were merely a way to unsettle an opponent.

That trick wouldn't work now.

So the two fell silent.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Biwa Juzo's forehead.

The intelligence had been wrong!

According to the reports, Lin Qing excelled at controlling invisible Evil Spirits. He hadn't used Ninjutsu or Taijutsu himself, and could only summon one Evil Spirit at a time.

Biwa Juzo had assumed Lin Qing had some kind of summoned-beast ability.

As the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, Biwa Juzo was the most durable of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, so he'd devised a plan:

He would hold off the Evil Spirit while Raiga Kurosuki, the fastest of them, used his burst of speed to kill Lin Qing.

But no one had expected Lin Qing to be so formidable in close combat!

With Phase Two Ripple and the Blade of Ruin amplifying his power, Lin Qing's full-force frontal assault was, for a short time, no weaker than Star Platinum's.

Biwa Juzo swallowed.

"That guy... he's a monster with no weaknesses!"

"No, he does have one weakness."

"Ninjutsu."

"If I can just hold out until Raiga Kurosuki gets here, we can use Ninjutsu together to suppress Lin Qing. The most important thing is not to let him kill me, but..."

Biwa Juzo stared at Lin Qing as he approached, carrying the Blade of Ruin in one hand.

He felt a wave of unease.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique."

Wisps of thick mist appeared, blocking Lin Qing's vision. Biwa Juzo hid in the fog, vanishing from sight.

Lin Qing waited a few seconds, then asked softly, "Aren't you going to come and kill me?"

His voice echoed through the mist.

Standing more than ten meters away, Biwa Juzo sneered inwardly. Hidden Mist Technique was indeed ideal for an assassination technique.

But from now on, he wouldn't go within two meters of Lin Qing.

"If you won't come, then stand still."

"Stand still?"

Biwa Juzo didn't understand what Lin Qing meant. Was this another psychological trick?

He hesitated over whether to change positions, but worried Lin Qing had some strange method for detecting him while he moved. Maybe Lin Qing was saying this on purpose.

Just then, a faint buzzing came from the sky. Biwa Juzo looked up.

A string of objects the size of eggs fell from above.

As they dropped in front of him, Biwa Juzo saw what they were. His face turned deathly pale.

Dozens of Miniature Missiles!

Boom—

A burst of fiery light exploded upward, scattering the mist.

The Dire Wolf, County Magistrate Senmura, Raiga Kurosuki, and the others finally arrived. They saw Lin Qing standing amid the flames.

Like an Evil Spirit who had just emerged from hell.