You're Not Invited [Isamu/Natsumi]

Nineteen years old. Somewhat tall for the average female, but that's to be expected considering the information he was given. An escaped lab experiment with an obsession for taking down the Duvalier. A foolish notion, definitely, but he isn't here to judge.

Children are always the type who end up in reckless situations by nature. After all, he was a living testament. Even so, that didn't distract him from carrying out his little mission here. He's been hiding in the shadows long enough. From those little public interactions and her constantly wandering around with posters, he couldn't exactly attack her in broad daylight.

That would have been messy and traumatizing for those innocent bystanders in the COL. Nah. If he was going to follow through with this, it had to be clean. Now, for the approach. He has a few tools in his arsenal, a duffle bag filled with explosives. His more specialized items are hidden elsewhere. What would catch an unsuspecting target off guard?

Time to find out.

Since she's far and away from the City of Light, he doesn't need to worry about causing a commotion at present. Controlling the flow of his spiritual energy, he intends to make it difficult to where his first strike will come from. Lighting a firework and tossing it off far into the air, it is possible Natsumi would only view it as a colorful, albeit odd, distraction. The next part was crucial. In a flash, he appears a few meters away from her, tossing a live grenade at her from behind.

Mushin

Now, she's in his direct radius to strike from unsuspecting angles, the ideal position to reach her quickly and efficiently. But, he isn't intent on striking her just yet. He vanishes to another area among the trees on the outskirts of this city, cloaking his spiritual energy to remain elusive. Firearm in hand, he's already planning out the next set of actions. If they aren't successful, that's fine. Part of this job did come with things going awry. At the very least, they'll make for fine distractions. She looks like the ditzy type, too. Prime material for a target in his books.

Coward? Heh, guilty as charged. I can't imagine a reputable man indulging this kind of work.

Interesting. It connected, but she isn't sporting any intense damage. It must be related to her ability if he had to ponder a guess. He chose well. Striking her with a sword would have seemed less than ideal. She's on the alert now, but from the looks of it, she isn't aware of his presence yet. Good. It was always fun when he could keep most of his cards held to his chest. Hiding in the shadows even now, Isamu nimbly walked along one of the trees, his gaze following the startled woman as he held his firearm in hand. How could he attack her directly? If she was erecting a barrier of some sort, the likeliest option was to continue throwing off her senses long enough until he could pinpoint a window from which she couldn't defend herself.

I'll throw another one of these grenades at her and try shooting her from the trees.

His chosen strategy in mind, Isamu grabbed another grenade. This time, manipulating it through mediumship, he's increased the size of it before he tosses it forward this time. It'll create a bigger explosion, and create enough smoke for him to attack from unawares. Completing that action effortlessly, he tosses it forward, up and above Natsumi's head. The resulting explosion accompanying, Isamu shot forward along another tree, firing off a wave of spiritually-enhanced bullets aimed specifically at her legs, each cutting through the air at high speed. Again, he's shooting off to another tree, and then another. An amusing pattern for himself, to be sure, but probably less so for his target.

Oho. Someone had a temper, didn't they? He isn't exactly surprised. If anything, that only furthered his own advantage. The enemy without poise is the enemy closest to the grave. Her reactions aligned perfectly with his expectations. With all that rage boiling up at the moment, all he needs to do is play the role of agitator until the right moment presents itself. There is no need to complicate the strategy here. Biding his time until she slips up is the only approach that'll merit the results he's looking for. The cleaner the execution, the easier the cleanup. Gung-ho as she is about killing so-called Duvalier trash, she probably won't feel all that offended when it's time to die herself, hm? For now, her end isn't at hand, though.

She's resorted to complicating the process by seeking refuge in the verdant foliage of trees. A moving target shifting to a stationary one? It almost felt too easy. If he was the one being attacked, he'd constantly be moving to avoid being hit from an unsuspecting angle, but that's to be expected. She's a young woman. In another life, she's likely better off playing with dolls and listening to her parents. In this one, she's just another target to fill his pockets.

