Chapter 35 – The Art of Unyielding Brutality
Somewhere.
The mountain was silent.
Black mist rolled over a sea of corpses, their twisted forms still steaming under the cold, pale sun. The stench of blood clung to the wind — metallic, heavy, and eternal. Every creature that once howled here was silent now. Only one figure stood tall atop that mountain of the dead — untouched, unmoved, and unshaken.
Lin Xuan.
His blade, long and dark like a crescent of night itself, dripped with black ichor. The ground beneath him was cracked glass soaked in shadow. Around him, hundreds of beasts lay slain — their corpses frozen mid-motion, as if their very souls had been severed before their bodies realized they were dead.
He stood there quietly, his eyes half-lidded, reflecting nothing. The faint breeze tugged at his robes, scattering dust and ash into the dead horizon.
Then came a voice — soft, teasing, almost melodic.
> "Hey, honey…"
A slender hand slipped into his. Warm. Playful. Alive in the midst of death.
Anika leaned against him, pouting, her crimson eyes glimmering with amusement. "Why didn't you finish that wolf when you had the chance?" she asked, swinging his arm like a child playing with her lover. "And why send those kids to fight it?"
Lin Xuan didn't look at her. He sighed quietly, like a man tired of eternity.
> "I told you to stop calling me that."
She tilted her head up, her long raven hair glinting like liquid fire. Her beauty was a weapon — sharp, deliberate, intoxicating. She reached up and lifted his chin with a finger, her voice a whisper of temptation.
> "Why? Are you shy~? Or having naughty thoughts~?"
For a heartbeat, her charm filled the air like a spell — the very air around her shimmered, bending to her allure. Any man would have fallen to his knees.
But Lin Xuan merely raised a hand and pressed it gently to her forehead. His gaze was cold, detached.
> "Your little charms don't work on me, little girl."
Anika blinked, feigning a pout. "I know, I know…" she murmured, stepping closer. "But you do love me, right?"
Lin Xuan turned his eyes toward the horizon — to where the sun bled crimson into the mist. His expression softened, though only slightly.
> "I love my family. That's all that matters."
Her smile faltered for a moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face. She looked down, then up again, her tone quieter.
> "You didn't answer the question."
Silence.
Only the wind moved, whistling through broken fangs and shattered bones.
Finally, Lin Xuan spoke.
> "That thing…" he said, his gaze narrowing, "is useful. That old bastard's experiment wasn't just random cruelty — he fused my bloodline with that the wolf, then sealed it into a revenant's body. It's dangerous, yes… but also a key."
He turned the blade in his hand; black ichor dripped from its edge, sizzling against the stone.
> "It's their trial. If they can survive it, they'll evolve."
Anika tilted her head, curiosity mingling with admiration. "You're cold, you know that?"
> "I'm practical," he replied simply. "This world doesn't care for warmth. This world only ceres about results."
Before she could retort, a soft voice drifted through the air — calm, melodic, carrying with it a serenity that silenced even the dead.
> "Brother Lin… can they win?"
Yan'er approached from behind, her steps soundless, her presence ethereal. Light flickered around her like translucent wings — every shimmer a breath of life amidst the decay. Her eyes glowed faintly with the calm power of someone who had transcended fear.
Lin Xuan turned to her, his tone deep, almost distant.
> "No," he said at last. "Not easily. Vaibhav can't. Not alone."
He paused, watching the faint ripple of crimson mist rising. "But with Shin…"
His lips curved into a small, knowing smirk. "Maybe."
Anika raised an eyebrow. "You mean that ridiculous Comedic Combat Style of his?"
Lin Xuan chuckled faintly — not mockingly, but in reminiscence.
> "No," he said, voice low, carrying an undercurrent of weight. "Not that. I'm talking about his second Art."
Yan'er blinked softly. "Second Art?"
> Lin Xuan nodded. "Yes. Serious Combat Style — The Art of Unyielding Brutality."
A heavy silence followed. The air itself seemed to bow under the gravity of those words.
Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened. "when someone attains their Origin Path, the world gives birth to something unique within them — an Art. A way their soul expresses its truth through battle."
He crouched, dragging his blade lightly across the ground. A ripple of energy followed the motion, carving a perfect circle in the dust.
> "But that boy… he created two."
Anika whistled softly. "That's rare, isn't it?"
"Rare?" Lin Xuan said quietly. "It's almost impossible. The last known case was… well, let's just say the world wasn't ready for it."
He sheathed his blade, eyes half-shadowed.
> "When he fights comedically, he dances with chaos — tricking both himself and his opponent. That's The Art of Distraction and Deception. But when he turns serious…"
He looked toward the far horizon — the distant continent of Ignis Prime.
> "He stops pretending. His blows stop being clever — they become absolute. He doesn't fight to win anymore. He fights to end."
Yan'er folded her hands, her soft light dimming slightly. "So… when he turns serious, he grows stronger?"
Lin Xuan shook his head. "No."
The single word carried the weight of thunder.
> "He doesn't become stronger. He simply stops holding back. His strikes gain intent — the will to kill, the essence of truth. And in the world, intent… is what kills."
The mountain wind howled.
For a brief instant, the horizon of corpses seemed to move, as though the dead themselves shuddered at Lin Xuan's words.
Anika leaned her head against his shoulder, a small smirk playing at her lips. "You always pick such interesting disciples, ~ Onee-chan!"
Lin Xuan's eyes darkened slightly, the faint trace of something ancient flickering within.
> "They're not my disciples," he said softly. "They're my family's future."
> "And if they survive this," Lin Xuan whispered, "the world will never be the same again."
Scene Shift: Ignis Prime
The cavern groaned, molten Qi spilling through ruptured cracks. The Revenant's roar tore through the air like a dying god's wail.
Vaibhav knelt, his blade planted into the ground, his breath ragged. Shin stood a few paces ahead, his body trembling — laughter gone, eyes dark.
Slowly, deliberately, Shin lowered his stance. The mockery faded from his expression. His grip on his weapon tightened — and the world around him went still.
Alicia froze. "Shin… your aura…"
He smiled faintly, not the grin of a jester — but the smile of a man who had shed the need for masks.
> Shin: "Guess playtime's over."
The flames around him condensed — sharp, cold, and blinding.
The Art of Unyielding Brutality had begun.