Vera stood at the outskirts of the coalition camp. Today was the fifth hit-and-run attack he had employed. Although the goal was the same, the structure had changed significantly.
Unlike the last time, Vera spearheaded the attack. Zhuge Jin hid in the forest, in case the mystery master attacked.
His brows furrowed, Vera turned back from the camp and walked over to Jin.
"That expert is blocking off all the attacks. I don't know how, but they can tell exactly when I'm going to attack." Vera pulled out an engraved rock from his pocket and flung it in the direction of the camp. "They aren't chasing us with high-end forces either."
Jin walked out from the foliage; he was headed toward the makeshift camp.
"We've got a good number of their low-tier forces; the fight should be a lot easier now."
Vera rushed over from behind and caught up with Jin. "The whole thing smells. They gave up multiple low-tier members very easily."
Over the past five attacks, they only recently started defending. Exactly when there were only a hundred low-end members remaining. Very similar to the number Jin himself proposed.
Jin pushed away Vera as he tried to support him while walking.
"Ancient one—Jin—let me help your weary bones and carry you to camp."
A dull thud sounded as Jin's fist struck Vera's head firmly.
"There is always fire where there is smoke. They've given up the optimal number for us to make a frontal attack."
Vera turned to face Jin as he clutched his skull with a pained expression. "What if we block supply routes?" He rubbed the bump on his skull and continued. "Hit-and-runs aren't working—let's just smother their resources."
This time Jin smacked Vera's behind with his scabbard. "Unlike hit-and-runs, supply route attacks can be predicted and defended by experts. They've tightened the slack on their end; any more and retaliation should be expected."
Vera walked over to Jin's right side before he responded, "So should we just go ahead and engage in direct combat now?"
An orb of sparse qi formed on top of Jin's vacant sleeve. A boom filled the air as Vera rolled around on the ground holding his ears shut.
"Not exactly. We will attack frontally, but explosives will be used to whittle down the numbers. With the five recent hits and scouting missions, we have a rough idea of where the slaves are kept; it will be safe to use explosives in specified areas."
Crumpled up on the ground, Vera raised his head to look at Jin. "Why did you hit me? I wasn't completely wrong?"
Jin continued walking without bothering to respond; a subtle smirk formed on his face.
Vera, on the other hand, got up off the floor and dusted his robe. He hugged his chest and stared at Jin with a grin.
"My senior—my abuser."
Vera dashed back to camp as soon as he heard Jin unsheathe his sword. However, instead of chasing Vera, Jin turned to the coalition camp.
"You ugly fucker. Stop staring if you're not going to come out and fight."
The wind's currents grew in force; shrill whistles filled the forest. Jin's hand slipped down to the second sword tied to his belt. As the gleam in his eyes turned sharp, the air's cries halted. A sharp tsk permeated the forest; Jin turned back to the squad camp.
"What master? Too afraid to fight me head on… Doesn't matter now; I'll be coming for you soon."
***
Lin-yu stood at the forefront of the camp. The fourteen squad members lined up to listen to her commands.
"The western border of the Sixth Sector has been constrained for long enough! We know where their hostages are kept and have forces that can take care of those above the third rank."
With a swift motion she drew her sword. Its cold iron edge shimmered under the moonlight. Vera noticed the squad stop fidgeting as she spoke.
"Scouting team!" She called out, "What are your orders?"
Scout Tai stepped out of the line and bowed his head.
"My team and I are to locate hostile groups that aren't near slave holdings and clear them out with explosives."
He stepped back after Lin-yu confirmed his orders. The sword's edge shifted toward the next squad.
"Hunting Team! What are your orders?"
A team of five men stepped forward; each had a bow and quiver tied to their backs. Their representative, Gan-ma, took charge.
"We are to clear out stragglers from the scout group's attacks and periodically assist in attacks on high-tier forces."
Finally, Lin-yu's gaze shifted to Vera. Without a command, he stepped forward. His voice, though quiet, carried with ferocity.
"Those who remain will follow me in handling the high-tier forces." At his words the remaining three members walked over to his side. Lin-yu walked away from the camp gate and stood by Vera as well. Walking away from the cover of trees, Jin joined Vera's group. Without further ado, Lin-yu raised her sword to the sky.
"Head to your positions! Your signal will be when our fight begins!"
The hunting and scout team nodded silently; dark shadows shot out of the camp as the squads left for their positions.
Vera and his team members ran toward the western edge of the coalition camp. His halberd in his right arm and his body covered in Aspartese's armour, Vera turned to Lin-yu.
"It is still a guess, but I think they have the means to detect us. We're going to have to enter with a bang, causing as much chaos as possible for the other teams to do their jobs."
To this, Lin-yu responded, "The western edge doesn't have any hostage cells. We should be able to use area projectiles over there." She looked toward the group's navigator, Tai-yan. "How much longer until we reach the camp?"
Standing at the forefront of the group, Tai-yan responded without turning back. "We're almost there. Sharp right!"
Followed by a short gesture, he swivelled around a tree and dashed to his right. As the group ran through the canopy of trees, a line of wooden cabins appeared in their line of sight.
The moment Vera saw it, he whistled at the group and rushed over to nearby cover. The remaining members followed without hesitation.
