Chapter 15: Die or Die Fighting

When everybody was getting up from their seats –or getting off the platforms if they were dueling– with different intentions in mind, an aged voice reverberated throughout the entirety of the open space.

"Disciples of Gray Grass Sect! We are in a perilous situation!"

An old man wearing a dark-gray robe and a tall hat of the same color appeared in the middle of the dueling area, where everyone could see him. He didn't raise his voice, but it seemed it wasn't necessary as everyone was already paying attention to him.

"It's the Vice Sect-Leader!" Someone said among the crowd.

"The Sect Leader along with the elders are already confronting the enemy! Their numbers, however, are at least equal to those of the whole sect… we can't keep everyone at bay. Soon, our first line of defense will be breached and the enemy will be able to reach you…"

The three or four hundred people present remained silent. They already knew what was going to happen, but their last thread of hope was cut by the Vice-Leader himself.

"Do not despair! Although we won't be able to block them all, we won't allow the strongest ones to pass! In this battle, you have a chance, you have to survive until we get rid of the enemy heads or until they flee!

Even if we lose… Even if we all die at the end of the day… We will take them with us to hell!

We will make them pay! We will make them suffer! They will know that messing with the Gray Grass Sect was the greatest mistake of their short lives!

We have to fight! Even if they were stronger or had greater numbers… Even if we are the last ones standing… We'll get rid of them all!

Even if there's no hope, you have a choice… EITHER DIE OR DIE FIGHTING!

FOR OUR HOME! FOR GRAY GRASS SECT!"

"For Gray Grass Sect!"

"For Gray Grass Sect!"

"For Gray Grass Sect!"

The disciples shouted in unison, a bit more motivated than before. It wasn't hard to understand the real intention of the short speech, which was to inform everyone that they were all probably going to die. They were caught unprepared, and no sect attacks another if they're nor sure of their victory, and, as the enemy appeared to be aiming for total annihilation, it would then probably end that way.

"We will kill them all!"

"They'll regret attacking Gray Grass Sect! Or not because they'll be dead…"

"Let's defend our home!"

"I'll at least take 10 with me!"

Even those who understood the severity of the situation and their low chances of survival gradually felt their blood boiling; they couldn't help it, they only had one option.

The old man disappeared as soon as he finished with his words, leaving the organization of their defense to the disciples. It didn't matter what they did, though, the fight that would decide victory or defeat wasn't in their hands. If the elders lost, the whole sect would be exterminated, as the difference in strength was that great.

"Only when facing death would a man reveal his true colors." Fang Chang said, sighing.

"Even if they are like this now, how will they be when they truly process the situation that befell? When a mountain of corpses is formed; when all those who they knew don't exist, what will they do? What would I-"

"It's not the time for that, Fang Chang." Pickle Lord coldly remarked.

"If not now, then when?"

"When we're out of here alive, Brother Fang." Yi Ren casually answered.

"Let's go, we'll have to be the vanguard." He added, getting off the stands. Fang Chang and Pickle Lord followed shortly after. After a second of hesitation, Feng Mai decided to accompany them, even if she wasn't invited. It was a scary situation so no one would want to be alone at this time.

The three of the boys and the girl with a ponytail ran through the cemented pathways, passing by many buildings that were still intact, until, after a couple minutes, one of the many chaotic situations finally came into view. Or barely, because the smoke that enveloped the area was so thick that it was very hard to see.

A little boy with an eye patch stood in the middle of an area filled with debris. His torn clothes along with his dirty appearance made it clear that he was facing a tough situation. He was tightly holding a hammer that seemed too big for him to carry, staring in a certain direction.

"As expected of the son of the Sect Leader. You recently advanced to the Third Realm and you're facing me, yet you're still alive."

A man's blurry figure walked out of the screen of smoke, holding a sword. He was a middle-aged man with a hairless face, looking arrogantly at the kid in front of him. Black and orange were the colors of his cloak.

