Jian Lei’s realization struck him just a fraction too late.
Lassim’s halberd, charged with an immense and volatile combination of water and lightning mana, met Jian Lei’s saber with a clash that should have ended in a simple parry. But the energy contained within the halberd was far from simple.
The [Hydroburst] detonated on contact, a concussive explosion that rippled through the air, shattering Jian Lei’s defenses in an instant. Instantly several bones across his body were broken and his brain rocked hard against his skull.
The force sent him flying backward, his body twisting through the air as the shockwave tore through the surrounding area.
Buildings within the outpost shuddered, their walls cracking under the pressure, and all of the nearby disciples still fighting were thrown to the ground by the sheer magnitude of the blast.
Surprisingly, as if a command had gone out prior to the attack, all of the lightning sect disciples fighting their opponents had disengaged their opponents at the same time and made it far enough away to remain unaffected by the blast.
Jian Lei crashed hard through a series of building walls and then hard into the earth. He had held on tight but as his spine met rock with his landing, his saber slipping from his grasp and clattered to the ground beside him.
His breath left him in a painful rush, and for a moment, the world went black as his consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion.
The pain was indescribable—a burning, searing agony that radiated from the deep wound in his entire left side where Lassim’s attack had torn through his equipment’s defensive enchantments.
He had the mental thought to try to push himself up, to get back on his feet and continue the fight, but his limbs refused to obey.
The wound was too deep, the damage too severe. Blood was pouring out of him profusely. He could feel his life force ebbing away with every passing second, his spirit energy struggling to knit his body back together but failing against the catastrophic damage.
Above him, the sky was filled with the distant echoes of battle, the cries of his fellow disciples as they fought to repel the invaders. But Jian Lei could do nothing to help them.
His vision blurred, the edges darkening as he struggled to stay conscious. The world around him seemed to dim, the sounds of the battlefield fading into a distant roar.
As he lay there, helpless and broken, his thoughts drifted to Yuan Zhen, to the Sect Leader whose ambitions had driven them to this point.
He had followed Yuan Zhen without question, had trusted in his vision for the Endless Sun Sect, but now, in these final moments, doubt crept into his heart.
Had they been wrong? Had the Day God truly willed this reach for power? Or were all the disciples and sect elders just pawns in a game far beyond their understanding?
His musings were cut short as a shadow fell over him.
Jian Lei forced his eyes open, the effort nearly exhausting what little strength he had left.
Standing above him was one of the Lightning Sect’s warriors—a young man with cold, calculating eyes and a pair of bloodied kris daggers in his hands.
The man’s expression was unreadable, his gaze locked onto Jian Lei with a detached interest.
"You…" Jian Lei rasped, his voice barely a whisper. "Who…?"
The man tilted his head slightly, his gaze never wavering. "So you guys know about Lassim but still not me? That’s good news that I can share with the team. I’m Kaelin, but it doesn’t matter. Your time is up."
With that, Kaelin drove one of his kris daggers into Jian Lei’s heart, the blade piercing through flesh and bone with ruthless precision.
Jian Lei’s breath hitched, a final gasp escaping his lips as the pain overwhelmed him. The world around him faded entirely, the darkness closing in, swallowing him whole.
The last thing he felt was a strange, numbing cold—a sensation far removed from the warmth of the sun he had known all his life. Then, there was nothing.
Kaelin watched as the life drained from Jian Lei’s eyes, his expression unchanging.
With a quick motion, he withdrew the dagger, wiping the blood off on the dead man’s robes before sheathing the weapon.
He spared the fallen disciple one last glance before turning and moving to regroup with the others.
He had just come across the dying outpost leader after managing to catch the Elder Brae literally with his pants down with a young Sun Sect girl that was servicing him. They had learned that multiple times a day the elder would bribe and coerce different women within the sect with an almost endless supply of Sun Drops.
They timed their attack to coincide with another one of these moments so Aerin and him could assassinate him while distracted.
It was a departure from their initial decoy and assassinate the leftovers strategy from their first attacks a few weeks ago, but as their team grew in size they were able to have better intelligence and scouting with more members helping.
In the distance, the outpost was in ruins.
After Lassim had battled Jian Lei, he had quickly withdrawn as he led the majority of the outpost’s defenders on a wild chase through the surrounding terrain as they saw their leader gravely injured. They wanted revenge but he was too quick.
Aerin and Lara had taken advantage of the chaos to systematically dismantle the outpost’s remaining defenses as they "cleaned up" after he left, their combined efforts leaving little more than smoldering wreckage in their wake.
Kaelin moved through the debris, his steps light and sure as he avoided the scattered bodies of Sun Sect disciples who had fallen in their assault.
He found Aerin near the edge of the outpost, his lightning chains retracting as he dispatched the last of the remaining guards.
"It’s done," Kaelin said, his voice as calm as ever. "Elder Brae and Jian Lei are dead."
