Clamorous discussions echo along the entire border of the Academy walls, centered on the crimson dome. Despite deploying numerous agents disguised as common folk to influence the narrative, there proves to be no effective means to divert the conversation from its impending course.
A sudden burst of aura, riddled with rage, seeps out from within the barrier. Upon sensing it, Chancellor Zhi can audibly hear the sound of his heart dropping towards his stomach. His brows furrow as his mind goes to work, trying to predict worst-case scenarios and planning counter-measures to keep everything under wraps.
In the midst of his preparations, he feels a slight tremor beneath his feet. His eyes snap towards the blood dome within the barrier formation; an ominous feeling washes over him as he watches the ripples descend across the dome’s surface.
As he senses another wave of rippling, accompanied by a stronger tremor, Chancellor Zhi realizes that there was nothing he could’ve done to prepare for this. The best he can do now is to react. His mind races to weigh the two options, time becoming increasingly scarce as the rippling becomes more frequent.
“Release the formation.” Chancellor Zhi, despite wanting to keep everything contained, knows that trying to do so will only result in serious injuries for his men. “Ready the signal to restore it.”
Following his command, a series of lights shoot toward the night sky, exploding at the end of their ascent. The overly extravagant fire show captivates onlookers momentarily, drawing their attention away from the dome. While spectators enjoy the spectacle for its vibrant colors, Chancellor Zhi’s men observe carefully for the message hidden within. As the deliberate combination of colors and shapes unfold, the individuals maintaining the barrier withdraw their auras, causing it to ripple before fading away.
As if on cue, an explosion fills the night sky as two figures smash through the ceiling of the crimson dome. The two figures blur as they tear through the air and past the clouds.
“Now!” Chancellor Zhi commands as he pours his aura forth into the formation. A wave of fireworks decorates the night sky once again, signaling for his men to restore the barrier.
“Blood Rain!” Grandmaster Liu screams as he stomps on the air, propelling himself past the bloodied figure. “How?! I killed you with my own hands!”
Lifting his knee to his chest, he glares at the familiar visage beneath him. The pale face, marked with a red full moon at the center of the forehead, serves as a haunting reminder of his greatest failure. Disgusted by the sight of her revolting existence, Grandmaster Liu stomps down.
Feeling the air collapse against her, Lady Blood Rain coats her arms in a crimson aura, folding them before her chest to block the attack. Despite pouring everything into defense, she still coughs up a mouthful of blood upon impact. She winces as the immense force slams her arms into her torso, fracturing her ribs and sending her crashing back through the clouds.
“Answer me!” Grandmaster Liu disappears again, reappearing beneath Lady Blood Rain’s descent trajectory. Kicking off against the air, he slams his knee towards her back. “How are you alive?!”
Realizing that there’s no other way out of this relentless assault, Lady Blood Rain releases her protective barrier, allowing Grandmaster Liu’s knee to strike her directly. Upon impact, her body explodes into a mist of blood, dispersing in all directions before coalescing in the distance.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Liu Jingang!” Lady Blood Rain calls out, grinding her teeth in frustration as her body emerges from the bloody haze. “You should be-”
Ignoring her shrill screams, Grandmaster Liu kicks against the air, vanishing as he tears through the sky. A split moment later, he appears behind her with his knee high, primed for a kick towards her neck. He twists his hip, whipping his foot in a crescent motion with enough force to cause the space between them to distort. Once again, Lady Blood Rain explodes into a bloody mist upon impact.
Grandmaster Liu keeps his aura locked onto the crimson mist, waiting patiently for it to reform, all so he can relish the satisfaction of watching her wretched face splatter across the night sky.
Lady Blood Rain clenches her jaw, cursing internally at her helplessness against the Grandmaster before her. All too familiar with the unrelenting force that once hunted her across the grand continent, she knows that there’s only one way out of this. Her palms snap open towards the crimson dome, attempting to reabsorb the blood aura she released to erect the barrier.
On the ground, the barrier of blood suddenly dissipates into a dense mist. Spectators gawk at the crimson haze, watching in awe as it rises into the night sky. A muffled hum fills the air as the mist suddenly halts, unable to ascend past the invisible dome around the Academy.
Back above the clouds, Lady Blood Rain screams out as successive strikes repeatedly splatter her into a bloody mist, forcing her to utilize her blood reformation technique over and over. Her heart races faster and faster with each passing moment. Upon realizing that something is preventing her from reabsorbing her blood aura, an ominous despair washes over her.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE?!” Her face emerges from the bloody mist, distorting with anger as she snaps at the disdainful gaze before her.
“Where else would I be? The Zhou Plateau eastlands?”
The distorted anger fades from Lady Blood Rain’s face upon realizing her mistake. Despite her attempts to keep a straight face, Grandmaster Liu can still see the slight twitch in her eyes. Her silence speaks louder than words, confirming Chancellor Zhi’s suspicion. The revelation causes Grandmaster Liu’s blood to boil.
“Rats in the Alliance.” His eyes squint into a blade as he bends his knees. “What a joke.”
Her heart, previously racing, suddenly pauses before dropping in response to the burst of immense pressure. The blood in her veins freezes up, making it difficult for her to dodge. All she can do is watch helplessly as Grandmaster Liu vanishes from view.
“For your crimes against the Qi royal family...”
Grandmaster Liu reappears above her, slowly lifting his knee high by his chest.
“THIS ISN’T OVER!” Lady Blood Rain screams out, her face flush with anger of having to face her greatest shame once more. “I’LL RETURN! I’LL FIND YOU AND TEAR APART EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE YOU H-”
Grandmaster Liu intensifies his aura, choking the air from her lungs.
“For whatever unspeakable acts you committed to escape death..."
He pauses upon hearing a sweet voice from a distant past calls out to him.
“Goodbye, Jingang…”
A beautiful woman–smile flawless like jade, but eyes tainted with tears–flashes across his mind.
"For robbing us of her smile..."
He pushes the memory aside, not wanting to taint his memory of her with what he's about to do.
"A thousand deaths would be too lenient."
Time seems to slow as the foot descends towards Lady Blood Rain. An unpleasant feeling washes over her, reminding her of her greatest shame and causing her to clench her jaw in indignation. It evokes memories of a period when she was hunted by those two demons, never given a moment to rest. As the pressure disintegrates the crimson moon on her forehead, she’s reminded of the feeling from those days- the sensation of being smothered to death by rabid animals, relentlessly chasing her across the grand continent.
“CURSE YOU!!! LIU-”
Her face caves under the pressure of Grandmaster Liu’s stomp. The destructive force ripples through her body, crushing her insides as it travels past her torso towards her feet.