The arrow shot forward with a hiss that seemed to split reality itself, its metal tip glinting coldly just a few millimeters from Haoran's cornea. However, before death could touch him, the air around Haoran trembled violently. In a single blink that could not even be captured by the human optic nerves, Haoran's figure vanished, leaving behind a distortion in the air that slowly faded.
In an instant, Haoran was already standing upright beside Yan Shuo, who was still trembling atop his golden book. Haoran raised his hand, gently wiping the thin cut that adorned his cheek—the remnant of the wind graze from the arrow earlier. He glanced at the tip of his finger, stained with a single drop of fresh red blood.
Yan Shuo froze. His eyes stared at Haoran's gaze, which remained as calm as a lake in the middle of a storm—a calmness that felt even more terrifying. "Uncle… this is the first time I've seen you injured," Yan Shuo murmured in a voice that was nearly gone.
Haoran did not answer. He merely glanced toward the peak of the ruined building to their right. Yan Shuo followed his gaze and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Up there, behind the shadows of soot, stood a faint figure with torn clothing and a body full of wounds.
"That… the assassin who attacked us earlier?" Yan Shuo whispered, he thought that this battle had already become one-sided.
Below, the spear-wielding man who lay covered in blood also looked up. With the last strength in his lungs, he shouted hoarsely, "Liang! Quickly inform the others! Leave me here, save yourself!"
However, the warning came too late. Haoran vanished again.
Liang, the assassin atop the building, felt his death instinct scream. He saw Haoran disappear from below, and within a fraction of a second, he felt a cold presence right behind his back. Without turning his head, Liang became a thick gray plume of smoke, he shifted to the side of the spear man.
Liang immediately bent down, draping the spear-wielding man's arm over his shoulder. His own body was already exhausted, yet he forced his legs to move. "Our opponent is a Special Realm," the spear man whispered with labored breaths. Liang only glanced sharply toward Haoran's last position, his heart pounding rapidly.
Sure enough, in a single blink, Haoran was already standing right in front of them, his fist raised, ready to deliver a punch capable of shattering concrete. Liang reacted with wild reflexes; he leapt backward as far as possible. "Damn, it will be very difficult to fight while carrying this kid" Liang thought in frustration. He immediately spun around, performing consecutive spatial jumps until they arrived at the top floor of a large building that was slightly damaged.
The man in Liang's grasp struggled weakly. "Put me down, Liang. I'll help fight him while buying time. If we both run, we both die."
Liang looked at his companion for a moment, then nodded heavily. He lowered the man onto the dusty concrete floor. The spear-wielding man stood unsteadily, his hands trembling yet still gripping the building material he compressed back into a weapon.
They now stood in the vast open space of the building, where the supporting pillars looked like the bones of a giant skeleton. Liang drew a tactical knife from his belt, spinning it with the skill of an executioner. He vanished in a plume of smoke and appeared at Haoran's left side, swinging his knife in a curved arc aimed at the neck.
Haoran deflected the attack with the back of his left hand as if he were merely swatting a fly. Liang was not surprised; instead, he released his knife mid-air, grabbing Haoran's wrist with his right hand. Liang's body spun as fast as a whirlwind, using the momentum to counterattack. In one sharp motion, his left heel swept through the air, aiming for Haoran's temple.
However, Haoran was far faster. His right hand moved like lightning, catching Liang's ankle just before impact. Trapped, Liang released his right-hand grip, while his left hand aimed the bow that was already prepared to fire at Haoran's head at point-blank range.
TZZZANG!
Haoran merely tilted his head a few centimeters. The bullet passed by, leaving a trace of heat in the air. Haoran's eyes remained cold, emotionless. With a single jerk of his right hand, he slammed Liang's body onto the concrete floor with absolute force.
BRAKK!
The concrete floor cracked into a thousand fractures. Liang spat fresh blood, his internal organs feeling as if they had shifted. Seeing his companion on the verge of death, the spear-wielding man moved. He formed a spear from fragments of the building and hurled it at full speed. Haoran casually tilted his body, letting the spear embed itself into the pillar behind him.
"Damn you!" the man shouted. He created two spears at once in both hands, then fired them one after another. Haoran moved with sickening precision, avoiding every attack with only minimal shifts.
At the same time, Liang, who possessed extraordinary endurance, rose again. He grabbed his knife, performed a spatial jump, and appeared behind Haoran. Haoran evaded him again, catching Liang's wrist and intending to slam him down for the second time. However, a concrete spear shot in from the front, forcing Haoran to release Liang and shift to the back.
