Chapter 1451
Chapter 1451
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 1451
Chapter Title: Dark Moon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“...”
Invisible Blade shut her mouth, the silence stretching between us like a physical weight in the dimly lit secret office. Thinking about the logistics of the raid, she had clearly acted separately from the main strike team for a reason.
Was it simply because she was a ninja who preferred to move stealthily on her own? No, it was obvious now that she had another, more selfish purpose. She must have planned to get her hands on Jupiter's physical ledger first to secure her secondary payday.
But Philip Jupiterin had responded much faster than expected, entering his combat form and throwing her entire plan into total disarray. Her silence was answer enough to my pointed question, so I simply waited quietly for her to break and speak.
Dragging this confrontation out would only hurt her precarious position, not mine. “Haa.” A deliberate, long-winded sigh escaped her lips. Her voice was so naturally alluring and velvety that even a simple sigh somehow felt suggestive in the quiet room.
“You're right. I'll admit it. I took on double commissions for this specific job,” she confessed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Double-dipping on any contract is a fundamental betrayal of trust in our industry.”
“It only matters if someone finds out, doesn't it? I'm a professional ninja, and I was confident I wouldn't get caught by a bunch of mercs. Does your own broker know about this little side hustle?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“What do you think, Eugene? Do I look like I have a death wish?” she countered with a sharp edge to her voice. “Probably not. Any broker with a brain wouldn't risk trashing their entire career—let alone ending it over one ledger.”
Mercenaries took the high-risk jobs, while brokers handled the commissions for a cut and matched them to the right mercs for the task. The moment a broker started screwing around with contracts or playing both sides, they were finished in the legal business forever.
Sure, a merc's career might shatter too if a betrayal went south... but a truly skilled one could always vanish and bounce back under a new name. “You're a smart guy. The ledger retrieval gig came to me privately two days before the main mission kicked off.”
“The client for that side job is exactly who you think it is,” she added. “To commission you specifically... that councilor must've known exactly what Philip was up to in the casino basement.”
“Does the identity of the client really matter at this point?” she asked. “...No. Now I'm just wondering why exactly you took the risk of a double commission. Why?”
“Nothing fancy or complicated. It was an easy job with a fat payout. ...But you showed up and screwed the whole thing up. I'm regretting it hard now. I shouldn't have ever dragged you into the basement with me.”
Invisible Blade shook her head in frustration, her ponytail whipping around. “I could always pretend I saw nothing and let you walk away with the books,” I offered, testing her.
“And what's the price for your silence? Money? I could spot you thirty percent of the side commission right now. It's big bucks. No regrets on my end.” I shook my head, rejecting the offer instantly.
I'd started my chicken business precisely to avoid being tied down by these kinds of messy underworld debts. It was still the early days of the shop, sure, and cash was tight—but I knew time and hard work would eventually fix that.
The business was growing steadily every day. Besides, I didn't actually need a dirty windfall right now. What I truly wanted was to clear up the nagging curiosity she'd sparked every time our paths crossed.
“Ninjutsu.” I said. “Huh? What about it?” she asked, looking confused.
“I'm curious about the mechanics of your ninjutsu. Ninjas are supposed to use hand seals for every technique, right? But you cast sometimes... and sometimes not. If you were opening Astral like a mage, it'd make sense... but you're not.”
“Hmm. So that's the little itch you want me to scratch?” The kunoichi snorted and crossed her arms defiantly. My eyes instinctively dropped to her chest again.
Pushed up and emphasized by her crossed arms, they looked even bigger than before. Each one was about the size of a person's head, maybe even more. “Sorry, but I'll have to pass. Do you really think I'd sell my clan's secrets for a favor like this?”
“I give you my word that I won't tell a single soul.” “Are you underestimating ninjas that much? Do you really think I need to make a deal with you to get out of here?”
“Are you going to try and ninja-assassinate me right here to shut me up?” “If I have to... I'll do it gladly!” she snarled, her hand snapping to the hilt of her blade.
Mana Barrier
She closed the gap in an instant, her blade slamming into my barrier with a shower of sparks. Up close, I could see water clinging to the sharp edge, vibrating at an incredibly high speed.
She was boosting the cutting power of the steel with pressurized water. It had to be another one of her specialized ninjutsu. 'Ninjutsu again. And still no hand seals.'
Screeeeech! The sound was like metal on a grinding stone. One layer of my barrier was sliced clean through in a second.
That blade was basically a magical chainsaw now. I still had four layers left, giving me plenty of room to maneuver. “...So you weren't low on mana after all? Your barriers are too damn tough for a Grade 5.”
“Being low on mana is still true, but I'm in significantly better shape than you are right now.” “You've got me there. Yeah. I pushed myself way too hard against that rampaging Philip earlier.”
“He was a tough bastard to put down. But... killing a mage like you? That's still no sweat for me.” She reverse-gripped the blade and began a rapid spin.
A translucent, lethal water edge bloomed from the steel, slashing through the air and carving into my barriers. The scattering droplets catching the light were almost beautiful in their own way. 'Did you forget I sling lightning for a living?'
Electric Field
I stomped my foot hard on the floor. Lightning surged from my body, flooding the entire room with arcs of blue energy. I flicked a finger toward her.
The currents veered sharply, crashing toward her with a roar. It was an unavoidable area attack. She hurled her ninjato into the air and began forming seals with both hands in a blur.
I grimaced at the sheer speed—she was doing ten-plus shifts per second. She snatched the falling blade out of the air as water pillars erupted around her, blocking the currents.
Her muffled voice echoed from within the defensive wall. “Do you really think water's weak to lightning? That's a big mistake for a mage to make.”
