February 4, 2023, Late Night.
The torchlight revealed a horrifying scene. A group of men slit a man's throat and laid their filthy hands upon the helpless body of a woman.
The swordswoman writhed, struggling to resist, but her strength was no match for the grip of the three men holding her down. They tried to tear her clothes apart by force, nonchalant to her sobs and tears.
They laughed with glee, while another group, having just arrived, watched with clenched fists and furrowed brows.
"Boss, we've got company," said a large, broad-shouldered man with dark skin, wiping fresh blood from his hands as he faced Reza and Amon's group.
"Hah?! We were just about to have some fun! Who dares interrupt my entertainment?"
Turning around, the man in a black shirt and matching trousers scowled at Amon and his group.
The other two men ignored the interruption, too focused on stripping the swordswoman.
"Who the hell are you? Daring to interfere with us during our playtime?!"
Amon hurled his torch straight at the two men who were about to assault the woman. The flames caught their backs, making them shriek and roll in agony as fire devoured their flesh.
Watching them, Amon burst out laughing, while the three remaining men scowled darkly.
"You…" The boss of the group suddenly spotted Reza standing behind Amon. Recognition struck him, and he shouted,
"Hey, hey, hey! Isn't that the little brat we beat up earlier? You came here begging for another lesson, kid? This time we won't stop at bruises. We'll kill you all and paint this forest crimson with your blood!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save your barking for later. One thing i hate the most, are men who dare committing harassment on women. They really don't have any dignity."
The boss laughed mockingly. His two henchmen, their flames finally extinguished, stood beside him, yanking the half-naked swordswoman by her hair. She whimpered in pain as they dragged her across the dirt.
"You mean like this?"
With his men restraining her, the boss grabbed her face and disgustingly licked her cheek.
"Hii-hiii!"
Amon's fists trembled with fury. He stomped the ground, lunging at the black-shirted man with a punch aimed straight at his face.
Thud!
The blow resounded through the forest, lit by the flames of torches. But the boss caught Amon's strike effortlessly, gripping it tight.
"Pathetic brat. This is why I hate weak, naive children."
With his other hand, he seized the swordswoman's throat and flung her against a tree.
Thump! She struck the trunk and collapsed unconscious.
Amon launched another punch with his left hand, but again the boss caught it as if swatting a fly.
"Tuffy, Robin, David, Strago. Kill the others, and keep their women alive."
"Yes, boss," the four replied in unison.
Thus began the five-versus-five battle that night, under the shroud of darkness.
***
"Do you feel it, Sizhu?" Gui asked gravely as his iron xizhang staff jingled with every step.
Sizhu nodded. He sensed a familiar presence he had often encountered within the Forbidden Forest—the presence of the Witch.
"What do you mean? Feel what?" Mei Mei asked curiously. She led the group, yet sensed nothing. Elizabeth, however, grew tense; the chilling aura brushing her skin grew heavier with each step along the path.
This dreadful feeling… it's as if something cursed is drawing near…
Elizabeth's hands trembled slightly. She clasped them together, trying to resist the dread within her.
"Hey, what exactly are you guys sensing?" Mei Mei pressed again, annoyed at being ignored.
Sizhu, Gui, and Elizabeth halted. Mei Mei walked on, her flashlight beam falling upon a pale leg riddled with pus-filled holes—like a corpse rotting alive.
Slowly, she lifted her light upward. The beam revealed not one but three grotesque figures standing seven paces ahead.
"Eh? HIIIIII!!!"
Mei Mei screamed, dropping her flashlight, and scrambled behind Sizhu, who had already assumed a fighting stance.
"Those horrific creatures… Witch?!" Mei Mei shrieked in panic, pointing ahead.
The three men now resembled decayed corpses, standing silent, clutching bloodstained weapons—machete, folding knife, and iron club.
"Heh, hehahaha! Finally, I've found you!"
The Witch at the front laughed wickedly, pointing his machete at Sizhu and Elizabeth.
"You know, we've been waiting for you. The noble girl, and the boy who dared interfere with us earlier—we'll repay you with your lives!"
"You… that pathetic trio?" Sizhu tilted his head in confusion. How could humans become Witches so quickly? And worse, these Witches could speak. Seeing a symbol in back of their right hands make he recalled Muzhe.
The leader Witch stomped the ground violently. The impact was abnormal for his size, like an elephant's footstep, shaking the earth.
Sizhu and his companions grew alert. Sizhu spun his staff and rested it on his shoulder.
"This time… I'll make sure you suffer before you die…"
But before the Witch finished, Sizhu darted forward, slamming his staff into him.
Boom!
The spiky-haired Witch was blasted into the woods. Sizhu chased him, ignoring the two remaining.
"Sizhu!" Mei Mei screamed. She hadn't expected him to attack so swiftly.
