newbobooks Chapter 626 Coldness
Chapter 626 Coldness
His attacks were ruthless and cold-blooded, devoid of any fancy moves, aimed directly at vital points. However, his swordsmanship style was fundamentally different from that of Hatake Sakumo and Zhang Hai.
Zhang Hai quickly made a judgment: his swordsmanship was no longer merely pure swordsmanship, but had cleverly incorporated ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even some special chakra nature transformation. This had led his swordsmanship down a "heretical" path, a school of thought that prioritized killing above all else, using any means necessary. In terms of pure swordsmanship skill and level, he was at least two levels below Hatake Sakumo, and even somewhat inferior to himself. However, in terms of killing efficiency, he was in no way inferior to Hatake Sakumo, and perhaps even surpassed him! This was an extremely dangerous and difficult-to-defend swordsmanship.
The two remained locked in a stalemate for a minute, time stretching endlessly in the deathly silence of the forest. The stench of blood and the aura of blades in the air grew increasingly intense, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Finally, a crisp "clang" sound rang out in the deathly silent forest, the first sound to be heard since the two had been facing off.
With a slight movement of his longsword, "Shadow" unleashed a blinding glint of light in the moonlight. The blade's gleam, like a clear yet chillingly green autumn pool reflecting the moonlight, possessed an eerie beauty that sent shivers down one's spine and made one's soul tremble at the mere sight of it.
"Shadow" uttered a soft, hoarse voice, yet it carried an undeniable command: "Secret Technique, Moon Shadow!"
Before the words were even finished, "Shadow's" figure blurred instantly, leaving behind numerous afterimages. Each afterimage seemed to be his actual body, rapidly moving in different directions. These afterimages were elusive and difficult to distinguish, designed to confuse Zhang Hai and prevent him from accurately pinpointing his true location. At the same time, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from him, instantly enveloping Zhang Hai in countless sword lights. These sword lights came from all directions, forming an impenetrable net of blades. The slightest carelessness would result in suffering the most fatal blow from within.
Zhang Hai understood that this was the essence of the "Shadow" sword technique, the foundation upon which he relied for survival and killing. Faced with such a fierce and unpredictable attack, ordinary defensive measures were utterly ineffective.
He no longer hides his talents.
Beneath the ANBU mask, the light of his three-tomoe Sharingan flashed briefly, his jet-black pupils instantly turning blood red. The three black tomoe slowly rotated within, capturing every afterimage and analyzing the trajectory of each blade of light. His chakra surged, and he instantly entered an absolute defensive stance, devoid of any offensive intent, focusing solely on defense and counterattack with all his perception and power.
Illusions blurred and flashed, a tapestry of blade light. A few seconds later, all the afterimages froze in mid-air, then coalesced in an instant. Then, a "shadow" blade of light flashed within the illusions—a blade of light far more solid and powerful than any before, slashing out from the void with a whistling sound and overwhelming force!
Wherever the blade's edge passed, the air seemed to be torn apart, leaving a visible crack.
After a brief and eerie two-second silence, the chilling blade light seemed intent on destroying everything in its path, leaving no room for retreat, and hurtling straight toward Zhang Hai's vitals.
Faced with this deadly attack, Zhang Hai showed no panic, but rather a hint of admiration.
"Excellent swordsmanship," he said in a low voice.
"Good sword skills!"
Zhang Hai exclaimed sincerely, his voice, though soft, echoing clearly through the deathly silent forest. This praise was not mere politeness, but heartfelt admiration. He could clearly sense that this attack was entirely different from the three previous sneak attacks. While the earlier attacks were fierce, they felt more like a test, a pressure, intended to force him to reveal his true strength. But this chilling blade light contained genuine killing intent, showing no mercy, aimed directly at his life. This meant that "Shadow" had become serious after the brief exchange.
"Shadow's" blade was incredibly fast, almost exceeding the limits of what the naked eye could see. However, Zhang Hai's blade was even faster!
Just before the chilling blade of "Shadow" was about to strike, the short knife in Zhang Hai's hand seemed to come alive, leaving a blood-red afterimage even faster than the blade's edge, as it met "Shadow's" attack head-on.
"Zheng!"
A piercing metallic clang exploded in the air, sparks flying as they illuminated the blurred silhouettes of the two figures in the darkness. Then, only two elusive afterimages remained in the air, one above, one below, one attacking, one defending, like two rapidly spinning whirlwinds, tumbling and weaving across the training ground. The clash of blades was incessant, as dense as thunder in a storm, as sharp as a torrential downpour, each strike carrying a tearing edge. The air was thick with killing intent, chilling to the bone; every collision carried the potential for instant death. The slightest opening would result in a bloodbath.
This was an extreme battle of speed, a pinnacle of swordsmanship and reaction speed. Zhang Hai's Sharingan operated at high speed, taking in the blurry figure of "Shadow" and its cunning sword moves. The sword in his hand seemed to be an extension of his body, parrying and counterattacking with precision and swiftness.
A moment later, seeing that his fierce attacks had not gained him any advantage and that he was even being slightly outpaced by Zhang Hai in terms of speed, "Shadow" decisively retreated. His figure spun in the air like a black bat, and he soared into the sky. He raised his long sword high above his head, and in the eerie moonlight, the blade traced a perfect arc around his body.
As the blade spun, a strange chakra fluctuation spread out. Immediately afterwards, countless phantom swords emerged from the void, swirling around the figure of "Shadow" like stars surrounding the moon, or like countless real blades, gleaming with a chilling light. These phantom swords were indistinguishable from reality, making it impossible to tell which was real and which was fake.
The voice of "Shadow" came from mid-air, deep and hoarse: "Secret Technique, Obscure Moon Night!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless phantom sword lights rained down on Zhang Hai like a sudden downpour. Each phantom carried a powerful gust of wind capable of tearing through the air, as if countless swords were descending from the sky simultaneously, enveloping Zhang Hai within their attack range.
Zhang Hai's expression was solemn as his Sharingan rapidly scanned these illusions. He truly couldn't determine which was the real entity and which was merely a genjutsu.