Before I could even process the scene playing out before me, Wei flew past, and his sheer speed and force caused me to lose my balance as I swung my arms in the air to catch myself. My hair whipped into my face, and my eyes shut as the tile beneath his every step erupted and turned into dust.

“Ailun! Amelia!” I screamed, stepping back and reaching my arm out defensively before them. “Stay with me!”

Amelia’s hands shook due to her overexertion of energy, but she continued to control the dire wolf as it created a protective barrier around the three of us. It snarled and snapped at any nearby Daji officers, leaping around us in circles.

“Peijin!” Amelia cried out, her voice trembling, “You don’t need to worry about me!”

A puff of air left my nose at her confident remark.

Wei reached Meihua in an instant and quickly grabbed onto the officer by his throat before flipping the man over his shoulder, body slamming him. Dust and debris flew up all around the two of them as a loud bang echoed through the palace.

The officer wrapped his legs around Wei’s abdomen and quickly flipped Wei over, now gaining the upper hand, but Wei gripped onto his wrist and twisted his arm around to lock his elbow.

Before Wei could snap the officer’s arm in half, the officer rolled back and kicked Wei straight in the face, only causing Wei to skid back a few steps. Wei spat on the ground a mixture of saliva and blood, but his gaze never left the skilled officer.

Wei’s fighting style was typically much more elegant and not so brutish. As a master of the sword, there was no need for him to resort to martial arts and his fists in a typical fight.

However, he was a complete master of brutal combat—and desperate times called for desperate measures. Bringing his opponent closer to him gave Wei an overwhelming advantage.

“Amelia, take care of Ailun!” I shouted, turning back one last time before sprinting for the countless shrines.

Another wave of pain seemed to shoot through Wei as he coughed up blood once more, faltering for a moment.

That opening was enough for the black-masked officer to grab onto Wei’s hair and slam him onto the ground, crushing his face into the tile. He grabbed onto the back of Wei's head and continued to bash him into the ground; for a moment, Wei's pained expression flashed us before it was buried into the floor.

Ailun’s clammy hands were clasped together as he frantically whispered into them, sweat dripping off his brow in focus. I tore the dozen prayer candles Yue gave me earlier today from my bag and quickly lined them up before Wei’s shrine.

Wei slowly lifted his head up, and his eyebrow was cut, causing blood to seep down his face. Blood flew out of his mouth as he coughed again before he forced himself up onto his feet. His fingers dug through the ground as he pushed himself up, his sheer physical strength allowing him to overpower the man's attacks.

The masked officer stared at him in complete shock, his pupils darting back and forth and trying to understand how Wei could get up after such a vicious assault.

“Grabbing my hair? Really?” Wei asked, one of his hands reaching up to try and retie his hair with the white ribbon.

He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pushed back at the officer, one of his eyes shut as more and more blood began falling down his face. The officer quickly retaliated but was slowly retreating, being forced deeper and deeper into Yue’s illusion until he couldn’t see Wei anymore.

“Yue! Light these candles!” I commanded, shouting over my shoulder so the sound would carry out to her. The only lighter my frugality let me purchase was during Yang’s arc—and I dropped that on the ground when I decided to light the forest— and myself—on fire.

Yue’s voice roared back, “No! Fuck off!” Her body trembled as she tried to regain control over the ever fading illusion. She was beginning to slip out of it, more and more of her body flickering out of its barrier.

I ran out of the barrier, dodging a sword as I brought one of the candles up to her flaming arm and held it close until it lit.

“Thanks, Yue!”

“I’m going to fucking kill you!”

Rushing back to Wei’s shrine, I skid across the broken tile, slicing my robes and knees, and reached for the statue. I held the burning candle, now illuminated with a strong black and purple flame, to all the other wicks as they flickered to life one by one.

My breath was caught in my chest as the scent of blood and fire began to fill the air. Explosive sounds erupted behind me, and I did my best to tune them out.

One of the candles refused to light, and I held the small flame even closer to it, my hands gently cupped around the flame.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Come on, come on,” I ushered, finally letting out a sigh of relief as the last candle lit up.

The candles were organized in a messy line just before a statue of Wei—he was wielding a sword elegantly by his side while small, hand-carved flower petals were sprinkled by his feet. His robes looked as if they were swaying in the wind, and the stone and marble was so elegantly carved that it looked like real fabric.

I could hear Wei let out another violent cough as his relentless assault against the masked officer slowed once more. With a deep breath, I brought my hands together like a prayer before me and lowered my head.

“Give these blessings to Discip—uh, Divinity ‘Blessed Martial Guard of Salvation,’” I rushed through the phrase and Wei's epithet before looking over my shoulder.

