Sanjō Chiji rushed forward, deliberately heading into crowded areas.
Sanjō Chiji felt he had a good grasp of the rules.
The pursuit by the natives had a major flaw: even they had limitations when it came to eliminating nine people, let alone civilians.
Since that was the case, this was an area that could be exploited.
However, relying solely on the crowd made it difficult to shake them off. The moment the crowd became restless, Sanjō Chiji would be exposed. Moreover, Sanjō Chiji's current attire was conspicuous; the people here didn't dress like this.
Therefore, Sanjō Chiji hadn't thought of a good escape method yet and could only run for now.
Muttering to himself, Sanjō Chiji quickly moved through the crowd and entered an elevator.
Some hunters spotted Sanjō Chiji, but as predicted, they didn't make a move. There were other people in the elevator, so they couldn't shoot Sanjō Chiji directly.
Trapping Sanjō Chiji in the elevator wouldn't work either, as it would mean everyone else was in Sanjō Chiji's hands as hostages.
"Confirm the floor, evacuate the crowd as much as possible, then surround and capture him."
One hunter said quickly. It was uncertain if it would be effective, as the elevator's ascent and descent speed made evacuating people extremely difficult.
Meanwhile...
Sanjō Chiji had a brief respite, taking a deep breath.
But at that moment...
"Hey!"
A voice suddenly sounded from behind Sanjō Chiji, followed by a hand landing on his shoulder.
Sanjō Chiji instinctively turned around, and then...
*Bang!*
The hand pressed Sanjō Chiji's head, shoving him against the elevator wall.
After a resounding impact, the elevator instantly dented.
Sanjō Chiji reacted, trying to draw his sword. Just as he gripped the hilt and pulled the blade out a little, Bai Ye suddenly kicked upwards, sending the sword flying to the side.
Sanjō Chiji gritted his teeth and quickly formed hand seals.
"Ninjutsu, Substitution Jutsu!"
With a *bang!* a large puff of white smoke appeared around Sanjō Chiji. Bai Ye found that the thing he was pressing against was a log.
"Don't move!" Sanjō Chiji's voice sounded from behind Bai Ye. "Or I'll kill her!"
Sanjō Chiji grabbed a middle-aged woman in the corner of the elevator, using her as a shield, even tucking his head in to avoid showing himself.
However...
In Bai Ye's hand, the Steel Slime writhed rapidly, and then the Thunder Fang Beast was condensed.
*Puff!*
Bai Ye thrust forward.
The Thunder Fang Beast pierced the woman's abdomen and also grazed Sanjō Chiji's waist.
Sanjō Chiji's eyes widened. He looked at Bai Ye and said in shock, "You?"
"My name is Bai Ye," Bai Ye replied. "You can also call me Number Eight."
Threatening hunters with civilians might work, but to threaten Bai Ye?
What did the natives' lives or deaths have to do with Bai Ye?
*Ding!*
Just then, the elevator arrived and the doors opened.
Sanjō Chiji immediately pushed the woman away and darted out of the elevator.
Two hunters were lying in wait. The moment they saw Sanjō Chiji, they immediately raised their guns to shoot.
But Sanjō Chiji's sword was fast!
Incredibly fast!
A flash of silver light, and the energy guns in the hunters' hands were shattered. Then, with a flick of Sanjō Chiji's wrist, the blade swept across their throats.
The two hunters' eyes widened in unison, their bodies slowly collapsing to the ground.
However, Sanjō Chiji also showed a pained expression. He looked down at his waist, where blood was continuously seeping out, staining his clothes.
Sanjō Chiji sprinted forward, taking out a bean paste bun to stuff into his mouth.
The bean paste bun was no ordinary bun; it was a healing item. But Sanjō Chiji couldn't get it into his mouth.
*Zzzzz!*
A crackling sound of electricity followed.
A surge of electricity struck the back of Sanjō Chiji's hand, causing the bean paste bun to fall to the ground and roll away.
Through the electrical current, Bai Ye stepped forward, standing in front of Sanjō Chiji once more.
"Dragon Soaring Slash, Decapitation!"
Sanjō Chiji didn't hesitate, lunging forward and bringing his long sword down on Bai Ye.
Bai Ye made no move to dodge, allowing the sword to strike his neck.
Sanjō Chiji blinked. Had he hit so easily?
Was this guy not strong?
A paper tiger?
As Sanjō Chiji pondered, Bai Ye's neck was severed. But the moment the head separated from the neck, electricity suddenly surged, reattaching the severed head to the neck.
*Puff!*
Bai Ye drew his sword and swept it across Sanjō Chiji's chest.
With a scream from Sanjō Chiji, a horrifying wound appeared, and a large amount of blood spurted from his chest.
Sanjō Chiji retreated, looking at Bai Ye in disbelief. Although surprised, he quickly figured it out.
Physical attacks were ineffective against Bai Ye!
Enduring the pain from the wound, Sanjō Chiji leaped backward and quickly formed hand seals: "Water Style, Misty Shadow Jutsu!"
Sanjō Chiji rapidly opened his mouth, spitting out a large amount of mist that dispersed in all directions, quickly obscuring a large area.
"Trying to run?"
Bai Ye grinned and reached forward.
Bai Ye wasn't falling for this trick. He had already set up an electric field, so even with obscured vision, it meant little to Bai Ye. He could still easily track Sanjō Chiji's location.
*Zzzzz!*
As Bai Ye extended a finger forward, a large amount of electricity surged from his fingertip.
The next moment, the current shot forward, piercing into the mist.
Sanjō Chiji, about to escape, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his calf and stumbled to the ground.
Looking down, he saw a bloody hole in his leg. The lightning bolt, like an arrow, had easily pierced through his calf.
Sanjō Chiji gritted his teeth and got up, only to find Bai Ye approaching. He quickly formed hand seals again.
"Water Style, Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Sanjō Chiji roared. The moisture in the surrounding air was drawn out, quickly forming into a water dragon that crashed towards Bai Ye.
"This move is good!" Bai Ye looked up and said. "Too bad there's no water here. Relying only on moisture in the air, it's a bit lacking!"
As Bai Ye spoke, he tilted his body slightly forward, assuming a sword-drawing stance.
The next instant...
A flash of sword light!
The incoming water dragon instantly turned into a large sheet of water, scattering onto the ground.
Sanjō Chiji remained on the ground, unable to rise.
On Sanjō Chiji's neck, a bloodline slowly appeared.
Then...
His head suddenly fell from his neck.
Just as Sanjō Chiji had intended to do to Bai Ye earlier.
...