The Understated Dragon Lord novel Chapter 230

"Snap!" Daniel broke off a willow branch and held it in his hand. Willow branches, though thin and flexible, were hardly a conventional choice for a weapon.

Then, with another leap, Daniel jumped down from the crooked willow and stood once again in front of Takashi Sato. He twirled the soft willow branch in his hand.

"You fought me with the Kurogane katana, and if I didn’t pick up a weapon, it would almost be an insult. So, I'll use this willow branch to fight you! Although it may look ordinary, this American willow branch is enough to split your Japanese pride and katana in two!"

"You American yokel! Apart from boasting, what else can you do? You plan to fight my Kurogane katana with a willow branch? In your American terms, you're as good as dead!"

With that, Takashi Sato leaped impressively into the air, about three meters high. He descended from the sky, executing a technique called "Sky Fall" — like a bolt of lightning, his katana poised to strike from above.

This time though, Takashi didn’t aim for Daniel's head; he didn't intend to kill him with one blow. He was set on humiliating him, so he targeted Daniel's right shoulder, the arm holding the willow branch. He wanted to sever the limb and jeer at Daniel afterward.

To ensure Daniel wouldn't dodge or anticipate the "Sky Fall," Takashi quietly dropped a smoke bomb as he fell. This ninja technique—ninjutsu—was a common stratagem among ninja.

"Bang!"

With the detonation, a cloud of black smoke enveloped Daniel, obscuring his sight completely. To ordinary eyes, the smoke would make it nearly impossible to see one's own fingers.

Daniel, familiar with such Japanese tactics from past encounters, knew how to guard against them. Within his body, seven dragon spirits enhanced his sensory abilities millions of times beyond that of a normal person, allowing him clear vision where others would see only pitch black.