16th and 19th floors.
With the help of the Vice President and the strong support of Ryuji, who had been acting together until now, I was able to move up the floors without fighting the formidable opponents blocking our way.
But now I have to overcome all the adversities by myself.
Determined, I went up to the 20th floor, and the sound of guests participating in the engagement ceremony came through the door.
‘They said the security here is tight.’
Following the Vice President’s advice, I skipped the 20th floor and went straight to the 21st floor.
Creak!
When I opened the emergency stair door and entered the 21st floor, the hallway was deathly quiet.
It was surprising how stark the difference was, even with just one floor difference.
I carefully closed the door and stepped forward.
Step.
Because I was wearing dress shoes, my footsteps echoed loudly.
But I didn’t sense anyone approaching.
‘I guess it’s safe for now.’
I sighed in relief and moved forward.
‘They said there’s a staff elevator here that goes down to the 20th floor.’
I decided to look for the elevator somewhere on the 21st floor first.
There wasn’t much time left.
‘This place is unnecessarily spacious.’
For hotel guests, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but for someone in a hurry to find the elevator like me, it was frustrating.
As I quickly scanned my surroundings and walked down the empty hallway.
Ding.
I heard the sound of an elevator stopping not far away.
I turned my head reflexively.
The elevator door slowly opened, revealing a man in a black suit with a stern expression, who had likely come down from the upper floors.
He had an appearance and aura that were anything but ordinary.
When he met my eyes, he spoke in a dry voice.
“Are you the infamous Diamond Yaksha?”
Knowing that embarrassing nickname, he was undoubtedly from the underworld.
“...What if I am?”
“No passage beyond this point. If you turn back quietly, I won’t harm you.”
He said this while aiming a shuriken he pulled from his thigh at me.
Gulp.
I swallowed nervously.
I could tell instinctively.
This man is strong.
Among the opponents I’ve fought so far, only Ivan might compare in strength.
But I had my own reasons not to back down.
“Sorry, but I can’t comply with that.”
When I answered and raised my fists to fight, the man muttered quietly.
“Yeah, it’s more fun this way.”
The next moment...
Whoosh!
The man lowered his body and rushed at me.
‘Fast!’
Even with my exceptional dynamic vision, I almost lost track of his movements.
The man in black twisted his body and delivered a spinning back kick.
“Ugh!”
I barely blocked it, but the impact left my left arm tingling.
I quickly tried to retreat while gathering my qi.
But relentless attacks kept coming, as if he wouldn’t let me go.
The man in black, moving like a spider, kept his body low.
As I dodged his attacks and tried to counter with a soccer kick, he wrapped his arm around my leg as if he was waiting for it.
I instinctively used my qi to forcefully push his hand off my leg.
The man clicked his tongue and retreated, seemingly displeased that his surprise attack was foiled.
I sighed in relief and fixed my stance.
The man, who had slowly stood up, spoke.
“Still, you seem to be no pushover.”
Instead of replying, I just beckoned him with my fingers.
Perhaps falling for the provocation, the man in black rushed at me again with the same stance.
But I won’t fall for the same trick twice.
I stepped forward and thrust both fists together in front of me.
Direct Thrust.
A fundamental move of the Eight Trigram Palms that I learned directly from Mei Ling last summer.
Because I stomped the ground with all my might, the corridor shook momentarily, causing the man’s upper body to lose balance and fall forward.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and drove my fist like an awl into the man’s face.
Bang!!
‘Got him!’
I could feel the solid impact.
But as I found the fight ending too easily and checked my opponent’s expression, I realized something was wrong.
‘He’s smiling?’
The man was glaring at me with a crazed smile.
Poof!!
Immediately, a huge cloud of smoke erupted from the man’s body.
“What the?!”
I shouted in surprise.
No wonder, the man’s body, which was right in front of me just a moment ago, had disappeared like a lie, and instead, a log was placed there.
“Ninjutsu, Body Replacement Technique.”
Startled by the voice behind me, I tried to turn around, but the man was faster.
“Ugh!”
My knees buckled as he struck my legs, making me kneel.
He twisted my arm behind my back and pressed the shuriken he had in his hand against my neck.
The situation reversed in an instant, just as I thought I had won, leaving me speechless.
The man in black whispered from behind me.
“The old folks of the Fuma clan didn’t teach you this technique?”
“...Who are you?”
I never told anyone about going to the Fuma clan’s village with Senior Fuma.
So it’s reasonable to think that information leaked from within the Fuma clan.
Noticing my suspicion, the man twisted his lips and spoke.
“Hattori Hanzo, a man with a bit of a grudge against the name Fuma Kotaro that you inherited.”
Hattori Hanzo.
The name of the leader of the famous ninja group, Iga, active during the Sengoku period.
The name Hattori Hanzo, synonymous with ninjas, is actually a hereditary name used only by the head of the Hattori family, which officially ended with the 12th head, Hattori Masayoshi.
However, the bloodline of the Hattori clan, left behind in the underworld, continued to this day, and their skills did not decline.
And this man, the 13th Hattori Hanzo, was considered the most suitable man to revive the Hattori clan, whose lineage was once broken.
,
I barely blocked it, but the impact left my left arm tingling.
