Collateral Damage

Hum!

A faint metallic hum came from the sword in the man's hand.

The blade had been so black it showed not a glint of steel, looking more like a charred stick. But as it hummed, a green glow spread across it.

It was not the vibrant green of life.

It was a dull green, as though gray had been mixed into it.

One glance was enough to make anyone feel uneasy.

Qin Ran was no exception.

He frowned instinctively as he watched the sword in the man's hand.

And in that instant—

Whoosh!

The blood-soaked floor of the room, hung with skeletons and strewn with severed limbs, suddenly caught fire.

The flames were not the usual red. They were...

Green!

They closely resembled the green glow on the sword.

The next moment, some strange force drew the green flames toward the blade, and they surged into it like swallows returning to their nest.

Alarm shot through Qin Ran. His finger was about to pull the trigger.

But what happened next took him by surprise.

Clang!

The man flung the sword down in front of him as though he could not get away from it fast enough, then turned and leaped through the hole in the roof.

"Run!"

He even warned Qin Ran before leaving.

Qin Ran had no idea why any of this was happening, and he had no intention of trusting an opponent's words. But the danger prickling at his instincts told him what to do.

[Prus's Carapace]

[Crow's Agility]

A dim light flashed from his bracer, and a defensive field appeared around his body. His black-feathered cloak fluttered, and he shot outside like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Just as Qin Ran cleared the house—

Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted.

A green fireball rose into the