Wen felt a cold blade press against his throat. Grabbing it with wild rage, he hurled the man against a tree with a surge of strength. The impact was so violent that the tree split in two. Wen Lin then opened his eyes slightly: in front of him stood a dark mage clad in armor, a scepter in hand, flanked by two hooded figures armed with magical daggers whose crimson blades shimmered.
One of the men, dressed in a dark cloak, held Yue Lang in his arms. The young woman cried out desperately:
— Wen… JUST DIE ALREADY!
In a final surge of power, Yue summoned a massive skeletal head, its eye sockets ablaze with vengeful fire. The flames engulfed the assassin, but the dark mage raised his scepter, and the fire vanished in a breath.
— Wen!
Yue's desperate scream echoed through the air before a brutal blow knocked her out, plunging her into unconsciousness. The body of the first assassin, now reduced to ashes, suddenly rose again with startling vitality, leaving Wen stunned.
— Who are you?! What the hell do you want from us?!
The warrior, sword in hand, shouted furiously, dark lightning crackling along the blade.
— That doesn't matter, cursed hero of Fantasia. You're already dead, replied the mage in a gravelly voice, before chanting in a cavernous tone: Vharz ekh'tul moran'deth!
Wen vomited a wave of blood, bones shattering from the force of the attack. He clung to his sword, staggering, his body broken, vision blurred as if thousands of spikes were piercing his flesh. My organs… they've exploded… it hurts everywhere… Is this where I die? he thought in despair.
— Take the slave. That metahuman girl will serve as a sacrifice for our King Beilin, the mage declared with a sinister chuckle.
A dark rage took hold of Wen. The mocking laughter of Tao Yu Xin and the priestess Alya flooded his thoughts. They took everything from me. And now these demons want to steal someone else I love? I won't let them! he thought with newfound determination.
— That's right… Back then, I was too weak, too scared to protect them. But today… it's different! shouted Wen, rising to his feet despite the pain. One of the assassins leapt at him, ready to deliver the killing blow.
— Hey… You bastards… Get away from her! he roared, his threatening aura erupting around him.
Qi Reinforcement Technique: Body Sacrifice!
Like a bolt of lightning, Wen vanished in a trail of black smoke, his blade slicing through the air. He appeared before the assassin in an instant and brutally tore out his throat in a spray of blood.
— Magic Technique: Phantom Bodies!
The other assassin shouted an incantation, and four spectral warriors clad in ancient Chinese armor burst from his back. The first attacked, his blade slashing through the air, but Wen dodged—only to be launched by a powerful kick from the second assassin. He crashed into a tree, which shattered from the impact.
Wen screamed in rage: AAAAAAAAARGH! Then disappeared again in a cloud of black smoke, reappearing right in front of the assassin's face. With a thunderous move, he grabbed the man's head and smashed it against a tree trunk.
— Just one minute… ONE MINUTE! Wen roared with vengeful fury. That's all I need to erase your filthy face from this world!
He turned to Yue Lang, lifting her into his arms.
Blade Reinforcement: Dimensional Slash!
The mage, arms crossed, sneered.
— Are you really sure you can win? he taunted.
At that moment, Wen collapsed, his vision completely black, his body limp. Move! Damn it, MOVE! he screamed in his mind, fighting not to lose consciousness.
— Insolent fool. The only fate for creatures like you is to lie at our feet, the mage said as he slowly approached, revealing his true form—a towering, malevolent lich, his cruel smile stretching wide.
— Still, I must admit I'm impressed by your resilience. I promise not to resurrect you as an undead...
Suddenly, a strange phenomenon occurred. The trees, the air, the water—even the sky—distorted under a supernatural pressure. A blinding flash of light made the undead tremble. A being, like a vengeful deity, descended from the heavens with overwhelming force. He crashed before Wen and Yue like a divine scourge.
— That's right. The only place you deserve to be is beneath our feet. Prepare yourself, miserable servant of Tolep Kal… declared the man from the skies, dressed in an elegant kimono, his crimson eyes glowing with unfathomable power.
Wen slipped into unconsciousness, the world falling into darkness.