"This one’s for making me fail my first mission," Amia said, plunging the dagger in her hand into Wenwu’s left leg. Another identical dagger then materialized in her grip.
"This one’s for humiliating me!" Amia emphasized her words deliberately. She plunged it mercilessly into Wenwu’s right leg.
Wenwu gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.
This scene felt familiar. Back at the lavish banquet, he’d been lying down; now he stood.
Wenwu finally understood. Harvey’s duel challenge, Phyllis’s whipping—all were bait to draw him out. Their true goal was capturing him. They’d known his identity all along.
"Why aren’t you affected by the Four Spirit Guards’ gravity?"
"Eh? Brother Wu," Amia replied, "shouldn’t you worry about yourself first?"
Wenwu knew that well. He was just stalling, buying time before Amia struck again.
"Fine. I’ll let you die knowing. You know the Duke’s Four Spirit Guards. When all four cast together, they amplify gravity in an area—but they choose the targets and intensity."
Simultaneous casting. Wenwu grasped a crucial detail. Yet he was powerless. He couldn’t even twitch, let alone disrupt their spell.
Clang, clang, clang…
Rhythmic footsteps approached. The archers had arrived.
"Brother Wu, these are Sor City soldiers. Die under a hail of arrows," Amia declared.
She lifted Phyllis from the ground. Phyllis hadn’t been heavily affected by the gravity; her collapse was likely due to weak constitution.
Amia gripped Phyllis’s shoulder, dragging her out of the spell’s range. Even freed from the weight, Phyllis couldn’t move under Amia’s tight hold.
Petite Amia restraining the taller Phyllis looked absurd.
"Miss Phyllis, don’t struggle. The more you move, the worse it hurts. Just watch Brother Wu. This is your last moment together."
"You’ve lied since we met. You and Wenwu aren’t business partners. He doesn’t do that kind of work," Phyllis said angrily.
"Oh my, Miss Phyllis. I never confirmed it. That was all your imagination. Any last words for Brother Wu?"
"Wenwu, I’m sorry. It’s all because of me—"
Wenwu ignored her. He focused on moving, avoiding becoming a pincushion.
He tried everything. Nothing worked.
He wondered if his unique constitution would keep him alive despite bleeding, riddled with arrows. A gruesome image flashed in his mind.
"Fire!" Amia commanded.
Wenwu closed his eyes, bracing for agony.
But only minor scrapes stung his lower body. No piercing pain.
He slowly opened his eyes. Arrows littered the ground before him. The Four Spirit Guards’ gravity had pulled them down mid-flight. Even they couldn’t control so many at once.
Wenwu had survived one round.
"Raise your angles!" Amia ordered.
The archers lifted their bows higher.
"Fire!"
A dense rain of arrows descended.
Just as Wenwu was about to be skewered, the ground surged. An earthen wall ringed him, shielding him completely.
Arrows thudded into the barrier.
Silence fell. Wenwu had no idea what happened outside. This was beyond his plans.
Boom!
The wall shuddered under a heavy blow. Cracks spread. It crumbled into rubble.
A bald, muscular man stood smiling before Wenwu. But Wenwu recoiled—crop top, short skirt, thick leg hair. The absurdity left him speechless.
"Mountain?" Wenwu blurted. Wait, how did he know this weirdo’s name?
"Master! You remember me! Look at you, hurt like this without me," the man said. He yanked the daggers from Wenwu’s legs without warning.
Strangely, no blood gushed. The wounds stopped bleeding, though they remained open.
He called me Master? Could he be my…
A flash of memory confirmed it.
"Shake the earth, shield my body, firm as a rock, unmoving as Mountain."
"Got it!" The man’s hearty reply stunned Wenwu.
Is there no normal Sword Spirit besides Jade Star? That was Wenwu’s only thought.
Mountain transformed into a massive sword. Unlike Jade Star or Blazing Edge, it didn’t appear in Wenwu’s hand—it stood planted where he’d been.
Amia, seeing Wenwu summon Mountain for the first time, hesitated.
Mountain stood just steps away, but Wenwu couldn’t move under the Four Spirit Guards’ spell.
What’s the point? Useless if I can’t reach him, Wenwu thought bitterly.
The ground vibrated beneath his feet. The tremor intensified.
"Ah!" One Spirit Guard cried out, stumbling as the shaking worsened.
The gravity spell broke. Wenwu felt lighter. Jade Star in hand, he lunged at Amia—strike the leader first.
Amia, a seasoned fighter, reacted instantly. A dagger materialized for defense.
Clang!
Wenwu retreated after one strike. He recognized that soul-harming dagger. This light touch hadn’t damaged Jade Star much, unlike last time.
Wenwu backed to Mountain’s side, pulled the giant sword free, and slammed it down hard.
The earth shook violently. Amia struggled to keep her footing. Seizing the chance, Wenwu attacked again.
"Fire! Fire! Don’t aim, just shoot!" Amia yelled. Even unsteady, sheer numbers might hit him.
"Wenwu, watch out!" Phyllis cried, stumbling toward him as arrows rained down, trying to shield him with her body.
