Chapter 46: Parting Song

“Let’s go. We still have to hurry to the next location.”

With a leap, Taishui and Lige landed at Liuhe’s side. Taishui cast a cool glance at the corpses, his expression indifferent as he spoke.

Thus, the three turned and left without a trace of emotion. Only when they reached the gates of the villa did Liuhe suddenly halt. With a twist of his wrist, his longsword appeared once more, and an overwhelming aura erupted from him.

“Hah!”

With a shout, Liuhe’s sword radiated a rich, blood-red glow. As the blade fell, a terrifying arc of sword energy exploded forth, reducing the vast villa to rubble.

After this, the three departed together, heading toward their next target.

The slaughter under the cover of night continued. When they arrived at the second location, they once again found a group of their targets inside a villa.

Without a word, Liuhe entered the house and, before the startled gazes of his enemies, swept his sword in an elegant arc—an arc as illusory and beautiful as the curve of fate itself. In the blink of an eye, the ten men gathered in the hall, ready to rendezvous at the western suburbs, were sliced in half at the waist.

It was an instant kill—six elite shinobi felled in a single stroke. This was Liuhe’s true power.

At the same time, in the hall of a luxurious villa in the western suburbs, a man from the Land of Sakura with a sly countenance wore a grim expression.

“Damn it! The appointed time has long passed, yet they still haven’t met up with us. Do they think my orders are nothing but empty words?”

This man was Matsumoto Taro, the only Shinobi King leading the Yagyu Hanyue-ryu in this operation. Growing increasingly angry, he grabbed his phone and dialed Sato Ichi and the other temporary commanders, but no one answered.

“Where are they? Have they all died somewhere?”

Furiously, Matsumoto Taro threw down his phone, his anger flaring. He shouted in the hall at the top of his lungs.

But after the echoes of his outburst faded, none of his team appeared, deepening the sense of foreboding in his heart.

“Stop shouting. Your men have all gone to pursue their own bushido.”

At that moment, a mocking voice echoed through the room. Matsumoto Taro was startled, glancing around, but could not spot the speaker.

Moments later, as if sensing something, Matsumoto Taro’s figure flickered and vanished from the hall. When he reappeared, he was standing in a garden outside the villa.

Beneath a large tree in the garden, a figure in casual clothes stood, half-hidden in shadow. Matsumoto Taro narrowed his eyes, finally seeing the situation clearly.

But once he did, he was stunned by the sight before him.

Around the figure lay three bodies, quiet and still. A quick count confirmed it—these were his own teammates, assigned to patrol the perimeter.

Yet Matsumoto Taro betrayed no hint of panic, appearing completely composed as he walked forward.

“Did you kill them?”

He stopped a short distance from Lige, asking nonchalantly.

“They were too weak. I didn’t even have time to warm up. But you’re different—a Shinobi King. Barely worthy of being my opponent.”

Lige leaned against the tree, smiling as he spoke.

“Are you sure you want to fight me here? I can sense your aura is as strong as mine. If we battle here, we might raze this entire park. Aren’t you afraid your Yanxia enforcers will come after you?”

Matsumoto Taro crossed his arms, full of confidence. In his eyes, the man before him would never dare make a move here.

“Ah, what a wonderful thing a brain is. I wish you had one, too.”

Lige sighed, then vanished in a flash. In the next instant, he appeared directly before Matsumoto Taro.

Matsumoto Taro’s pupils contracted sharply as he tensed, preparing to counterattack.

But Lige was too fast. Before Matsumoto Taro could even lift his hand, Lige struck him hard in the chest, sending him flying.

Matsumoto Taro crashed to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of bright blood. Pain radiated from his chest, stabbing at his mind.

“You… you’re this strong?”

Struggling to his feet, Matsumoto Taro looked at Lige in terror, disbelief written all over his face. As a Shinobi King, he was considered a top-tier master in the Land of Sakura. Yet he could not even withstand a single blow from this man.

“That’s why I said you’re brainless. Next time, try coming back smarter.”

With a cold smile, Lige darted forward like lightning, brushing past Matsumoto Taro. A blue flash flickered, and Lige came to a halt behind him. Matsumoto Taro staggered, clutching his throat with both hands as he turned around.

His once-wolfish eyes were now dim and fearful, a long gash opening his throat. Blood welled up, and he struggled to speak, but not a word came out. With terror frozen on his face, he collapsed, dying with his eyes wide open.

“Is this all the famed Shinobi Kings can do now?”

Lige turned, rubbing his brow. Casually, he tossed a leaf toward Matsumoto Taro; it floated gently down, coming to rest upon the corpse. If Matsumoto Taro had known he would die beneath a falling leaf, one could only wonder what he would have thought.

“You two have enjoyed the show long enough. Aren’t you planning to come down?”

Lige looked up at the tree trunk where he had been leaning.

With that, Liuhe and Taishui leaped down from the tree and landed at Lige’s side.

“How did you become so much stronger? Did you break through to the Innate Realm?” Taishui asked, looking Lige over in curiosity.

“It was just luck. Let’s go. The people from the Land of Sakura have all been dealt with. Take us to our big brother.”

The three departed one after another, leaving the place behind.