In any case, she's not entirely out of range of his sensory skill, making it relatively easy to track her presence beyond these trees. Dancing in silence, he repeated his pattern of moving from trees until he landed in an ideal location, separated from her location by twenty meters. With a flash grenade in one hand, and his palm to the ground, he shifts into his next attack. Since she wasn't running around at the moment, he was positioned properly enough for it to work.

Manipulating the ground from here to her direct location, Isamu employed his exceptional skill with mediumship to create several spikes of sharpened soil along the ground. At first glance, she probably wouldn't expect it until it got within her immediate area. If her sound is good enough, maybe she'll hear it too, but that's exactly why he has this flash grenade in his hand.

Devoting enough energy to create a large explosion on impact, Isamu winds it up like a quarterback seeking his target on the field. Throwing it forward with similar accuracy to one, he's aiming it directly so it'll drop right from above. Regardless of those results, he's moving in a patient stride around the forest without giving any indication of where his position will be. If she looks one way, he'll go the next. If she aims to attack another, he'll simply shift his body elsewhere. A simple routine for a simple mission. The faster she dies, the better.

To say he expected that reaction would have been a gross understatement. When cornered by something or someone that is hidden from plain view, panic will always set in. Apart from those of a distinctly superior will and mentality, this sort of reaction never failed to match his expectations. The terrifying shrieks that echoed through the forest were proof that his last set of tricks had earned a significant degree of success. Chasing after her would be less than ideal, even more so if she intended to return to the City of Lights. It wasn't exactly that he feared anyone would find him, but tailing her would be a tiresome exercise by that point, and he wanted to handle this as efficiently as he intended.

His body shot forward through the forest as he increased the pace of his movement, turning his eyes downward to notice the light trails of blood from the last place she occupied. The next turn of his eyes awarded him with the silhouette of her body. It would be a matter of timing distance here, but he knew exactly what he intended to do next. Sweeping his hand around the hilt of the blade at his hip, Isamu entered the process of a twofold manipulation, extending energy to reiryoku and mediumship at that moment. Energy thrummed, steadily rising until it could no longer be contained. Reaching the pinnacle of what he desired in this next attack, he sprung through the air, leaping from the trees of the forest into the air, his gaze locked onto the moving target.

Chisaku Hito'uchi(千割一打, Thousand Rendings, One Strike)

Like that, a wide-ranging destructive wave of energy, unleashed with one fierce swing of his katana, rushed forth. The mass of energy had it been launched on the ground could have likely cleaved through an impressive portion of the forest, but since it was roaring through the sky at a thunderous rate, designated for one target alone, it was executed with the intent of landing a devastating strike. To her, it would have felt like the equivalent of having a mountainous object striking from the skies above. To him, it'll be enough to at least incapacitate her. It's a little too flashy for a job like this, but he's not going to allow her to escape so easily.

Isamu was relatively impressed by the ability she employed to deflect the brunt of his attack. It wasn't a clean cut, but it certainly sent her barreling to the ground below. It wasn't a resounding success, but it was something, and that's all that mattered to him at the moment.

Sheathing his weapon, Isamu would slowly traverse the air until he landed on the ground. He approached quietly, his feet making little sound as he stepped into the clearing. Since she was rendered immobile, his journey was hardly a long one. Cracking his neck back and forth, he would pull the gun from his coat, reloading it as he kept himself hidden under the shades of the trees.

Observing her closely, she didn't exude half of the bark she had loosed earlier. She was little more than a whimpering and injured mess. Even so, a job's a job. He's this close to finishing the task. His pockets will be filled with a few gunshots and a phone call. Cocking his finger back, he wonders about the best position to make this quick and painless. It's better if he can't see her, either. Passing on into the afterlife is better enjoyed by reflecting on fond memories, no?