One Strike

Ueno Kei was exceptionally calm at this moment. He knew this was the final hour. After all, this battle was Ueno Kei's first, and his lack of experience and pre-battle nerves were manifesting quite clearly.

Ueno Kei was well aware of all this. His limbs failing to obey his commands at critical moments and his sluggish reactions had nearly cost him his life. If not for that, the monsters surrounding him would not have even amounted to a tenth of their total number.

Ueno Kei would not have been in such a sorry state otherwise. His lack of combat experience meant he could only unleash about eighty percent of his true strength. Ueno Kei shook his head helplessly. He had originally thought that having experienced death in his past life and endured hardships in this one, he would face death with greater composure.

He had not expected that his body—trembling slightly before the fight, during the fight, and even now—and his shaking hands were ruthlessly telling Ueno Kei the truth.

He!

He was afraid of death! Afraid of being killed, afraid of losing everything once again.

"That is exactly why I must survive!" Ueno Kei muttered to himself, even though his tensed muscles betrayed the lingering hesitation in his heart.

Although he had intended to choose the optimal moment to strike, Ueno Kei's lips curled into a bitter smile; he had been pushed to the edge of a cliff, and there was no other way.

At the very least, his will to survive remained unshaken! The look in Ueno Kei's eyes gradually brightened.

Ueno Kei had been pinning his hopes on Yuhi Kurenai, a Jonin, using a few wide-range, high-power ninjutsu to clear the field, giving him a chance to launch a surprise attack on the girl atop the high platform.

After all, only by defeating the caster would the technique naturally dissipate.

Launching a surprise attack on Kurama Yakumo was a high-risk endeavor, but Ueno Kei had no other choice.

However, to Ueno Kei's surprise, Yuhi Kurenai did not use any ninjutsu at all, which made him curse inwardly. She was a Jonin, so why couldn't she even perform a single A-rank ninjutsu?

This left Ueno Kei in a predicament. What should he do? Force a breakthrough? Setting aside whether he could even manage it, even if he did, how much damage could his remaining chakra inflict on the girl on the platform?

This strike was his final resort. Ueno Kei glanced anxiously at Yuhi Kurenai not far away, silently praying that she would unleash at least one wide-range ninjutsu.

But how could Ueno Kei know that Yuhi Kurenai was suffering in silence? As a Konoha Jonin specializing in genjutsu, while she knew some ninjutsu and taijutsu, they were abysmal compared to other Jonin of the same level. She probably wouldn't even be a match for some Chunin if they used the same amount of chakra.

She was a master of genjutsu.

But she was also quite an idiot when it came to ninjutsu and taijutsu. Forget A-rank wide-range lethal ninjutsu; she didn't even know many B-rank ones.

Although Yuhi Kurenai had known about Kurama Yakumo's abilities from the start, she had assumed they were inextricably linked to the essence of genjutsu. To her dismay, however, every genjutsu she attempted here proved ineffective.

Without Ueno Kei knowing, Yuhi Kurenai had already tried countless ways to dispel the genjutsu, but they had all sunk like stones into the sea, yielding no reaction at all.

The torment in Yuhi Kurenai's heart was no less than Ueno Kei's. With her genjutsu ineffective, her combat effectiveness was greatly reduced, and a chill spread throughout her entire body.

It could be said that if not for her Jonin-level chakra reserves and years of combat experience, Yuhi Kurenai might have found dealing with these monsters even more difficult than Ueno Kei, given her lack of proficiency in ninjutsu and taijutsu.

Not to mention that she had to constantly guard against a sneak attack from Kurama Yakumo on the high platform.

Therefore, Ueno Kei had arguably wronged Yuhi Kurenai a little.

Of course, Ueno Kei was in no mood to worry about such trivialities at this moment. Facing the increasingly dire situation, he knew he could wait no longer.

