Chapter 24: Three Women United, Falling Meteor Blade Rain, Peril

The cultivation technique crafted specifically for him had finally broken through to the second layer of Qi Refinement after several fierce battles and constant training.

Though he was delighted, his actual strength had not increased much. The rise in spiritual power simply meant more fuel for his body, granting him greater endurance in prolonged combat. Had he carried a battle strength tester, it would have shown his original power of sixty-eight rise to only seventy. Everything else remained virtually unchanged.

This was because his fighting style relied mainly on close combat, with only minimal use for spiritual power. Still, he never underestimated the importance of spiritual energy. The reason he had been forced into this world, after all, was precisely the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Given his current capabilities, he had less than a ten percent chance of defeating such a foe. Clearly, spiritual attacks would become one of his most vital means of battle in the future.

His thoughts returned to the present. Brimming with fighting spirit, he looked toward the twelve contenders, locking eyes with them one after another, and finally settling on Tian Tian. He intended to eliminate the girls first—not because he thought them easy targets, but simply due to strategic consideration.

“Given the time constraints, let the remaining three girls attack together,” came a familiar voice—not his own, but that of the madman.

The statement made him raise an eyebrow, but he did not object—not because he agreed, but because he knew resistance was futile. Knowing the madman’s perverse and capricious nature, his only option was to ponder a way to break free. At least, for now, the situation was not yet fatal.

The three girls exchanged a few words before stepping forward. The four faced each other, eyes meeting with unwavering resolve. Compared to Hinata, the girls’ gazes held a sharper, deadlier edge.

They had killed before, he judged. There was no time for pleasantries. The girls split into three groups: Tian Tian provided long-range support on the left, Sakura charged head-on, and Ino circled around to the back, hands forming seals.

According to his knowledge, the mysterious voice had told them he was an outsider to this world of ninjas. Though surprised, they wasted no time speculating—battle was at hand, and it was to their advantage. From his fight with Hinata, they had gleaned that he was a taijutsu specialist, or simply a physical powerhouse. Their understanding of him stemmed solely from that fight, so they had little idea of his proficiency in ninjutsu—this was an advantage.

Sure enough, he dashed forward, dodging the kunai and shuriken Tian Tian flung at him, engaging Sakura head-on. She hurled a punch straight at him—simple, without flourish, as if testing his strength. Was he afraid to match a girl in raw power? Of course not. Unwilling to yield, he unleashed threefold force with his right fist, aiming to take one down quickly. This was no one-on-one duel; he would not hesitate to strike if the opportunity presented itself.

But was the opponent truly off guard? The answer revealed itself the moment he was sent flying. Eyes wide in disbelief, he stared at the girl’s slender arm, unable to comprehend how, despite tripling his strength, he had been knocked dozens of feet away, carving a bloody trail across the ground. His right arm was broken, fist mangled and raw.

There was no pause to catch his breath. Tian Tian's barrage of projectiles blotted out the sky around him; tens of thousands of weapons of every kind were upon him.

“Mind-Body Disturbance Technique!” Ino, seals complete, struck in perfect unison with her teammates. He felt a jolt in his mind, as if something sought to disrupt his thoughts. Though fleeting, that critical instant left him stunned. Torrential rain fell as dust billowed upward, punctuated by flashes of fire and explosions—explosive tags adhered to the weapons, hundreds hurled at once, a feat only someone as wealthy as Tian Tian could manage.

It was as if the sun atop the mountain wished to witness the outcome. With a gentle breeze, the swirling smoke and dust dissipated, revealing within a scorched, cracked sphere. The shell crumbled like shards of bone, but inside, he was unscathed—his right hand as intact as before. Only his clothes were in tatters, riddled with holes as if pierced by countless objects.

“Spiritual energy is far more useful than inner strength, at least as fuel,” he seemed to mutter to himself. “Even at the second layer of Qi Refinement, it still feels insufficient—almost depleted. The injuries are too severe.”

“Impossible,” Tian Tian and Sakura gasped.

“Mind-Body Switch Technique!” Ino’s voice came once more.

Again, a mental assault surged through his consciousness, seeking to suppress his mind and seize control of his body. But he was, after all, a cultivator. Though his divine sense could not leave his body, within it he was sovereign. Divine sense transformed into a flying blade, cleaving the invading spirit in two with unstoppable force.

Not far away, Ino gave a muffled cry and collapsed, unconscious. “Ino!” Sakura shouted, gritting her teeth as she charged again, while Tian Tian produced a scroll, biting her thumb before smearing blood across it. White mist billowed as countless weapons spiraled out once more.

A faint smile traced his lips as he suddenly unfurled his wings and soared skyward. Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, he became a blurred silhouette—three pairs of flesh wings armored in bone, glowing crimson in the dusk, transforming him into a six-winged blood angel. From the distant sky, a melody drifted: “Crimson clouds of early summer blush, beneath the weeping heavens, a rain of falling blades like meteors.”

