"W-when… was it…?"
"Kirito-kun!" Tenten cried out as well, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Standing before them, the person who had stabbed the enemy through the body from behind—
was unmistakably Kirito.
"Shadow Clone…? No!"
The enemy glanced sideways at the blood-soaked body that had earlier been riddled with kunai like a sieve. The figure that had originally fallen in the pool of blood had already vanished without a trace.
At first he instinctively thought it had been a Shadow Clone.
But the ground was still stained with large amounts of blood.
"Ugh…"
Despite the agonizing pain of his chest being pierced, the enemy forced himself to endure through sheer willpower. He grabbed the blade embedded in his body with one hand, his eyes bursting with killing intent as he twisted around and lunged at Kirito behind him.
"…"
Realizing he couldn't pull the sword free from the enemy's body, Kirito decisively let go. He quickly retreated several steps to avoid the dying counterattack.
Then he stomped the ground and dashed past the enemy, running toward Tenten. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away, keeping distance between them and the enemy.
"Step back a little, Tenten," Kirito said in a low voice.
"My sword pierced the enemy's heart accurately. That's enough. Just be careful of a desperate last counterattack."
"…Okay. I understand."
Tenten nodded firmly.
She knew Kirito was right. A wounded beast facing death could unleash an extremely dangerous final attack.
Still, her mind was filled with confusion.
How did Kirito approach the enemy silently… and stab him straight through the heart without being noticed?
But now clearly wasn't the time to ask.
"Cough…!"
The enemy coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.
His face grew paler and paler.
The massive wound on the left side of his chest continued to gush blood, and the heavy blood loss was weakening him rapidly.
Suddenly—
He slapped the sword hilt protruding from his back.
The blade sank deeper into his body.
But strangely, the bleeding stopped.
Tenten's eyes widened in shock.
"The sword pierced through his body, reducing internal pressure… so bleeding can be controlled that way… but that's the heart! That shouldn't be possible!"
Kirito stared at the strange blood-vessel-like tendrils coiling around the wound on the ground and spoke calmly.
"Looks like those strange threads are forcibly sealing the fatal wound in his heart."
"In that case, he can still maintain a certain level of combat ability for a short time."
Kirito frowned and immediately turned to Tenten.
"Tenten, take your teammates and the convoy and leave. I'll stay here and hold him off."
"No!"
Tenten shook her head immediately.
"The enemy is a Jonin! Even if the sneak attack succeeded once, you still—"
"Relax."
Kirito interrupted calmly.
"He barely managed to stabilize the wound with that trick. A Jonin's full strength can't be used in that condition."
"I can handle a severely weakened Jonin."
"Trust me, Tenten."
"…"
Tenten clenched her teeth.
After a moment, she finally nodded.
"Alright. I'll escort them to safety and come back to support you immediately!"
Without wasting another second, she turned and began moving.
"You damn brat… I'll kill you!"
The enemy was furious. Being ambushed and severely injured like this filled him with rage as killing intent erupted from his body.
While Tenten began evacuating the others, the enemy launched a frantic attack.
His speed was astonishing.
He moved in an S-shaped trajectory, rapidly closing in.
His target—
Kirito.
Yet Kirito stood completely still.
Watching the enemy rushing toward him, his eyes remained calm and unwavering.
"Hm?!"
As the enemy dashed forward, he suddenly heard a faint slicing sound through the air.
Instinctively, he halted his charge.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Daggers suddenly flew from hidden angles, stabbing into the ground along his path.
"Hmph!"
Stomping the ground, the enemy shifted direction and rushed toward Kirito again.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Once again, his route was blocked by hidden weapons from the shadows.
But after all—
he was still a genuine Jonin.
Even though Kirito's ambush had heavily wounded him, his remaining strength still far surpassed that of a Chunin.
He dashed and weaved rapidly, avoiding the incoming hidden weapons with incredible agility.
While dodging, he even grabbed one of the flying daggers and used it to knock away another incoming weapon.
"Clang! Clang!"
Wielding the captured weapon, he advanced while deflecting attacks.
Step by step—
he was getting closer to Kirito.
His pupils suddenly shrank.
He seized a perfect moment.
With one swing he knocked away the weapon from his left, then tossed the dagger upward to block an attack from above.
His sharp gaze locked onto Kirito.
Now!
Only attacks from behind and the right remain.
I'll block them with my right arm if necessary. Even if I get injured, I'll break through and kill this brat first!
With the determination to exchange heavy injuries for victory—
the enemy raised his right arm and forcibly endured two daggers piercing his arm.
In that instant—
his speed surged.
Ignoring the injuries, he finally rushed straight to Kirito.
And then—
the enemy suddenly collapsed.
Thud.
The unstoppable charge ended abruptly.
He fell directly at Kirito's feet.
"My body… won't move…"
He still had stamina left.
Yet for some reason, he couldn't stand up.
Then he noticed something.
The dagger embedded in his shoulder.
The wound wasn't deep—
but the blood flowing out was a strange purple-red color.
His eyes widened.
"Neurotoxin… poison?"
"Swish."
A sharp sword appeared in Kirito's hand.
"For an assassin," Kirito said calmly,
"using poison is perfectly normal."
"It's over."
He gripped the sword and thrust the blade toward the enemy's throat.
"Clang!"
But at the last moment—
the enemy lying on the ground stubbornly raised his left hand.
His palm gripped the sword blade.
The sharp edge sliced open his hand, blood flowing freely.
Yet in the face of death—
the enemy burst out with unprecedented strength.
He forcibly held Kirito's sword in place.
Kirito couldn't push it down any further.
"Even while paralyzed… you still have this much strength."
Kirito narrowed his eyes.
"In that case…"
"I can't hold back anymore."
"Wha—?"
As the enemy stared up at the sky—
countless dark figures suddenly appeared in his vision.
Those shadows rapidly expanded in his pupils.
"Pff! Pff! Pff! Pff! Pff!"
More than a dozen blades stabbed into his body simultaneously.
Even the strongest will could not resist when the body's functions were completely destroyed.
The enemy's final struggle—
ended in silence.
—