With the three families clashing together, the battlefield becomes louder than ever before.
Xu soldiers stuck in between the two families' assault struggle to break free and reorganize, despite the commander's best attempts.
I watch from the distance, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The commander is still conserving his strength, but his army is crumbling. It's only a matter of time before he has to take action.
My attention turns towards Wenji, a butler whose cultivation reaches peak Qi Gathering, making me wonder why he serves under my 'father'.
His cruelty on the battlefield is second only to me. Whenever his saber makes contact, a body part is cut off. He doesn't go for the kill – he torments his enemies, cutting their limbs one by one.
'He would be a good candidate for the system.'
The Han family seems to be severely underestimated.
Yuexin said that our family is not strong enough to support a duchy, but based on the sight in front of me, as well as Patriarch's strength, we could definitely stand on near equal grounds against the Lan family.
''WAAAAAGH!''
Suddenly, a domineering shout pulls my eyes back to the commander, his spear raised high as he makes his presence known on the battlefield, grabbing everyone's attention.
''The Xu family will not lose as long as I'm here!''
He leaps out of the safety of his guards, bringing carnage to any enemy that stands in front of him.
SWISH!
Cutting through our combined forces with barely any effort makes the Xu soldiers cheer, slowly forgetting the earlier horror.
With their morale high, they begin to fight ferociously, holding their ground despite everyone's combined efforts.
'This won't do. With morale high, the commander can retreat back to safety at any moment.'
Shadowless Step.
In an instant, I reappear closer to the battlefield. Silent Pulse Breathing pushed to its limits, I begin to drift in between the enemy ranks.
Shadowless Step, Shadowless Step, Shadowless Step.
With just a few steps, tens of enemy soldiers pass by me, a few catching a glimpse, but with the chaos around them, they pay it no mind.
'Here he is...'
The commander lands in my sight once more, his back turned towards me. A perfect opportunity.
Shadowless Step x3
My trusted dagger firmly in my hand, I rush forward, the movement technique used beyond its limits, supported only by my strong body.
In just half a breath, my figure looms over the commander's body. Without a single sound, I aim towards his neck, intending to finish him off with this one attack.
As if sensing something's wrong, he turns his head around. Just slightly. With almost no time to react, he leans to the side, trying to avoid a fatal blow.
But it's too late. The tip of my dagger has already sunk into his neck, cutting through his artery in one fell swoop.
Despite his impending death, his grip on the spear doesn't soften at all. He lunges towards me, catching me off guard.
''You monster!''
He screams, blood spraying out of his neck with every movement he makes. His entire dantian erupts, all his remaining Qi focused towards the spear.
'Oh no.'
His weapon glows crimson, the Qi seeping out of it as the incoming attack finishes all preparations. With my body midair, the Shadowless Step technique becomes useless.
In a desperate attempt, I yank the nearest soldier, shoving him directly in front of me.
'Oh, he's from Ha-'
SHHHHK!
The spear tears through the soldier's chest, absorbing some force. But not all. The explosion of Qi blasted right through him, my chest bearing the brunt force of it.
BOOOOM!
My body is thrown backwards, crashing through tens of soldiers on my way towards the blood-soaked ground. My ribs shatter, blood gushing from my mouth as I try to take a deep breath.
'Huuuu-'
Every attempt at breathing is agony. My body wants to collapse, but my eyes never leave the commander.
Kneeling on the ground, the wound he had previously worsens. His face pale, his body shaking, the loss of blood putting him at death's door. Standing in his own pool of blood, he desperately tries to make the bleeding stop.
I grin through my own blood.
'You're done.'
Shadowless Step.
The battlefield blurs one more time as I charge forward. Blades scratch my arms, spears stab my shoulder – none of this matters. It's now or never.
[You've gained 74 points of Fear.]
I trample past them, uncaring, my dagger raised high. The commander raises his head one last time, with horror and disbelief written all over it.
SHHK!
His head leaves his shoulders in one clear, merciless cut. Blood gushes out of his wound, covering the terrified soldiers around.
I grab the head by the hair and raise it high, my bloodied figure standing valiantly in front of his dead body.
No words leave my mouth. But everyone clearly got the message.
The commander is dead. They are next.
[You've gained 1,107 points of Fear]
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[STATUS]
[Name: Han Ye]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Terror Manifestation Realm - Early Stage ▸ Foundation establishment - Early Stage]
[Fear Points: 5 703]
[Fear Points needed for the next stage: 1 500]
[Techniques: Shadowless Step, Thousand Faces Arts (incomplete), Silent Pulse Breathing, Crow Shroud Technique]
Authors note: If you're enjoying the novel so far, please add it to your collections! Every single one goes a long way. Honest review will be Great too!
Powerstones: If we can reach 70 power stones in a week, I will make one more chapter a day for 1 week. Let's do it!