CHAPTER 106: THERE HE IS!

Cool air flew across the seats and faces of the spectators, filling them with sweat and open mouths.

Swallowing and trembling chair sounds filled the outside of the platform, both on the representatives’ side and the contestants.

Inside the platform, the two opponents stood there, dust spiraling around them like smoke.

Sweat soaked EK, the Iron Body Cult guy, falling on him like his own soul wanting to flee from his body.

Cracking his eyes open, Kai’s knuckles throbbed where they’d broken through skin and bone, then grinned.

Smell of rot and iron coated his nostrils as the strands of hair covering his face, which had the blood on, moved with the breezing wind passing through the little space between him and EK.

...

Leaves spun in the air, floating and drifting to where Jim and the armed men stood.

Metal shoveling sounds echoed in the air as all the men holding guns moved forward, closing in around Jim.

"We are not here solely for the kid, we’re here for the entire temple," Marcus said, his voice echoing like a thunder blast.

Jim shook his head, smiled, then unwrapped the black cloth wrapped around his waist, then turned toward the direction of the Wu Guan building.

"Let’s first go to where the lady is," he said, breathed, then moved toward the direction where Clara’s room was.

Wang moved forward, then gestured toward five of the armed men to follow.

The ground shook where their boots slammed. The air stilled, turning into that of a dead sea as they moved past the walls of the courtyard and turned.

...

At the far right side, Clara stood behind a huge pillar, nodding. She shook her head, then rushed out toward the Wu Guan building when she saw the nine men turn left.

Her heart throbbed in her chest as she cautiously sneaked past the armed men standing there like war giants.

Stopping by the closed gate of the Wu Guan, she clutched down and began panting heavily.

’We need to move out of here fast,’ she thought, raised herself, then stared at the closed door. When she neared the door, it automatically opened, and from inside were two guys arguing with themselves.

"...this is meaningless. That kid can’t just win just like that."

"...we all saw it, bro, or do you want to face him yourself?"

"...if we would be given the chance to redo this fight, or stand one on one with him, I would show him no mercy."

Clara kept her gaze locked on the blue-bearded man as the two guys moved past her.

When she entered through the door and shut it, the guys turned a sharp gaze, then chuckled.

"Isn’t that the boy’s sister?" the blue-bearded guy said, tightening his chin, letting the air he inhaled vaporize.

The beardless guy smiled, "Yeah, I know what you’re thinking." He laughed, placed a hand on the blue-bearded guy’s shoulder, then nodded.

Meanwhile, as Clara walked through the hallway of the Martial Hall, the only thing that echoed was her boots slamming on the ground and her harsh panting.

Spotting Kai move out of the platform, she rushed toward him, forgetting about the still faces turned at her.

"We need to leave, now!" she whispered in Kai’s ears, then dragged Kai to the side of the platform where another exit door was.

...

Bang.

A loud sound echoed as Jim pushed Clara’s door open with great force after knocking for several minutes.

"Damn, she’s not inside," he said, placed his left arm around his chin. "Where could she be?"

He nodded continuously as he thought of where the lady could go. But at that moment, his mind reeled on the face he spotted when he was meeting Marcus and his co. at the main entrance of the temple.

Jim closed his eyes, clenched his fist, then turned sharply. "She’s in the Martial Hall."

Wang, Marcus, and Kang exchanged confused faces, then exhaled.

"How didn’t we see her move toward that building?" Wang asked, a mixture of confusion and shock filling his voice.

"She was there but we didn’t see her. Let’s hurry before she and the kid exit from the building," Jim said, doubling his steps.

...

"Run... run away like they always do," the blue-bearded guy said, frowning as he saw the Shadow Cult kid and his sister move hastily toward them.

Clara didn’t say a thing but looked at the guys in a wild gaze which made them quiet in an instant.

The moment Clara and Kai reached the side of the building closest to the main entrance, they halted.

"Shit!" Clara said, becoming furious and confused as she spotted the armed men standing by the only entrance they could have escaped through.