He turned over to Jin. "You saw it as well, right?"
Jin peered over from the cover and looked at the ground. There were two lines of dimly lit engravings hidden under the mud. Each row stretched out as far as they could see.
"This is how they've been detecting your attacks. The first row is probably for detecting, and the second is to enact a shield."
A bright golden light erupted from Vera's palm, its intensity growing by the second. "We will get detected the moment we enter. Prepare range attacks so that we can take out the barrier and attack as soon as we pass the first line. Senior Jin, I'll have to rely on you for the barrier."
If Vera's assumptions were right, the master inside was of the Third Synergy. On the chance the barrier was erected by that person, it would be near impossible for the rest of the squad to break it.
At his request, everyone began building qi in their palms. Jin simply drew his sword; its edges vibrated as a dense red manifestation seeped through metal.
The squad member silently awed at the scene. Vera was also taken aback; however, it wasn't for the same reason as the rest. His eyes scanned at Jin's qi sword; in a moment he came to an understanding…
It's sharper than Father's.
As each member prepared their strike, they positioned themselves around Jin and walked to the first row of engravings.
The moment a single step was taken over the first line, the dim lights shone brightly. The engravings on the second row shot a golden light into the sky. Each ray of light melted in the air, coalescing with each other to form a barrier around the camp.
But this spectacle was short-lived…
Jin's sword thrust towards the barrier; its movement was a single red blur. The sound of glass shattering into myriad pieces filled the air; each shard was tinged with red at its corners.
Not a moment to waste in awe; the rest of the team dashed through the barrier. The names of six palm techniques lingered for a breath, soon to be overshadowed by bastions of qi.
The manifested energy of six strikes coalesced in the air, birthing a vibrant, yet destructive, force.
Roars resounded through the atmosphere as wind hurtled outwards. The sheer force of the strikes caused the air to turn viscous.
The foundation of every cabin was ripped out of the earth. Their structures shattered into pieces only to be scorched into ash as they flew. Bodies hurtled to the ground at ear-shattering speeds, crashing with tremendous force.
Before the debris had started to settle, each member rushed into the camp, preparing to kill those who were still alive.
Tendrils of qi escaped Vera's body, locating all living members. His brows furrowed as he created orbs of metal qi around him.
They were waiting for us!
Even One Law masters would turn to dust if not prepared for Vera's 'Incinerate'. Through the screens of ash, warriors with immolated skin rose; weapon in hand, they marched forwards. Although they were injured, they carried the resolve to fight to the death.
Just as Vera was about to fire another barrage of projectiles, multiple enemies charged toward him.
I'm being encircled.
He shifted his stance to a field guard and charged forward. The orbs of qi around him shot out indiscriminately.
Dull clangs and sparks filled the camp's western edge in a matter of seconds. This wasn't the same coalition Vera was familiar with. Every orb was warded off by a shield line. Spearheads shimmered from over the shield line, waiting to impale anyone who approached. His charge slowed for a breath; his right leg rose into the air.
I need to weaken their line of sight.
A heavy tremor shook the earth as his heel dug into the ground. Earth burst into a screen of debris. Vera used the momentum of his kick to pivot into another charge.
His visage turned into a blur of dust. The halberd swung anticlockwise, from his torso, over his head, cleaving over the shield line in a diagonal path.
The bladed edge of his weapon was lodged into a third-rank warrior's head. The remaining momentum scooped up the body, flinging him back along with his shield.
Multiple pikes thrust from the rest of the encirclement as Vera tried to circle back; those that reached bounced off the armour.
Vera got behind the shield line.
Cyan lights shot out from his fingertips, piercing the necks of those who weren't able to react on time.
Unexpectedly, the shield line didn't reform around him. The coalition members scattered from Vera's surroundings and moved on to other members.
I need to stop them! The others aren't used to this kind of fight.
However, before Vera could chase them—
His neck swung to the side violently. A rapier hissed past, slicing away the tip of his ear. He lowered his stance immediately and swung back. A woman dressed in black stepped back two paces, completely avoiding the halberd's reach.
That's the Swift Sword Law! How does the coalition have—
Blood spurted through Vera's mouth as his body crashed forward, tumbling through the ground.
The muscles over his back spasmed; a dull pain engulfed him. This strike was something he'd already encountered before.
His vision blurred as he stood up. In front of him was a slender woman and a bulky man. There was no denying it now.
Vera's grip tightened over his halberd as he steadied himself; he looked toward his opponents with a grimaced expression.
"Li Yue of the Swift Sword School and Gang Wu of the Iron Blanket School… What are you doing here?"
Both of them were One Law masters he had seen during the competition. Only now had it become clear how the Beggar Coalition was able to nurture members at and above the One-Law stage.
The mark of the Qilin on Vera's back bore a dull gold, its energy seeping into his body. The two masters walked up to Vera with leisure. Li Yue brought up her sword to Vera's right arm.
"You handled the one-on-ones extremely well. Let's see how you do with two against you."
Gang Wu walked over to Vera's left side, his club raised overhead.
Killing intent filled the air.
His teeth gritted, Vera shifted his stance to a steer guard. The cyan qi that ensconced his body was infected by a tinge of red. The scent of blood and guts seeped through his qi.
Just how involved was the third faction?