Crack!
The Executioner's Blade bit into the Wendigo's arm, and Shane felt the resistance of steel grinding against bone.
The Wendigo's defense was high, and its bones were incredibly hard. His strength wasn't enough to sever the arm in one swing—something the earlier backstab with the kunai had already made clear.
Shane wasn't surprised. He didn't know taijutsu, nor had he systematically trained his body. In terms of raw strength, he was just an ordinary person.
An ordinary person's strength obviously couldn't chop through the arm of a supernatural creature like a Wendigo.
Shane's current goal wasn't to kill the Wendigo instantly. If it were, Great Fire Annihilation or explosive tags would have already ended the fight. He wanted to train his reaction speed and gain combat experience.
Right now, he was dealing with relatively manageable monsters like shapeshifters and Wendigos. Later, if he encountered vampires, ghosts, or spirits, reaction speed would be crucial.
If he had the Sharingan or the speed and reflexes of an anime ninja, it would be fine. Without them... vampire speed was genuinely tricky.
With preparation, Shane felt his current abilities were sufficient. But in a sneak attack or sudden encounter, the best he could hope for was a stalemate—like two noobs pecking at each other. Killing the opponent wouldn't be easy.
It wasn't that Shane was getting arrogant or greedy, immediately targeting vampires just because he could handle a Wendigo. He just didn't want to feel stifled.
Well, maybe Shane's definition of "stifled" was different. If he couldn't kill the enemy easily, he considered it stifling.
One hit failed. Facing the furious, grotesque Wendigo, Shane didn't retreat. Instead, he advanced, engaging the monster in close-quarters combat within the cramped mine tunnel.
Using his size advantage and the Byakugan's observation, Shane's experience and reflexes improved rapidly despite the apparent danger. His initial nervousness had vanished, replaced by an icy calm. He even began to counterattack while dodging.
A hand here, a foot there, or other body parts—while evading, Shane looked for opportunities to strike the Executioner's Blade.
Yes, the Executioner's Blade.
Although the blade hadn't severed the arm, it had cut deep. The enraged Wendigo hadn't pulled it out; its only thought now was to kill Shane.
Smack!
Another palm strike hit the back of the blade. This strike, charged with considerable force, drove the blade through the last bit of bone connecting the arm.
Clang.
The Executioner's Blade fell to the ground, and the Wendigo's arm dropped with it.
The Wendigo, in agony, actually stifled a scream. Its grotesque eyes flashed with savage light. Ignoring the pain, it lunged desperately at Shane, who had sacrificed his dodging space to land that final blow.
"Now!"
Shane didn't panic; he rejoiced. He released Gentle Fist chakra from his tenketsu points while throwing his arms out and spinning his body like a top.
In an instant, a hemispherical chakra dome enveloped Shane, impenetrable.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation!"
Bang!
The Wendigo crashed into the chakra dome and was instantly repelled by the high-speed rotation. Like a leaf in a gale or a small boat in a tsunami, it was tossed away violently, slamming into the mine's ceiling with incredible speed.
BOOM!
The entire mine seemed to shake. Rubble and timber rained down, burying the Wendigo where it landed.
Dust billowed. The Wendigo was pinned under the debris, only its terrifying head exposed, baring its teeth in a daze.
"Finally got to try Rotation. Absolute Defense, indeed powerful. Just a bit of a chakra drain." Shane stopped spinning, glancing at the Konoha forehead protector he'd tied to his left arm as an accessory. He extended his arm and made a grabbing motion.
Whoosh—
The Executioner's Blade, which had fallen to the ground, vanished. In the next second, it reappeared weirdly in Shane's hand.
This was a small system detail Shane had discovered recently. As long as an item was a non-consumable from the system, he could instantly recall it from anywhere.
He found this out while practicing shuriken throwing during a rest stop. One shuriken flew a bit too freely and landed far away. Feeling lazy, Shane tried to see if the system could retrieve it.
Dragging the sword, stepping over the debris, Shane stood on the body of the buried Wendigo. He gripped the hilt with both hands and swung down at its head with all his might.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Raise. Fall.
After more than a dozen consecutive hacks, he finally severed the Wendigo's head.
"Shapeshifters die to powerful fire. Wendigos die if you chop their heads off. Seems supernatural weaknesses aren't as absolute as lore suggests."
Plenty of people had killed Wendigos, but probably no one had done it by hacking at its neck a dozen times with a giant sword. The strength difference was too great. Normal people would use the simplest, highest-success method—fire—and never get the chance to try anything else.
Even if someone knew decapitation worked, they probably wouldn't tell anyone. The success rate was too low compared to just burning it.
"You're here."
Shane stored the Executioner's Blade back in the system. He looked up at Dean, who had rushed over with a flare gun to help, and smiled. "You're late!"
Dean looked at the decapitated Wendigo, opened his mouth, and fell silent.
True·Executioner's Blade!