Chapter 293
“Paying respects to your profound martial arts, do-mo, Nakamura-san, I am the New-Mecha Communist Ninja.”
The communist High-ranking Ninja sheathed his katana very politely and greeted him with pressed palms.
“…Do-mo, Jōnin-san. I am Aaron Nakamura.”
Bewildered, I accepted the greeting according to ninja etiquette, the communist High-ranking Ninja spoke with a satisfied look.
“Not only the privateness of thoroughly hiding your lofty karate in practice, but the jutsu you unfolded against Smith-san, that cursed machine veteran, was furthermore meza-mashi! Namu amita bul, it is simply a marvel.”
I didn’t really know what he was saying, but the atmosphere didn’t seem too bad.
Given the circumstances, it seemed the High-ranking Ninja was considering me a great master and praising me because I cut down the Chrome Monster. While I had intended this to some extent, it worked so much better than I imagined that I was even bewildered.
‘It doesn’t seem like a bad situation for now… should I read the room and play along a bit?’
Since the High-ranking Ninja praised me, let’s reply in kind this time.
“High-ranking Ninja, your underground is also a formidable Secret Technique. It is difficult to perceive even while looking directly, so although I put on a bluff, in reality, it was terribly difficult to notice your presence, even with my senses raised. It was merely heavenly luck that I barely grasped it!”
The High-ranking Ninja nodded at the plausible lines I squeezed out of my brain.
I couldn’t see his expression, but he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood at least. Of course he wouldn’t be, since it was flattery I put my soul into.
[Test Subject, what on earth are you talking about right now?]
‘Yeah, I don’t know either.’
I replied half-heartedly to the System Assistant who was being annoying when I was busy. Naturally, it wasn’t like I was spouting these words knowing what they meant either.
The martial arts novels I eagerly read during my school days were helping me out again in this way.
Mixing in bizarre martial arts terms that a High-ranking Ninja or Shaolin Monk would like made it so effective!
“Oh, Buddha. How lucky this is, to have finally met another peerless master.”
Look at that. It works incredibly well.
Now I just need to coax that High-ranking Ninja with nice words and somehow avoid a fight.
Since the High-ranking Ninja also seemed to highly evaluate my skills, there was a high chance he would be reluctant to fight me head-on. If things went well, I might be able to overcome this huge crisis Just like this…
“But it is also an abyss where I have no choice but to kill this peerless Master, oh Buddha! How cruel, how unlucky this is.”
…What?
A stir turned into bubbles at the single phrase the High-ranking Ninja spat out like a sigh.
My heart felt like it was sinking, but right now I was a peerless Master. I absolutely must not show it on the outside.
I raised Otto with the coldest expression possible and spoke.
“You’re going to kill me? Why?”
The High-ranking Ninja spoke in a heavy voice that even felt regretful.
“Nakamura-san, it is because your loyalty is so heavy that you will inevitably block my path. Even if it is a foolish act like a mantis in front of a cart!”
What on earth was he talking about?
I protested in disbelief.
“I have no intention of blocking your path.”
“Are you saying you will let this Jōnin go unharmed all the way to the innermost part of Mirror Castle?”
Of course. I had no interest in the prototype core technology in the secret vault of Mirror Castle’s innermost part or whatever. My purpose for doing this here was Alexandra -
I stopped myself from absentmindedly nodding my head.
Right. Alexandra. Alexandra was in the secret vault of Mirror Castle.
Wasn’t that half the reason I decided to stop the Chrome Monster in this lounge in the first place!
It was the same for the High-ranking Ninja.
If the Chrome Monster was a monster so crazy for slaughter that I had to stop him from reaching the innermost part, the problem was that the High-ranking Ninja was a monster with convictions.
Because there was no way the leader of the Communist Ninja, who was dyed in communism to the bone, would leave the bourgeois Alexandra alive!
At my hesitation, the High-ranking Ninja laughed lowly as if he knew it.
“I knew it would definitely be so. You will not step back, and even if you step back, you will not give up until the end and become a problem! …It cannot be helped. I have no choice but to make the decision to fight to the death.”
Saying so, the High-ranking Ninja raised his glass-like transparent katana once again.
My mind was complicated.
It was obvious, but I was not a person tightly bound by loyalty as that High-ranking Ninja thought.
