The sky above the Wolf Territory cracked like glass under pressure, thunder rumbling through thick, war-stained clouds. Dust spiraled from the shattered ground, and the bitter scent of scorched earth lingered in the air.
Amidst this devastation, Mike Yeager stood battered, blood dripping down his temple, a bruised hand clutching the shaft of his massive war hammer for support. His chest rose and fell with difficulty, but a crooked, defiant smile played on his lips.
"Come on, Bao Wuhen," he growled, voice hoarse but steady. "Are you already exhausted?"
Bao Wuhen narrowed his eyes. Is he mad? he wondered.
Mike lunged forward, raising his hammer high and bringing it down in a thunderous arc. Bao Wuhen twisted his body just in time, narrowly evading the blow.
The clash reignited with furious fists, bodies blurring as they exchanged strike after strike. The earth groaned beneath their feet, and fractures snaked across the landscape like jagged veins.
Breathing heavily now, both warriors momentarily paused, the wind whistling through the ruined battlefield.
"You'll die here, Mike Yeager," Bao Wuhen declared with venom, eyes gleaming with cruel certainty. "No one can save you now."
He raised his arms as dark Qi swirled violently around him, tearing at the grass and stones.
"Behold, Dragon's Maw Technique!"
From behind him, a swirling black portal cracked open the air like a tear in reality. Out of it emerged a monstrous dragon cloaked in abyssal fire, its eyes glowing like dying stars. The beast surged toward Mike, jaws wide to consume him whole.
"Mike, MOVE!" Jian Dao shouted from afar, panic flaring in his voice. He attempted to dash forward, but Han Zetsu and Ru Fenglie intercepted him with deadly precision, locking him down.
Still, Mike didn't flinch.
He turned his head slightly toward Jian Dao and shouted, "Master! You think I need your protection again? Not this time. What I need… is what I choose to do!"
Jian Dao froze, eyes wide, watching his disciple's defiant stance.
The dragon roared, inches away from tearing Mike apart.
Mike's gaze remained calm, steel in his voice. "Bao Wuhen, do you know the meaning of betrayal? If not... let me show you what betrayal truly is."
He extended his right hand toward the beast and whispered, "Once again... Autumn Technique."
His fingers clenched tight.
A radiant burst exploded outward with a roar that shook the sky. Dust and wind blasted through the battlefield, and for a moment, everything disappeared in blinding chaos.
When the air cleared… the monstrous dragon was gone. In its place, a rain of glowing, red-orange leaves fell gently from the sky autumn leaves, beautiful and deadly.
Silence. The kind that only came after something impossible.
Bao Wuhen stumbled back, trembling. "H-How… is it possible? How can he use the Autumn Technique again?"
Han Zetsu's voice came sharp and urgent: "Focus on your meridians, don't lose will control. Stay alert now more than ever."
Behind Bao Wuhen, a familiar growl echoed. The dragon had reappeared only this time, it had turned on its master.
Eyes wide and helpless, Bao Wuhen watched as the beast opened its jaws, encasing him in a halo of death. With tears welling in his eyes, he whispered, "I'm sorry… Ru Fenglie, my best friend. But I know… you'll avenge me."
He smiled, but that smile was hollow full of pain.
And then the dragon consumed him.
In the next instant, it exploded into ash.
"No! Bao Wuhen! You can't just leave me like that!" Ru Fenglie roared in anguish, his voice echoing through the valley. "I swear… I'll take your revenge."
From the rubble, Jian Dao moved. "Good move," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. He charged at Han Zetsu and delivered a powerful punch that rocked the man's jaw.
"You're boring," Jian Dao spat. "You fight like someone afraid of death."
Han Zetsu wiped blood from his mouth and dropped his cloak. His body pulsed with foul, dark energy. "Then let me show you why I'm not," he growled, revealing his rank Dou Wang, 3-stars.
"I'll tear you apart!"
He lunged, fists flying. Jian Dao deflected the first wave but sensed the pressure building. He's stronger than me… by rank.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mike collapsed to one knee, coughing up a torrent of blood. Pain wracked his body his organs felt twisted, his limbs heavy. The second use of the Autumn Technique had left him broken inside.
Across the battlefield, Ru Fenglie's fury had transformed him. He dropped his cloak as well, revealing Wang Zhe, 2-stars, and charged at Mike with claws coated in poison and hate.
"Die!"
But a booming voice interrupted:
"You little mosquito how dare you attack Mike?!"
From the shadows, Huo Chuntian finally awakened. He moved in a blur, intercepting Ru Fenglie's strike and launching him into a boulder.
Ru Fenglie groaned, standing up. "You damn bird… finally showed yourself."
"I'm not a bird, you idiot," Huo Chuntian snapped. "Mike! Are you okay?! Listen carefully you're strong, courageous, and you already defeated one of your father's kidnappers with your own strength. Now come on, let's take down the second."
Those words lit something inside Mike. He pulled two Tier-2 recovery pills from his storage ring, swallowed them, and rose again.
With fire in his eyes, he declared, "I, Mike Yeager, son of Eldon Yeager, will protect my father and destroy anyone who dares to hurt him, my family, my friends… even strangers who can't defend themselves!"
Though still wounded, he stepped forward, will unbroken.
Jian Dao nodded at Huo Chuntian. "Perfect timing."
Han Zetsu cracked his neck. "Enough child's play… now witness massacre."
He began with standard attacks demon Fang Slash, Double Demon Fang Slash. Jian Dao evaded and parried with agility, but the pressure mounted. Their ranks were uneven Jian Dao at Dou Wang, 1-star, was barely holding up.
Then, Han Zetsu unleashed his sinister trump card
Infernal Absorption Sutra.
The technique, ancient and reviled, allowed him to drain Jian Dao's power, Qi, and will, layer by layer.
Staggering, desperate, Jian Dao gritted his teeth. "I didn't want to use this…" He raised his blade, its edge shimmering with celestial gold and silver.
HEAVENLY VEIN SEVERING SLASH.
The blade cut through space itself a fractured crescent of divine light that slammed into Han Zetsu's technique.
The explosion that followed was cataclysmic.
The battlefield tore apart. Mountains crumbled, the land cracked, and a furious windstorm swept through the sky. Huo Chuntian, Mike, and Ru Fenglie shielded themselves from the shockwave.
When the dust settled, Han Zetsu staggered back, bloodied, but laughing.
"Was that your best?" he sneered, despite the damage.
Jian Dao, exhausted, stepped back and passed the fight to Huo Chuntian. "He's all yours."
Han Zetsu swallowed a Tier-3 recovery pill. "So now the old bird gets to die?"
Jian Dao popped two Tier-4 recovery pills, and turned to Mike.
"I'll fight by your side now," he said.
Ru Fenglie cracked his knuckles, bloodlust in his gaze. "Good.
Then let's end this."