“So this is Isho Nel,” Lei stated loudly. He slipped his steel-tipped knuckles on, his familiar eager grin spreading wide. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Placid eyes surveyed Lei. “And you are?”

  Lei spread his arms wide. “Hou Lei of Yellow Dome City! Former junior disciple of the Eight Oaths Resolve Martial School!”

  “New members of the Collective Liberation Alliance?” Isho Nel asked, ignoring Lei’s introduction.

  “Allies of Wen Mei,” Ishin answered, resting his spear along a shoulder.

  “She replaced her friends so quickly,” Isho Nel’s female companion quipped. “How cold, even for a Wen.”

  “What do you want?” Wen Mei asked, not rising to the bait. Ishin was impressed by her control. “A fight?”

  “Your pills,” Isho Nel answered. “Leave them and I’ll let you keep your new friends.”

  Wen Mei’s lips twisted in consideration.

  Is she really considering this?

  Ishin opened his third eye to assess the three foes. Isho Nel was at the sixth layer of the Initial Realm like Wen Mei. His chakra was an amalgamation of pale green and deep purple. Ishin didn’t recognize that qi aspect.

  Not one of the primary eight elements?

  When he looked at the other two, he saw that they were also each at the sixth layer of the Initial Realm. The woman’s chakra was the familiar color of wood qi. The man with the flute, though, also possessed a qi aspect Ishin had never seen before—pale purple-white.

  Ishin ground his teeth. He didn’t like not knowing the capabilities of most of his opponents. Worse, everyone in their group, aside from Wen Mei and himself, possessed qi aspected to one of the primary eight elements, making them known variables.

  From their tone, it’s clear they’re familiar with Wen Mei. They must know about her ice qi. That just leaves me.

  “Arrogant claim when you’re outnumbered,” Lei countered.

  “It doesn’t matter how many of you there are,” Isho Nel replied calmly. “The weak don’t matter when it comes to numbers.” He shifted his attention to Wen Mei. “Your alliance learned that the hard way.”

  Wen Mei clenched her fists in restrained anger. “Why? Why did you kill them?” Wen Mei ground out.

  Isho Nel’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “Don’t play the fool, Wen Mei.” He made a gesture at his bandaged face. “Your dishonorable alliance lacked the strength to fight me one on one, but like rats you used your numbers to mar your betters. Consider this karma.”

  “I…you want vengeance for what happened two months ago?”

  “Yes.” Isho Nel snarled. “When we assailed your camp at night, it proved how worthless your alliance actually was. They were weak. Brave when they all ambushed me ten to one, but when the tables to turn and they were hunted they ran like the cowards they were. The Crimson Abyss Sect only wants the strong and your alliance was weak. I merely proved that.”

  “Enough,” Wei Long interjected. He knocked an arrow and aimed at Isho Nel. “We aren’t weak. Leave now.”

  Well said, Wei Long.

  Ishin pointed his spear at the other candidates and noticed the rest of their comrades readying for battle as well.

  “Fine by me.”

  In a fluid motion, Isho Nel drew his swords and darted forward at the group. Wei Long loosed his arrow at the bandaged swordsman. Isho Nel deflected the arrow with a blade, knocking it aside moments before it burst into flames. With outstanding speed, he was among their group.

  Ishin moved to strike with his spear, but he nearly fell, his legs entangled by strong vines. He shot out a hand to avoid collapsing onto the ground entirely, but he’d lost track of Isho Nel in the process. Ishin stabbed into the vines around his legs, breaking free, and glared at the obvious source of the technique. The wood cultivator offered him a condescending smile.

  “Ah,” Ishin heard Lei groan.

  He looked to find his friend jumping back in the nick of time to avoid another slash of Isho Nel’s blade. A nasty cut spread across Lei’s upper left arm, blood flowing freely. His friend hopped in place, arms raised for battle.

  “Quick, but let’s see how you handle this!”

  Empowered by his Red Flow Current technique, Lei fell upon Isho Nel. He executed a series of quick punches, each carrying enough strength to crush bone. Isho Nel managed to avoid the first three jabs, but the fourth landed. The swordsman brought up both blades to intercept the punch aimed at his gut, but the force of the strike pushed him back several feet.

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  “Not bad, but you should be finished now.”

  Lei confidently smiled at his opponent. “What’re you—” His words were cut off as he fell to his knees. Violent coughs escaped Lei, accompanied by mouthfuls of blood.

  “Lei!”

  It didn’t make any sense. He’d been cut but the damage didn’t appear too sever. What was happening to Lei?

  Turning, Ishin noticed a faint sickly green aura radiating around Isho Nel’s blades.

  A technique? Poison. It has to be. Coward!

  Ishin charged at Isho Nel, but he wasn’t the only one. Tan Chen joined him, approaching from the other side. A flaming arrow flew between them as they advanced, and this time Isho Nel moved to the side, the burning arrow striking the tree behind.

  Together, Ishin and Tan Chen attacked Isho Nel. He parried Ishin’s first strike with a blade and then swiped at Tan Chen, forcing the blue-haired wind cultivator to move back before her punch could land.

