There was one word, one idea, that was

  ubiquitous to life in the Red Sea, at least prior to the founding of the

  Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Struggle. Everyone who was born and raised

  in the Red Sea before the Heavenly Demon arrived knew struggle from the

  day they were born. They saw it in everyone around them, and it sunk its

  teeth into them from the moment they themselves were old enough to

  follow simple instructions, to work.

  They would struggle to help and protect their family.

  They would struggle to to have a roof over their head.

  They would struggle just to survive.

  Alongside that struggle came resentment. Haru had felt it all

  her life. It was practically the first thing she noticed about the world

  around her as a child, well... second, only after the struggle itself. A resentment shared by all. It was everywhere,

  like an undercurrent hidden just beneath the surface, beneath the

  facade, beneath the mask everyone wore as they struggled day after day

  to live against all odds.

  Most people, she determined, accepted that resentment.

  She understood why, in later years; if they wasted their time and energy

  lashing out or acting on that resentment, then that was time and energy

  not spent on the constant, soul-crushing struggle to survive.

  Haru had still been fairly young when the cult was

  founded, just old enough to be considered no longer a child, but still

  young enough to hold on to a youthful defiance.

  She never accepted the resentment, not as is. She tried

  to understand it, to reason with it. What she concluded was that she

  didn’t resent the struggle itself; she resented the reality that nothing

  would ever come of that struggle. No matter how hard she worked, she

  would never accomplish anything, never gain anything. It simply wasn’t

  within the realm of possibility in the Red Sea.

  People had tried. Many had ventured out into the world,

  hoping to make a better life for themselves or their families. Few, if

  any, succeeded. Of course, news of how it went for them didn’t always make it back to the town,

  but when it did, the results were always the same. Most died traversing

  the Red Sea without the supplies or Skills needed. Others had made it

  out, and they reached the richer lands beyond, only to be caught and

  punished by whoever controlled the region—a punishment that generally

  included some form of maiming—and then they were sent right back.

  When the Heavenly Demon arrived, and the cult looked for

  candidates to train under the town’s savior, Haru didn’t let anyone stop

  her. Her mother tried, but couldn’t dissuade her. A handful of other

  teenagers in the neighborhood also tried, though more so because they

  too wanted to go and didn’t want the competition. After a small brawl

  behind the neighborhood soup-kiosk, however, Haru emerged victorious,

  and she never looked back.

  Now, she was a Demonic General, strong enough to take on Guardian Morer, a veteran mercenary, in a fight.

  Haru slipped under the [Ochs Thrust]

  Skill which would have ended the spar if it hit but now only cut the

  ends of her short, black hair. It was Gawen’s signature Skill, one he

  had pushed beyond its limits and was currently trying to evolve. She had

  faced it before, and knew better than to block.

  Her fist, glowing with essence, struck at his metal

  cuirass. The impact pushed him off the ground, but he had mitigated the

  damage by jumping backward at the last moment.

  She followed up by dashing to catch up and throwing a

  left hook, but this time it was Gawen’s turn to slip away. The moment

  his feet touched the stone tiles of the sparring arena, he activated a

  Movement Skill and darted to the side.

  A swing came at Haru’s neck. It wasn’t a true Skill, but

  still powered by his Sword Style Skill. It was a lesson she was aware

  had been drilled into him by the Heavenly Demon in their time before the

  cult, “Don’t be too rigid in your obedience to the [System].” She threw

  her arms up to block, only just making it. Her [Stone Skin] Technique

  kept the blade from cutting too deep, though Gawen’s lack of a deadly

  intent helped. Still, it left a serious laceration and pushed her back.

  He pounced, swinging his sword with a practiced ease, transitioning from Skill to Skill.

  Haru dodged, weaved, and in times of need, blocked as she

  moved across the platform. Thin, yet incredibly quick crescents of

  essence fired out of his blade with every slash. Her [Iron Pivot

  Footwork] Technique did most of the heavy lifting. The general Movement

  Technique of the cult wasn’t suited for this type of fight, and so the

  cult had been hard at work at developing a more varied array of

  Techniques. The Demon Lord had once compared her style to some sport

  called Boxing, though he never elaborated.

