Down at the foot of the mountain, the ambush continued. Relying on their superior numbers and the element of surprise, Long and his group had managed to hunt down three Tsukimi Clan disciples so far. Each target's strength varied—one was a mere elite, while another had been a small boss.
As their hunts became more fruitful, the six adventurers grew bolder, abandoning a simple wait-and-attack approach to take a more aggressive stance. They started actively hunting their targets, emboldened by their recent successes.
Qin Ming watched this development with indifference. After confirming that each disciple they killed counted toward his mission progress, he relaxed against a large tree, pulling his hat over his eyes to rest. The sun filtered down through the leaves, lulling him into a half-sleep under its warmth.
Just as he began to drift off, a sudden scream tore through the quiet forest. Qin Ming snapped to attention, lifting his hat brim to peer down the path. In the distance, he saw four of the six adventurers stumbling and scrambling toward him. The other two were conspicuously missing—no one knew what had happened to them.
As they frantically ran, Long, leading the charge, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Senior Brother Qin! Help us, Senior Brother Qin!"
Before they could reach Qin Ming, a furious roar echoed from behind them. A stocky figure charged forward with astonishing speed. The figure, clad in the traditional garb of an ascetic monk with a staff in hand, leapt through the air, his feet grazing the ground as he closed the distance in an instant.
The monk raised his staff, his face contorted with rage. "You could summon the gods themselves, and they still wouldn't save you!" he bellowed, his voice raw with fury.
With a shout, he formed a complex hand seal. "Go to hell, you scum!"
An enormous shadowy spirit erupted from the monk, a menacing phantom that surged toward the fleeing adventurers. With a tremendous roar, the spirit unleashed a powerful shockwave that sent the adventurers flying. Even the adventurer wielding a machine gun, who fired madly at the apparition, found his bullets deflected effortlessly. This was the Tsukimi Clan's fearsome specialty:
B-Rank Skill: Demonic Fury Barrier
The wave of energy tore trees from the ground and sent stones tumbling, leaving the adventurers sprawled out across the forest floor. Dazed and injured, they struggled to stand, only to see the enraged monk already preparing his next attack.
With a quick twist of his body, he became a spinning fireball, aiming himself directly at his targets.
C-Rank Skill: Flame Vortex Strike
The adventurer caught in the fiery attack was engulfed instantly, his body launched into the underbrush in a blaze, clearly not long for this world.
The remaining three adventurers turned deathly pale, scrambling desperately toward the forest, hoping that Qin Ming would intervene and buy them time to escape. Regret gnawed at them. Had they known the Tsukimi Clan's reinforcements would arrive so quickly, they'd never have ventured so far in their hunt. Moving out of their original location had seemed wise at first, a way to prevent any bloodstains from arousing suspicion. But now, it was painfully clear that it had been a terrible mistake.
The trio continued sprinting, their fear palpable as the fiery vortex chased them. Just as they neared the tree line, the flames flickered out, revealing the monk within. Suspended midair, he released a guttural roar as dark energy surged from his body, forming into a massive spirit that grasped him firmly before launching him forward like a missile at the retreating adventurers.
B-Rank Super Skill: Spectral Bomb
The monk became a living projectile, crashing into an adventurer who had turned to fire his machine gun in one last desperate attempt. But the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the dark energy surrounding the monk, who collided with the shooter with devastating force, flattening him into the earth like clay under a sledgehammer.
Horrified, Long and the final adventurer's faces went ghostly pale. The monk was far stronger than they had anticipated—so strong, in fact, that they couldn't even put up a fight. He was like a terrifying juggernaut, possibly more powerful than Andy, one of Fatal Fury's protagonists.
In their panicked retreat, they could only hope that Qin Ming would intervene on their behalf. They ran, screaming for him, hoping against hope that he would distract the monk just long enough for them to slip away.
Finally, Qin Ming stepped out from his spot in the trees. Without a word, he unleashed a deadly strike. A massive, spiraling blade of air sliced through the air, felling two trees as it sped toward one of the fleeing adventurers—not the monk.
B-Rank Skill: True Sonic Hand Blade
The razor-sharp wind cut cleanly through one of the running adventurers. He barely had time to register what had happened before his body split in two at the waist. His upper body continued to run reflexively for a few steps before crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap.
Long turned at the sound, his face twisting in terror as he watched his comrade fall. "What?!" he screamed, only for a shadow to lunge at him from the trees.
Qin Ming struck twice with smaller hand blades before closing in and seizing Long by the neck. His mouth twisted into a feral grin as he sank his teeth into the adventurer's throat.
B-Rank Skill: Essence Drain
Long's body began to wither as his strength and vitality were siphoned away. His sturdy attributes kept him alive, but not for long. As he hovered on the brink of death, Qin Ming gave his neck a sharp twist.
With a sickening crack, Long's lifeless eyes remained open, shock and confusion frozen on his face as he slumped to the ground. Even in death, he didn't understand why Qin Ming had turned on them instead of attacking the monk.