Thuong Sinh stood hovering in the air for a moment longer, his internal force radiating out, sweeping through every corner within a radius of several kilometers. The engine sounds had completely ceased, leaving only the wind whistling through rock crevices and the crackling of fire from the wreckage on the ground.
He closed his eyes, concentrating on sensing even the smallest energy fluctuations. There were no other signals, no human breath. It seemed that corporation had only sent a small team to verify the coordinates. Thuong Sinh retracted his internal force, and the Marsh-Blood Sword beneath his feet slowly lowered its altitude, landing him gently atop a boulder. The forest mist began to roll in, covering the traces of the slaughter; in the eyes of an ordinary person, this place was just a deadly valley full of toxic gas, but to Thuong Sinh, this was the first protective belt.
He stood silently looking toward the distant horizon, where skyscrapers dimly appeared behind the haze. His gaze was cold, profound as a bottomless lake.
It was starting to approach noon. Harsh sunlight pierced through the cloud layer, creating pale yellow beams shining down on the mutated leaves. Thuong Sinh dusted off the Gale Leather Armor, wrapped the bandages around his sword, and placed it at his hip. The surging killing intent from earlier was completely retracted deep into his dantian, replaced by his usual somber and calm demeanor. He mobilized "Phantom Steps", his figure blurring as he crossed through the thorny bushes to return home.
At the wooden house, as he stepped across the formation's boundary, the warm sensation and the pure fragrance of the Pure Spirit Grass immediately hit him, soothing the tensions in his body. Thuong Sinh stopped at the porch, removed the leather armor, and hung the sword on the wooden rack beside the door.
Lam Thanh Moc stepped out from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of hot soup. Seeing him safe and sound, she let out a low sigh of relief, her eyes showing clear reassurance. "You've returned just in time; the meal is just ready. Thuong An also just woke up; the boy kept looking at the door the whole time."
Thuong Sinh walked closer, picking up the son who was crawling toward him. He took a deep breath of the fragrant milky scent on the child. "The valley was unusually quiet today; I only took a few rounds to check the traps," he lied smoothly, not wanting her to worry about those things. He sat down at the dining table, looking at the simple but cozy bowl of soup. Outside, the formation was still silently operating, hiding a small paradise in the heart of the apocalyptic hell.
That afternoon, he was walking with Lam Thanh Moc who was holding Thuong An, when suddenly he sensed many surges of human aura in the distance. His calm gaze instantly contracted, a chilling deep purple hue filling his pupils. Lam Thanh Moc noticed the change around him; she tightened her arms holding Thuong An, her voice worried: "Is something wrong?"
Thuong Sinh did not answer; his spiritual sense was projecting far outside the formation, aiming straight Northeast. He clearly sensed over ten individuals moving at a speed quite fast for ordinary people, approaching this house. "Thanh Moc, you take Thuong An inside." His voice was low but carried decisiveness. She saw his ice-cold face, understood that something was coming, nodded, and held Thuong An tightly as she entered the wooden house. Thuong Sinh turned to follow, entered the house to don the Gale Leather Armor and took the Marsh-Blood Sword at his hip before going back out.
At this moment, the surging killing intent radiating from him caused the surrounding grass and trees to seem frozen. He glided out beyond the formation, lunging straight toward the northeast, the position of those uninvited guests. Thuong Sinh's silhouette was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing among the mutated leaves. Every footstep touching the ground made no sound, but the earth where he glided past left a chilling trail of frost.
Two kilometers from the house, in a narrow valley, the Neos army was advancing. Two heavy armored vehicles led the way, laser cannons continuously scanning the thickets. Ten Predator-X Drones hovered high above like iron hawks, infrared cameras scouring every millimeter for life. Thuong Sinh stood atop an ancient tree, his purple-black eyes looking down at the dozen surges of seething blood essence below. He sensed three distinct surges of aura among the rest.
Without a word of warning, Thuong Sinh acted. "Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
The Marsh-Blood Sword from behind his hip transformed into a black streak tearing through space, lunging straight down at the nearest drone. Slash The drone was split in two before the warning system could even sound. Thuong Sinh lunged, falling freely from the tree tens of meters high. Mid-air, he stomped hard on the void, his internal force erupting as a foothold, landing him right on the roof of the leading armored vehicle.
"Enemy intrusion!" Before the mercenaries' shouts ended, Thuong Sinh swung his hand. "Blade Wind" A streak of jet-black blade-force, carrying destructive power, slashed across the group of soldiers walking beside the vehicle. Riot shields and high-grade armor shattered like paper before this aura of strength.
