Chapter 1452
Chapter 1452
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 1452
Chapter Title: Dark Moon
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The place where Invisible Blade had finally arrived was a cavernous, abandoned factory reeking of stale oil and rusted metal.
I scanned the dark area carefully with my enhanced vision, watching intently for any hidden traps or pressure sensors.
"Persistent, aren't you? You really should know that guys who won't let go of a chase aren't very popular with women, right?"
The female ninja struck a casual, confident pose, keeping her ninja sword in her right hand while resting her left on her hip.
But her act was maybe a 70 out of 100 at best; her voice trembled slightly and her chest heaved up and down in heavy, ragged gasps.
These were clear, unmistakable signs that she was physically exhausted from our earlier clash.
"Is there any particular reason you chose this specific spot for our finale?" I asked, keeping my voice level and calm.
"Not really. If I had to pick one reason, it's that this sector is so deserted that no one would notice even if I killed someone here."
She suddenly swung her left arm with a sharp, fluid motion.
A water spear flew at me with lethal speed and crashed directly into my mana barrier.
It lost its penetrating shape upon impact and splattered harmlessly to the dusty floor like common rain.
"Heh heh heh. You're only maintaining just one single barrier now? That actually makes perfect sense."
"Maintaining two or three layers nonstop would be incredibly tough on the mind, even for a genius."
"......I just figured that one single barrier would be more than enough to handle you in your current state."
She started to swing her arm again as if to test me, but then she suddenly relaxed her shoulders.
The sharp tip of her ninja sword drooped toward the ground as she let out a weary sigh.
"How about we just call it quits here and go our separate ways?"
"If you were planning on stopping now, you never should have started this betrayal in the first place."
"My barely-started professional career got completely smashed because of your interference tonight."
"That failure is entirely on you. Who exactly told you to take double contracts for the same mission?"
"The moment we took this job together, we were temporary allies, but you chose to betray that bond."
"What are you, ex-military or something? You reek of that rigid soldier mindset. Don't you dare try to pull rank on me."
"......"
I remained silent, watching her muscles for any sign of a sudden lunge.
"I get exactly what you're worried about. I swear on my honor, this conflict ends here and now."
"No revenge on you. No future threats."
"You honestly expect me to believe the word of a masked assassin who already took double contracts and betrayed her team?"
"Sorry, but I absolutely can't take the mask off for you. I'm a ninja, and my identity is my life."
"And besides, we weren't close enough for it to really count as a betrayal, right? Stuff like this is common in our line of work."
"It's not common at all. Not even close to being acceptable among true professionals."
"Hmph. Fine. I did lie about one thing regarding this location. This place isn't just an abandoned ruin."
"Truth is, it's actually one of my favorite private training spots."
Her foot suddenly stomped a specific hidden spot on the concrete floor. Clank, clank.
Old machinery inside the factory whirred to life, shifting their gears and transforming into wooden-dummy shapes.
"I never dreamed I'd actually have to use them like this against a living opponent."
She quickly backed up and plastered her body flat against the rear wall.
The sensors on the machine dummies, which had been aimed at her a second ago, now locked onto me as the target.
Sticking to the wall must make the security system not register her as an intruder.
I realized that I couldn't reach the safety of the wall from my current position in the center.
Getting there meant I would have to shove my way through the dense ranks of the machine dummies.
Kiiiiiiiiing.
The machine dummies began to move in perfect military formation, like disciplined soldiers forming ranks and closing in.
"This won't be an easy fight for a mage," Invisible Blade said with a smug, mocking tone.
I reached into my overcoat and pulled out a small glass vial containing a glowing blue liquid.
I uncapped it with my thumb and downed the bitter contents in one long go.
My depleted mana reserves were partially refilled by the chemical mixture.
Mana Potion
Mana potions are significantly rarer than healing potions in this world, yet they remain far less popular.
They're simply not very efficient for the price, as even high-grade ones restore very little mana while costing a fortune.
Unless you're a high-ranking mage who is constantly burning through mana like crazy, no one usually bothers.
I felt the energy hum in my veins. Instant.
Instant
Remaining stacks: 3
I rapidly calculated the complex incantation for my next move in the back of my mind.
The spell I'd use next was a powerful 6th-circle lightning magic ritual.
Before tonight, I wouldn't have even tried, but for some reason, my overall control over lightning had improved.
In this state, I felt I could handle a 6th-circle lightning spell, which was one rank higher than my official grade.
Once the incantation was calculated, I began to build the structure via my internal Mana Road.
Crackle.
Violent blue sparks began to fly from my body as the mana leaked and converted to lightning mana.
This specific step is the riskiest—attributed mana is incredibly tricky and dangerous to handle in high volumes.
That is exactly why most mages choose to stick to only one element for their entire lives.
But I've never actually felt any significant strain when working with any element in my repertoire.
Lightning's conversion speed is just way faster than the rest of the elements I can command.
It's probably a benefit of this unique ability of mine. The incantation was finally fully built.
A concentrated ball of lightning crackled in my hand. Up to here, it looked very similar to Lightning Grab.
Chain Lightning
The lightning ball shot straight ahead, latching onto the machine dummy in front of me and electrocuting it.
Boom! The metal dummy exploded from the internal pressure.
The lightning didn't stop there. It immediately split toward the other dummies on my left and right.
It stuck to them and exploded them in a chain reaction, before splitting again to target even more.
Chain Lightning clings to enemies, absorbing their residual electricity and mana to split and spread further.
With the right battlefield conditions, it could theoretically wipe out thousands of enemies in a single cast.
Even non-mana users have trace mana, and these machines run entirely on high-voltage electricity.
The count doubled with each successful chain: 1 became 2. 2 became 4. 4 became 8.
