Chapter 233: I Greet

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    Liu Jin and Han furiously attack each other. The force of their blows is enough to tear down nearby buildings.

    Hans aura screeches like metal grinding against metal. It takes the shape of hundreds of knives that attack everything around him like a pack of starving dogs. Because he has no care for the people, Han is free to exert his full power. Liu Jin does not dare to imagine how many people would have already died had he not done his best to scare everyone away with his aura before the fight began.

    There is, Liu Jin supposes, a certain freedom in being able to cut yourself off from everyone. Han is not wrong when he says that Liu Jin has chained himself by trying to protect others.

    If Liu Jin did not care about the people, he wouldnt have had so much trouble fulfilling Murong Bangs orders. He would have either killed everyone in the Brotherhood or everyone in the Lei Clan. Either would have worked. At every point, he would have been able to act with greater freedom. Hed already be focusing on the Death Fashioning Scripture instead of having wasted so much time.

    He has known it all this time, so he can understand Hans thought process.

    And yet, what does it matter?

    Acting like that is still unacceptable to him.

    Han fires a Qi blade in the direction of the city gates. Liu Jins aura rises to block it, taking the shape of a giant snake. It moves fluidly, far more than any of Hans attacks, intercepting and canceling out his technique.

    Han appears behind him, his aura sharpened into a perfect blade.

    The ground under his feet breaks.

    Han is forced to jump away as one of Liu Jins snakes rises from the ground, its jaw open wide enough that it would have swallowed Han whole had he been a little slower. It is not the only one. Four other snakes just as large rise from different spots in the city. Two move to block the way to the city gates. The other three lay down their massive bodies around the area damaged by their fight, effectively cordoning it off.

    Han looks amazed. When did you have time to make those?

    When you were too busy talking, Liu Jin replies. You should learn to pay attention to others when you talk. Perhaps it would be better if you didnt talk at all.

    Talking during battle is the privilege of the strong.

    I will endeavor to exercise that privilege then.

    Han fires off a Qi blade. That way it tears through the ground reminds Liu Jin of a sharks fin cutting through the water. He calculates its potential trajectory, sees it will not hit anyone, and dodges. Of course, that is nothing that Han did not expect. His foe is already moving swiftly to intercept him.

    Somehow Han is even faster than when the fight began. Wherever Han goes, he leaves behind a thin line on the ground, as if a blade were marking his path. His hand is already moving to pierce Liu Jins chest the moment he reaches his highest acceleration.

    [Art of the Roaming Thief]

    Han goes right through Liu Jin but finds neither flesh nor blood. Han might be becoming faster, but only when traveling in a straight line. Art of the Roaming Thief has no such limitations.

    Even so, that there is a new cut in Liu Jins robes is worrying.

    Han roars and his Qi explodes in multiple blades that fly in all directions. As Liu Jin easily flows between them, he wonders if Hans improved speed might be due to his Dao. Like it or not, Han is much further along his Dao than he is, and Dao might just be the determining factor in this fight.

    That being the case

    Liu Jin swiftly turns on his heel, surprising Han, who had been chasing after him, and dashes to attack.

    [Ground Contraction]

    He speeds up. Han eagerly welcomes him with hundreds of knives, but a giant Qi snake surges from Liu Jins aura and swallows them all as it advances on Han. Not backing down, Han speeds up and fires off a giant Qi blade. There is so much power concentrated in it that it is almost blinding.

    The head of Liu Jins construct is sliced off.

    [Ground Contraction]

    Even so, Liu Jin does not stop. He stacks Ground Contractions on top of each other. Altering the angle of his charge just enough for Hans attack to miss him by millimeters.

    Han does not stop.

    Neither does Liu Jin.

    The two charge at each other at top speed, Hans body sharpening into the mightiest blade and drops of poison seeping into Liu Jins aura.

    The air screeches.

    Once again, Liu Jin is subjected to the weird feeling of being inside a picture that is torn in half. The clash that would have doubtlessly resulted in grievous injuries for both sides now has both fighters several inches off course. Liu Jin is in no position to hit Han.

    Han is in a position to strike Liu Jin.

    [Ground Contraction]

    He has killed entirely too many people, by word and deed, to call himself a proper doctor.

    A long time ago, Lu Mei told him he did not like people. That he cared for them as an abstract concept but not as individuals. Uncomfortable as it is to admit it, she may have had a point. Liu Jin is trying to do good by the people in his army, but he cannot say he likes any of them. In fact, had they met under different circumstances, hed probably hate them.

    He can be kind to people like Rust and Nail because hes strong. If they were equally weak, he probably wouldnt like them. If he were weaker than them, if he were another beggar in the streets, theyd probably try to take advantage of him.

    That is how most people are.

    That is how the world is.

    How annoying it is that it is easier to think of what he is against than what he embodies. Then again, how could it possibly be any other way?

    Liu Jin did not dedicate his life to doing something he loves.

    He dedicated his life to stopping what he hates.

    Your desperation is obvious! Han yells, managing to dodge his way to him and engaging him in close combat.

    Maybe thats why Han makes him so angry. The Dao he has chosen is simply another expression of this world.

    It is meaningless.

    It is empty.

    It is

    His soul expands.

    The world fades away. There is no Rainstorm City. There are no civilians or Lei Clan soldiers. There is just Liu Jin and Han locked in combat, inky blackness all around them.

    What? Han looks around, startled. What is this?!

    For a moment, he has forgotten hes in the middle of a fight. Liu Jin does not let it go to waste. White Poisonous Qi blooms around him in force.

    His attack is too quick. Too sudden. Han is still disoriented. He cannot dodge, so he calls upon his Dao instead.

    Reality quivers for a second.

    Liu Jins hand goes right through Hans chest.

    ...How? Han looks at him in incomprehension. He can do no more. Liu Jins poisonous Qi floods his body in the blink of an eye. He can feel Hans flesh trying to regenerate around his hand, but its already too late.

    Till the very end, Han does not understand why he is dying. He does not understand what Liu Jin grasps by instinct. Hans technique cannot work in this place.

    It is Hollow.

    Han falls dead. The darkness falls like water that cannot keep its shape once it has left its container. Liu Jin breathes heavily. He looks at Hans dead body for several seconds.

    Do you really mean to attack me?

    The soldiers that had been poorly trying to sneak up on him flinch. Some even fall on their backs when they try to run away.

    I see not all of you were assigned to try to capture Lu Mei. That was your good fortune, Liu Jin says. Do not waste it. I dont believe Id lose to you.

    To emphasize his point, Liu Jin allows lightning to rage around him. The white lightning flickers for a moment before shining brilliant gold. He was never able to do it during training. Even when fighting Han, the power escaped him. Now, it feels completely natural. The gold sparks shine beautifully around him, making the soldiers pale with fear.

    That is when something goes wrong.

    The lightning cracks and rages out of Liu Jins control. The soldiers closest to him are killed instantly. Liu Jin struggles to control it, but it feels like its not even his lightning anymore.

    Gold turns to purple.

    A massive bolt rises from the ground and howls into the sky, piercing even the clouds.

    Once more, Rainstorm City disappears. However, there is no inky blackness around Liu Jin but clouds and thunder. It is as if hes been thrown in the middle of a storm.

    A storm that glares at him with eyes as crimson as his own.

    I greet the newest whelp of my bloodline.

    ~~~