The boy with the eye-patch obviously wasn't a kid, but his aging had regressed because of his breakthrough; one would become several years younger when they broke through Third and Fourth Realm, as the essence of their body would change. The details were unknown as people were more focused on cultivating instead of researching.

"It's not that I'm impressive, but that you're just too weak to kill me." The child replied as he kept an arrogant expression on his face.

"Maybe that's the case. You'll die soon enough anyway." The middle-aged man didn't care about the provocation. He rushed forward, smiling.

He reached the kid in an instant, swinging his sword vertically, aiming to cut the latter's head in half. The sword cut even the smoke as it made its way through it, but before it could reach the kid, the latter's hammer was already blocking its path.

Bam!

A vacuum of clean air was created around them as all the smoke was pushed outwards after the clash, but the middle-aged man was only warming up.

He released his grip of the sword with one of his hands and threw a punch to the kid's face.

Swishh

The kid barely evaded so the fist could only graze his face, however it was not sharp enough to leave a cut. Before he could counterattack, a kick hit his stomach, throwing him tens of meters away. The boy bounced on the floor as the friction with the floor couldn't stop his momentum, until he lost enough speed to start rolling, landing only a couple meters away from Yi Ren and the others.

"Flummery, run!" Someone screamed, but everyone was already running away before they could hear the complete sentence. They all ran in different directions; that way only one of them would be caught was what they thought, but there was one exception.

"Stop following me!" Pickle Lord angrily commanded.

"I'm not going to go out there alone!" The person that ran in the same direction as Wang Fan refused. She was clearly Feng Mai, who, seeing that they had run into an unexpected situation, decided to follow the one she thought was the strongest.

As he couldn't stop and fight her, Wang Fan just kept running. But before they could reach far, a group of ten people appeared in front of them; their figures were blurry because of the smoke.

The same scene repeated itself with Yi Ren and Fang Chang, but the number of people surrounding them varied. Everyone was surrounded.

…

"Those kids are quite brave to come all the way here… or are they just dumb?"

Back where the kid had landed, the middle aged man spoke. He wasn't nervous at all. Instead, he was very confident that the attack was going to be a success even if they had to make their move early, so he didn't mind playing a little with his enemy.

The child with an eye patch slowly stood up from the floor. His condition seemed worse than before, but the arrogance in his face wasn't gone.

"It doesn't really matter. If they don't die now, they'll die later. Not one person of your little sect will be breathing by tomorrow. Isn't that funny, Liu Ya?"

The man dressed in black and orange continued, looking down on the kid, whose name appeared to be Liu Ya.

To his surprise, the latter had a visible smile on his face. Liu Ya lifted his hammer, facing the hairless man once again.

"What's so funny?"

"Trust me, Li Pao, you will be fleeing like the cowards you are before nightfall."

"Oh, it seems you have so much faith in your sect. Let me show you… I'll show you what will happen with all your friends and family."

Before he finished speaking, Li Pao sped up towards the kid; this time he was faster than before. He arrived in front of the child and, before he could react, punched his chin upwards.

Liu Ya flew into the air, losing consciousness for one or two seconds. It was enough time for Li Pao to jump and arrive in front of him in the air, and, this time without any pause, punched the kid's face.

Liu Ya crashed into the floor, raising a large amount of dust and leaving a small crater on the ground. His face was now bloody and some of his bones even broke.

"You see, this is what happens to those who collide with evil." Li Pao spoke with a sarcastic tone and a smile on his face, making fun of the situation.

"Well, it's not like I know what excuse we're going to make up yet, but that's pretty much how it will go. Any ideas? It could help.

I mean, I have pretty good ideas myself, but they're not very realistic, so-"

"Is it possible for you to be more shameless?" The voice of an old man cut off Li Pao's monologue, and a figure slowly crept out of the dark fog.

He was wearing light-gray robes, stood straight but his neck was curved forward and was using a regular stick as a cane that didn't even touch the floor.

"Stick-old-man, or should I say... Brother, It's been a while."