  Gawen was quick, and he had the advantage of reach, since

  he was practically double her height, but Haru was quicker. In fact,

  she was superior in almost every regard, save for one, skill and

  technique. With her [Core Formation] stage power, the result of sixteen years of cultivation, she was physically

  stronger than Gawen at level 48, but he was a much more skilled fighter.

  He had many more years of standardized training, after all,

  internalized through actual combat against competent opponents.

  That was no real substitute for power, though.

  Haru finally found a gap in between two Skill, and she landed a

  jab of essence which distracted Gawen long enough for her to end it with

  a straight punch to the side of the face, knocking him down.

  “Damn,” he said, leaning back on the stone tiles with one

  hand while using the other to prod at his face, inspecting the damage. “You know, a lesser

  man would be expressing some frustration right about now at how someone

  so much younger than him can be this strong.”

  Haru raised an eyebrow. “And that remark doesn’t count,

  huh?” She offered a helping hand up. He didn’t really need the help to

  get back on his feet, but he accepted anyway. A symbolic gesture more

  than anything.

  “Certainly not! I’m merely… uh… explaining how someone

  else might feel. I, however, have no issues with accepting defeat.” Once

  back up, Gawen brushed off the dust from his clothes and put his sword

  back in its sheath. His outfit was more eastern than it had been when

  they first met years ago, but he still preferred simple pants and a

  shirt under his plate cuirass.

  “Your familiarity with defeat is well known.” Haru

  ignored his stunned and offended look, and immediately changed the

  topic. “How is the development of the new city going?”

  Gawen clicked his tongue, letting the slight go. “It’s

  going fine. Construction is slow but steady. We’re expanding by the day.

  Soon enough, we’ll be every bit a match for Mujin.” He paused and made a point

  of looking around at their surroundings. “Though, I doubt we’ll ever

  get anywhere close to rivaling the Demonic Citadel. This place has really come

  together these last few years.”

  They had just left the training facility and entered the

  main square. Hundreds of demonic cultivators and just as many

  construction workers and other administrative personnel moved around the

  open stone plaza. In the middle was a large, circular, shallow pool of

  water with four fountains in each quadrant, formed by wooden pathways

  which went straight across in both directions like an X, connecting in

  the center where a grand tree had been planted and grown to maturity

  with System magic. Together, the tree and water feature represented how

  the Demonic Citadel was an oasis in the Red Sea.

  The melodic clanks of hammers hitting metal sounded from the

  blacksmiths on one side, and the scents of various alchemical trials on

  the other were carried by the wind to douse the main square in natural

  scent of herbs and fresh flora. The stinging, medicinal aspects of the

  smells were mitigated by formations installed throughout the citadel

  which ensured an excellent air quality. In between the various buildings

  of harled stone stood small patches of grass and green shrubs.

  It wasn’t all peaceful, though. Explosions erupted in the

  distance on occasion when someone messed up a formation or an

  alchemical experiment failed. Short screams and shrieks could be heard

  on occasion when a splash of melted metal splashed an apprentice in the

  smithies.

  The Demonic Citadel was very much a playground for young,

  curious cultivators who discovered new exciting Techniques, or

  applications of essence every day, or merely improved in more mundane

  trades, elevated by their cultivation. Many of those who hurried across

  the main square did so covered in blood, moving with purpose in search

  of medical treatment from spars that went too far.

  A young man, a Demonic Soldier working at the citadel,

  came rushing up. “Demonic General Haru! Report!” Like most

  administrative demonic soldiers, he was in a simple dark, long robe with

  some blue patterns. Haru, as a Demonic General, wore mostly back. Her

  robe was short, more of a jacket really, and was tied around her waist

  with a thick, golden band.

  “What is it?” she inquired.

  He handed her a scroll. “A flare has been sighted north

  of here. It’s a request for reinforcements from a squad sent to deal

  with new group of criminals in a nearby village, just an hour or two

  away.”

  “Criminals, so close to the citadel?” Gawen said quizzically. “You’d think they’d know better.”

