Several days later, at 21:01.
Within the alley, puddles reflected the hues of neon lights.
Amidst the shadows, Rurikire's gaze flickered.
After scrutinizing the detailed information regarding the target, she resolved to focus her breakthrough on the person named Aifeier.
And this place happened to be the opponent's inevitable route, as well as the most clandestine point of attack.
Based on her observations in the preceding days, the estimated time for the opponent to pass through here would probably be about ten minutes later... with a margin of error not exceeding five minutes.
It must be acknowledged that Miss Rurikire's concealment ability is indeed extraordinary.
It's as if she truly dissolves into the darkness, perhaps even standing by her side, one would hardly notice her presence.
Highly adept at concealment techniques also constitute a part of increasing the success rate of assassination, although the upcoming task is not assassination... but if the target becomes suspicious, subsequent handling will undoubtedly be much more troublesome.
That Miss "Housekeeper" is no ordinary figure; in the absence of information superiority, the execution of the plan will become exceedingly difficult.
However...
Why hasn't she arrived yet?
Rurikire furrowed her brow, a slight sense of unease rising within her heart.
According to past circumstances, the other party should have appeared by now.
Rurikire glanced at the top right corner of the clock, 21:20, forty minutes had passed since she arrived here.
Suddenly, a sense of crisis emerged in her mind, compelling her to swiftly dodge to the side.
With a blazing red light accompanying the sound of air being torn apart, the thermal sword slashed towards her original position, leaving a hole in the wall due to the high temperature.
Immediately after, the wall collapsed, sending debris flying.
Watching the girl emerge slowly from the dust, Rurikire couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in her heart.
—The "Black War God" Ersini.
Why would she appear here...?
Without time to ponder this question, Rurikire saw the opponent's body turn into a blur, charging straight towards her.
The speed was so swift that it made her pupils contract involuntarily.
She hastily raised her specially crafted resonating ninja blade around her waist to defend, but it only resisted for a short while before the special material of the blade was slashed open.
She could even feel the heat emanating from the thermal sword scorching the surrounding air, significantly raising the temperature in the alley because of the opponent's presence.
The surging heat made her feel like she was facing not a person but a ferocious beast ablaze with fire.
However, her astonishment and surprise didn't last long. Rurikire took a step back, raised her ninja blade, and grasped the hilt with her other hand, directly swinging it towards the opponent's head.
The sharpness of the resonating ninja blade was enough to split stones, making it as easy to cut off a person's head as cutting tofu, yet the girl in front of her remained calm, tilting her head slightly to dodge the strike.
Although it seemed thrilling for the ninja blade to cut off a strand of the girl's hair, it was actually calculated with utmost precision.
Ersini advanced, bringing back the scorching sensation.
As she dragged her, the numerical value on the blade kept rising, sending a shiver down Rurikire's spine. She quickly raised her ninja blade once again and clashed with the opponent's thermal sword.
However, this time, the gap on the ninja blade widened visibly.
And it widened to a degree visible to the naked eye.
Rurikire gritted her teeth, leveraging the force of the clash with the opponent to step back.
With a steady landing, Rurikire knelt on one knee, using the other leg for support.
The distance between the two was stretched to almost ten meters.
Rurikire's mind raced rapidly.
The fact that the opponent appeared here was very likely due to her exposure at some point in the past, making that Jonas Vantine aware of her existence.
Of course, the possibility of someone betraying her cannot be ruled out, but it is extremely unlikely,
after all, the only person who truly knows about her actions this time is herself.
Rurikire glanced at the thermal sword in Ersini's hand, a hint of fear flickering in her eyes.
Although earlier, Rurikire's intuition had warned her that this Ersini Nora might pose a threat to her strength.
But she didn't expect this 'threat' to be so significant.
This was her first time falling into such a disadvantage in a direct confrontation... even if we disregard the advantage in equipment, the opponent's skills and reaction speed are not inferior to hers.
Coupled with the fact that direct confrontation itself is not her forte, in just three minutes, the girl found herself in a predicament.
While contemplating, Miss Ersini did not give up the opportunity to pursue her victory.
In the blink of an eye, three breaths later, she was in front of her, leaving Rurikire with no choice but to cease her pondering and forcibly engage in combat with her.
A flash of red light.
The frequency of the resonating blade reached its peak, and a hint of madness flashed in the girl's eyes.
The power of the resonating ninja blade reached its peak, enough to sever the thermal sword in the opponent's hand.
Since she didn't hold the advantage in equipment, she simply abandoned it altogether.
Techniques like grappling and strangulation in close combat were also extremely proficient for her.
Seemingly sensing the girl's thoughts, the thermal sword in the air suddenly halted, then turned towards the girl's abdomen for a slash.
"?"
——Could a human really perform such a technique?
Rurikire felt as if she had encountered a monster, gritted her teeth, forced her right hand to stop, and then swung downward.
Leveraging the inertia, the resonating sword inserted into the ground, successfully blocking the thermal sword.
This time, the thermal sword directly severed the girl's ninja blade, leaving a shallow wound on her abdomen.
Rurikire grunted and quickly withdrew.
The opponent's strength was indeed beyond expectation, but Miss Rurikire still had a way.
As an assassin wielding top-notch ninja arts, she was well aware of where her advantages lay.
That is... if you can't win, run!
She took out a few metal balls from her waist, emitting a mechanical sound when triggered.
The girl threw the balls directly on the ground, and thick smoke instantly filled the air.
Seizing this opportunity, she flipped over the wall in three or two steps and fled to another place.
Within the thick smoke, nothing could be seen within half a meter.
And she didn't notice that behind her, another girl with black-green dyed hair emerged.
It was Miss Shiurinoko.
——Ambush!
Shiurinoko captured Rurikire's neck and locked her to the ground before the girl could react.
A needle appeared on the side of her neck, and in her despairing eyes, the needle pierced into her neck.
As the liquid inside the syringe continued to be injected, Rurikire's consciousness gradually blurred.
In the thick smoke, the figure of a man emerged.
The man's movements were leisurely, his elegant posture contrasting