Although the young man had comprehended tribulation fire, he also had a faint understanding of the other aspects of fire. The rebirth flame represented the ability of fire to transform wood into ash and ash into soil. It supported the cycle of life and death so the young man wasn't surprised by its effect of boosting Elder Lut's regeneration while draining his vitality. However, fighting him with the laws of fire would be the last mistake of Elder Lut.
The young man summoned tribulation fire. Elder Lut was surprised that he also comprehended the laws of fire, but Elder Lut was confident that he wouldn't lose since his opponent seemed too young. His talent was undeniable, but even the most talented needed time to comprehend the natural laws.
"Hmph, arrogance!"
Elder Lut charged at the young man once more, but this time Shui intercepted him with a fireball made of tribulation fire.
"Tribulation of Strength."
Elder Lut recognised the tribulation flame, so he planned to deflect it with his rebirth flame, but when the two flames collided, the tribulation fireball simply broke through. Their levels of comprehension of the laws of fire were similar, but the young man used divine energy to cast the fireball, so it was easily able to overcome the rebirth flame.
"Wha— Ah!!!"
The gap in energy cultivation between them was wide, but in body cultivation, Elder Lut wasn't even fit to carry the young man's slippers. Though the rebirth flame worked hard to keep him alive, it only extended his suffering.
"Ahghgh! Aughgh! Ahhhh!"
Until the very last bit of his energy was used up, Elder Lut burnt alive.
"Is he really dead?"
Looking at the ash left of Elder Lut, Mayor Henry was still uncertain because of how easy it seemed.
"He's dead. Even the real phoenix can't revive after failing its tribulation, and he's no better."
"...Good."
Mayor Henry turned to look at the scene left after the battle. The terrain had changed quite a bit, but only the three from the Blaze Union had been killed. Mayor Henry was about to thank Shui for his assistance, but when he turned to find him, he had already vanished.
"Benefactor?"
Guessing that he had other business to attend to, Mayor Henry gathered the remains of the Blaze Union leaders and went to put an end to this conflict. He went to the front of the city, where the rest of the Blaze Union were gathered, and presented the ash along with the two corpses.
While the mayor was dealing with the rest of the Blaze Union, Shui entered Cyrus to see his loved ones. Lily had already informed him that everyone was alright and Kate had returned to them after dispatching the Blaze Union members left inside the city, but his heart was still heavy as he looked at the destruction they had left.
"I'll have to leave more insurance behind so this doesn't happen again."
It was fortunate that he was nearby this time, but if he was still over in Paraj, there would have been nothing he could do to stop the Blaze Union. Even if he took over Lily's body, there was no way he could defeat three Sky Realm experts, and even escaping with Lilia and the girls of Fairies' Wardrobe would be risky. He would have to ask Cin for help, but his means would likely be limited as well.
Shui constantly sought to improve his strength, but if he lost more loved ones while he was off doing that, it seemed pointless. With Kate or Cin, it was different. Though he did worry about them occasionally, he believed that they could keep themselves safe. However, Lilia and the girls of Fairies Wardrobe were little different from mortals in his eyes. Some of them cultivated, but they didn't live in a world of conflict, nor did they seriously seek strength, and he didn't wish that for them either. For them to live in peace, that was enough.
The thought to stay and protect them crossed his mind, but he soon shook his head. Even putting aside the distant threat of the gods, the fallen was actively building up its strength to break free of the seal. Though his soul needed to recover before he could advance to the Earth Realm, there was more he could do to grow stronger by leaving than by staying here. And yet, he knew that logic wouldn't stop him from worrying.
[My apologies, Master. If only I was strong enough to protect those dear to you.]
After hearing Lily's voice, Shui realised that he had been careless and allowed his feelings to reach her through their pact.
[I don't blame you. Even I can't protect them from everything as I am now. We can only continue our efforts to gain strength.]
[Yes, Master.]
With a bit more walking, Shui arrived at Fairies' Wardrobe and was eagerly welcomed inside.
"Shui!"
"You're back! How are you?"
"Did you get injured?!"
After spending some time showing everyone that he was okay and assuring them that the incident would soon be resolved, Shui was dragged away by the group of women with the most influence here.
"I saw the way you got here; you sure know how to show off," Kate said.
"That was just the fastest way I could think of. By the way, why are you wearing that?"
Shui couldn't help but notice the mask on Kate's face and how Lilia and Jeanne smiled playfully when they looked at her.
"What? You can wear a mask, but I can't?"
"I didn't say that, but I would prefer to see your face since we haven't met since the Spirit Nest incident."
"You hear that, Kate. Why don't you take off the mask?"
"That's right. There's no reason to hide, is there?"
As Lilia and Jeanne prodded her, Shui became increasingly curious about why Kate was hiding her face but he didn't try to see past the mask to respect her privacy.
"Ahem, moving on. Are you really okay? I can't put my finger on it, but something about you seems off."
"Is that true? To think I would fail to notice..."
"Really?! Is there something wrong?"
"Do you need to lie down?"
From anyone's perspective it was clear that Kate was changing the topic, but her proposed topic was too important to overlook. Starting with Lily, Lilia and Jeanne also expressed concern that Shui might be hurt. Lilia and Jeanne weren't sure what he did after reaching the city, but they could guess that it was something dangerous.
Shui wasn't surprised that Kate could sense his spiritual injury. Although his soul cultivation was profound enough to conceal his injury from Lily despite their pact, Kate's sensitivity to nature energy likely surpassed his, so it made sense that she would be able to detect that he wasn't in perfect condition.
"I'm fine. There is a problem, but it'll go away with time."
Shui chose not to divulge the damage to his soul since that would make them worry more than necessary.
"Well, if you say so."
"That's great news. I'll make sure to pay better attention to your health in the future."
"It's a good thing Kate is so perceptive and thoughtful."
"That's right. She'll be a good wife in the future."
Kate clicked her tongue at that last comment while Shui chuckled, but neither touched on it any further.
Soon after, the mayor announced that the Blaze Union had been defeated and that there would be a feast to celebrate their victory. The mayor also sent a messenger to invite Shui and Kate to his tower so that he could personally thank them. Since the city was still unsettled, Shui left Lily to protect everyone else while he left with Kate in a carriage sent by the mayor.
On the way to the city tower, Kate informed Shui about everything that she did to help Mayor Henry.
"Oh, that Cruz of the Valet family was there too. His name didn't ring a bell at first, but now that I think about it, didn't he visit Aunt Suiri one time? Should I have spared him?"
Although many years had passed since then, Shui still remembered that name, partially due to his encounters with Emily, who was from a branch of the Valet family. After that time Cruz came to visit Suiri; Shui never saw him again, but he had seemed like a rat even then.
"No, it's fine. I don't think they were actually that close, and even if he was friends with my mother, there's no reason to spare someone who would harm my family."
"I agree."
Once Kate was done with her story, Shui gave a quick summary of his fight against the three leaders of the Blaze Union. Since it was already a short fight, it wasn't a long tale to tell, but Kate latched onto every detail. She might not be Shui's match yet, but she didn't intend to be satisfied with that.