February 4, 2023, Midnight
Five minutes ago.
Clang! Tak! Clang!
Sizhu and the spiky-haired Witch fought evenly beside a rain tree. Both fought fiercely, intent on finishing each other.
"Hey, hey, hey, this is boring. Do you want to hear a story?"
The spiky-haired Witch caught Sizhu's staff strike, then with his other hand slashed downward. Sizhu dodged and countered with a side kick. But the spiky-haired Witch had already anticipated it and evaded.
They separated three steps apart. Sizhu's breathing was already ragged, sweat dripping down his face.
"How bad, kid. Your mana flow is a mess. I can feel it. Even though you look delicious in my eyes, you look like a messy burger. I bet this is your first time using magic, isn't it?"
Sizhu was slightly shocked by what he heard. His eyes widened for a second, then narrowed suspiciously.
"How do you know?"
The spiky-haired Witch lunged, slashing forward.
Sizhu quickly raised his staff, blocking with both hands. At that moment his guard opened, a hand slipped through his defense and struck his waist. It forced him back three steps.
"Cough! Cough!" Sizhu coughed. It hit the spot where he had once been wounded by Muzhe.
"You know, this world is really unfair." The spiky-haired Witch pursued Sizhu, giving him no rest, and delivered a straight kick from his side.
Sizhu was hurled against the rain tree beside him. His back slammed against the large tree, but even so, he still kept his balance and stood firm.
"I was born ugly, hated by everyone who looked at me. Including my own family. They abandoned me, left me to grow up on rat-filled streets."
The spiky-haired Witch lunged again. Sizhu quickly dodged. The machete slash carved deeply into the tree's bark, even though it only grazed the surface. Sizhu then leapt to the side to evade a follow-up kick.
"I met two friends who shared my fate. Even though they were like that, they were like brothers to me."
"..."
Sizhu didn't understand why his enemy suddenly told him about his life. Yet he sensed the sadness visible on the Witch's face.
"We had a dream, to live rich together, no matter how."
"If that's really what you wanted, then why'd you disturb and kill people?" Sizhu asked, frowning. Unlike Muzhe or the stag-headed Witch, this Witch before him showed no regret or guilt at all.
"Ha! Haha! Hahahaha! Envy! We are envious of humans like you! Born with better bodies and faces than us! Born with love and care! We are envious and want to ruin it until you are lower than us! HAHAHAHA!"
"I see." Sizhu steadied his stance again. This time he focused more, taking a deep breath. "It's only natural that you are hated. Your hearts are rotten."
"Heh, someone born with privileges like you would never understand." The spiky-haired Witch also steadied himself, chanting a spell.
"Yes, I don't understand. I don't know how you feel. But at least I know how the people you disturbed and killed felt." Sizhu gripped his staff tighter. He stomped hard on the ground, creating a small pit.
"I'll end you with magic. Prepare yourself, brat."
The spiky-haired Witch slashed his own wrist, letting black blood drip onto his blade, coating it.
"火焚肉,火焚魂.光吞冥冥,生炽烈之咒.焚吾剑,咒吾敌.
(Huǒ fén ròu, huǒ fén hú n.
Guāng tūn míng míng, shēng chì liè zhī zhòu.
Fén wú jiàn, zhòu wú dí.
Fire burns flesh, fire burns soul. Light devours the darkness, creating a blazing curse. Burn my sword, curse my enemy.)"
Black flames engulfed the spiky-haired Witch's machete. He stuck out his tongue, wearing a mocking grin.
Sizhu tried recalling the sensation of that night—the night his body was enveloped in warm flames that didn't burn him. Green flames that created true light.
Following the Witch's method, Sizhu cut the skin on his right hand, making it bleed heavily. He smeared the blood onto his staff, letting it coat the weapon.
"Heh, what are you doing, kid? Blood magic can only be used by Witches. A human like you can't possibly use dark magic."
The Witch's face immediately changed upon seeing green flames suddenly ignite on Sizhu's staff. The Witch smiled widely, surprised his opponent could use blood magic.
He didn't chant a spell, yet he can use magic? Who is this boy really?
Both readied themselves. Sizhu prepared to use one of the techniques his master taught him.
"Looks like you're just like us. But tonight, I'll take your head, brat!"