  “It never ceases to surprise me how stupid some of these people can be,” Haru replied.

  “I suppose where ever there are people, there will always

  be some who resort to petty crime, even now that the entire region is

  bound under the banner of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. It’s

  concerning, though, that a squad of Demonic Soldiers would need to

  request help in dealing with mere criminals. Do you need my help?”

  “No. Thank you, though, Gawen. I’ll hurry over with my squad. We’ll sort it out.”

  They went their separate ways, Gawen

  back his new city and Haru down to the lower levels of the citadel where

  the guardhouses and other more practical martial facilities were

  located. She had an office of sorts for her squad, the Iron Fist Squad.

  Though they all had residences higher up the mountain, they operated out

  of their office.

  Haru’s Iron Fist Squad was the most prestigious squad in

  the cult. Originally it consisted of the first generation of graduates,

  excluding Chul, but over the years, everyone from the first generation

  went on to become leaders in their own rights. Now, only the cult’s

  strongest [Core Formation] stage demonic cultivators were eligible to

  join the Iron Fist Squad. In total, the squad consisted of six members, Haru included.

  The office was a small stone house by the defensive wall,

  close to the [Grand Demonic Mist Formation]. It was fairly bare on the

  inside, just a few couches, desks, and shelves with scrolls and books

  with details of various missions and information about the region.

  Her subordinates were all there, one was reading up on

  valuable information, another cultivated, a third was tinkering with a

  selection of metals and equipment on a desk. The last two were out back,

  sparring.

  “We’ve got a mission, get ready!” Haru called out as she entered.

  Instantly, all of them dropped everything and were ready

  to go in a matter of seconds. They were used to it, and they didn’t need

  much time at all to prepare. Beyond grabbing their weapons and

  supplies.

  They rushed out of the office and jumped past the wall.

  None of the defensive formations reacted to them. Neither did the [Grand

  Demonic Mist Formation] as they moved through it along established

  routes. Although the grand formation recognized allies, it was best to move carefully so as to not trigger anything by accident.

  It didn’t take long before the six of them were running

  across the desert of the Red Sea, moving quickly yet barely affecting

  the sand that carried their weight. The cult had several Movement

  Techniques, but the original [Fleeting Cloud Step] was still the best

  for traversing difficult terrain, though it was only available to those

  who cultivated the Advanced meridian system of the [Demonic Oasis Art]

  as they were the only ones with the compatible meridian pathways. Other

  Techniques might be faster, but they were also more crude, more

  forceful, which meant they tended to get stuck in the sand as they ran.

  “What do we know?” Sanja asked.

  Haru repeated the information she’d been given, which

  wasn’t much at all. “Criminals in a nearby village. A squad was sent to

  deal with them, but something went wrong. A flare was sent, requesting

  help and reinforcements.”

  “Reinforcements? For some criminals? That’s… odd.”

  “Agreed,” Haru replied.

  Going into danger without knowing all the details wasn’t

  anything new to any of them. They had spent several years at this point

  running missions across the red sea, taking out gangs and minor Groups

  who tried to form within the desert.

  “Hwa, why do you insist on carrying all that trash with you?

  There are more efficient methods, you realize that, right?” Eung said.

  As a swordsman, Eung preferred more simplistic fighting styles. Hwa, on

  the other hand, liked having fun.

  “Why swing a stick of metal around when you can blow

  stuff up?” she said. It wasn’t the first time they’d had the

  conversation, but she still couldn’t understand his point of view.

  “If you’re gonna get into enchanting, at least do

  something more interesting than explosives.” Eung shook his head, equal

  parts confused and frustrated with his colleague.

  Hwa grimaced. “You just don’t get it. There’s no point

  wasting time on all that fancy crap. The first enchantment I learned was

  an explosive one, and I see no point in expanding beyond that.

  Explosions can cover all your needs, and then some!” She had a crazed

  twinkle in her eye, one she got every time she got worked up about her

  explosions.

  “You—“ Eung started, before being interrupted by Haru.

  “We’re here. The village is just up ahead.”