Bang! Bang! The squad reacted extremely fast. The Fire-type ability user roared, his two hands glowing red before launching a pillar of fire that incinerated a whole area of the forest, aiming straight at Thuong Sinh. At the same time, the remaining drones locked targets simultaneously, pulse machine gun turrets pouring a rain of electromagnetic rounds onto the armored vehicle's roof.
Thuong Sinh coldly retracted the Marsh-Blood Sword to his hand. "Blood-Condensing Mace" A dense blood shield appeared, enveloping his figure. Electromagnetic rounds hitting the layer created hissing sounds and white smoke but could not penetrate. The ability user's flames scorched the outside of the blood energy layer, making Thuong Sinh's face appear even more demonic and brutal under the red firelight.
After a period of frantic firing, the ground was plowed into ruins; gunpowder smoke mixed with the heat from the fire formed a thick, murky mist obscuring vision. The red-hot pulse barrels gradually stopped, the drone engines lowered their altitude, dimly scanning lasers through the gray smoke. "Target eliminated!" the technician on the armored vehicle reported over the radio. The Fire-ability user retracted his still-smoking hands, letting out a sigh of relief: "Perhaps it was just some mutated creature with a bit of speed."
The mercenaries began to loosen their grip on their guns; a few stepped forward intending to check the corpse of the black monster that fell earlier to collect a specimen. However, as soon as the smoke was blown aside by a forest wind, their smiles instantly froze.
At the center of the bombardment, there was no mangled corpse. There was only a deep crimson spherical block of blood energy like a giant heart beating rhythmically; its surface was riddled with bullet marks and scorch marks but remained intact without a single crack. A soft "Crack" sounded. The blood sphere suddenly exploded outward—not dissipating, but transforming into thousands of razor-sharp blood energy fragments shooting out in all directions like a massive fragmentation grenade.
They didn't even have time to understand what was happening before being pierced through their chest armor by the blood fragments. Thuong Sinh appeared from the middle of the blood circle, his black hair slightly messy, the black and green Gale Leather Armor appearing amidst the murky smoke. His face was cold to the point of cruelty. He did not let them say a word before moving. "Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
The Marsh-Blood Sword detached from his hand, not lunging in a straight line but spinning like a fan of death right above the ground. The sword tore through the air, sweeping through the legs of the three nearest soldiers before they could pull their triggers again. Thuong Sinh lunged, gliding like a ghost to close in on the Fire-ability user. "Your turn." His deep voice rang out right in the man's ear. The Fire-type user frantically tried to mobilize heat to counter, but he already saw Thuong Sinh's purple-black eyes right before his face.
Thuong Sinh no longer stood by. He circulated the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual"; the profound demonic internal force from his dantian surged, flowing along his meridians. Black veins rose on his face and arms, looking like evil centipedes crawling under the skin. His purple eyes from earlier now shifted to a purple-red mixed with deep black, a sign of extreme bloodlust. The killing intent radiating from him now was no longer mere coldness, but a physical aura of death, causing the surrounding grass and trees to immediately wither and turn pitch black.
The Fire-ability user hadn't even regained his composure when he felt his chest turn ice cold. Thuong Sinh's hand, wrapped in jet-black internal force, pierced through the armor and through his chest, crushing the man's erratically beating heart. He withdrew his hand, not sparing a glance at the collapsing corpse, but glided like a streak of ink through a colony of ants.
"Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation" The Marsh-Blood Sword, receiving internal force from the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual", vibrated violently, emitting a groan like the crying of ghosts and wailing of gods. The brilliant red-black light tore through space, lunging straight into the middle of the enemy formation.
Rip! Rip! Rip! The next three soldiers were sliced in two instantly, but the remaining ones reacted immediately, simultaneously activating devices on their wrists. Hexagonal energy shields interlaced to create a wall of energy. "Fire! Smash it for me!"
The nine remaining Predator-X drones high above tilted their barrels simultaneously. No longer ordinary pulse guns, this time they launched electromagnetic chains intended to lock the flying sword's trajectory. At the same time, a rain of bullets from the mercenary gunmen poured down on Thuong Sinh's position like a waterfall.
Thuong Sinh stood in the encirclement, his purple-red-black eyes glowing brightly. He did not retract the sword but continued to form a seal with his left hand. "Blood-Condensing Mace" A massive block of blood energy enveloped him; the bullets piercing through that blood defense were stopped immediately. However, pressure from the two remaining ability users began to arrive.
The second ability user stepped out, his two hands transforming into alloy blades a meter and a half long. He stomped hard, and the surrounding ground suddenly grew a series of razor-sharp iron spikes thrusting up from beneath Thuong Sinh's feet. "Die!" At the same time, the third ability user—one who raised his hand and pressed down hard. Thuong Sinh suddenly felt his whole body turn heavy as if pressed by a mountain; the flying sword in the air was also pulled down toward the ground.
