Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
"CLANG CLANG CLANG"—the sound of clashing blades rang continuously. Two white-furred monkeys attacked like maniacs. Bella desperately blocked, parried, and dodged, using every sword technique she knew, terrified of taking even one hit from these monkeys.
Injury aside—it would be humiliating!
Even if no one else saw, she couldn't get past her own conscience. No matter how refined her swordsmanship, these were just two monkeys!
Usually gentle-natured, Bella was actually quite proud! She'd integrated Eastern and Western sword arts, possessed superior physical abilities and Eagle Vision, and now she was being pressed by two monkeys?
Ridiculous!
Bella was furious, but anger didn't solve problems. Her ears filled with the "CLANG CLANG CLANG" of hammer-on-anvil sounds. The monkey sword saints made her suffer terribly.
Often their attacks were too fierce, forcing her to leap backward repeatedly to gain brief distance for adjusting her techniques.
She was managing, but Wolf was being chased up and down by three ordinary monkeys and was about to collapse!
She wanted to use psychic powers, but the monkey sword saints' techniques were too fast. She needed total concentration to avoid getting hit.
"Hey! You two, help me! Just draw one away and I can win!" she called to the porters.
Both cowered behind their chests, trembling like leaves.
Terrified! When even monkeys knew swordsmanship, what chance did ordinary people have?
Having spent over a year here, they could at least judge sword skill quality.
Bella's swordsmanship was excellent—fierce on offense, tight on defense, with dazzling variations. Even without that weird "Mind Sword" technique, she could demolish them. But these monkeys... these monkeys were no pushovers either!
They figured one exchange would mean certain death.
Despite their terror, they remained like ostriches behind their chests, refusing to speak no matter what.
"And you wanted to be samurai like this?" Bella's contempt was scathing. She'd have to find her own solution.
After ten more exchanges, though fighting two-on-one, as she gradually adapted to the monkey sword saints' patterns, she began counterattacking!
Her strength far exceeded theirs. She continuously used parrying opportunities to suppress them, exhausting their stamina. The monkey sword saints were ordinary monkeys after all, with inherent stamina deficiencies. Katanas weren't weapons designed for them either, causing some inconvenience.
Small advantages piled up until the tide turned. Bella kicked one monkey away, then her katana flashed in a flurry that drove the monkey sword saints into retreat...
Yes, retreat.
The two white-furred monkeys climbed into trees, leaped down the cliff, swung through branches, and vanished into the mist.
Bella stood at the cliff edge watching. Forget her unfinished Leap of Faith—even if she'd mastered it, she wouldn't dare jump down there!
Whatever. I'll let it go. She wasn't Barbossa anyway—no interest in keeping pet monkeys.
The remaining three monkeys besieging Wolf promptly retreated. Bella and Wolf were drenched in sweat, with absolutely nothing to show for it...
Near evening, they finally reached the bandits' small stronghold in the Hidden Forest.
Truly small. Three years ago, the Hirata family had ambushed and decimated them, with continued losses since. Only fifty bandits remained.
The bandit leader Juzou the Drunkard had been killed three years ago by Wolf's throat-cutting blade. Now a man called Tokujiro the Glutton led them.
"My lord... my lord, we, that is... truly..." Kyujiro and Iwata were exhausted and terrified. What had they seen on this journey? The Snake Eyes clan? Sword-wielding monkeys? Now the bandits' lair too? The mental pressure was overwhelming.
Both were barely standing.
"So weak," Wolf commented quietly.
He didn't fear bandits. Thirty to fifty bandits—he'd just kill his way in.
One attempt wouldn't finish them? Make several trips. He was a shinobi, not a samurai.
Bella feared them even less. She'd come prepared.
But the porters' mental state needed consideration.
She pointed at the ground, her voice eerily drifting: "You two stand here. Don't move. Wolf and I will be right back."
Leaving Kyujiro and Iwata to guard the treasure, they looked at each other. You say don't move, we won't move? How obedient do you think we are?
They wanted to run, but their legs were stiff as boards. The moment they thought about fleeing, a voice automatically arose in their minds: Dare to run? I'll kill you!
They tried several times—useless. Their bodies wouldn't obey!
Faces falling, they whispered: "Is this woman really from the same place as us?"
Both felt utterly defeated. The gap was too enormous. They couldn't imagine what identity Bella held in the real world. FBI? CIA? Some kind of super soldier?
The bandit stronghold had virtually no proper security. Wolf and Bella each took down two sentries and walked right in.
Stealth? Concealment? Nonexistent!
"Who are you people! How dare you intrude on my stronghold?" Standing two meters tall, weighing a good four hundred pounds like a sumo wrestler, Tokujiro the Glutton charged out wielding a great sword, reeking of alcohol.
His hair was a mess, eyes bloodshot, bare-chested, footsteps thunderously heavy.
"This guy's drunk. Convincing him will be difficult," Wolf said quietly.
His hand rested lightly on his sword hilt, ready to kill at the slightest provocation.
Bella gave him an odd look. Wolf's bloodlust ran deep. They'd barely arrived and he wanted to start killing?
No wonder in the game he'd killed every named Ashina character before committing suicide. This guy's mentality had issues.
Bella frowned, speaking in an instructive tone: "Your mental state is terrible. Whether as a shinobi or samurai, you must keep your mind constantly clear. Killing isn't the only solution to problems. Go back and read some Buddhist sutras. The Myōken Dharani would suit you well."
Ignoring Wolf, Bella stepped forward several paces and announced her purpose loudly to Tokujiro.
She was greeted by a five-foot-long great sword.
Tokujiro hadn't heard the specifics. He just swung his blade.
Seeing them dodge, he tilted back his head, chugged alcohol, then sprayed a cloud of dark green alcohol mist toward them.
Bella and Wolf dodged quickly, but two nearby bandit grunts got caught in the mist. One's face was severely corroded and he died on the spot. The other lost an arm.
Bella leaped up, launching a Soaring Eagle Strike directly at Tokujiro's forehead. He raised his great sword to parry.
The moment she landed, she launched her ultimate technique—Crossing the River. Dazzling sword light enveloped Tokujiro.