Chapter 149 Queen Sarah

Ten minutes later, with a ding, the elevator finally arrived at the floor!

"Phew, that was close, I almost shat my pants," Shiraki sighed, as if he could already hear Kakuzu complaining from afar.

Hum...

The elevator doors slid open. A neat row of puppet guards stood ready at the entrance, their dark, hollow gun barrels aimed straight at them.

[Protect the Queen, eliminate the intruders]

Thump thump thump thump thump...

A dense barrage of senbon needles shot out like a storm, even thicker than raindrops, forming a dark, menacing cloud that looked capable of turning a person into a human pincushion.

"Watch closely, let me show you a unique trick: The Two-Blade Flying Chicken's One Hundred Percent Sword Parry!" Shiraki casually drew Maki's Wind Blade and directly activated a dual-wielding stance.

He did not choose the Wind Barrier; relying on the exact same trick every time lacked artistic flair.

[Counter Strike]

The blade light whipped up by Shiraki's hands was faster than lightning, and the lines drawn by the silver curtain of blades in front of him formed a complete sphere.

If the Hyuga clan's Rotation was a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree omnidirectional absolute defense—and many acknowledged its power—it was at least generated by chakra expelled from the acupuncture points across the entire body, with an operation difficulty within the limits of human comprehension.

But this guy... just pulled out two blades and sliced his way into a "Blade Rotation"?

Is this something a human being is capable of doing?

Just how fast must those blades be moving? Even an electric fan couldn't achieve this effect!

Clang clang clang clang clang...

The sound of senbon needles colliding with the blades rang out like a swarm of buzzing bees, and the needles, chopped into pieces, rained down all over the floor in a clattering mess.

"The final needle... Cross Slash!" Shiraki looked at the very last incoming senbon needle, his blades flashing left and right. The needle was split vertically into four quarters, which then embedded themselves into the elevator door.

"You guys... are too slow." Hearing the system notification chime, Shiraki executed a leaping strike, landing behind the puppet soldiers. With two horizontal slashes, the puppets were reduced to a pile of scattered parts clattering across the floor.

[Your flashy performance has gained the approval of Jax, the Grandmaster at Arms, and has granted you a new skill.]

[Leaping Strike]

[Leap towards the target at extreme speed, dealing a certain amount of damage. Can be imbued with chakra attributes.]

Maki's jaw hung open like a dislocated toad's. He reached out to touch the senbon needles embedded in the elevator door. The needles, originally a millimeter thick, had been shaved down to 0.25 millimeters; any thinner and they could be used as pen refills.

"He actually... managed to... vertically... slice them..."

Maki's voice trembled. As a fellow master of swordsmanship, he knew all too well how difficult it was to pull off such a move.

"That was just this single one~" Shiraki feigned composure as he tossed Maki's Wind Blade back to him and sheathed his own swords, though in truth, his wrists were so sore they felt like they were about to fall off.

"I never knew dad's swordsmanship was so cool!" Karin's eyes sparkled.

"Probably because I'm immortal and got too lazy to swing my sword anymore," Shiraki chuckled lightly.

"This guy... usually acts all carefree, doing nothing but eating or reading dirty books, and I've never seen him train once... Why is the universe so unfair, bestowing such incredible talent upon him!" Nonou couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Let's go! That was just the tip of the iceberg, and it scared you guys like this." Shiraki slung his Blade of Gales over his shoulder and strode deep into the palace, his posture brimming with arrogance.

...

The spacious grand hall, draped with red curtains and tapestries, should have been where the Queen held court daily. At the highest point of the hall stood a throne adorned with countless jewels and gold, radiating an extravagant, glittering luster. Fortunately, Kakuzu was not here; otherwise, he wouldn't even have left the base of the throne behind.

However, the two girls' reactions were no better than Kakuzu's. They practically flung themselves onto the throne, looking as though they wanted to pry off the two massive pearls right on the spot.

"Don't you like it?" Shiraki asked, looking at Karin, who had stayed behind.

"There are too many of them at home. When I was little, I used them as marbles to play with," Karin shrugged.

"Goodness, our family is going to be that rich in the future?" Shiraki's eyes lit up.

"I don't think we're all that rich. We still sleep in a two-meter bed and eat three meals a day, though the doghouse back home is made of solid gold," Karin said casually, completely devoid of any concept of money.

"Does your family need any dogs?" Maki asked, tears streaming down his face.

Leaving the grand throne room behind, Shiraki—wary of potential traps—kept his Scanning Lens active the entire way, successfully dismantling several hidden mechanisms and traps.

They also discovered a concealed secret room along the corridor. Prizing it open, they found the interior walls entirely covered with large sheets of red fabric, creating a strange and eerie atmosphere. Maki stepped forward and pulled back the curtain to take a look.

Whoa, it was enough to nearly scare someone to death.

Rows upon rows of dense figures stood like mannequins on wooden racks, all wearing the same red robes as Anrokusan. Barring any surprises, they were all fake Loulan ministers wearing realistic masks, designed to fool Queen Sara every day so she could remain blissfully unaware and believe her country was still peaceful and secure.

"And here I thought it was a treasury. How boring." Shiraki exited the secret room and pressed onward.

Finally, at the end of the corridor, a large room appeared, featuring heavily carved and ornate wooden doors. Without a doubt, this had to be Sara's bedchamber.

Pressing against the door to cast the Scanning Lens, the scene inside immediately projected into his mind: four humanoid entities stood ready at the entrance, surrounding a figure shaped like a young girl. Shiraki gave a tactical hand signal.

[Bash it in, resolve the battle in one second, and be careful not to harm the hostage.]

No one understood what hand gestures he was wildly making, but they were all shinobi; everyone knew what needed to be done.

[Charged Strike: Earth!]

Boom!!

Shiraki punched the wooden door, and even though it was crafted from sturdy redwood, it instantly shattered into flying splinters, revealing the interior of the bedchamber.

On a giant canopy bed, four maid-like girls were brandishing slender, delicate rapiers, gazing warily toward the door as they protected the red-haired girl in their midst—or perhaps holding her hostage.

Anrokusan had no desire to kill Sara unless absolutely necessary, as only the Queen's lineage possessed the ability to seal and unseal the Dragon Vein. Everything in his plan relied on the endless energy of the Dragon Vein. Although the vein was currently unlocked without any issues, he worried that if a problem ever arose down the line, there wouldn't even be anyone left who could operate the seal.

Swish swish swish swish...

The moment the wooden door shattered, four figures darted into the bedchamber at breakneck speed. Each of them picked a maid and swung their blades to decapitate them, moving so fast that the maids had no time to react at all.

The red-haired girl on the bed wore a gorgeous crimson dress, and her features were impeccably refined, fully living up to the fantasy of a queen.

"Lady Sara, are you alright..." Shiraki tried his best to put on a heroic facade, casting the most gentle gaze he could muster toward Sara while curving the corners of his mouth into what he believed was his most charming smile.

His daughter's remark about him being an "old single dog" had stung him deeply, and he had decided right then and there to start pursuing girls. Queen Sara... looked like a fantastic choice!

"Ahhhhhhh!!! Bandits!"

After all, she was merely an ordinary person, pampered since childhood and sheltered from hardship. The events had unfolded far too suddenly; looking at the headless maids collapsing backward, Sara finally snapped back to reality. With a piercing scream, she reached out and slapped Shiraki across the face repeatedly.

"Damn it!!!!"