The nine drones above seized the opportunity, simultaneously launching 18 mini-missiles with target locks. They flew in spiral trajectories, forming a fire-net with no escape aimed straight at Thuong Sinh's blood energy cocoon. Dust, electric sparks, and blood mist exploded violently. The mercenaries fired frantically without rest, concentrating all firepower on one point. They knew that with just one second of laxity, the monster with the purple-red eyes would tear them all apart.
Thuong Sinh stood in the center of the bombardment, his purple-red-black eyes growing darker. The black veins on his face twitched violently. He did not dodge at all, but was using internal force to forcibly swallow the surrounding gravitational pressure. He did not let the gravitational pressure weigh down for another second. He let out a chilling hiss; the internal force in his body began to explode, forcibly breaking the invisible shackles binding his body. "Phantom Steps"
His figure suddenly blurred amidst the rain of bullets. One second ago he was at the explosion's center; one second later, six dense black afterimages appeared at six different positions in the enemy formation, completely confusing the sensors of the nine Predator-X drones and the soldiers' scanners. He appeared right next to the Gravity-system ability user who was exerting effort to press his palms to the ground. "Blade Wind"
Without a shred of hesitation, Thuong Sinh swung the Marsh-Blood Sword horizontally. A streak of jet-black blade-force mixed with deep crimson tore through space, carrying brutal power. Puk The Gravity-type user hadn't even managed to retract his hands when his entire upper torso was sliced in two by the blade-force. Blood sprayed out but before it could touch the ground, it was turned pitch-black and evaporated by the toxic gas from the sword. "You bastard!"
The remaining ability user roared, his two alloy blade-arms slashing incessantly at Thuong Sinh's afterimages. He did not retreat but advanced, his body winding like an evil reptile amidst the razor-sharp blades. The moment the man revealed an opening in his flank, Thuong Sinh swung his left hand; a second streak of "Blade Wind" erupted at close range. Thud The blade-force directly severed one of the man's alloy arms while tossing him afar. Thuong Sinh glided after him like a shadow; the Marsh-Blood Sword in his hand stabbed straight into the man's forehead, piercing through the metal-reinforced skull with ease.
Having killed the two most troublesome ability users, Thuong Sinh whipped around to look at the nine drones frantically launching pursuit missiles. His purple-red-black eyes glowed with madness. He stomped hard on the ground, borrowing momentum from a soldier's corpse beneath his feet, and lunged high into the air. "Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
He maneuvered the sword to extreme speed; the Marsh-Blood Sword received the thought, emitting a long, ear-piercing screech, transforming into a streak of black light tearing through the gray smoke. Its speed at this moment had far exceeded what the naked eye could follow, so fast that the soldiers below only saw an interlaced ribbon of black and red, winding like a mad dragon among the flock of iron birds.
He controlled the sword to slip through the gap of two incoming heat-seeking missiles. The moment it glided past the first Predator-X, he didn't need to swing the sword, but simply used the flying sword's terrifying speed to create a razor-sharp surge of air that split its alloy shell in two. Boom The first drone exploded. Thuong Sinh still did not stop; he controlled the sword to perform a sharp 90-degree turn, his body almost parallel to the ground. "Blade Wind" He moved while swinging his left hand, five consecutive streaks of jet-black blade-force launching from his palm. These five blade-forces seemed to have a soul of their own, flying in erratic paths, directly piercing through the energy cores of the five drones that were about to disperse.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Five halos of fire burned in the valley sky. Only the final three remained, frantically activating self-destruct mode to charge at him. The killing intent from the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual" caused the Marsh-Blood Sword beneath his feet to suddenly swell with a ring of blood-colored phantoms. He suddenly leaped off the flying sword, standing hovering in the void using internal force, while the sword, by his command, spun like a giant meat grinder, sweeping through the three remaining drones. Crack! Crack! Crack! The three blocks of scrap metal were sliced into fragments, falling like a rain of fire.
Thuong Sinh fell freely from the height of dozens of meters, his cloak fluttering in the wind, his demonic eyes looking straight down at the trembling mercenaries below. When his toes touched the roof of the last armored vehicle, a shocking thud rang out, causing the thick steel shell to dent in a large patch. All aerial firepower was wiped out. The mercenaries below looked at the figure of the male with three-colored purple-red-black eyes standing looming on their vehicle; their legs turned to jelly, their breath caught in their throats.
He slowly leaned down, the Marsh-Blood Sword having returned to his hand, the blade dripping with pitch-black blood. In the forest filled with the smell of burning and pungent blood, Thuong Sinh stood atop the armored vehicle, his breathing starting to become heavy and rapid. The black veins on his face twitched violently in rhythm with his heartbeat. But at this moment, in his head, a familiar deep voice suddenly rang out, as if it originated from the darkest corners of his soul: 'Kill them all...' 'Kill them all...'