Embers rained from the red clouds, transforming into meteors that blanketed the two girls below—the very image of the world’s end.

“Substitution Technique!” “Clone Technique!”

Yet under his relentless assault, white light flashed, and the three girls found themselves back at their starting point—he had claimed victory again.

This move, “Falling Meteor Blade Rain,” was something he had long conceived. Now, putting it to use, it felt spectacular—beautiful and devastating. As long as his supply of flying blades held and he still had strength, he could attack endlessly. In the sky, he possessed a considerable advantage—against foes who could not fly, it was nearly a sure kill.

Though the battle was short, the girls’ teamwork at the start had left him badly battered, his spiritual power nearly exhausted, though his stamina remained abundant. The ground was pockmarked with craters, blades melted from friction and almost worthless for reuse. Fortunately, his storage pouch was packed with blades—no small investment of effort and time.

Landing where he could still stand, he began to recover his spiritual energy. By the time it was replenished, the moon hung high. Rising to his feet, he prepared to select his next opponent.

“Enough dithering—let me choose for you this time. I should’ve just sent you all up in groups. Never mind, there’ll be more chances later. Next up: Kiba and Shino. Good luck, boys!”

Kiba grinned excitedly, leaping forward with his large white dog like a beast unleashed. “Name’s Kiba, and this is my partner, Akamaru. Come on, let’s fight man to man!”

Shino glanced at Kiba, then said coolly, “Shino Aburame. Pleased to meet you.”

“Let’s fight, Qi.”

“Beast Mimicry: Man-Beast Clone!”

Under Qi’s astonished gaze, the big white dog transformed in a swirl of mist into another Kiba—two Kibas, both on all fours, charging at him.

Shino extended his arm; a buzzing sound filled the air as countless insects swarmed from his sleeve, forming a thin, dark cloud drifting toward Qi.

The sight of so many insects sent a chill down his spine. He dared not pit bone against insect mandibles, so he summoned a layer of bone armor across his body, joints shielded by tough cartilage for seamless defense and flexibility. Over his eyes he placed a transparent substance, refined from fingernails, which when compressed offered formidable protection.

Ignoring the two charging Kibas, Qi flung a streak of red light at the approaching insect cloud, disintegrating any insect in its path. The red beam pierced Shino’s head and crashed into the barrier surrounding the mountain, shrinking to the size of a pinky finger by the time it stopped, glowing red-hot and leaving melted traces in its wake. Without the barrier, the blade would have flown another hundred meters before dissipating completely.

Even Qi was surprised to see Shino’s head impaled so suddenly—yet the next instant, he realized he had been too naive, or rather, his opponent’s technique was unique. The pierced Shino collapsed into a swarm of insects, only to re-form elsewhere in the cloud, continuing to command the swarm to engulf Qi.

Qi could hear the relentless gnawing as insects tried to eat through his bone armor. He was not one to sit idly by; before more insects could cover him, he spun in place to fling them off, then leaped skyward, tearing through the insect cloud. In the air, he spread his wings, frowning as he considered his next move.

On the ground, Kiba raged and leapt about, helpless against Qi in the sky. Shino pushed up his sunglasses and split his swarm, sending half to pursue Qi above. Qi then had an idea—his loose black hair suddenly swirled as if caught by an invisible wind. Facing the insect cloud, his left eye flashed with a twisted silver light, and his hair extended and whipped about, lashing through the dark cloud. Instantly, a torrential rain fell from the cloud, dissipating a tenth of it in moments. His hair continued to dance, like a dragon’s whiskers summoning rain from the heavens; every time it lashed the cloud, thick drops would fall.

Shino frowned, ready to act, but Qi had already stormed through with a thousand strands of hair, a flash of red streaked—Shino again dispersed into a cloud of insects, reappearing elsewhere.

“Fang Over Fang!” Seeing Qi swoop low, Kiba, still simmering with anger, seized the opportunity. The two Kibas spun into twin whirlwinds, charging together at the hair-whipping Qi, shredding dozens of strands.

Qi unleashed twenty streaks of red light, two points converging to form twin rainbows piercing the heart of each whirlwind. For a moment they struggled, but the rainbows were shredded as well, and the whirlwinds could not sustain themselves to strike Qi.

This was his chance. With his opponent airborne and unable to recover, he beat his wings to flank the two Kibas, gripped his hands tight, and thrust two sharp bone spikes at them.

At the critical moment, Shino commanded his insects to shield Kiba, dragging both Kibas back. Qi burst through the insect cloud—but the next thing he faced was the twin whirlwinds up close.

“Fang Over Fang!” The two Kibas, moving in perfect unison, used their technique again. Qi, just emerging from the insect cloud, had his senses dulled and failed to react instantly. By the time he noticed, the whirlwinds were less than a foot away.