Sacrificial Skill

"That's right, a barrier. No Kido below level eighty can pass through this barrier," Iwamoto's voice drifted lazily from behind the wall of fire. "Are you two ready? I'm coming for you!"

"Young Master Kyoraku, please stay back. I can't guarantee I won't hurt you. It would be a shame if I accidentally killed you, too."

Lin Nan frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "Be careful. This guy is very strong; we are no match for him. Don't face him head-on."

Kyoraku nodded, just about to agree.

At that same moment, a gust of wind swept past instantly. The wall of fire was smashed open, and in the next heartbeat, a figure had already appeared right in front of Kyoraku!

Iwamoto!

He wore a sinister smile, his blade already raised: "I can only kill him with peace of mind if I take care of the backup first, right?"

He didn't intend to kill Kyoraku, but this single strike would be enough to leave him unable to rise again!

Kyoraku felt as if everything were happening in a single instant; his body's reactions couldn't keep up with his consciousness, and he could only watch helplessly as the blade drew closer and closer.

It's over. He lamented in his heart, instinctively averting his gaze.

At the same time, however, another figure suddenly appeared within his line of sight!

Lin Nan appeared instantly beside Iwamoto, raised his hand to parry Iwamoto's blade, and then slammed an elbow strike into Iwamoto's throat.

Kyoraku's mind went blank.

Flash Step! When did Lin Nan learn Flash Step!?

He couldn't do it when we fought a few days ago! Or was he holding back all along??

Many questions flooded his mind, but he had no time to ponder them, for Lin Nan was calling his name.

"Move!" Lin Nan had caught Iwamoto off guard; taking advantage of the opening, he waved his hand to disperse the Fushibi fire net and shouted to Kyoraku.

As the fire net dissipated, the massive basement was plunged into darkness, save for the faint light reflecting down from the stairwell.

Iwamoto and his men, with their backs to the stairwell, instantly lost their vision, while they remained clearly visible in the eyes of Lin Nan and Kyoraku.

Lin Nan's vision recovered quickly from the momentary darkness. Borrowing the dim light from afar, he used Flash Step to arrive beside the few figures nearby.

"Big guy?"

"!?... Argh!"

Thud...

"Little fatty?"

"Ah!!!!!!" A scream like a slaughtered pig echoed.

Thud! Then came the sounds of incessant wailing and rolling on the ground.

"...What was your name again?"

Bang!

Thud.

In the blink of an eye, all three of Iwamoto's guards were taken down.

"Thought I couldn't move, did you? This young master's wounds have long since healed!"

Iwamoto spat out a mouthful of blood due to the heavy strike to his throat. He never expected that he, who had always been so confident, would be toyed with by this brat time and time again.

He gradually regained his sight from the blindness, turned around viciously, and locked onto the only figure standing in the light: "Give me your life!"

Kyoraku's voice drifted eerily from behind him: "It's not good to ignore your opponent while fighting!"

Iwamoto was startled and instinctively turned his head, only to suddenly feel a heavy blow to his temple, causing stars to dance before his eyes.

Kyoraku, hidden in the shadows, reached out and caught the spinning top as it flew back, chuckling softly: "It's pitch black, you should be careful not to bump into things~"

After saying this, he rolled lightly away from his original position, and the top in his hand flew out once more.

"Do you think this level of hidden weapon can hurt me?" Iwamoto's blade swung out instinctively, but it struck nothing but air.

Kyoraku's voice drifted eerily from the darkness in the distance: "Who said this thing was meant for you?"

As soon as the words fell, Iwamoto heard the crisp sound of wood cracking above his head.

Crack! Crack!! Crack!!!

It was as if something were gradually piercing through the ceiling beams.

"How is this possible... The barrier is clearly still active; you shouldn't be able to destroy the beams..."

"Kido might not work, but that doesn't mean other things won't." Lin Nan's voice came from the front.

He used the cover of the shadows, clutching his still-bleeding wound tightly: "If we tear down this house, your barrier won't be able to stop us either."

A tingling, itchy sensation came from the wound—was this the rapid recovery brought about by the internal circulation of spiritual pressure?

Iwamoto looked at the silhouette in the light, his teeth itching with hatred: "Lin Nan! No need to put on a show; I'll kill you right now!"

Although he couldn't see the opponent clearly, in his spiritual perception, Lin Nan's spiritual pressure was already as faint as a candle flame.

Although your powerful martial arts can handle those pieces of trash, you are currently in a state of gasping for breath. How much more trouble can you possibly cause?

He raised his left hand, pointing it toward Lin Nan's figure: "Way of Destruction No. 31, Shakkaho!!"