‘It’s true that I fought the Chrome Monster to save Alexandra. But…’
If that was half the reason, the other half was because I knew the chances of surviving the Chrome Monster weren’t high even if I hid or ran away anyway.
Rather than being trampled to death like a bug while fleeing, I took a gamble to join forces with Ms. Kali and Iron Dog Invincible Maximus to resist, and I considered it a fight well worth trying if the plan worked out as I thought.
And that plan actually worked., though not everything went according to my expectations.
In short, the battle with the Chrome Monster was a fight for Alexandra’s rescue, and also for my survival.
But now, Alexandra’s safety and my survival stood at opposite extremes.
Fighting the High-ranking Ninja to protect Alexandra was a suicidal act. If I considered the Chrome Monster worth trying, now it was the exact opposite.
It wouldn’t work no matter what method I used. Ms. Kali and Iron Dog Invincible were in no condition to fight anymore, and the same went for me.
What was the point of having Schneider’s Otto?
Because the effects of the drugs had worn off, my physical strength was at its limit, and I could no longer use the microchip.
Even if I had the most outstanding sword in the world, it was a useless object if I couldn’t swing it to cut.
Furthermore, while the Chrome Monster had suffered a blow at the final moment without knowing of Otto’s existence, it was also fatal that the High-ranking Ninja had witnessed the battle with the Chrome Monster and already knew its performance to some extent.
I had grown attached to Alexandra.
But naturally, my life was more precious.
Alexandra wasn’t my lover, nor was she a family-like young lady I had served for decades like in Team Leader Hank’s case.
Honestly, haven’t I done enough at this point? What kind of escort could possibly pull off this level of performance?
‘…Of course, it would be an excuse that wouldn’t work on Eugene Schneider.’
Even if I ran away alone and survived, would I be able to avoid Eugene Schneider’s wrath?
But I couldn’t avoid the High-ranking Ninja’s blade combat either.
As they say, rolling in a field of dung in this world is better than the afterlife; even if I ended up being chased by the Iron-faced Family Head, it might be better to first survive the crisis right in front of my eyes.
‘Should I really just run away blindly? Then wouldn’t the High-ranking Ninja chase me?’
I didn’t know…Still, let’s try as much as I can for now.
I spoke with my fists clenched tight.
“If you know it will become a problem, how do you not know that not creating a problem is the best plan in the first place? Must you really see blood? You will regret it.”
I raised Otto as straight as possible.
[Biological conditions met. Physical and mental requirements met. Confirmed as a special authority User.]
[The system is activating built-in technology, laser aura Blade.]
From the split black treasured sword, a blue flame that cuts anything spewed out.
No matter how much of a High-ranking Ninja he was, he had no choice but to falter in front of this crystallization of over-technology, a blade concentrated with the technological prowess of the submerged Old Tokyo.
It was a bluff. In reality, I didn’t even have the strength to swing the sword properly once, but I showed the acting of a lifetime, fiercely pretending I still had the energy left to fight.
My confident expression spoke.
‘Are you confident? I’m a little tired, but I can still fight, you know? You saw me kill the Chrome Monster, right? I’m a peerless Master. If you attack me risking your life, you won’t be safe either, you know? Think carefully.’
The High-ranking Ninja’s reaction to that was something I hadn’t expected at all.
The High-ranking Ninja laughed the most cheerfully and heartily that I had ever seen, as if he were feeling incredibly good.
His voice seemed to say so.
“I actually prefer this.”
In that moment, goosebumps broke out all over my body.
I had thought wrong.
That ninja might perhaps be an even more crazy monster than the Chrome Monster. Attempting to resolve this through conversation in the first place was a mistake.
Because he evaluated my skills highly, would he be reluctant to fight? No, it was the exact opposite!
“Uahaha, the path of a ninja is always perilous. Slaughter and battle, blood and flesh and fire and iron! Even if I die, is it not joyful? I can receive the teachings of another peerless karate master other than myself, so what does it matter!”
“No, wait…”
“If I meet Buddha, I just fight Buddha, and I have no choice but to kill and kill again until only one person remains! Hahahahaha! Nakamura-san, this High-ranking Ninja declares that there will be nothing to regret. Therefore…”
The ninja shouted while pressing palms together, brimming with bloodlust.
“If you wish, I will give you time. Recite a haiku.”
I was fucked. I was absolutely fucked.