The duke's son was scared now. Truly scared. Not the irritation from before.
Not wounded pride. Fear. Real fear.
The kind that crawled slowly into the stomach once a man realized things were no longer under his control.
He could feel it clearly now. The flames surrounding Jin Mulan. The unnatural frost spreading from Jin Su. The killing intent hidden beneath Su Kim's calm eyes.
And worst of all Luo He calmly watching everything from behind them with a faint smile as though enjoying a street performance. The duke's son's companions realized it too. Far faster than their leader did.
One exchanged glances with another.
Then without warning they ran. One dashed left into the crowded market streets. Another vaulted over a merchant stall. The third disappeared toward an alley almost immediately.
No one stopped them. No one even looked at them. Because the three women only had eyes for one person.
The duke's son him self. He cursed internally. Cowards. Traitors.
But he understood immediately what had happened. His companions had already abandoned the fight. And if he continued. He would receive no support whatsoever.
For the first time that day he thought about escape. Proper escape. Turn around. Burn the road behind him. Run.
But pride stopped him. Honor. Image. Ego.
The disease of noble fools. Instead of turning fully and fleeing he only stepped backward cautiously. Sword raised. Trying to retreat while preserving dignity.
And that hesitation destroyed him. Because against predators the moment prey hesitates it dies. The duke's veteran guards immediately moved forward to create an opening for him. Six men.
Battle-hardened. Fast. Experienced.
They knew their task wasn't victory anymore. Only delay. The first guard lunged toward Jin Mulan with a heavy saber strike. The second charged Jin Su.
The remaining four split instantly in to two surrounding Su Kim the weakest of the bunch.
Perfect coordination. Fast enough to overwhelm ordinary fighters. But they weren't facing ordinary fighters. Boom. Heat exploded outward. Jin Mulan moved first. Her spear swept across the battlefield in a crimson arc flames roaring violently behind the blade.
The first guard's weapon melted at the point of impact. Then his chest collapsed inward from the force. He died before even hitting the ground.
At almost the exact same moment frost erupted beside her. Jin Su's blade flashed once. Clean. Precise. Beautiful.
The second guard froze from the waist upward before his body shattered apart into frozen fragments across the stone street.
Nearby civilians screamed. Su Kim moved differently. No explosions. No spectacle. Only speed. Her whip snapped forward like a living serpent wrapping around a guard's throat before violently pulling him off balance directly into another man's blade path.
The two crashed together. Then Jin Su's second strike cut through both simultaneously. The final two guards barely managed to raise their weapons.
Barely.
Jin Mulan's spear pierced one through the shoulder while Su Kim's whip crushed the other's wrist hard enough to expose bone. Then flames engulfed both.
Less than a second. Six veteran guards.
Gone. The market fell silent. Terrifyingly silent. The only remaining sound was crackling fire and the faint hiss of spreading frost.
And then all three women turned back toward the duke's son again. Together.
His blood ran cold. If he had turned immediately and sprinted with everything he had he might have escaped. Maybe.
But now?
Now they were already too close. The duke's son finally panicked properly.
Flames exploded beneath his feet as he rushed backward desperately. Sword raised. Breathing uneven. Trying to create distance.
Jin Mulan moved first. Her spear swept toward him with terrifying force. The duke's son reacted quickly twisting his body and raising his sword to deflect the strike. A good reaction. Fast. Skilled.
But his calculations were wrong. Completely wrong. Until now Jin Mulan had not been using her full flames. Not even close. The instant her true fire awakened everything changed.
Crimson flames erupted violently around her spear like a miniature sun. His own fire shrank instantly. Suppressed. Overpowered. Dominated. The heat difference was overwhelming.
"What !" He remarked in disbelief. His sword defense collapsed immediately under the pressure. And at that exact moment Su Kim struck. Her whip lashed around his leg and tightened violently.
Mobility gone.
