"Begin," the man said.
Alright.
At that very moment, more than five kilometers away, stood another man. Muscular but short — about one meter sixty tall. He looked to be in his forties and carried a massive axe on his back.
Approaching one of the trees, he placed a seal on it and muttered irritably,
"Damn it… I hate this job. Feels like I'm some kind of slave. But the pay's worth it," he said with a sigh and a faint smile.
His name was Deithel Lichard.
"Hm… why isn't the seal working?.. Oh, right. I forgot."
Forming a hand sign, he spoke,
"Let the gates open, shielding us forever from the demons! Seal of Five Boundaries — activate!"
The moment the words left his lips, five seals positioned within a five-kilometer radius began to glow with a blinding light. A massive barrier started forming above.
At the same time, the clan leaders and the two strongest fighters in the world were swiftly moving through the forest.
Suddenly, Tao Xiu, the head of the Tao Clan, exclaimed,
"Could it be… the Five-Ring Protective Barrier? We won't make it in time!"
Shiro Nagashi frowned.
"Damn it… too late."
Vincent and Chol exchanged glances — the same thought reflected in their eyes: How could this happen?
The barrier descended completely, and the clan leaders approached it.
The head of the Ragnar Clan, Chandler, stepped forward.
"Double Tiger Strike!" he shouted, unleashing a devastating blow at the barrier.
The ground quaked violently, and trees shattered into splinters from the shockwave. Yet the barrier didn't even tremble.
Yui Lan frowned.
"His physical strength… he's the strongest here. Nearly peak high-level."
Arthur was also impressed.
"Seems like this barrier won't be easy to break. Maybe if we combine our energy, we could—"
"Don't call me that. And even if we do, it'll take at least thirty minutes," Chandler cut him off.
Vincent stepped closer.
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Even if you try, it won't be easy," Chandler replied.
Suddenly, Yui Lan's phone rang. He answered with a short "Yes."
Five seconds later, his face twisted with anger and disbelief.
"Understood."
He turned sharply toward the others.
"Demons are attacking central Beijing — from lower-mid to several mid-level ones!"
Chol shouted,
"What?! That's impossible! We have advanced monster-tracking systems! How could they attack without us even noticing?!"
Yui Lan clenched his fist.
"I don't understand it either, but we'll deal with that later. Clan leaders, I ask for your aid in eliminating those demons!"
Kazuhiko frowned.
"What about the students?"
"I'll save them," Arthur said suddenly.
Kazuhiko shot him a displeased look.
"Fine. But I'll only help once."
"Thanks," Yui Lan replied.
"Alright then. Let's move. The students are your responsibility," said Nagashi Shuro.
The clan leaders rushed toward central Beijing, leaving only Arthur and Yui Lan behind.
"Well, my friend, shall we go save the kids?" Arthur smirked.
"That sounds so cliché," Yui Lan noted dryly.
"Agreed," Arthur nodded. "Then let's begin."
He turned his gaze toward the barrier.
Meanwhile, the students were running toward the old school. Leo, glancing back, activated his technique:
"Double Tiger Strike!"
Striking the ground, he split it into countless cracks.
"My attack is hundreds of times weaker than my father's, but at least it'll slow him down a bit."
The earth trembled and cracked apart, yet the demon only grinned.
Li Kun cursed,
"That bastard's just toying with us! But it doesn't matter — we're almost there!"
Ahead of them, a massive building came into view — the old school.
"There they are," Bo Hai said.
"Yeah, I see them," Sai replied. "Time to help out."
Bo Hai tightened his grip on his spear and took a battle stance.
"Divine Spear Technique — Pursuing Lance!"
He hurled the spear with such power that the ground beneath him trembled.
Li Kun turned sharply, his arms morphing into missile launchers.
"Rocket Barrage!"
The demon didn't even move. The missiles shot toward him, exploding on impact and shaking the air. Amid the chaos, he didn't notice the spear flying toward him.
When the smoke cleared, the tip was right before his face. He barely dodged — the spear still grazing his right cheek before embedding itself in the ground.
The impact was so strong that the earth around them shattered.
The demon r
oared, glaring at Bo Hai, while Bo Hai himself stood frozen, shocked that his opponent had dodged so effortlessly.