I stared at the hole in the wall where the north gate used to be. The sudden turn of events left me stunned. One moment, victory was within sight. As long as we managed to fend off the enemy and keep them from breaching the wall, we would win this battle. The next, everything went to hell. The north gate was gone. The army of demons and fiends were free to swarm into Icefall City and destroy it.

Still in a daze, I looked around. The area remained well lit, thanks to all the glowstone street lamps in the area, so I saw everything in stark detail. Chunks of stone and wood littered the area around me, the broken remains of the north gate. Bodies mingled with the debris, what remained of the retainers from House Icefall, warriors from Clan Leone, and paladins from the Church of the Sun.

Most of them laid there, unmoving and covered in blood. I didn't know if they were alive or dead. A few, however, still lived. The sound of screaming and pleas for help reached my ears. Dust clogged my nose. Blood coated my tongue.

I didn't see any of my friends among the bodies, though I didn't know if this was good news or not. Regardless, I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. There were still people alive and in need of saving. The army of demons and fiends would come flooding through the gap in the wall. I needed to get up and fight them off. Otherwise, the demons and fiends would finish off the few remaining survivors.

A part of me knew it was pointless. Without the wall to protect us, we had no chance at stopping the army of demons and fiends. There were just too many of them. Even if I were in perfect condition, I wouldn't be able to fend them off by myself. And I wasn't in perfect condition.

My left arm hung from my side, broken. Every time I moved, pain radiated from it. My body was battered and bruised from when I hit the ground and rolled. On top of that, I was tired and low on mana. Before the enemy destroyed the north gate, I had pushed myself to fend off all the Tier Three demons and fiends that kept trying to scale the wall.

In short, I was in the worst possible condition to fight. However, I didn't have much of a choice. It was either give up and wait to die, or stand up and fight. At least that way, I would die on my feet. Besides, maybe I could save a few lives. It was a useless and foolish hope, but it was all I had. I clung onto it the way a drowning man clung to a lifeline.

I pushed myself to my feet. The effort took everything I had. I drowned in a sea of pain. While my broken left arm hurt the worst, the rest of my body wasn't far behind. After getting to my feet, I looked around for my sword. To my relief, it landed not too far from me. I stumbled over to it and picked it up with my right hand, before turning towards the gap in the wall.

That was when I noticed something odd. The north gate fell some time ago. However, the army of demons and fiends hadn't come pouring through. Why? Wasn't this what they wanted? Why hadn't they taken advantage of it yet?

I couldn't see through the gap, since a cloud of dust obscured my vision. What were they up to? I shook my head. Not that it mattered. If they weren't going to come to me, I was going to go to them.

I stumbled towards the gap, sword in hand. As I neared it, the cloud of dust started to settle. I noticed shapes on the other sides: the demons and fiends. I squinted. Strange. It almost looked like they formed two rows, leaving a clear path in the middle. That couldn't be right. Why would they do that?

That was when I felt a presence so powerful, it made my legs buckle. I stabbed my sword into the ground and used it to remain upright. Otherwise, I would have fallen to my knees.

I felt the presence of a Seventh Ranked Awakened ahead of me. In all my lives, I had only encountered two beings at this level of power. The first was Teacher, a Transcendent master and Seventh Star martial artist. The second was the Demon Lord that killed me, a Tier Seven demon.

Despair threatened to snuff out the fragile flame of hope that burned inside me. Even a Tier Four demon would be a major threat to Icefall City. A Seventh Ranked Awakened? That was a being so far above us, it wasn't even a joke. It was like the difference between the heavens and the earth. To a being at that level, the people of the entire Icefall region might as well have been ants.

As I stood there, trying to remain upright, I noticed movement in the dispersing cloud of dust. A shadowy figure appeared in between the two rows of demons and fiends. The moment I saw them, I knew that this was the Seventh Ranked Awakened.

I thought of countless plans and strategies, before discarding each and every single one. In my current condition, I had no chance against this foe. Hell, even if I were at the height of my power as Brandon Norwood, I would be no match for a Seventh Ranked Awakened.

And yet, despite my despair and pain, I never considered giving up. I intended to fight until the bitter end. Was this pointless? Yes. However, when faced with the inevitable, why not spit in the face of fate?