Liang gave no breathing room; he fired a mechanical arrow from his wrist. Haoran caught the arrow right in front of his face, then tossed it aside as if it were nothing but trash. Liang advanced with confusing zig-zag movements, leaping to the left then instantly shifting behind Haoran, swinging his knife at full speed.
Haoran turned without making any significant foot movement—a high-level mastery of body control. He launched a punch at Liang's face, but his fist only pierced through gray smoke. Liang shifted again. "This isn't an ordinary shifting technique, he's manipulating small dimensional gaps" Liang thought while panting.
Suddenly, the floor beneath Haoran's feet cracked. A concrete spear shot up sharply. Haoran shifted to the side, but from his new position, another spear emerged. Haoran leapt behind the spear-wielding man, ready to end his life with a single punch, but his ears caught the sound of a high-frequency hum from the ceiling.
BOOM!
A transparent sonic wave slammed into Haoran from above with thousands of bars of pressure, forcing the man to kneel on shattered concrete.
A woman descended from the hole in the roof, flying with the glow of sonic waves vibrating beneath her feet. Her left hand gripped a radio. while her right hand was extended toward Haoran, emitting visible sound pressure.
"Miss Li!" Liang and the spear-wielding man shouted simultaneously.
The woman called Miss Li glanced at them with a disdainful look. "What is this? Why are you battered just to fight one person?"
"Miss, be careful! This person… he is a Special Realm," the spear-wielding man said while holding his chest in pain.
Miss Li glanced at Haoran, who was still kneeling under her sonic pressure. She laughed coldly. "This person? A Special Realm? It seems you are only looking for excuses for your failure. So weak."
She increased the intensity of her sonic waves. The concrete around Haoran began to crumble into dust, yet Haoran remained silent. "Return to the base immediately," Miss Li ordered her subordinates. "We need everyone to attack the SDC reinforcements."
Liang and his companion nodded, preparing to leave. However, amidst the roaring sonic noise, a calm voice was heard.
"Where are you going?"
Miss Li was startled. Haoran stood upright, as if the thousands of bars of pressure weighed no more than a sheet of paper. He smiled faintly. Miss Li, feeling insulted, immediately unleashed her full power. The sonic waves exploded, destroying the surrounding walls until dust covered their vision.
"If he truly is Special Realm, then that attack earlier…" Miss Li muttered uncertainly.
Suddenly, Haoran was already beside her. His hand swung. With wild reflexes, Miss Li aimed her right hand, launching a close-range sonic blast. Haoran vanished again, appearing behind her, and delivered a heavy kick to Miss Li's back.
The woman was violently sent flying, her body crashing into the upper floor of the building and creating a massive hole. However, Miss Li proved that her level was far above Liang's. She rose to her feet amid the rubble without spitting blood, her face now filled with pure fury. She fired consecutive sonic waves that caused the upper floor of the building to collapse.
Haoran descended to the lower floor, followed by Liang and the spear-wielding man who attacked again. Liang advanced with his knife, moving in unpredictable patterns. Haoran caught his wrist, raising his right fist to finish Liang, but a sonic blast from Miss Li forced him back.
Liang seized the opportunity to kick, but Haoran blocked it. A concrete spear shot toward Haoran's head; he calmly tilted his head. Miss Li charged with sonic pressure at her feet as propulsion, her speed increasing drastically. Liang leapt backward to avoid being struck by his own ally's attack.
Miss Li's sonic shot struck the building's main pillar, causing the upper floor to completely collapse. Sunlight pierced through the swirling dust, illuminating the chaotic battlefield. Haoran delivered a straight kick toward Liang's chest. Liang crossed both arms to block the attack, but the force of Haoran's kick sent him flying backward into the debris.
The floor beneath Haoran cracked again, spears emerging, but Haoran was no longer there. He appeared in front of Liang who had just been about to perform a shift. Haoran punched, but struck only gray smoke. The punch was so powerful that its wind pressure instantly dispersed the smoke.
From behind, a sonic wave struck again. Haoran shifted slightly to the side. However, the spear-wielding man had predicted his movement; cracks formed directly beneath Haoran's new position. Haoran was forced to leap backward to avoid the concrete thrust.
Behind him, Liang was already waiting. With his gleaming knife, Liang intended to stab Haoran's heart. Haoran turned with a movement nearly invisible to the eye, kicking Liang's wrist with the heel of his left foot until the knife flew away. Without giving Liang a chance to react, Haoran spun his body and delivered a right kick toward Liang's head.
BRAKK!
The sound of the impact echoed throughout the entire building. Liang's body was hurled like a bullet, crashing into two concrete support pillars at once until both cracked and shattered. Liang fell to the ground, his body limp atop the rubble, and his eyes closed as he collapsed unconscious.