Ch.121The Fist King, Ma Seung

*Gulp*

Sei-erin forcibly swallowed the blood rising in her throat. Even with her Sun Force at maximum capacity, she couldn’t fully absorb the impact of the opponent’s attack. Her total mana reserves were simply insufficient compared to the force of the blow.

A single attack had damaged her internally. Because of it, she couldn’t summon the eleven swords she possessed.

*Shing*

A slowly drawn sword pointed at the disheveled man. Though she pretended to be fine, it was clear that the moment she opened her mouth, the bitter smell of blood would flow out.

Sei-erin silently raised her aura.

*Whoosh!*

A wave of energy erupted from her small body, generating a gust of wind. Her black uniform flapped violently, and her snow-white hair danced in the misty air.

“A child putting on airs… Your face is turning pale as if you might collapse at any moment… If you don’t want to die painfully, it would be better not to resist.”

Though they had clearly never met before, he spoke of her death. Even without conversation, she could guess the man’s identity. The faint disgust flickering in his eyes made it obvious.

‘A reincarnator…’

Not an ordinary reincarnator. He possessed at least vice-captain level skills. Sei-erin slowly spread her legs. The sound of *swish* slid across the sand.

A defensive stance. Cold white energy and sunlike light raced across the small girl’s body. She excluded any offensive moves. Her plan was to enter a thoroughly defensive posture and buy time.

Sei-erin’s gaze swept the surroundings. The entire city was in an uproar due to the violent explosion. Some residents were screaming and fleeing, which meant guards would soon rush in after hearing the commotion.

If she could get their help, evacuating the members would be much easier. However, the enemy wouldn’t wait for Sei-erin.

Slowly but directly, he stepped toward her.

*Thud*

Each step felt like a mountain moving. The next moment, both Sei-erin and the man’s figures suddenly blurred.

*Clash!*

The two figures appeared in midair. As if they had cut through space itself, the surrounding mist instantly dispersed. A thin beam of light burst between Sei-erin and the demonic cultivator. It looked as if a sword and a fist were colliding with something invisible between them.

It was a battle between one who protected and one who destroyed. Sei-erin was the one being pushed back. The difference in power was clear. The small girl’s figure was forced back significantly, creating a shockwave.

*Bang!*

Sei-erin wiped the blood trickling from her mouth while checking the movement inside the inn. Ashen’s widely spread detection field was relaying the movements of the members.

Fortunately, her two friends had kept their promise. The three of them had made an agreement with Theo and Flora for emergency situations: if a fight broke out outside and Sei-erin didn’t say anything—if an enemy appeared so strong that she couldn’t even speak—they should flee without looking back.

She could sense the two gathering the members who could move. While about thirty members were hurriedly escaping, one presence moved in the opposite direction.

*Crash!*

The upper wall of the inn shattered as a woman revealed herself. Her platinum blonde hair fluttered violently as she descended. It was Sephiroth, the vice-captain of the Blue Wing.

“I’ll join you!”

She deliberately raised her voice. It was both to announce herself to Sei-erin and to warn the enemy. The massive aura Sephiroth emitted naturally pushed away the thick fog surrounding them.

Only after she stood beside her could Sei-erin exhale a rough breath. She also spat out the blood she had been holding in her mouth.

“Who is he? Someone you know?”

“No. First time seeing him. He seems to be a reincarnator from the Central Plains martial world.”

“We’ve had no reports of someone like him… Has he been hiding quietly all this time?”

Sephiroth didn’t try to converse with the enemy. She assessed him by projecting her gaze and aura.

“What’s this now… Weren’t all the vice-captains supposed to be dying?”

The demonic cultivator frowned at Sephiroth’s appearance and turned his head. His gaze fell on a woman standing at a distance. This is different from what I was told.

The woman who received his intense stare hurriedly bowed her head.

“This is going to be difficult.”

“Maybe you should use some power. Like your blessing.”

“That’s not something to be used casually…”

Sei-erin and Sephiroth exchanged words during this brief respite. The opponent was a master. He immediately noticed that the newly arrived Sephiroth was not in perfect condition. They didn’t bother hiding the disadvantageous situation.

