Elder 1's gaze never wavered from the lizard. The crescent blade hovered above its trembling form, silver light slicing through the dust-choked air. His voice, calm yet edged with lethal intent, carried over the wreckage.
"You still stand," he murmured, letting the words hang. "But that changes nothing. Letting you live… would be a mistake. A dangerous one. A creature like you—untamed, relentless—cannot be allowed to roam free. Not here, not anywhere. Countless lives would be lost. And for what? Because I spared you?"
He shook his head slowly, almost pitying. "No. The thought of what you would have been at full strength… terrifies me. Lucky for me, you were wounded. Not at your peak. That alone is your only gift. But luck… luck is a talent as well. One I wielded better than you today it favoured. You survived long enough to face me—and now, you will not survive this moment."
The lizard's golden eyes glittered defiantly, refusing to blink. Elder 1's lips curled into a cold, hard smile. "You stare at me all you want. Your gaze won't change anything. This… ends here."
He shifted slightly, letting the weight of his cultivation hum through him, the world trembling in resonance. "In the world of cultivators, survival is the law. Strength decides life, and weakness decides death. You would have killed others, yes—but had you been stronger… I might not have survived either. That is the truth you will never understand."
A low hum of energy pulsed along the crescent blade, moonlight twisting around its edge. Elder 1 raised it higher, letting the silver arc catch the fractured moonlight above. The lizard hissed, sparks dancing along its battered wings, but it could not move.
"Prepare yourself," Elder 1 whispered, voice cold and absolute. "Because this is where you meet your end."
With a fluid motion, precise and merciless, he brought Lunar Severance down in a sweeping arc, the silver light streaking toward the lizard like the moon itself had decided to strike.
The night trembled, dust and lightning whirling around them, as the final blow descended.
Elder 1's crescent blade sliced through the moonlit air toward the lizard. The world seemed to hold its breath—then, suddenly—
His eyes widened. Pupils narrowed sharply.
The swing… missed. By inches.
A violent shock surged through his arms as he felt the impact—not against the lizard, but against something unseen. The force jolted through him. He coughed, spitting blood, and his body collapsed violently from the strain. Air rushed from his lungs as he crashed to the ground, trembling, muscles screaming in protest. The Qi that had once flowed so freely now fought against him; his body barely held itself upright.
Lunar Severance, the blade of pure intent, began to fade from his grasp, the silver radiance dimming and retracting like mist. His vision blurred, the battlefield tilting as dust swirled around him.
And then—realization.
His eyes widened further, bloodied lips parting in disbelief.
"What… what is this?" he rasped, barely audible over the ringing in his ears.
For the first time in the fight, the air around him felt alien, the battlefield uncertain. The lizard—once cornered, wounded, defeated—now radiated a presence that shook the very core of Elder 1's awareness.
Something had changed. Something he hadn't anticipated.
And for the first time, he felt the cold whisper of danger… not just to others, but to himself.
Elder 1 staggered, every breath ragged, every movement a battle against his own body. The world swayed and shifted, the fractured battlefield stretching and shrinking in impossible ways.
My consciousness… he thought, panic flashing across his mind. It's like it's being torn apart. Why? Why's that?
The question echoed in his skull, bouncing from one corner of his thoughts to another. It shouldn't have happened. He had faced stronger opponents, more unpredictable foes—but this… this sudden collapse of control felt alien. Violent.
Pain erupted along every meridian. Qi that had once flowed like molten steel now recoiled chaotically within him, striking his internal organs like jagged lightning. His chest burned. His limbs trembled uncontrollably.
No… this isn't right. I lost control… my energy… it's—
A sharp, burning agony lanced through his core, radiating outward as if the very essence of his cultivation were rebelling against him. Internal injuries that should have taken months to heal were inflicted in moments, tearing at his body from within.
He clutched his chest, teeth gritted against the pain, and stumbled to one knee. His vision blurred, and the once-solid ground beneath him felt unreal—like he was sinking through layers of stone and Qi at the same time.
I… I can't… this shouldn't be happening.
A cold dread settled in his gut. The thought clawed at him like a living thing: if he couldn't regain control, if the energy inside him continued to rebel, then even survival—let alone victory—was impossible.
His hands shook violently, blood streaking his lips as he forced himself to breathe. Each inhalation was ragged, each exhalation a battle against the chaos within him.
Why… all of a sudden…?
The question repeated itself, a mantra of disbelief, fear, and raw frustration. Something had shifted in the battle, in the lizard… or in himself. And now, Elder 1 understood that this moment—the sudden loss of control—was as deadly as any enemy standing before him.
He closed his eyes, trying to center himself, trying to force the fractured Qi back into submission. But the pain, the chaos, the tearing sensation… it was relentless.
For the first time in decades, the hunter felt preyed upon—not by a monster outside, but by the storm within.