Chapter 18

The fall of the Sacred family was done in a fast and 'clean' manner.

The first attack wave was entrusted to the stealth division. They were in charge of taking care of the guards, while the second wave was in charge of taking care of the powerhouses.

As such, the majority of the guards that were entrusted with guarding the perimeter were dealt with in a swift manner, while the few elders that were found were taken care of by Ye Zong and the rest of the leaders.

As such, over half of the Sacred Family's forces were dealt with in only ten minutes.

When he finally found something amiss, it was too late for Shen Hong to actually put up a good defense. The only thing he could do was ordering the younger generation to retreat thought out the secret tunnel, while he and the rest of the remaining elders would stall for time.

"Ye Zong! Why are you attacking my Sacred Family?! What have we done to deserve this?!"

"You actually ask what you have done to deserve the fate that is befalling you right now?!"

"How about the fact that you have betrayed Glory City; or the fact that you are collaborating together with the criminal organization known as The Dark Guild; or the countless children you and your family have killed or turned into slaves!?"

Shen Hong's expression turns ashen, 'This bastard! He knows!!!! But how? I made sure that our trail was perfectly covered!'

A third voice is heard then.

"By the expression on you're face, you are probably thinking of how we have found out about this. Well, the presence of me and my wife should be enough as an answer!"

Turning around, Shen Hong's heart practically stops when he sees the one that has just spoken.

Before him was non-other then Shen Tiankong and by his side his wife, Shen Xiannu.

"YOU!!!"

"You know Shen Hong, sending those assassins after me and Xiannu was a really bad move. Not only did you lose over half of you're family's core members in one swift move, but we also managed to extract quite a bit of information from them."

Terror and fear could be seen on the face of every single Sacred Family's member.

The only thing that they could possibly hope for was for the young ones to successfully escape and take revenge for them in the future.

A crazed look appeared on Shen Hong's face.

"If you lot think that I will go down without a fight, you are dead wrong! If I'm to die then I'm taking as many as I can with me!"

Just as he was about to attack, a cold voice is heard from behind him.

"And how will you do that?"

This was non-other than Xiao Yunfeng and Xiao Meng.

Around them the rest of the elders were unconscious, Shen Hong being the only one remaining standing.

"How... how were you able to defeat u so easily..."

His broken voice can be heard as he asks.

"Oh, but you already know that, don't you? Although your mind refuses to believe it, your instincts should be telling you the answer."

"You broke through the Legend realm..."

"Indeed. All six of us have broken through the Legend realm.

In the underground tunnel.

Shen Fei was scared. No, scratch that, he was truly terrified out of his mind.

Why?

Before him, his clansman's were being slaughtered. From youngest to oldest. Non were speared.

And the ones responsible for this were three individuals that he used to look down upon, Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, and Shen Wang.

Only the three of them were dealing with the nine golden ranks that were in charge of protecting them, and the rest of the demons spiritualists we're simply slaughtered without even being able to put up a fight.

Everything around them felt heavy, it was like the ground was pulling them down, not allowing them to move.

The temperature was also dropping at a fast rate, freezing the very blood in they're being while the three before him we're killing them all. The look in they're eyes cold like hell itself.

In the end, only he remains, everyone besides him and the three, fallen, eternally demand to never move again.

Looking at the three, Shen Fei knew that this was his end. His body stiff from the cold while being hold prisoned by forces unseen, he could only watch with trepidation as one of them moves towards him, slowly, with a steady peace. Her long brownish orange hair swaying as she slowly approached him.

"...Y, you..." that was all he got to say before his head was rolling on the floor, his eyes losing their life.

Half an hour later, Ye Zong and the others approach the underground tunnel.

They're heart's heavy. They knew that what their children have done was a necessity, for both their own future and that of Glory City. As leaders and adult's they understood that this was a necessity, but as parents, they couldn't help but have heavy hearts. After all, they themselves did not have they're first kill until much later on.

Entering, they could see the corpses of the Sacred family's members on the ground. The majority of them were decapitated, having a fast death. Looking around they could see the soldiers that they have sent were slowly cleaning the place. Searching more, they could not find Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, or Shen Wang.

Stepping forward, with concern in his voice, Ye Zong asks.

"Where are my daughter, Xiao Ning'er and Shen Wang?"

Hearing they're lord's question one of the Snow Wind's family's elder's step forward.

"My lord, the young mistress and her friend have returned to the mansion."

"I... understand." Looking around, he asks.

"Tell me, what is your evaluation of them? How did they do?"

Looking towards the City Lord, and then moving his gaze towards the ones that were at his back, he sees the mistress, the Patriarch of the Noble Winged Dragon Family and his wife, together with Shen Tiankong and Shen Xiannu. All six looking at him with hardened looks, awaiting his answer.

Taking a deep breath, and calming his racing heart, he thinks back to the 'battle', and can't help but shiver in both excitement and pride, but also slight horror.