The spiky-haired Witch dashed, closing ten steps instantly.
Sizhu welcomed him, pulling his flaming staff back, then stomping as he twisted his body and pivoted his foot.
"First staff technique: 被火龍攻擊;
Bèi huǒlóng gōngjí! (Assault of the Fire Dragon!)"
BLAZE!
A green flame shaped like a dragon's head pierced through the Witch's heart just as his black-flamed machete nearly touched Sizhu's neck.
The flaming dragon's head scorched the air five steps behind the Witch's back, incinerating him into ash.
"AaaAAAahhhHh!!!"
The Witch screamed as his skin blistered and charred black in an instant.
Sizhu then dropped to one knee, leaning on his extinguished staff.
"Thank you for telling me the cause of my weakness. Because of you, I now better understand how to use magic."
Sizhu stood, intending to give a respectful salute. At that moment, he was careless.
"Sizhu!"
From the darkness, someone slashed Sizhu's back just as he clapped to honor his fallen foe.
He quickly dodged a follow-up strike aimed at severing his neck.
Gui appeared, swinging his monk's staff at the hooded man.
The man leapt back, chuckling as Gui pursued him.
From another shadow in the forest, the same hooded man stabbed Gui's side with a dagger, catching him off guard.
"Ugh! Two of them?" Gui collapsed face down. He turned his head enough to see two hooded men standing not far from him.
"No… doppelgänger…"
Four daggers were thrown at Gui, but Sizhu moved fast, blocking them. The four daggers stuck in the ground, then like magnets, flew back to their owner.
The two hooded men standing side by side merged into one. Sizhu grew wary of his enemy's magic abilities.
"Sizhu!"
Two girls came, gasping as they saw the chaotic scene.
***
"Ah, failed. What will master say if it ends like this?"
The hooded man stood facing the three young fighters, all in guarded stances.
"Sizhu, you're hurt! You must be treated quickly!" Mei Mei was a little panicked seeing dripping blood from deep wound on Sizhu's back.
But Sizhu only shook his head, tightening his grip on his staff.
Elizabeth stepped in front of Sizhu, blocking his view of the hooded man.
"You're wounded, Sir Sizhu. Forcing yourself to fight in this state is a bad decision."
"Move, he's not an opponent you can handle."
Sizhu tried to push Elizabeth aside, but the girl remained firmly in place, blocking him.
Sizhu placed a hand on her shoulder to move her, but Elizabeth gently held his hand.
"Trust me. I am your friend. Heal yourself first, I'll hold him off while you both recover."
Seeing Elizabeth's confident smile, Sizhu nodded and retreated with Mei Mei. He carried Gui's limp, bleeding body to the trees. Mei Mei immediately began chanting a healing spell for Gui first.
"Lisa, give me about five minutes," Mei Mei said as she moved Gui, resting him against a tree trunk.
Elizabeth nodded. "Leave it to me."
Mei Mei pressed her hands to Gui's bleeding wound and began chanting a mid-level healing spell.
"靜心歸元,
氣轉萬脈,
靈光入骨,
百創皆合.
(Jìng xīn guī yuán,
qì zhuǎn wàn mài,
líng guāng rù gǔ,
bǎi chuāng jiē hé.
Calm the heart, return to origin,
Energy flows through ten thousand veins,
Spirit light enters bone,
A hundred wounds are joined and healed.)"
Slowly, the torn flesh on Gui's abdomen writhed, then began regenerating, closing the gaping stab wound.
Woosh!
A dagger flew toward Mei Mei's head as she focused on healing Gui. But it was stopped by a floating water sphere before it could reach her.
Sizhu didn't see it clearly because in the darkness the black dagger looked like a shadow. Still, he braced himself to shield Mei Mei.
"Targeting a healer first is highly unethical. In war, killing a doctor or medic is taboo."
"I don't care. Be it a baby or an elder. As long as you are the targets master ordered, you must die."
The dagger suspended in the water sphere flew back to its owner.
"Shameless man. Someone like you is a pitiful being without principles. A dog obeying its master."
Elizabeth steadied herself, controlling many floating spheres of water around her, some forming a shield around Mei Mei, Gui, and Sizhu.