For some strange reason, that thought helped me calm down. There was something liberating about the idea that I had nothing more to lose. I was going to die anyway. In that case, I might as well die on my feet.

I straightened up and pulled my sword out of the ground, before I stumbled forward to meet the figure. Soon, they came within sight. The Seventh Ranked Awakened turned out to be a man wearing a set of blood red robes. He looked younger than I expected. No. That wasn't right. He had a timeless quality about him, as if he were both young and old.

That was an effect of reaching Seventh Rank. The more powerful an Awakened became, the slower they aged. This wasn't too dramatic, a few decades at most. However, this all changed when an Awakened reached Seventh Rank. Their body underwent a major change and they stopped aging altogether. While they could still be killed, they were effectively immortal otherwise.

The red-haired man was about my height. He had pale, almost translucent, skin. It was as if he had never been outside in his entire life. He had long red hair, which he wore loose. His eyes were blood red, like a fiend's. However, despite this, I didn't get the sense that this man was a fiend. He didn't feel…corrupted. His presence felt pure and clean, which didn't make sense considering the circumstances.

The red-haired man's features were androgynous. Clearly male, but also feminine. He was beautiful too, though not as much as me. A part of me felt pleased by this. Petty? Yes. However, I was beyond caring at this point.

I noticed the sword at the red-haired man's side. Ah, so he was a martial artist then. For some reason, that made me feel a little better. If I was going to die anyway, I wanted to die at the hands of a martial artist. It felt appropriate.

The red-haired man stopped about a few dozen feet away from me. He wore an expression of disinterest and detachment, as if he couldn't care less about what was going on around him. It was as if a god had descended upon the mortal world to walk among mortals.

That changed when he looked at me. I detected the faintest hint of amusement. It was as if the red-haired man had discovered a particularly interesting bug. Or maybe I was reading too much into it.

"Well then," the red-haired man said, his voice soft and melodious, "What an interesting child. Instead of running away, you dare stand before me. Should I consider you brave, or foolhardy?"

I snorted, which resulted in a coughing fit. It took me a few moments to catch my breath.

"Why not both?" I asked, my voice rough. "The two aren't exclusive."

The red-haired man's interest deepened.

"Indeed," he said. "What is your name, child?"

"Gabriel." I said. "Gabriel Sturm."

The red-haired man looked me up and down.

"Fitting." He said. "You're like a nascent storm. Small, but with immense potential." He sighed. "A shame. Given enough time, you could have achieved great things. Such a waste." He looked thoughtful. "I'm almost tempted to let you live."

I shook my head.

"Even if you offered, I wouldn't have accepted." I shrugged. "Unless you also intended to spare the rest of the city."

The red-haired man's lips quirked up in amusement.

"No."

I raised my sword and pointed it at him.

"In that case, there's no point in delaying the inevitable."

The red-haired man studied me for several moments. I wondered what was going through his mind. Honestly, I was surprised that I was still alive. Even if this man didn't kill me himself, the army of demons and fiends would finish me off.

"What is going on?" An unpleasant voice called out. "Why are you just standing around there?"

The red-haired man's face twisted with displeasure. I looked to find three figures walking towards him from behind. I hadn't noticed, since the red-haired man's presence had overshadowed them. All three wore black hooded robes that hid their entire bodies. The air of corruption clung to all three. Demon summoners. Two were at Third Circle, while the one in the middle was at Fourth Circle.

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"Stop dallying and destroy the city!" The Fourth Circle demon summoner, a woman, snapped. "Or at least get out of the way, so we can do it ourselves."

That's when I realized that the red-haired man was the reason why the army of demons and fiends hadn't entered Icefall City yet. His sheer presence kept them at bay.

"I suggest you hold your tongue," the red-haired man said in a cold voice, "unless you wish to lose it."

The Fourth Circle demon summoner pointed a finger at him.

"The Master brought you here for a reason." She said. "If you don't-"

Killing intent exploded out of the red-haired man. So strong it was suffocating. I wasn't the target of the red-haired man's ire, but it still affected me. As for the Fourth Circle demon summoner, she clutched her throat and fell to her knees. The other two demon summoners outright collapsed onto the ground.

"Make no mistake," the red-haired man said, "I came here as a favor to your so-called Master. However, I am not his subordinate nor his servant. We are allies of convenience, nothing more." He shook his head. "The people of this realm are so arrogant."

