The giant longsword, formed of red light, swung down with astonishing power.
'He's finished...' Zabuza thought, looking at the youth who made no move.
But the next moment, the image in his eyes seemed to glitch. The giant longsword, swinging at the youth, actually missed his body!
Zabuza rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
'What just happened...'
'One second, the giant sword was right above his head. The next, he was standing on another part of the tree branch.'
'The sword's trajectory and position didn't change... That leaves only one possibility...'
'That person moved...'
'And... I didn't even see him!'
'This person...'
"Zabuza-sama..." Haku's voice, from within Zabuza's arms, broke his train of thought, reminding him of what he needed to be doing.
He stopped thinking about the youth and dashed into the distance, trying to escape with Haku.
Far away, the Crimson Knight Brigade's leader, Zhongh, was confused when he saw Zabuza could still move.
'The red light-sword formed by my array should automatically strike the powerful Zabuza...'
'That last strike should have been enough to incapacitate him.'
'But... why...'
'Did he use some special method to escape?'
Zabuza's mist had obscured their vision. Although part of it had been cut away, it still affected Zhongh and the others' long-range sight. They hadn't seen Lexon appear.
So, they didn't know the reason.
'Whatever. As long as he hasn't escaped, we can keep attacking. No one survives the Crimson Knight Brigade's formation.'
Zhongh decided not to overthink it. He just had to keep attacking.
'Zabuza, having lost his Kubikiribocho and carrying that burden, will become a soul beneath our formation, a stepping stone for our rise in Kirigakure.'
"Bow."
With a resonant shout from Zhongh, all the Crimson Knight Brigade members stored their longswords in their spatial accessories. In their hands, a longbow appeared, with no arrow on it.
Instantly, the giant red sword in the sky vanished.
All the red light re-formed and condensed into a giant longbow, identical in style to the ones the team members held.
"Fire."
All the members of the Crimson Knight Brigade spoke in unison again, drawing their bowstrings in the same rhythm.
The giant bow in the sky also drew its string, and a crimson arrow suddenly materialized on it.
"Release!"
With the command, the arrow flew.
Swoosh.
A violent, ear-splitting sound of breaking air rang out.
The giant crimson arrow, carrying extreme destructive power, flew rapidly toward the fleeing Zabuza. On its path, it shattered all the trees and rocks that blocked it.
Zabuza ran, holding Haku at his side. He suddenly felt an incredibly dense, ominous aura.
As an assassin who walked on the razor's edge, Zabuza was very familiar with that aura...
'It's death.'
He couldn't help but look back.
What filled his vision was a red light that consumed his entire sight.
'Am I going to die...'
Zabuza's thoughts surged.
It was as if his life was flashing before his eyes, his entire past flickering like a movie.
'Perhaps the only good thing I ever did in my life was saving this child, Haku...'
'But in the end, I still dragged him down...'
At the end of his life, Zabuza felt a little sorry for the boy at his side.
But there was nothing he could do.
Zabuza slowly closed his eyes, welcoming the arrival of death.
But after closing his eyes for a short while, Zabuza felt no pain.
'What's going on?'
Zabuza was confused.
'Did I die so fast I didn't feel anything?'
"What are you doing, daydreaming?"
Zabuza suddenly heard the youth's voice.
He immediately opened his eyes and saw the youth standing in front of him, looking at him indifferently.
"Still alive?" Lexon held his palm up, stopping the spinning crimson arrow, and spoke to Zabuza.
"Ah... still... alive," Zabuza stammered.
'The arrow... was caught just like that...'
He was utterly shocked.
Haku, tucked at Zabuza's side, was facing a different direction, so he still didn't know what had happened. He only heard the simple conversation and knew that the youth who had suddenly appeared was talking to Zabuza-sama, so he didn't interrupt.
'I wonder if he's an enemy... I hope not...' Haku thought.
"Good." Lexon's arm tensed, and he casually crushed the crimson arrow.
This action made Zabuza's pupils shrink again. He couldn't help but feel terrified.
'To be honest... this arrow is pretty strong. But it's only comparable to a jutsu released by a low-tier Kage, probably on the same level as Mr. Kakuzu's jutsu. With my current physical specs, catching and crushing it is no problem at all.'
"Guess why I saved you?" Lexon said to Zabuza with a small smirk.
"I don't know." Zabuza shook his head honestly.
He knew very well that in front of a powerhouse of this level, any posturing was meaningless. So he was as docile as a little lamb.
"Him." Lexon pointed at Haku, who was being held at Zabuza's side.
That's right. Lexon was after Haku's Ice Style bloodline limit. He wanted to check in on it.
"Your target is Haku..." Zabuza put Haku down.
Haku, having just been set on the ground, heard their conversation and shrank behind Zabuza.
"What do you want to do to Haku?" Zabuza's expression was very serious as he questioned Lexon.
Although he spoke of Haku as if he didn't care, in his heart, he paid close attention to the boy. He needed to know Lexon's intentions.
'If he has any bad intentions... I won't agree, even if I die.'
"I saved both your lives... I should be able to do whatever I want, right?" Lexon smiled warmly.
Zabuza's brows furrowed, and his voice was cold. "If you think saving our lives gives you the right to do as you please, then you're wro..."
Suddenly, he felt his sleeve being pulled. His words were cut off, and he looked back.
It was Haku.
Haku stepped out from behind Zabuza with a resolute look on his face. He said to Lexon, "Your target is me. I will go with you obediently. I hope you can let Zabuza-sama go."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]