The tavern was deathly quiet, all eyes focused on the image that was projected in front of them. The Province Championship was always exciting, home to both rises and falls that few would normally dare think possible. But this? This was beyond anything the people here had ever dreamt of, a Province Emperor had intruded, all for the sake of killing a single participant. And all the more astounding was that he kept going for it even when the Warden of the Waste and an unknown powerhouse showed up to stop him. The question on everyone’s mind now was whether or not the participant would be able to escape.

"I gave him 15 seconds. It’s technically 5 more than we bargained for but he’s a fun kid so just consider it my loss, what happens from here on out is on him."

A voice reached probably the tensest person in the tavern, someone sitting as close to the exit as possible. Skin tanned from prolonged exposure to the sun, black hair that hung down past her shoulders, and eyes a dark shade of blue that complimented her skin. The others in the tavern may have no relationship with the targeted participant, Yin Long, but she was different. She was the one who put him on the path of a swordsman to begin with, his guide and master, Hongzai of the Woehowl. 

Hongzai only tensed up further after the voice of the Swordsman of the Broken Clock echoed in her head. Yin Long was definitely in a better position now thanks to his help, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet, he could still die at any moment. And then she saw the energy that crept out of Starblood’s manifestation body, the eerie Netherworld energy that was oh-so feared. She didn’t understand exactly why he brought it out, but its presence made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach, her honed instincts were telling her that something awful was about to happen.

"World Carver, I want to make a de…al…"

She quickly touched upon her bracelet with her mind to contact one of the people from the Lodge, but her voice trailed off before she could finish her request. She saw the Netherworld energy reach the person that was likely to be Yin Long’s lover, the girl that had been incapacitated ever since he brought out his own Netherworld energy. 

Cracks had started to spread across her entire body, verdant green light pouring out of her as if she was carrying a sun in her chest. The green light that looked oh-so peaceful scorched everything it touched, it razed the land flat like a tidal wave. And as was expected with how close they were, it washed over Yin Long and his group, swallowed them like the light of dawn swallows the flickering stars. 

It felt like an eternity, but Hongzai was sure that it only took a second or two in real time. A second or two was all it took for the green light to wash over Yin Long and then fade away, leaving nothing but devastation. With the light gone, only three people remained atop the razed land. Those her disciple considered friends and family were gone, only he, the girl he brought when they first met, and Starblood’s manifestation remained. But you’d have to be blind to think that anyone of them had a chance of seeing the next dawn.

The girl that remained, Xiao Yin Yu if she recalled, she had tried to shield Yin Long from the blast. Her back had been completely burnt away, revealing scorched lungs that pulsated with every strained breath she took. Her spine was blackened to the point that it looked like charcoal, small pieces constantly falling off and revealing how brittle it was. She barely had the time to give him a single kiss before she fell forward, before she fell silent for the last time. 

And then there was Yin Long, that dear disciple of hers that had forced his way into her life. His body was scorched, he had the law of Yin so that green light was probably like pure poison to him, barely a strand of hair left on his body. 

When he barged into her life, when he starved and dehydrated himself to the point of death, he looked so determined, so focused. His eyes, as dark as the night, never wavered even as he approached the final end. Those eyes, unyielding to all, were part of the reason she decided to take him in. But now, now they had become like charcoal. Drenched in despair and sorrow, helplessness and loathing, that beautiful light in them had gone out completely. He didn’t even raise his head as Starblood spoke to him, he simply gazed painfully at his own stained hands.

He brought out two blades from within his soul, their weight bringing his hands to the ground. Were they all he had left? Had the rest faded to provide him with a new life whenever he perished? She wasn’t able to see his connection with the blades, but she could guess what he was doing based on the gloomy light that covered his face. He punched a hole in space, and as she expected, he sent away those last two blades. Even in the end, he cared for the weapons he had made.

She touched upon the droplet-shaped accessory she carried, she wanted to tell him to hold on for just a handful of seconds longer. But he didn’t react, it seemed as if he couldn’t hear her at all. He still didn’t raise his head to look at Starblood, he just held Xiao Yin Yu close as he raised his other hand and placed his fingers against his throat. 

Hongzai’s heart clenched, but there was nothing she could do since he didn’t seem to hear her. The last of his energy poured out and became blades, his throat pierced by his own blade. Was that his last act of defiance, to at least prevent Starblood from being the one to finish him? Whatever the case was, Hongzai had to watch him fall forward, slumping onto Xiao Yin Yu’s body. He had died, her disciple had died. He had died multiple times before while they trained, it was his blessing that death was not the end for him. But this one… this one was different. This was a true death, a proper one. There were no swords to take the fall for him now so there would be no rising again for him. The disciple she ended up accepting, she had ended up watching him leave this world before her.

