Xu Que's blood-red eyes blazed as if he had clawed his way from the depths of hell itself; with each step he took, the very air around him seemed to crackle and explode.
Were anyone able to monitor Xu Que's current stats, they would be horrified, for his abilities had surged to nearly A-level in an instant.
Xia exhaled a plume of black smoke, waving his staff furiously to unleash dark magic upon Xu Que. But Xu Que's gaze was frigid, terrifyingly calm, and with his sword in hand, he blocked every serpent spell effortlessly.
Although the Returning Sword Technique appeared simple, it demanded great skill to deflect magic. But now, Xu Que was different; vengeance had consumed him, and in his eyes, the serpent before him was none other than Ji Boda and his treacherous ilk.
Xia grew increasingly alarmed, his staff emanating an eerie green glow. As Xu Que approached, Xia unleashed Stone Gaze, his black pupils freezing the air between them. Yet, in that same instant, Xu Que's black sword came slicing down.
With a resounding "crack," Xia's staff shattered in two, while Xu Que stood immovable, eyes locked forward.
Enraged, Xia lunged at Xu Que, baring his fangs toward his neck.
"Boom!"
Just as Xia closed in, a searing pain shot through his abdomen. He looked at Xu Que in disbelief; how had this prey, immobilized by his Stone Gaze, regained his senses?
Xu Que leaned in, murmuring into Xia's ear—whether or not Xia understood, it didn't matter—before he swung his sword.
With a sickening "splat," Xu Que's Severing Slash struck true, decapitating Xia in a spray of blue blood.
Snapping back to himself, Xu Que was astonished by the intensity; he hadn't anticipated dark magic to amplify his inner rage so drastically. In the brief moment he paused, however, a massive claw came hurtling toward him.
"Crash!"
Like a discarded rag, Xu Que flew backward, sprawling across the ground. A bear-like humanoid beast bellowed with rage, charging forward once more.
Dazed, Xu Que staggered upright, cursing himself for mulling over the dark magic's effects while a C-level beast launched him across the battlefield. Luckily, his D-grade armor had absorbed much of the impact—otherwise, he'd be dead already.
Dodging the beast's massive claws, Xu Que countered, beheading it with a swift strike. He swiftly retrieved three glowing orbs from Xia's remains and dashed toward the eastern defense line.
But the eastern defenses had already crumbled; countless soldiers lay scattered amid the beasts' corpses. Xu Que had no time for mourning—no time to bury the dead. The battle raged on, and if he didn't hurry, more lives would be lost.
He knew well that he wasn't a savior, nor did he desire to be one.
With ruthless efficiency, he cut down the advancing beasts, whether bear-like or serpentine—all were doomed in his sight.
Yet with each strike, his stamina waned.
Just as he prepared to rest, a captain in full uniform ran up, shouting, "Xu Que, I command you to immediately proceed to the southwest for reinforcements!"
Xu Que glanced at him, sheathed his sword, and, without a word, turned to leave.
Seeing Xu Que walk away, the captain furiously raised his pistol, "Xu Que, you deserter—how dare you defy orders?"
Xu Que turned, his gaze icy. "If you weren't in uniform, you'd be dead already."
"What do you mean by that?" the captain barked. "The higher-ups sent you here to—"
Before he could finish, Xu Que interrupted, "First, I'm not your soldier. Second, I have no obligation to clean up your mess. Remember, *you* requested my presence."
Arrogant men like him, Xu Que thought, were all too common. Useless as they were, they wielded authority as though it were a weapon. Did they think he had no temper?
Should he truly be provoked, he'd raze this entire city in a single night.
As he began to leave, a gunshot rang out behind him. Xu Que turned to see Ye Hu, who had just fired, saluting him with an apology.
Xu Que looked from the fallen captain to Ye Hu, who replied, "I know you're the only one who can help us now."
"Aren't you worried about the consequences?" Xu Que asked curiously.
"Consequences?" Ye Hu scoffed. "He was a bureaucrat who had never faced real danger, only fit for shouting orders from the sidelines."
Xu Que nodded, having already guessed as much from the man's clean uniform and lack of battle scars.
"Please, Xu Que, assist with the creatures in the southwest," Ye Hu requested earnestly.
Xu Que gave a slight smile, sitting down cross-legged before Ye Hu, drawing power from a crystal in hand. Ye Hu realized Xu Que hadn't rushed to the southwest because he needed to recover.
Meanwhile, the southwestern defenses were being overrun. Though Xu Que had cleared two other sectors, this section's forces were struggling to hold the line against twenty C-level creatures. Artillery bombardment only served to delay the beasts' advance.
Finally, after five long minutes, Xu Que appeared.
With two devastating Blade Techniques, he dispatched the creatures swiftly.
"Thank you," Ye Hu saluted, relief clear in his eyes.
"No need," Xu Que replied tersely, stepping onto his black sword and gliding away. There was something in the western sector that concerned him far more—a dimension rift of A-level threat.
Reaching the western defenses, Xu Que spotted Kun Shao fighting a ghostly demon toad. He applauded as Kun Shao landed a devastating punch, finishing off the beast.
"Impressive," Xu Que remarked.
Kun Shao grinned. "Piece of cake. I took down two demon toads before you even got here!"
Xu Que ignored the bragging. "Where's Zhao Ge?"
"Over there," Kun Shao gestured, indicating a broken-down car. "He took out eight demon toads on his own and got worn out."
Smirking, Xu Que approached Zhao Ge, placing a Greed Crystal before him.
Sensing its potent aura, Zhao Ge opened his eyes, "Is the harbor secure?"
Zhao Ge's question, driven by concern for the harbor, took Xu Que by surprise.
"For now," Xu Que replied. "But I suspect the officials will be sending more people in the future."
Zhao Ge nodded, taking Xu Que's words to mean they might need to defend their territory against intruders.
"I have a mission for you," Xu Que said with a serious tone. "Want to try it?"
"What's the task?" Zhao Ge asked.
"Clear the northern rift."
Seeing Zhao Ge's stunned expression, Xu Que added, "It's a D-level zone. Recruit some men, gain experience, and prepare for future operations."
"Understood," Zhao Ge replied.
"Aren't you curious why I'm asking?" Xu Que asked, intrigued.
Zhao Ge smiled. "I trust you."