Vayne simply attacked again, movents stiff but relentless.
Another attacker spat on the ground and looked at Aiden with open disgust.
"You need to die, demonic."
His qi flared faintly around his fists.
"Soone like you is a threat to humanity."
For a brief mont.
Silence.
Then Aiden laughed.
It started low.
Then it grew louder.
A sharp, almost manic sound that echoed against the broken walls of the hall.
The attackers stiffened slightly at the sound.
Aiden lowered his head, shoulders shaking faintly.
"Demonic?" he repeated between laughs.
He raised his head slowly, eyes gleaming in the dim light.
"That’s right, with the power I’m wielding right now..." he said softly, almost amused, "I’m a threat to more than just humanity."
His mana surged.
The temperature in the room seed to drop.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand.
Twelve shadows ford around him.
One after another, his basic-grade undead materialized, filling the hall with hollow-eyed figures and rattling bones. The already cramped space beca suffocating with deathly presence.
The four Body Tempering practitioners imdiately tightened their stances.
Wip’s expression darkened.
"Don’t let him escape!" he barked.
That was exactly what Aiden intended to do.
He wasn’t foolish enough to fight four Body Tempering practitioners head-on, not in a confined space, not when reinforcents were probably already waiting outside.
This was a trap.
They had been waiting here.
They had killed the brothers and waited for him to return.
Aiden’s eyes flicked toward the rear exit.
He needed to get out. Out of the hall, and out of the city.
"Hold them," he ordered calmly.
His undead surged forward at once.
Bonefist smashed into one practitioner, forcing him back. Skullbreaker swung wildly, disrupting another’s footing. The undead captain fought Wip directly, their clash shaking the room.
The newly summoned twelve sward, weapons flashing in chaotic coordination.
The hall exploded into violence.
Aiden stepped back toward the rear corridor, Bone Shield still active around him.
Wip slashed Vayne, bones scattering across the floor. "After him!" he shouted.
But the swarm slowed him just enough.
Just enough for Aiden to reach the back wall.
He didn’t look back at the bodies of the three brothers.
There was no ti.
His expression was no longer laughing.
It was cold and focused.
This wasn’t the end. But staying here would be.
He didn’t hesitate.
The mont he broke from the main hall, he sprinted toward the hidden exit at the back of the building. The narrow corridor was barely wide enough for two people side by side. Cracked stone walls rushed past him as his boots struck the floor in quick, controlled steps.
Behind him, the sounds of battle echoed, bone shattering, n shouting.
He could feel it.
Soone was pushing through, he glanced back, soone had broken through.
The undead head captain was thrown violently against the corridor wall, stone cracking from the impact. Bonefist tried to grab Wip’s arm, but the man twisted, and smashed his elbow into Bonefist’s skull, sending fragnts scattering.
Wip’s speed didn’t slow.
He was already right behind Aiden, his expression tightened.
This guy is very strong.
Stronger than any Body Tempering practitioner he had faced so far.
Probably the strongest.
Aiden spun mid-run and thrust out his hand.
"Bone Spear."
A spear ford instantly and shot forward.
Wip didn’t dodge. He deflected it with his blade, the impact ringing sharply in the narrow corridor.
Another spear.
And another.
Aiden fired them continuously, forcing Wip to block, cut, or shift his steps.
Each strike slowed him by a fraction.
But only a fraction.
Even at Level 11, even with his body reinforced by levels, Aiden knew the difference clearly. His physical strength couldn’t compare to a true Body Tempering practitioner. If Wip caught him in close combat, even one solid hit could cripple him.
The hidden exit was just ahead.
Aiden launched two more spears in rapid succession, then turned and pushed off the ground with everything he had.
The final spear exploded against the wall near Wip, showering the corridor with debris and buying him one precious second.
Aiden burst through the concealed stone door and into the alley beyond.
Cold night air hit his face.
For half a heartbeat, relief flickered in his chest.
Then he looked up, and his heart sank.
The alley wasn’t empty.
Rows upon rows of city guards blocked both ends of the narrow street. Torches burned brightly, casting flickering orange light over drawn swords and raised shields.
Hundreds.
No.
Thousands.
Archers lined the rooftops. Spears ford a wall in front of him. The alley had been completely sealed.
This wasn’t just a small strike team.
This was a full operation.
Aiden stood there for a split second, mind racing.
Then he felt it again.
Wip stepped out of the hidden exit behind him, blade resting on his shoulder, breathing steady despite the chase.
"It’s over," Wip said calmly.
The guards tightened their formation.
Aiden slowly exhaled.
Over?
No.
Not yet.
In one fluid motion, he dismissed his undead.
Bonefist. Skullbreaker. The head captain. The remaining basic-grade summons.
They all vanished into nothing.
Aiden raised his hand again.
Mana surged violently.
He summoned them all back at once.
They reappeared around him in a tight circle, Bonefist in front, Skullbreaker to the side, the undead captain behind him, and the twelve basic-grade undead filling every gap.
A wall of bone and rotting flesh.
The guards instinctively stepped back.
"Fire!" one captain shouted.
Arrows rained down.
They struck bone, splintered ribs, and embedded themselves into undead torsos.
Aiden remained in the center, protected.
He had no intention of winning this fight.
He only needed a path.
"Forward," he commanded coldly.
The undead charged.
They slamd into the shield wall of guards, bones breaking under blades but they imdiately getting repaired. Bonefist tore through two n at once. Skullbreaker swung wildly, sending bodies flying.
The alley turned into chaos.
Screams. Steel clashing. Torches falling to the ground.
Wip lunged forward, cutting down two undead in a single motion, trying to reach Aiden again.
But the swarm blocked him.
Aiden moved with them, using the undead as living shields. Arrows that would have pierced his chest instead lodged into skeletal backs. Spears ant for his throat were caught by bone hands.
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