The night air of Rising Sun City was thick with the scent of burnt talismans and scorched earth. Alaric and Alex, along with their squad, had just regrouped after the chaos at the training grounds. Every man bore wounds from the previous engagements—deep gashes, broken bones, bruised ribs—but their spirits held. Loot secured, talismans intact, the team began moving toward the extraction point at the outskirts of the city.
Alaric's eyes scanned the dimly lit streets. "Stay alert. The Jin Clan's top forces may have noticed our actions," he whispered.
For a moment, silence reigned. The only sound was the distant flapping of a hawk's wings, the night almost serene. Relief began to settle into the squad's weary bones—until the air itself seemed to tighten, as if the city itself held its breath.
From the shadows of the towering ancestral hall, a figure emerged. One. The Jin Ancestor. His presence alone radiated crushing pressure. Even the ground seemed to tremble slightly beneath his steps. Flowing dark robes clung to his body, and his eyes blazed with a mix of fury and authority that made the squad instinctively step back.
Without warning, he struck. Waves of concentrated Qi erupted from his staff, smashing through walls and sending cobblestones flying like missiles. Alaric reacted instinctively, slamming his sword into the ground to summon an Earth Barrier, but the shockwave cracked it almost instantly. Talismans scattered, some breaking midair from the force.
"Alex! Shield the men!" Alaric shouted, lunging forward. Flames danced along his sword while rock shards encircled him in a swirling defensive cage.
Alex's body glowed with an otherworldly light. Mana surged from him as he opened spatial rifts beneath the squad, teleporting several soldiers out of the Ancestor's immediate attack range. His face was pale, sweat streaking through his dirt-smeared hair. Every second he overextended his mana, and he was aware that he might collapse.
The Ancestor's strikes were devastatingly precise. He swung his staff horizontally, sending a concussive shockwave that slammed into the squad. Gao Wei was thrown twenty feet into a wall; his armor dented, ribs cracked. Trent barely rolled out of the way as stone fragments shredded the street. Even Yue Rong's Earth barriers shook under the sheer force.
Alaric's dual-path energy flared. Lightning Steps allowed him to dodge a downward strike that could have crushed him; the ground beneath exploded where the staff met it. Sky Rendering Sword cut arcs through the shockwaves, sending fragments flying back at the Ancestor. Still, each attack required perfect timing; one miscalculation could cost him his life.
Suddenly, the Ancestor slammed his staff into the ground, and the energy pulse sent Alaric skidding backward across the street. He hit a wall, coughing as dust and blood filled his mouth. His hands still gripped the sword, knuckles white, body trembling from the impact. Around him, the squad struggled to rise, battered and bleeding, yet refusing to yield.
Alex, barely on his feet, opened another spatial rift. With a desperate surge of mana, he teleported five men out of the street and into relative safety behind a ruined building. Each movement drained him further; his aura flickered like a candle in the wind.
Alaric's vision cleared just in time to see the Ancestor swing again, and he reacted instinctively. Rock and flame combined in a blinding counterattack, shattering the street in a shower of sparks and debris. The Ancestor leapt backward, narrowly avoiding a collapsing wall as Alaric scrambled to his feet.
Every squad member was heavily injured—Audrey had a deep slash across her side, Liang Hao's leg was fractured, and Griffin's shoulder was dislocated. They were battered, bruised, but alive. Alaric shouted again: "Retreat! Use the talismans! Move now!"
With one final overdraw, Alex opened a massive spatial rift. The squad vanished in a blur of mana, reappearing outside the city perimeter. Dust settled. Silence returned, save for ragged breathing. Alaric leaned against a wall, chest heaving, blood dripping from his brow. Alex sank to his knees, completely drained.
Alaric surveyed the distance: the Jin Ancestor's figure loomed over the city streets, unscathed, fury still burning in his eyes. "He'll recover," Alaric said quietly. "And next time, we cannot underestimate him. Not even for a moment."
Every member of the squad was battered beyond recognition, yet their resolve hardened. Alaric checked on them, stabilizing the worst injuries with healing mana while Alex regained enough energy to support their defenses. They had survived, barely, but the message was clear: the Jin Ancestor was a storm they had only just begun to face.