Bizarre. It was a polymer of flesh and mechanical structures, its brilliant colors saturated with a neon aesthetic, but a single glance was enough to know it was not human.
"The stakes are your lives. How about it? A fair trade, isn't it?" The ninja's true nature was laid bare.
For JK, having the patience to talk with them for this long was already the height of benevolence. To think they would still dare to refuse—they truly had a death wish.
An aura of dread enveloped V and the others. It was an oppressive force from a different plane of existence, the pressure of a higher lifeform suppressing them, stirring the fear of ninjas encoded in their very genes.
They didn't even lose control of their bowels after seeing his true ninja form? What strong-willed mortals. No, they should be called apprentices. They had already set foot on the path of the ninja. JK could see the Karate David possessed.
But it was only at an apprentice level. How much longer would he need to train to reach the standard of a genin? Still, among ordinary people, he was exceptionally talented.
Negotiations had broken down, so he would take them by force. JK moved, lunging toward them.
There was no killing intent, just as a human feels nothing for an ant on the roadside—provided it doesn't try to provoke them.
But being able to decipher the Kojiki and possessing decent Karate skills meant they were no longer ants. They were individuals with one foot on the path of the ninja. JK had a good impression of them and decided to knock them out, imprison them, and force them to join his faction.
The ninja's speed surpassed the dynamic visual acuity of a normal person. The moment he struck, V activated her Kerenzikov and its booster, which allowed her to barely perceive his movements, but her body couldn't keep up at all.
Even with her enhanced nerves, V could only watch helplessly as he charged, not even getting a chance to fire her gun. But she saw another figure step up to meet him.
A month as a merc had given David a wealth of combat experience. He realized the attack was coming at almost the same instant as V and activated his Sandevistan.
Subjective time slowed to a crawl. David saw JK rushing in. Even with the Sandevistan active, his opponent's speed was still exceptionally fast, but he could follow it!
David unleashed a Karate=Straight Punch, the technique he knew best and his most powerful blow, concentrating all his body's Karate power into one point.
'Oh?' A flicker of amazement showed in JK's eyes as he faced the attack. David's punch had already reached the level of a genin!
A pity it was meaningless. His confidence in his own strength was why he had come alone. Although ninjas as a whole were inferior to humanity with its mastery of technology, in terms of individual combat prowess, not even Adam Smasher would be enough for him to kill.
JK came to an abrupt halt, then leaned his body back. David's fist was easily dodged. Even with the Sandevistan, the gap between them was still significant.
"Iyaaa—"
It was a counterattack. The instant his punch missed, David tried to change his move, but JK's fist struck him hard.
"Guwah—" An immense pain erupted in his abdomen as David was sent flying backward.
"Bang!" A bullet grazed David's face as it shot toward JK. V, with her Kerenzikov active, had finally made her move.
He dodged! He had been wary of V all along. If David could keep up with his movements, it was likely the others could too. V's sneak attack was naturally doomed to fail.
But—
"Guwah!"
"When—?!"
Dodging a bullet is difficult, but dodging the muzzle of a gun is much simpler. JK evaded V's sneak attack, but immediately felt a sharp pain in his arm.
A metal shuriken was embedded in his right hand, the word 'Ninjia' visible, carved into its surface.
David, who had been sent flying, had endured the immense pain and unleashed his 'Shuriken-jutsu' in mid-air. It was a technique so skillful that even JK, a ninja himself, was hit without noticing.
Seizing the opportunity, V fired several shots to force him back, then subconsciously prepared to use her familiar Puppet quickhack to breach his cyberware.
The result was no result! The cyberware on his body was completely unhackable, as if he had no implants at all!
The technological structures were perfectly fused with his body. This was the power of a ninja; his body had assimilated these foreign objects, making them a part of himself!
The entire fight was too fast. Presumably, only someone with a ninja's dynamic visual acuity could have seen it. Lucy hadn't even realized what was happening.
JK instantly identified their weak point. His muscles contracted, squeezing the shuriken from his hand, and he charged toward Lucy.
With her Kerenzikov active, V could only watch helplessly as he reached Lucy. She didn't even have time to raise her gun.
At that moment, David had just slammed into the wall, feeling as if all his internal organs were about to shatter. Even so, he saw his opponent's move—he was going after Lucy!
However, the world of Cyberpunk was not some idealistic realm where will conquers all. His rage could not defy the laws of physics, and the pain wracking his body prevented him from reacting at all.
JK appeared behind Lucy in an instant, raised a single hand, and brought a vicious karate chop downw—
"That's enough."
"Nani?!"
If a ninja's speed surpassed human dynamic visual acuity, then the speed of the one now entering the fray surpassed a ninja's comprehension.
Only then did JK realize he had been overlooking someone—the one who looked like a child.
Schwarzer teleported to his side and grasped his wrist. No matter how much force he exerted, it didn't move an inch. The difference in strength between them was terrifying!
"How is this possible?! Such strength?!"
The ninja soul I inherited should be that of a jōnin! JK was very confident in his abilities, and he had inherited a sufficient amount of Karate, so why was he completely powerless to resist?
There was only one possibility in this situation: his opponent was a ninja far stronger than himself! Did she possess the soul of a Mythical-class ninja?
It seemed their judgment had been flawed. David and the others weren't just ordinary people who had accidentally deciphered the Kojiki; they were the successors, 'disciples' taken in by a Mythical-class ninja.
Upon realizing Schwarzer's power, his demeanor instantly became pleasant and agreeable. All hostility vanished completely.
"My deepest apologies, my lord. It was I who was blind and failed to see."
"Just call me Schwarzer," Schwarzer said, releasing her grip.
A greeting like this during a battle was sufficient. Ultimately, as long as one wasn't discourteous, a formal reply wasn't necessary.
"Since they are your 'disciples,' then our invitation is no longer mandatory. We will offer appropriate compensation for attacking you."
He adopted a very humble posture, clearly aware of the temperament of ninjas. If his opponent were displeased, it would be perfectly normal for them to make him 'burst and scatter' right then and there.
V, along with David and the others who were still shaken, watched the ninja who had nearly slaughtered them behave so arrogantly before and so deferentially now toward Schwarzer. They were finally beginning to glimpse the tip of the iceberg of her true power.
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