"Where's the painting? The boss was right, right? Why doesn't this place even look like a gallery?"
This was a group of over ten ninjas. The leader, a ninja in red, was the first to enter the gallery. Outside, on the roof and on both sides of the street, two others were hidden in the shadows.
"Keep it down. Don't wake anyone up."
The red-clothed ninja was extremely careful, ensuring no one was inside before entering. The thermal imaging showed no human figures. But they were unaware that all their movements were being watched by Aaron.
"Captain! I found it!"
A voice of surprise broke the silence. One of them had found the painting depicting the mythical keel, which was placed in the eastern part of the gallery. Unsurprisingly, this painting was also drawn by Aaron. The purpose was simple: to attract the local underground forces. He just hadn't expected them to act so quickly.
"They're shameless. The boss wouldn't sell it for money, so they had to threaten us..."
"Oh? Shameless, you say?"
Suddenly, a cold voice appeared out of nowhere. The red-clothed ninja tensed, but there was no sign of anyone.
"Who's there! Come out!"
"Are you sure you want me to come out?"
The icy voice was as chilling as the deepest parts of hell. The ninja who had found the painting was startled, and suddenly felt a cold hand on his shoulder from behind.
The ninja instantly drew his sword and slashed behind him with lightning speed.
"Clang clang!!!"
The blade cut through empty air. The cold hand was gone, as if it had never been there. The ninja's back seemed to explode with a sudden chill that rushed up from the soles of his feet.
"What are you doing!"
Right in front of him, one of his companions had his right hand chopped off by the ninja's own sword. The bloody arm lay on the ground, and drops of blood seeped into the floor.
"Drip...drip..."
Instantly, cold sweat broke out on the ninja's forehead.
"Cap...Captain...didn't you see someone behind me?"
"Stop talking nonsense! You're seeing ghosts!" The red-clothed ninja cursed. "Where did he come from? There's no one in this haunted place!"
"But...but..."
The more he spoke, the more frightened he became.
"But what a fart! What about the painting? Where did the painting in your hand go?!"
The red-clothed ninja was furious. Why was his team so difficult to lead? But at that moment, another team member's scream echoed through the gallery.
"Ah!"
"It's the third one! Captain, isn't he guarding the door? What's going on?!"
"Go and see!"
Among these ninjas, the red-clothed ninja had the highest rank and the best ninjutsu. He didn't believe in ghosts. He believed that his Amaterasu would protect him.
However, he felt an immense sense of pressure and oppression in this dark gallery, something he had never felt before, despite having spent his life on the edge of a blade.
"Captain! Captain! The third one is gone!"
When his teammate said this, a cold feeling instantly ran down the red-clothed ninja's back. This gallery was too strange.
And at that moment, all the paintings in the gallery seemed to turn into shadows. These shadows came to life, standing on the walls, silently staring at the intruders.
"Captain..."
"Hurry up and find the target for me! Then get out of this cursed place immediately!"
What kind of gallery was this? Everything was too weird. As a member of the powerful Koga-ryu, he had never seen such a strange place.
"Did you find it?"
At that moment, the familiar voice appeared in his ears. The ninja immediately drew his cherry blossom sword, a symbol of honor that had been with him through countless battles.
"Slash!"
A dazzling sword light flew toward the voice, accompanied by a figure like a cherry blossom. But when the sword light arrived, the blade hit an irreversible barrier. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push his sword any further.
At that moment, he finally saw his enemy. A hint of a smile appeared on the pale face of a young man with light blue eyes. The man was wearing a black robe, like a priest in a church, majestic and solemn.
"Who are you?!"
Young Aaron, with his black hair, stood indifferently in front of the ninja, staring at the ignorant man.
At this critical moment, the red-clothed ninja saw a ball of purple light appear in the center of the man's palm. The purple light shone on the man's face, making him look exceptionally cold. The moment the ball of light appeared, a deep fear and regret instantly overwhelmed him.
"Welcome to my hell..."
Aaron said the most horrific words in the gentlest tone.
"You are not the first, and you are not the first to enter hell..."
"…No!!!"
"This! Not human! You are not human!!" How could a human have such power! The red-clothed ninja immediately guessed the man's identity.
"Death...death..."
Unfortunately, he collapsed before he could finish his sentence.
(End of Chapter)
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