"For the young master and for the master, I don't care how many lives must be sacrificed. This is for true salvation! Only he can save us from this world's suffering! Only him! The savior!"
The hooded man's demeanor suddenly shifted 180 degrees. He acted like a zealous priest convinced only his faith was the true path.
"I don't care who you are or what your goal is here." Five water swords floated above Elizabeth. "But I will not allow you to harm my friends further."
The hooded man twirled a dagger in his hand like a magician. Then he stepped back into the shadows of the rain tree.
"Be careful, it seems that man can use shadow-clone magic," Gui warned from where he sat against the tree. His abdominal wound was slowly closing under Mei Mei's healing spell.
Elizabeth's eyes scanned cautiously left and right, watching every shadow around the rain tree.
A black dagger flew at her head from a blind spot. Just before it could pierce her skull, one of the floating water swords descended to block it.
Elizabeth only turned her head, eyes sharp, staring into the shadowy trees where it had come from.
She stretched her hand to the right. Two water swords instantly flew in that direction.
Swish! Swish!
Both swords pierced a shadowy figure that had just thrown the dagger.
Elizabeth gripped another water sword from above, parrying another blade aimed at her face.
Clang!
From behind her, just as she turned, the hooded man swung his dagger at her waist.
Before it could land, two floating water swords darted down to intercept, striking back at him.
Swish! Swish! The water swords stabbed the ground as the hooded man flipped into the air, hurling two daggers down at Elizabeth's face.
Elizabeth swung her left hand. A water sphere blocked the daggers midair.
The hooded man retreated again into the shadows.
Elizabeth began chanting a mid-level water spell, intending to summon more swords.
"O dew of night, conjure the water, be my sword, guard for me."
Ten water swords formed from the dew on trees and grass, circling her defensively.
The hooded man suddenly appeared from three directions at once, rushing in together.
Elizabeth gripped two swords, clashing with one rushing from the front. The other eight defended her sides and back.
"How can water become as solid as a real sword?" Sizhu asked curiously. He could see Elizabeth's blades were sharp and firm, like the steel swords he had seen in the armory earlier.
"That's because Elizabeth uses intermediate-level water magic. I'm not an expert in elemental magic, but from what I know, water magic has stages: flowing, solid, and sharp. Elizabeth is at the intermediate solid stage. And she's quite skilled at controlling it," Mei Mei explained while continuing to heal Gui.
Sizhu sat cross-legged beside her, watching Elizabeth fend off the three hooded attackers, each looking for an opening.
Clang!
A dagger nearly grazed Elizabeth's left temple, but she deflected it. Another dagger ricocheted off a stone and nearly slashed her face, cutting a few strands of her hair.
The three hooded men circled her rapidly like spinning blades of a fan, with Elizabeth at the center.
"Trickery. But that won't be enough to beat me."
Elizabeth gathered her ten swords, spinning them around her body.
As soon as the three of them rushed back, Elizabeth immediately released ten water swords around her. Two hooded men were strucked midair.
The last one leapt high, throwing six daggers down, which stabbed into Elizabeth's unguarded right shoulder, and her right thigh, grazing her right arm, left shoulder, and left calf. One dagger missed, embedding in the ground.
"Ugh!"
He recalled his six daggers like magnets, then lunged with his dagger at Elizabeth's abdomen.
But she had been waiting. A water sphere blocked it as she was pushed back one step.
"Checkmate."
Elizabeth smiled. A water sword she had hidden high above shot down like rain, piercing through the real hooded man's back.
Blood mixed with the water blade as he staggered. He dropped his dagger, retreating far back into the shadows.
"Hagh—, this ends here."
He split into two forms, one rushing forward, one retreating.
"You won't escape!" Elizabeth tried to chase, but pain in her thigh stopped her. She hurled a water sphere at the clone, blasting it apart.
Splash!
The clone vanished, leaving only traces of shadow. The real hooded man melted into the darkness.
"He escaped."
Elizabeth fell to her knees, bleeding from her thigh and shoulder.
Mei Mei, who had just finished treating Sizhu, rushed to her and began chanting the healing spell again.
"Good job," Mei Mei said with a thumbs-up, pressing her hand against Elizabeth's wound.
Elizabeth smiled faintly and nodded.
***