A fireball the size of two adult fists condensed before him, then flew rapidly toward Lin Nan's position.

Kyoraku, positioned to the side, couldn't help but cry out, "Lin Nan, watch out for the explosion!"

The moment the fireball lit up, Lin Nan's pupils constricted sharply. The instant it flew toward him, he used Flash Step to arrive beside Kyoraku, pushing him away from the fireball's trajectory.

Bang!

A violent explosion swept through the entire basement, and Masami, Kuramoto, and the third person, who were closest to the blast, were instantly reduced to ashes.

Surging tongues of flame swept through every corner; even with the barrier in place, the entire underground space seemed to tremble slightly.

Covered in flames, Lin Nan and Kyoraku frantically patted out the fire, stumbling as they helped each other stand up.

"How is the ceiling beam coming along?" Lin Nan's ears were ringing incessantly from the shockwave.

With Lin Nan shielding him, Kyoraku had taken less of the impact. Coughing, he said with difficulty, "Almost there, but the beam is too thick..."

"Way of Destruction No. 20, Sky-Illuminating Orb."

As the two spoke, accompanied by Iwamoto's voice, a light orb the size of a watermelon suddenly ignited out of thin air in the basement.

Kyoraku's expression turned grave instantly: "Damn it!"

The Sky-Illuminating Orb was a projectile-type Kido with relatively low destructive power, but because of its high luminosity, it was often used for illumination.

Iwamoto held the orb in his left hand, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "It's much quieter in this room now. Lin Nan, your death day has arrived!"

Staring at the orb in his hand, Kyoraku's eyes were filled with anxiety as he whispered into Lin Nan's ear, "The light is too strong, there aren't enough shadows. If we use the top to attack the beam again, it will be easily intercepted."

As if to confirm Kyoraku's words, not far behind Iwamoto, a metal top clattered through the invisible barrier and fell to the ground.

Iwamoto glanced at it, his rage instantly flaring: "You're actually trying to stall me with this kind of thing? You two brats are truly tired of living."

Hearing Kyoraku's words, Lin Nan felt a surge of anxiety in his heart.

The basement was now flooded with light, making Kyoraku's Shadow Demon Top unusable.

Without the protection of his spiritual pressure shell, he had lost his only reliance against Iwamoto, who was stronger than him and armed with a sharp blade.

A bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down his cheek.

"Is there any way to extinguish that light orb?" he whispered to Kyoraku.

Clutching his chest, Kyoraku shook his head: "That is his Kido. Unless he terminates it himself or the Kido's energy is exhausted, it cannot be extinguished."

Lin Nan sighed inwardly. It seemed he would have to use his immature Flash Step to stall him as best he could.

He curled his lips and smiled at Iwamoto: "Hey! Didn't you say my death day had arrived? Are you coming over, or should I come to you?"

A flash of contempt crossed Iwamoto's eyes: "What other tricks are you trying to play?"

"I'm saying, since I'm going to die anyway, then I..." Lin Nan spoke only halfway; as Iwamoto began to focus on his words, his figure vanished in an instant!

The next moment, he flashed in front of Iwamoto, both hands grabbing out simultaneously: "...will take you with me!"

One hand grabbed for Iwamoto's blade, while the other gripped the hand holding the light orb, forcing it toward his own body!

Iwamoto's reaction was faster than his; with his attention fully on his right hand, he dodged the grab and backhanded his blade, stabbing it rapidly into Lin Nan's abdomen!

"Let's see how many more of my blades you can take!"

The next moment, Lin Nan took the full brunt of the Kido with his own body.

As the light vanished, Kyoraku saw a mist of blood spray from Lin Nan's body as the orb hit him, while Iwamoto's blade pierced deep into Lin Nan's abdomen!

"Lin Nan!!!"

The basement returned to total darkness, and no sound emerged. Only a thick, charred smell gradually began to diffuse.

Seeing his only friend bleeding out in the gloom, Kyoraku felt his eye sockets grow hot and sore, and two lines of hot tears flowed down involuntarily.

He didn't bother to wipe them, immediately maneuvering the top and, relying on memory, launched another attack at the damaged ceiling beam in the darkness!

Crackle, crackle, crackle~~~~

BOOM~~~~!!!!!!

Following a massive, teeth-grinding sound of shattering and snapping, blinding light suddenly poured into the basement!

In the brightness, the top fell to the ground once more.

Kyoraku looked toward the source of the sound in surprise, ignoring the pain of the light stinging his eyes—

In his stunned gaze, The ceiling, had opened.