Ueno Kei leaped several times in quick succession to put some distance between himself and the monsters, plunged the Lingyu Blade into the ground, took a deep breath, and began weaving hand seals rapidly.

As if noticing Ueno Kei's movements, several wraiths closed in quickly.

Ueno Kei remained unmoved, his expression unchanged as he continued to weave seals.

Bang! Bang! With a few sounds of impact, just as the wraiths' sharp claws were about to touch Ueno Kei, the Lingyu Blade embedded in the ground emitted a brilliant glow.

A flash of white light vanished in an instant.

A hazy white circle of light formed with Ueno Kei at its center. No matter how the wraiths struck, they could not break through the barrier.

Ueno Kei let out a slight sigh of relief. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever used the sealing technique within the Lingyu Blade.

This was what Fengyi Zhan had told him when he first obtained the Lingyu Blade: the blade could be used in conjunction with his own chakra to create a temporary barrier to protect himself.

Fengyi Zhan called this the Lingyu Barrier.

Of course, the strength of the barrier varied from person to person; the amount of chakra, the depth of one's understanding of the Wind Wing Sword Technique, and the level of synchronization with the Lingyu Blade were all important factors.

Ueno Kei had tried to release the Lingyu Barrier before, but he had never tested its strength. After all, he couldn't exactly go around Konoha looking for a ninja to test it on unless he had lost his mind.

Only an idiot would go around talking about matters involving their own secrets.

Judging by the intensity and weight of these monsters' attacks, the Lingyu Barrier he had currently manifested should be able to withstand attacks equivalent to those of a Chunin.

Protected by the barrier, Ueno Kei could focus on weaving seals without fear of outside interference.

As he wove the seals, the chakra on Ueno Kei's body grew increasingly powerful. This was one of the methods in the Wind Wing Mental Method for instantly condensing chakra. To be honest, Ueno Kei would never have done this if not for the critical situation, as it was too damaging to his foundation, and for Ueno Kei at the present moment—

Whether it was his physique or his chakra reserves, he was still in a growth phase, and the side effects of using this were too great.

"Ah, ah!!" Intense heat radiated from Ueno Kei's entire body.

His face was flushed red, his forehead covered in sweat. Thump, thump. Ueno Kei felt as if his internal organs were being heavily struck by something, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Eh?" Kurama Yakumo noticed the strange change in Ueno Kei and cast a puzzled glance in his direction.

Suddenly, their eyes met. Kurama Yakumo froze for a moment, then her expression shifted violently, and she let out an unexpected, shrill scream.

Due to Kurama Yakumo's strange reaction, the monsters' movements suddenly became sluggish.

Moreover, even more strangely, the monsters began to vanish on their own. The wraiths surrounding Ueno Kei let out a collective wail before turning into wisps of black smoke and disappearing.

Although Ueno Kei didn't know what had happened, this was absolutely a god-given opportunity!

Forcing himself to suppress the intense pain throughout his body, he pulled out the Lingyu Blade, twisted his feet, and Ueno Kei's figure vanished from the spot.

His figure shot forward like a cannonball, thrusting straight toward Kurama Yakumo.

In a split second, Ueno Kei surged onto the high platform, his eyes locked intently on Kurama Yakumo, who remained oblivious to his arrival and continued to shriek in agony.

The image of the barefoot girl by the riverside, her expression filled with an inexplicable sorrow, surfaced in his mind, causing his blade to falter.

A flicker of hesitation and reluctance flashed through his eyes before being instantly suppressed; he bit down on his lip, the taste of blood filling his mouth as he tightened his grip on the Lingyu Blade, all while Yuhi Kurenai's face drained of color.

"Kei, no..."

The Lingyu Blade descended heavily. "Wind Wing Sword Technique, First Form, Starfall!" Ueno Kei whispered the words, and instantly, a flash of silver light streaked through the air.

Blood sprayed everywhere, drenching Ueno Kei from head to toe as the girl's body was severed in two.