I quickly tried to retreat while gathering my qi.
But relentless attacks kept coming, as if he wouldn’t let me go.
The man in black, moving like a spider, kept his body low.
As I dodged his attacks and tried to counter with a soccer kick, he wrapped his arm around my leg as if he was waiting for it.
I instinctively used my qi to forcefully push his hand off my leg.
The man clicked his tongue and retreated, seemingly displeased that his surprise attack was foiled.
I sighed in relief and fixed my stance.
The man, who had slowly stood up, spoke.
“Still, you seem to be no pushover.”
Instead of replying, I just beckoned him with my fingers.
Perhaps falling for the provocation, the man in black rushed at me again with the same stance.
But I won’t fall for the same trick twice.
I stepped forward and thrust both fists together in front of me.
Direct Thrust.
A fundamental move of the Eight Trigram Palms that I learned directly from Mei Ling last summer.
Because I stomped the ground with all my might, the corridor shook momentarily, causing the man’s upper body to lose balance and fall forward.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and drove my fist like an awl into the man’s face.
Bang!!
‘Got him!’
I could feel the solid impact.
But as I found the fight ending too easily and checked my opponent’s expression, I realized something was wrong.
‘He’s smiling?’
The man was glaring at me with a crazed smile.
Poof!!
Immediately, a huge cloud of smoke erupted from the man’s body.
“What the?!”
I shouted in surprise.
No wonder, the man’s body, which was right in front of me just a moment ago, had disappeared like a lie, and instead, a log was placed there.
“Ninjutsu, Body Replacement Technique.”
Startled by the voice behind me, I tried to turn around, but the man was faster.
“Ugh!”
My knees buckled as he struck my legs, making me kneel.
He twisted my arm behind my back and pressed the shuriken he had in his hand against my neck.
The situation reversed in an instant, just as I thought I had won, leaving me speechless.
The man in black whispered from behind me.
“The old folks of the Fuma clan didn’t teach you this technique?”
“...Who are you?”
I never told anyone about going to the Fuma clan’s village with Senior Fuma.
So it’s reasonable to think that information leaked from within the Fuma clan.
Noticing my suspicion, the man twisted his lips and spoke.
“Hattori Hanzo, a man with a bit of a grudge against the name Fuma Kotaro that you inherited.”
Hattori Hanzo.
The name of the leader of the famous ninja group, Iga, active during the Sengoku period.
The name Hattori Hanzo, synonymous with ninjas, is actually a hereditary name used only by the head of the Hattori family, which officially ended with the 12th head, Hattori Masayoshi.
However, the bloodline of the Hattori clan, left behind in the underworld, continued to this day, and their skills did not decline.
And this man, the 13th Hattori Hanzo, was considered the most suitable man to revive the Hattori clan, whose lineage was once broken.
Also known as Onigumo.
Hanzo, who inherited the name of a demon.
That was the true identity of the black-clad man who claimed to be Fujiwara Sai’s retainer.
Hattori Hanzo and Fuma Kotaro.
All were famous ninja names from the Sengoku period.
But they were names that definitely existed in modern times.
I wasn’t sure if it was because the industry was small or because Japan was a small country, but from the circumstances, it seemed that Senior Fuma’s father and this man were rivals.
‘And I got caught up in it by accident.’
At first, it was clearly just about inheriting the techniques, but somehow I was treated as having inherited the name too.
Honestly, it was quite unfair, but explaining it now wouldn’t change the situation.
This man came down here to stop the intruders in the first place.
With my arm twisted behind my back, I asked the man.
“Are you Hattori’s father?”
“If you’re talking about the kid with the sparrow on her shoulder, yes. She’s my daughter.”
“Why did you have me watched? You couldn’t have foreseen this situation.”
“You’re sharp despite appearances. That’s right. At first, I thought the former Fuma Kotaro would appear around you, so I had Ayame watch you. I didn’t expect it to lead to this.”
“It’s like catching a mouse while walking backward.”
“Something like that.”
Honestly, knowing the whole story made me a bit upset.
All the efforts the Vice President and I made were for nothing just for that reason.
With my arm twisted behind my back, the man, Hattori Hanzo, spoke.
“It’s about time for the engagement ceremony to start. It seems like you’ve failed anyway, so why not give up?”
“No.”
“If you don’t give up, I’ll break this arm. You don’t want to live as a cripple, do you?”
“No.”
“...These young people.”
Crunch!
“!!!”
As he forced it, my arm started to twist in a direction it shouldn’t.
It felt like my muscles were tearing.
But I gritted my teeth and endured.
If I give up now, there will be no one to save the President.
That’s why I can’t give up.
Even if all my limbs break, never.
“You’re such a fool.”
Then, I heard a familiar voice in my ear.
I was startled and looked up.
A spirit with just its head sticking out of the floor.
Chiaki, who should still be on the 19th floor, was right in front of me.
“How are you here?”
“Downstairs seemed like it would be fine with just the old Egyptian guy, so I came up for a bit. You look like you’re having a hard time.”
Crunch!
My teeth chattered from the excessive pain.
In that state, I spoke to Chiaki.
“Help me.”
Chiaki smiled and reached out to me.
“I came to do that from the start.”