  They all came to a stop behind a natural cover. The

  village wasn’t huge, but it covered quite a large area nonetheless.

  Countless such villages cropped up near the Mansan mountain range after

  the Demon Lord’s ascension. People weren’t allowed on the mountain

  itself these days, so they settled and founded villages close by. A village like

  this generally housed a couple of thousand devout followers of the

  Heavenly Demon.

  Haru’s eyes narrowed as she looked out over the village. Everything seemed… normal. No signs of trouble.

  “The village itself looks calm. Whatever trouble the

  other squad encountered likely wasn’t inside the village itself. Let’s

  go,” she said, and they ran to the closest entry point.

  Upon entering main street, they were met by a lively

  market full of villagers bargaining and chatting loudly. Haru took in

  the scene, and a comfort settled over her. Markets had always been loud,

  even in the before, but there was a calmness and a delight in the

  noise. The villagers were light in their steps, like they had no burdens

  weighing them down. Children even laughed and played in the street. In

  spite of the criminal activity earlier in the day that caused the first

  squad to arrive, they were at peace. Their trust in the cult was

  absolute. Though the squad had run into some trouble, the criminals had

  clearly been driven out of the village, and as far as the villagers

  knew, the issue was already solved.

  The past few years had seen a significant change in the

  cult. Those who lived there no longer had to struggle the same way as before. Although they still had to work hard, and there were still criminals around, life was good.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  It brought a smile to Haru’s face, but only for a moment.

  They were there for a reason. Fellow demonic cultivators were in need

  of their help.

  Haru and her squad walked down the street, letting the

  general joy in the air wash over them. The people of the village stopped

  whatever they were doing the moment they saw them. Their eyes lit up.

  Some even dropped to their knees.

  An elderly woman carefully walked up. Her robe was

  simple, but she had put some effort into her appearance. Several hours

  must have been spent to get all that hair up like that, with three long

  pins holding it up. It had been dyed, but the grey roots showed her age.

  “Praise the Heavenly Demon. To welcome two groups of sacred cult members to our humble village in a single day, it is an honor.”

  Haru nodded. “We received a flare from the previous squad

  that arrived earlier in the day to fend off some criminals. Do you know

  where they went?”

  “Yes! Some sacrilegious scoundrels were harassing farmers

  and stockmen on the outskirt of the village. Cult members arrived

  earlier and scared them away.” She pointed toward the edge of the

  village. “A red light lit up the sky beyond the farmland over there just

  over an hour ago.”

  Haru looked in the direction the woman pointed, but there

  was nothing she could see from her current position. “Thank you.” She

  gestured toward her squad, and they took off.

  They ran across rooftops and reached the other side of

  the village. Beyond its edges lay large farmland. With the

  improvements the cult had made since their first initial deal with the

  Jeoksa Family, more crops and produce could be farmed in the cult’s

  soils than ever before.

  “Signs of a struggle, over there,” Eung said. He pointed

  toward a small farmhouse, one side of which had collapsed. The land

  itself was uprooted and disturbed around the house as well.

  With just a few bounds of their Movement Techniques, the

  six of them reached the farmhouse and sent their spiritual senses out to

  scout. Though they didn’t have the [Mind’s Eye] Skill, their [Spirit

  Union] Technique was enough to sense inside the house from a distance.

  Three bodies lay strewn around the place. Inside sat a

  single man, crossed-legged and wearing the cult’s robes, though they

  were torn and bloodied.

  In perfect unity, they breached the building. Although

  their senses only picked up a single person inside, an ally at that,

  they made sure to be vigilant for traps and other hidden dangers. They

  dashed through, clearing room after room, before they reached their

  fellow demonic cult member sat on the floor. He was cultivating to help

  mend his rather severe wounds.

  Despite being in a cultivative trance, he jumped at their intrusion, ready to fight.

  “Easy,” Haru said with authority. “Who are you?”

  “Demonic General!?” The man slumped back down on the

  ground in relief. “Praise the Heavenly Demon. I am Yachi, Demonic

  Soldier of the Savage Tiger Squad. You received my flare, I take it?”