"Ah…"

She couldn’t even get out any words, her chest simply felt empty as she looked at the scene, that projection of her slumped over disciple laying there lifelessly. But her emptiness lasted for only a second before it was replaced by an emotion she was far more familiar with.

Her lungs burned. The heart that had sunk to the pit of her stomach roared like fire. Anger rose from her depth, fury burned through her flesh like fire. She was Hongzai of the Woehowl, anger and sorrow were the nails she used to carve open this world. And now those nails, which she had hidden beneath layers of snow as she strove towards her goal, rose skyward again like a spring flower. 

That was her disciple, the one she had taken in while she licked her wounds like a lone wolf. That was a child she could place her hopes in, a child that made her think that the future she envisioned was indeed possible. And now they had taken him from her, left him a battered and lonely man before he ended up taking his own life. 

How. Dare. They.

"Huoyan Hua, if you can send me over there then I will accept your deal."

Her voice was so cold that it almost froze the tavern, her words dripping with venom. She didn’t need to send out any energy, just using that name would be enough for this. She didn’t think she’d ever end up accepting this deal after already having put it off for close to a hundred years. But she needed to release this fire that burned her flesh, that was the least she could do for her disciple. Luckily, she didn’t need to wait for long before she got her answer.

"I knew you’d come around eventually. Alright Hongzai, let’s consider the deal completed with this, so have fun with your burning."

A female voice crept into her ears, probably from beyond any stars she was familiar with. The deal was made, now she could no longer sit on the fence, she had chosen a side in the war she wanted to just avoid for the rest of her life. But the reward for choosing a side came immediately, space in front of her catching fire before melting away and leaving a dark gash.

She ignored the terrified sounds coming from the tavern and entered the gash, which repaired itself slowly as space fought back against what remained of the heat. She raced through the dark space, lights occasionally flashing past her. The end came as abruptly as the start, the dark space simply fading away around her as she stepped forward, the empty wasteland known as the Demon’s Descent Wasteland spreading out beneath her.

She felt the nearby battle immediately, Huoyan Hua had really brought her right up to it. She turned her head and twisted her body, and indeed, Province Emperor Starblood’s true body was right over there, already within range of her attacks. He looked rather battered, the Warden of the Wastes facing off against him. But from the looks of the situation, Starblood would be able to escape before long, it was hard to tie down a strong Province Emperor after all.

"Hn?"

The two people abruptly stopped when they noticed Hongzai’s arrival, both momentarily uncertain if the newcomer was on their side. But Starblood relaxed after a short second, recognising Hongzai.

"Oh, you were hiding and recuperating nearby? I’ll be gracious today and let you keep fleeing so just fuck off before I notify Teacher."

He spoke sharply but didn’t dare to sneer at her, that alone made her certain that he was more wounded than he let on. If this was a normal situation then he would immediately rat her out to his teacher so that he could get some rewards. Then again, he had probably already notified his teacher, those tied to the Flood were all like that after all.

"I’m going to kill you, Starblood. I’ll fertilise the lands with your blood, not even the Flood will be allowed to stop that."

Her insides burned with fire, but her voice was still as cold as ice. Her hand reached into her robe and traced the scar on her torso, the wound that threatened to cleave her in half. She could feel the rough stitches beneath her fingertips, a constant reminder, a constant fire to forge her nails.

And then she dug her fingers into the stitches, tore them open as she plunged her fingers into her chest. That item she kept in there, she had to remove it for this. So what if the Flood found her, so what if the rest of her enemies learned that she was still alive. They had touched her disciple, the only thing she had left that could be considered family. No matter the consequences, she had to burn again.

"Oh come on, really? We both know you won’t do this Yu/
                                                                                                    / 
  Starblood didn’t get to finish his sentence, as a pale  /white line suddenly cut through the sky. His voice was cut away alongside                 the sky, all sounds fading as the white line cut throu/ gh them all. The land was submerged in an unearthly silence, like a frozen wasteland where the snow absorbed all sounds, a  land where  / none but the dead could rest. 

Starblood’s expression was grim, his body had already hopped several hundred metres back but there was still a new gash going from his elbow to his wrist. Hongzai was still standing in her original position, now holding a pure white sword, the few drops of blood that fell from its tip turning into red snowflakes as they fell to the ground. The land was cold now, a white tint covering the ruined wasteland as an icy sensation akin to a mother burying her own child swept over the two other men.

"My name, is Hongzai. I am the one who taught the Swordsman of Dancing Leaves how to cut the world, and for his sake, I will take your head today, Starblood."