"You'll pay.. When… The Master… Hears of this." the Fourth Circle demon summoner choked out.

The red-haired man chuckled.

"Your Master will do nothing." He said. "Even if I were to kill every single one of you and your little army of demons, he would still do nothing. He needs me far more than he needs you."

An idea occurred to me, and the flame of hope burning inside me grew brighter. Maybe, just maybe, I had a chance. I couldn't win this fight, but perhaps I could talk my way out of it. The red-haired man was working with the demon summoners, but he wasn't one of them. Perhaps I could use that.

"You're a transmigrator, aren't you?" I asked.

It was a guess on my part, but it fit. The red-haired man looked like he belonged to another realm; First Murim, I assumed. Plus, his comment earlier was a pretty big clue.

"Yes." The red-haired man, retracting his killing intent. He turned to face me once more. "Outsiders call the realm I come from First Murim." He tilted his head. "Are you familiar with it?"

I nodded.

"My teacher comes from First Murim." I said.

The red-haired man smirked.

"Oh? Perhaps this world will be more interesting than I expected."

I hesitated before I asked this next question.

"Why are you working with the demon summoners?" I asked. "It's clear that you're not one of them."

The red-haired man sighed.

"Save your breath, Child." He said. "I see what you're attempting. You're not strong enough to defeat me, so you hope to convince me to spare you and this city." He shook his head. "It won't work."

"Why not?" I asked, more than a little desperate. "Perhaps we can work out a deal."

The red-haired man's expression hardened.

"No." He said. "As repulsive as I find these demon summoners, I need their Master's help. He is the only one who can give me what I need."

His words doused the flame of hope inside me, until nothing but a small ember remained. I clenched my jaw for a moment, before I let out a resigned sigh.

"In that case, excuse me for being impolite." I said.

With that, I charged towards the red-haired man. My body protested, but I ignored it. I was going to die anyway, so I didn't see the point of holding back.

[Concealing Mist]

[Mist Sword]

I breathed out a thick white mist, one tinged red with my blood, that blanketed the entire surrounding area. At the same time, I formed six illusory swords out of the red-tinged mist and launched them at the red-haired man. He made no move to defend himself.

Less than a second later, I unleashed my aura, squeezing every bit of mana I had left. An illusory dragon made of silvery-blue light formed around me. The sound of lightning and thunder filled the air, accompanied by the smell of ozone.

[Storm Dragon's Fang]

I thrust my sword at the red-haired man, aiming for his heart. My six illusory swords struck first, piercing his body in several locations. My real sword followed a moment later, piercing through his chest. The entire time, the red-haired man just stood there.

After my attack, silence fell over the area. I stood there, sword in hand, panting. Pain wracked my body and my vision swam. I failed. I put everything I had left into my final attack, and it failed. Despite the swords piercing his body, the red-haired didn't bleed. No wonder he made no attempt to defend himself. My attacks meant nothing to him. That was the difference between us.

With the last of my mana spent, the six illusory swords dissipated and my aura dispersed. I was at the end of my strength, and would collapse any moment now. Even so, I kept hold of my sword. I planned on dying with sword in hand until the very end.

However, after a few seconds passed without any reaction from the red-haired man, I grew confused. Wasn't this the part where I died? I looked at his face. The expression he wore surprised me. The red-haired man stared at me with a stunned expression on his face.

A moment later, his eyes narrowed and I found myself dangling in the air with his hand around my throat. I didn't even know how it happened. One moment I was standing there, my sword in his chest. The next, I found myself in his grip. The red-haired man had moved so fast that I couldn't even see it.

I tried to free myself, to no avail. The red-haired man's hand felt like a vice grip, choking. I wasn't strong enough to remove it.

"Where did you learn that style?" The red-haired man demanded, my sword still in his chest.

He stared at me with an intense look in his eyes. No. That was an understatement. Obsessed. That was a better term. He looked like a man obsessed.

I tapped the hand around my throat, trying to convey to him that I couldn't breathe, let alone speak. To my relief, he let go of me. The moment my feet touched the ground, my legs lost all strength and I fell to my knees, coughing. At this point, I was spent. It took everything I had to remain conscious.

The red-haired man took his still-sheathed sword and used it to lift my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"Where did you learn that style?" He repeated.

