Isshin wanted to avoid revealing himself, but there was no way around it anymore. He dropped down in front of the two disciples, landing between them and the wyvern egg. They froze the moment they saw him, stepping into fighting stances, hostility written all over their faces.
"Who are you?" the boy demanded.
"The wyvern entrusted the egg to me. You can't take it," Isshin said calmly.
"I didn't expect some random guy to beat us here. Which sect are you from?" the boy scoffed. His tone made it clear he didn't take Isshin seriously.
Isshin chose to lie and confuse them. "The Wudang Sect."
Both of them paused for a second, clearly surprised, though they tried not to show it.
"And you two?" Isshin asked.
"Divine Sword Sect," the boy answered.
Isshin's system quietly brought up holographic name tags above their heads, translating their identities mid-air. They didn't match what the two had claimed. Trying to test them further, Isshin said, "What are your names?"
"I'm Feng, and she's Xun," the boy replied without hesitation.
Isshin didn't even need the system to know they were lying through their teeth.
"You don't decide who keeps that egg. Move," the boy snapped, stepping forward.
The moment he moved, Isshin's sword blurred. The blade appeared at the boy's neck, drawing a sudden line of blood. Soren's eyes widened in shock.
"Go back, Soren, or this won't end nicely," Isshin said.
The moment he said his real name, both of them realized their cover was blown. Selene reacted instantly and hurled a qi-infused kunai toward him. Isshin moved without thinking. His sword flashed, slicing Soren's head cleanly before turning to deflect the kunai. In the same motion, he vanished with Flash Step, reappearing beside Selene and kicking her across the clearing with a thunder-charged strike. She hit the ground hard, sliding several meters.
Fear washed over her face as she tried to push herself up. She knew she couldn't win. All she could do was scream.
"He—"
Isshin pointed his sword at her throat. "Scream and you're dead."
But panic overruled fear. She screamed anyway.
Isshin knocked her out with a quick hit to the head.
He stepped back and inhaled sharply. Fighting the entire group of Divine Sword Sect members head-on was suicide. He needed a plan, not brute force. Killing both of them as himself would ruin everything, but leaving them alive wasn't an option either.
He whispered urgently in his mind, "Raijin, can you help me imitate a Wudang sword technique?"
Raijin took a few seconds, then projected a visual guide through the system. It wasn't perfect, but it showed enough: the posture, the qi flow, the sword path.
Isshin copied the movement as best as he could and struck down the unconscious Selene with a clean Wudang-style slash. It wasn't flawless, but it would look convincing to outsiders.
Then he dragged Soren's corpse deep into the wyvern's nest, burying it beneath broken branches and rocks. No one would think to check there, and Soren's neck wound would mislead them completely. Selene's body, on the other hand, carried a mark that resembled Wudang swordwork.
Isshin sprinted away from the scene and hid among the trees, keeping his senses sharp.
Minutes later, the Divine Sword Sect members arrived in a frenzy. They found Selene first. Rage exploded among them, and they immediately ordered everyone to stay alert and search for Soren. Their voices echoed through the forest.
That was Isshin's moment.
He burst out from the trees, stumbling on rocks, gasping like someone who had barely escaped death. He rushed toward them, nearly collapsing as he shouted for help.
The sect members turned sharply. Isshin dropped to his knees in front of them.
"Who are you?" the elder barked.
"I… I'm Neil," Isshin stuttered, forcing panic into his voice. "There were Wudang Sect members after me. I escaped because a wyvern showed up out of nowhere, I—"
"Damn it… the Wudang Sect has lost it," the elder muttered. "We might still catch them."
It sounded like the lie worked, but their eyes stayed sharp. They weren't fully convinced yet.
"Why would they chase you? What are you hiding?" an inner disciple asked, stepping closer.
"T-they were after someone else," Isshin said quickly. "Wait… he wore the same uniform as you. I saw them kill one of your members, I think. Then they came after me to silence me."
The group exchanged glances. Suspicion softened into agitation. They seemed to believe him, but not enough to relax.
"You're coming with us," the elder said. "Try to run, and I'll kill you myself."
Isshin nodded and played along, keeping his breathing shaky. Inside, his mind was racing. He had tricked them for now, but staying close to them was just as dangerous.