The telepathic message carried only one command: escape at all costs. Yet Uncle Jed knew the truth—surrounded by so many Saint-rank powerhouses, breaking free was nearly impossible.
The Windspirit Faction had just begun pressing them about the Sigil of the Wild Legion when Jed suddenly acted. Without warning, he drove a finger into his own chest, shattering the seal he had kept hidden. None of the enemy Saints had expected him to move so decisively, and for a brief instant, they were caught unprepared. Jed's laughter rang out, raw and maniacal.
"You worthless brats—come die with me!"
But he did not detonate his power immediately. The momentary hesitation threw the mountaintop into chaos. The twelve Saints of the Windspirit Faction, sensing the imminent Heavenly Tribulation, instinctively scattered in panic.
