Han approached, breathing hard but upright. Blood splattered his clothes but none of it was his. "You destroyed his cultivation base."
"Yeah."
"That's advanced technique. Usually requires Golden Core realm or specific knowledge."
"I was really angry. Foundation Realm qi plus protective rage apparently equals improvised cultivation destruction." Hunter's legs wobbled beneath him. "Also he threatened Mei. That helped focus things."
"That's not how it's supposed to work." Han looked impressed despite the impossibility. "But it did. So congratulations on your terrible technique that somehow succeeded anyway."
"I'll add it to my growing list of questionable achievements."
Mei ran over, threw herself at Hunter like a missile. He caught her with his good arm, the right one still functional despite everything else being broken. Ribs screamed their protest. Completely worth it.
"You kept your promise," she said quietly but with absolute certainty. "You said we'd be safe. We're safe."
