Madam Qu continued to fight for her life, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. Her limbs ached, her Qi was draining fast, and blood trickled from the cracks in her armor. This wasn't a fight against beasts—this was against people who could plan, trap, strike where it hurt most.
She was slower now, her arms trembling each time she parried or blocked. Her vision blurred. I'm losing way too much Qi defending and attacking at the same time… I need to run, or something—I have to survive.
Then it hit her.
The inheritance.
Her mind raced. If I destroy the ring, everything inside will be gone. Maybe I can use that—yes!
She shouted hoarsely, blood dripping from her lips, "If you don't back off, I'll destroy the ring—everything inside it! That's what you came for, right? Let's make an oath—you let me go, and I'll give it to you. Otherwise, I'll crush it, I swear!"
The black-masked man just grinned wider, his amusement undimmed. "Be my guest."
"W-What?!" she stammered, eyes wide.
She barely had time to react—a sword whistled toward her, and then came a sudden punch from the white-masked boy.
"Ice Spears," the black-masked man intoned, and spears of jagged ice shot from the ground beneath him.
Madam Qu couldn't dodge. One of the icy lances pierced her chest, and she screamed, stumbling back, her blood now mixing with shards of frost. Desperate, she shattered the surrounding spears, leaving the one still embedded in her body untouched—removing it might kill her outright.
White Mask dashed forward, swift and silent. She tried to defend, swinging her fists now that her weapon was gone, but he slipped past her attacks with ease. His fist came down in an arc—she closed her eyes, bracing for the final blow.
But it never came.
Instead, she felt a tug. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see him take the spatial rings off her fingers.
And then—
A blur.
The black-masked man moved, blade flashing—not toward her, but toward White Mask.
But the boy had expected it.
"Solar Fang Rampart!"
"Lightning Kick!"
Light burst from his arms, forming a dense shield that glowed like the sun, while bolts of lightning danced along his legs. He met the black-masked man's attack head-on.
Their clash detonated with a thunderous boom that shook the entire cave, dust and rock raining from above as a cloud of smoke filled the air. When it cleared, both figures stood several paces apart, locked in a deadly stare.
"You knew, huh?" the black-masked man asked. No hint of disappointment, no surprise. Just a hollow calm. As if none of this mattered.
White Mask answered coolly, voice flat and fearless. "Why would I answer a corpse?"
He didn't flinch, didn't waver. He looked at the man before him—a cultivator stronger than himself—and yet, there was no fear in his eyes.
Only certainty.
"What the hell are you two doing?!" the girl with them finally shouted, stepping into the fray as she saw Black Mask attacking their companion. Her voice echoed across the cave, sharp and accusing—but uncertain. She needed clarity.
White Mask seized the moment. "He tried to kill me and take the inheritance for himself! He's a traitor. I'm sure he plans to kill both of us."
The girl's eyes narrowed. Her grip tightened on the daggers in her hands.
"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you from the start," she spat, glaring at Black Mask as if she'd always suspected his betrayal.
Black Mask merely chuckled, as if her accusation was a joke not worth responding to. His amusement only fueled the tension.
"We need to work together," White Mask said, turning to the girl. "It's the only way we survive. He's too strong alone."
Then, to Madam Qu, his voice turned cold. "And you… what's your choice? Fight with us and kill him—or die with him."
Madam Qu hesitated, her breathing heavy. She was bleeding, weakened, her armor in ruins. She didn't trust any of them—but if she stayed out of it, they all might kill her.
If she had to choose between two enemies, better the ones who still needed her alive.
"…Fine," she growled, swallowing a healing pill and snatching up her sword with her good hand. Her right arm was useless, numb from earlier wounds.
Black Mask watched them with a smirk, unfazed. "Now that's a little unfair, don't you think?" he said, though his tone made it clear he didn't mind the odds. He slowly stepped forward, frost creeping across the ground with every stride, flames dancing along his blade.
White Mask charged first, light bursting from his arms, lightning coiling around his legs. Madam Qu followed behind, sword low, ready to strike. The girl hung back, daggers in hand, waiting for her chance to slip in unseen.
But then—
Black Mask didn't meet White Mask head-on.
He shifted. One fluid step to the side—and the ground beneath him shattered as he launched forward like a bolt of ice-covered lightning.
Straight toward the dagger-wielding girl.
"Damn bastard!" she hissed, realizing his intent too late.
She turned to flee, but he was too fast. He was on her in an instant.
She narrowly dodged his sword slash, but his fist came next—a brutal right hook to her cheek. The impact sent her spinning through the air before she hit the ground with a grunt, sliding across the frost-covered floor.
Black Mask moved in to finish her.
But—
A bolt of lightning streaked toward him. White Mask's leg, crackling with energy, swept in from above.
Black Mask ducked under it—barely—but White Mask was already shifting mid-air.
"Wind Step — Rising Talon!" White Mask twisted his body, palms flashing out underneath him. A sudden burst of wind shifted his momentum.
"Solar Fang Rampart — Unleashed!"
Light erupted from his hands in a radiant wave—BOOM—a thunderous blast that sent Black Mask hurtling backward. He crashed into the cavern wall with a shattering crack, stones tumbling from above.
Blood trickled from his mouth as he got back up, his sword arm shaking. His eyes narrowed.
"That damned brat's been hiding his strength…"
But he didn't have time to think—Madam Qu was already charging him, sword raised, though her movements were slower than before.
He rushed forward with a snarl, blade raised high.
Their swords clashed—hers was deflected easily. She cried out as his knee slammed into her gut, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her staggering back.
The dagger girl lunged in at that moment, slashing toward his back.
He twisted just in time, her blade slicing through his side but missing anything vital. He gritted his teeth and elbowed backward—but she ducked away, nimble and swift.
Madam Qu struck again, but he met her sword with his own and overpowered her easily. Another knee, this time to her ribs, sent her crashing down.
But her fall left him open.
The girl lunged, her dagger plunging deep into his back.
"Ghhn—!" he hissed, whirling around with a vicious slash, but she dodged again, just barely avoiding decapitation.
He staggered, blood dripping onto the ice beneath him.
"…Tch. This is becoming more annoying than I expected."
Then his eyes widened.
Where—
"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT BASTARD?!"
He looked around, searching—but White Mask was gone.
The cave was silent except for the echoes of battle and their ragged breathing.
"…He ran," Black Mask muttered, and then he laughed. At first a chuckle, then a low, rising cackle that filled the cave. "Well played… well played. But trust me—I'll find you."
He turned back to Madam Qu and the dagger girl.
With White Mask gone, he could focus. Break them both here, and then hunt down the thief.
Meanwhile, deeper in the cave's winding passages—
White Mask was already fleeing, his pace steady, calm.
"I hate leaving him alive," he muttered to himself, "but I can't risk it. Not when I know he's hiding cards he hasn't played yet."
He glanced at the rings now on his hand, his expression unreadable behind the mask.
"He doesn't know my identity, what I look like, or where I came from. I'll vanish—and he'll never find me."
A flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes.
"…I wonder what kind of inheritance this really is?"
That question would have to wait—until he was far, far away from the blood-soaked echoes of the cave.