"Ah—!"
Inside the room, two silhouettes froze at the sight of Lin Xiao suddenly appearing outside their window. The next moment, a piercing scream shattered the air.
In an instant, the entire building blazed with light, the illumination from the soul lamps spilling through the windows and flooding the entire street below.
As the noise spread, a wave of unease rippled through Lin Xiao's chest.
It wasn't because his presence had been exposed—he had already expected that. Appearing beneath the lamps meant discovery was inevitable. What truly unsettled him was the silence that followed.
If someone had launched an ambush here, then the other Holy Spirit Church disciples stationed nearby should have reacted as well. But the streets remained eerily quiet.
That could only mean one thing—those hidden comrades of his had not survived the shadow's first strike.
And the assassins who had finished their work… where would they go next?
Almost as if to answer his thought, a pair of arms emerged soundlessly from the darkness at his feet.
The glint of a dagger flashed, and Lin Xiao's eyes snapped wide. He propelled himself upward, the thrusters of his soul tool flaring as his body shot into the air.
In the next heartbeat, dozens of beams—red, green, blue—rained down like a storm of falling stars.
Hidden shapes flickered into view beneath the assault—figures garbed entirely in black, their clothing tailored for concealment. They moved like shadows themselves.
These assassins were equipped with soul tools too; upon seeing Lin Xiao's attack, they activated their soul barriers one after another, translucent shields flaring around them.
But Lin Xiao's attack wasn't only composed of soul tool energy. Interwoven among the bright lights were faint crimson streaks that passed effortlessly through the barriers, striking their targets.
A moment later, his second spirit ring lit up. Scarlet vines burst forth from the air, binding the assassins in place.
In mere seconds, those caught within shriveled and collapsed, their bodies withering like dry husks before tumbling from the rooftops.
When they struck the cobblestones below, the sound was dull, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood.
The fight was over almost as soon as it began—but Lin Xiao didn't linger.
This place wasn't one of the Common Alliance's core establishments; under normal circumstances, there shouldn't have been such strong opposition. That could only mean the enemy had been waiting for them.
Either the Holy Spirit Church's plans had been leaked—or the Alliance had known in advance. In any case, staying here now would only attract more trouble.
Pushing off the rooftop, Lin Xiao shot into the night sky, his propulsion thrusters glowing bright behind him.
The buildings on both sides blurred past, wind roaring in his ears—until a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
A pale white shield materialized around him. Lin Xiao's left arm shot up just as a dark purple dagger struck his palm with a heavy clang. Only after blocking the blow did the outline of his assailant appear.
Six spirit rings hovered around the attacker—two yellow, two purple, two black. The man's body glowed faintly, supported by a pair of propulsion devices that made him even faster than Lin Xiao.
Seeing the man's face, Lin Xiao's expression hardened. A six-ring Spirit Emperor armed with high-grade soul tools—his speed alone was enough to close any distance.
Then came the attack. A dark purple crescent of light sliced forward like a blade of the moon. Lin Xiao twisted aside, but the edge grazed his chest, tearing through his cloak. The garment fluttered down through the air, landing on a nearby roof.
The killer glanced at it instinctively—then realized his mistake too late.
When his gaze snapped back up, all he saw was a sea of red blossoms blooming before his eyes.
The Other Shore Flowers stretched endlessly beneath the moonlight, their faint fragrance drifting in the air. And within that illusion, his heart turned to ice.
Balanced lightly on the petals, Lin Xiao looked almost ethereal under the moonlight. Without the cloak, his figure seemed sharper, the glow of his spirit rings painting his shadow in crimson.
His second ring flared, and a storm of vines erupted, their edges like blades as they sliced toward the assassin.
Even without planting his seeds directly into the enemy's body, his Second Spirit Skill—Germination—remained a deadly mix of restraint and destruction.
The assassin snapped back to focus. His own spirit rings shone, his body flickering, growing hazy as he slipped between the gaps in the vines. A dozen afterimages appeared, each one lunging from a different direction, purple daggers gleaming like fangs.
Every motion mirrored the others—identical silhouettes, identical weapons.
But something was wrong.
Lin Xiao's gaze fell upon the surrounding flowers. The delicate petals trembled slightly—proof of movement in the real world.
Shadow clones wouldn't disturb the air.
In that instant of realization, he turned sharply toward the ripple of motion. The assassin's true body was already upon him, expression calm and unfeeling.
It's over, the killer thought.
The dagger thrust forward, aimed at Lin Xiao's heart. He had seen the same final look on countless faces before—fear, regret, disbelief. But this time, his target's eyes held neither fear nor panic—only a strange, cold clarity.
Then something changed.
A low, bestial growl echoed in his ears, and his blade refused to move.
He looked down, stunned. The silver-gray glow along Lin Xiao's left arm had condensed into fine threads, weaving together like living metal—forming the image of a massive bear's maw. Each finger gleamed with cold light, its "teeth" biting down on the dagger with irresistible force.
Crack—!
The dagger, though forged as a soul tool, snapped cleanly in two.
Before the killer's shock could fade, the broken tip vanished completely, absorbed into the silver radiance that enveloped Lin Xiao's arm. Within that light, faint purple veins shimmered like molten steel.
Spirit Bone Skill — Metal Fusion.
The arm bone from the Gold-Devouring Beast possessed its most renowned ability: to devour and assimilate any metal within the limits of its bearer's strength.
The faint silver-gray shield on Lin Xiao's arm wasn't merely energy—it was a mesh of microscopic metallic particles, mimicking the beast's own hide to guard its master.
From the moment he absorbed the spirit bone, Lin Xiao had understood its potential. Against any weapon or close-range soul tool, this power was a nightmare.
And the assassin's dagger was no exception.
Seeing his weapon crumble, the man's spirit rings flared again as he tried to blur his form and retreat into the shadows.
But at such close range, that brief hesitation was fatal.
Lin Xiao had survived too many battles to waste such an opening.
As the assassin began to fade, a scarlet bloom opened before his eyes—the last thing he would ever see.
(End of Chapter)