Chapter 408: The Ninjas Forgot Their Plot Armor

Miona lowered her stance and grinned confidently at the ninjas standing before her. "Alright, let’s see just how good these famous Sakura Empire ninjas really are!"

The masked leader narrowed his eyes upon hearing her arrogant words. "Don’t underestimate us, woman! You’ll regret looking down on the Yamikarasu Guild!"

He quickly raised two fingers and shouted, "[Shadow Clone Technique]!"

POOF! POOF!

Several identical figures suddenly appeared around him, each holding a short katana.

Miona raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? That’s actually quite interesting. Too bad it won’t help you!"

Without wasting another second, she rushed forward and twisted her body, driving one palm straight toward the nearest ninja.

[Breaking Wave Palm]

BANG!

The first ninja hurriedly crossed both arms to block the incoming strike, but Miona’s attack didn’t stop there.

She immediately stepped closer, smashing her shoulder into his guard before following up with a short elbow strike to his ribs.

CRACK!

"ARGH!"

The ninja was sent tumbling across the sandy beach, coughing violently as he struggled to regain his footing.

Another ninja immediately appeared behind Miona, his blade flashing with dark energy. "Take this! [Shadow Fang Slash]!"

SWISH!

However, Miona casually ducked beneath the incoming blade before sweeping his legs out from under him.

"What?!"

Before the ninja could even hit the ground, she twisted her waist and delivered a powerful kick straight into his chest.

BAM!

The unfortunate ninja flew backward and crashed into the sand several meters away.

Miona straightened her posture and clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Seriously? Is that all you’ve got? At least make me sweat a little!"

Meanwhile, Linsey was practically bouncing with excitement. "Ohhh! My turn! My turn!"

She quickly pulled two short daggers from her storage ring before rushing straight toward another group of ninjas.

[Whirling Gale Dance]

Rather than relying heavily on her Wind Qi, Linsey focused on pure speed, unpredictable footwork, and awkward attacking angles.

She slipped between two ninjas, caught one man’s wrist with her dagger guard, twisted his blade aside, and immediately slammed her knee into his stomach.

BAM!

"UGH!"

The ninja doubled over in pain, but before Linsey could follow up, another masked assassin suddenly flicked his wrist.

"[Phantom Shuriken Art]!"

SWISH! SWISH!

Several sharp shuriken flew toward Linsey from different directions.

However, Linsey merely tilted her head, casually avoiding the first projectile while catching another between her fingers.

"Ohhh! What’s this?" Linsey exclaimed excitedly, examining the strange weapon in her hand.

She turned the shuriken around, curiously inspecting its sharp points. "Hehe! This shape is actually pretty interesting! I wonder how it feels to throw one!"

Without hesitation, she flicked her wrist and sent the captured shuriken flying straight back toward its original owner.

SWISH!

"What the hell?!"

The ninja barely managed to raise his katana in time.

CLANG!

The shuriken struck his blade with enough force to make his arm tremble.

Linsey’s eyes immediately lit up. "Whoa! These little throwing stars are actually pretty fun!"

She quickly pulled out another shuriken she had caught earlier and began spinning it between her fingers. "Hehehe! I kind of want to collect a few more of these!"

Helena, who had been watching her ridiculous behavior from nearby, could only sigh. "Linsey, stop playing with their weapons and finish the fight already."

Linsey immediately puffed out her cheeks in protest. "What? Come on, Helena! These little star-shaped thingies are really nice to use! You should try one!"

Helena gave her a flat look. "I’ll stick with my axe, thanks."

She then casually pulled her enormous battle axe from her storage ring, preparing to deal with the remaining enemies.

However, just as she raised her weapon, a ninja suddenly appeared above her.

Unlike the others, this man possessed the cultivation of a Fourth Stage Golden Core cultivator, making him one of the strongest assassins present.

His eyes narrowed as he gripped his katana with both hands. "Don’t get arrogant, woman! [Falling Moon Execution]!"

SWOOOOSH!

His blade descended with tremendous force, carrying a sharp crescent of spiritual energy toward Helena’s head.

However, Helena merely stepped sideways and raised her axe with an unimpressed expression.

[Mountain Cleaving]

Rather than meeting the descending katana head-on, she swung her axe horizontally, striking the side of the blade with precise timing.

CLAAAAANG!

The impact completely knocked the ninja’s weapon off course, causing his carefully prepared attack to miss its target. "What?!"

Before he could recover, Helena immediately reversed her grip and smashed the butt end of her axe straight into his jaw.

BAM!

"ARGH!"

The ninja staggered backward, his head spinning from the sudden impact.

Unfortunately for him, Helena wasn’t finished.

She immediately lowered her axe, hooked his ankle with the curved blade, and yanked his leg out from beneath him.

THUD!

The ninja crashed onto his back, sending sand scattering in every direction.

Before he could even attempt to stand, Helena casually planted one foot against his chest, pinning him firmly to the ground.

She stared down at him with a disappointed expression. "Seriously? You’re supposed to be one of the stronger ones here?"

The ninja struggled desperately beneath her foot, but no matter how much strength he used, he couldn’t move her in the slightest.

Helena shook her head. "That was pretty disappointing. I expected more from a Fourth Realm cultivator."

Meanwhile, the remaining ninjas finally began realizing that something was terribly wrong.

After all, the man Helena had just defeated wasn’t some ordinary member of their group.

He was one of their strongest fighters!

Yet this woman had defeated him so casually that it almost looked like she was disciplining a child.

One of the masked assassins stared at Helena in disbelief. "Impossible... How did she defeat him so easily?!"

Another ninja tightened his grip on his katana, his voice trembling slightly. "Something’s wrong! These women are much stronger than we expected!"

The remaining assassins instinctively stepped backward, their earlier confidence rapidly disappearing.

For the first time since the battle began, they were starting to wonder whether accepting this mission had been a terrible mistake.