  Around them, a different battle was unfolding. Fists of darkness impacted lashing vines, as shards of ice were deflected by a flute. Wei Long ran beside Lei, offering what little assistance he could. Six dispersed his coins to create a defensive barrier between Isho Nel’s descending blade and Ishin’s head. The coins then burst into brilliant light, blinding everyone around.

  Thanks, Six!

  Ishin used the distraction to thrust at Isho Nel’s torso. The swordsman pivoted to the side, causing Ishin’s spear to only graze his ribs. He spun his swords around, creating a whirlwind of blades that prevented any further assault.

  He’s skilled. Very skilled.

  Ishin chose a different approach. He pointed two fingers at Isho Nel’s spinning form. Indigo lightning manifested at his fingertips. Isho Nel’s swords wouldn’t be able to block this. But an unsettling melody spread through the forest before he could release the technique. It was calming—pleasant, even. Ishin felt his muscles relax and his qi still. The indigo lightning began to diminish. Drowsiness washed over him, an overwhelming desire to sleep.

  Isho Nel ceased his rotation and leapt at Ishin, blades pointed at his heart. Still sluggish, Ishin couldn’t react in time.

  Six moved between them, Isho Nel’s swords piercing through the bald-headed eccentric at both the heart and stomach. Ishin stared in disbelief.

  Six.

  “Brave,” Isho Nel complimented.

  Six clasped both hands on Isho Nel’s shoulders. “Sacrifice.”

  His body began to illuminate with a bright red light before it became fully engulfed in energy, blinding Ishin. When the light cleared, the melody had quieted and Isho Nel was covered in ash and panting. All traces of Six were gone.

  Ishin didn’t know what to feel. Six had just saved his life but was now dead. He hadn’t known the eccentric for long, but they were still allies who had shed blood together. Ishin’s inner beast roared with rage, and Ishin decided to oblige it.

  He ran at Isho Nel, making multiple thrusts with devastating speed at the fiend. Isho Nel managed to parry each thrust with his two weapons but wasn’t able to counterattack.

  Tan Chen then appeared at Isho Nel’s side and slammed a fist surrounded by a cyclone into his exposed flank. The swordsman was blasted several yards away, tumbling onto the ground. Remarkably, he managed to roll to his feet quickly, bringing both swords up in ready defense.

  “Sorry,” Tan Chen offered between heavy breaths. “Can’t let you have all the fun.”

  “As long as we kill him, I don’t care.”

  A high-pitched note stabbed pain into Ishin’s ears, halting any further attack. His eyes almost closed from the agony as he fought the urge to cover his ears.

  What the hell?

  Isho Nel rose, evidently unbothered by the agonizing sound. He walked backward into the forest, accompanied by his two comrades. Ishin saw the flute cultivator continue to play his instrument as they departed. Both he and the wood cultivator appeared unharmed.

  As much as Ishin wanted to pursue them, the constant irritation of that music prevented him from functioning properly. It would be death to attack while that technique was still active. Before long, the three were out of sight and the sound ceased. Once it ended, Ishin’s muscles untensed, and cold sweat covered his body.

  “Bastards,” Tan Chen remarked. She looked at where Six had once stood. “Is he really gone?”

  Ishin examined the site of the explosion of light. There was no trace of flesh, blood, or gore of any kind that he’d expect from such a violent end. Instead, there was merely a thin layer of ash on the ground.

  “I don’t know.” But he knew that was just wishful thinking. “I think so.”

  “Ishin!” Rhee screamed.

  His head snapped forward to find Rhee cradling Lei on her lap. Disgusting black veins were now visible around the gash on Lei’s upper arm. The still-flowing blood had turned a sickly green.

  Lei!

  Ishin ran over and knelt beside Rhee. Up close, he saw Lei’s body shaking, his face sweating profusely.

  “What’s happening?” Lei asked shakily, eyes filled with concern.

  “I…I don’t know,” Rhee answered helplessly. “Water—does anyone have any water?”

  Ishin looked for Wen Mei, who was hurrying over. “Wen Mei, do you have any more of that elixir?”

  “It won’t work on this,” she said helplessly. “It’s poison. I don’t have an antidote. I’m sorry.”

  “There has to be a way!” Ishin insisted.

  He looked back to Lei’s trembling body. Six was dead. He wouldn’t lose Lei as well.

  Tan Chen slid beside Rhee and pulled out a water skin. “Here!”

  Rhee pressed it to Lei’s lips. He drank, but then immediately coughed it up, blood mixing with the contents.

  “No, no, no!” Rhee said. “Lei, you have to drink. You can’t die here!”

  “It’s alright, Sister Rhee,” Lei managed. His eyes drifted shut. “I walked a good path. Fought in the tournament and was even recruited by a Grand Sect. I got to meet all of you too.”

  “You’re not dying!” Rhee insisted.

  “Kill that bastard for me, will you?” Lei asked, his typical grin returning. The shaking began to lessen. “You and Ishin take care of each other too.”

  Ishin placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We will, Brother Lei.”

  “Good,” Lei whispered before his breathing stopped. His body went still.

  A scream of pure anguish escaped Rhee. Ishin closed his eyes and felt tears fall at the loss of the first friend he’d made since leaving the Nine Striped Hills.