An insane idea popped into my head. However, I decided to roll with it. Why not? At this point, what did I have left to lose?

"Ensure this city's survival, and I'll tell you." I said.

The red-haired man's killing intent hit me like a physical force. I almost passed out, though I just barely remained conscious.

"You dare make demands of me?" The red-haired man asked. "Such arrogance!"

I chuckled, which turned into another coughing fit.

"I have something you want." I said after I stopped coughing. "It's only fair that you compensate me for it. Kill the demon summoners and their army. That's my price."

The red-haired man glared at me.

"Or I can torture the knowledge out of you." He said.

I smirked.

"If you were going to do that, you would have already done so. You wouldn't have bothered asking."

This was a gamble on my part, though I felt confident in my chances. Either the red-haired man was unable to torture the answers out of me, or he was unwilling to. Given the circumstances, I believed it was the latter. I suspected this man knew Teacher. Otherwise, why would he be interested in the Mist Sword style? Teacher created that style. As far as I knew, she and I were the only ones who practiced it.

"You play a dangerous game, Child." The red-haired man said in a cold voice. "If you lie to me, or fail to provide me with the knowledge I seek, I will kill every single person in this city."

With that, the red-haired man unsheathed his sword and swung it towards the three demon summoners. Huh. I had almost forgotten about them. An arc of blood red light flew out from the red-haired man's sword and cut the three demon summoners in half. They didn't even get a chance to scream before they died.

The arc of blood red light continued towards the army of demons and fiends, cutting a bloody swath through them. Some tried to escape, but it was futile. Moments later, the demons and fiends were all dead. Well, the ones nearest to the north gate at least.

Aura Force, an advanced technique that allowed a martial artist to extend their aura beyond their physical body. As the red-haired man just demonstrated, it could be used with devastating effect at the highest levels.

After killing the demon summoners and a good chunk of their army, the red-haired man turned towards me. He didn't say anything. Instead, he gave me an expectant look.

"I learned the Mist Sword style from my teacher." I said, answering his unspoken question.

The red-haired man sucked in a breath.

"Who is your teacher?" He asked. "What is her name?"

Her? Ha. The red-haired man just confirmed my suspicions. He knew Teacher. During the course of this conversation, I never once said that my teacher was a woman.

"I don't know her name." I said. "I just call her Teacher." I paused. "Or shrew."

At first I thought the red-haired man might get angry at my flippant answer. However, to my surprise, he looked to the sky and laughed.

"Yes!" He said, his voice filled with joy. "After all these years, I finally found her!"

Huh. Maybe I wasn't the only one who thought that Teacher was a shrew.

"Tell me, Child." The red-haired man said, looking back down at me. "Where is your teacher? I wish to meet with her."

I grinned at him.

"In a different realm." I said.

The red-haired man's joy drained away.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"My teacher is in another realm. She isn't in Lumina."

The red-haired man pointed his sword at my throat.

"Don't lie to me, Child." He said. "After entering this realm, it's almost impossible to leave. Your teacher must still be here. There is no way she could have left. Tell me where she is."

I laughed, which turned into another fit. This time, I coughed up blood. I hunched over. The taste of salt and copper coated my tongue. It took me a few moments to recover.

"I'm a transmigrator as well." I said. "I met Teacher in another realm. When I died, I ended up here."

When I looked back up at the red-haired man, the rage I saw in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. However, it didn't feel as if it was directed at me. Otherwise, I feared I would have fainted.

"I see." The red-haired man said. "It appears that I will have to work with the demon summoners for a little while longer. Shame."

With that, he turned around and walked away. However, after taking a few steps, he stopped and glanced back at me.

"Worry not, Child." He said. "I will uphold my end of our bargain. You gave me what I needed. I will ensure this city's survival. Not only that, but you are her student. I would help you for that alone." He paused. "We will meet again. I look forward to seeing how much stronger you become until then. Goodbye."

The red-haired walked off and soon disappeared from sight. The moment he was gone, I fell to my side. I had been at the end of my strength for a while now. The only reason why I remained conscious was the red-haired man. Now that he was gone, I couldn't hold on any longer.

As my vision faded and darkness took hold of me, a single thought comforted me. It was over. Icefall City was safe. We won.

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