Both Death Sword and Purple Night simply watched without moving.
"You surprised me, though," Jagged continued, cracking his neck. "That attack of yours… interesting. You haven't mastered it yet, have you? What a shame. I wanted to test your mettle properly. Guess I'll have to settle for torturing you slowly."
"You talk too much."
The grin behind Jagged's mask was venomous.
His aura shifted—heavy and unstable.
He began walking toward Fall Night, each step melting into shadow before flickering back into light. His movements were unpredictable, a blur of motion and absence.
[Nimble]—the footwork of an assassin, not a brute.
The moment Jagged started moving, Fall Night responded with [Nine Extinction Step: Half Step].
His body shifted.
Not backward.
Not forward.
Just enough.
He slipped across the angle of Jagged's movement, disrupting the assassin-like rhythm of [Nimble].
Purple Night frowned.
"Something's off about Fall Night's movement."
"It's not off," Death Sword replied, his tone low and analytical. "He's redirecting sight and timing. It's sleight of hand, but with the body."
"Is it really that simple?"
"No," Death Sword said. "The stress on the joints alone could cripple a lesser cultivator. That's why he rarely uses it. Overuse would destroy his rhythm—and his body."
Purple Night's eyes narrowed.
"So that's why his timing feels lethal. He's fought a lot. He's learning to predict us."
"Exactly. But don't overestimate him," Death Sword said. "He's still too green to catch all three of us off guard with just palm strikes."
Purple Night remained silent for a moment, watching Fall Night's calm temperament as he clashed with Jagged.
"So far, we've seen three palm strikes and one movement art. He hasn't shown his full hand. We should stop this before it costs us the mission."
Death Sword's eyes remained fixed on Fall Night, cold and unreadable. He didn't like the suggestion—but she was right.
The mission came first.
Jagged suddenly lunged.
His machete flashed from his right hand, cutting toward Fall Night's torso.
But Fall Night had already moved.
[Nine Extinction Step: Half Step] shifted his body just outside the blade's path, causing Jagged's slash to pass harmlessly by.
At the same time, Fall Night stepped inside Jagged's range.
His palm shot toward Jagged's head.
Jagged twisted away at the last instant.
The palm skimmed past his mask.
Fall Night immediately followed.
His fingers reached for Jagged's head—
—and Jagged's machete came around again.
The blade swept horizontally across Fall Night's body in a wide arc.
Jagged twisted with the motion, his entire body rotating with the slash.
For an instant, he looked like a spinning top with a blade for an edge.
Fall Night released his pursuit and retreated.
The machete tore through the space where his body had been a heartbeat earlier.
Jagged didn't stop.
The rotation carried him forward.
He suddenly reversed his grip and brought the machete crashing downward like a butcher's cleaver.
Fall Night's eyes narrowed.
He dropped low.
The blade slammed into the earth beside him, scattering dirt and broken leaves.
Using the momentum of his descent, Fall Night rolled across the ground.
His palm struck the earth.
His body spun with the motion, and his other hand swept outward toward Jagged's legs.
It was the same sweeping palm technique that had sent Purple Night flipping earlier.
Jagged's eyes widened.
"Again?"
The palm caught his legs.
His balance disappeared.
Jagged was launched into the air, his body flipping backward and spinning like an inverted top.
Fall Night rose smoothly from his roll.
His eyes followed Jagged's trajectory.
He had already calculated the timing.
Dark energy gathered around his arm.
[Immolation Claw].
A massive, blade-like claw of dark aura erupted from Fall Night's palm.
Jagged was still airborne when the claw caught him.
The attack engulfed his body.
BOOM!
Jagged was hurled downward, crashing into the ground hard enough to send dust and debris exploding outward.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Jagged pushed himself out of the crater.
He staggered upright, his breathing heavy.
His grip tightened around his machete.
"Jagged, stop."
Death Sword's voice rolled through the clearing like thunder.
Jagged froze.
Death Sword's hands formed several quick seals.
The second sword strapped to his back began to tremble.
An eerie metallic hum filled the clearing.
Jagged's teeth ground together behind his mask.
"Damn it, Death Sword," he hissed. "Why that one? Why Dishonorable Death? Why not Noble Death? I hate your methods."
Fall Night's eyes flicked toward the trembling blade.
The sound alone told him enough.
Whatever that sword did, it was not something he wanted to experience.
He eased backward, putting distance between himself and Jagged.
Purple Night's gaze followed his movements, her mind sharp as a blade.
His instincts are keen—too keen for someone in the early Refinement Stage. But he's still not fighting with real intent or battle prowess. He's testing… experimenting.
Death Sword noticed Fall Night retreating behind Purple Night.
"If you're both done playing," he said, his voice cold as steel, "we're moving out. Seven Elements Peak won't wait."
Fall Night stopped, shifting toward Purple Night's side.
Beneath her mask, she smiled faintly, almost approvingly.
Jagged sulked behind Death Sword, glaring daggers at Fall Night.
Fall Night had made him look like a fool several times during their clash.
At least he's not dumb enough to stand near Death Sword, Purple Night thought.
Without warning—
Death Sword moved.
His hand sliced through the air like a blade.
Purple Night reacted instantly, stepping aside before she could be caught in the attack.
The strike was silent.
Too fast for breath or thought.
It cut through the space between them—clean and decisive.
Blood sprayed.
Fall Night staggered backward, clutching his chest as his wound reopened. Fresh crimson gushed between his fingers.
The world tilted.
His gaze locked onto Death Sword, his eyes burning with quiet fury.
Jagged gasped and dropped to one knee, clutching his chest.
His meridians screamed, ruptured by the same invisible force.
Death Sword stood perfectly still, his hand still extended.
No remorse.
No expression.
Only the wind moved.
"That was a warning. Don't make me repeat myself. The mission comes first."
Death Sword's voice was icy.
He looked down at Fall Night, blood still leaking from the reopened wound.
"I left something extra for you, Fall Night—for breaking that container. You should recover in two months… maybe."
He turned away, unfolding the map and pointing toward their location.
The air around him grew colder, his tone becoming serious.
"We have three months to reach Black Port. I don't care if we move in pairs or as a full unit. What matters is efficiency—our time and our movement."
Purple Night nodded.
"I'll take Fall Night with me."
"Fine," Death Sword said curtly.
"Once we leave the Misty Rain Forest, we'll stop at Cold Steel City to restock and trade materials."
"Sounds good, Purple Night. Jagged and I will head there as well. We may arrive a few minutes before or after you. But the deadline stands—three months to Black Port. Understood?"
His eyes locked onto Fall Night and Jagged.
Both men were simmering—Jagged with bruised pride, Fall Night with silent fury.
Fall Night gave a stiff nod, still clutching his bleeding chest.
Jagged followed, nodding reluctantly, a cruel grin twitching behind his mask.
Death Sword gathered his gear, turned, and began walking deeper into the forest.
Jagged sighed, collected his belongings, and followed behind him.
Purple Night glanced at Fall Night, who was still standing where Death Sword's attack had left him, blood dripping down his arm.
"You're lucky, Fall Night," she said softly. "That you only got that much."
Fall Night let out a bitter laugh.
"Yeah, right. I bet you enjoyed every second of it."
Purple Night didn't answer.
Truthfully, she might have felt the same in his place.
"Let's move. You'll have plenty of time to recover on the road."