Clearing the Field

The Cultists were, after all, tougher than the Deep-Sea Walking Corpses.

After testing himself in battle, Xia Lun had a clear sense of his limits. In his current state, swordsmanship alone let him withstand attacks from at most four Cultists at once. Against any more than that, he would have to control his positioning and use the terrain, gunfire, or sudden openings to pick them off.

With my Short Sword, four trained Cultists at once is about my limit, Xia Lun thought. Now that I've tested myself, it's time to clear the field. I'll use Stealth to slip away, find a good firing position, activate Heightened Focus, and shoot them all.

He abruptly stepped back to open some distance, then raised his gun and aimed at the nearest Cultist carrying a torch.

Bang!

A dazzling muzzle flash flared and vanished like lightning. As its glare faded, the orange torch went out too. The light around Xia Lun dimmed sharply, and murky shadows closed around him like a cloak.

Taking advantage of the sudden change in light, Xia Lun slipped behind the mound of corpses like a magician leaving the stage and vanished from the Cultists' sight.

"Where did he go?!"

"He ran! Forget him for now—catch Xuan Yan!"

Shouts rose from every direction. While the Cultists descended into confusion, Xia Lun reloaded and silently climbed to the top of the corpse mound. With everyone focused elsewhere, not one of them noticed him.

Rather than fire at once, Xia Lun glanced toward Xuan Yan in the distance.

To win a fight, he needed to know both himself and his allies. He had just tested his own abilities; now it was time to see what his teammate could do.

But one look made him frown.

In the dim torchlight, the Cultists had