"The future of Glory City is in great hands, my lord's..." As such, he begins explaining what happened from the beginning.

Currently at the City Lord's mansion.

Inside of Ye Ziyun's chambers, three teens are resting, Their hair slightly wet, having just taken a bath. They were wearing slightly lose robes as they were sitting together while embracing one another, Shen Wang being in the middle with Ye Ziyun on his right side, and Xiao Ning'er on his left, both keeping their body's close to him, while holding tightly onto him, with their heads on his chest, as he pulled hold them both by their waist.

Their eye's closed, while their faces were pale, their body's trembling from time to time, as they pulled themselves even closer to one another, seeking warmth and comfort, as their hearts were heavy like never before.

They have killed today. For the first time, they have shuffled the flames of life of another human being.

They knew that this was the best course of action, cutting the problem from its root and killing all members of the Sacred Family has made it so that in the future there will be nobody who will come seeking revenge. They also knew that the majority of those killed truly deserved it.

But even so... even if their actions were justified, the fact that they have spilled blood with their own hand does not change, for they knew that from this day forward, they have stopped being 'children', without worry, without a need to care for anything in the world. They were no longer 'innocent'.

As such, now that they have taken the first step, they must continue on. Blood will be spilled. Life's will be lost, but they will need to move on, because from now on it won't be just their lives that they will need to worry about; the life's of those around them, their fate's will be resting on their shoulders.

That night, while the combined forces of the Snow Wind Family and Winged Dragon family were uprooting the spies and traitors, three teens were talking of their future path's.

"What has been done is done. We did the right thing. By exterminating the Sacred family we have managed to extinguish what can be considered the biggest sickness Glory City has known since the Demon Lord's appearance."

Hearing this, both girls raise their heads and look at Shen Wang's face.

Their eyes are slightly red. Still, there will and conviction can be seen on them.

Nading her head, Ye Ziyun says.

"You are right. What we have done was something that needed to be done no matter what. The Sacred family was far too corrupted to be saved. But still even so..."

As her voice goes quiet, Xiao Ning'er continues on.

"Even so, it does not make thing's easier. We were not supposed to fight one another. Glory City can be considered the last standing bastion of humanity. It's last light."

"We were supposed to stand together, united. After all, if it's enemy's we want... well, don't we have enough of those outside these walls?"

A few moment's of silence overcome the room, till a sight escapes Ye Ziyun.

"You know what was the most tragic part? It wasn't just the leaders of the Sacred family that betrayed and sold Glory City. No, those from our generation were part of it as well. The same mentality eating away at their heart's. But that's not all. Nop... If one were to actually search a bit deeper, they will fined that corruption has spread beyond just the Sacred family. Many from our generation that comes from 'nobility' have fallen into depravity as well."

Taking a deep breath.

"When we are young, we have liberty/freedom, but we do not see it. We have time, but we do not know it. We have love, but we do not feel it. Many decades would pass before we understood the meaning of all three. Many do not understand this until the twilight of their life, till this understanding has passed into contentment."

Tears can be seen glittering in her eyes.

"But no us. No... we don't have the decades of time to understand this. And even if we are young we don't have liberty and freedom, not truly, no matter how hard our parents try to give it to use...

From Shen Wang's left side, Xiao Ning'er says with a heartbroken voice.

"Just look at us, till now we have triked everyone, even our parent's. Till now, they believed that while we have great strength, we don't know much, that we don't understand most of the things happening around us when in truth we probably know more of the darkness that has infested Glory City then them."

"They still believe that when we go out together, all three of us, we play around. When we go out on our 'dates' as they think we just sightseeing or shopping. When in reality we have long since visited the slums. The area of the 'commoners', and those family's 'fallen' from grace. Even those red light district's."

"They still think that we are shy around one another when it comes to our feelings. That we do not know that we care and love one another in a romantic form when we actually have been together for over a year. We have seen countless couple of our age that have already started family's, that have their own children. We are actually friends with quite a few of them..."

Here a chuckle escapes her as a small smile appears on her still pale face.

"Really, it's going to be quite fun when we finally tell them about us. Their faces are going to be priceless."

Both Ye Ziyun and Shen Wang smile thinking about this.

Holding both girls by their waist, while inhaling their scent, Shen Wang can't help but think.

'The description's from a book do not hold a candle to the reality that we live. They were once described as girls that in the end only know how to follow, but in reality, here in my arms, I have two girls that have become 'woman's' with great responsibility on their shoulder long before their time.

"Well, in the end, life's hardest choices are the ones that force you to question your own moral code, after all, life is not a fairy tale and there are no happy endings. The only way for us to truly obtain a happy ending is for us to forge it with our own hands."

Both girls listen as they understand the truth they hold.

"Again, we have learned something today. Just like you have told us back then, 'Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted'."

As Ye Ziyun finishes, Xiao Ning'er continues on.

"To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic."

Letting out a sight, as she cuddles into his chest.

"Really now... how cynic."

TITLE - No longer a child.