"Made a careless mistake!" Shanter was cornered by the Navy in a restaurant.
For several days, the Navy hadn't pursued him, and Shanter had unknowingly let his guard down. As a result, the Navy found an opportunity and trapped him in a restaurant.
The situation was dire. He was the only one in the restaurant (everyone else had fled), and outside, 200 Navy soldiers had surrounded the place. Once he stepped out, he'd be riddled with bullets.
The worst part was that Colonel Falin had arrived in person. Although Shanter had confidence in defeating this Colonel, he knew it wouldn't be a quick victory. If he were surrounded and beaten, it would be a real problem.
This was a clear sign of inexperience! Shanter pressed his hand against his forehead, feeling somewhat frustrated.
However, Shanter knew this wasn't the time to complain; finding a way to escape was the most important thing.
"Hey, you cowardly Colonel outside, if you've got the guts, come in here and face me in a one-on-one duel," Shanter called out, sticking his head out slightly.
Bang—
As soon as Shanter pulled his head back, a bullet struck the spot where his head had just been.
"I knew it! Just a coward who hides behind numbers," Shanter muttered as he began dismantling the water pipes, feeling pleased with himself.
"Good kid. If you've got the guts, stay inside. I'll chop you in half!" Colonel Falin clenched his prized sword, then turned to his subordinates, commanding them, "You stay out here. No one is to enter without my order. I'll deal with this brat myself."
"Such a fool…" Shanter thought to himself, speechless.
He had only said it to buy some time to escape through the water pipes. Who would've thought this fool would actually come in and try to fight him one-on-one? So dumb!
"Looks like the simplest methods are the most effective," Shanter thought, "Then I'll just have to deal with him. Once he's gone, the problem's solved."
But Falin should be well aware of his own abilities, so why was he so confident? This guy might be harder to deal with than expected. Shanter never hesitated when it came to battle.
As Colonel Falin entered, a chair flew toward him.
With a flash of the sword, the chair was torn to pieces.
Shanter sucked in a sharp breath: That's incredibly sharp!
Seeing the astonished look on Shanter's face, Colonel Falin grinned proudly, half showing off and half with contempt. "Recognize this sword? Take a look at the inscription!" He raised the sword for Shanter to see.
Shanter focused and noticed that the blade was wide at the base, narrowing towards the tip, with a wave-like pattern and a slight curve. The inscription on the blade read: Fukuoka Ichimonji Satoru.
"Now you see it, right? This sword's called Fukuoka Ichimonji, one of the fastest blades among the 50 finest swords. You probably didn't know this, but it's from the Ichimonji School, the same as the infamous sword Kiku Ichimonji Zesou, which is known to be one of the swords used by the Pirate King. Got it now?" he boasted shamelessly.
"Oh," Shanter responded nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow, "So what? Just because you have a sword like that, does it make you the Pirate King now?"
Colonel Falin felt slighted and became enraged. He swung the sword at Shanter.
Falin wasn't the brightest, more of a brute, as was evident from his words. However, he had become a Colonel due to his considerable combat strength.
"Fast!" Shanter dodged Falin's slashing attacks.
"You think you can escape me? I'll chop you in half!" The sword flashed, and Falin's attacks became fiercer.
Shanter knew that his body couldn't withstand the power of the Fukuoka Ichimonji, so he didn't dare to fight head-on. Instead, he threw tables, chairs, and other objects to try and block Falin.
But these attacks were useless. Falin simply slashed through them effortlessly.
"Brat, didn't you want a one-on-one duel? Stop running!" Falin chased after him.
"I'm an idiot!" Shanter cursed inwardly, weaving through a narrow passage and into the main hall.
In the narrow passage, he couldn't dodge effectively and was forced to be on the defensive. But once he reached the main hall, his speed advantage would come into play.
"You little brat, time to die!" Falin was panting from the chase. As soon as he saw Shanter stop, he leapt forward, slashing his sword down with all his might.
Bang— The sound of metal meeting metal.
"I've got a weapon now!" Shanter waved the "weapon" in his hand.
Falin's fury grew as he saw what Shanter held—a coal shovel used for stoking a fire in the kitchen.
"Dare to mock me?" Falin swung his sword again.
The shovel might not have been much, but its quality was good enough that it wouldn't be immediately cut through by the Fukuoka Ichimonji. And Falin's swordsmanship, while powerful, lacked agility, and his cultivation level was far from reaching the realm of "Breathing of All Things," so he couldn't possibly cut through iron with it.
Although Shanter was only nine years old, his physical strength was extraordinary. While he didn't match Falin in raw strength, the difference wasn't large, and his speed far surpassed Falin's. The earlier disadvantage was mainly due to the environment and his weapon.
The two clashed again and again, weapons meeting, and nearly a hundred exchanges had passed.
Falin's strength wasn't much above that of the CP9 member Shanter had faced in Ohara, but with the added power of the Fukuoka Ichimonji, it was a fairly balanced fight. At Ohara, Shanter couldn't beat that CP9 member head-on, only managing to defeat him through a reckless exchange of injuries, a bit of luck, and the CP9's underestimation of him.
"Damn!" Just as the battle reached a stalemate, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
The shovel, made of civilian-grade steel, finally snapped under the pressure, breaking in two. The impact caused Shanter to stumble, and Fukuoka Ichimonji slashed a long wound across his chest.
That had been a close call—if he hadn't reacted quickly, the sword would've split him in two.
However, Shanter's reflexes were sharp. Taking advantage of Falin's momentary pause, he stepped forward, grabbed the broken half of the shovel, and struck Falin repeatedly in the face.
Though the shovel didn't deal much damage, the coal dust on it got into Falin's eyes, blinding him.
Seizing the opportunity, Shanter ignored the pain from his wound, kicked Falin in the abdomen, and sent him flying.
As Falin reached for his eyes with one hand and his sword with the other, Shanter quickly closed the distance, striking multiple times and snatching the Fukuoka Ichimonji from Falin's grasp.
"What a great sword! It's mine now!" Despite the bleeding wound on his stomach, Shanter couldn't hide his excitement.
By the time Falin managed to clear the coal dust from his face, he was left weaponless, and his embarrassment gave way to fear.
But Shanter didn't care about that. He swung the sword at Falin with a smoothness that surprised even himself, as it was his first time using a sword.
The roles had reversed. Falin, struggling and shouting for help, cried, "Someone! Get in here! All of you!"
But Shanter wouldn't give him the chance. Though his speed was slightly slower due to his injury, he was still faster than Falin. With a single slash, he tore open Falin's skin.
Looking down at the unconscious Falin and hearing the commotion outside, Shanter sighed. "Someone like you, who doesn't value the lives of others, doesn't deserve this kind of power. It's better you're dead! I'm just ridding the world of a scourge." Shanter comforted himself.
By the time the Navy discovered Falin's body, Shanter had already slipped away amidst the chaos.
At the seaside, after bandaging his wound, Shanter, carrying the Fukuoka Ichimonji, pushed a raft into the water and slowly drifted away from the Navy base.
"Little girl, I'm coming for you! Don't worry, I'll find you even if I have to search the whole world!"
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