The boy's death did not concern the Empire's assassins. The other two young assassins charged forward again, seemingly intending to hold Aria back and free Gozuki.
As they passed the former's corpse, where Zither's Lament stood planted upright, Zither's Lament suddenly unfolded, transforming from a zither into a massive fan.
The change immediately put the two boys on guard. They tried to get away from Zither's Lament at once, but they were still too late.
A terrifying gale suddenly erupted with Zither's Lament at its center, sending the two soaring into the air. Countless wind blades formed within the gale, reaping their lives.
Although Guanxing was keeping these people from getting close, an accident still occurred. A man wearing an earth-colored hat suddenly emerged from the ground beside Aria.
The moment he appeared, he pressed both hands against the ground. The earth beneath Aria's feet immediately began to sink. Before she could react, her legs sank into the ground, briefly restraining her and preventing her from continuing her assault on Gozuki.
Without Aria's frenzied attacks, Gozuki was freed. He immediately rushed toward Guanxing.
By now, how could he not have realized that Guanxing was controlling Aria? Murasame's cursed poison had no effect on zombie Aria, but could it possibly have no effect on Guanxing, a living person?
As long as he killed Guanxing, Aria would be useless!
"Ministerial Arm: Thousand-Layer Garment?"
Guanxing watched the changes unfold and glanced at the Ministerial Arm on the man's body, immediately understanding what had happened.
Ministerial Arm: Thousand-Layer Garment—A Ministerial Arm capable of controlling earth. Beyond that... it could also burrow underground, though it could not create earth from nothing, and the burden on its user was considerable.
Still, it had quite a few advantages. Though it could not compare to an Imperial