"There should be another way," she added, placed her palms on the confused Kai’s shoulder, then gritted her teeth.

"Kai, remember this, no matter what, don’t look back," Clara said, her voice echoing with great pain.

Kai stood there trying to process the rate at which Clara’s behavior was turning strange.

But then, at that moment, he spotted Lieutenant Wang and Jim walking toward the Wu Guan building.

’What’s Lieutenant Wang doing here?’ Kai thought. His mind reeled on several reasons but found none.

The moment he spotted the yellow-eyed man also following the direction, all the reasons he thought of collapsed into one truth; they are here for me.

...

"Where is the boy!" Wang shouted as he entered the Martial Hall.

At first, his voice only echoed around him, Marcus, and Kang as cheering sounds burst out the moment he screamed.

But as the cheers died down, Marcus screeched the tip of his large sword on the floor, letting sparks flash in the air.

All movement stopped. Both in the spectators and the two contestants in the caged platform.

Catching their attention, Wang tilted his gaze at Marcus and smiled, then walked toward the three representatives beside the platform.

"Good afternoon," he said, greeting the three elderly men respectfully.

"Where is the boy?" Wang added, gritting his teeth. And when he heard no answer, he raised his long sword and placed it on the table the men sat beside.

"I won’t repeat myself," he said, tilting a sharp glance at the men who sat there not being consumed with any source of fear.

The Whispering Wind representative stood up, turned his gaze from the military man, and smiled when he spotted eight men standing by the entrance of the hall.

"Is there anything else you would do if we don’t give you what you’re demanding?" the man said, scraping his fingers through his white beard.

Wang’s face turned as irritation filled him completely. He turned a sharp gaze at Marcus, who stood in the far distance.

And when Marcus also turned toward the five men behind him, he smiled.

In an instant, shuffling sounds echoed from the spectators as the five armed men stretched their guns at them.

"I came looking for one person in peace, but if you play stubborn, everyone here will taste the feel of death!" Wang said, raising the sword and extending it toward the throat of the man standing.

"Talk of death, huh," the man said, giggling. He raised two fingers, placed them at the sharp edge of the sword at his neck, then moved out from the side of the table.

The moment he closed in on Wang, a firing sound echoed, jolting the remaining two men who sat there, their faces stuck between smiling and grinning.

The Radiant Palm spectators rushed forward to the person at whom the armed men fired.

One guy placed his hand on the spot on the guy’s neck, holding it hard enough to stop the blood from oozing out.

"...carry him to the healing chamber."

"...he’ll die when I remove my hand."

"...so what should we do then?"

"...he’s already dead, just leave him."

As one of the armed men’s voices echoed, all the spectators tilted an angry face at them. And for a split second, all the Radiant Palm members rushed at the five men.

Crashing sounds echoed as the five men began firing at those rushing at them.

"Just cooperate, and they will stop," Wang said, forcefully letting the pushed sword move back to the throat of the man.

Even after getting scratched by the blade as it touched his throat the second time, the man shook his head and smiled.

"Unless I’m dead," he said, clenched his fist, and pushed the sword forward.

"So be it!" Wang grinned and stepped two steps back.

In that instant, all the spectators began rushing toward the nine men.

When Kang drew the golden sword, he looked at Marcus, then smiled. "I can’t wait to see monks turn to zombies."

Marcus tightened his fingers around the handle of the sword, then moved toward those turning to his direction.

...

Outside the Wu Guan, Jim cracked his eyes open as he heard crashing and firing sounds echo from the inside.

"I knew it," he said, moved from the wall he leaned on, and smiled.

But at that moment, relief fell on him as he spotted Clara trying to sneak her way through the armed men at the gate.

"Thought you were sneaking out with him, huh," he said, touched the bead wrapped around his left arm, then dashed forward.

...

Beside Clara, Kai stopped as he heard a familiar footstep closing in on them, then turned.

When Clara also turned and saw the man she saw walking toward them, she tightened her grip on Kai’s arm and shoved him forward.

"Run, Kai, run now!" she said, her voice echoing loudly as she increased her steps.