Don't Let the Support Die at the Back

The Evil Soul Master fled fast.

Blood mist spread from the alley behind the Soul Fighting Arena, as though someone had poured a crimson trail across the night.

The lights of Suotuo City soon fell behind them.

Bai Jin did not give chase at once.

He walked at an easy pace and even glanced back at the others following him.

"Not bad. No one's fallen behind."

Ma Hongjun wheezed like a broken bellows. "You call this not falling behind?"

"I wasn't talking about you."

Ma Hongjun: "..."

Tang San followed a little behind and to the side, his gaze fixed on where the blood mist had vanished.

The Evil Soul Master had taken a slash from Zhu Zhuqing and had several vines torn apart by Dai Mubai. He should not have been running so steadily.

Unless he had prepared something ahead.

"Senior," Tang San said, "he's luring us in."

Bai Jin nodded. "You noticed?"

"It's obvious."

"Then why keep chasing?"

Tang San was silent for a moment. "Because the people he took might still be alive."

Bai Jin smiled.

"That's a good reason."

Ning Rongrong heard him, and her expression grew complicated.

She had always thought fighting meant the strong charged ahead while Support stayed behind and used Soul Skills. But tonight, she suddenly understood that the rear was not absolutely safe either.

If she had been a heartbeat slower, Xiao Wu would have been hurt.

If she had misjudged the situation, Zhu Zhuqing might have been swallowed by the blood mist.

Being a Support System Soul Master was not a reason to be protected.

At least, it could not be her only reason.

Oscar usually had the quickest mouth, but at a time like this, he fell quiet.

He saw Ning Rongrong's hand shaking. His own hand, holding a sausage, was hardly steadier.

He had always figured that Food System Soul Masters had no attack power. If he could not win, he would hide; if he could not hide, he would chalk it up to bad luck.

Tonight was different.

Someone lay ahead, waiting for his sausage to save their life.

Suddenly, those ridiculous Soul Skill chants did not seem quite so funny.

Outside the city stood an Abandoned Church.

A minor noble had built it, but the family had since fallen into ruin. Half its walls had collapsed, leaving only a spire black beneath the rain clouds.

The blood mist slipped through the crack in the Gate.

Bai Jin stopped outside the Gate.

"Before we go in, remember one thing."

Everyone looked at him.

“Support System types, don't stand at the very back.”

Ning Rongrong froze.

Oscar froze too.

Dai Mubai asked without thinking, "If not at the back, then where?"

"Somewhere you can see everyone."

Bai Jin raised a hand and sketched a simple formation on the ground.

"'The very back is safest' only applies to ordinary Soul Fighting. Against an enemy who means to kill, the person at the very back is often the first to die, because you assume no one will come around behind you."

Oscar went pale.

Ning Rongrong bit her lip.

She did not like hearing it put so bluntly, but she knew Bai Jin was right.

"Tang San controls the field. Dai Mubai presses from the front. Xiao Wu disrupts him. Zhu Zhuqing cuts off his escape. Ma Hongjun, watch your fire and don't spray it everywhere. Oscar, stay with Ning Rongrong. Don't leave her standing alone."

Oscar nodded at once. "Got it."

Ning Rongrong glanced at him but did not argue.

They pushed open the church Gate.

There was no statue inside, only three unconscious Soul Masters suspended in midair. Blood Vines bound them, drawing out their Soul Power bit by bit and feeding it into the formation carved into the floor.

The Evil Soul Master stood at the center of the formation. The wound on his shoulder gaped open, yet his grin was feverish.

"A bunch of children dare follow me here?"

Dai Mubai snorted, and a White Tiger Fierce Light Wave blasted out.

The Evil Soul Master did not dodge.

The Blood Array flared, and several Blood Vines crossed to block the attack.

Bai Jin leaned against the Gate without entering.

Luo Wenshan said quietly, "Sir, that formation is strong."

"Mm."

"The children will get hurt."

"Getting hurt isn't the same as dying."

Luo Wenshan said no more.

He knew Bai Jin looked laid-back, but he knew exactly what he was doing. If anyone's life was truly at stake, Bai Jin would act faster than anyone.

But Luo Wenshan also knew Bai Jin would not always stand in front of these children.

On Spirit Hall missions, what they encountered most often was never a fair fight. It was ambushes, disappearances, cries for help, and the regret of arriving too late.

A little pain now was better than dying later without knowing why.

Inside the church, the fight had already descended into chaos.

Xiao Wu pressed in close, nearly landing several kicks on the Evil Soul Master, but the Blood Vines kept forcing her back. Zhu Zhuqing moved through the shadows, her claws flashing coldly, yet she still could not reach the Formation Core.

Tang San suddenly called out, "Rongrong, give Zhu Zhuqing speed!"

Ning Rongrong did not hesitate.

"Seven Treasures Have Names, Second: Speed!"

Light fell.

Zhu Zhuqing abruptly accelerated, swept past a fallen stone pillar, and drove her claws toward the edge of the formation's markings.

The Evil Soul Master's expression changed, and the Blood Vines immediately turned toward her.

"Fatty, fire!"

Ma Hongjun had been itching to let loose. At Tang San's shout, his Phoenix Fire Line roared out and severed the Blood Vines.

Firelight lit the church.

A corner of the formation's markings broke apart.

One of the suspended Soul Masters fell.

Oscar rushed over at once and stuffed a Recovery Big Sausage into the man's mouth.

"Don't die on me, brother! This sausage costs a fortune!"

Bai Jin laughed from the Gate.

These kids were still a mess.

But they were a lively mess.

The Evil Soul Master finally flew into a rage.

He spat out a cloud of black-red blood mist. Every vine in the church surged at once, threatening to bind them all.

Tang San's gaze sharpened, and he spread his Blue Silver Grass with all his strength.

"Get behind me!"

But Dai Mubai did not retreat.

Instead, he stepped forward, activated his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and stopped the thickest blood vine by force.

"Now!"

Xiao Wu used the opening he had made to flip upward and kick apart the bone lamp beside the Formation Core.

Crack.

The Blood Array stalled for an instant.

That instant was enough.

Bai Jin raised his hand.

Azure Blue light spun in his palm.

Second Soul Skill—Azure.

The collapsing space became an invisible, bottomless well. Vines, blood mist, and broken stone were all dragged toward a single point.

The Evil Soul Master realized in terror that he could not move.

Bai Jin walked into the church, his footsteps as light as if they fell on water.

"Practical lesson over."

He reached out and clenched his hand. Every blood vine was crushed to pieces.

The Evil Soul Master was forced to his knees, his face pressed against the cold stone floor. He could not even scream.

Bai Jin looked down at him.

"Stealing low-level Soul Masters. Using children to test your formation."

His voice remained light.

"You really know how to pick on the soft ones."

The Evil Soul Master forced out, "You... who are you?"

Bai Jin thought for a moment.

"A temporary teacher."

Tang San and the others stood nearby. No one laughed.

If Bai Jin had not stepped in, they might not have lost, but someone would certainly have been badly hurt.

Ning Rongrong looked at her still-trembling hand and said softly, "I was too slow."

Oscar scratched his head. "Me too."

Dai Mubai said gravely, "I blocked it too late."

Tang San shook his head. "I was too cautious in my judgment."

Bai Jin watched them reflect on their mistakes one by one and nodded with satisfaction.

"Good."

Everyone looked at him.

"If you can tell where you're weak, there's still hope for you."

Ma Hongjun could not help asking, "Couldn't you make that sound a little nicer?"

Bai Jin smiled. "Sure."

He gave them a thumbs-up.

"You've got real potential at being terrible."

Everyone: "..."