Sanjou Chiji sped forward, deliberately darting into crowded areas.
He felt he had a good grasp of the rules.
The indigenous pursuers had a significant limitation: even killing nine people was restricted, let alone harming civilians.
This was an exploitable weakness.
However, relying solely on the crowd made it difficult to shake them off. If the crowd became agitated, Sanjou Chiji would be instantly exposed. Moreover, his current attire was conspicuous; people here didn't dress like him.
Therefore, Sanjou Chiji hadn't devised a good escape plan yet, deciding to just run for now.
With these thoughts, Sanjou Chiji quickly weaved through the crowd and entered an elevator.
Some hunters spotted Sanjou Chiji, but as he had predicted, they didn't act. There were other people in the elevator, so they couldn't shoot him directly.
Using the elevator to trap Sanjou Chiji was also not an option, as it would mean trapping everyone else with him, making them hostages.
"Determine the floor, evacuate the crowd as much as possible, and then proceed with the encirclement."
A hunter spoke quickly, though its effectiveness was debatable. Given the elevator's speed, evacuating people would be extremely difficult.
Meanwhile...
Sanjou Chiji enjoyed a brief moment of respite, taking a deep breath.
Just then...
"Hey!"
A voice suddenly sounded behind Sanjou Chiji, followed by a hand landing on his shoulder.
Sanjou Chiji instinctively turned around, and then...
Bang!
The hand pressed down on Sanjou Chiji's head, slamming him against the elevator wall.
With a thud, the elevator wall caved in slightly.
Sanjou Chiji reacted, immediately attempting to draw his sword. But as he gripped the hilt and pulled it out a fraction, Byakuya swiftly kicked the sword away.
Sanjou Chiji gritted his teeth and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Ninjutsu, Substitution Jutsu!"
With a bang!
A cloud of white smoke erupted from Sanjou Chiji's body. In an instant, Byakuya found himself holding a log.
"Don't move!" Sanjou Chiji's voice rang out from behind Byakuya. "Or I'll kill her!"
Sanjou Chiji had grabbed a middle-aged woman in the corner of the elevator, using her as a shield, even shrinking his head to remain completely hidden.
But...
In Byakuya's hand, the Steel Slime writhed, and the Raijin Beast was coalesced.
Poof!
Byakuya thrust forward.
The Raijin Beast pierced the woman's abdomen and also struck Sanjou Chiji's waist.
Sanjou Chiji's eyes widened, and he looked at Byakuya in disbelief. "You?"
"My name is Byakuya," Byakuya said. "You can also call me Number Eight."
Using civilians to threaten hunters was one thing, but to threaten Byakuya?
What did the lives of indigenous people have to do with Byakuya?
Ding!
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
Sanjou Chiji immediately pushed the woman aside and bolted out of the elevator.
Two hunters were lying in wait. The moment they saw Sanjou Chiji, they raised their guns to fire.
But Sanjou Chiji's sword was swift!
Incredibly swift!
A flash of silver light, and the energy guns in the hunters' hands were shattered. Sanjou Chiji's wrist flicked, and the blade swept across their throats.
The two hunters' eyes widened in unison as their bodies slowly slumped to the ground.
However, Sanjou Chiji also winced in pain, looking down at his waist, where blood was steadily seeping out, staining his clothes.
Sanjou Chiji sprinted forward, simultaneously pulling out a red bean bun, intending to stuff it into his mouth.
The red bean bun was no ordinary bun; it was a healing item. But Sanjou Chiji couldn't get it into his mouth.
Zzzt!
A crackle of electricity sounded.
A bolt of current struck Sanjou Chiji's hand from behind. The red bean bun dropped to the ground, rolling away.
Emerging from the electrical surge, Byakuya stood before Sanjou Chiji once more.
"Dragon Soar Flash, Decapitation!"
Without a word, Sanjou Chiji lunged forward, his long sword descending towards Byakuya.
Byakuya made no move to dodge, allowing the sword to strike his neck.
Sanjou Chiji faltered, surprised it was so easy.
Was this guy not powerful?
A mere paper tiger?
As Sanjou Chiji pondered, Byakuya's neck was severed. But at the very moment the head separated from the body, electricity surged, reattaching the head to the neck.
Poof!
Byakuya drew his sword and slashed across Sanjou Chiji's chest.
A horrifying wound appeared with Sanjou Chiji's scream, and a large amount of blood spattered from his chest.
Sanjou Chiji stumbled backward, looking at Byakuya with disbelief. Though shocked, he quickly understood.
Physical attacks were ineffective against Byakuya!
Ignoring the pain from his wound, Sanjou Chiji leaped back and formed hand seals. "Water Style, Mist Clone Jutsu!"
Sanjou Chiji exhaled, spitting out a large amount of mist that rapidly dispersed, obscuring a wide area in an instant.
"Trying to run?"
Byakuya grinned and reached forward.
He wasn't fooled by this tactic. Byakuya had already set up an electrical field beforehand, so even with his vision obscured, it meant little to him. He could still easily pinpoint Sanjou Chiji's location.
Zzzt!
As Byakuya extended a finger forward, a torrent of electricity surged from its tip.
The next instant, the current shot forward, piercing the mist.
Sanjou Chiji, about to flee, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his calf and stumbled to the ground.
Looking down, he saw a bloody hole in his leg. The lightning bolt had pierced it effortlessly, like a sharp arrow.
Sanjou Chiji gritted his teeth and tried to stand, only to find Byakuya approaching. He quickly formed hand seals again.
"Water Style, Water Dragon Bullet!"
Sanjou Chiji roared, drawing moisture from the surrounding air, which quickly coalesced into a water dragon that charged towards Byakuya.
"That's a nice move!" Byakuya remarked, glancing up. "Too bad there's no water here. Relying solely on moisture in the air isn't quite enough!"
As he spoke, Byakuya tilted his body slightly forward, assuming a sword-drawing stance.
The next instant...
A flash of sword light!
The charging water dragon instantly dissolved into a shower of water that splashed onto the ground.
Sanjou Chiji remained on the ground, unable to rise.
A bloodline slowly appeared on Sanjou Chiji's neck.
Then...
His head suddenly fell from his neck.
Just as Sanjou Chiji had intended to do to Byakuya earlier.
...