Then Jin Mulan twisted her spear and trapped his blade against the shaft perfectly. Before he could react ice exploded across his arm. A concentrated blast of frost struck his weapon directly.
The already weakened sword froze solid. Then shattered from his grasp onto the stone road below under the pressure of Jin Mulan's weapon. The duke's son's eyes widened. Too late.
Jin Mqulan stepped forward and drove her foot directly into his chest. He crashed hard against the ground breath leaving his lungs violently.
He wasn't weak. Far from it. Under normal circumstances he could have fought any one of them individually for quite some time. Maybe he could have even won. But this, this wasn't normal.
Their coordination was monstrous.
Seamless. Natural. As though they had fought together for years. Every movement covering another. Every attack flowing perfectly into the next.
No hesitation. No wasted motion.
What he didn't know was that Luo He had personally forged that coordination.
Again. And again. And again.
He had played the role of the duke's son himself countless times during training.
Insulting them. Provoking them. Humiliating them. Attacking them relentlessly until their instincts aligned perfectly.
Compared to Luo He playing that role the real duke's son felt weak. Predictable and slow. So his swift demise. Brutally.
Inevitably.
Now he lay disarmed against the shattered stone road. Alone. Breathing heavily. Surrounded. But three of the hottest beauties he had seen. Now he is under the mercy of these three battle angels.
Jin Mulan stepped forward slowly and lowered the burning spear tip directly against his throat. The heat scorched his skin instantly.
Su Kim's whip tightened loosely around his arm like a waiting execution rope.
Jin Su's icy blade hovered near his chest while frost crawled slowly across the ground beneath him. And behind them Luo He smiled faintly, satisfied.
Jin Mulan dismissed the flames of her spear which was scorching his neck a second ago. But the heat still scorched his skin enough to leave red marks across his neck.
He swallowed hard. For the first time in years he truly felt cornered. "What punishment do you expect for your crimes?" Jin Mulan asked horesly.
Her voice was calm yet cold. Far colder than her flames.
The duke's son opened his mouth then stopped. Because unfortunately for him his mind immediately began producing absolutely ridiculous thoughts.
Three beautiful women surrounding him.
Holding him down. Weapons against his body. All their attention focused entirely on him. His imagination started running wild in directions even he knew were insane.
The duke's Son was feeling strangely positive despite his predigament. He blinked once. Then twice. Why does this feel strangely satisfying. His thoughts became increasingly unhinged.
Bound. Humiliated. Controlled by three terrifyingly yet beautiful women. Some deeply broken part of his brain suddenly attempted to convince him this situation had benefits.
At least I'm being held by three hot women he thought. Then somehow it got worse. Maybe this won't be so bare. He froze. Completely horrified by himself.
"What the hell is wrong with me?!" He shouted in his mind. The words escaped aloud accidentally. Everyone stared at him. Even Jin Su looked confused.
"Why am I thinking like this?!" He shook his head violently as though trying to physically throw the thoughts out of his skull.
"No! No, this is bad! This is VERY bad!" He kept on mumbling. Luo He burst into laughter from behind the women.
"He's mentally collapsing already!" Luo He said out aloud. The duke's son immediately regained his rage hearing that voice. His embarrassment transformed instantly into fury.
"You ugly bastard!" He cursed and glared at Luo He viciously. Then suddenly remembered who he was. Who his father was. And immediately clung to that confidence desperately.
"Do you idiots even know who you're threatening?" His voice rose sharply now. Arrogant again. Desperate arrogance.
"My father governs this entire region! If I return injured your families will be destroyed!"
He pointed toward Jin Mulan furiously. "Your clans will burn!"
Then toward Su Kim. "Your homes will be seized!"
Then toward Jin Su. "And you..." His voice faltered slightly seeing the frost gathering around her blade again. "You'll regret this too!"
The three women looked entirely unimpressed. Which somehow frightened him even more. Because none of them looked worried at all.