Aerin nodded, his expression grim but satisfied. "Good. We need to move and regroup before the reinforcements arrive."
They made their way back to the rendezvous point just outside the outpost’s perimeter, where Lara and the other disciples that joined their team were waiting.
She had already begun dismantling and dispersing the runes on the defensive barriers she had set up earlier, the lightning runes fading as she drew the energy back into herself. There were several false barriers that disturbed the surroundings and had led to the scout’s initial confusion.
"Everyone accounted for?" Lara asked, her gaze flicking to each of them in turn.
Kaelin nodded. "We’re all here. Lassim should be on his way back now."
As if on cue, Lassim appeared from the shadows, his figure transitioning from a blur of lightning mana to himself as he executed the final maneuver of his movement technique, landing lightly beside them.
His expression was unreadable, but there was still the tension of battle within him as if his body was ready to unleash its full power in an instant.
"Is it done?" he asked.
"Both targets are dead," Kaelin confirmed. "and the outpost is in ruins. We should leave before they send more reinforcements."
Lassim nodded, his spirit sense sweeping over the destroyed outpost in the distance. "Let’s go."
Without another word, the team took to the air, moving swiftly and silently away from the scene of their victory.
The night closed in around them as they left the Blazer outpost behind, the distant echoes of the battle fading into the wind as they sped toward their hidden camp.
~~~
The flight back to their camp was uneventful. After about four hours of continuous flight, they finally descended into a narrow canyon, the jagged rock walls towering above them as they made their way toward a cave nestled deep within a range of spiritual mountains covered in mana dense and esoteric herbs.
This mountain range was the main resource, and reason that the Sun Sect was wanting to push forward and take control over this area.
The cave had served as their base of operations for the past several days—hidden far enough from the Blazer Outpost’s patrol routes and general activity to avoid detection.
The interior was spacious, with a natural pool of water at its center and several smaller chambers branching off from the main cavern. It was an ideal location for planning with their large group, and the team had made full use of it as they had done reconnaissance before their assault.
As they entered the cave, Lassim gestured for the others to take a moment to rest. They had been on the move constantly from region to region for nearly four weeks. Although they had spent the last few days here, their campaign against the Sun Sect was relentless and unforgiving with no sleep.
Despite their success, the constant pressure was beginning to take its toll, and Lassim knew they couldn’t afford to push themselves too far.
"We did well tonight," Lassim said as they settled around the pool. "We can take the rest of the night for everyone to rest, but we need to stay vigilant. The Sun Sect won’t take this loss lightly, and they’ll likely send patrols into the mountains to see if we’re hiding out here."
Aerin nodded, his expression thoughtful. "We’ve been hitting them hard for nearly a month now. They’re bound to adapt sooner or later."
Kaelin stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension. "I say we keep doing what we’ve been doing—hit them where it hurts, then disappear before they can retaliate. It’s been working so far and we’re a lot bigger team now."
Lara, who had been quietly assessing the state of her own energy reserves, spoke up. "Yes, us gaining more allies over the past few weeks has definitely made things a bit easier. With the additional members joining us from the God’s Trial, we’ve been able to cover more ground and attack larger bases by relying on someone covering your back."
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Lassim leaned back against the cave wall, his thoughts drifting to the new members who had joined their ranks.
The first few cultivators who had left the God’s Trial, either by choice or by failure, had been assigned to his team by the War Council.
It had been a mixed blessing—on one hand, they now had more manpower to execute their plans; on the other, it required more effort to integrate the new members into their tactics without losing the efficiency of the subtlety and subterfuge plans they had worked on over the initial few weeks.
Despite these additions, the core of the team remained the same—Lassim, Aerin, Kaelin, and Lara. The bond they shared had grown from more than just randomly assigned strangers to the same team as they came to rely and trust each other. They weren’t quite friends but definitely felt more like battle buddies. Each assault led their confidence in each other to grow rapidly.
But even as they reflected on their recent successes, Lassim couldn’t help the feeling that the tide was beginning to turn.
The Sun Sect was starting to go on the defensive from his team’s repeated attacks, but they were far from defeated.
His thoughts were interrupted by the faint buzz of his communication disc.
Lassim retrieved the device from his pouch, activating it with a pulse of his mana. A message flickered to life on the surface, the War Council’s rune glowing faintly in the dim light of the cave.
"New orders from the War Council," Lassim announced, his voice drawing the attention of the others in the cave.
He read the message quickly, his brow furrowing as he absorbed the details.
"What does it say?" Aerin asked, his tone serious.
Lassim looked up, his expression grim but determined. "Two more members are joining our group tomorrow—both Spirit Transcendent Inner Sect Disciples. They’re being assigned to us to help with a new mission."
Lara raised an eyebrow. "A new mission? And with two Spirit Transcendents too? Where?"
"A city in the western region," Lassim replied. "We’re to regain control of it from the Sun Sect. The War Council believes that with the new reinforcements, we’ll have the strength to take it back."