At once, Wei's shoulders relaxed as he seemed to finally take in a deep breath, his chest puffing out; Wei lunged forward and stabbed straight into the officers side. With brutal strength, Wei twisted his sword and slashed the man across his abdomen.

Black dust shot out of the wound like a hose as the man seemed to grab onto the air for something before he fell onto his back.

Like all the other Daji soldiers, his body slowly evaporated; every limb crumpled away after disintegrating into fine black ash. It blew away into the air, and I stared at the sight pitifully before uttering a small prayer.

Observer ‘Socrates’ has sponsored 2,000 stars.

Observer ‘Socrates’: Archangel Michael would’ve wanted me to do that. I know Jia Li doesn't actually care about her ghosts.

How much did Archangel Michael give to Socrates?? Maybe I should suck up to the Observers more?

Wei, looking around like a lost and petrified dog, whipped his head around and stumbled on his robes for a moment before he shouted, “Meihua!”

He quickly reached her, but she had already stood up, her blade extended beside her once more. She quickly dismissed him with the swish of her hand.

“Your Highness, I’m fine,” she replied breathily.

He sniffled loudly and wiped at his face, dragging her by the arm deeper into Yue’s fleeting illusion. “We need to get you somewhere safe. Do you need treatment? Medicine? Stars?” Wei’s face was twisted into concern. A conflict like this was completely unprecedented in the heavenly realm. “What about spiritual energy? I can give you some of mine.”

Meihua grabbed his ear and tugged on it harshly as if she were scolding him. “Your Highness, I’m completely fine! You forget I’m a healer. And what do you mean ‘what about spiritual energy?’ I have more than you!”

“Oh,” he mouthed in a surprised tone, seeming to forget that she could handle any injuries better than anyone else in their vicinity.

Ailun finally jolted up, his eyes wide and watery out of fear. “Wei!” He exclaimed, waving at his older brother, “They're telling us to descend to the mortal realm! Mom and Dad have been alerted!”

Who was "they?"

Finally, Yue let out a loud groan before she collapsed on the ground, her long black hair sticking to the sweat that coated her paper-white face face. Daji officers immediately darted toward her, but Yang pushed them back with a sweep of his staff.

Yang lifted Yue into his arms and held her tightly as he desperately tried to push his attackers back.

“You can’t!” I shouted over the chaos at Ailun, “If we go there, Wei and Meihua lose the upper hand!”

At my loud tone, Ailun immediately cowered back until Amelia gave him a reassuring look. He mumbled some words under his breath, and we all strained to hear.

“Huh?” I shouted.

Ailun swallowed and repeated himself slightly louder.

“Huh?!”

“Lin Bai and Tian Gang are there also!” He finally shouted, his fists balled together at his sides.

I quickly perked up. Ailun must have alerted them and sent them back to Wei’s mortal home—which was also a palace—after discovering that no other divinity was coming to help.

Lin Bai and Tian Gang’s presence was a distinct change from Surviving My First Run. They were both low-ranking divinities, but they had served Wei since he was a kid. If they were present, they could help devise a plan to help Wei’s family survive.

“I trust them,” Wei shouted breathlessly.

Blood shot out of Yue’s mouth as her limp body desperately tried to cling onto Yang’s. With feeble strength, her arms were wrapped around his neck, and she strained to keep herself hanging there.

More and more Daji officers surrounded Amelia’s dire wolf as their blades began to sink into its fur, large splotches of blood emerging in patches all over its body. Ailun let out a shrill scream as Amelia was pierced by one of the blades, a line of blood shooting out from her arm.

Zhige’s red eye flashed as I swung the hilt, decapitating a line of officers just before Amelia.

“Amelia! Summon the dragon!” I commanded.

Her eyes widened in fear; the moment she summoned the beast, although it was relatively small compared to the absolutely giant palace, it would completely destroy the room we were in.

I nodded at her with a faint smile, acknowledging her concern, before my voice hardened once more. “Wei, I’ll pay you back later!”

Amelia held the metal cuff into the air; a bright beam of light shot out as the giant blue dragon spawned, roaring and immediately crushing dozens of Daji soldiers. Meihua caught my eyes, but her expression hardened when she recognized my plan.

She swirled her sword in the air, and it indiscriminately grabbed onto the remaining low-ranking officers before dicing them into pieces. Ash dissipated all around us before the palace let out a loud groan.

The palace roared and threatened to give way. I turned around and hooked Ailun and Amelia into my arm before I sprinted toward Yang and Yue.

“Meihua!”

Her pink sword retreated as it wrapped around all of us, forcing us together as the palace completely collapsed with a massive roar. The entire room collapsed, and as I looked up, chunks of debris hurdled toward us.

And then we descended into the mortal realm—specifically, Wei’s childhood home.