"It seems we must handle the rest ourselves," Elizabeth muttered, raising her hand to cast a spell.
Gui assumed his fighting stance as the two remaining Witches advanced—one bald and fat with a massive iron club, the other short, punk-haired, gripping a knife.
"Hehe, Bob. That noble girl's the boss's prize, right? So before killing her, we can do whatever we want, can't we?"
"Don't overdo it, Parriot. I'll take the bunny girl. She looks delicious."
"Ugh… disgusting. Who would want with filthy cursed creatures like you?" Mei Mei shuddered.
"Let's have some fun!"
They lunged. Elizabeth hadn't finished chanting, and Mei Mei froze in shock.
"Darkness.. must be purged. Namo Buddhaya."
Gui slammed his xizhang into the ground. A deafening buzz erupted within ten meters, making the Witches clutch their heads and scream in agony.
"AAa-aAhhh!!!"
"AaaAHHhHH!!!-"
"For the oath I swore to the Moon Lord—Divine water, take the shape of a sphere!"
Elizabeth conjured a water orb the size of a head and hurled it at the Witches. Before impact, she clenched her palm.
Burst!
The orb exploded like a bomb, blasting their faces into a mess of black blood.
"This ends now." Elizabeth conjured twin water blades overhead, preparing to hurl them at the writhing Witches.
"Wait," Gui stopped her, tracing a circle with his staff. Chanting, he summoned a protective barrier.
"保护穹顶 (Bǎohù qióngdǐng – Protective Dome.)"
Red light emerges from two Witches their right hands back, the inverted cross symbol lights up. Makes their hands twitch so hard like having a seizures. Spreading throughout the body.
In an instant, the two Witches exploded into grotesque bombs of flesh. Black blood splattered across Gui's shield dome.
Elizabeth and Mei Mei turned pale with horror. They hadn't expected Witches to self-destruct.
But then—a kick shattered Gui's dome, launching him into the forest.
Still reeling the situation, Elizabeth and Mei Mei braced instinctively. Taking guard position. Right when two swift kicks sent them flying into trees.
"—Ahh!"
"Ugh!-"
They coughed blood, struggling to breathe.
"Wh-who are you?.." Elizabeth gasped, forcing herself up though her legs trembled. She collapsed to one knee.
Mei Mei lay limp, blood dripping from her lips.
"That was foolish. Using cheap thugs as test subjects was not a wise choice."
A voice emerged from the shadows. A hooded man in black approached. He walking toward Elizabeth.
Elizabeth tried to move, but her will faltered. Fear gripped her as he seized her throat, lifting her to her feet.
"Tell me, do you want to live?"
"Le… let… me... go…" she rasped.
"Too bad. My task is to kill as many contestants as possible. Blame your misfortune for crossing me."
His grip tightened, Elizabeth vision become dimming.
Just then, a xizhang staff whistled through the air toward the hooded man's head. He released her to dodge, letting the staff impale a tree branch.
Elizabeth collapsed, her chest gasping for air.
"Kicking someone away is not a proper greeting. Buddha would be displeased, stranger."
The hooded man stared, shocked. His kick should have crushed stone—yet the monk stood unharmed, smiling, with hands clasped together.
"I don't believe in gods," the hooded man sneered.
"What a pity," Gui replied calmly. His staff returned to his hand like a magnet. "Power lies in belief. Those without faith are doomed to lose."
***
Clang! Clash! Clang!
"Hahahaha! You bastard! Attacking before I even finished speaking! Haven't you ever been taught any etiquette?!"
Sizhu and the spiky-haired Witch traded furious blows. Sweat beaded on Sizhu's brow. For someone who had just awakened from a three-day coma, he fought well—though not yet at his peak.
Thud! Sizhu's kick landed on his foe's stomach, but the Witch blocked with his left arm and countered with a slash.
Clash! Boom! Sizhu blocked, but the impact hurled him into a tree. In the forest's darkness, his senses faltered. Blood dripped from his shoulder.
"Hey, what's wrong, boy?!" the Witch taunted.
Sizhu leapt aside, breathing hard. His body felt heavy, sluggish.
I'm still not used to it after the night I fought Muzhe. I remember using a technique similar to magic, and it make me difficult to move my body normally. What's happening with my body?
He began to tire quickly, his senses dulling after just a few exchanges with the Witch in front of him.
"Hah.. hah.. Master never taught me to have etiquette in front of Witches."
He clenched his staff, preparing a spearman's stance.
Amidst the rain trees, the two combatants faced off, with five paces apart.
...
"Midnight already. They should have begun by now."
An sat atop the academy's highest balcony, overlooking the mountains with his 'partner'. Jianying sat opposite, sipping hot black tea.
They watched the flickering torches and flashlights scattered like fireflies across the dark mountains. Some vanished, others sparked anew.
"Lux in tenebris," Jianying murmured.
***