"Iron Palm!"
Jin launched himself into the fray, his body cutting through the air like a spear.
Gu Liang was barely holding on, fending off five cultivators at once. Out of the hundreds who'd chased Jin, only these five had the strength to keep up. Most were weaklings or mortals twisted by demonic qi.
Jin's palm strike crashed into one of them and knocked him out. The ground erupted with a deafening crack, dust bursting outward, splitting cleanly around his landing.
When the haze cleared, everyone froze. Liang's face lit up at the sight.
"Ranyi!!"
"Yo," Jin replied with a lazy wave, as if he hadn't just blown up the ground.
But as his eyes flicked across the enemies still standing, his smile faltered.
'…Okay. This might've been a mistake.'
A bead of sweat slid down his temple as the four killers fixed their gazes on him.
Four bulky men stood before him, weapons gleaming in their hands, muscles filled with unnatural strength. Their eyes raked over Jin as if he were meat laid on a block, this time with the clinical hunger of butchers.
He swallowed hard, throat dry. 'Whatever. I can't leave him behind. Not again. Not anymore.'
Up until now, Jin had relied on instinct. The kind the original Jin Ranyi had honed to razor sharpness. 'Thumbs-up, past me. But instinct wouldn't be enough this time.'
He shifted, grounding himself. Feet spread, knees bent. Both hands wrapped around his sword, raised high over one shoulder. His body coiled, twisted, every muscle ready to strike. A stance carved into his bones by his master.
The four men fanned out, forming a circle, eyes narrowing. For the first time, they treated him as a real threat.
Jin didn't move first. He waited.
Off to the side, Gu Liang staggered back, finally retreating. His body was already too battered to rejoin the fight.
The four attackers nodded as if a decision had been made, and swung together. Before a single blade fell, Jin shifted with a breath of qi and appeared in front of the weakest man.
The man's swing came wide and clumsy. Jin met it with a clean parry. Just the tip of his sword, a light twist to redirect the strike left, then drove the point neck.
SHLUKK!
The first man went down with a single, precise pierce: the kind of thrust taught by his master.
Jin didn't pause to gloat. He slid through the gap in their line, angling his blade to deflect the second man's blow. The third man's blade still cut him across the back.
"Ghk!" he gasped, tasting blood. He shrugged through the pain, twisted his sword, and cut cleanly, the second man fell.
He took a moment to catch his breath. Then his instincts screamed: a palm, enormous and fast, was coming at him like a wall.
WHOOM!
Jin slammed into a tree and spat blood.
"RANYI!" Liang screamed, but Jin barely had time to breathe before another blade sliced toward his head. He dove aside.
The third man's strike split the tree in half with a thunderous crack. Jin gritted his teeth and pushed himself back to his feet. Whether it was adrenaline or sheer stubbornness driving him, he wasn't about to complain.
'So that's it… it wasn't skill. Those two I cut down were just the weak ones.'
Jin dropped back into his stance, but this time only the third man charged while the last one hung back, gathering power.
"What the hell! You can't tag team like that in a cultivation world. That's cheating!" Jin shouted, teeth clenched as he parried blow after blow.
The third's attacks came fast and merciless, forcing Jin on the defensive. But as he caught the rhythm, he caught on to their plan. So he made one of his own.
The moment the last man raised his palm to strike, Jin twisted his blade and used a burst of qi to redirect the third's swing upward. Ducking low, he slipped between the man's legs and burst straight toward the last one.
PIERCE!
Jin's blade drove straight through the man's head. He didn't waste time celebrating. He spun immediately to meet the third attacker's strike. At this range, with only one enemy left in reach, it was the perfect chance to act first.
"Flowing Qi Fist!"
A colossal fist of pure qi, nearly half his size, erupted forward and slammed into the third man. Bones shattered, flesh crumpled, and his insides were crushed in an instant.
"Ghkkk!" Blood spurted from Jin's mouth, thicker than before. 'Man… fuck this world.' Blood filled his mouth with a sharp, metallic tang; every breath tasted of iron.
He hadn't been using qi-infused techniques up until now, he wasn't used to channeling them yet. And now he was paying the price. Not even two hours had passed since his reincarnation, and he was already knee-deep in a welcome party from hell.
"Huff… huff…"
Bleeding heavily from his back, he jammed his sword into the ground for support and staggered over to Liang.
"You… huff… you okay?"
"I'm okay. I'll be fine. But your back…" Liang's voice trembled with worry.
Jin forced a crooked grin. "Don't worry. Could've been worse."
They helped each other up and moved on, slow and steady. Liang's condition worsened with every step; Jin could see it. He wasn't a doctor; all he could do was hurry them to the west gate.
Liang stumbled and slumped against him. A deep cut at the heel made him drag his right foot. His breath came thinner. His eyes grew heavy.
"Ranyi, leave me. Go, or you'll end up like me. At least you'll live," Liang gasped.
Jin didn't answer. He slung Liang onto his back and pushed forward. The wet stain at Liang's shirt clung to Jin's shoulder, and his labored breaths came in ragged, shallow pulls.
The wound at Jin's own back reopened with every step; pain flared and bit, but he kept going. It hurt, a lot. And yet he did not slow.
Maybe keeping Liang alive was the only way to convince himself he wasn't just another killer.
Neither spoke. Both had made their choices.
At one point the warm press of Liang's breath against Jin's neck went still. Jin did not set him down. He would not let him fall here. He would carry him to someplace better, somewhere nice. Even if it was the last thing he did.
"I'm not a good person. I never was," Jin muttered under his breath. "But..."
He gripped Liang's legs tighter, jaw clenched. "If this world really works like this… then at the very least, I want the people close to me to stay happy. Stay healthy. Stay safe."
His legs trembled. Each step felt like it could be his last, his eyelids dragging heavier with every blink. Deep down, he knew this was it.
"...Hah. So much for a new journey."
He sank to his knees, still carrying Liang on his back. His hands clutched his friend stubbornly, but the grip was loosening, slipping with his strength.
And yet, he wasn't alone.
. . . . . . . . .
Far away, in a place overlain on this world, a silver-haired girl watched. She thought he'd been killed. Yet somehow he still lived, fought, and even killed his enemies. From within her sealed domain, curiosity lit in her eyes.
"He seems interesting," she said, her voice echoing.
Chains crisscrossed across a jagged cavern of violet crystal, holding her at its center. The walls gave off a low, steady glow that reflected shards of purple light into the dark. Black stone spires stood around her like broken statues.
She hung with her arms forced wide; heavy iron links attached into her wrists while her silver hair fell in messy strands across her face. Broad, leathery wings strained against their chains, folding and flexing as if wanting to tear free. Her black cloth was ragged, and faint sigils pulsed along her skin. Not broken, but waiting.
She did not look like someone powerless. She looked like a storm being held back.
. . . . . . . . . .
As Jin's breath faltered, the ring grew hot and the tablet inside it shone, a sudden burst of light humming through his bones. For a heartbeat the searing pain and the weight of his wounds vanished beneath that blinding glow.
A deep, divine feminine voice, curious, almost amused. It filled his mind more than the air. "Jin Ranyi. I can save you and your friend. In return, you must forfeit the chance to ever cultivate again."
The words settled like a weight inside him. He thought for a few heartbeats, then answered plainly, "Sure. I accept."
A pause followed, sharp and searching.
"…You accept?" The voice carried a lilt of disbelief, almost fascination. "To abandon cultivation, for another?"
'This one will not leave my thoughts.' She realized.
The silence stretched, her interest unmistakable, before it softened into resolve.
"…Very well. I will grant your request."
Light flared once more, blinding and absolute. Then, nothing.