  “We did.” Haru looked around, scanning the room with both

  her spiritual and physical senses in search of something that could

  give some clue as to what happened. She found nothing. Just a broken

  table and various tools strewn across the floor, pushed to one side,

  presumably by Yachi when he began cultivating. Since she couldn’t find

  anything herself, his word would have to suffice. “What happened? This

  should have been a simple mission, from what I read.”

  Yachi shook his head. “It should have been, yes. Just

  clear out some run-of-the-mill criminals who sought to take advantage of

  these fairly new villages since they don’t have much in the way of

  security set up yet. But nothing went according to plan. We arrived and

  found the criminals without issue, then they ran. It’s nothing unusual,

  most criminals run when they see Demonic Soldiers. We followed. Only,

  they led us to a trap. An enchanted trap which triggered the moment we

  were in range. I— I got hit. We all agreed that these were no ordinary

  criminals; they were too well prepared. Squad Leader Wui told me to send

  a flair to request aid, and to stay here until reinforcements arrive

  while I recover.”

  Haru’s eyes narrowed. “What about the rest of your squad?”

  “They continued on. We think the criminals have set up a

  base in a rocky passage up ahead. I must admit, though. I’m getting

  worried. It’s been a couple of hours, but I still haven’t heard from

  them.”

  “What level were they?” Eung asked. “How could all of you

  be defeated so severely by mere criminals? Shouldn’t your spiritual

  senses be able to pick up whatever traps they could prepare?”

  “It wasn’t so much the criminals themselves, but the

  equipment they wielded. They must have stolen some pretty powerful

  enchanted stuff.” Yachi took a breath. “Please, Demonic General. We have

  to save them.”

  Haru sighed. Not because she didn’t want to save them,

  but because this rescue mission was getting complicated, and she didn’t

  like complicated. Things were always much better when she could just

  power through, use overwhelming force to resolve a situation.

  She was sympathetic,

  though. A lot of squads consisted of Demonic Soldiers of the same

  generations, with some older ones there to mentor them. A bond was

  formed when you go through the Cave of Latent Demons with your peers,

  one that holds firm for a long time. To leave them behind, even if only

  because he was ordered to, and to recover from his injuries, clearly

  weighed heavy on the man.

  “We can’t leave the criminals be either way,” Haru said. “Are you good to take us there?”

  He lit up. “Yes!”

  They all moved out quickly, following the path away from the village, toward the mountain pass.

  Soon, they found remnants of more traps.

  “These have been triggered, but there are no indications

  that the Demonic Soldiers were caught,” Sanja said. “It seems the squad

  became more careful as they continued on.”

  As they moved farther down the path toward the rocky

  mountain, and even into the rocky passage itself, the traces grew more

  intense. Large gashes in the ground caused by various Techniques. Blood.

  A few body parts, though only from the criminals.

  “The squad caught up to them here,” Eung said when they reached an open area within the passage.

  “Agreed,” Haru said. “So where are they? There aren’t any bodies here, just blood.”

  “But whose blood?” Sanja asked under his breath, more thinking out loud than actually asking.

  This is strange. What is going on here? Haru thought.

  “Fan out. Look for any sign of the criminals, the squad… or anything else for that matter,” she commanded.

  The seven of them spread out in the area.

  Haru stayed close with Yachi, who was limited in how much

  he could help due to his injuries. The two of them, along with Sanja,

  remained in the open area of the rocky passage to further investigate

  the scene while the others went farther out.

  With their spiritual senses, the search went quick. In

  just a few minutes, they had completely checked the surrounding area,

  and they regrouped.

  “I don’t understand,” Yachi said. “Where are they?”

  “Not here, that much is clear,” Eung replied. “Maybe they

  survived and took off after killing the criminals? Went back to the

  citadel?”

  Sanja shook his head. “Unlikely. We took a quick, direct

  path here. The village is too close for them to take some sort of scenic

  route back. We would have seen them along the way.”

  Ryong, another member of Haru’s Iron Fist Squad, was the

  last to return. He was the squad scout and ranger. From atop the cliff

  wall of the rocky passage, he shouted, “I found something!”

