Meanwhile, Henry looked at the commotion below with his brows deeply furrowed. Around the same time that he received advance notice of remnants of the Lava Stream Sect poking around the city, one of their core elders had come to see him. Though he wasn't direct, the core elder had shamelessly requested to be given partial control over the city in exchange for lending their might to protect it. Even if he had been trustworthy, Henry wouldn't have considered it, and so someone who had just fled from their city could only receive a refusal from him.
When Silver City still stood, there had been many incidents where their people attempted to infiltrate and take over the other four cities through a variety of means, but none had ever succeeded. Though there were many reasons for that, those ignorant of the truth believed that Silver City could always take over through force as a last result, and now Henry faced a fool willing to put that theory to the test.
Although the Fei clan of Cyrus had degraded the most out of the original four founder clans, the inheritance of the founders still remained, so Henry had no reason to be afraid even if the entire Lava Stream Sect attacked. Unfortunately, while they were shameless, the three core elders who formed the top of the Blaze Union were also wily scoundrels. After that meeting with the mayor, they refused to step inside the city, leaving them outside the range of Henry's trump cards. They likely didn't know what cards he held secret but avoided danger through deduction and intuition.
Henry didn't need to rely on trump cards to defeat those inside the city, but he was sure those three core elders would attack from afar the moment he stepped out of his tower, and against their barrage he would certainly lose. He was effectively trapped in a deadlock, and the threats of the Blaze Union pushed him further against the wall. He could use his trump cards against the lower ranks from within the tower, but then he and the city would be vulnerable until they were replenished. All forces that he could use, such as the martial academy, had been pinned in place, so he was the only one in a position to make a move.
'To think I would have to face this disaster in my old age. If only I had one more card!'
Then suddenly, there was a change on the ground. Kate went straight for the middle-aged elder in front of the tower gate and used Storm Impact at full strength. Even with a solid barrier ready, the attack still flung him through several evacuated buildings.
"Elder!"
"Who is that?!"
"Who cares! Kill her!"
With her ponytail floating in the breeze and her whiskers wrapped and extended by a gentle wind, Kate looked down at her enemies from the top of the tower gate. She was embarrassed to show the whiskers on her bare face, but in battle she could explain them as part of a spell, and they had the extra effect of increasing her perception, so she had no reservations about revealing them in this case.
Faced with several incoming attacks, Kate found the path through them and slipped through the strikes to rescue the hostages. Her arms weren't enough to carry all of them, but she could lift them with wind. As for where to send them, Kate sensed a gaze watching her from the tower, so she decided to push them over there. Just before the hostages contacted the barrier, a hole appeared to welcome them. Once all the hostages went through the hole, it quickly closed without allowing the chance for unexpected circumstances.
The hole proved Kate could enter as long as she received the mayor's permission, so she was ready to clear the area to prove herself but received contact sooner than expected.
[Greetings. I am the mayor of Cyrus. Young lady, you don't seem familiar to these old eyes. May I hear your name?]
The intent communication reached her in the midst of battle, but Kate was able to listen and respond while dodging fire spells. Her opponents included people in the Earth Realm, but they were confident in their numbers and didn't bother to use their full strength to suppress her.
[My name is Kate, a survivor of the Heaven clan and former core disciple of Storm Sky Manor. Shui told me you've helped him out before.]
[I see, you're a friend of Shui. That explains your extraordinary talent. Forgive me for asking this of you on our first meeting, but would you mind lending me your aid?]
[No problem. Anything to get these bastards out of the city.]
[Good, good! It seems fate has not abandoned Cyrus yet. Now then, young hero, this is the role I would like you to play...]
While listening to the mayor's plan, Kate continued to dodge attacks from the Blaze Union. Kate didn't hide her cultivation so her foes could all sense that she was in the early Earth Realm, yet she evaded them like they were children. Word of her identity as the Wild Princess from Storm Sky Manor spread among them, but even the most talented should struggle against such an overpowering force. Tired of being toyed with by the young lady, the middle-aged elder who had returned to lead this group, Elder Shiloc, decided to use their resources more effectively.
"Stop right there, you brat! Or else we'll kill these rebels!"
Noticing the new hostages with sharp blades resting on their necks behind Elder Shiloc, Kate stopped dodging and instead deflected attacks using wind. As cuts began to appear on her body from attacks that couldn't be deflected properly, victorious smiles showed on the faces of her opposition.
"Elders! Show no mercy!"
With Kate stuck to one place, the Blaze Union was able to focus on using stronger attacks. Though they had to acknowledge her ability to run around, to them there was no way she could block their full-powered attacks. As the elders prepared to cast advanced spells while the younger members pinned Kate down with intermediate spells, Kate noticed a gap in their perception and took advantage of it.
"Fire!"
As the overwhelming power of the elders slammed into Kate's position, the area at the edge of the tower turned into a burnt crater, with not a hint of life remaining.
"Look, comrades! This is what happens to those who dare to defy our Blaze Union."
"Ah!!!"
At first, the Blaze Union celebrated their victory, but that joy was ultimately short-lived. In the midst of their cheers, one among them noticed that the sky had suddenly darkened and looked up to find a giant spear of wind falling down.
"Look up!"
With only a few seconds before the spear made impact, the Blaze Union quickly focused on their own protection, leaving the hostages to face the attack by themselves. They didn't understand why she would suddenly abandon the hostages, but even for elders in the late Earth Realm, her spell looked dangerous, so there was no leeway to guess her intentions.
As the hostages closed their eyes in acceptance of their fate, the spear of wind reached the ground and wrapped them in a gentle embrace. They felt their bodies being lifted off the ground, but soon after they were back on the ground without any injuries. When the hostages became curious and opened their eyes, they saw that they were on the opposite side of the tower gate.
"What?!"
"It, was all a distraction!"
Upon seeing the hostages next to the tower, the members of the Blaze Union quickly realised that they had been duped. The giant spear of wind had seemed powerful, but that power wasn't used to attack but rather to rescue the hostages. Even with her monstrous talent, Kate wouldn't have been able to set up a spell so powerful yet delicate, but Mayor Henry was able to temporarily boost her cultivation and comprehension using one of his trump cards. Unfortunately, this boost was time-limited, but Kate still had the chance to cast another spell.