Chapter 18: The Life-and-Death Battle and the Unexpected Arrival

Chakra exploded, slicing the bandit in half, blood spraying onto Franz's deep-red chunin uniform. The bandit stared wide-eyed as his body was severed, his face expressing disbelief, regret, and a whirlwind of emotions before he took his last breath.

“Ding, congratulations to the host for killing assassin number 5...”

Despite the bloody scene, the remaining bandit did not panic. Two others split in different directions, daggers in hand, charging at Franz. At this point, they abandoned stealth, opting for a direct attack.

Franz brought his left hand's index and middle fingers together. He shouted softly:

“Lightning Shock!”

Electricity surged from Franz, forming hundreds of lightning snakes that lashed out at the two approaching bandits. They couldn’t dodge in time and were instantly struck, their bodies paralyzed and unable to move.

Franz gripped the hilt of Cloudfall, ready to finish them off. However, just as the lightning dissipated, another bandit suddenly appeared behind him, aiming a dagger at his neck. Franz’s left Sharingan glowed a sinister red, its three tomoe spinning rapidly, causing the world to slow down in his eyes. He swiftly leaned to the left, spinning 180 degrees, and thrust Cloudfall into the bandit’s throat. The bandit’s eyes widened as blood poured from his neck along the grooves of Cloudfall.

Suddenly, Franz felt a chill down his spine and dodged to the side just in time to avoid a dagger slashing close to his waist. But the bandit wasn’t done—his other hand swung a second dagger toward Franz’s neck. Franz tried to block it, but the dying bandit held his arm tightly, rendering him immobile.

“Boom!”

The bandit, thinking he had succeeded, smiled victoriously, but when his dagger struck Franz, it merely hit a wooden log. Franz reappeared behind him, pressing Cloudfall against his neck.

“Shadow.”

Cloudfall sliced through the bandit’s throat, blood spraying everywhere. Franz felt a wave of exhaustion, his vision blurring slightly. Checking his condition, he realized that he had been poisoned. The dagger’s blade must have been coated with a toxin, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He quickly assessed his remaining chakra—only one-third left—and noticed that three bandits were still standing, though two were incapacitated.

Breathing heavily, Franz sheathed Cloudfall, and Kusanagi appeared in his hand. He shouted:

“Ninjutsu: Dance of the Three Suns and Moons!”

Pushing his speed to the limit, Franz dashed toward the three paralyzed bandits, striking them down in an instant before charging at the last one. His rapid movements created afterimages that resembled fluttering butterflies, confusing the remaining bandit. Screaming, the bandit rushed forward with his dagger, but, like Geoffrey, he only hit an afterimage. Franz suddenly appeared above him, Kusanagi slashing down.

“Die!”

With a roar, Franz easily sliced the bandit in half.

“Ding, congratulations to the host for killing assassin number 8...”

The system notification marked the end of the battle. Franz felt utterly drained. All seven bandits had been high-level fighters, and although Franz had caught them off guard and countered their techniques, the fight had been far from easy. If he hadn’t quickly used his substitution jutsu, he might have died. His vision blurred even further from the poison, and he hurriedly accessed the system to purchase an antidote.

But suddenly, a chilling realization struck him. The system had announced number 8—where was number 1?

“Boom!”

A figure dressed in black burst up from underground, dagger aimed at Franz’s back. Still dazed, Franz reacted on instinct, summoning a kunai and turning just in time to block the attack. By some miracle, the bandit’s dagger lodged into the ring at the end of Franz’s kunai, getting stuck. The assassin launched a fierce kick into Franz’s chest.

“A Grandmaster!”

Franz couldn’t dodge in time. Blood spurted from his mouth, and his vision grew darker and more blurred.

The number 1 assassin wasted no time, thrusting his dagger toward Franz. In despair, Franz realized he had no strength left to defend himself. His chakra was depleted, his stamina drained, and he was poisoned and heavily wounded. He had no means of resisting.

Am I really going to die here today?

“Boom!”

Just when Franz had lost all hope, a familiar figure blocked the assassin's strike, sending him flying backward.

“Emon...”

Franz murmured weakly before losing consciousness.