  Haru reached the top in just two quick jumps, and the rest of the squad followed quickly after.

  “What did you find?” she asked.

  Ryong pointed off to the side. “Blood and drag marks. I suspect someone dragged the bodies away, toward the crag over there.”

  A sigh escaped Haru’s lips. She scanned the area.

  This feels beyond mere criminals.

  The state of the rocky passage and now bodies being dragged away and

  hidden suggests a cover-up.

  None of them acted, since they all realized there was more to the situation than initially expected.

  While the rest of the squad deliberated, Haru stared

  toward the crag, and she focused on her spiritual senses. She caught

  something. It was faint, but unmistakable. An intent.

  “Sanja, can you set up a formation to catch something out

  of the ordinary our spiritual senses might have missed?” she asked.

  Sanja wasn’t a formation master, but he had spent some time studying the

  arts, and he had picked up some useful things in the process.

  He wavered a little, but ultimately agreed.

  “I’ll try. Can’t promise anything though. My specialty is

  a simple Illusion Formation, but I might be able to change some things

  to make it amplify our surroundings instead.”

  Sanja went to work. He grabbed a few formations flags

  from his pack, and he set up a formation the width of a sparring

  platform. A circuit of natural essence flowed between the flags. A push

  of essence and intent activated the formation.

  “Alright. It’s done,” he said. “Keep quiet when you’re

  inside; I can’t guarantee that I didn’t mess something up that might

  cause issues if we make too much noise.”

  All of them stepped into the formation, and they stood as

  still as they could. They even held their breaths, which they could do

  for minutes at a time without any trouble.

  At first, nothing happened, then he adjusted the

  formation slightly, and a static noise appeared. Voices emerged from

  within the static.

  “…they get a little farther.”

  “They stopped. Why?”

  “No idea. Doesn’t matter. We left a

  perfect trail for them to follow, so just hold tight and be ready to

  fire as soon as they’re in range.”

  “Sir, the way they’re acting… It’s strange, it’s almost like they can hear us. See, there! They reacted.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense… But you might be right. No, you are right! Attack!”

  A massive, yellow arrow of essence, more

  like a javelin than an actual arrow, came flying down from the crag,

  having appeared out of thin air. It crashed into the formation, and it

  struck Sanja in the shoulder. The impact had him off the ground. He

  landed directly on a formation flag causing the entire formation to

  sputter out and vanish.

  Three more giant, yellow arrows shot out of nowhere,

  aimed at Haru and the others. This time, however, they were prepared,

  and they wielded their Movement Techniques to dodge.

  “Where are they!?” Eung questioned.

  “It’s a stealth shield! They’re on the side of the crag!

  This is an ambush!” Haru called out. She took cover behind a rock, as

  did the others. “Hwa! Get around them! Ryong! Break that stealth shield,

  then veer off and make sure there aren’t anyone or anything else

  waiting for us!”

  On her command, they all acted in unison.

  Hwa dashed up the mountain on the other side of the crag,

  and she continued off into the distance, completely disappearing from

  view.

  Ryong poked out from behind the rocky formation he used

  for cover, bow in hand. He fired an arrow of essence of his own. Though

  there was nothing to aim at, he shot at the top of the rugged rock face

  approximately where the enemy fire had come from.

  Crash

  It struck the cliff and caused massive stone debris to

  rain down the crag. The rocks and stone bricks vanished mid-air before

  they reached the ground, then another crash echoed through the region.

  The surface of the stealth shield warped and destabilized before

  breaking all together.

  Five men, all in green tactical clothes, came into view.

  They were crouched on the ground, wielding bows. The debris from the

  cliff had crushed the enchanted device that hid them, and nicked a

  coupled of them in the process.

  They kept firing arrow after arrow. The large,

  destructive attacks were replaced by smaller projectiles that pelted

  Haru and the others, preventing them from advancing.

  That didn’t stop them from trying. Haru finally had

  something to punch, and she wasn’t letting the opportunity go. She

  pushed her [Stone Skin] Technique to its limits, and she made a mad rush

  for the assailants. The remaining two members of her squad, Eung and

  Risan, did the same. Even Yachi, wounded and weaker than the others, ran

  across the hilly environment without concern for the arrows that came

  flying at them.