Thuong Sinh's three-colored eyes of purple, red, and black contracted. He had just broken through not long ago; now his state of mind was fluctuating violently. His gaze moved from the black-blood-dripping blade down to the mercenaries standing on the ground below. In his mind now, there was only one word: KILL. He let out a low hiss through his teeth, his hand clutching the sword hilt until the leather armor creaked.
"Be quiet..." Thuong Sinh muttered, but the voice in his head grew louder, urging him into an unrestrained massacre. He slowly raised the Marsh-Blood Sword high; the black light on the blade erupted more powerfully than ever, enveloping the entire armored vehicle. The soldiers below were in absolute terror; some had begun to wail from the pressing weight of death.
With just this one sword swing, all would turn to dust. But right in the midst of his mind being clouded by killing intent, the image of Lam Thanh Moc holding Thuong An flashed through his head. A glimmering spark of reason tried to repel the invading darkness. Thuong Sinh let out a roar of absolute pain; he did not slash down at the soldiers but stabbed the sword hard into the armored vehicle's roof to balance his violently shaking state of mind.
The Marsh-Blood Sword pierced through the armored vehicle's shell, creating a long screech and a spray of sparks. The strike was so powerful that the ton-heavy vehicle sank several inches into the ground. Thuong Sinh slumped his head, his black hair hanging down covering eyes that were frantically struggling between purple and blood-red. 'Kill... kill... why stop?' The voice in his head still screamed, but Thuong Sinh grit his teeth hard. He did not want to return home with hands full of the stench of blood and a vacant soul facing the one he protected. He wanted to protect that peace, not become the very monster his family would have to fear.
After a few seconds of suffocating silence, Thuong Sinh raised his head. His eyes were still dense with the mixed purple-red-black colors; now the black veins around his eyes were even thicker and more crazed. He opened his mouth to speak; the words he uttered were like a demon from hell roaring up into this mortal world.
GET OUT
His voice wasn't loud, but it was thick and hoarse, like a demon directly entering the eardrums and souls of those facing him. Those mercenaries were dazed for a second as if they couldn't believe their ears, then they scrambled backward in a frenzy. The mercenaries were in absolute terror; some had collapsed to the ground because their legs lacked any strength; they crawled away pathetically before managing to pick themselves up to flee.
Thuong Sinh still stood there, the Marsh-Blood Sword still stabbed deep into the armored vehicle roof. He raised his face, which was full of evil black veins, looking straight into the lens of the remaining dashcam on the vehicle; his voice was hoarse, every word uttered carrying internal force that warped the surrounding air. "In this forest, if anyone dares to set foot here again..." "I will not just kill; I will personally find and level your base to the ground!"
The final roar was like a shockwave bomb exploding, shattering all remaining window glass of the armored vehicle. The mercenaries were as if receiving an amnesty order from death; they frantically started the engine, the armored vehicle letting out a pathetic roar as it turned and fled for its life in the opposite direction.
A long while after those people left, there was only a terrifying silence in the forest. Thuong Sinh released the sword hilt; he collapsed onto the vehicle roof, his two hands clutching his head. The black veins on his face were still twitching incessantly; they seemed to want to root deeper into his soul. He circulated his internal force, not to attack, but to forcibly purify the killing intent of the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual" running wildly in his meridians. It took a long time for the blood-red color in his eyes to fade, giving way to his original cold purple-black. The evil black veins also slowly receded, returning a somber but weary face.
He stood up, looking at the flaming wreckage around him; he re-wrapped the Marsh-Blood Sword and placed it in its usual position at his hip, then glided away into the descending twilight. On the way back, he stopped at a small stream near the house. Thuong Sinh splashed cold water on his face, washing away the smell of blood and gunpowder smoke clinging to his leather armor. He stood there until his state of mind was completely peaceful again, until he felt he was truly "Thuong Sinh" and not the demon that had just manifested.
Thuong Sinh stepped across the formation boundary. He stood at the porch for a bit to adjust his breathing, then pushed the door open. Lam Thanh Moc was sitting on the long wooden bench; hearing the door open, she hurriedly ran out holding Thuong An. Seeing him standing there, though his face was a bit pale, he was still whole. "You've returned..."
Thuong Sinh nodded lightly; he opened his arms to receive Thuong An, who was reaching his hands toward him. He held Thuong An in his arms; the characteristic milky scent from the boy gradually filled the cracks in his state of mind. But deep in his purple-black eyes, Thuong Sinh knew his warning to that corporation was only the beginning; he needed to wipe them out after he stabilized.