Shinji Matou at Your Service

A barely perceptible gust of wind brushed past the back of his head, serving as a response.

Shinji smiled slightly, waved his hand forward, and then stood still, quietly waiting for the results.

Although the night's operation was led by him, the actual execution was carried out by the true master assassin, Kato Danzou. Shinji was merely a safeguard to prevent any loose ends from escaping.

In fact, after that meeting, Shinji borrowed Katou from Touko. Over the past few days, Katou had been following Shinji, eliminating the spies around the Tohno mansion. Through this, Shinji had gained a deep understanding of her abilities.

Katou's strongest skill was stealth. Being non-human, human detection methods didn't work on her. As a wooden puppet, modern metal detectors also had little effect on her.

Next were the abilities given to her by her creators: the Mechanical Illusionary Method - Bull Swallowing from the illusionist Kashin Koji, and the Ninjutsu from the first Fuuma Kotarou. These gave her exceptional advantages in intelligence gathering, assassination, theft, and interrogation.

Lastly, her speed and magical power were derived from her wooden composition. Wood is lighter than metal and has a higher affinity for magic, though it is weaker in strength and durability, making her unsuitable for direct combat.

According to Touko's standards, Katou is a specialized puppet, excelling in certain areas while being mediocre or even weak in others. This aligns with the characteristics of ninjas, the Japanese equivalent of assassins.

Of course, such weaknesses and mediocrity are relative to her peers. When dealing with ordinary superhumans, Katou is still extremely powerful. The rebellious forces gathered by the opposition couldn't see through her stealth, let alone harm her.

Fear pervaded the entire camp. Survivors either knelt in surrender, huddled together in resistance, or vented their madness into the air. However, regardless of their struggles, the outcome was the same: death in darkness and despair.

"This method of slaughter is increasingly terrifying. In some ways, it's more effective than a direct massacre."

Through mental scanning, Shinji observed the entire camp's situation, including every move Katou made. He thus gained a deeper understanding of ninjutsu.

"Legend has it that ninjutsu originated from a combination of five-element escape techniques, yoga, and Vajrayana mudras. I used to think it was a mishmash, but now I see I was too shallow. By extension, Onmyodo and Shinto must have their methodologies too, not just imitations. I haven't had the chance to see their intricacies—hmm? Finally can't hold it together?"

The fear of death and the unknown combined to create unbearable psychological pressure, leading to predictable outcomes.

The camp collapsed, and the survivors fled madly.

This was not surprising. Makihisa had led the Tohno family to greatness and held significant power within the family. Even in death, his influence couldn't dissipate quickly. Only a few family members dared to act at this time; most were mercenaries chasing profit.

These mercenaries might not be weak, but expecting them to fight to the death was unrealistic.

"Lasting this long is already impressive. There are few mercenaries of this caliber like Kairi Shishigou."

Shinji casually remarked as he took out the DivineGunBlade and Runic Silver Bullets.

He loaded the bullets, adjusted the sight, and aimed at a mercenary about to escape the camp.

"First—ah, it seems it's not necessary."

Just before the mercenary could escape into the forest, Kato, who had been in stealth mode, finally revealed herself. Her exposed limbs began to spin.

Wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles—some movements involved just one part, like the hands or arms, while others involved the whole body.

High-speed rotation, each in a different manner.

The air was compressed and sliced into countless fragments, with gaps between them swallowing even more air, along with the surrounding vegetation, rocks, and enemies.

Blood sprayed, flesh scattered, mixed with various organs and bone fragments.

The air, no longer gentle, resembled a runaway compressor, rampaging and crushing everything within reach.

To narrow their target and facilitate defense, the camp they had formed ended up blocking their last escape route. When she finally stopped, only a barren expanse remained, leaving nothing behind. Her body remained impeccably clean, not stained by even a drop of blood.

"Combat ended, Master Shinji."

The kunoichi stepped out of the camp and knelt on one knee.

"Good work. That last move was—?"

"—Mechanical Illusionary Method - Bull Swallowing."

"Both real and illusionary, using the small to swallow the large, truly impressive."

Despite signaling her twice to rise, Katou remained kneeling with her head lowered.

"It was thanks to your cloak that I had the opportunity to ensnare them all with my illusion technique. But such a precious artifact, is it okay to entrust it to a puppet like me?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. Good steel should be used on the blade. Compared to me, a half-baked magus, you—Flying Katou—are the most suitable person to use Hades' Cloak. However, due to the nature of its existence, I can only temporarily lend it to you in this form. You've already mastered how to deploy and retrieve it, right?"

Although he had grasped Magic, the restriction that Noble Phantasms can't be casually given to others still applied. Shinji could only use his experience in repairing Noble Phantasms and the techniques left by Scathach to seal the cloak onto Katou. Insisting on bringing her along for the cleanup operation was also to help her quickly familiarize herself with Hades' Cloak.

"Yes, I have mastered it."

"That's good. Now I can rest assured."

Upon hearing Danzou's response, Shinji nodded in satisfaction.

"Kato Danzou, I hope you can promise me one thing."

"Your input, please, Master. As I am a shinobi, I will obey any order.."

"Protect Sister Touko well, and don't let her get hurt in the slightest!"

This was the true reason Shinji entrusted Hades' Cloak to her. In the coming years, he would focus his energy on exploring the Fictional World. Before that, he needed to ensure the safety of everyone he cherished. He never wanted to experience the sorrow of losing a family again.

And Touko was the most unpredictable of them all. Before the Fifth Holy Grail War, Touko might clash with the Carillon Observatory and might even engage in mutual killing with an ancient witch countless times—though these incidents might not have happened due to his intervention, he had to be fully prepared.

The top-tier ninja Kato Danzou and the Hades' Cloak that could deceive even the gods, together would create a true Invisible Man. With such a guardian, he could truly be at ease.

Perhaps sensing the conviction in Shinji's words, Katou shifted from one knee to both knees, prostrating herself on the ground.

"Order received."