  “Shit! Keep your distance!” the leader of the assassins called out. “Trigger the traps!”

  They moved back, quickly, leaving the cliff face behind

  them as they moved to more steady terrain. As they retreated, their

  arrows never stopped. A couple of them hit enchanted traps hidden in the

  area, sending bursts of electricity and kinetic blasts flying at Haru

  and the others as they chased after them. Since they were prepared for

  the traps, and they had been triggered prematurely, they posed little

  danger. They were catching up. Even as arrows struck them like hails in a

  storm, they still moved faster than the assassins retreated.

  “Stop running and fight, you bastards!” Eung called out after them.

  They didn’t respond, but one of them, their leader, briefly stopped and loosened another powerful javelin-like arrow.

  It shot toward them much faster than any attack before

  it. Risan, the final member of Haru’s squad, couldn’t duck fast enough.

  His [Stone Skin] wasn’t strong enough either. The arrow tore straight

  through his stomach and forced him to a complete stop. He collapsed and

  clutched the hole in his torso, grunting in pain, as the wound bled

  profusely when the manifested essence of the arrow dissolved with the

  Skill no longer maintaining it.

  The others didn’t stop. Haru glanced over her should and

  made sure he wasn’t dead, for now at least, and then she only moved

  faster.

  They were close to the enemy leader, only a dozen meters

  or so, but as soon as he began running at full speed, his companions

  farther away stopped and launched a new series of powerful

  attacks to cover his retreat.

  Having just seen the devastating consequences of being

  hit directly by these attacks, Haru, Eung, and Yachi stopped and jumped

  to cover behind various rock formations.

  With them cornered, the assassins too stopped and continued their pestering assault.

  “How much essence to they have!?” Eung asked. “Surely they can’t keep this up much longer.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Their time is up either way,” Haru declared. Her spiritual sense told her victory was at hand.

  She activated her [Stone Skin], and she

  pushed it further than ever before. Most of her essence was channeled to

  fuel the Technique, taking her defense to new heights.

  Once ready, she dashed out from behind the corner and

  sprinted for the enemies. A dozen arrows struck her, yet they

  accomplished nothing. They were the weaker arrows, shot in almost a

  panic when she rounded the corner and rushed toward them. With that

  initial response settled, the heavier arrows returned. One came right

  for her, like the bolt of a ballista.

  Haru didn’t duck. She didn’t waver for a second. Her

  fist, practically glowing from the essence packed into it, struck the

  bolt head-on. Together with the [Stone Skin] Technique, Haru’s [Demonic

  Way Punch] crushed the arrow of essence into splinters which dissolved

  in the air moments later.

  She pushed on, running faster toward them.

  Seeing her crazed and fearless charge, terror struck the

  five attackers, and they turned and ran once more. By turning away, none

  of them saw the smirk on Haru’s face. Nor did they notice the metal rods

  on the ground.

  BOOM

  Four metal rods detonated. The mountain trembled and

  massive boulders were sent rolling down the mountain. A fireball rose

  into the sky.

  “Arrghhh!!”

  Screams echoed from within the flames.

  The explosion was powerful, but all five of the attackers

  were over level 50, and they had the Skills to survive both the impact

  and the heat. Though, not without severe injuries. All five had deep

  burns across their bodies.

  “Hahaha! Explosive enchantments! There ain’t nothing

  better!” Hwa stood at the very peak of the outer edges of the crag, just

  out of the blast radius, laughing maniacally as she enjoyed the show.

  When a couple of the attackers staggered to their feet and made to

  leave, she threw small explosive canisters after them with a deadly

  accuracy.

  Haru, Eung, and Yachi dashed in as soon as the fire

  settled. With a brutal efficiency, they killed four out of the five,

  leaving only their leader alive.

  They grabbed him, and threw him against a stone wall. The

  impact of his back against the stone sent cracks spreading throughout

  the cliff.

