Having taken the beast cores and pills, Isshin sat cross-legged in his room, enveloped in the dissipating warmth of golden qi. He could sense the orbs taking effect—his energy coursed with every breath, his body growing stronger, more condensed. Yet there was no breakthrough.
Raijin remained silent as Isshin ended his cultivation. The golden aura that once danced around him dimmed into stillness. "No progress," Isshin muttered to himself. "But it's not a loss."
It was late in the afternoon when Isshin joined Rune and Karin close to the middle of the sect. They went to have a meal at one of the little inns along the stone path that skirted the training grounds. The inn was a small building with old creaking wooden beams and the subtle scent of stew wafting through it. The three sat in a corner table, eating silently.
Across the room, a group of three strangers—a trio of weathered cultivators in travel-stained cloaks—spoke just loudly enough for their words to carry through the gentle hum of conversation.
"…they say he's already destroyed two outer sects on the border."
That monster? The Dual Fist Demon?
Yeah. And, as it happens, someone put a price on a disciple from this school. No clue who, but the Demon's headed our way.
What about the others?
"He's not even heading straight for the bounty. He's going to incinerate the whole village first. Just for kicks."
Rune paused mid-bite. Karin leaned in closer.
Who is the Dual Fist Demon?" Rune whispered.
"No idea," Karin answered, her voice strained.
Isshin's face clouded. "Let's move.
They pushed their plates halfway and got up from the inn in silence. The village beyond the sect wall was still—too still. They walked briskly towards the edge of the village, where there was an open field that marked the perimeter of the forest.
The clouds were low over the hills, and the grass swayed in the breeze. That's when they spotted him.
A figure of a man in a black cloak stood solitary in the field. His black hair was long and blew in the wind, and his skin resembled parchment pulled over bones. His eyes—black without any tinge of any other color—were devoid of light or pity. It seemed as though he had been dead a thousand years.
Isshin tried to scan him.
[Analyzing target.]
[Error: Cannot read level.]
Isshin's stomach plummeted.
"Run," he ordered brusquely. "Both of you. Now."
But the man was too quick. His hand shot toward Isshin's neck. Isshin just avoided it, flipping backwards. Before he could land, the man came again—like a shadow moving across light.
Isshin greeted him with a Thunder Qi Palm, lightning bursting from his palm, but the Demon hardly reacted. His hand closed around Isshin's throat, suspending him in the air.
Rune summoned a golem to strike from behind, but a massive black hand made of dark qi erupted from the Demon's back and crushed the golem mid-swing. Karin launched her string technique, wrapping the Demon's arm and suppressing his grip momentarily.
Isshin compelled Raijin's Thunder Qi into the Demon's arm, the golden current flashing fiercely. The man cried out and released him, stepping back.
Then he laughed.
Low at first, then rising like a crescendo of madness.
They attempted to escape, but the man's back tore open and two new arms of black qi reached out like snakes towards them. Isshin answered with Thunder Spear Barrage—his finishing technique. Lightning blades burst out, detonating around the Demon—but were batted aside.
Karin drew her black sword and swung to the side. The Demon finally defended using his own arms, while Rune fired a volley of qi bullets—Machine Shot Pulse. But an eye materialized out of the Demon's side, and it devoured all the bullets like a void.
They were hurled back once more, bodies bruised and burned.
Isshin coughed and stumbled to his feet. "He's toying with us…
Raijin's voice rang sharply in his mind, no longer serene.
Call them. I don't care if your little secret is revealed—summon the undead!
Isshin didn't hold back. He used his Necromancy Qi and called upon more than two hundred undead beasts and soldiers from the Skeleton King's army.
Bone and shadow monsters emerged from the earth and rushed at the Demon. Rune and Karin seemed shocked, but they did not squander the opportunity—starting to fall back.
The Demon slew the undead one by one, tearing through them with deadly grace. But as he fought, he noticed their movements—strategic, unstoppable—and his brow creased. In a burst of speed, he stopped fighting and ran for Isshin.
Isshin employed Flash Step, reappearing thirty feet away—but it was not sufficient.
The Demon seized him again, fist closing around Isshin's neck.
If either of you move," he said icily to Rune and Karin, "he dies.
Rune stiffened. Karin clenched her fists, her sword trembling.
Isshin breathed heavily. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.
Raijin's voice cried out in despair.
"Don't do it. Don't even consider it. That way will kill me!"
But there was no choice for Isshin. His body started glowing with golden lightning, and blood oozed from his nose and ears.
Final Flow Technique…? Have you gone mad!?" Raijin bellowed.
That's the trick sealed immortals employ to shatter their own chains! You will die if you use it!
Yet Isshin did not respond. His heart pounded, eyes shining gold. His whole body quivered.
"Go…" he whispered. "He'll kill you anyway."
Rune shook his head. "Don't!"
But it was too late.
The thunder within Isshin swelled like a tidal wave. His golden qi blazed with Raijin's divine energy. The Demon's grasp weakened for a fraction of a second. He seemed bewildered—then frightened.
"This isn't possible…"
A silent flash erupted across the sky. Thunder rolled in slow motion. The clouds parted like curtains.
A golden explosion—quiet but colossal—erased the entire field.
Light swallowed everything.
And when the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but a piece of torn cloth, fluttering in the breeze.
The view was sufficient for each and every member of the sect to come and see, But it was too late.
"Isshin." Karin whispered But there was no answer. Nothing but the golden echoes of a boy who sacrificed all to save them.