Fist of Shadow

"Ha... I never thought I'd fool you, only to fail to fool that lousy swordsman. Looks like the so-called Fist of Shadow is nothing special after all—not even as good as a third-rate swordsman!"

Clutching his chest, the coachman glared hatefully at Meimu. He could not understand it. He had clearly deceived this executioner, so how had some fourth-rate swordsman wielding a second-rate weapon seen through him?

There was not the slightest trace of magical energy on the other man, nor did he possess the highly concentrated vitality and spirit of a warrior. No matter how he looked at it, Li Ke was a complete nobody, mere deadweight. How could he have known his plan?

"Fist of Shadow?"

Li Ke looked at the girl, still unable to see even the slightest trace of Akali in her.

The girl said nothing, because she really had been fooled.

Everything about the Balance Order disciple before her—his responses and all his other behavior—had matched that of a Balance Order disciple. He had never shown any unusual behavior during past missions either, and this time had been no different.

So she had truly overlooked the unnaturalness about him, assuming only that another disciple had been corrupted by a demon and was therefore behaving somewhat strangely.

The girl's silence made the coachman laugh bitterly twice. If he had lured her into the trap, he could have worked with his companion to kill her before making his escape.

But unfortunately, he had been seen through.

Looking at the girl holding two sickles, the coachman struggled for a long time. In the end, the Balance Order principles he had served his entire life compelled him to speak.

"She is my illegitimate daughter."

The girl fell silent.

The families of the disciple before her had all died fighting demons. After all, not everyone was as powerful as Master Kusho, the Eye of Twilight.

What she had not expected was that the disciple before her had an illegitimate daughter, and that she had joined the Kinkou Order as well.

The coachman closed his eyes in pain.

"I was the one who made her join the Kinkou Order."

The girl still did not speak, but pity appeared in her eyes.

The final relative of the disciple before her had also been possessed by a Yazakana during an exorcism operation, becoming one of the demons he had spent his entire life hunting.

Because of familial love, he had chosen to forget the fact that someone possessed by a Yazakana was no longer human, but a demon. He wanted to help his daughter escape purification.

But in doing so, he was actually committing suicide.

Because he was immersed in pain and betrayal, he would attract a new Yazakana and make the Yazakana possessing his daughter even stronger. Yet he had still done it.

Nothing more than...

Seeking death.

"You should know that she is no longer your daughter."

The girl closed her eyes as she said this, because she had already smelled the scent of a demon.

"I know, but I can't watch you kill her! Fist of Shadow!"

Halfway through the coachman's words, his voice ceased to sound human. His once-thin body rapidly began to swell, his eyes became as large as brass bells, and two pairs of enormous fangs grew from his mouth.

In an instant, he shot up to around four meters tall. His arms became grotesquely massive, as though two trucks had been mounted onto a van!

"I devoted my entire life to the Kinkou Order! But what did I get?! My entire family died at the hands of demon hunters!"

The furious coachman—no, he could no longer be called a coachman—like a wrathful ghost from Eastern folklore, smashed both fists toward the girl before him.

Two fists the size of truck cabs slammed into the ground, kicking up a sky full of dust and columns of earth at least ten meters high. Li Ke's heart skipped a beat at the sight. He finally understood why he died the moment he drew his sword in the simulation.

There was no way to dodge it.

It was too fast.

And as for its power... one touch meant death.

Quietly sheathing his sword, Li Ke began considering how to drive the carriage away.

He would still draw his blade to help against fists the size of sandbags, but fists the size of truck cabs...

It was not that he was cowardly. Going up against that with his current abilities would just be suicide. Better to farm up in the jungle for a while, then avenge the likely-Akali mid laner.

"But this is the road you chose, and it is also the road we chose. You longed for power to change everything, but look at how twisted you have become... Remember the reason you first set out."

The girl landed lightly from a backflip. Her tone remained cold, but to the coachman, it carried regret, sorrow, and heartfelt advice.

But unfortunately, he would never believe in Balance Order again!

It was the tenets of the Balance Order that had caused his family to die on missions!

"But this power can protect my daughter! Hahahaha!! Hahahaha!"

He laughed with abandon, and a crimson mask appeared on his face. Seeing this, the girl abandoned any thought of pulling him back.

His unrestrained laughter and the mask on his face proved that he had been completely consumed by the demon in his heart. He could no longer be saved. All she could do now was send him to his grave.

She hurled the kunai in her hand at the demon's mask, sprinting forward while rapidly forming hand seals.

The instant her kunai struck the demon, it exploded, blocking his vision for a moment. By the time the demon swept away the smoke before him, a talisman had appeared in the girl's hand.

"Nature of all things, aid me in subduing demons!"

The talisman instantly turned into water, flowing from her pale fingertips onto the ground and nourishing the earth.

The next moment, the surrounding trees began growing wildly. Thick branches and vines coiled around the enormous demon, binding his feet in place.

"Damn it! You can't stop me! Ninja! The anger in his heart, and his hatred for your Balance Order, will never disappear!"

The enraged demon tore apart the surrounding wood and vines again and again, but it was futile. For every one he tore apart, ten more reached for him. Soon, even his two truck-thick arms were tightly bound together, leaving him unable to move. All he could do was watch as the Fist of Shadow began chanting another incantation before him.

Ignoring the demon, the girl assumed her martial arts stance. Normally, she did not need to take a stance to gather power, but this demon was no ordinary opponent. If she did not go all out, she had no confidence in killing it with a single strike.

Normally, when facing a situation like this, she would bring enough talismans and magical artifacts. Unlike now, she could only rely on brute force to exorcise the demon.

With complete focus, magic and energy gathered throughout her body. Once her mind and body were perfectly synchronized, the girl opened her eyes and locked onto the demon's head.

Secret Art! Phantom Sakura Kill!

Then, under Li Ke's dumbfounded gaze, the girl...

Kicked the demon's head clean off.