That’s why she brought up the blessing. She reminded Sephiroth that the blessing bestowed by the world could serve as a trump card.

The demonic cultivator, scratching his head, stepped forward. As he opened his mouth to speak lazily:

“I’d prefer if you didn’t run away… I need to finish this quickly and meet some people.”

*Thud*

With each step, a terrifying aura burst forth. The surrounding air responded to the cultivator’s inner energy, trembling transparently. If he continued further, space itself might distort.

It was Sephiroth who stepped forward, after checking her subordinate’s condition. Despite the fight clearly being unwinnable, there was no hesitation in her advancing steps.

“I’ll buy you time…”

So you can escape. Though I don’t know how much time that will be. Sephiroth swallowed the rest of her words as she rapidly closed the distance with the demonic cultivator. Her steps were light, as if she were out for a stroll.

Yet her sword carried an immense weight. The way her sword advanced, as if pushing space itself, was impressive. Sei-erin watched this as she turned her body. Just as she was about to kick off the ground to leave:

Two people, a man and a woman, appeared at the entrance of the inn. They were Yuri and Yujin, whom Sei-erin had briefly met and spoken with that morning. In that brief moment, Sei-erin felt a strange premonition. A peculiar thread seemed to flow from the pair, connecting them to the demonic cultivator.

Sei-erin’s gaze returned to the disheveled man. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly. Though his posture was extended toward Sephiroth, his attention was clearly focused on the pair.

A strange survival instinct stimulated Sei-erin. Her sideways movement immediately changed as she kicked off the ground. It was at the exact moment Sephiroth and the demonic cultivator clashed.

*Boom!*

A violent explosion and shockwave swept through the area. In between, Sei-erin landed between the pair with her sword pointed. The sharp blade touched just below their throats. The demonic cultivator’s aura grew even more violent.

Yet his movement stopped. Despite having a clear advantage, the demonic cultivator didn’t move.

“What are you doing…”

His voice trembled as if in shock. His intention was clear. The lives of these two were quite precious to the reincarnator.

“Sei-erin?”

“What is this…”

Ignoring Yuri and Yujin’s words, Sei-erin signaled to Sephiroth. Let’s get out of here right now. But Sephiroth’s response was slow. She twitched her eyebrows significantly and bit her lip hard.

As if she had something to say, yet ultimately didn’t open her mouth.

Sei-erin understood. How her actions might appear. But they needed to survive first. Sei-erin wrapped wind around her body. She used all the mana from her Sun Force to manipulate the wind.

*Whoosh!*

“If you follow, I’ll cut off your hands. Then your arms. After cutting off both arms, your legs… So don’t come.”

If the two were that precious to him, he wouldn’t follow. Sei-erin spoke like an evil villain as she rode the wind. The two people with her were naturally swept up in the wind as well.

*Whoosh!*

The figures of the four people soared with the wind. Seeing this, the demonic cultivator flinched and was about to move when hot blood dripped down from the air along with the wind.

The demonic cultivator didn’t move. If he moved even a little more, it seemed the small girl would swing her sword and casually cut off the hands of the two.

White mist soared into the sky with the cold wind. Simultaneously, ten swords rose from inside the inn building.

Even then, the demonic cultivator didn’t move. Not until the four figures soaring into the sky were no longer visible.

That’s when the woman who had been standing at a distance ran over urgently and shouted:

“M-Master! Just now! Were those our children…?”

The demonic cultivator turned his gaze and sighed. At the same time, the massive aura emanating from his body was instantly contained. His billowing hair also obediently found gravity.

He said:

“Those people. Are they really Blue Wing?”

“Ah? Yes… They’re definitely Blue Wing. They showed their Blue Wing credentials to the guards…”

“This is absurd. I can’t face Yuseong…”

Red blood dripped from his clenched fists. Uncontrollable anger burned in the demonic cultivator’s chest. The children of his cherished brother had been kidnapped before his very eyes.

He had no chance to act. There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in the brightly shining eyes of the girl.