"Kill, kill, kill!"
"Hahahaha..."
A rogue ninja with twin axes had a cruel look in his eyes. He cleaved a guard's head in two, splattering blood and brains everywhere, laughing maniacally in excitement.
However, he didn't notice the reaper with a massive sword behind him.
The 30-kilogram blade was nothing in Shinsuke's hands. He casually lifted it, fitting the man's neck perfectly into the semicircular groove.
Execution!
Swish!
Thud!!!
A head, still bearing an excited and cruel expression, flew into the air. Blood gushed from the severed neck like a fountain.
"Who are you?!"
The sudden change left both sides of the battle stunned.
After the kill, Shinsuke's expression didn't change. He simply raised the Decapitating Knife to his eye level for inspection.
He noticed one of the seven kill sigils had finally lit up!
Indeed, other animals couldn't substitute; it had to be a human for it to work.
With that confirmed, Shinsuke felt more at ease. After all, there were still plenty of subjects here to experiment on.
"Hey! You bastard, where did you come from? Die!"
A bandit wielding a spiked club, confident in his strength, charged at him.
Shinsuke didn't even bother to look back. A casual swing cleaved the attacker in two.
"Nice, that's two."
"Who's next?"
"Forget it, this is too slow one by one. I'll come to you."
With the Executioner's Blade resting on his shoulder, Shinsuke arrogantly walked towards the crowd.
Though initially intimidated by his brutal two kills, the bandits, made up of rogue ninjas and disgraced warriors, quickly regained their nerve. They had numbers on their side and weren't about to let their prey escape.
"Enemy's tough, everyone attack together!"
"Watch out for his massive blade, surround him!"
"Kill!"
Realizing the threat, nearly half the bandits charged at Shinsuke. The rest continued their assault on the guards, their primary objective.
But their plan quickly fell apart...
Even when surrounded, Shinsuke remained calm. The attackers posed no real threat.
He brought his sword down, splitting a hapless bandit in two. A horizontal sweep disemboweled four or five more, spilling their guts everywhere.
Those severely wounded couldn't die immediately, writhing on the ground in agony.
Seeing this, some bandits hesitated, afraid to approach.
But Shinsuke wasn't about to let them go; he hadn't lit all the sigils yet. He rushed forward, slashing wildly.
Each strike claimed a life, sometimes more.
It felt exhilarating, like a berserker mowing down foes.
For some reason, Shinsuke thought of Madara Uchiha from the past, single-handedly crushing thousands of ninja alliance troops.
In this world, individual power could surpass collective strength.
Numbers meant nothing.
If they did, it meant one wasn't strong enough.
Perhaps, when Madara looked down on those thousands of ninja soldiers, he didn't think about winning but how much time it would take to kill them all.
In the blink of an eye, all seven kill sigils lit up on the Executioner's Blade!
Shinsuke paused, scanning the scene. He noticed a leader hiding and giving orders.
About 60 to 70 meters away, perfect for his special move.
Shinsuke activated [Invisible Strike] without hesitation!
Instantly, he vanished, followed by a scream that abruptly ended.
Swish!
Shinsuke reappeared 60 to 70 meters away, standing over two severed corpses.
This ghostly movement terrified the remaining bandits.
Realizing they couldn't handle such an enemy, they fled like scared animals.
Clearly, they couldn't fight someone who moved so quickly they couldn't even see him.
Their leader had been sliced in half in an instant; fighting was futile. It was time to run.
Shinsuke, having tested [Invisible Strike], felt great.
Though he didn't know what others saw, he felt a strange power from the sword enveloping him, transporting him to his target.
The sudden perspective shift had momentarily startled him, but his sword hand didn't hesitate, slashing his opponent in half.
The [Invisible Strike] required an attack. If he didn't act, the sword's energy would complete the strike for him.
This had pros and cons.
Shinsuke was pleased with the Executioner's Blade, despite its flaws.
This move could act as a mini-Flying Thunder God in crucial moments, extremely practical!
Seeing the fleeing enemies, Shinsuke's expression turned serious. "Can't let good test subjects escape."
Before he finished speaking, an 'X' shaped blood mark appeared on his forehead.
Boom!
With a powerful stomp, Shinsuke's speed doubled. He caught up to the bandits in a breath, slaughtering them like sheep.
No one could withstand a single strike.
The massive blade was deadly, either severing limbs or cleaving bodies in two.
Even a beheading seemed gentle compared to the other fates.
In moments, no one was left alive.
With [Crimson Scale Leap] and [Invisible Strike], none could escape his reach.