The commander brandished his bloodstained saber, shouting as he attacked ferociously. His strikes were vicious, his blade whistling through the air.
The other rebel leaders thought their boss had drunk himself into high spirits and was putting on a sword dance for their amusement. They clapped, stamped their feet, and shouted.
"Bravo! Fine moves, boss!"
Black Snake darted and dodged amid the flashing blade, his form like a shadow. As he passed the fat man, he casually thrust his sword straight between the man's brows.
The unconscious fat man twitched twice, then his head lolled to one side and went still.
His vital energy was severely depleted, making him easy to kill.
The rebel commander roared, seemingly using some kind of sonic spell. Black Snake felt only a passing breeze, less threatening than the flames in the fire basin. The weakened evil spirit, on the other hand, was shaken apart by the roar.
That enraged the commander even more. He hacked and slashed wildly, overturning tables and chairs, spilling wine, food, and soup everywhere.
The man's vital energy was vigorous, and his baleful aura was far too heavy.
Black Snake wheeled around, rushed out of the crowd in two steps, and left through the small door.
"You monster! Don't run!"
Wearing only a thin shirt, the commander pursued him with his saber, roaring.
The moment he charged through the small door, he found the little boy had vanished. A cold breeze struck him, and he sensed something was wrong-but it was already too late. A pinpoint of bone-piercing cold touched the back of his head, then erupted into explosive agony, as though a nail had been driven straight through his skull!
"Aaargh...!"
Hidden in the shadows behind the door, Black Snake sprang out and landed his ambush. Unexpectedly, the thrust