“Magic-made or ability-made water is basically distilled. You think I don't know the conductivity rules?” I countered. My attribute sword flew from the rear of the room, embedding itself in one of her pillars.
It didn't pierce through, but the magical chill began to bore into the liquid. The pillar flash-froze into solid ice in an instant, trapping her inside the circle. I stayed alert, prepping the next move.
I knew the ice wouldn't hold a ninja like her for very long. It was obvious. Crack! A blade thrust through from the core of the ice pillar.
The steel vibrated with a high-frequency tremor, shattering the pillar outward in a hail of frozen shards. “...Was that another ninjutsu?” I asked. “That was a ninja secret art.”
Suddenly, a thick and heavy killing intent poured from her body. My own body twitched involuntarily despite my experience. It was the first time in ages I'd felt intent this raw and focused.
It was a mistake on my part. That split-second flinch was all she needed. She exploited the gap—not to attack me, but to go for the ledger I was still holding.
She kicked it out of my hands and into the air. Seals began again in a blur. A massive water bubble formed midair, swallowing the thick ledger whole.
It began to spin violently inside the bubble, shredding the pages into confetti. Then, the water itself seemed to turn into a solvent, melting the scraps into an unreadable goo.
I swallowed hard, watching the evidence disappear. My screw-up. The truth was, she didn't actually need to retrieve the physical ledger for her client.
Her client simply wanted the information destroyed so it couldn't be used against them—not handed over to our client. The ledger was gone now, and not a single scrap of paper was left.
Even if I reported the theft to our client, would they even buy it? Or would they believe her inevitable lie? Maybe they'd suspect both of us of being incompetent. “I should've snatched the ledger away first.”
“Could you have really managed that against me?” she asked mockingly. “...” I didn't answer, knowing it wouldn't have been an easy task.
Then, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from behind us. A muscular, big-headed guy packing four swords strode into the secret room with a grin.
“So here you two are? Philip's mangled corpse in the hall means the mission's officially done. The teams are already cleaning up the grunts outside.”
I yanked my earpiece back into place. I quickly explained the radio silence—the interference from the basement machinery had killed all comms down here.
Mons eyed the Invisible Blade up and down and gave a long, appreciative whistle. “So that's the legendary ninja? You're significantly hotter than I expected. I know a really good bar nearby. You up for a drink?”
“Sorry, you're just not my type. Your muscles are way too dense for my liking. It's actually a bit gross,” she replied flatly. “Ah... I see.”
Mons sighed, clearly deflated by the rejection. Then he finally clocked the weird, hostile vibe lingering in the air between us. “Did something go down while I was busy?”
“Absolutely nothing. Right, Eugene?” She glanced at me with a warning in her hidden eyes. I weighed the options in my head for a second and then gave a slow nod.
“Nothing important happened.” She immediately strode out of the room. I followed her at a leisurely, controlled pace, keeping my distance.
But in my head, a different conversation was playing out. Was this really over? Reporting the destroyed ledger wasn't the primary issue at hand.
Her eventual payback was what worried me. Would a professional like her really just let it slide? Would she leave alive someone who knew the truth about her dirty secret?
One thing I'd learned from surviving in this world: knowing secrets is exactly what gets you killed. Back in the Frisell Kingdom army, some of my dark missions involved offing civilians who had dirt on the nobles.
'She's a mercenary ninja and a trained assassin. I simply can't trust her word.' A ninja that skilled becoming an active enemy would be a daily, exhausting hassle.
Maintaining anti-assassination precautions indefinitely would be physically draining. Worst of all, Yuria could easily get dragged into the crossfire if she targeted my home. 'It's better to end the risk right here and now...'
Haste
The moment we were out of the secret passage, she bolted into the night. I immediately gave chase, appearing startled but keeping my pace steady behind her.
I was forced to push my physical pace with magic. It was tough on my mana pool, but doable. She was clearly beat from the fight with Philip too, slowing her down.
Detection
I had to recast the spell every time sight of her slipped in the alleys. Her busted and sparking cyber suit made her mana pings incredibly easy to track.
- “Hey, Eugene. Where'd you go? Are you ditching me for some two-timer fun? That's kinda hurtful, man.” Mons's voice crackled on the comms.
I paused for a half-second, then spoke into the mic. My hesitation was a tactical error. Double commission meant total betrayal—from her to me... and to all of us. Even her own broker was being played.
“The ninja betrayed the mission, Mons. She shredded the ledger right in front of me in the basement. This mission is only a half-win at best. I'm chasing her now.”
- “Do you need backup? Give me your current location and... shit. Ambush! ...Wait, are they really gonna wreck the entire building?”
I could easily picture the scene outside in my head. “...They're likely trying to hide those underground machines. It's a complete evidence wipe.”
- “These aren't some low-level street gang scrubs. They're trained pros! Eugene, pull back. Protecting the building wasn't in our brief. The ledger's already ash anyway. This is a half-success wrap-up.”
Mons sounded ice-cold and professional. Mercenaries were always going to act like mercs when the profit was gone. It was no shock to me.
- “Lucky for us, they're not pushing their attack hard. It reeks of professional courtesy among the same trade.”
“Is backup really not doable?” I asked one last time. - “Nah, it's way too dicey. We're hanging on by a thread as it is. If we bolt now, who knows if they'll follow.”
- “If they spot that our numbers are low... they might flip the switch on us. Just keep your chase light and bail if it gets hot. See you at the rendezvous.”
“Roger that. I'll handle it.” Those were the words I said. But the chance of me quitting now? That was fat chance. For the sake of my tomorrow, the Invisible Blade ends tonight.