The sword light fell "slowly" before Gen Chisei's eyes, calmly striking the middle of Spider Cutter. That was the blade's "waist," the weakest point of the entire weapon. That clean, decisive thrust, brimming with murderous intent, was instantly broken.
No matter how hard Gen Chisei gritted his teeth and strained, he could not stop Spider Cutter from slipping out of his control and sinking.
Lu Mingfei's movements blurred again as he raised his straight sword high.
The third strike.
Gen Chisei was powerless to turn things around. He watched the sword light fall upon him. A scorching sensation burned along his skin, yet there was a chill like a cold wind blowing against him. Death... so death came this swiftly, this abruptly. He had no time to think about much of anything. The whole world narrowed to a little patch of scenery before him: the sunset, the sword light, the helicopter swooping toward him. All sound was receding.
"The family head has authorized us to open fire. Rescue the young master at any cost!"
That was the only order over the communications channel, because the mission's second-in-command had already charged to the front. Throwing knives flashing coldly, followed by a hail of bullets, converged on Lu Mingfei. At that moment, the delicate balance between the family and the Secret Party no longer mattered. No one had imagined Gen Chisei would lose, so there was no contingency plan. They could only open fire.
Sakura was actually grateful. Mr. Tachibana Masamune still felt a father's affection for Gen Chisei, enough to accept a disadvantage in the overall battle for his sake... and personally, as long as Gen Chisei was there, she had nothing to fear, even if she had to step onto a terrifying battlefield with both the Devil Clan and the