Dozens of machine dummies surrounding me exploded one after another in a chaotic symphony of fire.
The factory floor turned into a blackened mess of smoking wreckage in mere seconds.
"Impressive. Never seen magic like that before."
"But aren't you forgetting about my presence in this room?"
Invisible Blade appeared behind me, her voice full of the cold confidence of certain victory.
She began to slowly slice through my last remaining barrier with her reinforced steel blade.
I eyed the straining mana barrier through my peripheral vision and spoke calmly.
"Haven't forgotten about you once since we stepped through that door."
"I knew exactly when you'd go for my back. You're a ninja, after all; it's your nature."
The Chain Lightning had started in front and spread to the left and right.
Its final intended target was obviously the space directly behind me.
So all I had to do was hold out for a few more seconds until the spell finally reached her.
I just needed to block or dodge her desperate attack just once. And for me, that was incredibly easy.
Instant
Remaining stacks: 2
I sidestepped the blade slicing through the barrier, feeling the cold steel right up in my face.
But that wasn't her only move. A secondary water blade shot from her left hand with a flick.
I had expected that move too, so I coldly triggered Instant again to stay ahead of her rhythm.
Instant
Remaining stacks: 1
I dodged every single thing she threw at me in that heartbeat.
I caught the unmistakable shake in her visible eye through the fox mask's opening. ZZZAP!
The Chain Lightning, bloated from devouring the dummies' electricity, engulfed her body from behind.
"KyaAAAAAHHH!"
Invisible Blade screamed in pure agony and tumbled hard to the floor.
I was genuinely impressed by her resilience. I didn't expect her to take a hit like that and still scream.
A normal person would've died without a sound. She clearly had a remarkably tough body.
I walked over and looked down at her. She wasn't dead yet, but she was conscious and twitching.
Residual lightning still crackled along her silver suit as she glared at me. I drew my sword and approached.
"Let's finally see that amazing face of yours."
I delivered a sharp kick to her abdomen. She sprawled flat on her back, unable to resist.
I reached down and yanked off the fox mask. A stunning beauty emerged from beneath.
She had sharp eyes, a straight nose, and plump crimson lips. Her features were flawless.
"I honestly thought you wore the mask because your face was ugly.... Nice surprise."
"Are you already falling for me?"
"Shut up."
I gripped the sword. One single thrust to the chest would end this risk forever.
But seeing her face stirred a sudden surge of lust in my gut. Fitting for a female ninja—fierce features.
And that slutty, overdeveloped figure was something anyone could see. Smooth skin peeked through the charred suit.
...I might as well have some fun, since I'm going to kill her anyway.
There was no one here in this factory but us. I could vent and then kill her after I was satisfied.
"Your eyes just got incredibly sleazy. Wanna fuck me? Heh."
"I guess you're just a predictable man after all."
"...Don't push your luck. Pissing me off further isn't going to help you right now."
"You won't kill me quickly anymore, right?"
"Are you not afraid of what torture feels like?"
"I'm a ninja, Eugene. Ninjas are trained to endure. Your torture is nothing to me."
"You're still looking for an opening to kill me, even in this state."
"Ninja, remember?"
"......"
A sudden, sharp chill ran through me.
Reason screamed at me to kill her now. Instinct wanted to ravage her and see this cocky female ninja break.
"Heh heh heh." She laughed softly as if she could read my mind perfectly.
She parted her crimson lips and stuck out her tongue in a lewd gesture.
Drenched in thick saliva, it was insanely long—easily reaching down to her chin.
The tongue wriggled like a living snake, moving seductively. It was hard to believe it was human.
"FYI, I'm actually a virgin. I just hit my early twenties. They call girls like me 'spirit realms,' right?"
"...A virgin in your twenties?"
I was genuinely shocked. Face aside, that voluptuous body screamed mid-to-late twenties.
"That reaction pisses me off. If you wanna fuck, do it quick. Don't wanna die a virgin."
"......I figured you might just off yourself before I could touch you."
"I'm no ordinary assassin."
"Yeah, yeah. Ninja."
I set the attribute sword on the floor. Grabbed her busted cyber suit.
It was thicker than I'd expected—about 5mm. It had only looked thinner visually because of how it fit.
"Can't even strip a girl properly? Do you need some lessons on how to handle me?"
She sneered at my efforts. The suit's durability made it nearly impossible to force off by hand.
Material Conversion
I resorted to alchemy. I changed the suit's material from reinforced synthetic to a glossy, weak fiber.
Then, a micro wind spell shredded the fabric instantly. Riiip. Bounce!
Her massive breasts burst free from their confinement with a heavy jiggle.
They seemed even bigger without the suit than they did with it. It wasn't an illusion.
Sweat glistened on her pale mounds and her perky, pink nipples.
"Hah. Feels alive. That suit's great, but too tight. Always drenched in sweat after a job."
"......"
I reached out and groped her right breast. It was slick and soft from sweat. Warm and squishy.
I felt I could fondle them all day. "Mm. Pretty skilled.... You grope tits a lot?"
"A size like mine is rare, though...."
"Can't you shut up? You're getting raped right now."
"Heh. Want me to scream for you?" She wagged her long tongue teasingly.
"Nope."
"Huh?"
I stood back up and snapped my fingers for another spell.
Material Conversion
Form Conversion
Nearby machine wreckage morphed into slick, black tentacles under my command.
I used telekinesis to control them. They wrapped her arms, legs, waist, and breasts, hoisting her up.
She was now at a perfect height for me.
"KyaAAH! Gross! What the hell are these?!"
She screamed and thrashed. She had no real strength left and couldn't shake them off.
I smiled, savoring her panicked face. Then I shredded the remaining suit covering her crotch.