  “Who are you!? Where’s the rest of my squad!?” Yachi shouted as he ran up.

  The leader just laughed, too broken to truly resist yet remaining defiant.

  Haru signaled to Eung to hold Yachi back, and she crouched down to be eye to eye with the man.

  “Identify yourself,” she said.

  He met her gaze, and he straightened his spine, though it

  caused him tremendous pain, which he struggled to hide as he pretended

  everything was fine. “I am Gung Gibang, Leader of the Black Forest

  Guild, and you will get nothing else from me. Information is the only

  thing keeping me alive, so it doesn’t matter what you do, I will never

  speak.”

  Haru narrowed her eyes. This assassin, which was undoubtedly what he was, was playing mind games. Haru never liked mind games.

  “Understood,” she said in a monotone voice, then she punched him hard enough to break his skull. It killed him instantly.

  The others gasped, not having expected the resolute act.

  “Now what?” Eung asked.

  “We treat Risan’s wound, then we wait for Ryong to

  return, and hope that he found a clue to the location of the rest of

  Yachi’s squad,” she replied as he stood back up.

  Hwa laughed. The situation seemed to be nothing more than

  entertainment to her. Whether or not she actually didn’t care about her

  fellow Demonic Soldiers, or if she was just giddy after those

  explosions was something Haru didn’t bother with discerning.

  “It doesn’t actually matter what he might have said,

  right?” Hwa said. “I mean, they’re obviously assassins sent by either

  the Great Martial Alliance or some other nearby Group wanting to disrupt

  the cult’s progress and growth. They’re not the first, and they won’t

  be the last. The mist formation around Mansan has clearly forced them to

  be more creative than to just sneak in and try to kill some important

  people.”

  Eung scoffed, not so much at Hwa’s conclusion but at the assassin’s foolishness.

  “Creative is one word for it. They what… hired some fools

  to act as criminals to lure out a squad of Demonic Soldiers, and then

  used that squad to lure in higher ranked demons? They probably get a

  higher commission for higher ranked targets.”

  “Hwa’s right,” Haru said. “It doesn’t matter. This is

  just one attack out of many. What’s important is keeping our people

  safe. Let’s do a final sweep while we wait for Ryong.”

  They rummaged through the five assassins’ clothes and

  supplies. Anything of value was taken, not that there was much. The

  leader had some papers which suggested that there was a bounty set on

  members of the cult. It wasn’t anything new, but still disturbing to see

  them reaching this far.

  Ryong returned a short while later.

  “I found their camp, just over there. It was hidden pretty well. I… Uh. I also found some bodies.”

  Yachi jumped. “My squad!? Are they…”

  “Two of them were Demonic Soldiers, the rest I’m guessing were the criminals.”

  “Just two? So there are survivors!?” Yachi asked, excitedly.

  Haru placed a hand on his shoulder. “Calm yourself. We don’t know. Not yet. So let’s find out.”

  They scoured the area, and at the bottom of a nearby

  cliff, hidden by some dry shrubs lay three Demonic Soldiers. All three

  were wounded quite severely, but alive. Squad Leader Wui had managed to

  grab two of his men and jumped off the cliff to get away from the

  assassins. If Haru and her squad hadn’t arrived when they did, all three

  likely would have died.

  Haru and her Iron Fist Squad, at least those who were in

  good condition, carried the others all the way back to the Demonic

  Citadel.

  Once the others were taken care of, she wandered up to

  the top of the mountain, to the Temple of the Heavenly Demon to give a

  report regarding the assassins, and the bounties.

  She walked through the flower garden, which was somehow

  even more enchanting every time she saw it. The magnificent fragrances

  in the air as the breeze brushed past her skin, and the almost magical

  scene of the field of blooming flowers at the mountain peak, with the

  Stygian Nail Defying Heaven providing a backdrop in the distance.

  At the end of the walkway sat the Demon Lord in his

  gazebo, enjoying a cup of tea. The world itself seemed to worship at his

  feet. It sent a shiver down her spine. She knew just how hard she would

  have to work, how much she would have to to reach that level,

  and she loved every second of it.

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