Uesugi Shin watched as Hardy fought for his life against Uesugi Shirakawa, feeling embarrassed and at a loss for what to do.
He hesitated for two more seconds, then hurriedly ran to the living room.
When he returned, he was holding a pistol in his right hand and a katana in his left.
These were heirlooms, left by their ancestors when their branch of the Uesugi family moved to the Kōga region during the Edo period.
"Hardy!"
Uesugi Shin tossed the katana into the air.
With sharp reflexes, Hardy suddenly dropped his body sideways, pivoted on his left foot, swept out his right leg to knock Uesugi Shirakawa down, then pushed off the ground with both hands, using his excellent core strength to flip in midair and catch the katana.
Uesugi Shin gritted his teeth and seized the opportunity, raising the pistol and firing at his former eldest son.
"Bang!"
Smoke drifted from the muzzle. A hole appeared in Uesugi Shirakawa's body, and the force of the bullet drove him backward, but he did not fall.
The wound began to heal at a pace slow but still visible to the naked eye.
"Shing~!"
The katana was drawn, its snowy blade reflected in Hardy's eyes.
By now, he had a rough guess about this world.
However, creatures with such powerful regenerative abilities, undying bodies, and extreme bloodlust existed in many worlds; he would need further confirmation.
Having a weapon made a huge difference in combat effectiveness.
Under Kazekage Chiran's influence, Hardy had also trained in the Sand Concealment Style swordsmanship.
Although only at a beginner's level—enough to ensure some ability to counterattack if caught at close range without puppets—he had still received professional training.
He stepped back to dodge the incoming claws, gripped the katana with both hands, spun, and thrust straight at his opponent. As Shirakawa reacted and turned, Hardy's arms drove the blade in a counter-rotating motion, ending with an upward slash that severed one of Shirakawa's arms.
Hardy frowned slightly and took a step back; his clothes now bore five long slashes from the other claw.
The quality of this sword seemed questionable.
According to Uesugi Shin, this sword had belonged to Hardy's great-grandfather and was already seventy or eighty years old.
Without careful maintenance or professional restoration, the fact that it was still usable made it a treasured blade for its era.
Its durability was decent, but the edge was too dull; the last strike nearly got stuck in the bone of Shirakawa's arm.
That was why he had almost been injured just now.
"Hardy, watch out!"
Uesugi Shin suddenly shouted, firing his short-barreled pistol at the floor.
The severed arm that Hardy had cut off was now using two fingers as legs, scuttling rapidly across the floor, trying to ambush Hardy from behind.
Fortunately, Uesugi Shin's bullet blocked its path, forcing it to detour.
Hardy feinted with the katana at Shirakawa's eyes, but it was just a distraction.
He spun and side-kicked Shirakawa, sending him flying. Then, Hardy grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the table, threw them with ninja precision, and pinned the severed arm.
He had to change his combat strategy!
Hardy's footwork shifted again as he sidestepped Shirakawa's lunge for his arm. Twisting the katana, he slashed at Shirakawa's knee joint.
The blade struck swiftly and fiercely, targeting every joint in Shirakawa's body with precision.
No matter how strong the regeneration, it still took time to recover. By striking these key points, he could slow every movement of his opponent, create opportunities for a decisive blow, and conserve as much energy as possible.
With Hardy's level of swordsmanship, this was actually quite a stretch.
Luckily, before becoming like this, Uesugi Shirakawa had only been a frail scholar. Now, in his manic state, he lacked real combat awareness and skill, making the fight much easier.
Next, he needed to further restrict his opponent—ideally immobilize him until dawn.
Uesugi Shin gripped his short-barreled pistol, aiming constantly but not daring to shoot.
Hardy and Shirakawa were too close; he was afraid of hitting Hardy by mistake.
His eldest son had already become a monster—he couldn't bear to lose his second son as well.
Claws clashed with the katana, sending sparks flying.
Hardy moved nimbly, constantly maneuvering around Shirakawa.
To restrain his opponent, a sealing technique would be ideal, but he hadn't learned it.
That left only physical restraint.
...
Outside the mansion.
On the street.
A shadow holding a sword in one hand hurried forward, guided by a crow.
Elsewhere, a group of about a dozen uniformed police officers—
The police, weapons in hand, rushed toward the source of the gunshots.
Naturally, the mayor's residence was located in the safest part of town.
But in Konan Town, what place could possibly be safer than the vicinity of the police station?
Startled by the gunfire, every police officer at the station threw themselves desperately toward the direction of the shots.
If something happened to the mayor, they would certainly be in trouble as well—after all, their boss's boss also bore the Uesugi surname.
...
Hardy had already adapted to the situation and devised a strategy.
He shifted his body to the side, clearing a path for Uesugi Shirakawa and his arm, which was still pinned by the chopsticks.
Just as Hardy had expected, Uesugi Shirakawa instinctively lunged forward, trying to reclaim his arm.
"Dad!"
Hardy shouted a warning, his body swiftly moving to the side.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out. Uesugi Shin fired a shot straight into Uesugi Shirakawa's chest.
Though it wasn't enough to cause any real harm to Shirakawa, the force of the bullet was sufficient to slow his advance.
Seizing the moment, Hardy put all his strength into a slash, bringing his blade down on Uesugi Shirakawa's head.
The head tumbled to the ground, emitting a ghastly, wailing scream.
"Ahhh! Please! I beg you! Just let me have a bite of your flesh! I'm so hungry, so hungry, so hungry!"
The harrowing voice carried outside, prompting the white-haired man with a sword to quicken his pace.
"Bang!"
The heavy front door was kicked open. The first thing the white-haired man saw was Hardy rolling nimbly out of the way to dodge an attack from the now-headless body.
Uesugi Shin opened the gun's chamber, ejected the hot shell, loaded another bullet, closed it, and fired again at the headless body.
In this era, semi-automatic pistols hadn't yet become widespread in East Asia, so Uesugi Shin had to reload one bullet at a time.
Hardy took the opportunity to dodge, threw aside his sword, grabbed the low table from the tatami mat, and pressed it against Uesugi Shirakawa's body, pinning him against the wall and restraining him.
"Who are you?"
Uesugi Shin raised his gun warily, eyeing the fierce man who had suddenly appeared at the doorway.