A greatsword wreathed in black Battle Aura slashed down viciously at Lin Chen, with enough force to cleave him in two.
Lin Chen tried to dodge, but his body refused to obey.
Before the blade even reached him, its Battle Aura pressed down so hard he could barely breathe, as though a mountain were collapsing onto his head.
Just before death, Alia's face suddenly flashed before his eyes.
It was evening, and she stood at the door waiting for him to come home, holding a bowl of hot soup and saying, "How did you get yourself covered in dust again?"
Then came Lin Yao.
Tiny, dressed in a pink skirt, she chased after him calling, "Big brother! Big brother!" Even when she fell, she never cried, just got up and kept chasing.
Before he left home today, she had even shared a piece of candy with him.
Lynn's face surfaced too.
His father never said much. He stood beside the training grounds watching him practice his swordsmanship, occasionally nodding.
But those eyes were always there, quietly watching him grow.
Last came that little hand.
Lin Chen could no longer remember his own birth, yet that scene surfaced again at this moment.
He seemed to become that wailing infant lying on a bed once more, with blurry figures and a pair of enormous hands before his eyes.
One finger reached toward him, and he grabbed it, holding on tightly.
Dad... Lin Chen cried inwardly.
As the rushing blade tore through the air, a trace of tenderness actually appeared on Lin Chen's face.
At the critical moment, golden light exploded.
A short sword slipped in from the side, light as a leaf, yet firmly caught the greatsword.
Black energy collided with golden light, producing a piercing hum.
With a clang, the burly