The air inside the vault seemed to tear apart in an instant.
The moment the Yellow Flash that Yongye had become burst forward, all six Shadow Assassins lost sight of him.
Their blades struck empty air, carving futile streaks of cold light through the damp gloom. Before they could finish adjusting their footing to hold formation, a Kunai bearing a Flying Thunder God Mark flew past them.
Yongye reappeared beside the Kunai, as fast as lightning doubling back.
A Kunai gleaming with dark metal had appeared in his right hand. Its tip flashed beneath the dim emergency lights as he became a flowing golden blur, weaving among the six assassins.
His first slash crossed the neck of the assassin on his left, severing his head. It landed on the dusty tiles with a smack, splashing a small ring of standing water.
His second slash swept upward along the ribs of the assassin on his right. The blade entered beneath the armpit and emerged below the shoulder blade, precisely severing the main nerve bundle connecting the shoulder and arm. The whole arm dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth slashes ran together in a rapid series of metallic clangs, like an anvil being struck again and again. Each clash came with a muffled grunt and a body hitting the floor.
It took less than three breaths.
The six Shadow Assassins lay sprawled across the floor. Some clutched their stomachs and wailed, others curled up and convulsed, and two had lost consciousness entirely, their limbs splayed like discarded rag dolls.
Yongye reappeared in the center of the vault, knees slightly bent, the Kunai held at his side in his right hand. Not a trace of blood marked its blade.
Talia stood frozen two steps